Re: over-dramatic press releases

Russell.Martin@xxxxxxx wrote:

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This leads to the question: why does an educational institution need to
have a public relations department or, for that matter, one for
*marketing*?


They probably wouldn't, until someone does it. The model
I propose is like the "preferred customer" clubs that many
supermarkets in the U.S. have now. You have a card with
a bar code that they scan to give you discounts on different
items you buy each week. The idea was to promote
customer loyalty. As I undertsand it, it doesn't work and
now costs more than it makes. First one chain did it, and
for a while it helped that chain, but then the others did it to
be competitive, and now it helps no one while costing
everyone (including customers who have to haul all those
cards around), but no chain dares be the first in the market
to quit. The first college to go heavily into PR may have
gained some advantage. Even if it didn't, others may have
had to respond in kind just to cover their butts. A PR
"arms race" ensued. At least that's my model, FWIW.

Makes sense. It's kind of like the trend to rename faculties as "schools" because the big boys did it. First one started and then everyone else and his dog follows.

One faculty at my alma mater did it for, apparently, that reason, though I also heard that it wanted greater "brand recognition".

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