Communications and Courts: Public Relations in the U.K.

Last summer, Michigan State University students arrived in London to participate in a five-week program on public relations in the U.K. The program, primarily based in London, was comprised of two classes that ran in parallel, one taught by visiting MSU faculty, and one by local faculty Elif Toker-Turnalar. Elif is a lecturer and researcher at Regent’s University, specializing in public relations and political communication. The program explored the topic of public relations through a combination of both classroom work and experiential learning opportunities, where students met with PR professionals and participated in course-related visits.

One such visit was to Hampton Court Palace. This royal palace in Southwest London was the historic home of Henry VIII. Hampton Court is not just a historic site, as it is home of live music performances during the summer and has been used as a filming location for many films and TV shows, including the Netflix series Bridgerton.

While at Hampton Court, the group had a lecture with Laura Hutchinson, head of Public Relations for Historic Royal Palaces, an organization focused on conservation and historical research. This session at Hampton Court provided several case studies of relevant social media campaigns and corporate partnerships, tying in even more historic London sites, such as the Tower of London and Kensington Palace. The students were able to learn about real-world examples of factors that influenced both successful and unsuccessful communications campaigns. Students then had time to explore the palace, not only learning about the history of the site but also seeing the areas that Laura had discussed as part of her talk.

During the program, students also visited Wimbledon, where the world-famous tennis championship is held. The group were able to explore how Wimbledon maintains its premier position on the global sporting calendar with an expert guide providing an examination of the Championships brand, an analysis of various revenue streams available to Wimbledon, and insights into the increasing need for sporting conglomerates to engage with their audience across multiple platforms. This experience provided firsthand insight for the students into PR management within the context of one of the world’s largest sporting events.

Through a combination of coursework and on-site visits, students on this program explored the world of public relations in a global context, gaining international experience that will serve them well in their future endeavors in today’s globally connected world.

Accent collaborates with U.S. partners during the program design process to identify company visits, expert guest speakers, and other experiential learning activities to complement program learning goals. Please reach out to Accent’s Program Development team at development@accentglobal.com if you are interested in discussing these ideas for your customized study abroad programs.