What’s the PR Role?

This recent discussion got my mind to thinking after I read his post a second time and saw how angry and defensive he was.  And it’s OK. I totally get it.  He’s passionate about what he does.  And I am too.  And we’re both actually working toward the same thing, which is to make professionals smarter.

To clear the air on one thing only: When I was referring to huckster’s taking advantage of people I wasn’t referring to him. Clearly I was referring to the blog post that I linked to of someone’s experience with a “24-hour-expert,” type.  I don’t doubt Giovanni’s success or skill and never did I attack it. Good business people are good despite their backgrounds. I am fully aware of this. It’s instinct that matters most and those are the ones who follow it.

On to my current thought:

What I’ve realized these last few days is that while I am a run-with-it kind of professional I do also like to know what my “role” is at my company.  I recognize that it can shift and change and go where the needs and talents match but what is my role as a PR person?  What is the balance of a role with a “social media communications” person if we were to work in the same company? Do we work in tandem or does it fall under communications? I am also heavily involved with marketing activities at my company so does that make me marketing instead of PR? When people ask what I “do,” I struggle every time to accurately answer.  My messaging isn’t finalized. PR just doesn’t cut it anymore for me but I don’t have a replacement.

And why are so many of my peers incredibly frustrated?  And so many executives clueless to how to use us? What’s to become of those PR people who are afraid of all this new stuff – for whatever reasons those might be?

I wonder, does anyone else outside the PR box care if PR becomes any bigger than it is? Is it just the PR people that want more? We have our function. It’s primarily brought in to drive press and awareness but not connection.  And that’s what the really passionate PR people want and that’s why it’s crossing over so much into social media and traditional marketing.  But if people are already doing that, then do we just continue to stay in the box as an industry? We all know scores of PR people who are not only outside the box they are standing on it and shouting for change.  I like those people.

And I sense those are the ones, like me, that are restless. That are trying to figure it out, whatever it is.

So what is the Role of a PR person? What does the org chart look like if you were to break it out by activities? Sounds like a good sketch during a meeting.  I’d be curious to see other people’s and if they’re different.  How many of us are thinking on the same level? Erik, I think it’s about time for that post of yours…