In anies they represent.
PR Stereotype
Suddenly almost every marketer now offers new media services trying to cash in on PR two dot oh, social media, and even The game is changing and it's survival of not only the fittest, but the most capable. PR in the era of social media requires a fusion of traditional PR, Internet marketing, HTML, and the ability to listen and engage in conversations - without speaking in messaging. And, contrary to popular belief, PR is not a commodity - but bad PR is available anywhere and everywhere.
Web 2.0The concept of PR 2.0 as I defined it, is the evolution of industry practices forced by the shift, and the process, of influence in a social economy that has created a new layer of influencers. I'm not a proponent of labels, but for the time being, it is different and requires explanation.
New PR isIt is a chance to not only work with traditional journalists, but also engage directly with a new set of accidental influencers. It is also our ability (and opportunity) to talk with customers directly so they can, in turn, spark additional conversations. This is the new live Web (as coined by Doc It is longer just about Let's just take out the BS and hype, and let's start understanding what it is we represent and why it matters to those we're hoping to reach. And, while we're at it, let's also take some time to read the publications and blogs that reach our customers. This is This is It's the difference between sending press releases and engaging with communities.
With that, I thought it would be a good idea to provide some perspective for the panel, so that we could help narrow the gap between the existing perception of company leaders and the PR's misperception of its true standing. social media.
Web 2.0 has created a new channel of online influencers - forcing an evolution in the practice of PR - dubbed PR 2.0.
It’s the difference between sending press releases and engaging with communities and storytelling vs. evangelism
Is PR 2.0 dead or does it represent a new, more effective platform and methodology for successful PR in a new tech/social economy?
Panelists included:
What is PR 2.0 and What's the Difference Between Traditional PR and New PR?
Tom: Essentially it’s working with a larger community than just the traditional media we’re used to working with, down to the individual members of any online community. It’s also about treating all media less like a place for our news to be published because we want it to be and more about all media being interested parties in what our clients have to offer.
Michael: PR 2.0 is the next evolution of PR. Today it isn't just about what the media is reporting, but it's about all of the encompassing conversations. PR 2.0 is still very much like traditional PR, it's just that there are new tools and practices that can help PR people reach and be a part of new audiences and new conversations. It's more participatory than ever before.
Jeremy: PR 2.0 is the rebranding of PR to showcase the industry's understanding of social media. The paradigm shift - and it is a paradigm shift, in the way that it is revolutionizing PR - is that people PR is being forced to go back to its past, and be part of the conversation beyond media (the P in PR is public). It means being less a goal-keeper, and more a bridge maker to a bunch of new and old audiences.
Donna: In the 2.0 era, if everyone is a self-publisher then they are an influencer. And by definition, if they’re an influencer, then to some degree they’re a PR person. Today anyone is able to promote or influence their communities so PR 2.0 is about publicity becoming more prominent, immediate and dispersed. The difference is that control has shifted from corporations to consumers. Companies can’t hide from their issues anymore – they are forced to lean into the conversation and communicate with their customers.
Is PR 2.0 Dead?
Tom: Plenty still alive, but I’m not sure if we’re not just in the infancy stage of the “gets it” vs. the “doesn’t get it” groups as far as agencies go.
Michael: Definitely still alive - and more important than ever before.
Jeremy: Still alive. PR always adapts to new technologies and new thinking. It may be slow on the uptake, but it will adapt.
Donna: PR is still alive but it needs to morph. PR 2.0 is less about being ‘corporate’ and more about being real. In the old days, a few folks acted as the gatekeeper to a company’s brand and were able to control how the media portrayed them. Today, there’s less control and more to manage. I think that presents a huge opportunity and a learning curve for PR. Also increasingly, people want to be influenced by people just like them, so PR firms will have to come up with ways to deliver the message from the people themselves. Firefox is an example of a company that did an amazing job engaging the community to spread Firefox.
Does traditional media matter to Web 2.0?
Tom: Absolutely. Take a look at what Web 2.0 communities and individuals are still linking to and writing about – traditional media, for a significant amount of their content development and building. TechMeme is probably a prime example of how valuable traditional media is to those who make their bones in the Web 2.0 world.
Michael: Traditional media is still the norm with the vast amount of the country. There are so many blogs today, but still most of them are very niche. Traditional media still controls much of the influence and credibility with the majority of the public.
Jeremy: It does - even though Web 2.0 does not realize it. The blog reading audience is growing, but the mainstream media audience is still huge and has influence on the economy. The Web 2.0 companies that ignore traditional media do to their detriment, and likely, their death.
Donna: I think Web 2.0 recognizes that traditional media is important. Many traditional brands like The Economist include blogs and podcasts already. They are becoming part of the fiber. Also if you saw Technorati’s keynote yesterday, predominantly the top online news sites are the traditional media. A lot of Web 2 companies are great about promoting themselves on new media, but few companies are great at both.
There was a CEO of a well known Web 2.0 startup who was quoted, "I would rather have a blog post about my company in Scoble's blog than an article in the WSJ by Mossberg."
There are Social Networks, Blogs, How Does Social Media Change the Landscape?
Tom: If anything, it forces everyone to be more vigilant in keeping track of what’s being said about your brand, products, or executives. You can’t respond to everything, and not everything is a crisis, but there’s now an opportunity to see the story “form” whereas a few years ago that “buzz” was only generated by local, regional or national media. Now, one person could theoretically push a button that creates an issue for your company.
Michael: The more avenues that a PR professional has to reach audiences the better. All of these new mediums add to the importance of the PR person to use all of their skills to reach multiple audiences. If anything, PR 2.0 is not for the lazy.
Jeremy: It changes it by showcasing new audiences, and a new way to reach the audiences. At the end of the day, PR is supposed to be about reaching the public. This only helps us - if it is done smart.
Donna: A bunch of ways and they all empower and benefit consumers.
First: The conversation is now interactive and more transparent – there’s nowhere to hide and everyone is able to comment on it.
Second: We have to move at the speed of blogs and that means crystallizing and executing a strategy with oftentimes only a few hours notice. Embargoes are painful because secrets have become inefficient.
Third: Social media is a democratization of sorts which means PR needs to adapt and innovate or die. Dave Sifry of Technorati mentioned that many of the top blogs this year weren’t on the list last year. It’s the same for PR – social media is weeding out the bad PR.
Donna: SEO is driven largely by the number and nature of stories about a company so PR and social media does help here.
Tom: There are lots of ways to measure overall impact of social media. Tonality, volume, links. What we have to go away from is the “old way” of looking purely at ad value or readership. In a world where Google and Technorati can put a random blogger just as high as a so-called “A-list” blogger, who’s to say what a good item on your client is, or more valuable item anymore?
Michael: That's a good question. Measurement is a difficult thing to do, but there are a lot of good tools that can help people do that - and depending on how much time someone has to do the research, there are many free tools to help them. It's all about getting your information out there and trying to track and understand the conversation that you've hopefully begun. I agree with Jeremy that you have to be a part of the conversation.
Jeremy: That is the golden ticket, but how do you measure word-of-mouth campaigns? It comes down to taking current measurement tools, and expanding. The best clients, though, understand the need to be part of the conversation(s).
Donna: We always try to measure our impact on our clients’ business objectives. But I also agree with Jeremy that the real holy grail for marketers now is about owning the conversation and attaching your brand to it. We have metrics to measure page views, impressions and blog traffic but these are new marketing practices that are really important to Web 2 companies and it will be interesting to see how they evolve. I thought it was fascinating that YouTube overtook Yahoo and Google in six weeks – they owned the conversation even though VideoEgg, Grouper and others were already out there.
Is the Press Release Dead?
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