PR Two Point Ohhhhhhh Yeah!
For folks like me, sitting on the outside of the PR Agency-verse, it’s interesting (sometimes) to see what’s going on inside. As Mike Manuel has pointed out, some are faking it, some are pulling in outside help but others are digging in and doing the learning themselves.
Having spent the better part of my adult life inside of PR agencies, I know something about agency politics, that is why I have no faith in the ability of any agency - big or small - to pull in an outside ‘expert’ and start up a separate ’social media’ practice. For reasons to numerous to go into here, It Just Won’t Work.
I also know something about the first option - the faking it bit. I was the ‘tech expert’ for the latter half of the 90s, covering up the fact that the rest of the agency was still sending email attachments. I strongly suspect that hasn’t changed.
So we come to the last option - develop the skills set in-house.
For example - at CJP, down the road from me in Stratford, CT, I found this. For an agency to put something like this on You Tube, something must be afoot. Drop me a line guys, I’m interested in seeing what you are up to.
And at Marina Maher, Annie Heckenberger is cooking something up.
I don’t know if we’ve reached the proverbial tipping point yet, that might be years away. But we’re getting there. Without reference or help from ‘A list’ PR bloggers or the PRSA, we’re getting there.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
6 hours, a pack of beer and a search engine and anyone can “get it.” It’s just a matter of investing the time and energy, and actually giving a sh*t about what all this means to you, your firm and your clients. It’s gonn’a take time….
Hey David,
Thanks for the kind word. At CJP we’re simply expanding our offerings to include MORE new media strategy and social media relations, not to replace the traditional work but simply offer our clients the latest tools. Kevin is right, we are learning this ourselves as we go along, getting our hands dirty. We obviously have a blog and some fun vids on YouTube and next we’re starting up a regular podcast…again, this is all very experimental…and it took me TWO sixpacks to learn it!
Trying to buy “it” by bringing in an outside expert is how an organization looks for the easy answer.
There are none.
You must get your hands dirty, it will take longer than you want and you will make mistakes.
Non-social media example…a small, local agency looks for a new PR director every several months or so it seems. How many people does the agency need to go through before the PR industry realizes that the agency in question is just not serious about offering public relations?
In honor of full transparency, I will note I have *never* worked for the agency in question. Thank God.