We Need a Leader
photo by Laura Gainor
I had a great time at Marquette University this past week, speaking to about 300 people as part of the PR + Social Media Summit put on by Comet Branding in Milwaukee. The twitter stream during my presentation was incredible and once again demonstrated to me that people are ripe for change in the PR industry.But who the heck is going to lead this change? With all due respect to the PRSA, PR Week and others, I’m just not seeing anyone step up to the plate and tell it like it is, for the sake of the profession. Is it a big secret? If you want to be part of a sinking ship, do things like you’ve done them for the past decade and see where it takes you. Yes, I do realize that you made money doing it that way, plenty of money – but that’s going to change. If you’re still writing traditional press releases read my last post: 5 Ways to kill the Press Release.
The thought leaders do existBrian Solis, Peter Shankman and Sarah Evans are doing what they can to open the eyes of an eager industry. I too am jumping at every opportunity to inject some passion into the process. Truth is, it’s the youngsters that are tasked with getting it done. As agencies begin to hire, they look for college grads to bring their “social media swagger” and inject it into their shop. But who’s teaching the kids?
The good news is there are a few Universities being proactive. They’re teaching social media skills and story telling (for people, not robots) right alongside AP-style and the fundamentals of public relations. Schools like the University of Oregon, Kent State, Wisconsin, Auburn and Marquette (one of my favs) have integrated PitchEngine into their curriculum to help students tell better stories. Professors like Bill Sledzik (Kent State) and Gee Ekachai (Marquette) who are giving graduates something more than fundamentals to take with them into the workforce. It’s been so successful for students that we’re creating a university software package to make it easier for schools to teach.
Who is succeeding now?
I believe it’s the smaller PR firms with creativity and grit that have big clients clamoring for the next generation PR. Social media aside, they understand that the PR process isn’t cookie cutter and that good PR doesn’t stop with a lead list, search engine optimization or the press release.
On the plane back from Denver I realized that now is the time to change course. I am recommitting myself to helping those who see into the future and feel ill-equipped. For those that don’t get a whole lot of inspiration form the pillars of public relations community.
I’ll start with this blog and next year’s speaking schedule, but I won’t stop there. I’m going to make it a point to rain on the parade of the “easy-button” generation of template-driven, over-optimized bad PR people. Change won’t come from recognition, it will come through adoption.
Who’s with me?
@jasonkintzler
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I’m with ya Jason. I just left an ad agency (PR manager) where the “old” wasn’t going to change, despite all my “yelling.” I am now out on my own and am using social media to help PR and journalism navigate and embrace this change, as well as call them out on bad practice – through speaking engagements and two new blogs. I don’t mince words. Would love to collaborate in any way you see appropriate! Keep rockin’ it with PitchEngine and everything else you are juggling!!!You can check out http://www.truedirtylaundry.com and http://www.wtflungcancer.com Jen
Tweet repost from @Roger: @jasonkintzler what do u want change? Do u just want them to switch from ‘text-only’ releases to ur multimedia releases? That’s what I readRoger, I don’t just speak about the release at these conferences, it’s a starting point for much more. Too many PRs and corporate communicators haven’t even scratched the surface of getting out of their rut. Simply pushing out “press” isn’t going to cut it anymore. It’s going to take way more than one blog posts to identify the problems and the needs. I’m just saying, it’s time to start.
Yeah, I pretty much got fired for trying to break the "status quo" of PR. Seriously! http://www.wtflungcancer.com/yay-i-just-got-fired-true-passions-here-i-come/ I was able to get my clients "on board," but not my agency. Craziness. And, we did use PitchEngine SMNRs–the clients were very pleased! jennifer stauss windrumPersonal Contact me: jennifer.windrum
Our leaders were all taken over by WPP, Havas, Omnicomm. Dan Edelman, Harold Burson and Mr. Fleischman legacies did not care about quarterly results and shareholder pressure. Now it’s about margins.
Thanks. Love the article. I’m going to share it with my readers. Where would the world be had there not been change? It’s the only way to continue to grow and move forward. As for a leader, I don’t know. I do know that I’m climbing on board and intend to rise with the voice of change.
@smityPA great perspective. While I’m sure they were the “bar setters” of their time, those guys sound like dead presidents.
In all seriousness, it’s great to look at how we got here before we look forward.
Speaking from the trenches, leadership comes from below and works its way up. So it’s a matter of taking small steps and adapting to what works. I am deep into media relations, so much so, that producers from TMZ, Dateline, New York Post, etc. call me (Not that its a big deal). I’ll tell you what they want: a good story, fast. They don’t care about photos, podcasts, media clips or the ability to quote from my social media press release. They just want good stories immediately. So you need a good story to earn traditional media placements. Fail in that first step and you might as well hang it up. The traditional media doesn’t need all of the extras that come with a social media press release.Now, if you’re aim is to reach general audiences through alternative media, i.e., social media, then you need a new approach, and I think that’s what you’re attempting to point out. Twenty years ago we all said blasting out press releases was stupid. That hasn’t changed and my opinion has only become more steadfast on that issue. You need to think about placements and target them. If that notion requires a leader then we have been begging for one for a long time.Certainly new approaches are needed and the next generation needs to learn that strategy and tactics will always change. I’m much more interested in seeing PR’s learning how to adapt and develop meaningful plans based on the new paradigms. We are slogging through the adaption to a new paradigm; it’s time to adapt.
@Michael Spot on. Thank you for sharing you insight.
Jason, I see we’re thinking along the same lines. I think education is the key and so those of you that hit the lecture circuit on a regular basis are doing important work. That said, I think we need to set some higher standards for the PR profession as a whole by requiring more schooling so that the next generation of PR pros are better equipped to do things differently. I wrote about that yesterday here: http://www.newsvetter.com/2010/04/09/how-to-kill-bad-pr/
Great post: Andrew Fowler @guhmshoo writes: “How to Kill (Bad) PR” http://bit.ly/aWzDqQ
TOTALLY agree Michael. Give them the facts — not fluff. As a former reporter, I can totally attest to that as well. I'm interested in not only PR's ability to adapt, but the media as well. Some journalists have embraced the change, but not enough, in my opinion. jennifer stauss windrumPersonal Contact me: jennifer.windrum