The public relations perspective of promotional culture

Pages: 102-122

DOI: 10.4324/9780203130322-13

Abstract:

Johnson’s writing aimed to inform the growing middle-classes of the eighteenth century how they could be accepted into high society. In itself The Rambler represented a ‘booming industry of middle-class monthly magazines’ (Camlot 2008: 54) acting as a promotional device that established Johnson’s personal fame (Lynn 1992). This reffects Wernick’s (1991: 182) perspective that ‘a promotional message is a complex of significations which at once represents (moves in place of), advocates (moves on behalf of), and anticipates (moves ahead of) the circulating entity or entities to which it refers’. A similar web of promotion can be seen in contemporary pseudo-reality television shows, such as The Only Way Is Essex, where ordinary people are cast as ‘characters’ who are promoted through the programme and other media, drawing attention to themselves, the show and, ultimately, the businesses and products which individuals launch to capitalize on their newly found ‘fame’. In Johnson’s time, the ‘rise to reputation’ (Johnson 1751: 24) largely relied on an individual’s actions. Today public relations practitioners are behind such promotional efforts. Although modern public relations has a history dating back over a century (L’Etang 2004), it was during the 1990s that it became ‘a noticeable and widespread activity’ (Moloney 2006: 31) in the UK, where, as an industry, it is estimated currently to be worth 7.2 billion and employ 61,600 people (Gorkana 2011).

Source: Scopus

The Public Relations Perspective of Promotional Culture

Authors: Yaxley

Editors: Powell, H.

Pages: 102-122

Publisher: Routledge

Place of Publication: Abingdon

ISBN: 9780415672795

Abstract:

Presents a perspective of promotional culture and media convergence from a public relations standpoint

Source: Manual

Preferred by: Heather Yaxley