Death to “public relations”?
Though it could be considered as one of the oldest practices in the world, the term public relations has lived a relatively short life on the planet. Many have enjoyed using the phrase, and many more confuse the phrase with publicity, advertising, marketing and more.
But it is truly going away?
As the lines between advertising, marketing and public relations become more blurry, the face and name of our industry is changing. I remember when Bob Jimenez, the Director of Corporate Communications visited Elon, he revealed to us that he believes that the future name of public relations will be “strategic communications.”
As we begin to look for jobs we see the job titles “Marketing Communications Coordinator” or “Advertising Communications Manager” or even “Brand Promotion Manager” that have descriptions that match public relations perfectly. Colleges and universities offer degrees in corporate communications, strategic communications; and even companies have strategic communications and/or corporate communications departments.
What have you all noticed about this recent trend? Are you for it, against it, or indifferent? Do you think that this is even significant?
