That’s how PR forefathers Ivy Lee and Edward Bernays once described what we do. Have we changed that much in the past near-century? And might our value be on the wane?

In a forthright defence of PR’s value in the FT – A good PR consultant is worth the money – entrepreneur and former Speed parent Loewy chairman Luke Johnson gives a sparkling summary of why every business should spend on PR, take it seriously and work closesly with agencies to succeed at communications.

He trumpets commercial value by saying the PR industry has moved on from spin to critical management of communications with “investors, regulators, politicians and other discreet audiences”.

But the standout was his take on why the digitisation of media holds greater potential for PR than any other area of marketing, including advertising.  Fragmentation of media outlets and the consequent surge in opportunities to comment (editorially) have substantially broadened the scope of how PR can help organisations to communciate, he says. Advice on navigating media change – give the pace at which online and offline media are evolving – has also never been at more of a premium, he argues.

Equally, success rests with finding the right adviser. Which makes me a little smug that Speed has spent this year investing in ensuring all staff understand and can counsel on communication across all forms of media, rather than creating a digital ghetto alongside a group of have-nots.

A wonderful review, written with the barb and pace needed to convey the hack’s scathing view of the experience. Many other media types could have covered the event, none have the platform or the editorial scope to cover it this way.

As a hack, reviews were one of my favourite jobs. You knew people really read them, you knew they’d be opinionated about what you wrote and often call in to slag you off, and you had the power to bejewel or crush a performance or film with a few short words. Quite a dangerous toy.

But this capability is what journalism must cherish and as it modernises in a digitised world. Rock on.
Donnington. When they were younger.