30 June 2007

The Persuasion Business

At the mid-point in the year, your humble e-scribbler has started a new blog dedicated solely to public relations.

They say you should write about what you know.

This is what I know.

I've been doing it professionally for the past 18 years.

The title - The Persuasion Business - is a tip of the hat to an old friend, a former barrister who once joked that we were both in the persuasion business.

He persuaded judges and juries of 12 and operated in a more or less orderly little world. My court was a little more unruly and involved many more people.

The first post is actually a revised version of one originally posted at Bond Papers in August 2005. It was supposed to be the first of a news series but the series never happened.

Now is the time to start not just a series but a whole new space devoted to public relations. I added some new observations using a recent, local case but essentially the core point of the piece remains the same. It's a good start to appreciating public relations and if Persuasion Business can help people get a better understanding of the profession then it will have accomplished its purpose.

If you like Bond Papers, you should find Persuasion Business equally provocative, although in not the same way. Many of the themes and ideas will likely be familiar: one of the underpinnings of Bond has been a look at local public issues from a public relations perspective. If they weren't readily apparent at Bond, then with any luck and a certain measure of skill, they will be at PB.

-srbp-