Here’s the questions and notes I asked author and public relationship specialist, Damon Percy
Quick bio: who are you, where are you from, how old are you, what career are you in/what do you do? What is the nature of your experience with public relations per se? Is it past or present?
Damon Percy. Native of Detroit, Michigan, born 1972 just turned 45, freelance writer/publicist/author (Conversations with Love: a Poetic Journey) does PR for the Clark sisters (female gospel group) since the late nineties Earnest J. Lee (another gospel singer), worked for LGBT Detroit (largest afro-am gay organization in the Midwest, writes poetry/press-kits [picture/bio/press release] (promotes product/self/whatever you want to be heard or seen), BA in journalism w a minor in public relations, started writing for the paper at Wayne State U where he was the entertainment editor for four years and attended several events and exhibits,
Opinion: what do you feel are the two most positive aspects of public relations, specifically from your perspective and experience? Be as specific as possible.
Helping someone or something be heard that might not have a voice otherwise/ he likes to help/be the voice for someone who does not know how to put themselves out there/on the market (bc a publicist’s job is to leverage that lack of knowledge & it’s a good feeling to realize “I did that I helped w that”)
Being integrated in so many aspects of our culture and community. Publicity is not just one particular thing, people want to be heard on the grass-roots level as well as the corporate, he gets to be a part of so many things / he gets the chance to work on all levels
Opinion part 2: what do you feel are the two most negative aspects of public relations, …
Being told how to write about something or someone in a certain way that does not truly reflect the thing or person to manipulate/influence public perception and thus being held accountable for any negative reputation gathered bc the product or person was misrepresented (compromised integrity)
If you do not continue to work consistently (aka working all the time or constantly being in people’s faces), people will disregard you and take away your credibility
Summary: how do you define public relations?
Public relations for him is the communicative tool between the product and the people. It is the bridge between how something or someone will be relatable to the public/intended audience.
I wrote a promotional piece on the NGO The Trevor Project.
Public relations (PR), like all career fields, has changed greatly with the times, following the growths and transitions technology has made. In the very beginning, there was the Rosetta Stone, Caesar’s acta diurna, and Pope Gregory XV’s College of Propaganda (Wilcox, et. al 44). Throughout history, people have been spinning tales of luxury, new beginnings, and interesting facts in order to entice people to trust officials, attend events, buy something(s), or act in a specific way. Of course, there was not always a name for it, but as time went on, the phrase ‘public relations’ was coined. The profession became defined and added some rules and regulations as much of the early forms were lacking in morality and ethics as those practicing PR were not always honest. For example, the decided father of PR, Edward Bernays, managed a campaign titled the “Torches of Freedom,” which manipulated the emotions and desires of women in order to persuade them to purchase and smoke cigarettes (Oxford “Edward Bernays’s…).
The American Tobacco Company asked Bernays to help them increase the sales of cigarettes to women. So, Bernays reached out to debutantes and had them seen publicly smoking. He also had a telegrams sent out to the debutantes asking them to spread the word of a march in which women would light and smoke “torches of freedom,” otherwise known as cigarettes. Women came out in droves, eager to be independent and overcome another form oppression (Oxford “Edward Bernays’s…). This particular form of PR is best described as bandwagon: getting elite and respected people to showcase a particular product or belief, and the public will follow. This campaign also showcases the use of mass media for PR, which has developed into various forms now. Public appearances on radio, TV, even movies; PR releases in newspapers and magazines; and now, the use of hashtags, livestreams, and ads on social media to promote one’s image or cause.
The viral nature of social media allows it to be an ideal medium for PR. An example of a particularly successful campaign is late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert’s #PuberMe. In order to help the island of Puerto Rico post-hurricane, Colbert proposed that he and actor Nick Kroll would donate one thousand dollars to One America Appeal, a hurricane relief charity, for every picture a celebrity posted of themselves during their awkward puberty stages with the hashtag #PuberMe. The hashtag gained popularity incredibly fast and raised one million dollars (Lawrence “Stephen Colbert…”). Similarly, another hashtag success story would be #BlackLivesMatter, although it is more controversial than #PuberMe. BLM’s use of the hashtag caught the attention of many Twitter and Facebook users back in 2014, and is still used daily now in 2017. It sparked conversation on race relations and police brutality, and has led to the education of many on just how much racism has not ended in America, and encourages all people to remember the humanity of kids like Michael Brown and Tamir Rice, both victims of police brutality.
However, while social media can lead to the success of serious consideration and inspiring people to want to tackle social issues, it can also lead to the failure of backfire and inspiring people to want to tackle social issues. For example, Dove just recently came under some serious fire when one of their advertisements held racist sentiments. The short soap commercial contained a black woman who after metaphorically using the product magically turned into a white woman, implying that being black or dark-skinned is dirty, and being white or light-skinned is equal to being clean. The advertisement did not seem to make it to TV screens, but it did find its home on many social media sites, which led to it quickly being ripped to shreds by media consumers (Astor “Dove Drops…”). The ad has since been taken down, but the smudge on Dove’s good name remains.
The use of hashtags as a medium for PR will always be a good fallback plan, however, there is a limit that companies and clients should be aware of. Not all of their campaigns on social media needs to have a hashtag, as it will get old for media consumers quite quickly. One form of social media PR that is quite effective is the anthromorphism of companies on social media. While the practice gets lots of attention it is not taken seriously, but, many young consumers are thoroughly entertained and swayed by it. After seeing a back-and-forth on Twitter between Wendy’s and WingStop, in which they were creating rap-inspired comebacks to each other, I wanted to eat Wendy’s for a week. When companies are given an online personality people are more likely to follow them and their campaigns, and if used the right way, could be the future of social media PR. If anything, it would not hurt to try and take advantage of this new trend and see where it gets some clients.
Social media is finicky and can be unpredictable, but not nearly as unpredictable as one may think. Taking advantage of social media can be incredibly easy if the proper research is done. It is important to follow trends on social media, which means being ready to come up with a new approach every day. You have to be creative and quick on social media, as it is dominated by memes which come and go in the blink of an eye. Do not let that idea frighten you, though. Playing around on social media can be fun, and will only truly backfire if you go too far or do not consider how your words will be received by the public. Keep in line with your audience, and you will be just fine.
Works Cited
Astor, Maggie. “Dove Drops Ad After It Draws Criticism for Being Racist.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Oct. 2017.
Lawrence, Derek. “Stephen Colbert Announces $1 Million #PuberMe Donation to Puerto Rico.” EW.com, Time Inc, 5 Oct. 2017.
Oxford. “Edward Bernays's ‘Torches of Freedom.’” Public Relations, Oxford University Press, 15 June 2015.
Wilcox, Dennis L., et al. “Ethics and Law” THINK Public Relations, 2nd ed., Pearson Education, Inc., 2013, p. 44.
I wrote about the many changes public relations as a field has gone through from ancient history until now. I then break down how to best use social media and the importance of it.
Public relations (PR), like all career fields, has changed greatly with the times, following the growths and transitions technology has made. In the very beginning, there was the Rosetta Stone, Caesar’s acta diurna, and Pope Gregory XV’s College of Propaganda (Wilcox, et. al 44). Throughout history, people have been spinning tales of luxury, new beginnings, and interesting facts in order to entice people to trust officials, attend events, buy something(s), or act in a specific way. Of course, there was not always a name for it, but as time went on, the phrase ‘public relations’ was coined. The profession became defined and added some rules and regulations as much of the early forms were lacking in morality and ethics as those practicing PR were not always honest. For example, the decided father of PR, Edward Bernays, managed a campaign titled the “Torches of Freedom,” which manipulated the emotions and desires of women in order to persuade them to purchase and smoke cigarettes (Oxford “Edward Bernays’s…).
The American Tobacco Company asked Bernays to help them increase the sales of cigarettes to women. So, Bernays reached out to debutantes and had them seen publicly smoking. He also had a telegrams sent out to the debutantes asking them to spread the word of a march in which women would light and smoke “torches of freedom,” otherwise known as cigarettes. Women came out in droves, eager to be independent and overcome another form oppression (Oxford “Edward Bernays’s…). This particular form of PR is best described as bandwagon: getting elite and respected people to showcase a particular product or belief, and the public will follow. This campaign also showcases the use of mass media for PR, which has developed into various forms now. Public appearances on radio, TV, even movies; PR releases in newspapers and magazines; and now, the use of hashtags, livestreams, and ads on social media to promote one’s image or cause.
The viral nature of social media allows it to be an ideal medium for PR. An example of a particularly successful campaign is late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert’s #PuberMe. In order to help the island of Puerto Rico post-hurricane, Colbert proposed that he and actor Nick Kroll would donate one thousand dollars to One America Appeal, a hurricane relief charity, for every picture a celebrity posted of themselves during their awkward puberty stages with the hashtag #PuberMe. The hashtag gained popularity incredibly fast and raised one million dollars (Lawrence “Stephen Colbert…”). Similarly, another hashtag success story would be #BlackLivesMatter, although it is more controversial than #PuberMe. BLM’s use of the hashtag caught the attention of many Twitter and Facebook users back in 2014, and is still used daily now in 2017. It sparked conversation on race relations and police brutality, and has led to the education of many on just how much racism has not ended in America, and encourages all people to remember the humanity of kids like Michael Brown and Tamir Rice, both victims of police brutality.
However, while social media can lead to the success of serious consideration and inspiring people to want to tackle social issues, it can also lead to the failure of backfire and inspiring people to want to tackle social issues. For example, Dove just recently came under some serious fire when one of their advertisements held racist sentiments. The short soap commercial contained a black woman who after metaphorically using the product magically turned into a white woman, implying that being black or dark-skinned is dirty, and being white or light-skinned is equal to being clean. The advertisement did not seem to make it to TV screens, but it did find its home on many social media sites, which led to it quickly being ripped to shreds by media consumers (Astor “Dove Drops…”). The ad has since been taken down, but the smudge on Dove’s good name remains.
The use of hashtags as a medium for PR will always be a good fallback plan, however, there is a limit that companies and clients should be aware of. Not all of their campaigns on social media needs to have a hashtag, as it will get old for media consumers quite quickly. One form of social media PR that is quite effective is the anthromorphism of companies on social media. While the practice gets lots of attention it is not taken seriously, but, many young consumers are thoroughly entertained and swayed by it. After seeing a back-and-forth on Twitter between Wendy’s and WingStop, in which they were creating rap-inspired comebacks to each other, I wanted to eat Wendy’s for a week. When companies are given an online personality people are more likely to follow them and their campaigns, and if used the right way, could be the future of social media PR. If anything, it would not hurt to try and take advantage of this new trend and see where it gets some clients.
Social media is finicky and can be unpredictable, but not nearly as unpredictable as one may think. Taking advantage of social media can be incredibly easy if the proper research is done. It is important to follow trends on social media, which means being ready to come up with a new approach every day. You have to be creative and quick on social media, as it is dominated by memes which come and go in the blink of an eye. Do not let that idea frighten you, though. Playing around on social media can be fun, and will only truly backfire if you go too far or do not consider how your words will be received by the public. Keep in line with your audience, and you will be just fine.
Works Cited
Astor, Maggie. “Dove Drops Ad After It Draws Criticism for Being Racist.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Oct. 2017.
Lawrence, Derek. “Stephen Colbert Announces $1 Million #PuberMe Donation to Puerto Rico.” EW.com, Time Inc, 5 Oct. 2017.
Oxford. “Edward Bernays's ‘Torches of Freedom.’” Public Relations, Oxford University Press, 15 June 2015.
Wilcox, Dennis L., et al. “Ethics and Law” THINK Public Relations, 2nd ed., Pearson Education, Inc., 2013, p. 44.
I did a piece on an example of public relations I came across in my everyday life. This particular piece agrees with and supports the point the message I received expresses. I also discuss why this was a wise method to spread the word.
Public relations (PR) can be found any and everywhere. Quite frankly, this commonness has caused many a PR message to be overlooked or miscategorized. The University of Illinois at Springfield is rich with public relations messaging, but this knowledge lays practically dormant in the consciousness of students. Flyers, emails, UISTV ads in the cafeteria: all of these are constantly overlooked and ignored, even though they are literally everywhere and seemingly unavoidable. All of these messages encourage viewers to do something: go to an event, vote in this election, or email a campus official to either make or break a notion.
One particular message pleaded for students to do the latter: stop the addition of Friday courses. It was in the form of an email and was sent to this semester’s Intro to Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGS) student roster. Funnily enough, this email was not sent out by a student petitioner who really dreaded the idea of giving up class-free Fridays. Instead, it was a professor: Dr. Michael Murphy of the WGS Department, and the professor who teaches the course. In the email, he provided background on the situation, what was changing, and why it affected this class. It also stated the amount of opposition against the change and why students and faculty both were so resistant to it. The email ends with a unionizing statement: “If you share our concerns, I urge you to take action: ..,” before promptly listing people to contact with said concerns. See Figure 1 below:
Figure 1 The email in question.
At first glance, the message seems rather innocuous despite the inciting language at the very end. It felt generally informational and not necessarily persuasive in nature. However, after reading it a few times and truly processing the words, one can see the email uses card stacking as a persuasive technique. Card stacking is “[t]he selection of facts and data to build an overwhelming case on one side of the issue, while concealing the other side” (Wilcox, et al. 152). Murphy only provides information about why Friday classes should not be instituted, and nothing about why they should. He builds quite the case against the new schedule, and also paints the administration as inconsiderate. Murphy speaks on how commuting students and professors will be most affected by the change while also mentioning how the schedule alteration might also effect all students’ work lives and resume building. He also says that “[w]hen the administration proposed these changes both the faculty and student government STRONGLY objected,” yet a new SCS involving Friday courses was created and proposed anyway (Figure 1). All of these things are phenomenal reasons for why students should email student government representative and two of the most renowned chancellors on campus, but there is no room for why the new SCS may be good for students in this email.
Furthermore, Murphy’s emphasis of the following: “the addition of classes on Fridays; the elimination of daytime seminar time blocks (like ours) for 4 cr. courses”, the word ‘strongly,’ and “[i]f you share our concerns..,” is a way of playing on students’ emotions (Figure 1). By bolding the biggest change proposed by the new SCS, it made the concept seem ludicrous while simultaneous giving students the feel of being targeted because he personalizes it with the phrase “like ours”. The capitalization and use of the word ‘strongly’ speaks for itself. The idea that student and faculty opinions were ignored so blatantly sends a sense of indignation surging up in hearts of students on the receiving end of this email. Finally, by bolding that call to action and specifically using the word ‘our’, Murphy appealed to the students’ sense of community. This is email is not simply for his benefit, but for theirs as well.
To put it simply, emails like this are often overlooked simply because a fair amount of students do not even check their emails regularly. Also, students who do check emails regularly, tend to ignore emails that do not directly affect them: such as class cancellations, important meetings, or sudden changes in the homework or scheduling. However, the concise and apt writing does inspire a need to speak up in students. This is an issue that people at UIS have been discussing since the fall semester of 2015. Murphy’s assertion that faculty and student government were vocal in their rejection of this proposal was not false. Members of the Student Government Association and professors alike were talking about this issue often in the spring semester of 2016, which caused talk and debate amongst students of the general public. Briefly, the conversation was abandoned and forgotten, but this email has stirred the pot all over again. Since this conversation is being revived across campus, despite students overlooking their emails, this message has hit its mark.
Works Cited
Figure 1. Rae Colyer, 2017.
Wilcox, Dennis L., et al. “Ethics and Law” THINK Public Relations, 2nd ed., Pearson Education, Inc., 2013, p. 184.
I wrote a short piece on a family friend who works in public relations. I got give him a formal phone interview, and expand on it for class. Enjoy!
Unsure of who to interview about their public relations (PR) experience, I contacted my brother, who promptly introduced me to his longtime friend, Damon Percy. Percy is a native of Detroit, Michigan. He was born in 1972 and has recently celebrated his 45th birthday. He has a BA in journalism with a minor in public relations from Wayne State University, where he was the school newspaper’s entertainment editor for four years – for which he attended several exhibits, games, galleries and events. Furthermore, since graduating from Wayne, Percy has worked as a writer, poet, publicist, author (his book is titled Conversations with Love: A Poetic Journey), and specifically as a public relations specialist for multiple individual clients and organizations. He named three clients of his in particular: gospel singer Earnest J. Lee, LGBT Detroit, which is the largest African American gay organization in the Midwest, and another gospel act, The Clark Sisters – who have inspired many currently popular black musicians. Percy has developed press-kits for all three clients. He described a press-kit as a portfolio of sorts containing a small biography, a picture of the client, and a press release, and those three parts together are used to promote the product, individual, or service being represented.
As the conversation progressed, Percy discussed the positive aspects of working in PR with a quick ease. He finds the most rewarding part of his career to be the feeling of accomplishment that comes with helping someone, or a company/organization, be heard that might not have had a strong voice otherwise. One of Percy’s top attributes is the enjoyment he gets from helping others and being the voice for someone who does not know how to market and make a name for themselves; he said that a publicist’s job is to leverage that lack of knowledge. Percy is on the ball with this notion; it is the job of the PR specialist to provide outside endorsements in any myriad of ways, to generate sales, to make a company be the go-to for a product or service, and to overall help companies on even their smallest projects (Wilcox, et. Al 16).
Also, there is a certain amount of self-satisfaction a PR specialist gets every time they see a client thriving because the specialist can rightfully claim that they helped that client reach this point of success. Another positive aspect of being involved in PR, according to Percy, is simply being integrated in so many aspects of local and national culture and community. The kind of activity he describes is expected, as PR requires strategic and open communication with not only the client but endorsers and potential consumers and customers. This includes the local community and popular web influencers because those people will generate the most talk about the product, service, or person, and generally requires specialists to go out and mingle and get involved. Percy argued that publicity is not just one particular thing, which is true, it is an amalgam of things, and has multiple definitions and forms (Wilcox, et. Al 6, 10). Percy spoke on how this comes into play often because people want to be heard on the grassroots level just as much as people on the corporate level do, and require different PR strategies. Working with grassroots organizations and businesses allows him to be a part of so many things and to work on all levels with projects of varying sizes and impact.
Dissimilarly, Percy struggled to find negative aspects of working in PR. The biggest thorn in his side was compromised integrity. Sometimes clients will tell PR specialists how to write about the product, service, or person being promoted, in a certain way that does not truly reflect what or who is being promoted in an attempt to manipulate or influence public perception. Percy dislikes this particular aspect because having his name attached to a client leaves him accountable for any negative reputation gathered because the product or person was misrepresented during the PR campaign. As a result, Percy tries to avoid these instances. He remains true to not only his own moral compass but the PRSA code of conduct; he also remains employed because he has learned how to say no to clients in a way that keeps him in the clear, particularly through logical, well thought-out arguments as to why he should remain true to whatever client’s product actually (Wilcox, et. Al 184). Another aspect he dislikes, is that in the PR career, if you do not continue to work consistently or as he says “working all the time and constantly being in people’ faces”), people will disregard you and take away your credibility as a specialist.
Finally, we deliberated on what public relations actually is. His personal definitions is as follows: “Public relations is the communicative tool between the product and the people. It is the bridge between how something or someone will be relatable to the public and the intended audience.” I agreed with his definition. Public relations and campaigns are the link between the product, service, or person, and the community the client is being marketed to. Public relations is an everything tool while being completely separate: word-of-mouth marketing and advertising, it is the voice of the client, advocacy, and an overall game-changer all in one.
Works Cited
Percy, Damon. 04 September 2017.
Wilcox, Dennis L., et al. “What Is Public Relations?” THINK Public Relations, 2nd ed., Pearson Education, Inc., 2013, pp. 6–16.
Wilcox, Dennis L., et al. “Ethics and Law” THINK Public Relations, 2nd ed., Pearson Education, Inc., 2013, p. 184.
