Movie portrayals of PR
Claire McFarlane, a student at RMIT University in Melbourne, has researched portrayals of public relations and its practitioners in 18 film and television productions made between 1995 and 2001.
Claire concludes that, despite other academic opinion that people would “learn very little about the actual practice of PR from film and fiction”, her research showed that a view, however simplistic, could be formed.
She reports that the image most commonly presented is of a PR person appearing in a comedy set in the USA where the main plot is most likely to be “finding true love”. The PR person is likely to be an attractive, blonde, 35-44 female who is a main character.
She speaks with confidence, is likeable and is seen at social functions, perhaps having a drink but not smoking. Her job is portrayed as creating hype and generating publicity. Her main tasks involve media releases, launches, liaising with media and addressing press conferences.
While she is reliable and reports to upper management, the people around her don’t have a great deal of respect for her position or work.
You can read Claire’s research report in full at the excellent RMIT public relations site here.
That's an interesting piece of research.
I've got to applaud Corporate Engagement for continually posting solid academic work by students to the blog.
It's good to see some good student thinking getting an airing in public!
Posted by: Paull Young | 29 May 2006 at 04:54 PM
Thanks!
Posted by: invention | 30 May 2006 at 12:07 PM
I think this was one of the more interesting postings in the PR blogosphere this weekend. People's perceptions of PR professionals is way off the mark, a situation not helped by Hollywood.
I recently met a very senior civil servant who told me that he'd read about me in the paper, but had pictured me as a blonde. He seemed to be a bit disappointed that I don't resemble the PR dolly birds he's seen on the telly.
I didn't know how to react to a comment like that.
Posted by: Sherrilynne Starkie | 30 May 2006 at 06:06 PM
Interestingly, the only movie PR role I can think of immediately was Bruce Willis’s in The Kid.
Posted by: Jack Yan | 30 May 2006 at 06:53 PM
Sherrilynne, unfortunately the world is clutterred with gormless idiots.
Posted by: Trevor Cook | 31 May 2006 at 01:03 PM