By the same logic, are public relations practitioners nothing more than generic media tacticians without strategic corporate capabilities, unless they invest big time in professional development? Despite ad hoc professional accreditation available through professional associations such as the PRSA and IABC, or university-level continuing education courses offered in specific PR skills (generally as part of a Masters in business), the PR industry lacks professional standards globally.
This is symptomatic of the relative youth of an industry whose global presence is less than a century old. The lack of constraints has enabled PR to gradually develop and emerge from its below-the-line cocoon and rise above the line as a new creature of spin. As managers adjust to what Drucker has called the 'next society' - a world of instantaneous communications, dominated by knowledge workers, and increased multi-level global competition - PR practitioners need to think and act strategically to facilitate corporate survival on behalf of their clients. Which suggests that the role of the PR practitioner as strategic counsel necessitates are-branding exercise for the industry itself.
Larger PR firms do have more formalised training programmes for their new hires, while smaller organisations may operate mentorship schemes, if time and individual commitment allow. However, the relative lack of training opportunities within the PR profession has not gone unnoticed.
A recent survey of senior PR practitioners by the DTI and PRA in the UK, entitled Unlocking the potential of public relations: developing good practice, noted: "There is a need for the PR practitioner to be more capable across a wide range of competency areas. Interestingly, the understanding of business strategy planning and budget management were seen as less important than communication competencies...less than 50 per cent of consultancies and in-house organisations appear to have formal training and development programmes for public relations professionals. This suggests a real need for progress in education and training across the industry."
The same could easily be said of Asia, judging from the calls from former graduates looking for further professional development opportunities in PR, which are clearly not being provided on the job. These requests demonstrate an internal training need that is currently being neglected. Is training a personal responsibility, or should PR firms and professional associations invest consistently in their own human resources, in the interests of clients and the industry as a whole?
After all, who wants to be a cabbage when they could be a cauliflower instead?
Dr Anne Peirson-Smith lectures in public relations and advertising at City University of Hong Kong.