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.