Needle in a haystack

One aspect of PR practice which is arguably changing as a consequence of the rise of new media is that of evaluation and measurement. The question of how to measure the impact of PR has long troubled PR practitioners, because how can one evaluate something as diverse and intangible as public relations? This question has become even more difficult to answer after the “new media revolution” has propelled an endless number of new channels, thus creating an “information overload” that is difficult, if not impossible to handle.

Traditionally, evaluation of PR has included methods such as counting total media cuttings however, nowadays, PRPs are struggling to find a way to evaluate new media because it is simply too much information to analyse. At a recent PR and media conference covered by PR Week (9 March), PRPs debated how to monitor new media. Some argued that monitoring and evaluation were no longer useful, while other stressed that PRPs should steer away from attempting to monitor all coverage, and instead focus on those channels that have the most influence. It is not only the massive amount of websites and blogs that make evaluation and measurement problematic, but also the fact that stories now have greater “longevity”. For example when a TV programme is put online after it has been broadcasted, the programme can be viewed several weeks later, which makes it impossible to measure viewer ratings. As Ben Cordle, marketing manager at FHM said:

We used to say that yesterday’s news is tomorrow’s fish and chips. But viewers can now find content weeks later, in it is still relevant

One issue that was not raised in the debate, but one that caught my mind, is the issue of proving PR’s worth. It has always been difficult for PR practitioners to demonstrate the value of PR as a result of the difficulties in measuring and evaluating PR. I have noticed, after looking at different PR consultancies’ websites that PRPs tend to prove the value of their PR campaigns by putting a value to broadcast and press coverage. Brave PR, for example, states that their SPAR campaign resulted in national TV and newspaper coverage, with ad equivalency of £72, 000.

However, if PRPs are struggling to evaluate PR as a result of new media, I suspect they will probably find it increasingly difficult to prove the value of their PR campaigns. If they lack overview over how much exposure their campaign generates, then how can they “prove” its value? I suspect the solution will be to put a value only on those publications that have the most influence. It will certainly be interesting to see how the industry will solve this. What do you think?

15000 websites 'wear' the virtual red ribbon to support World AIDS day

The expansion of new media, and not to mention the explosion of social media (blogs, MySpace etc) has without doubt propelled quite a heated debate about to what extent this new technological revolution poses a threat to the PR profession, and how the industry shall approach these new technologies.

Several authors have written about the internet and its opportunities; Alison Theaker writes in The Public Relations Handbook that there is no reason to believe the internet should do away with the PR function, but is simply a faster and more efficient way to disseminate information. Joseph Fernandez, author of Corporate Communications: A 21st Century Primer also highlights the many advantages the internet poses, as a cost-effective, user-friendly and wide-reaching information resource. Both authors offer a range of tips about how PR people can use the internet as a communication tool. Although their books were published in 2004, which is not that long ago, with the speed of new technologies there should be no surprise their useful tips are nowadays taken for granted. Today, there is no doubt the internet is an integral part of PRPs communication practice.

However, the debate is not dead, as a matter of fact, it has intensified with the expansion of social media (the current estimated size of the blogo-sphere is now 60 million). The debate echoes the one that rose with the birth of internet - there seem to be this uncertainty within the PR industry about how to approach and take advantage of web 2.0. A lot of questions are yet to be answered: Is social media offering a new business model or is it just another mechanism for connecting with consumers? (PR Week 23 Feb 2007) Should PROs fundamentally redefine how they manage their clients? How much influence and power do bloggers have, and should PRPs build a relationship with them? (PR week 9 Feb 2007) Is social media badly overvalued? (PR Week 17 Nov 2006).

The list of questions is endless, which is why I found PRWeek’s article (9 Feb 2007) featuring how Edelman Interactive successfully managed to generate massive online buzz around the World Aids Day, both interesting and promising. Interesting because it explained in detail how PROs can actively engage with new audiences through sites such as MySpace, and promising because it suggests that PRPs have discovered the potential of social media and is in the process of taking advantage of its opportunities. Edelman designed a virtual red ribbon as a clickable icon that supporters could “wear” on their website, MySpace profile or blog. To directly appeal to young people, a personal profile for the trust was set up on MySpace, which linked to the World Aids Day’s website. Edelman also set up an official partnership with MySpace, resulting in an eight-day promotion on its homepage with a link to the World Aids Day site. More than 15,000 virtual red ribbons were “worn” on blog sites (go to worldAIDSday.org to get your own virtual red ribbon to wear on your website), and 136 million people were estimated to have seen the MySpace page, as a result of the campaign.

These results arguably indicate that new media poses a range of opportunities to reach new audiences. I bet that in a couple of years, all the questions above will be answered and that Edelman Interactive’s strategies will be fully integrated into PR practice, just as the internet is today. However, the debate will not die. PR practitioners will continue scratching their heads, as new technologies will create new threats or opportunities (depending on the eye of the beholder) to PR.

‘Flogging’ to be illegal

I just read in one of the latest issues of PR Week that ‘flogging’ (fake blogging) is likely to be made illegal when the EU’s Unfair Commercial Practices Directives passes into UK law in December 2007. In 2006, Edelman was exposed for creating a fake blog for its client, Wal-Mart, where a couple were paid to post positive stories about Wal-Mart stores.
Edelman got away with an apology, however, under the new EU directive, PRPs who falsely represent themselves as customers to blog for their clients risk facing civil court proceedings.

I truly welcome this new move, as ‘floggers’ increasingly undermine the credibility of blogs. Blogging is about being personal – it is a personal way for individuals, the consumers, to communicate with each other. People trust blogs, but when a company like Wal-Mart intrudes into this “personal sphere”, pretending to be a customer, it takes advantage of this trust and exploits it in order to manipulate the consumers. This is in my view, highly unethical and not to mention extremely unprofessional.

‘Floggers’ not only pose a threat to the credibility of bloggers in general, but it also threatens consumers’ trust in PR professionals. Blogging provides an opportunity for PRPs to “join the conversation” - to get insight into public opinion, but if PRPs pretend to be consumers in order to manipulate their opinions, they will further damage the reputation of the PR profession. There is already a widespread public distrust of the PR industry and ‘flogging’ is certainly not going to change that, which is why it is absolute necessary to treat ‘flogging’ as a crime. I certainly do not want to work in a profession where having a “false identity” is part of the job description.

New guidelines for social media

The CIPR’s annual conference recently debated to update its code of conduct to take account of new media such as blogging. Social media offers new opportunities, but also new challenges and problems which raises questions about how PRPs should engage with this. The “social media paper” outlines specific codes that shall apply to social media, for example does the paper recommend that:

“Any CIPR member running a personal blog, whether or not it deals with PR related issues, should normally state on it the nature of their employment. When posting a comment on another blog it may also be advisable to state that
you work in the public relations profession … if a blog comment results in a complaint to the CIPR alleging a breach of the Code of Conduct, the onus will be on the member to show why he did not include that information”.

The paper emphasises that employees should be aware that posting information about their company on for example, their personal blogs, may not necessarily be isolated from their working life, as any information published online can be accessed around the world and will be publicly available for all to see. The consultation also considers a range of legal issues such as intellectual property and invasion of privacy.

The fact that the CIPR is setting up separate codes for social media does in my view certainly indicate that the rise of new media has a significant effect on the PR profession, and that the industry is in the process of facing the challenges new media poses. I believe it is a positive development, although, the current CIPR’s principles should certainly apply to new media as well, it is arguably necessary with specific codes that outlines how PRPs should deal with social media. What do you think? Have a look at the "social media paper" and have your say!

PRPs slow to surf the new media wave

I just read in PR Week that for most PR professionals, blogs are thought to be an important digital communication tool, but the majority (62%) have not yet adopted their communication strategy to include proactive outreach to blogs, message boards or other forms of social media. The research by Peppercom showed that more than eight out of ten UK and US PRPs admit that neither them, nor their clients have an official blogging policy, only a few are diving into social media and most are hesitant to start the process. I was really surprised when I read that, as I thought most PRPs had already adopted social media as part of their communication strategies.

During the last decade there has been a major shift in communications. The Internet has become a primary information source and social media such as blogs, syndication, social networking and podcasting have given individuals a voice. Nearly every major news organisation now has blogs, affecting the way they cover stories. The impact of social media, particularly in the breaking of major news stories, is increasing significantly. For example did 9 % of blogs on Dell get mentioned by the news media last year – an indication of how ‘citizen journalists’ are gaining influence and credibility. Big corporations are incorporating blogs into their communications and marketing strategies, one in five 16 to 24 year olds have their own blog and even politicians are blogging!

“Who could have predicted that in 2006, one of the biggest PR stunts would be
Tory leader David Cameron addressing a video camera from his kitchen? With 160
000 viewings in its first few days, webcameron demonstrated the new power of
blogs in the world of communication”. PRWeek 2006

The online expansion of traditional media and the new Web 2.0 environment of social media, blogs, citizen journalism etc have created a challenge for the PR profession. In this new environment, PRPs must shape dialogues with both traditional and new media; they must communicate with new communities of influential consumers, commentators and analysts that can be more critical of your company or organisation than before, as the www is to a large extent uncontrolled. Much of the material that reaches the public no longer passes through traditional gatekeepers, such as for example newspaper editors. This can be a threat, but also an opportunity for PR practitioners. It is a threat because bloggers rarely play by the same rules as mainstream media. A blogger does not necessarily source their quotes or check their facts and is certainly not expected to be objective. It is almost impossible for the PR practitioner to control the flow of information to the public. On the other hand, new media offers new analysis possibilities. By examine the web pages and blogs, PRPs can learn what clients, stakeholders and various publics are saying. Web 2.0 provides immediate access to opinion makers, consumers and influences that PRPs need to cultivate.

So why have the majority of PR professionals yet to embrace social media techniques? Has the industry not discovered any business advantages of social media? Do PRPs know how to engage with bloggers yet? Is social media, in the eyes of PRPs, only a threat?

Log on to http://www.euroblog2007.org/ to see what impact weblogs and social software are having on PR and communication practice (Results of survey available in March 07).

Are PR students prepared for new media?

New research has revealed that just seven of the 27 CIPR approved higher education PR and communications courses in the UK offer modules dedicated to new media. The poll, by tech agency Lewis PR, has raised concerns among PR practitioners, as it indicates PR students lack the appropriate skills required to use new communication technologies.
Patrick Barrow, director-general of the PRCA wrote in PRWeek that:

“The fact that new-media modules are not included in some courses is complete
madness. If the universities are not teaching the new generation of PROs, then
the agencies have to do it, and that adds to the cost of business”.

The growth of new media has altered new practices for PR practitioners, which means that good skills in the use of communication technologies have become a key quality of a PR practitioner. We have entered a “Web PR age” where PR practitioners are expected to integrate all kinds of
communication tools, from traditional media to blogging, into their practice. This arguably poses a challenge for higher education in that communication and PR students have to learn how to use new communication technologies.

Barrow’s concerns are certainly valid: PR students should definitely know how to use new media before they enter the profession. According to Lewis marketing manager David Cunningham, the growth of new media affects every sector of the PR industry, and 90% of their clients are coming to discuss blogging strategies for their organisations. This suggests that ‘social media’,
such as blogging, is likely to become an important PR strategy in the future, hence, the importance of adequate education in new media.

However, this research arguably gives a false picture. It implies that the only students who are fully equipped to enter the PR profession are the ones who graduate from the universities that offer a new media module. I am doing a master in PR at University of Westminster and even though the university does not run a ‘new media’ module, new media is part of every course
I take. In fact, making this blog is one of this semester’s core assignments! Mark Ramsdale, head of communication policy at the CIPR emphasised this point in PR week:

“This survey talks about new-media modules. While not all of these courses offer
an entire module on the subject, most, if not all, will offer it as part of a course”.

It is in my opinion “complete madness” to undermine the universities that do not offer new media as a separate module. What is important in this case is that the new generation of PR practitioners has the skills and knowledge to face the challenges new media offers.