Imagineering: The Invisible Hand of PR

How the World (really) Works: The Anthropology of Consumption and Globalization is the most depressing and eye opening class I have ever taken. We've touched on all topics from body image to genetically modified crops. So, imagine my surprise when I walked into class and saw the topic for the day..."Imagineering: The Invisible Hand of PR". According to my anthropology professor this is how public relations "really works".

He spoke of public relations as related to the environmental movement, and he termed it corporate "greenwash" where transnational corporations are preserving and expanding their markets by posing as friends of the environment and leaders in the struggle to eradicate poverty. The lecture explained how, according to him, the PR industry was largely responsible for developing and implementing the communications strategies the facilitate an illusion for big business.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the lecture was the short history of my future profession that he provided. Public relations pioneers Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays were hired by big corporations, like Standard Oil, to stave off government regulatory efforts. This was the birth of the "PR machine" that today has played a role in shaping and distorting environmental issues.

My professor continued for an hour and fifteen minutes. He referred to crisis communications as key weapons in transnational corporations' arsenals, and explained that public relations professionals in the corporate world have a profound influence over the words and images fed to the general public. These messages seriously affect how we live our lives and how we see the world.

My professor's lectures always end with an overarching point, and on this day the point was: Publicity was once the work of carnival hawkers and hustlers smoking cheap cigars and wearing cheap suits. Today's PR professionals are recruited from the ranks of former journalists and eager-beaver college grads anxious to rise in the corporate world. They hobnob internationally and use sophisticated psychology and opinion polling so refined that they can pinpoint prevailing 'psychographics'. These are the wizards of PR.

Did I somehow miss this day in my PR classes? While my professor did make some valid points and had some interesting information. I would like to counter and say that nothing is so black and white. While their are corporate cover-ups "imagineered" by public relations professionals, there are also tireless PR professionals working with non-profits to cure, feed and cloth. If you look hard enough, you can find scandal and dishonesty in all forms of business, probably even the conservation industry. But, you cannot disregard all the good that comes from the efforts of a group of professionals just because of the less noble acts of a few.