Some time ago, there was an amusing meme that made the rounds on the internet. Basically, the meme illustrated the difference in perception about various things based on who was doing the perceiving. I liked, for instance, the one for “Living in Jo’burg”, which ran the gamut of being on site in a war zone through to what we really do, which is drink beer and enjoy the good weather.
But the public relations one has stuck with me, possibly because public relations is what I do.
Apparently my friends think I’m constantly partying, my parents don’t have a clue what I do, journalists see me as a nagging irritant, clients see me as a waste of money, society sees me as a gossip-monger and really I spend all day banging my head against a brick wall.
With this in mind, I thought I’d gratuitously treat you to a typical day in the life of a public relations account director:
- 06h30 – Alarm goes off, groan, hit the snooze button
- 06h32 – Sit up in a panic because you’ve just remembered that yesterday at 18h00 a client requested a media release by 11 and you haven’t started yet
- 06h35 – Stumble through to kitchen, put coffee on, feed dogs and cats
- 06h38 – While waiting for coffee to boil, idly glance at phone and realise you have received 12 emails from Australian client overnight
- 06h40 – Open first one and realise Australian client has once again forgotten you are in a different time zone and is wondering why you haven’t responded more timeously to his myriad requests
- 06h45 – Drink coffee, smoke cigarettes, furiously type replies to all emails from Australia
- 07h15 – Bath, dress, teeth, hair, rescue shoes from dog, realise you have important presentation and change clothes and put on make-up which you had previously decided to dispense with
- 07h30 – Leave house, thanking the gods that many years of practice have meant you can achieve a professional result with a costume change in under 15 minutes
- 07h35 – While sitting in traffic, hear news report re. different client. Hear PR opportunity for yet another client. Wish third person on radio was a client so you could tell them to stop saying “hello to your listeners” when interviewed, as it makes them sound really dorky … Wish they were your client because they’re getting interviewed at all …
- 08h15 – Arrive at office, turn on computer to warm up, make more coffee
- 08h30 – Answer the 15 emails that arrived between leaving home and arriving in the office
- 08h45 – Call game reserve in a fruitless attempt to track down the person in charge of rhino notching and anti-poaching methods
- 09h00 – Send email to journalist assuring them that the info on rhino notching and anti-poaching methods will be forthcoming. Cross fingers and hope
- 09h15 – Begin writing press release about cyber-hacking
- 09h40 – Pause to take telephone call from very excited publicist to tell me that a soap opera star who goes by the unlikely name of Texas Battle is both in the country and a big fan of one of my clients
- 10h00 – Spend gratuitous half-hour asking colleagues if they’ve ever heard of Texas Battle and what they think his real name is
- 10h30 – Answer 35 emails
- 11h00 – Return to press release about cyber-hacking. Finish and send for subbing
- 11h45 – Discussion with colleagues about SA political situation. After 45 minutes, realise this is not work and discuss whether or not this offers opportunities for any clients at all … Send cyber-hacking release to client
- 12h45 – Research recent crises for workshop on crisis communications
- 13h00 – Prepare status report for client
- 13h30 – Have status meeting with client. Hope they don’t ask the hard questions. Eat all the sandwiches, because you’re starving
- 14h30 – Prepare contact report for client and delegate the hard questions to colleagues
- 15h00 – Research the ways in which different countries celebrate the festive season
- 16h00 – Prepare presentation on the ways in which different countries celebrate the festive season
- 16h30 – Realise there is a tender due in tomorrow
- 16h35 – Write budget for tender
- 17h15 – Realise you haven’t been to the loo all day – go to the loo
- 17h30 – Answer 40 emails
- 18h00 – Log hours
- 18h05 – Go home, drink wine, rinse and repeat
All in all, if someone tells you PR is boring – they’re doing it wrong.