Facing the reality of PR perception on the web
| May 29th, 2008UPDATE - I’ve created PR Fail as a way to help people face the reality of the perception of PR on the web, be better and stop doing bad things. A ’see what happens’ thing.
UPDATE 2/6 - it’s still going on and this time there’s accusations flying around about the integrity of the PR industry - to which the PRSA responds
UPDATE 31/5 - the debate is still on - spreading to Phreadz
Coming from a background in PR and still very much involved in it on the digital side of things, I keep a close eye on the general feeling from the web community towards PR - and file any examples of really good (and really bad PR) or particularly fruity opinions about it. More often than not though, it’s negative and that’s obviously not a great thing.
Over the last couple of days, I’d be hitting del.icio.us every few minutes, as it’s all kicking off right now with a debate raging about whether or not companies need to do PR and general thoughts and feelings about PR are being thrown out left right and centre.
It started with Brian Solis revelaing his ‘PR Secrets’, then Loic Le Meur replying with his “Not a Secrets’ that pretty much dismissed Brian’s guest post on TechCrunch. Then, as is the case with social media and the web of today, it’s spilled out into Seesmic, Twitter, FriendFeed and a whole lot of other places.
So, rather than wade in fully and add to the noise, I thought I’d just share a few recent quotes from people on Twitter that I’ve been collecting and offer up my thinking that the definition and role of PR has changed to some degree, but people’s perception of it (and in a lot of cases, use and execution of it) hasn’t.
It’s this difference (and the fact there’s still a long way to go for the PR industry) that causes this debate and that the overall perception of PR on the web is a MAJOR FAIL. And that’s why (and I hate to say it), I more often than not cringe when I think about being in PR - as the industry has so much to do to change perception online and this needs to be led by actions and not more (insert expletive) words. This, is where the industry should be focused its efforts as I don’t think it’s ever going to shake off feelings like this, if it doesn’t change for the better and do so fast. As to how, not sure. More thinking needed, I don’t have all the answers. But in the meantime - consumers are just getting on with their lives and filling them with stuff they like. They don’t really care.
(Hope people don’t mind me ‘re-tweeting’ here. I just want to help spread the word. And, on Twitter, you really do have to face the true reality of what people think)
Charles Arthur - a particularly negative tweet, includes the word ‘DIE’
Jemima Kiss - a funny (but negative) tweet, made me really cringe
Mike Butcher - a negative tweet , I can almost hear him shouting this, my personal favourite one that also makes me cringe big time
Neville Hobson - a positive tweet (yay!), that is in fact negative when you think about it.
Quick question:
How many times will we hear a journalist say, “That PR was brilliant! He provided me with all the information I needed in such a clear and concise way that I printed it word for word.”?
I guess like any industry, its the rubbish/bad things that get highlighted, and I guess PR is no different. While I’m not excusing the incompetence highlighted on your blog, it’s the nature of the industry that when a PRO messes up it’s with a journalist, blogger or someone else with a large audience, to which the mistake is often told.
Having said all that and without sounding like an old man, when I started in PR in 1990s it was all about creating stories and conveying information to journalists. Now, I doubt there are many people in PR relying on that one way flow of info to affect the opinions of audiences. Or if they are, I doubt it’s a sustainable business model. The PR industry is/should be focusing more on creating conversations between brands and interested parties. The more it can do this, the more it will be valued by all parties.
@Stephen - Um. never - guess this ties into Robin’s point below.
@Robin - yep, fair point - the quotes are naturally biased, but then I guess that’s the reality of it all - social media is a massive amplifier of anything good or bad, with a natural tendency towards picking up the bad stuff as that’s the frequency it’s most tuned into. re creating conversations - I think that usually revolves around actually helping to make the product or service better, or doing something that people naturally want to talk about . . . and that is starting to feel a world away from the world of press releases and pitching.
[…] Hopkins was with us and his general views on PR are captured well on this post on his blog. In summary: the Internet has/is changing the function of PR and those that work […]
Okay, I understand your vision now; count me in.
Ironically, it’s true that PR has a bad reputation… ironic since it’s our job to manage others’ reputations. But, I digress.
Your ambition to help the profession adapt to the Internet is noble. Let me know if I can be of any assistance.