Designer PR

As a Post Graduate Public Relations student I am often confronted by the many misconceptions that the general public has about the industry and those who work in it. Somehow, PRO’s have gained a reputation for being scheming, money peddling, manipulative robots. Although I do realise that each individual PRO has their own image and business manner, it’s very hard to believe that these derogatory comments are all that came from Public Relations.

Public Relations is one of the most influential elements in the business world today, this says a lot for a field which not too long ago was still considered as nothing more than a marketing tool. As a future PR graduate I see it as my duty to promote the endless possibilities that PR has to offer for individuals and organisations. PR plays a major role in positioning a product or organisation as in the case of designer PR.

When South Africa first launched it’s Proudly South African Campaign in 2001 PR played a huge part in building the image of the brand and promoting it as such. In order to get the buy in of the nation Public Relations Officers knew that they had to promote the brand efficiently and make it an internationally recognised brand that South Africans took pride in and fully embraced.

Suddenly the general public were encouraged to buy locally produced products and thereby support the local market. The Proudly South African logo became a common appearance on the packaging of many local goods and many high ranking South Africans also began to promote the brand.

The brand is not only a way of getting people to invest in the local market, but also a encourages South Africans to take pride in their county and the fruits of it’s labour.