Old is Gold

There are things we need to remember from the ancient PR industry that will help us stay grounded in the current industry.

From the ancient Roman times to the first newspaper published and printed by Johann Carolus, PR practices had a direction during the olden days. These people knew what they were doing and mainly WHY they were doing it.

Ivy Lee was the first man to define the term public relations. He established one of the first few public relations firms in the world and founded a public relations counselling office named Ivy Lee & Associates.

But even before Lee, many historical men resorted to PR strategizing during dispute resolution and used clear, concise communication to handle discomforting public situations faced by public figures. At that time, they did not know that what they were doing was part of public relations, although somehow their actions had some big lessons we could still learn after decades of evolution in the PR landscape. 

If one is a fan of the famous Netflix series Bridgeton, set in the Regency Era, one would know how Lady Whistledown is an example of content creation and a PR specialist in that period. So it is without doubt that PR has existed in various forms and levels from the day man knew disputes and communications.

The public relations industry did not have as many challenges in its early years as it does today, though one cannot forget its limitations in terms of reaching far and wide. However, it still had an efficient system, which makes it so important to look back and know what it did right for its PR strategies to work.

Having a definite narrative

Leaders and communicators in the past knew the control they had over their direct communications with their audiences. So, remember that owning your narrative will go a long way if you are a communicator.

Revolve and evolve with the world

People in the past were good at being adaptive and absorbing technological and structural changes smoothly. With many innovations and changes happening every day, one thing PR professionals need to be adept at today is being able to evolve continuously. This ensures your PR ways stay fresh.

Bond with your stakeholders

Lasting relationships helped ancient PR have a more significant impact. It is not always about monetary outcomes, but having great chemistry with and for the people you work with goes a long way. Know your people and work for them, this will add to the value of service you will give.

Remember, when all else fails, it is worthwhile to look back in time to see how some ancient leaders turned challenging times into success.