I love PR

Stepping into university, I was completely bewildered by the new environment. As a first-year student, I had to take general courses like Philosophy, Psychology, Economics, and Civilization History. These subjects weren't interesting at all, and I wondered, "Will these subjects help me in the future?" or are they just like "a sandpiper building a sandcastle on the beach"? But the deeper I delved into my major subjects, the more I realized the importance of the general courses. They were the foundation of my knowledge for the future, so I devoured the textbooks to fully understand the lectures. Psychology helped me better understand human psychology through attitudes and gestures; Civilization History introduced me to many human civilizations; and Philosophy helped me develop clear thinking in life's problems. These are the first tools I'm gathering for my future career.

Alongside my general education courses, I was introduced to the basics of PR. I understood what internal PR, corporate PR, and government PR were, and learned how to plan a PR campaign step by step. Initially, I found it very difficult, not at all interesting, fun, or dynamic as I had imagined, but the deeper I learned, the more I loved it. The difficulty motivated me to delve into PR and, from there, discover the essence of the PR profession: a profession that quietly creates success for brands and organizations without needing any acclaim – it's about silent dedication.

We were taught Public Relations by Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh Huyen (Deputy Head of the Faculty of Journalism and Communication, University of Social Sciences and Humanities). She is a very dedicated teacher, always seeking out new teaching methods to help us learn effectively. Each lesson incorporated real-world examples and current events into her lectures to give us the most accurate and comprehensive understanding of each topic. I remember the day we learned about crisis communication management; she gave us the example of the Cat Tuong beauty clinic. She asked us, "If your client were the Ministry of Health, how would you advise them to overcome this crisis?" That day's class was a lively discussion, everyone had their own opinions, and we eventually found a way to handle the crisis the Ministry of Health was facing. Unfortunately, we weren't employees of the Ministry of Health, so our crisis management strategy wasn't implemented. Through this experience, I also understood how the iPhone captured the hearts of customers. Besides its cutting-edge technology and stylish design, the iPhone also has an incredibly clever PR strategy. That's why the iPhone doesn't need to spend a lot of money on advertising to win over consumers, clearly demonstrated by its sales consistently ranking number one in the smartphone industry. The two PR strategies of the iPhone are: First, relying on the media to create rumors about the company's products through positive reviews. Second, arranging for the company's products to appear in television programs and films. This is the golden key to the success of the world's number one mobile phone brand today.

She let us choose our own groups to present on the campaigns of the father of modern PR, Edward Louis Bernays. His illustrious career included many major campaigns that had a powerful impact, not only at the time but whose influence remains strong to this day. He has become an immortal icon of PR worldwide. Mentioning him cannot fail to mention campaigns such as the PR campaign for the Russian ballet company in 1915 when they came to America to perform. At that time, Americans hated ballet, but with his efforts, the ballet company sold out all the tickets. Ballet became something new and exciting for the American people. Ballet dresses became a fashion trend at the time. In 1929, with his talent, he helped the American tobacco company sell "Lucky Strike" cigarettes to women – "helping them strike gold." At this time, women smoking cigarettes was not just for entertainment, but an act of "lighting the flame of freedom," demonstrating women's equality in American society. In addition, he conducted many other major campaigns such as the "IVORY" soap campaign and the Phico radio station… Each story, a lesson, truly offered a unique and innovative way of learning, and furthermore, helped improve teamwork skills for students, especially presentation skills.

In addition, she took our class on a field trip to ancient temples in Bac Ninh. For the first time, we learned about Dau Pagoda, the birthplace of Buddhism in Vietnam, the tomb of the founder of Southern Buddhism, Si Nhiep, and the Dong Ho folk painting village… As the saying goes, "traveling broadens the mind," this trip allowed us to learn more about our national history and the beauty of our folk culture. The trip also strengthened the class's unity, bringing us, who were once strangers, closer together.

But gaining an understanding of PR was also very difficult for me. While my classmates had many good books on PR, I only had the textbook. I wasn't good at English, so understanding an English article took me a lot of time. Before, I rarely used a computer, but now I have to use it daily to constantly update information for my lessons. I went from someone who didn't know anything about teamwork to someone who had to try hard to adapt to group work. Because of my lack of experience, I was scolded by Ms. Huyen the very first time we presented as a group. She said our presentation lacked persuasiveness because our teamwork wasn't effective. At that time, I was extremely discouraged, but knowing that mistakes must be corrected, we asked her to let us redo it, and this time our group did well. Her reprimand motivated me to try harder.

After six months of studying, I went from being a stranger to my classmates to someone who has now become a good fit. I suddenly realized that everyone lives together based on "compassion"; friends are ready to help each other in times of difficulty, and teachers are always ready to lend a helping hand to students and give us sincere advice in both our studies and our lives. To us, the teachers are not strangers but like senior colleagues, always guiding us on our career paths and how to interact with others.

My family wasn't well-off; my mother single-handedly supported the entire family. For me, owning a computer was a distant dream. I thought I wouldn't have enough money to buy one until my fourth year of university. Knowing my family's situation, Ms. Huyen asked the Faculty to lend me money to buy a computer without charging any interest. When I received the money from the Faculty, my throat tightened, and I was incredibly moved. At that moment, I realized this was a family, a real family.

My understanding of PR is completely different now compared to six months ago. Before, PR was a dynamic, fun, and lucrative profession. I would work alongside politicians traveling the world, advise major corporations on building their brand image, and contribute to bringing the image of Vietnam to the hearts of millions of people around the globe. But now I understand the difficulties of PR: how to establish a brand's place in the public eye when thousands of competing brands exist, and how to regain public trust after a crisis. I truly realize that PR is an art, and mastering it requires immense effort, dedication, and above all, a love for it. When you love something, you can achieve anything. PR is currently a very hot profession with huge job opportunities. According to statistics, there are approximately 370,000 businesses in Vietnam, and each business needs at least one PR employee. Therefore, PR graduates will not have too much difficulty finding jobs, and the starting salary ranges from 5 to 10 million VND per month. These are truly attractive figures, demonstrating that PR is gradually establishing its position.

For me, PR is like a magical paint box filled with the many colors of life. I hope to become a PR expert, as talented as E. Bernays, and to establish myself in the field of PR. And right now, time is really important to me; I'm racing against it. I wish each day had an extra 24 hours so I could learn more and know more about PR.