For me, it is the perfect balance of theory and practice: gaining insight into the communications profession at Progress Communications while developing my knowledge at university. An inspiring combination.
It has also shown me that the gap between academic research and practice is often larger than I would like. Several times, professors’ claims have seemed some distance from the reality I see. Here are two examples.
Arpan and Pompper’s 2003 research describes a tension: although journalists and PR professionals both have a nose for news, journalists do not necessarily recognise that shared quality. Many academic articles depict the two professions as being at odds. My first eye-opener on starting my PR career at Progress Communications was how positive the relationship actually is. I rarely, if ever, see that conflict in practice. Collaboration is increasing. Our “Nokia influentials”, knowledgeable technology journalists, are one example. We give them opportunities to test the latest devices so they can provide readers with informative, critical reviews.
Classes also give the impression that PR professionals spend about half their time writing press releases. That suggests a rather distorted picture of daily agency work. Progress Communications offers more than media coverage: it takes a holistic marketing approach, shaping communication from start to finish. A typical working day includes monitoring social media and creating content, developing strategies, organising press events, reporting on and analysing coverage, maintaining contact with journalists, and brainstorming fresh communications plans.
It seems the pace of PR is outstripping the research. I do not see a love–hate relationship between journalists and PR professionals in my day-to-day work. And while academics may picture a profession focused on writing press releases and persuading journalists to publish them, we know there is far more to it. PR is certainly not a piece of cake.
Beau
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