by Nicole Jordan on January 14, 2009
I’ve had a few people ask me about the Startonomics workshop on February 6th. “Who’s it for?” “What will I learn that I haven’t picked up at other startup events?” “Why would I go when I know some of the speakers already?”
All good questions so I asked Jasmine Antonick over at Dealmaker Media to answer some for me. After hearing her responses and looking at the agenda I can see how this event differs from the others out there geared towards start-ups and entrepreneurs
Most “start-up” oriented events I’ve heard about or attended feature blow-hard panelists that end up saying a whole lot without saying anything. At Startonomics the schedule’s broken up into digestible chunks and address a good majority of the stumbling blocks start-ups encounter. And it’s all taught by tried and true entrepreneurs.
Let’s take a closer look…
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by Nicole Jordan on December 11, 2008
Last week I had the pleasure of once again joining Al Krueger, Jennifer Leggio and almost Brian Solis (something came up) for Comet Branding Radio to talk about potential threats to the PR industry-at-large if not able to grasp social media or how it incorporates into business strategies. The topic spawned an engaging discussion that took a step back, looking at social media’s place within the larger map of communications, marketing, the sales cycle and branding.
All participants are fans of social media and have a solid grasp on how to make the PR/social media integration a smooth one but many PR people don’t have that grasp, as Jennifer pointed out. Part of what’s holding PR back from evolving away from current prejudices is reluctance by the old school to give way to the new school. There is still a total lack of understanding by the majority of PR people regarding WHAT their role is when it comes to contributing to the organization, which goes back to education, which is a much larger topic for another time.
Social media has clearly emerged as a powerful communication tool on multiple levels.. The amount of information collectively generated has unearthed a treasure trove of insight that helps companies with lead generation, customer service, market research, and product development. It’s become such the shiny toy of the marketing world that it’s birthed an entire industry, but should it stay a separate practice or become absorbed into an existing one, if not several? Is Social media, in the long run, going to claim a new distinct discipline to join advertising, marketing and PR?
Here’s some highlights of what was discussed.
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by Nicole Jordan on December 2, 2008
One of the awesome powers of the Internet (and Twitter as a by-product) is the ability to meet and form a relationship with like-minded people, even if you have never met in person.
Al Krueger is one such example for me. He’s a fellow advocate for a call to change in the PR and marketing industries and has been gathering thought leaders and creating discussions around the topic.
His online show, Comet Branding Radio, is a forum for such conversations. Topics are dedicated to “sharing and discussing the progressive and evolving elements of branding, marketing and PR with the people leading the charge, several shows have sprung from memes that have run around the social web about PR.”
Every Wednesday from 9-10 a.m. PST, he hosts guests on a variety of related topics with this week’s show being the third in a series with re-occuring guests (including yours truly) examining the evolving role of PR.
Take a look at Al’s comments about the importance of continuing online conversations into a real-world environment. Please join us for tomorrow’s show and be part of the conversation.
The Changing Role of Public Relations as Media Evolves and Why Social Media is Not Killing PR
Brian Solis — Blogger, PR 2.0 and Bub.blicio.us; Author “Now is Gone” and Principal of FutureWorks
Jennifer Leggio — Blogger, ZDnet.com and Director of Strategic Communications, Fortinet
Nicole Jordan — Blogger, Bub.blicio.us, KickingSand.com and PR Director, The Rubicon Project
by Nicole Jordan on December 2, 2008
A particular conversation last night sparked an expanded thought process to a topic I touched on earlier.
–Nothing beats the bond of a real world experience between a company and a brand in whatever form that takes.–
No doubt that online is a crucial conduit to a steady flow of information and insights but there are certain nuances that are missed when not also connecting in person. Focus groups, in-person events, sponsorships, experiential marketing, “street teams;” they are all additional relations efforts to connect with consumers and discover truths that will help the company better relate and develop a better user experience. The combination of utilizing both is what’s accelerating the new world order of “PR.” Both communication streams (online and offline) are necessary to connect with consumers in a truly lasting way.
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by Nicole Jordan on September 5, 2008
This article first appeared on Bub.blicio.us on August 13th, 2008. Since that time I’ve heard a tremendous amount of feedback from fellow PR and Marketing professionals who struggle with this very thing- gaining acceptance of PR’s expanding role into the realm of marketing and branding.
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This article has been brewing in my mind for five years but it just kind of sat there, not taking shape, only growing larger in substance. Two blog posts this week have kicked my ass in to gear to finally get initial thoughts down on (e)paper.
Steve Rubel, prominent blogger and, dare I say, PR person, started it off with this. Then Arrington followed up with this.
Both completely reinforce what I’ve long believed:
PR has a branding crisis.
I’ve been in Tech PR for 10 years. I studied PR and communications in college after finding a natural affinity towards the field. The first 6 ½ years of my career was at PR agencies in Silicon Valley, beginning in 1998 right during the hay day. The only thing that mattered was getting press coverage. Everything moved so quickly that the way you proved immediate results for that boat load of money they were throwing at you was by the thud factor, or clip book, as it’s more commonly known.
There was no patience for PR strategy that involved developing deep relationships with customers to turn them into advocates for your brand. The Internet was pretty nascent to most of America so there was no reaching customers directly or being in engaged in blogging and social media. It was all press all the time. With some analysts thrown in for endorsement.
After only four years into my PR career I saw how narrow the definition of “PR” was. Clients would come to us to promote their companies but it was always through the media and rarely through non-traditional “PR” avenues. I witnessed time after time the demand from my clients for creativity in campaigns and promoting the company but some of the best ideas generated to directly connect with the audience were shot down if it didn’t guarantee press coverage. This, to me, missed the point of what PR should ultimately be used for.
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