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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