Public relations practitioners celebrate first-ever World PR Day

Public relations practitioners across the world are celebrating the maiden World PR Day.

The World PR Day, which will henceforth be held annually on July 16, is to establish a unified global agenda to make the world understand and utilise the profession better.

The day was created as an opportunity for public relations practitioners and enthusiasts across the world to unite and stake a claim for the practice.

Speaking on the celebration, Adekunle Ayeni, chief executive officer and founder of BlackHouse Media (BMH), said the profession is grossly misunderstood and underappreciated.

He said the world is doing itself a disservice with the level of regard it bears the profession.

However, the BMH boss noted that things will begin to change with the newly established annual World PR day.

“PR is more than a terribly misunderstood, poorly appreciated, and thus poorly remunerated practice,” Ayeni said.

“We believe businesses, countries, and people do, not just practitioners, but themselves a huge disservice, if they continue to fail to see PR for what it is and should be: a strategic aspect of business and governance, invaluable in building relationships, preventing crises, achieving business objectives; pushing national interest, and preventing the kind of confusion that could ruin a company or lead nations to war.

“I was surprised to discover that there’s not a single day dedicated to PR and Comms. No unified global agenda towards making the world understand and utilize PR better. And with July 16, we are changing that.”