Erich Sommerfeldt directs Hubbard's professional master's program in strategic communication
As the academic director of Hubbard's Professional M.A. in Strategic Communication program, Erich Sommerfeldt wants students to know that learning never stops in public relations.
Sommerfeldt has studied and practiced public relations for the past decade, specializing in public diplomacy and international development. In 2020 and 2021, he was a Jefferson Science Fellow with the U.S. Department of State, where he crafted public diplomacy policy and evaluation policy. He is also the editor-in-chief of Public Relations Review, the largest and oldest public relations journal.
In 2023, Sommerfeldt joined the University of Minnesota, where he uses his experience to help early- and mid-career professionals advance their strategic communications careers. When we spoke with Sommerfeldt, he explained the unique vigor of a field as rapidly changing and complex as public relations.
How the public relations landscape is changing
During his career, Sommerfeldt experienced how the industry shifted its focus as technology advances. Social media was a hot topic when he began his research. At that time, researchers examined specific social media platforms, looking at how each functioned differently.
Since then, research has become more content-focused. “I think that what we've learned in the past 12 years or so is that platforms come and go, and the idea of social media and how you practice it transcends platforms. It's about connection, creating engaging content, and linking with the right people, which is important across all platforms,” Sommerfeldt said.
He predicts public relations will continue to evolve alongside technology, with AI being a significant focus. “There's a lot of research and practice out there now, like, is it better for people to interact with AI chatbots or with human beings? We're just scratching the surface on how AI is going to impact organizations in terms of their relationships with their stakeholders,” Sommerfeldt said. Research and practice in the next couple of years will help the public relations industry find its footing with AI, similar to what happened with social media.
Students interested in research and public relations should be aware that studying such a rapidly changing field means they won’t always be able to predict the next pressing topic. Technology evolves faster than curriculum, making it difficult for researchers to prepare for specific topics. AI, for example, took only two years to boom. When asked how students can address this, Sommerfeldt said, “Equip yourself with the fundamentals, but then be prepared for continuing education after you graduate. Look for opportunities, look for workshops. We're going to be perpetual students in this technology for a while.”
Fostering a well-rounded perspective of public relations
Public relations has a reputation as being "dirty work," with some people only associating it with corporate crisis communication. However, Sommerfeldt wants students to dig deeper and gain awareness of the broader applications of strategic communication. “Consider, you know, the arts community relations; consider healthcare communication. Consider celebrity communications and raising awareness of public issues. Consider activism,” he said.
While public relations encapsulates so much more than covering up corporate faults, Sommerfeldt believes it’s important for people in the field to have an awareness of the negative uses of public relations. He encourages students to adopt a nuanced view of the field. “I think we have to acknowledge transgressions, acknowledge the bad things that have been done and say, ‘Hey, you know, here's how it could have been done better,’ but then also teach the cases where brilliant public relations has salvaged organizations and raised awareness for public causes and things like that,” Sommerfeldt said. “So there are many different ways you can look at it and get out of the mindset of this is dirty work and it's only about crises.”
Hubbard Hot Take
Sommerfeldt’s Hubbard Hot Take shows that he believes the Hubbard School fosters the drive necessary to build continuous learners.
“I think it's a place of astonishing energy and enthusiasm," he said. "It's got a fantastic group of experienced professionals, practitioners and researchers. So, the energy at the Hubbard School, I think, is really positive and it's on the up and up from other places that I've been and other schools of journalism and mass communication.”
In his two years at the Hubbard School, Sommerfeldt has been impressed by how this attitude fuels work in public relations and strategic communication. He said, "There's a seriousness of the rigor of education, right? But there's also a joy to it. The people here who teach really have passion and find joy in what they do.”
Learn more
To learn more about Erich Sommerfeldt’s research and background, visit his CLA faculty page.
By Ashley Sudeta, Backpack student
