Transmitting belief

The power of Public Relations is the power of the masses. If used well, not only does the Brand get etched into the public minds, but it also has the ability to turn mere ‘carriers’ into ‘idea transmitters’. Public Relations can convert mere believers into self-powered evangelists.

What is it that gives an evangelist missionary purpose, infectious zeal and volcanic energy, to go about spreading the ‘faith’ unflinchingly? The idea-meme which converts them, if pure and potent, has the ability to make the transmission of idea-meme a vital reason for their very existence - sometimes even the only reason for their existence. Those who dedicate their lives to religion, country, family, community, society, or organization, exhibit visions similar to that of ‘faith-keepers’.

Ideas that may seem insignificant to many still find their faith-keepers, and often these evangelists turn these ideas into revolutions. A few examples include the legendary Jane Goodall who dedicated forty-five years of her life studying wild chimpanzees; Mahatma Gandhi, who lived most of his adult life by his beliefs of non-violence and ‘spiritual self-denial’; or Nelson Mandela, the first elected President of South Africa, who served twenty-seven years in the country's jails for his ant-apartheid protests. All these and many more such faith-keepers have literally created revolutions of their faith. 

In a business context, there are faith-keepers who evangelize their beliefs with missionary zeal. The much admired Google has a business principle the company promotes and follows ardently: “You can make money without doing evil”. There are others, like Warren Buffet, the richest man in the world, who gave up 50% of his wealth (committing over 99% of his wealth to charity during his lifetime) and goes around the world evangelizing that other rich people do the same. Steve Jobs, is a legendary faith-keeper, as one who made a religion of his business philosophy extended onto the products he created.

These are not principles that were accepted by all. In fact, the more ardent the faith-keeper, the stronger the opposition, but such barriers only seem to redouble the faith-keepers intensity and resolve. Each of the above instances is a story of faith. And each of these faith-keepers have millions of followers, most of whom will never engage directly with the evangelists. Despite this, the followers are passionate, even dogged about the idea, because the ‘belief’ has been transmitted to them and has moved them deeply.

Public Relations is the only tool of communication that can transmit such deep belief in audiences since it transforms at a subliminal and life-changing level. Public Relations sets a self-fulfilling prophesy in motion - that which you speak, you become. The use of this tool automatically promotes positive traits in any organization, guided by public expectations and media scrutiny.