Pioneer puts his spin on the industry
By Chris Brummit
JAKARTA (JP): More than 30 years coordinating the public relations (PR) of PT Caltex Pacific Indonesia has given Wisaksono Noeradi the right to call himself one of the "old soldiers" of the Indonesian PR industry. Caltex has not been his sole concern though: he has also found time to lecture on PR, write about it and, in 1981, form the Indonesian association dedicated to it.
In 1958, when he gave up his journalism career to join Caltex, the concept of PR in the region was still in its infancy. He has watched it grow, from its initial corporate base into other areas and other roles, to where it stands today, where even the President is being told his PR needs improving.
After stepping down from Caltex in 1990, he and a partner started a consulting business that has offered advice to, among others, the World Bank, Arianespace and the liquidation team of Bank Summa. "Just a hobby" is how he referred to it when The Jakarta Post caught up with him in his office on Monday.
Asked to describe what PR was, he said that its ultimate goal was "to have a third party say good things about you". It could be the myriad ways to achieve this end that has resulted in the often times off the mark perceptions surrounding PR and its related industries in Indonesia. As an example he mentioned street-side banner makers who call themselves advertising agencies.
Dubbing PR a science, his academic approach to the subject was evident in his manner and supported by the handouts, case studies and other teaching aids that he referenced during the interview. The topics discussed ranged from the state of the industry in general, his work with political parties and his views on PR schools. Before the interview, he first attempted to pin down PRs slippery nature:
"There are many interpretations of what PR is. First you have those who call themselves or consider themselves consultants or counselors. Secondly you have those who are just events organizers. And third, those who actually running a production house -- those who take orders to produce something ...
"And all call themselves a public relations firm, though they are three different animals. Aside from this, a lot of people have said that public relations is equal to media relations -- Getting free publicity, killing hostile stories etc. Which is not true. Its just one important part of PR."
Question: Before the crisis, was the PR industry good?
Answer: Oh yes, it was. And even afterwards, because among the many services offered by a PR consultant is crisis management. So it should have been the case many institutions needed that crisis management. But in Indonesia many people give into their fate very easily. You know, "Whatever I do I tend to be wrong anyway. Why make a special effort, I'm bankrupt. So what! Everyone is bankrupt. So I don't think I need to improve my image".
Q: But there must be less business now, post-crisis?
A: Not really, I think the amount of business is about stable. It's just that now we have political parties. This is a new phenomenon. All of a sudden we had more than three participants in the election. Before, the thinking was, 'Hey you vote for me or I'll step on your toes.' Now PR has to be one of the planks of political parties.
Q: Do you have any experience working with a political party?
A: Yes, we do. My partner and I were assisting the PKB (National Awakening Party: Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa)
Q: What kind of assistance did you offer them?
A: Well, it started long before the election itself. We provided them with a checklist. Actually its something normal we do in public relations. We have to know their competitors. To formulate the strategy we have to identify interested parties. The potential voters ... what are their hopes, dreams and expectations.
Q: If there were a party whose policies you didn't agree with at all, racist ones for example, or one that was corrupt, would you handle their PR?
A: No. (pause) If I had the choice ... Maybe. You are aware of the expression, 'If you can't beat them join them'. If you want to restructure the mafia, for example, you have to do it from the inside, not from the outside. If I thought my participation might help them not to be corrupt, then I would consider it.
Q: The International Public Relations Association (IPRA) says that PR promotes an understanding of democracy. How?
A: Because PR respects and solicits views and opinions of others. That is the basis of democracy. If we apply PR and do not respect other opinions then it's useless. How can we communicate effectively if we don't know what is on the other persons mind?
Q: What do you think about Gen. Wiranto's PR campaign, if indeed it is one?
A: I wouldn't deny the fact that Gen. Wiranto is formulating and implementing a PR strategy. And if you ask whether it was successful or not, I would return the question to you.
As a member of the public how do you feel about it? A campaign is not just one or two appearances, right? It's not timely yet to say if it was a success or not. As a practitioner I would need the complete information on the beneficiaries and the campaign, then I would be able to evaluate. It is difficult to say whether a PR campaign is a success or not before its completed. He's presenting it the way he sees it now. He wanted to tell his story, because prior to his removal, he wasn't given a chance to do so. It's my experience that he is one of the few Indonesians who believe in good public relations. We helped him when he was Territorial Military Commander, when he launched his National Discipline Campaign. From that we know he is fully aware of the value of PR as a strategy.
Q: What's the standard of PR as taught in Indonesia?
A: Well, much is to be desired. Back in 1990 I answered a similar question and it appears the situation has changed very little. Text books not good enough, courses not long enough and schools are tending to be 'diploma mills'. The curriculum is roughly stitched together. Actually in a short course you can't produce a scholar. All you can do is skill training.
Q: Are studies in PR important, or do you value experience more?
A: Studies in PR are not very important, especially when people have studied here. The tendency now is to take graduates from any discipline. Because what you need is common sense. Not that I want to discriminate between PR graduates from Indonesia and overseas, but the syllabuses are simply different. If you study PR for only two semesters what do you know? There are no short cuts. Sometimes their (prospective employees') Indonesian is terrible. It's all over the place and they use Jakartan, not even the national language.
Q: Any truth to the stereotype of the pretty-but-clueless PR executive?
A: Well, I'm glad this is your terminology. It's not mine, right? Well, in life, its nice to have something that is a pleasure to the eyes and a pleasure to the ears, right? It should be a combination of those two things. In some cases, yes it is true, especially in certain industries. As it turns out, those types don't stay long in the profession.
Q: How do you rate the inhouse PR departments of major companies?
A: I hate to evaluate my colleagues. I can be misinterpreted. Just like the police when they arrest someone, and they say anything you say can be taken down in ....
They are getting better... I'm glad that inhouse PR units are improving, but unfortunately many are a matter of personality. When the good guy retires or resigns then the company doesn't have a good in-house PR unit anymore.