On November 20, 2009, more than 100 PR and marketing professionals participated at the New York debut of PR Camp New York at the 92 Street Y in Tribeca. The goal of the one-day event was to share experiences, address problems and identify strategies to tackle social media issues that are facing PR and marketing professionals.

Here is the fifth and final key takeaway from the day’s discussions:

5. What Generational Divide?

Generation Y differs in how it uses social media. They are more nimble, quicker, cheaper and gaining a larger share of the social media jobs.  But attendees at PR Camp thought that Gen Y’s orientation and experience don’t give them a competitive advantage. Despite their age and orientation, they still need strategic direction that Boomers and Xers can provide.

Attendees at PR Camp remained divided over the importance of these tensions that exist across generations. Perceived or otherwise, these tensions need not be disruptive. In an open corporate culture, Gen Yers can serve as valuable instructors to foster greater social media adoption. Reverse mentoring programs can help reduce the cost of outside consultants, create a more collaborative culture and boost morale.

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On November 20, 2009, more than 100 PR and marketing professionals participated at the New York debut of PR Camp New York at the 92 Street Y in Tribeca. The goal of the one-day event was to share experiences, address problems and identify strategies to tackle social media issues that are facing PR and marketing professionals.

Here is the fourth of five key takeaways from the day’s discussions:

4. What Interactive Marketing Can Teach PR

PR professionals usually focus on showing the clips, but the CMO and CEO of a company are not thinking about clips; they are thinking about the next step.  What are the results after the clip?

When it comes to measurement, PR can learn a great deal from interactive marketing; they are obsessed with measurement.  They are transactional based and therefore do a great job in measuring direct impact.  PR must embrace numbers and become metric obsessed. At PR Camp, less than 20 percent of the audience admitted that measurement was a top priority.

During my introduction I said social media is what plastics was to Benjamin Braddock’s generation in the movie The Graduate: hot, the future and for the young.  But perhaps one of the moderators, Howard Greenstein, president, The Harbrooke Group is right. Perhaps statistics are the new plastic.  Those who control the numbers control the power.

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On November 20, 2009, more than 100 PR and marketing professionals participated at the New York debut of PR Camp New York at the 92 Street Y in Tribeca. The goal of the one-day event was to share experiences, address problems and identify strategies to tackle social media issues that are facing PR and marketing professionals.

Here is the third of five key takeaways from the day’s discussions:

3. New Metric – “Congagement”

PR Camp New York revealed we have not reached consensus on what engagement is and how to measure it.  But one thing is certain: how we measure success is changing.

Clients and bosses still want placement in the Wall Street Journal, but increasingly we need to look beyond hits and impressions.  Social media requires us to facilitate and track how people use the content we distribute. Links, retweets, downloads, comments and ultimately clickthoughs are critical performance factors because they measure engagement.  Fostering conversations is still a cornerstone for PR, but we need to think more transactionally.  In short, focus more on the actions that your efforts generate.

How do engagement and conversion relate to each other? Perhaps we should adopt a word suggested by Janine Gianfredi, marketing manager, Google and her breakout group: “congagement.”

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On November 20, 2009, more than 100 PR and marketing professionals participated at the New York debut of PR Camp New York at the 92 Street Y in Tribeca. The goal of the one-day event was to share experiences, address problems and identify strategies to tackle social media issues that are facing PR and marketing professionals.

Here is the second of five key takeaways from the day’s discussions:

2. Social Media is Storytelling

It’s true that social media is blurring traditional boundaries and responsibilities. But put PR and marketing professionals in the same room, and it is clear that legitimate differences in expertise and perspective persist.

At its heart, PR is still about storytelling and relationship building.  But where once there was a single messenger with a controlled message, we are now confronted with new ways to tell our story. Traditional press releases with a beginning, middle and end are just one tool in a communications arsenal. They are not going away, but we now must contend with blogs, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. And there are plenty of other smaller or more narrow focus Social Networks or sub-nets (Twitter Lists) to consider for targeting the message.

The most successful practioners understand social media storytelling is not linear, is independent of news cycles, has multiple authors and resides on a variety of platforms.  What we lose in control, we gain in distribution and engagement.

Consider Facebook. The average Facebook user has about 130 friends. Multiply those friends by the number of fans on your brand page, and you have dramatically increased the potential reach and power of your story. These friends are your network of potential storytellers.  Their comments, videos and pictures are part of your story.  The goal is to use these story elements in concert to advance your message and understand that your story will go in directions that you never intended.

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I am still recovering from Friday’s PR Camp New York.  Check out attendee response on Twitter (#PRCamp). Good feedback only makes me want to do more camps next year. (Any recommendations for cities?)

I am putting together the notes from the discussions. Much was said about Gen Y, client buy in and alignment, but two topics stood out for me: storytelling and measurement.

Let the Numbers Tell the Story

It seemed clear from many  in the room that storytelling (and message development) remain a key point of differentiation for PR professionals. We do it well, even as blogs, Twitter and Facebook transform the way we tell our clients’ stories.

Take the press release.  It’s a time tested storytelling tool. But during the camp discussion, Chris Andrew (@chrisa270), vice-president-group director media at Digitas declared it dead.  And Jonathan Kopp (@jonathankopp), global director at Ketchum Digital stressed the importance of the social press release. But a well written press release with a lead, body and conclusion is not going away.  It still serves as a statement of record and required when the subject is material.

But no matter how well we tell our story, it is still hard to measure its value.  PR continues to struggle with measurement.  What are the best metrics for engagement? Are they any more meaningful and accurate than the old measurements? And what are the best tools to help us measure success?  Many in the room seemed to need help in finding answers.

In many respects, interactive marketing does a better job in measurement.  They have to.  They are more accountable for click throughs and signups.  Numbers rule their world.  Messages rule ours.  But I am not sure we want to cede this ground.

I think social media presents us with an opportunity to play a leadership role in a company’s overall marketing and communications strategy — if only we could demonstrate our effectiveness and deliver meaningful ROI.

It’s time  that PR lets the numbers tell our story.

Peter Shankman leading a break out session on measuring success

Future PR Camps may take these topics head on. What does storytelling look in the age of social media?  What is the best way to sell this new form of storytelling to clients?  And how do we measure success?  We started the process informally on Friday. It may be necessary to formalize the discussion.

It would be interesting to explore social media sites and ancillary data extracting tools.  By testing these tools and developing standards to evaluate them, we will be better positioned to analyze:

- time spent on free vs. premium services

- risk associated with doing no social media

- what to do with the information

- the best distribution path for communication and reports

- geography and behaviors of your audience

- the value to your organization

- the ability to meet your goals

I believe this analysis is critical to better sell our social media programs.

Moderators present their recommendations

Word of Thanks

No event would be complete without the participation of moderators, attendees ,volunteers and of course a sponsors and partners. I would like to thank everyone who participated.  But I would also like to call out Lloyd Trufelman, Bill Sobel, Dean Landsman, Howard Greenstein, Danielle Culmone and Mark Miranda for their help, insight and hard work.

Clients and Partners:

PR Newswire

Advertising Club of New York

Bernardo’s List

Gorkana

Landsman Communications Group

Mashable

New York AMA

NextWeb

PRSA New York

O’Dwyers

SobelMedia

Social Media Club New York

Trylon SMR

212 New York’s Interactive Advertising Club

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Oasis covers the Boomer Generation classic: The Who’s My Generation

The next generation of PR and marketing: Natan, Jennifer, Aditi, Zontee

Go into any agency or corporate marketing or PR department, and you will see the balance of power shifting. The New York Times still matters, but more and more, Generation Y is using social media to reshape how we do our jobs.

As I have posted before, this generation consumes information differently. It’s more apt to rely on its network of friends than traditional news sources, prefers Facebook to Twitter, assumes everything it sees is marketing and views social media as a personal expression of themselves.

In short, they use social media very differently from the way Baby Boomers and Generation X do.

And even more importantly, in fewer than 10 years, this generation numbering 92 million will become the largest generation in the U.S. workforce. [source: Aon Consulting]

Exploring social media along the generational divide is the focus of one of the sessions at the upcoming PR Camp New York. Four very junior PR and marketing professionals and students will pair off with seasoned counterparts to discuss how they are using social media and what the different generations can learn from each other.

The goal is to use these generational differences to improve communications and performance in the workplace.

Looking for insights into the mind of Generation Y, I asked the four young professionals who are serving as co-moderators to share their perspective on social media.

- Natan Edelsburg is currently majoring in Media, Culture and Communication at NYU and wants to pursue a career in digital marketing.

- Aditi Mehta is a recent college graduate and currently works as an account executive in the client services department for a digital marketing agency called Epsilon.

- Jennifer Kohanim currently works at Fleishman-Hillard, specifically in the digital practice group–working with clients including AT&T and Tommy Hilfiger.

- Zontee Hou is the marketing content editor for Lion Brand Yarn Company.

How do Gen Yers approach social media differently than Boomers and Gen Xers?

The Generation Y anthem: Now Generation by the Black Eyed Peas

Natan Edelsburg: We’re the Now Generation, to quote the Black Eyed Peas. What rock n’ roll was for the Boomers and Gen Xers, social media is for us.

The main difference is that when something new comes out, we like to dive right into it. We want to be part of the new trend, we want to manipulate and mold the new trend, and we want to help develop the newest and coolest forms of media/communication…Boomers and Gen Xers tend to be scared or skeptical about social media.

Jennifer Kohanim: I say I approach social media with far less anxiety than a Boomer and a Gen Xer. In other words, I’m fairly confident that I can figure out the technology…I wonder if Boomers and Gen Xers approach social media with the same confidence and assurance.

Aditi Mehta: People from my generation use social media for all sorts of reasons…Social media sites allow us to constantly be connected to each other on an interactive level, and they serve as entertaining alternatives to boredom, free time and procrastination. I have noticed that Gen Xers and Boomers mainly use social media to network with known colleagues, friends and family, or for professional advancement and networking.

Zontee Hou: I think that Gen Y comes to the table with an attitude that their lives are public to a large extent. Having grown up with reality TV and a tabloid culture on steroids, Gen Yers believe that transparency is key not only to the way they live, but also the way the brands with which they interact present brand image. Authenticity is key.

What Can Gen Yers Learn from Boomers and Gen Xers and vice versa?

Natan: “Instead of being skeptical about new media and avoiding it they need to test/experience it the same way we do. They also need to recognize that our generation communicates differently. We grew up on AIM and texting and then Facebook. We’re used to collaboration and mixing work and play and we need to know that our employers understand that.”

Jennifer: “Gen Yers can learn from the vast historical perspective their older colleagues have. An older colleague can very easily understand the natural cycles of the economy or of a particular company because of their historical perspective, while a younger colleague may only be judging a circumstance in the moment. On the flip side, it seems that younger colleagues often bring a fresh look to the business picture–younger people question more and ask the why’s that make their older colleagues really consider!”

Aditi: “Gen Yers should learn to take advantage of the career advancing and networking aspects of social media sites in the same way as Gen Xers and Boomers. By communicating with Gen Yers, Gen Xers and Boomers can learn how to best market to and reach out to users of social media sites without seeming spammy or cheesy.

“I think the most important thing we can learn from them is that we often need to slow down…We need to remember how patient they were in proving themselves and achieving their success, instead of trying to do everything at once all the time, the way our media habits tend to be.”

Zontee: “I think that Gen Yers can learn to take a worldlier view. This is a generation that has come to the table wanting instant gratification, thinking they know everything. Gen Xers & Boomers offer a broader world view, a sense that some things take time, and a less “disposable” approach to goods and services.

“Gen Xers & Boomers, I believe can learn a great deal about displaying a public passion for those things they care about and how that can effect others; from politics to popular products and games Gen Yers make their voices heard and they want to influence others in a real and tangible way.”

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This is a sampling of what will be discussed at PR Camp New York. And don’t forget the Boomers and Gen Xers need to weigh in. Share your thoughts on the PR Camp Facebook page.

Let me get back to you.

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