Toward a Greater Good

On September 11, 2001 our country was changed forever.  We had been attacked on our own soil, and nothing seemed normal anymore.  In the wake of the attack, companies had to halt operations and change their strategies.  Edelman did just this, and public relations was changed forever.

  

The day after the attacks, Richard and Pam Talbot issued a memo to all staff that outlined their views on how Edelman employees should proceed with their P.R. work in the short term. What really struck a chord with me is that they told their employees to avoid “activities that are opportunistic and exploitative.”  While it would have been easy to use the media’s preoccupation as an opportunity to release and hide bad news, Edelman didn't do that.

Instead, Richard Edelman urged new campaigns to focus on relevancy to  society as a whole, not just the commercial world.  He said "Employees and customers was business processes that are sustainable and reflect the highest ethical standard.  Your philosophy should be clear; this is a time when living corporate values is paramount."  More than ten years later, living corporate values are still paramount.  Now more than ever, corporate social responsibility is no longer a temporary fix to a crisis, and it is not optional.  Spawned from a national crisis, this shift to campaigns that embody a greater humanitarianism would become the future model for PR.  

These days, having high production value advertising and a celebrity spokesperson isn't enough to win the hearts and loyalty of consumers--you must be doing more.  Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has grown so much in the past ten years that entire units and chapters in textbooks are devoted to it.  Edelman pioneered this shift and has continued to champion the field with campaigns such as ToGetHerThere--a campaign supporting girls as leaders for the 100th anniversary of the Girl Scouts of the USA.

Sally McBratney is currently a junior at DePaul University majoring in Public Relations/Advertising with a minor in Studio Art.  You can contact her at sallymcbratney@gmail.com