» Michael Kogon

Social Media Is Pushing PR and Interactive Marketing to Align

Dan Greenfield — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:00:53 +0000

This post looks at the gap that still exists between PR and interactive or digital marketing agencies — even as social media continues to blur the boundaries that traditionally divide them.

The disconnect is one of the reasons I wanted to partner with the Atlanta Interactive Marketing Association (AiMA) and asked Definition 6, an independent interactive marketing and eCommerce agency, to become a sponsor of PR Camp Atlanta. It’s time to bridge the worlds of PR and interactive marketing and foster new ways of thinking.

As Michael Kogon, CEO at Definition 6 said: ”There couldn’t be a more exciting time to be working in interactive marketing. While Definition 6 has been doing search and social media since long before it was cool like it is today, clients are much more receptive today to trying new things.”

And I was encouraged that half of the attendees to PR Camp Atlanta were marketing professionals. Friends had recommended I change the name. They thought it would be to narrow and discourage marketing professionals from attending.

A Difference in Positioning

At one level, PR and interactive marketing speak the same language and share common goals. We both promote social media. We use many of the same tools. Yet most PR and interactive marketing agencies still continue to position themselves differently.

Consider Altanta’s largest public relations firms. “Social media” and “digital communications” are gaining more prominence, but the most common capabilities listed in the Atlanta Business Chronicle’s Book of Lists (a paid yearly industry summary) were:

Media relations, reputation and brand management, crisis communications, event planning, corporate communications, executive visibility, grassroots advocacy, media and speech training.

Now look at some of the core competencies of the largest web design and development companies:

Website development, interactive marketing, SEO/SEM, application development

It shouldn’t be that way. SEO is now critical to doing PR. Reputation and brand management is integral to many applications that interactive marketing firms are tasked to create.

Old habits die hard, but to be fair, our clients need to shoulder some of the responsibility. In most organizations, each functional area uses a different lens to analyze the same social data. Little effort is made to coordinate efforts and align results.

Take comments. My good friend and digital marketer and lead catalyst at mass+logic Peter Fasano summed it up perfectly:

The Social PR Leader will measure comment count to capture share of voice, earned media and sentiment.

The Social Marketer will measure Short URL Click through rates and conversion.

The Social Researcher will measure the number of comments by segments to capture the consumer preference of the red or black car.

The Social Customer Service Representative will measure comments with complaints or questions.

The Case for Greater Alignment

I would argue we need greater alignment given the web’s primary role as a communications and marketing channel. In the olden days, alignment was less critical. There was a wall of separation between editorial and marketing as well as earned and paid media. Marketing spoke directly to customers. PR spoke indirectly to customers via reporters and key influencers. Marketing used ads and direct mail. PR used press releases and media tours.

The social web has erased these distinctions. I respect clearly defined roles and responsibilities, but PR and marketing should be working more closely and using web applications, social networks, message development and SEO to build truly integrated web strategies.

I am going to take a closer look at the dynamics that separate PR and interactive marketing in a subsequent post as well as how that alignment might look. But for now in the era of social media, open is the operative word. We need to be open to new approaches, open to sharing data, and open to looking at data holistically.

To be sure agencies will position themselves to deliver integrated solutions when clients begin demanding them. Similarly, it’s up to PR and marketing firms to show clients the way and make the case for better alignment.

Let me get back to you.

PR Camp Atlanta Hopes to Bridge Generations and PR and Interactive Marketing Fields

Dan Greenfield — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:25:19 +0000

Managing generational differences in social media will be one of three featured topics at PR Camp Atlanta this Friday, August 21. In what may be one of the more lively discussions of the morning, representatives of Generation Y will pair off with their Generation X and Baby Boomer counterparts to understand how professionals at different levels are approaching their jobs.

It’s all part of the PR Camp Atlanta’s goal to immerse Atlanta’s PR and marketing community in all things social media. We will avoid discussions on how to use the latest tools. There will be no formal presentations. Instead the focus will be on helping professionals identify business opportunities, tap resources, and measure success.

In many ways, planned discussions at PR Camp Atlanta parallel the changing roles and responsibilities that are taking place in the workplace. Increasingly social media is allowing Generation Y to assume leadership roles. It’s also allowing PR and interactive marketing professionals to work more closely to manage reputations, build relationships and extend brands.

PR Camp Atlanta is a forum to examine social media’s impact on our profession. Changes in our industry are also the reason why I reached out to Definition 6, an independent interactive marketing and eCommerce agency, to be a sponsor. I want to break down barriers and encourage the PR profession to look at what we do differently.

As Michael Kogon at Definition 6 said, “As we work to help clients adapt to the new challenges and opportunities, created through social media, hands-on experience using these communication platforms is mandatory at all levels. Events like PR Camp Atlanta are a great way for professionals to get started with social media; it also provides them with a great opportunity to meet other professionals in the physical world.”

Final Agenda

Session I: 9:00 AM – 9:55 AM

Get clients and bosses to extend their interest in new media.

Melanie Babcock, Senior Vice President, Digital Strategy & Services, Manning Selvage & Lee
Bert Dumars, Vice President E-Business & Interactive Marketing, Newell Rubbermaid
Jenny Schmitt, President and Director of Client Strategy, CloudSpark
Katie Mingo, Senior Marketing Associate, Delta Airlines

Session II: 10:00 AM – 10:55 AM

Help senior professionals tap the social media experience of junior colleagues.

Nick Ayres, Interactive Marketing Manager, New Media + Content, The Home Depot/Corvida Raven, Author of SheGeeks.net
Marilynn Mobley, Senior Vice President, Strategic Counsel, Edelman PR/Matt Epstein, Account Coordinator, Definition 6
Shirley Powell, Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Turner Broadcasting System/Tolu Ogbechie, Social Media & Development Associate, Prevent Blindness Georgia
Carol Flammer, Managing Partner, mRELEVANCE, LLC/ Lauren Culbertson, Communications Assistant for U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson

Session III: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

With the blurring of PR and marketing, determine the best ways to measure success.

Peter Fasano, Principal/Lead Catalyst, mass+logic
Christopher Jones, Digital Strategist, Ketchum PR
Irfan Kamal, Vice President, Digital Strategy, Ogilvy Public Relations
Debbie Curtis-Magley, Public Relations Manager, UPS

Sponsors

Registration is now closed.