You Will Never Believe These Bizarre Truth Behind PR

PR (public relations) can be a sneaky business. From the outside, it seems like a business’s shameless way of cultivating a positive reputation—but on the inside, it can be a competitive, cutthroat struggle for every inch. https://guestbloggingtechnology.com/pr-outreach/

And sometimes, that battle spills into places you might not expect.

You Will Never Believe These Bizarre Truth Behind PR :

1. PR is similar to brainwashing.

In the early days of PR, public relations was thought of as a way for companies to use “persuasive advertising” to achieve their goals. But as PR developed, other themes emerged—and one of them was indoctrination-like brainwashing. In the late 1960s and 1970s, an advertising executive named Edward Bernays became fascinated by what he saw at cult meetings like the Oxford Group, a Christian group that sought to convert nonbelievers through behavior changes and emotional manipulation.

2. PR can sometimes feel quite tragic.

PR pros have to work under the most ridiculous circumstances—which is why it’s not surprising that some have become mentally unstable as a result of their jobs. In The Great American Huckster: The Art of Being Fake, author David Ogilvy wrote: “When I was in my twenties and thirties, I heard there was a certain type of person who got into the advertising business. 

He or she was charming and outgoing, had a sense of humor, and most importantly was creative. But after three or four years, these people started to break down badly. They had become so frustrated and paranoid that they were no longer functioning normally.”

3. Most PRs don’t care about their clients.

One might think that PR people would have a vested interest in their clients, but the truth is that they’re not exactly around long enough to get to know them. In fact, many public relations firms only stick around for one or two assignments at most. Adding insult to injury, the majority of PR firms pay anything but competitive salaries. 

4. The US is the most overrated country in the world.

PR firms across different countries often employ the same strategy of manipulating their target audience’s emotions and perceptions, even though they’re trying to reach people with vastly different cultures. 

The goal is to get Americans to think that everyone else is special, but in reality, those other countries are way more deserving of acclaim. Edward Bernays actually invented PR in order to help Americans feel like “the greatest country on earth”, according to one article.

5. There are a few ways you can get out of PR school—but none of them involve asking for a refund.

You’d think that getting a degree in public relations would result in a guaranteed job at one of the top-rated PR firms, but that’s not always the case. Because a lot of students leaving school disappointed with their pay, there are a few things you can do if you have problems finding try your hand at being an actual PR genius. 

You can use things like severance packages and financial aid to help you get the money you need to fund your own way out of the program. Of course, that’s not always an option for everyone. A common trick is to accept what you’re given and then immediately quit afterwards—though even this strategy is only viable in some cases.

6. Google is a PR master.

Google has always been on the cutting edge of PR—and they proved their prowess with the launch of Google Glass. The goal was to make consumers think that Google Glass is actually valuable technology, despite all the privacy concerns and other issues. That’s why they hired Vogue editor-in-chief and creative director Anna Wintour to be their unofficial spokesperson—which really helped them get their message across.

7. Some famous people have become PR masters without even trying.

We’ve all heard stories of celebrities becoming spokespeople for brands thanks to contracts they signed years ago, but some stars have done it on their own. Justin Bieber was a spokesmodel for Dunkin Donuts, but only because he was friendly with the company’s CEO. And in the late 1990s, former NBA star Kobe Bryant was paid to be an ambassador for Pizza Hut—even though he already had his own endorsement deal at the time of his contract with the fast-food chain.

8. PR can show up in unexpected places.

There are a few ways you might not expect PR to show up in your life. Sometimes, it shows up randomly in your area code on phone calls. Other times, you might get stuck with a friend or coworker who is constantly trying to talk you into buying something—and it’s not even food! (These people are known as “door-to-door salespeople”, and they can be surprisingly aggressive.)

9. PR doesn’t work on everyone.

There may be a lot of tricks that PR pros can use to get you thinking in their favor, but it only works in some cases. For example, a PR firm might try to make people think that some new piece of technology is cool by arranging for influencers to use it—but studies have shown that consumers are smart enough to figure out when an influencer is being paid just for using a product.