TROY – A new MTV reality show, PoweR Girls, shows a side of public relations that is glamorous, glitzy and filled with A-list celebrities. The show focuses on four young interns jockeying for a full-time position at New York-based Lizzie Grubman Public Relations agency.
Throughout the show, they throw CD release parties, club openings, and personal celebrity parties in New York, Los Angeles, and Miami ? to name a few locations – all to garner publicity for their celebrity clients. While this show may introduce glamour PR to young viewers and interest them in a public relations career, it fails to show the hard work and the behind-the-scenes action that is a true reality in a PR world every day.
What you do see on the show is the agency gaining exposure-or publicity-for their client. Often times, this type of exposure, depending on the status of the celebrity, ends up in celebrity news magazines, or celebrity-based television shows. However, what you do not see on the show is the importance, and the many roles of public relations practices in their efforts to gain this publicity. In order to influence celebrities and media to come to their events, they had to make phone calls, write press releases, network with agents and managers, set-up and coach for interviews and photo shoots, and the list goes on and on.
Publicity is actually only one small piece of the public relations profession, along with government relations, community relations, event planning, research and analysis, as well as developing internal communication plans.
The MTV show fails to show the multitude of communication disciplines used on an everyday basis by the vast majority of PR professionals. The show, PoweR Girls, only captures a brief glimpse into the true reality of public relations, leaving out many of the things that make this profession so exciting and professional.
John Bailey is founder and CEO of John Bailey & Associates public relations in Troy. This guest column came from his blog, which you can find at BaileyBlog.Com
