All posts in “prsa08”

Public Relations is spin.

November 11, 2008 / 6 Comments / Posted in: Blog

I had the privilege of attending the 2008 Public Relations Society of America International Conference in Detroit. I’ll be writing an account of each of the sessions I’ve attended and highlight the take-aways from each presentation.

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One of my favourite speeches at 2008 PRSA was Penelope Trunk’s keynote on careers and work-life balance. She had a refreshing outlook and an engaging personality which worked well on stage. Unfortunately, the buzz around her session wasn’t the context of her talk or her amusing stories.

It was about ‘spin’.

She must have used that word over 40 times in the span of an hour. Despite the complimentary fashion she used it in each time I could see the twitches that many people developed. Because of their own fears, those people had blinders on and lost the point that Penelope Trunk was making.

Even during the socials afterwards, I witnessed a sea of rolling eyes and shaking heads. All I could think was, “That’s all you got out of her speech? Were we even in the same room together?”

The argument made was that the profession gets so much grief already; we don’t need to aggravate the situation ourselves.

My response was, “If there is anyone that believes the negative meaning of that word, it’s PR practitioners. If anyone is spreading that preconception, it’s PR practitioners. And if there is anyone that can change it, it’s PR practitioners.”

By believing in the meaning behind that word we give it power. We can’t ignore the word, can’t forget it, can’t stop people from saying it and certainly can’t take it out of the dictionary.

Well, what can we do?

We can behave like PR professionals and do what we do for all our clients and help manage our brand.

1)    Change the content: One of my favourite sayings is, “If you’re going to be naked you better be buff.” It means that you can’t change perceptions if there actually hasn’t been a change. I believe that’s happened. PR is no longer a seedy profession and there are many talented and ethical people practicing.

Okay, #1, check. What’s next?

2)    Change the connotation of the word: The meaning behind ‘spin’ was added by our culture and history; it doesn’t actually mean what we think it means.

From Wikipedia:
“In public relations, spin is providing an interpretation of an event or campaign to persuade public opinion in favor or against a certain organization or public figure.”

Okay, that seems pretty fair. But it goes on…

“…’spin’ often, though not always, implies disingenuous, deceptive and/or highly manipulative tactics.”

(aside: I chose to use wikipedia instead of a dictionary because it provides greater insight to the culture and connotation behind the word)

Okay, this is where that problem lies, but it’s still easier that than trying to change the meaning of the word ‘fat’ or ‘stupid’; the word ‘spin’ is not actually an insult. The history of bad PR just made it that way.

Well, how do you change the meaning?

Let’s take it back. Stop ignoring it and pretending it doesn’t exist. Instead, use the word in a context that you agree with, one that isn’t insulting. Help to change the meaning so that it’s associated with something neutral or even positive. In doing so, you take the power because no one can insult you with a word that you use as a compliment.

You can’t control the word but you can change the perception.

Looking back, Penelope Trunk’s speech was doing just that. She was using the word in a complimentary fashion and if anything she was helping this industry, not hurting it. It was our own fears and preconceptions that got in the way.

The Role of Digital and Influencer Marketing in Driving PR Programs of the Future

November 10, 2008 / 4 Comments / Posted in: Blog

I had the privilege of attending the 2008 Public Relations Society of America International Conference in Detroit. I’ll be writing an account of each of the sessions I’ve attended and highlight the take-aways from each presentation.

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The Role of Digital and Influencer Marketing in Driving PR Programs of the Future – Presentation by Mark Hass, CEO, MS&L Worldwide

It’s no surprise when experts claim that the internet is the root of all changes in consumer markets today. What is important to realize is how these markets are changing. It’s through understanding these changes that we can incorporate better strategies that will ultimately have more results.

Change in the Consumer

Access to information, and the ability to relay that message, has put the “message” directly into the hands of the consumer. In doing so, their expectations have grown. They have a larger sense of entitlement because of this control and in turn, it gives them a sense of power.

Change in Dialogue

How we speak to consumers is shifting from a monologue to what has been coined a ‘multilogue’, a single conversation to what can be an overwhelming collaboration of information.

Monologue (think of one person) – Messages are shaped and delivered in a one way process. There was a time where you could pick up a major publication and know what everyone was talking about. This news cycle is now broken because it’s spread over multiple publications and a variety of niches.

Dialogue (think of two people) – This was a more sophisticated communication between influencers and communicators but still is one way. It embodies the idea of “What do you need to be able to say good things about me?”

Multilogue (think of a sea of people) – Conversation that is happening everywhere; it takes place all around us and consumers are more important in shaping our brands than we are.

Change in Perceptions

Changing face and landscape – Who are the people making the decisions on what messages get put out there? With the increase in accessibility on the web it’s no longer suits in meetings that are deciding what messages and branding gets spread. The landscape has changed to include anyone who wants to get involved.

Lack of trust and confidence – A study conducted by MS&L showed that people are losing trust in their governments and corporations. Instead, they place their trust in other consumers. Again, this is a perfect illustration of the shift in where those messages are coming from. A corporate endorsement of a product (advertising) doesn’t carry the same resonance as another consumer’s opinion. Consumers are using forums much more as a place of product comparison and review.

Loyalty is redefined- This was a bit surprising that loyalty to a brand is not what it once was. Here, the focus is on the transaction (use of the product) rather than of the company itself. Perhaps this is tied to the lack of trust and confidence. Here, brand identity is important (recognizing) but loyalty is not directly related.

Changing expectations- As explained earlier, the expectation that a consumer has on a brand is much higher. The product not only has to perform to quality standards as before and be available at a competitive price, it also has to hold value or meaning to the consumer in order to be competitive. Connecting a brand with causes and issues is a way to meet those expectations.

Change in the PR practitioner

The face of PR is changing, or it must change, in order to be competitive. Relationships are no longer a one-way transaction and as such PR needs to adapt to these new communications characteristics. Keep in mind that the role has not changed completely; instead think of it as adding another tool to your tool belt.

Advisor – To provide counsel: “This is what you should do.”

Advocate – To provide counsel and meaning: “This is what you should do, and why”

Activist – To be involved and motivating: “What can we do?” This role requires more involvement, more participation from the audience and requires a practitioner that truly understands how to use the tools. They need to motivate and involve, incorporate feedback and provide areas for the consumers to participate and gain a sense empowerment and control over the product (whether it be an actual thing, support for a cause, or an idea). The key here is to have “Message Discipline” – Say what you believe and say it often.

Overall, the landscape of communications is changing and we need to adapt, not so that we can forget what we once learned but add to our knowledge to better refine the way we communicate with our stakeholders.

These changes are creating a phenomenon and public relations is the key to taking advantage of it.

2008 PRSA International Conference

November 4, 2008 / 1 Comment / Posted in: Blog

The beginning of last week was an educational whirlwind for me while I was at the 2008 Public Relations Society of America International conference in Detroit. I engaged in many sessions, met a ton of new people and felt inspired and motivated by the keynote speakers (let’s just say it was money well spent). Over the next while, I’ll be recapping my time in Detroit. Whether it is posts highlighting major take-aways from the presentation or putting my two cents in about a speech, you’ll get an inside look at what you missed (and perhaps be motivated to attend in San Diego next year).

For now I’ll give you an overall synopsis of what I really got out of the conference and what I see in the year ahead for those of us in the social media, public relations and communications industries.

This year’s theme, The Point of Connection, couldn’t have been more appropriate. Throughout my time there I saw the point of connection being illustrated as the point where change becomes mainstream and turns into action. I see 2009 as a revolutionary year filled with many accomplishments and changes in perceptions. Here’s where I started to make that connection:

  • Craig Newmark from CraigsList.org is proof that nice is the new black. His keynote proved that a strong focus on community is where it’s at; it’s not only more rewarding than a focus on ROI but also is a financially sustainable business model.
  • Calling what a PR practitioner does as ‘spin’ is usually considered suicide, especially when done 40 times in a room full of 3000 PR practitioners. However, Penelope Trunk’s keynote proved that your perception is reality and we have the ability and the opportunity to change perception.
  • The communications profession hasn’t experience such a drastic change since the invention of the TV. Common sense and old rules apply but social media techniques allow us to communicate in different ways. We need to learn to optimize the way we communicate and be flexible to that change.

And finally…