Sorry to Say: Public Relations Isn’t Changing
I know the world is changing at a dizzying pace, but not everything is changing.
If you really think about it, public relations at its core is all about influencing the influencers. So when people say that our industry is changing, I generally think “not really.” The thinking, the process, the methodology, and much of the skill sets are still the same, IMHO. The strategic framework is still in place.
But what is changing is who the influencers are and of course technology – but the basics of public relations has not.
(gasp heard round the world, or at least the agency world)
Sure, traditional public relations has always focused on the writers, the editors, Wall Street, and maybe television producers – that’s because they were the influencers at the time. And in many cases they still are. But now in so many ways, the influencers are changing.
Look at healthcare. The doctor used to be the sole authority, and then as the rest of the office started to get more time with the patient, nurses and PAs became more and more influential. Then along came the internet, making healthcare information accessible to the average bear, offering resources like never before. To ask questions. To seek advice. And to do something we never dreamed of – find other people going through the same thing.
As technology continues to change, the influencers are changing constantly along with it, even in healthcare. Now consumers are contacting each other, getting to know each other, sharing experiences and information. Some say that other consumers are becoming more influential than some healthcare professionals. Not sure about that, but certainly our quest to find “people like me” has gained momentum and influence online.
Look at patients with MS, as an example. The minute that someone is diagnosed with MS, they immediately go online to learn about their condition. People with MS are almost instantly involved in online communities, seeking each other out. Because they can’t spend enough time with their doctor, they look to find information from people and services online to fill in the gaps and help them cope with their new life.
Many times the best information comes from other people who have also been dealing with MS. People trust the information that comes from other patients just as much because it tends to be centered around their lives. Other patients have become influential in shaping decisions in this case, often about brands. As marketers in healthcare, we still have to do marketing but now our messaging and targeting may have changed.
Look at the beauty and fashion industries. While the print magazines and their editorial still have a tremendous effect on “what’s hot,” it’s the posts and tweets from friends and followers that are keeping trends alive. Not to mention the bloggers, with audience numbers that are staggering. Did you go to BlogHer last year?
The new advertising campaign for J. C. Penney says it all. It’s a multi-execution campaign that focuses on different aspects of the retailer’s fashion offerings (and a little bit on home furnishings). One of the spots completely speaks to what is really going on in fashion marketing: it features a “famous” fashion blogger. Proving that her influence is just as strong as the advertising and integrating what appears to be image advertising with blogger outreach. Looks like integrated marketing to me, certainly not a new concept.
So as we all debate the future of marketing, and about how public relations is changing, let’s remember that the essential task of public relations is to get people talking. Talking about the brand, positively, and on message. And as we all debate the merits of social media and who should be managing it, let’s remember that essentially social media is about connecting people together. Talking with each other and with brands. Helping people find “people like me” and “brands I love.”
Most importantly, finding the influential people who will talk about your brand that will ultimately create a dialogue that leads to a relationship. Finding influentials that will promote your brand right along with you, and keeping them on message.
Isn’t that was public relations is, and always has been?
PR has always been an influence-based practice. Only the tools will change. Great post!
This is spot on, Jim. It’s always been about listening to what a reporter’s readers want to know or a client’s customer’s need to hear, and then fashioning messages that journalists or prospects will put in motion. We’re beautifully positioned to do just that. That said, our industry’s biggest challenge, IMHO, is our young people’s over reliance on technology and second-hand research to influence the influencers. Face-to-face communications, which we PR types should excel at, has never been more important. To use some of your illustrations, we need to hit the streets and meet the doctors, patients, bloggers and other influencers. Enough already with e-mail blasts.
Bravo! PR at its purest is all about building the relationships to build the buzz! The basics are the same. We just have so many more people to talk about our messages. The media are no longer the gate keepers. The flood gates have been opened. Now it’s a matter of learning to go with the flow!
Love all the comments. We are in control, which is exactly where we want to be!
Jim,
Thanks for your thoughts. I agree with some of them, disagree with others. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t tell a client or employee, that I have personally learned more about public relations in the past three years than in my first 30 years of professional life. And that’s due to fundamental change in our industry. You are correct in some respects that the game is still about influence. But in the digital age when you can connect directly with consumers it’s also much more. In fact, the biggest influencer of all is the one that requires an entirely new skill set. It’s Google, and the technical knowledge to affect its rankings and ratings is something new to our industry–a fundamental change.
I think it’s a bit narrow to say that just because the end remains the same (in some respects) that public relations isn’t changing. The change is deep and systemic. The Internet and digital communications has changed our game forever. I never imagined that a PR firm would have programmers and coders. Or app development would now be a part of PR. Or that citizen journalists–who don’t play by the same rules of traditional media (that’s change)–would at times have more power and clout than mainstream media. Take a look at the world. An entire shift in the balance of power is now taking place in the Middle East precisely because the tools and techniques and the great game of managing discourse has changed. Power has shifted. Momentum has accelerated. All this amounts to one immutable truth. That influence is no longer controlled from the top down and it no longer rests in the hands of those in power (in fact, more and more it doesn’t rest in human hands). I think we have to all admit that this is the very definition of change, and that we must accept it, learn about it and practice it, if we want to best service our clients in this new age.
Point well taken. I was making the more global overall point, but certainly we are dealing with change constantly in this industry. As they say, “change is the one constant.”. But they also say, “the more things change, the more they stay the same.”