It's time to put 'public' back into PR
On Saturday Claire Cain Miller of the New York Times published an article that has made the rounds of the blogosphere in quite some fashion (a Google blog search for the article generates just over 14,900 hits). The article “Spinning the Web: PR in Silicon Valley” is a well-researched and timely piece about how public relations (PR) execs in Silicon Valley propel new tech start-ups not by issuing press releases and calling up journalists – rather they court Web gurus, influential bloggers, and Twitter users.
The article mentions a few interesting examples, for instance, Brew Media Relations, the firm that began representing the popular photo-sharing site Flickr in 2004, never issued a press release for it, even when it was acquired by Yahoo. Ms Hammerling of Brew Media Relations explains “Flickr would publish news on its company blog, a few more blogs would pick it up, and two days later Business Week would call”.
But the piece does not tell the full story of the fundamental revolution PR is presently undergoing, as Brian Solis of FutureWorks aptly points out on his blog PR2.0. Solis explains how PR, particularly in Silicon Valley, is “much more potent than most entrepreneurs, investors, and executives realize”. He also stresses the degree to which PR today is under-appreciated and misunderstood. PR is not about ‘pushing’ news, rather it is about creating relationships “with the greater communities of influencers and users who can help extend a story, intentions, value, and sentiment as a means of driving awareness, building communities, and empowering advocates over time”.
Granted, Silicon Valley is more conducive to ‘new’ PR strategies, tools, and approaches, than say Brussels, for instance, but this should not stand in the way of PR innovation in a more ‘traditional’ arena such as the EU heartland. While there are excellent initiatives and a clear momentum towards true recognition of new PR (for example, in this year’s European Public Affairs Awards there is a new category for best Web 2.0 campaign), Brussels’ agencies are seriously lagging behind their US and continental competitors and partners. Yes, there are agencies that feature polished blogs (see Fleishman Hillard’s Public Affairs 2.0, ZN’s HyperThinker or our very own The Lobby) and there are trade associations that are successfully using Twitter or facebook (see Enviro.aero or Pesticide Information) but that’s about it. Brussels agencies are keen and the tools are all around us, but it remains to be seen whether Brussels and its opaque institutions are ready for them.
I challenge you to name a single senior Brussels PR executive who has 6 influential bloggers and 4 prolific Twitter users on speed-dial rather than 10 members of the Brusssels press corps (and who is willing to take his or her story to them rather than to the press)?
- Emil
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4 comments
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July 9, 2009 at 19:03
Julien Frisch
The question is why influential bloggers or prolific Twitteres would be interested in giving out their telephone number to PR agencies (especially in comparison with MEPs)?
July 9, 2009 at 22:32
Jon Worth
Hmmm, Julien, I think you ask the wrong question… it’s not hard to get hold of me via mail, Twitter, Facebook or whatever, and there are plenty of people that do exactly that. Only there are very few PR folks among those that do contact or interact with what I do via my blog and on Twitter.
July 10, 2009 at 07:27
Ralf Grahn
There is a certain difference between firms and public bodies. Companies are free to earn money any way they can, and this includes enterprises active in Europe. But public information is supposed to reach citizens on equal grounds, which means that they and the mediators (media) should be given access at the same time and on equal terms.
So, should at least one question be how everybody interested enough (including citizens journalists, bloggers, twitterers etc.) should be given equal access?
July 10, 2009 at 10:38
Macarena
Well, there will be the more and more lobbies looking for an “important bloggers and twitterers”. It is a question of time. However for me the question which we should raise up it is worth it for us. People follows me because I am an independent one, with no politic aim. Bloggers should choose between earning money or be according to their philosophy? We will see…