Chip Griffin: Pardon the Disruption

New Media Silo Shops vs. Multidisciplinary Agencies

Shel Israel's post over on Global Neighborhoods a couple of days ago got me to thinking.  The thrust of his posting was that a lot of "recovering publicists" (his words) were now taking to providing PR services in the blogging/new media space.  "We all see huge opportunities and expect to be joined by many other quality consultants."

While I agree that companies need good guidance to help them navigate the blogosphere, and I concur that experts are needed, not your typical PR flak.  But at the same time I am a bit concerned that if this trend takes hold, then the necessary integration between online and traditional communications will become weaker not stronger.

Let me explain these seemingly contradictory views.  Fundamentally, I believe that the same folks who coordinate online messaging should be working on traditional media as well.  Perhaps not the same exact individuals, but the same teams.  In general, I am not a big believer in having one agency do outreach to broadcast and print while another handles blogs and other online opportunities.  I would like to see agencies -- and corporate communications shops -- do a better job of building teams that have the range of skills necessary to provide a unified solution.

Unified messaging is all too often overlooked by companies as they enter the blogosphere.  But there needs to be consistency in the messages being delivered.  People frequently get information from on- and off-line sources simultaneously and if the messages differ, it will lead to confusion -- or worse, distrust.

None of this should take away from Hubbub or Crayon or any similar agencies out there, but I do hope the trend is toward integrating these efforts within multidisciplinary agencies, rather than moving forward as lone new media silos.

PR Blog Jots for November 29

My team at CustomScoop prepares daily internal blog updates on various industry sectors to help keep us all smart and up to speed on what's going on.  I find them very helpful and plan to try to post some of them here on Pardon the Disruption each day.  The two sectors I plan to share for now are high-tech and public relations.  Below is the first installment of the PR edition.

Edelman CEO Misguided In His Calls for Credible Advocacy? (Strumpette)

Amanda Chapel questions a recent blog post from Richard Edelman in which he discusses the challenges of working within social media due to the need for total transparency and “credible advocacy” on the Internet. According to Edelman, “we have to move beyond a position of agent or broker. We are now responsible for the quality of the information and the integrity of the vehicle, because our content may be going directly to audiences, as well as through the filter of independent media. We should offer access to data on both sides of an issue. Content needs to be real. Authenticity and attribution are expected.”  Strumpette rejects this notion as being the opposite of true public relations.  “PR as credible advocates? Please. Someone shoot me. I am begging you!... In PR, we try to think of ourselves as lawyers for cripes sake. We pride ourselves in being objective agents. As such, taking money to devise a strategy to influence a target group... is NEVER going to be appropriate in a total access - totally exposed - society. The internet is summarily rejecting PR because they/we no longer have an institution - the media - to shield from the inevitable consequence of fraud and manipulation.”  

The Difference Between PR and Marketing (Online Public Relations Thoughts)

Jim Horton explores the differences between public relations practitioners and marketing professionals, using an example from the U.S. Army’s latest recruiting devices. The Army is using a video game that simulates the use of new, high-tech military equipment. Game designers are questioning the Army’s decision to never allow the player to lose against the enemy. Horton sees it as a classic marketing vs. public relations question: “This is the kind of conundrum in which PR practitioners and marketers should end up on opposite ends of the spectrum. Practitioners should side with the game designer, and marketers with the Army's decision. Why? A PR practitioner should trust that individuals can make up their own minds when presented with facts persuasively. A marketer is intent on selling and will take shortcuts to do so. A PR practitioner should be worried about false depiction and its effect on reputation. A marketer is focused on moving players from screens to recruiting stations…The point is at the heart of what marketers and PR practitioners do, there is a fundamental difference. Each discipline views the world in its own way. Marketers train to complete transactions. PR practitioners train to explain accurately, protect reputation and complete transactions. Both should reach the same end point if they do their jobs right, but marketing wants to get there more quickly. Given the pressure the Army has to recruit, it will favor marketing's approach more often.”

Wal-Mart's PR Campaign Paying Off (Common Sense PR)

Eric Eggerston links to a Forbes report showing that Wal-Mart has been selected by survey participants as one of the top “socially responsible” corporations in the U.S.  Given its previous PR struggles, Eggerston credits the efforts the company has put into improving its image with the change in perception. “Forbes Magazine reports that more Americans named Wal-Mart as a socially responsible corporation than any other American company. Given that Wal-Mart is the second largest corporation in the world, it’s not surprising that it would show up in the survey. The fact that it outranks any other company is surprising, says pollster Charles Fombrun, given the negative publicity the retailer has received about its business practices and treatment of employees.  Perhaps the public relations campaigns are paying off. A recent effort to improve the retail giant’s reputation emphasizes some environmentally friendly products offered at Wal-Mart. After years of ignoring its critics, Wal-Mart is making a concerted effort to improve its image.”

Spammers Using Social Media (Media Culpa)

Kullin reports on the latest in spam technology using social media sites such as Digg. “After social media comes social media spam. Niall Kennedy tells the story about how bloggers are gaming the system on sites like Digg in order to generate clicks on Google Adwords for high-paying words like teeth whitening, weight loss and dental plans.”

Traditional PR Still the Best for Entertainment Industry (The Flack)

Peter Himler reports on the latest clients picked up by entertainment PR giant Steve Rubenstein, such as the recently scandal-plagued Michael Richards.  Himler points out that the traditional methods of PR are still the norm for celebrity career rehabilitation, as “new PR” has not yet crossed over into that aspect of the industry. “Lest you think that social media and Web 2.0 PR will supplant traditional modes of media/public engagement anytime soon, look no further than Rubenstein's highly touted new clients: Kramer and Toosa. Don't expect to see the creation of personal weblogs, Technorati-tagged news releases, Digg or del.icio.us posts, or even blogseeding here. The tried-and-true method of leveraging mainstream journalists to garner sympatico coverage remains very much in vogue.”