On the first of June, it would have been Marilyn Monroe's
97th birthday!
Just about
everyone knows who Monroe is. She is the definition of
iconic. The image of her standing on the grate with her dress
blowing in the wind has gone down in history.
Watching her films will gift you with more than just beautiful images of Monroe or great belly laughs. You will learn a great deal,
especially if you are a PR professional. Her abundant career is chuck-filled with PR
gems that you can take with you into the industry.
Alrika Möller from media update reveals the PR lessons hidden in Monroe's films here:
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes: use strategic thinking
This classic film is best known for Monroe's
iconic rendition of
Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend — and rightfully so. Her performance is quite amazing. One thing this film should get more recognition for is the
strategic skills shown by the two
leading ladies.
In the film, both Lorelei (played by Monroe) and Dorothy (played by Jane Russel) display incredible strategic thinking abilities. They don't really have a choice, actually. Lorelei gets photographed in a
less-than-ideal situation by a detective, who is hired to tail her. Her diamond tiara also gets stolen. So, the girls create
elaborate plans to get out of the sticky situations.
In the
world of PR, things often go wrong more than they go right. Public relations professionals need to fix these situations by
thinking strategically in order to remedy a situation. Strategic thinking is useful for more than just problematic situations but for goal-reaching as well.
Just like Lorelei working to find Dorothy a husband, PR professionals need to think strategically in order to reach the long and short-term goals they set. If you don't have a
plan, chances are, you won't succeed.
How to marry a millionaire: pay attention to details
In this fun-filled movie, Monroe plays Pola, a young girl working with her friends. Schatze is played by Lauren Bacall and Loco is played by Betty Grable. The trio have hopes of marrying
rich men.
These women have many interesting adventures during their quest for eligible bachelors. One thing hinders this process: They miss the
millionaire under their noses.
This is where
attention to detail comes in. With PR,
the devil is in the details — and you have to have all the details if you want to be
successful. Whether you are sending out a press release or pitching to a client, it is important to pay attention to the details in your own work.
Small mistakes in press releases can be
catastrophic and will not help a business or
brand's image. You need to focus on the small details and check every word and every piece of information to make sure you don't
miss anything.
You need to check your facts and make sure they are accurate and clear. Make sure that all your grammar and spelling are correct and that there is not a single comma out of place.
When pitching to a client, you need to
pay attention to the questions the client asks and their reactions to what you are saying. The small details can have a
massive impact.
People don't always say exactly what they think. If you pick up on the small stuff, you can respond accordingly and ensure that you have a happy client at the end.
There's No Business Like Show Business: adapt to change
When the famous
Donahue Duo decides to add their three children to their act in order to become
The Five Donahues, they soon realise how fast things change in show business.
Their children waste no time in leaving the act. Two of them even decide to join performer Victoria Parker, who is played by Monroe, in their own show.
The film is filled with
magical musical numbers and an emotional rollercoaster for the Donahue parents, showing us the importance of being able to be
flexible and
adapt to change.
In PR, things change
constantly. Clients can change their minds and situations can arise or change at a moment's notice. It is the PR professional's job to be calm and stable when everything else is unstable, otherwise, no problem will
ever get solved.
Change is not only limited to your tasks and projects. The world is changing
all the time, and if PR professionals can't keep up with the changes in the industry, they
will be left behind.
Adapt to change and stay with the times by:
- incorporating AI into your daily life
- staying up to date with and utilising social media, and
- creating content that relates to current events.
Some Like it Hot: introduce creativity
Some Like It Hot is often referred to as Monroe's best acting performance of her whole career.
We can see why! When two men decide to hide from the mob by pretending to be women and touring with an
all female band, they meet Monroe's character Sugar Kane Kowalcyzk.
The film combines all the suspense of hiding from the mob with the extreme comedy of men pretending to be women touring with a band. The men find themselves in a
semi-life-threatening situation, and their solution can only be described as creative.
As a PR professional, you constantly need to find new ways to
say something,
handle something or
reach a new group of people, and without creativity that can become incredibly difficult.
Creativity is a crucial ingredient needed for a successful pitch or creating a brand as iconic as Monroe.
PR tips and tricks can be found anywhere and everywhere. Where have you found the best PR tips? Let us know in the comments section below.
*Image courtesy of Unsplash