The Annual Bashing of PR practitioners

It's springtime! Flowers are blooming and birds are chirping. Time once again to clean out the garage a set the old blogosphere ablaze with the burning of a few publicists. The assault on PR  practitioners has become a seasonal thing.  I have been a part of it in the past and in Naked Conversations, we wrote an entire chapter called "Survival of the Publicists." In it, we talked about the fact that the image of the PR industry had more cracks in it than the portrait of Dorian Grat.  We cited the Edelman Trust Barometer which said PR people were viewed in lower esteem than even lawyers.

Since then I have written several times about the deteriorating business model of traditional PR  as well of its diminishing effectiveness. But, I was thinking enough had been said, when this new round of PR good/bad erupted. My friend Jeremiah wrote a post that I thought was intelligent and accurate and found himself the target of outrage by a bevy of PR folk whose nerve ends have become a bit too frayed. PR maven Mike Manuel who has the respect of anyone who see the way he works, had the best one liner of the week when he advised those who didn't like PR: "Go try advertising."

Guy Kawasaki, ran a column on the thoughts of Glenn Kelman, the CEO of real estate startup Redfin on why Kelman thinks he's better off dealing directly with the press without the tag along PR person who he argues, gets in the way of the conversation. In my opinion, it's the best piece yet written on the subject.

Meanwhile, it seems to me that PR folk need to stop bristling and start really thinking about the transformations going on. The term "public relations" is about relationships with the public.  You have relationships, as I learned from my wife during 10 years of courting, through listening more than talking. PR as most people practice it today,is more about taking messages from clients to publics. PR people need to figure out how to be a facilitator not of messages but of two-way conversations.

This is not easy and the answer remains unclear. Social Media is obviously part of the solution. 

The Internet is the Great Disintermediator. One by one, all institutions that stood between companies and customers are being rendered obsolete.  Its true of PR, newspapers, book stores, ravel agents and a great deal more. If Kelman has his way, the list may include real estate agents.

A great number of professions need to adapt. If they cannot handle fundamental and significant environmental changes, they will find themselves in Jurassic Park with the other creatures who could not adapt as well.

Comments

[Kevin Dugan]

Shel - Good points as always, but my biggest issue with Glenn's post is his confusion between publicity and public relations. Publicity or media relations fits beneath the larger umbrella of public relations. He's clearly been burned by publicists in the past.

[Meditationmom]

Hi Shel,

PR people lower than lawyers? :-) That can only mean that they are needed and feared - even more so than lawyers - in this vast sea of social interaction and commerce.

These interactions are multiplied by the thousands if not millions, on the net. I certainly have talked to infinitely more people this year since showing up on line than any other year in my life. I am here to stay.

Little kids are socializing on Club Penguin, on Nick.com and all kinds of other neighborhoods. My grown kids did not have social neighbourhoods, but do now. This whole neighbourhood thing - you are right on the button. It is where people are.

[Steve Ellis]

Shel - I too like Jeremiah. And, like I said, I like to post links to criticism that will help keep (make?) PR folk more honest.
My reference to 'ranting comments accumulating online' was literally about the Comments, not the original analysis, most of which I wouldn't take issue with - and am happy to direct our own PR teams to read and digest.

[Phil Gomes]

And, like lawyers, PR folks are nice easy targets that rarely enjoy a sympathetic audience save for PR people themselves. There are a number of folks who have recognized that complaining about PR people (not a particular issue, just PR people) is a good way to get traffic.

[Mike Manuel]

Yeah, I have to second Phil's point here. I think someone's been writing on bathroom stalls again: "for link juice, poke PR people on your blog..."

[Kami Huyse]

I have to somewhat agree that the pool of 600+ PR bloggers are a big, red target. However, I also happen to believe that public relations professionals need to be (or become) experts on the subjects of importance to their clients, or their bosses in the case of inside PR. It is the difference between adding value to the business proposition and just being an expensive tag-along date with little substance.

[Eran - NaoriComm Public Relations]

Companies should stick to their core business. PR is a business that has its own know-how and expirience. Companies can learn how to do this but it takes time and money they would be diverging resources from the core business.
For instance The Telecom sphear has houndrads of Magazines in the UK alone. getting to know the press, the editors, and reporters is a time consuming process. However PR firms that deal with telecom already have that knowledge. When you are hiring a PR Agency you are hiring knowledge and experience not just a Tele-Marketing service.

Eran Kolran
Account Manager
NaoriComm Public Relations
http://www.naoricomm.net