People’s PR on MTV

Is it a good idea to put a PR agency’s inner workings out in the open on national television? Well, we’re going to find out when People’s Revolution, a fashion PR agency, starts being featured on MTV’s hit show The Hills. It’s not exactly clear how much of the PR world will be featured on the show, but the owner of the firm, Kelly Cutrone, confirmed that there has been filming in the office. According to Cutrone, People’s Revolution is a “full service public relations, branding and marketing firm” whose main focus is “fashion and lifestyle” with “a strong emphasis on celebrity branding.” They have a firm in LA and NYC, but also serve their clients internationally.

I can see where the whole idea about being on television would be a huge selling point for a PR firm, but whether the prize is worth the cost is the question. Yes, I have watched The Hills. (For those of you who are laughing right now, stop. It’s fairly interesting and glamorous.) Being a viewer, it’s easy to see the use of dramatic effect the producers and writers add for a twist. Like the characters’ love lives and fashion-addict behaviors aren’t enough to carry a show alone…

Many of the past businesses featured on the show seemed to look a bit ridiculous to me. We always want to exude an air of professionalism and maturity, right? That’s the opposite of how they came across. We were privy to behind-the-scenes cat fights and mess-ups. I don’t believe this is the type of image a PR agency should even consider showing. Especially when their clients are name brand icons or hoping to be one day.

I understand that PR should always have an ethical backbone (and a strong one at that), but many aspects of what we do is under the public eye. If I was a client of People’s, I don’t know how I’d feel about the proactive or reactive strategies they are enacting on my behalf being shown to the world. Would I really want the public to know what I’m doing in order to encourage more positive feelings towards myself or my brand? That answer is up in the air.

I can’t wait to watch The Hills in the coming weeks to see how People’s Revolution and their clients do. This shall be interesting. I wish them the best. May they prove me wrong and come across like they know what they’re doing…

Ethical Dilemmas, Image Transfer, Marketing, Public Relations, Video | Comment (0)