Richard Rotman, former publisher of the late arts weekly Metropolis, is head of Rotman & Co., a corporate communications firm.
It’s a great place to live, so why wouldn’t some of the country’s top public relations practitioners want to move there?
Vancouver is today’s subject, and one of the frustrations in attempting to draw a bead on public relations in Canada is Toronto’s almost complete dominance of the field. Whatever happens appears to happen here, without input by pr people in such strong markets as Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Now I’m talking like a Westerner!
So, what is the state of the art in Canada’s Lotus Land? Very good, say its practitioners. It’s not as large or as varied as the field in Toronto but what it may lack in scope, it more than makes up for in its day-to-day satisfactions.
What influences the practice of any profession is the economy and, for all its progress in other areas, Vancouver’s remains resource-based. The largest companies are still those in mining and forestry, and although the manufacturing base has grown, it has not done so to the same extent as it has back east.
However, the growing service base provides Vancouver public relations practitioners client relationships that are both rewarding and fun – even if they’re the kinds of accounts that Big Agencies in Toronto or Montreal might not touch. The hospitality industry is expanding, as is tourism and real estate. The leader in North American funeral homes is also based in Vancouver.
Jean Cormier, president of Cormier Communicators, followed a successful career path with Canadian National and Dofasco before signing up with a big b.c. company in the mid-’80s and later starting his own public relations firm, one that specializes in advocacy and policy related to the distribution of scarce natural resources.
He argues that the level of talent in Vancouver is equal to that in Toronto. In fact, he says the competition for clients that comes about because of the number of high-quality people available is a problem for some of the bigger, more established firms.
‘People want to live here,’ says Cormier, referring to the Vancouver area’s natural beauty, climate and outdoor advantages. ‘They are willing to set up in their basements just to be part of this environment. That increases the supply of good people.’
Major national firms have had varied success in Vancouver. Two that are actively growing are National Public Relations and Continental Shandwick, which recruited Geraldine Vance from Hill and Knowlton to be its general manager.
Vance worked in Toronto before fleeing West to join former premier Mike Harcourt’s staff, managing issues. She describes her office as somewhat typical of the established Vancouver agency: six to 10 people, $500,000-$1,000,000 in billings.
Vance believes that public relations in Vancouver not only pioneered but excels in public consultation as part of promoting the decision-making process. The resource industry rests at the heart of what appears to be a public trust, even though it is used for profit, and with the environment more a tangible part of daily life in b.c. than elsewhere, this aspect of corporate communications becomes extremely important.
Vance also says that the quality of life in b.c. subtly influences the public relations business to make working there a different experience than in Toronto.
‘I know my colleagues here. We have dinner together and – isn’t this amazing – we refer business to each other when we have a conflict,’ she says.
Vance describes a formal and informal network, stemming from the Canadian Public Relations Society (cprs) and the International Association of Business Communicators (iabc) and spinning off to a variety of groups who meet to discuss the field on a regular basis.
‘People are committed to living here,’ says Vance. ‘They are here because they want to be and they like it. That makes them want to contribute to charitable organizations and to each other.’
Vancouver’s challenges include the multi-ethnic market, especially the Asian/Hong Kong Chinese connection. The need for basic information, about ‘how things work’ may seem simple, but it’s what new immigrants need to know.
With Vancouver’s coastal location, its proximity to the u.s., and its Pacific Rim connections to the torrid Asian economies, someone who either speaks Cantonese or has an interest in communicating to these new Canadians could find a very profitable niche, either in a service company or pr agency environment.
Besides all that, wouldn’t it be nice to sit on the veranda of an office, and have to decide whether to go to the mountains in the morning or sailing in the afternoon, or, barring that, try to decide what kind of outstanding Chinese food to have that day?
Will the last pr person in Toronto turn out the lights?
To comment on this column, contact Rotman at e-mail 73117.2435@compuserve.com or fax 416-440-8872.
