Expectation vs Reality - What’s Your Perception?

An example of a perfectly staged photo.

By now we’ve all seen the growing trend on Instagram of this “Expectation vs. Reality” where people are posting their most “perfect” photo and contrasting it with the “realistic” version. What that realty consists of may vary, maybe it’s a sneeze, a hair out of place, eyes shut, or just a silly moment caught on camera. But the beauty of these things in our day and age is the fact that those “photo mess-ups” can instantly be fixed with another shot, or even a filter, if it’s something a filter can take care of.

What these photos can’t show you though is the way in which they make people feel, or better yet think. The perception of reality is altered and the truth stretched, even if it’s only stretched slightly, it’s misleading. What you thought something was, you come to find out is in fact nothing like you imagined. And that’s the power of expectation vs reality; stretching the truth to show others an ideal version, one that you want them to see, not the reality of it, which is the unfiltered, unabridged version.

One of the problems this creates is that when you do wind up in a situation you thought was let’s say fabulous and amazing, and you find out that’s not the case, the letdown is often unsettling. Maybe it’s a person you meet for the first time who looks different than their photos portray, or a job you perceived as glamorous turns out to be more work than play, and not at all what you expected.

The latter is something I find happening more and more in the business of PR.  Because of social media, our jobs look like they consist of glitz and glam, all day, every day. The notion that all PR people do is hang out with celebrities couldn’t be farther from the truth. If that’s all we did this business would be completely oversaturated with publicists. I understand where the idea might come from, but behind that photo of a publicist and their client is a lot of work! What that snapshot doesn’t show you are the emails, phone calls, sleepless nights, disagreements, negotiations, deals, and a whole of prayers, that go into the job.

What sometimes surprises me is that I’m still surprised by people’s perception of what companies like JMG PR actually do. I know that I can’t change the way in which everyone perceives the job, but I think it’s important to break down what we actually do verse what people think we do.

Expectation

•   PR is a task oriented job. This idea could not be farther from the truth. Anyone who has this notion about the business does not fully understand the difficulty and time needed to manage the multiple on-going projects. Every move we make is part of a much larger plan and each task affects the next task so you must be diligent in how you execute every move. It’s all a part of the long- term strategy we have laid out early on for our clients.  

•   You’ll be hanging out with celebrities all the time. While this aspect can be a part of the job, it’s not like you see in movies and TV. It also depends on the type of publicity that you are a part of. If your sole job is repping talent, then yes, your involvement with celebrities will be more than others. At JMG PR, while we are involved with talent to a certain degree, especially when hosting events, we are not grabbing coffee and making new friends as some people might think we are.

An example of what happens behind the scenes.

Reality

An example of what happens behind the scenes.

•   PR is a lot of hard work. There is dedication and commitment that goes into each client and the work that we do for them. Our goal is to help our clients grow and to see them flourish in their respective industries so in order to make that happen we need to pour our heart and soul into our jobs.

•   It’s not all glamourous. Although it might seem like we are on the red carpet, or out attending events all of the time, we really aren’t. Yes, you may see a ton of photos on social media, but I can guarantee you those shots most likely all came out of a span of five to ten minutes out of the entire evening. Even if we are on the red carpet, we are still working. Just because its party doesn’t mean we are off the clock.

•   A lot of prep work. What this essentially means is you can expect to be in the office and on your computer a lot. Whether that entails sending or answering the endless amount of emails you’re sure to get, drafting proposals, or countless phone calls, be prepared to log in some good amount of office time.

•   Thick skin. One thing I’ve learned working in PR, first as an employee right out of college and now as the CEO and founder of JMG PR, is that you need to have a thick skin because there is a good amount of rejection that comes along with this business. I’ve heard a lot of “no’s” to stories I’ve pitched, but then there are the “yeses” and that for us is always a win.

While these are just a few of the more common misconceptions, like in any business, there will always be the “idea” of what it’s about verse the actuality of what the job entails, especially when working in a creative industry. Whether you’re working in PR, or even another field, we’d love to hear some of the misconceptions about your industry. Drop us a note on social or email us at office@jmgpr.com.

Xoxo

Jenna