Saxum|PR

Public Relations* (the new advertising)

December 21st, 2009 by Renzi Stone. Posted in Industry Expertise

It wasn’t long ago that brands engaged in massive one-way communications, anchored by big media buys, commercials shot on film, billboards along highways and full page newspaper advertisements. Public relations people, the stereotypical little brother to our bigger budgeted marketing brethren, were relegated to the sidelines writing press releases and planning social events. Or were they?

And then the world changed.

Advertising became too big. As the traditional media fractured over and over again after the internet was formed and events like 9/11 killed consumer spending, agencies and Chief Marketing Officers alike needed more money to hit target audiences. The problem was, even for the biggest brands, the key audiences became harder to find, as did the money.

“Clutter” was everywhere.

No longer could one television advertisement or full page insert reach the masses. Making things worse, the old financial model of “bill creative hours and buy media” (for the sacred 15 percent commission) stopped working when advertising budgets shrunk and brands got smart by buying the tools themselves or finding talent to do what only Madison Avenue could previously produce.

Fast forward to 2009. Advertising is in a quagmire. Cable television DVRs have screwed up the ad cash cow. Further, do not call or mail lists have hurt direct marketing, online has reduced hard copy newspaper subscriptions, radio has gone satellite and even spam filters are pretty good these days. The one way communication assault is over.

Meanwhile…

Public relations has become the new advertising.* While Madison Avenue reels, thought leaders among PR pros revel at the new marketing mix that puts them in charge with the ear of the “C” suite. It isn’t about assaulting the target with information they may or may not need. It is about engaging audiences in a conversation.

Yep, we are now steering the ship with counsel on how a balanced, strategic communications campaign can grow sales, profitability and trust! Trust cannot be bought in 30 seconds, but is earned over time with a strategic approach to social media, branding, video, corporate social responsibility, internal communications strategy, public policy and even traditional media relations – still effective because of RSS feeds, Google Alerts and SEO.

Don Bartholomew, digital team member of global PR giant Fleishman Hillard, explains PR’s value well when measured at campaign conclusion:
1.    Exposure – to what degree have we created exposure to content and message?
2.    Engagement – who, how and where are people interacting/engaging with our content?
3.    Influence – the degree to which exposure and engagement have influenced perceptions and attitudes
4.    Action – as a result of the PR/social media effort, what actions if any has the target taken?”
Advertising is not going to go away. Far from that, it will remain an important (if limited) discipline and part of any balanced marketing program. Advertising will likely make a comeback at some point.

For almost everyone in every sector, 2009 was off. The opportunity in 2010 becomes how brands and organizations spend their smaller marketing budget. They’ll likely look to strategists who can help them tell their story to the right audience at the right time for the least amount of money.

I like public relations chances.