Is perception reality?
Posted by Tom O'Sullivan on February 23, 2010 in Media, Public Relations with 0 CommentsOne of the things you hear fairly often in PR is that ‘perception is reality’. It’s a phrase that has always annoyed me, mainly because it so often turns out to be true.
Getting the message out first when negotiations break down, being the source of news for the media when a crisis breaks, developing the personality of the brand are all ways in which people and companies can steer public perception. This public perception then often becomes the reality.
Is Gordon Brown a bully? Is Bertie Ahern a man of the people? Does Ryanair care about nothing but the cost of airfares? In these instances, does it matter what the truth is? By conducting yourself in public in a way that reinforces the perception that people have of you, the truth becomes, in a lot of ways, irrelevant.
Take George Bush Jnr. for example. His entire image was of a simple Texas man, anti-establishment and anti big government being tough with terrorists, trying his best to take government out of the lives of the American citizen and being fiscally conservative.
The reality was that Connecticut-born, Yale and Harvard-educated George Bush Jnr. oversaw the largest intrusion by the Government into the lives of American citizens with the Patriot Act, brought record budget deficits to the US and was closer to many of the largest corporations in America than many previous Presidents.
This is an extreme example of perception over reality but it serves as an example of the power of controlling image and the message.
In more mundane matters, maintaining a tone and a style across all public engagements is vital to the development of brand. Ryanair's advertisements are black and white because colour ones cost too much and Bertie Ahern went to Kerry on his holidays and drank Bass in his local pub, which reinforced the 'man of the people' image.
However, when someone else is setting the agenda and driving public perception, that new perception becomes reality. Does it matter today that the bullying helpline that claimed Gordon Brown was a bully has been largely discredited as a fairly inconsequential conservative-backed group? Not really, because a new reality has been created around him that will be very difficult to shake off.
For Toyota, for example, does it matter that their quality record is still exemplary? Not anymore. The perception of 'the best built cars in the world' has been damaged over the course of the recent recall, and the slow response by Toyota's corporate headquarters has allowed a new perception, and therefore a new reality, to take hold.
Managing perception is one of the most important elements of PR. Defining a brand or persona and working to maintain it means that you can begin to influence the reality around your brand.
Tom O'Sullivan 's work takes in strategic messaging and media training as well as event management and media relations. Tom is also interested in new technology of all kinds, especially new communications techniques.Find out more at Tom's Profile. Don't forget to subscribe if you'd like to hear more!
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