Why study Public Relations?
‘Public relations is about reputation – the result of what you do, what you say and what others say about you’ says the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR). What do your friends say about you when you leave the room? That’s one definition of reputation. What do you think about a particular company or product? That’s reputation too. Reputation can break new brands and old prime ministers. You can’t force people to like a product of course, but you can influence them. Tom Cruise lost a big Hollywood contract because he lost a good public relations advisor; governments have won elections because the dirty secrets of the opposition were exposed in the tabloids. Effective public relations advice could have made a difference. Work in public relations is varied, fast moving and ever-changing. One day you may be running a press conference for a celebrity or charity, another organising a high profile event, such as the Mercury Music Awards and arranging sponsorship for a client, like
