By Adam Wakefield
Prior to the birth of the digital age, PR relied on the media to act as third party endorsers of their claims, but according to a
research paper by Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, digital means PR is no longer as dependent on journalism as it used to be.
According to senior publicist at Meropa Communications,
Allison MacDonald, and head of public relations at Flow Communications,
Caroline Smith, digital’s effect on the industry has broadened the industry’s scope, rather than muddying the waters.
“Marketing and PR have always been intimate. Digital media confirms this rather than confounds it. For me, the one standout impact of the digital media is that it’s forced the various disciplines in the marketing landscape – disciplines that considered themselves distinct for decades – to align more, collaborate more, share more. Audiences demand it. Brands need it,” MacDonald says.
Smith’s perspective is that digital has narrowed the “artificial and somewhat limiting divide” between public relations and other disciplines which fall within the marketing spectrum and beyond. It’s given the industry new spaces to help their clients tell their stories.
It does mean that with “citizen reporters” becoming ever more influential, the content and stories being produced and told by their clients need to be unabashedly compelling.
“It’s also given us a very fruitful area of research. What better way to tell what people are thinking of things than to look at what they’re tweeting about them?” Smith says.
PRs should do what they do best
While digital means the PR industry has more channels than ever before to tell their client’s stories, it has underscored the importance of the industry’s core skills and strengths.
Smith says this means keeping one’s finger on the pulse, having a nose for news, crafting compelling stories the public wants to consume, and recognising what is important to people, all activities which fall within the PR umbrella.
“Also, recognising the global nature of digital media is essential – it’s no longer just what you put out on the local news – a compelling story can go viral before you blink,” Smith says.
MacDonald says the traditional job of public relations is to strengthen brands through building relationships with editorial media, and using these relationships to secure the best brand building editorial coverage.
“Social and digital media open a world of relationship-building possibilities. It’s blue-sky territory for us,” MacDonald says.
“Any PR professional worth her salt will watch social and digital news like a fox terrier watches a rat, jumping onto issues; finding ways to leverage news for clients; monitoring trends; keeping messaging in step with what’s happening, what people are saying and how markets are responding. Social media is a gift to PR. And a valuable one, too.”
The hard skills such as writing and campaign planning remain critical but soft skills such as intuition, creativity, understanding what drives particular behaviours and knowing how to execute are now critical.
“There’s no time to dilly-dally. It’s all of these things that not only keep PR relevant, they also make sure that PR continues to be the very oxygen of marketing and brand building,” MacDonald explains.
The industry still has some catching up to do
While digital is proving to be a boon for the local PR industry, both Smith and MacDonald believe there is still room for improvement within the industry regarding the use of digital.
“Some people have grasped digital more fully than others. It’s great to see some South African initiatives trending globally on Twitter, but it would be awesome to see more, and more clever, creative campaigns,” Smith says. “Perhaps the biggest local inhibitor is clients who still don’t grasp the importance of digital initiatives.”
MacDonald believes there’s still far too much daylight between the different disciplines, such as digital not integrating enough with PR and media buying being located far outside strategic planning processes.
Additionally, there is too much competition and not enough collaboration, with MacDonald noting that PR is not the only culprit.
“The prerogative for this is as much the client’s as it is the service provider’s. They need to encourage their agencies to work together, to collaborate, to strategise, as one team and deliver seamlessly. For me, it’s the only way.”
How has digital changed your working environment as a PR professional? Let us know in the comments below.