Relating to the Public

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. Continue reading

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PR’s Branding Crisis

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. Continue reading

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