This is a great article on the impact of social media to the PR profession, published in the Globe and Mail last year but still relevant today.
Social media putting pressure on PR
When Canadian PR firm Wilcox Group announced it was planning to shut its doors this summer, it dropped a stunner on the way out. The head of the agency wrote a blog post announcing that the “public relations landscape has changed more in the last few years than ever before, particularly with the emergence and influence of social media. We love working in social media … but the financial model to support this shift simply isn’t here yet.”
While Mat Wilcox later defended her position, stating that her intention was not to proclaim that PR is dead, there is no doubt that traditional press releases and the old way of shaping communications is quickly losing ground in a world where a simple (and free) 140-character message on Twitter or on a Facebook page can reach thousands of people in minutes.
Last weekend I read an article that included a statement from U.S. radio and TV host Glenn Beck. The political commentator's words weren't pulled from a press release, they were lifted directly from his popular Facebook page, which is pushing 1.5M fans.
There are some PR people who are learning to adapt to this new environment. One such person is Sarah Evans, also known as @prsarahevans on Twitter. With a keen focus on digital communication, she manages a small team called Sevans Strategy “a public relations and new media consultancy.” While Evans is part of a growing group of individuals who are quickly figuring out how to use online tools to build and shape messaging for clients, there are still many old school agencies that are lost in cyberspace.
As a tech reporter, I receive dozens of pitches every week on new gadgets, websites and web services. Each reads pretty much the same way. The e-mail starts with “Hi Amber, I hope this finds you well” followed by four or five paragraphs that are copied and pasted from a traditional press release. These all end up in my trash. It is the rare PR person who actually hunts me down on Facebook or Twitter, or includes some personalization in an e-mail, that penetrates this endless stream of not-so-perfect pitches.
I don't agree with Wilcox's statement that there is no financial model for social media. Having written a book on the topic and having witnessed many success stories, I have seen the opposite. If you fail to engage in social media, well that’s when the problems arise (remember the Air Canada wheelchair fiasco?). What Wilcox's move does demonstrate is that while PR isn’t dead, like the newspaper industry, television industry and many other businesses, it won't be able to survive without exploring this new digital frontier.
While Mat Wilcox later defended her position, stating that her intention was not to proclaim that PR is dead, there is no doubt that traditional press releases and the old way of shaping communications is quickly losing ground in a world where a simple (and free) 140-character message on Twitter or on a Facebook page can reach thousands of people in minutes.
Last weekend I read an article that included a statement from U.S. radio and TV host Glenn Beck. The political commentator's words weren't pulled from a press release, they were lifted directly from his popular Facebook page, which is pushing 1.5M fans.
There are some PR people who are learning to adapt to this new environment. One such person is Sarah Evans, also known as @prsarahevans on Twitter. With a keen focus on digital communication, she manages a small team called Sevans Strategy “a public relations and new media consultancy.” While Evans is part of a growing group of individuals who are quickly figuring out how to use online tools to build and shape messaging for clients, there are still many old school agencies that are lost in cyberspace.
As a tech reporter, I receive dozens of pitches every week on new gadgets, websites and web services. Each reads pretty much the same way. The e-mail starts with “Hi Amber, I hope this finds you well” followed by four or five paragraphs that are copied and pasted from a traditional press release. These all end up in my trash. It is the rare PR person who actually hunts me down on Facebook or Twitter, or includes some personalization in an e-mail, that penetrates this endless stream of not-so-perfect pitches.
I don't agree with Wilcox's statement that there is no financial model for social media. Having written a book on the topic and having witnessed many success stories, I have seen the opposite. If you fail to engage in social media, well that’s when the problems arise (remember the Air Canada wheelchair fiasco?). What Wilcox's move does demonstrate is that while PR isn’t dead, like the newspaper industry, television industry and many other businesses, it won't be able to survive without exploring this new digital frontier.
I used to live and work in Vancouver and still have clients there. I didn't know Mat Wilcox, but she was certainly prominent in the local industry, and it did indeed cause a stir when she closed her shop (particularly given the reasons cited). You might be interested in this article on the topic, from the leading local business magazine: www.bcbusinessonline.ca/bcb/top-stories/2010/09/08/vancouver-pr-maven-mat-wilcox-calls-it-quits
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