Public relations in media and cultural contexts

The public sphere has been a discursive arena where members of the public have come together on a common platform, time and again, to discuss and debate matters of public importance and to find viable solutions to such issues. It is often through the public sphere that material public opinion has been communicated to the public authority; on the basis of which public policy has been shaped.

However, there is another angle to the arena of public sphere; this idea is determined by the play of public relations in the public sphere. As is already known, Public Relations is a set of communication and activities an entity (usually an organisation or government) undertakes to communicate a desired image of itself among its target public. With the increasing influence of media as a source of information in the society, it is becoming increasingly common for members of the public sphere to use the information disseminated by the media to determine issues or base arguments on. Therefore it can be rightfully concluded that more than often, public opinion may be shaped by the information received from the various media.

It is often debated and argued, about who really wields the power in terms of ultimate opinion formulation. Since, it is quite evident in the modern context that policy maker or the promoter itself can get the public response moulded in favour by means of a cleverly articulated public relations communication, disseminated by a media popular among the target public sphere.

 This learning about the role of public relations in the public sphere can be applied to the study of consumerism and its various avatars like promotionalism, celebrity culture and conspicuous consumption.

Of late, it has been noted that marketers are promoting the use of certain products by opportunistically capitalising on the consumer characteristic to emulate consumption patterns of popular public figures.

This demonstration effect has been reached by the portrayal of certain products/services as being of such value so as to uplift the status of its consumer in his immediate society. The prospective consumer is made to imagine the benefits of consumption; he/she makes the final purchase decision on the basis of this imagination. Often the public relations department ropes in celebrities for its media campaigns, in order to communicate the idea that one can achieve the status as that of the celebrity in question by consuming the products/services campaigned for.

Consider for example the case of Gucci accessories. The brand relies on promotion by celebrity figures such as models and actors to disseminate the thought that Gucci bags command prestige and make a fashion statement, among its target audience.  

The marketers already know that the consumer’s capacity to have desires is consistent and unlimited. The consumer is capable to ‘want’ and ‘need’ novel products as they hit the shelf. The only key component that would determine their buying decision will be the creation of a need for that product. This PR expert know, can be done easily by moulding a positive public opinion for the product by disseminating strategic information among the target public sphere.

An ethnographic study related to consumption

In this paper two acts of consumption have been analysed in context of themes presented in the class.

The first article of consumption in question is a pair of training shoes from the brand PUMA. The two dynamics that influenced the buying and consumption decision in context of this article are the influence of celebrity culture and cultural intermediaries.

Usain Bolt completed the historic 100 metre sprint at the Beijing Olympics wearing PUMA shoes. It is often joked that the shoes carried him to the gold. Since then, the shoes have been portrayed as an integral part of the lifestyles and training regimes of celebrity sportsmen and sportswomen.

While making a decision to buy the trainers I had this passing thought of being able to train just like any professional. A devoted fitness freak as I am, the trainers seem to be the perfect equipment that I need for a training regimen. I often feel that the association of PUMA with a lot of celebrity sport stars has made it easier for any consumer like me to assimilate the importance of PUMA shoes in any professional endeavours to physical training and exercising.

Another factor that could have influenced the consumption decision was the salesman’s stress on how easy it is to clean the trainers. Designers (the cultural intermediaries in this context) have kept in mind the pace of life of the potential customer; hence, colors which do not show dirt and materials which are easily cleanable and breathable are used in construction. A very important aspect of the consumer’s lifestyle and culture has been considered while producing the product.

The second article of consumption is a can of diet coke. The themes discussed in this context are, theories of consumer behaviour and Public relations and charity.

The drink in question was purchased as an act to quench thirst. However, various other alternatives were available on the shopping counter so I can safely state that there had been specific reasons to back the purchase of this specific brand, Coca Cola.

Coke is considered as the oldest soft/fizz drink in the world; its earliest use was as a medicine and currently Coke is being promoted as a drink that brings people together. All these references to the brand in popular culture make me realise that consuming coke is safe (especially diet coke) and is socially acceptable too. Hence I choose coke over other soft drink options available in the market.

I would also like to discuss the play of marginal utility derived from an act of consumption. When the can of coke was purchased, I was extremely thirsty. However just after three sips of the drink, I started to think that I could have waited a few minutes until I reach my apartment and could then have a drink from the refrigerator. By the time the can finished, I was already pondering about the adverse effect of this consumption on my training schedule. Thus, the marginal utility derived from the drink (to quench thirst) decreased with every sip of it that I had.

Concluding from the above examples; an effort has been made to link the various themes and theories of consumer behaviours to actual acts of consumption.