At the edge
Todd Defren’s blog entry on the tactics proposed in a proposal from a “guerrilla marketing” agency (note, there is no such thing as guerrilla marketing, just poorly planned, seat of the pants stunts) has generated a considerable amount of thoughtful discussion on the role of PR in social media and how PR is perceived.
As Mike Driehorst puts it in his comment:
I sense a theme — a bad one — during the past few weeks. PR people suck. They are lazy, dishonest shysters. (See Chris Anderson/WIRED and other posts.)
According to Todd, the marketing proposal in question offered this approach:
After gaining a sense for the community at the blog/user forum, our rep (posing as a typical user) will begin to post up to 10 separate Comments over the course of a week or two, to achieve credibility – leading up to the post that will be of-value to the client.
Then, another of our reps (also posing as a typical user), will come in a day later – using a different IP address – to thank the original poster for the ‘great find.’
What’s left unsaid and what’s truly disturbing is how many marketers and clients would look at this proposal and wonder what’s wrong with it. And by marketers, I include people in public relations agencies.
The heart of the problem with adoption of social media tools in public relations agencies has as much to do with ignorance as it does with mistaking strategies for tactics and believing that trickery is a means to an ends.
There are a lot of agencies doing great things and pushing the proverbial envelope. I’m proud to know many of their practitioners and call them friends. Unfortunately there are far more PR agencies willing to throw an AAE in front of a phone or computer screen with a stack of contacts and no training or guidance. And far too many agencies willing to boast of their ability to get a hit at any cost.
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[...] on 15.11.07: Here are some newer posts you might also find of interest: At the Edge by David Parmet The Scandal That Will Knock Marketing On Its A$$ by Todd Deferen (cc Flickr photo [...]
Or, the “I’ve pitched him five time already - and I can follow up once more” lines I hear from “social media” PR people.
Gonna barf.
I think I received the same proposal, if not, then there’s a proliferation of these Social Media “Optimization” companies out there and it’s CRAZY. I printed it out to show people because I didn’t think anyone would believe me if I told them what they proposed.
Dear brethren in honesty,
Todd thank you for the hat tip on the social media is a people place not a market place line. I look forward to meeting you at the Society for New Communications Research event in Boston in a couple of weeks.
I must share with you a blog exchange I just had Sunday morning 11/18, that is equally disturbing that made my skin crawl.
In a post yesterday I followed up on that concept here http://tinyurl.com/2m8t9j In the ultimate irony, a commenter used the opportunity to post and promote his new social media marketing blaster as he calls it. I am not sure exactly what this tactic is, but using terms like attacking the social media market and becoming a force in social media, as he does on his website are detrimental to the development of this people place.
Separate from the example above, those who think that social media are places to exploit through some covert posting are participating in a blatant manipulation of trust. Trust is the underpinning of social media, blogs, and the unprecedented benefits our society can gain from developing these new forms of human discovery.
I apologize to those who think I am overreacting. I have been kicking this issue of trust in the blogsphere around for more than a year. It is not marketing or PR to willfully mislead a reader. That is called lying and it is wrong.
Really good and really interesting post. I expect (and other readers maybe :)) new useful posts from you!
Good luck and successes in blogging!
As someone noted in the Comments of that post: “Social Media is a people place not a market place.” Love that line. Wish I’d come up with it!
In the last paragraph, David, you’re talking about Media Relations as much as Blogger Relations. It’s like Kyle Flaherty recently noted (http://www.engageinpr.com/2007/11/13/corporate-social-media-pr-people-get-smart/): “people who are really bad at PR are going to be really bad at social media.”
That’s ALWAYS been the case. The problem NOW is that the bad guys are increasingly exposed but don’t change; the good guys bear the brunt of the shit storm.
Stop the hamster wheel, I wanna get off!