I was definitely inspired to hear Fred Cook, CEO of GolinHarris, share his insights and perspectives on the growing changes he is seeing within the PR agency industry at the Integrate Conference. GH has changed the roles each individual holds within the agency including those who are catalysts, connectors, creators, and strategists.
This framework has generated many discussions in both traditional and social media outlets, leading to huge coverage in the major media outlets and trade publications. Here is a video showcasing their new approach to the PR agency that was posted on Vimeo – the video says it all:
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/34865490[/vimeo]
What you see here is a disruption into the traditional view of not only how we see PR agencies, but how we as professionals in academia need to see our own curriculum. We are in a very tough job market and economy, where our students are struggling to find positions that are up their alley in PR.
This was one thing that Fred Cook said – he is looking for unique individuals that are creative, innovative, and are not like all of the rest of the PR students coming out of traditional PR programs that have read the same books, watch the same TV shows, and have the same work experiences. However, what they are not coming into the workplace with are fresh ideas, creativity, and unique perspectives most of the times. Breaking the mold is what we need to do – and I spoke on a similar topic this weekend relating to the need to have more practitioners and those who have an applied focus towards PR in the PhD programs.
So, the question is – what does this say for PR programs (undergraduate, graduate, and PhD)? We (aka professors) have to make sure we address this – and the way we can do this for our students is to lead by example.
In summary, what GolinHarris has done is not only give practitioners ideas on what they need to think about in terms of their role in the workplace, but it has given academic professionals a lot to think about in terms of their research, teaching, and their own consulting. We have to give our students the knowledge, skills, and experience to succeed in this tough economy, and the best way we can do it is to incorporate some of these emerging trends into the classroom with technology, hands on experience with clients and campaigns, and exercises that may be non-traditional that promote creativity and innovativeness.
So, what we need to consider is whether or not to follow the same track as GH has done to incorporate these roles into the curriculum by testing each student to see what role they would fit into best. This can also be viewed at from the research perspective – where research teams evolve and each person takes on this specific task in the research project related to the GH “PRevolve” model. Many possibilities lie here, but we do need to have further discussions about this.
In addition, we have to also get out of the mindset of having a “cookie cutter” shaped PR student (undergraduate, graduate, PhD) once they graduate from the program. Each person brings in unique experiences and characteristics as well as interests – so it is our job as educators to promote and help grow this among our students. We have to mentor them through this process so they are prepared for the challenging work environment.
In essence, what we need in the profession are individuals that are grounded in the foundation of traditional PR, but are trained and encouraged to becoming lifelong learners in their specialized areas of interest. It is our job to encourage this and coach students through the process – and at the same time, it allows us to learn from the experience along the way. We need more PR firms like GolinHarris to inspire fellow practitioners, firms, and universities to “prevolve” as well in the 21st century.
Hope you all are having a great day.
Best Wishes,
Karen
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