Why we should stop saying ‘nobody dies in PR’
PR might not be brain surgery, but it has the power to alter lives. That’s why some PR pros take their work so seriously—and why communicators should demand perfection.
Every few months I find myself in a meeting where someone cavalierly chimes in on a challenge we’re working to tackle with the statement “it’s PR, not ER.”
Usually, this comment is followed by the rote disclaimer that we’re in the communications field and shouldn’t take what we’re doing too seriously, as we are not saving lives. Admittedly, it always gets me fired up.
I care deeply about the power of PR. We’re not in an operating room making life-saving patient decisions, but we are making calculated moves for clients that have life-altering potential. In a world where hunger, poverty, discrimination and countless disparities exist, what we do absolutely matters.
What we do is far greater than we often acknowledge or realize. Our influence through strategic communications programs can be massive. We as brand champions better be sure we craft and deploy the right messages.
Some of what we do is to drive brands or promote products and services, but other parts tackle humanitarian issues of global proportions that require us to advocate for causes that impact world citizens and the environment.
To say that PR doesn’t help impact lives is simply not true.
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