Monday, April 7, 2008

Pubic Relations - The Ability to Influence

Many people have no idea what public relations really is. I get a confused look when I tell people that I'm a PR major. They just assume it all revolves around press conferences. The simplest way to explain PR is just to say that it is the act of influencing someone or something. This blog will serve as a way for me to relate everyday stories or events to the field of public relations.

After an abysmal start (and finish) to the basketball season, Oregon State University fired current coach Jay John mid season. The Beavers went on to finish the season with a record setting ZERO wins in Pac-10 play.

Ever since the season ended, Oregon State has been searching for a new coach with little success. However, today Oregon State announced that they hired Craig Robinson, the current coach at Brown University. He only has two years experience coaching at the college level, no apparent west-coast ties, and no known knack for recruiting at the division one level. So what exactly does he bring to the table to the Beavers?

His name might not ring a bell to most people, even college basketball fans; however, his brother-in-law is Barack Obama. While Robinson may not have experience coaching at the Pac-10 level, he does have an interesting tie that no doubt influenced the decision to hire him.

So what on earth does this have to do with Public Relations?

This hire will undoubtedly have an influence on the entire Beaver basketball program. Now that Obama is officially "tied" to Oregon State, expect more recruits to consider the program and maybe Obama himself will make a more formal visit to Corvallis than simply stopping for Pizza.

No comments: