This is SO...... High School

As I continue on this journey to understand and understand what Public Relations is and where I fit into the equations, I invite you to come to learn, debate and educate. Quick note. As I read and tried to draw past connections of how I see PR daily, I found an odd relationship between the world of PR and high school. Strange, yes, but somewhat true. For example, what we learn in class influences what we talk about in our daily lives and how we interact with the world. In public relations, we constantly learn and apply what we have learned from social and economic resources to build campaigns and assist clients. For public relations professionals, social media is comparable with lunchtime gossip. We constantly share exciting articles or bits of news, build excitement for something new, and stay in touch with people we don't see daily. Social media provides a platform for people to connect, just like you did in high school throughout lunch—just food for thought.

International PR... Does it Clique?

So, if public relations represents the "high school" environment, then international pr is like the different cliques and social circles within the high school. Each group represents a specific teenage demographic found during one's high school experience. By definition, international public relations is the practice of public relations across international borders and cultures. When an organization and its constituents are located in different countries, this type of public relations occurs. International public relations takes a local approach by emphasizing differences between the public and audiences, whereas global public relations takes a global approach by highlighting similarities.

POP Culture Reference

Let me give you a reference. One of my favorite high school films is Means Girls, starring Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, and Tina Fey. It is partly based on the 2002 Queen Bees and Wannabes self-helper non-fiction book of Rosalind Wi'eman, which discusses the social cliques in women high school, school bullying, and the harmful impacts on females. Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan), a teen, was educated in Africa by her scientist parents. Cady finally gets to experience public school when her family relocates to the suburbs of Illinois, and she gets a crash course in the harsh, unspoken laws of popularity that divide her classmates into tightly knit cliques. Cady finds herself unwittingly in the good graces of an elite group of cool students dubbed "the Plastics," but she quickly realizes how her shallow group of new friends earned this moniker.

SAY What???

I know you're wondering what this film has to do with global or international PR. Think of it this way. A young girl, corporation, attempts to immerse herself in the high school culture, a foreign place. To do so, she begins to make mental references to previous experiences. She was raised in an environment where her parents studied the wildlife in Africa. Throughout the film, you will notice that she has moments where she compares the life of a high school student to life in the wild. That method of finding similarities in the culture is similar to the idea of global public relations.

Regarding international public relations, once Cady has found her artsy and quirky friends, they quickly notice that she may be able to immerse herself into another, more elite group, the "Plastics." They had their ulterior motives as to why; however, the conceptions of international pr were quite apparent. Immerse yourself into the culture and use what you have learned, in a sense, to manipulate your way into a degree of power.

NGOs

A point that has been made according to Guy J. Golan, the global nature of public relations is further made evident by the multifaceted relational interplay between MNCs, foreign governments, global nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and international news organizations. However, these government relations prevent corporations from defending their brand and sustaining various stakeholder relations. To this aim, international relations demands a comprehensive knowledge of the engagement of foreign stakeholders, including different stakeholder groups such as consumers, staff, investors, the media, and other elites.

Another point that Guy J. Golan made was understanding that in a globalized market where all correspondence is amplified between various communication channels across the globe, all communication between organizations and stakeholders is domestic and international. He continues by suggesting that the lines that separate international and domestic public relations have been blurred to show little difference and that perhaps there is no need for differentiation. I strongly disagree with this. There has to be some way to differentiate the methods and mediums used to communicate to one's domestic land, and another's foreign territory. I am sure there will be overlap in some areas; however, to make one set of guidelines for multiple cultures concerning communication is not realistic.

The Connection

Think of it this way. As a high school marching band member, would you communicate with a football team member the same way you would a member of your percussion? These are two different lands and two very different elements. In the film, Mean Girls that I felt captured a similar moment. Cady, the new foreign exchange student, saw African American teens and greet them as she would in Africa. These teens, of course, looked at her as if she was from another planet. This example may seem minute, but it shows that effective international communications will be driven by how we immerse ourselves into another culture.

We're All in This Together

In recent decades, NGOs have been an influential force in raising awareness of social, political, environmental, and economic worldwide concerns in a global society. NGOs are considered to contribute to the worldwide development of civil society and democracy. Therefore, they belong to the so-called third sector and are distinct from government bodies and business organizations. As far as their international public perceptions are concerned, NGOs appear to be trusted institutions, far beyond businesses, government entities, and the media. They were regarded as skilled communicators who grew from modest activist businesses into new major brands on the world market. But the credibility of NGOs has significantly been threatened by various scandals and critics. Nevertheless, NGOs continue by supporting the underrepresented, marginalized publics and establishing agendas to make a solid contributor to civil society.

Concerning my high school analogy, I see educators in high school as NGOs. They take on advocating and taking care of the students when they cannot take care of themselves. This makes me think of Mean Girls yet again. Ms. Norbury, played by Tina Fey, was a math teacher in the movie. She was the victim of an awful rumor that she was a part-time drug dealer after a student became angry and started rumors about her. She was, however, able to look past the scandal and help the female students find common ground amongst each other and learn to communicate more effectively. Thank God for our educators.