PR-Bridge

The essay that follows is excerpted from my new book, The 2000s, an examination of popular culture’s role in shaping society in this decade. I am interested in studying the role of marketing (an umbrella term to encompass Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations) in shaping people’s perceptions. This piece argues that marketing plays a critical role in public education. Obviously, the notion flies in the face of the common perception of all marketing as evil, but I feel that like so many stereotypes, this one deserves closer examination. 

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Advertising’s pervasiveness, in some respects, actually opens doors to public discussion about marketing efforts and one’s place in the larger world. People use ads as a barometer for assessing their own values and role as citizens. Consumers also receive a great deal of educational information from companies through marketing campaigns. Bank of America, for instance, launched a new product in January 2005 called SafeSend that enabled Hispanic customers to remit money to Mexico free of charge. Previously, Hispanic customers had to use costly payday loan establishments or wire transfers to send money back to Mexico, which topped $20 billion in 2005

In examining Burrell Communications, a large African American-owned advertising firm, communications scholar Irene Costera Meijer sees client work that uses “positive realism” to show black consumers a view of life that is purposely thoughtful, engaging, and well-rounded. A McDonald’s ad created by Burrell that showed a successful black father visiting his child’s school, for instance, provides “a new story of responsible black male citizenship that can be the source of inspiration and guidance for men and women, whites and blacks.”

Meijer sees advertisements like this providing positive social impact. She explains that marketers should consider using positive images “that create so-called win-win situations, images which are good for the market and can change people’s ideas about themselves and hopes for society.” According to Meijer, advertising can provide valuable stories of what it means to live the good life, which are otherwise hard to find in mainstream media channels. “Such stories should be seen as part of the wide array of practices and technologies with which individuals nowadays have to constitute their sense of self as–among other things–citizens of ever expanding communities.”

Of all the disciplines falling under the marketing umbrella, none is more essential to the education process than public relations. As a business function, public relations is driven by the bottom line, but professionals, as opposed to charlatans who do little more than produce spin, fluff, and puffery, conduct themselves ethically. Their goal is to inform consumers about their clients’ products and services. Public relations perhaps shines brightest in crisis situations, when public education is most critical. The most important crises that public relations professionals handle are community disasters such as plane crashes, fires, explosions, and major workplace incidents.