Popular misconceptions about PR

This post is inspired by someone I met last week. So we got talking and asked what I studied in University, I replied 'public relations' and this person goes.... "I feel like everybody that studies that course don't want to do anything with their future". Of course I took offence to this statement because it hit the wrong button so bad! I could not help but think how rude and ignorant this person was then it occurred to me that there are so many people out there with the same mindset as this person.

It's no news that it is difficult for 'outsiders' to really understand what public relations is all about or what PR practitioners do and this leads to various misconceptions about what PR really is. As a result, I have decided to make a list of the popular misconceptions people have about PR.

1. PR is not lies, propaganda or misrepresentation: Most people are of the notion PR is deliberate distortion of the truth just to get the 'target' to behave in a certain way. This is not PR as public relations deals with credibility, building relationships and tenable reputation management.

2. PR is not all about organising event (parties): This is a very popular misconception as people feel all what public relations practitioners do is just to organise parties while they drink and be merry. PR is not about drinking and partying.

3. PR is not a one-time activity: Another popular misconception as people believe once PR practitioners get what they want from 'their target', they 'dump' the target. As mentioned earlier, PR is about building relationships and reputation management. Hence, longevity is a must for this to be achieved. If PR is done for only a limited number of time, then image and relationships can't be built nor sustained. 

4. Advertising and marketing is not PR: When I tell people about public relations, they go on and on asking how good I am at marketing products. This misconception is more popular than imagined; marketing and advertising promote a product, service, or brand for the purpose of selling it. Public relations is about building and sustaining serious credibility and trust by sharing credible information, knowledge and insight in order to raise awareness about an organisation or brand.

5. PR is not one-sided: When "target public" or "target audience" is used in PR, it is often misunderstood that only the 'PR people' benefit from the 'target'. PR relationships are based on respectful engagement. It's a relationship in which all parties must benefit. It's a synergy and this is what PR stands for rather than the misconception that consumers or 'targets' are just being used to achieve objectices.