Public relations isn't just media relations. Marketing isn't just promotion. Promotion isn't just advertising. PR isn't just one-way. Digital isn't just Web.
I'm writing a book, provisionally titled Influence Professional. It's about influence and a new role in the marketing and PR mix. It's also about taking a good look at where marketing and public relations got to in the 20th Century, what happened in the last ten years, and what will happen in the coming decade that will make the last ten look like we were just taking it easy.
Most intriguingly, on talking to as many people as I can, not only have I found little useful understanding amongst those looking in on our professions, but I've found inconsistent definitions and misunderstandings between our respective disciplines.
I've seen marketing bodies (incorrectly) claim that PR is a subset of marketing to the point where it's inserted as part of the promotional toolbox; a completely misguided conclusion. And public relations academics using terms like "marketing public relations" to describe those PR practitioners who most often wield the tools of publicity such as press releases and events.
I've chatted to advertising pros who hadn't come across the phrase interruption marketing. And PR consultants who haven't grasped that their role is to be influenced and represent stakeholders within an organisation, as much as it is to influence. To seek to understand as well as seek to be understood.
In an attempt then to be more rigorous in my analysis, so that I might present statistics rather than hearsay, I have created a research questionnaire that I really hope you'll find time to complete. I would cherish your participation and recognise that participation in the book. It's at:
Many thanks in advance.
Philip and the MarCom Professional team.
Targeting the Youth with Direct Mail and Right Writer review
by Matt Ambrose of The Copywriter's Crucible
I know my blog’s output has been poor over the last few months. So to try and make amends, I’ve got a double whammy of posts for you: UK’s youth the most engaged with direct mail
With all the fuss over how social media and the internet is giving young people the attention spans of goldfish, you’d think you’d have no hope of persuading anyone under 25 to read a couple of hundred words of printed copy. Well, according to Experian research the age group most engaged with direct mail in the UK is, wait for it…15-24 year olds. More...
Young Americans are Viewing Less Live TV
by David H Deans of Digital Lifescapes
eMarketer reports that traditional television broadcasters in the U.S. must respond to a growing trend. As TV program time-shifting and online over-the-top (OTT) video viewing have both increased in importance, there's been a corresponding decrease in interest with "live" broadcast TV.
Furthermore, the TV set isn't the focal point that it used to be in America. According to a report from market researcher Morpace, nearly three in five U.S. consumers watch at least some video on a device other than a television. More...
The Decline of Asocial Shopping and the Rise of Social Commerce
by Brian Solis of PR 2.0
500 million Facebook denizens are plotting their social graphs.
145 million Twitter users Tweet and ReTweet.
3 million people are checking-in on FourSquare.
Brands are flocking to social networks, some with strategies and others simply experimenting with community building. What’s clear is that the 3F’s (friends, fans, and followers) are not created equal. Those brands who examine the composition of their existing community will find that many are simply seeking access to exclusive specials and content. More...
Setting Up Your Forum: Top Tips for Using Get Satisfaction
by Vero Pepperrell of Vero Pepperrell
Recently, I started a short series of blog post on using a community forum to exchange with your users. In this second part, we’ll look at why we chose a particular platform and how we’ve used it since launch.
Part I: Why and when should I start my own community forum?
Part II: Setting up your forum: Top tips for using Get Satisfaction
Part III: Making the most of user feedback
Why we chose Get Satisfaction
From the first time I came across Get Satisfaction in 2007, I’ve been looking for a suitable context in which to use it but the opportunity never came until now. More...
by Trevor Young PR Warrior of Parkyoung
Retail chain Borders has become one of the first major brands in Australia to run a promotional campaign based around the location-sharing platform, Foursquare.
The promotion, developed by Borders’ digital agency Tangent One, focuses on rewarding check-in loyalty (DISCLOSURE: Tangent One is a client of my company parkyoung).
For every third check-in at a Borders store, customers will receive a 10% discount off all full-priced books.
According to Borders, the Foursquare promotion will be rolled out to all 26 of its stores and will stay in the market for an initial two months with more offers and campaigns already planned. More...
August ABCs: further falls for print
by Stephen Waddington of Speed Communications
The ABC circulation figures for the national print media in August and in and with the exception of the Daily Mail, its drama across the board with year-on-year falls. Here are the headlines.
Six national newspapers have suffered double-digit falls in print circulation
The circulation of The Times fell below 500,000 for the first time
The Daily Mail held-up strongest with a fall of less than 0.1 per cent
Stripping out bulk circulation (copies distributed by third-parties such as airports and hotels, typically for free) has exaggerated the downward trend for many publications
There’s further analysis here in Press Gazette and here is the data in full. More...
Evolution of video contest marketing at Cisco
by David Meerman Scott of David Meerman Scott
Many organizations, both B2B and consumer, consider running video contests to promote products, services, and ideas. But until now, it has been difficult to get accurate metrics. That's why I am excited that the marketers at Cisco have collaborated to share with us the results of three elaborate video contests they’ve run over the past two years to get the word out. Anyone considering a video contest needs to study this showcase of best practices and the overall impact of social media video contests. More...
Making of the audiobook Marketing Lessons of the Grateful Dead
by David Meerman Scott of David Meerman Scott
Today the audiobook version of Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History was released on Audible. On the #GDbook Audible page, you can listen to several chapters free. Find the link just under the book cover image.
My co-author Brian Halligan and I went into the studio to read the book ourselves. We sort of felt like rock stars. To give you a taste if what the experience was like, we made this short video documentary. Direct link to video on Vimeo. More...
by Brian Solis of PR 2.0
On Monday, I received a message from the short and simple message from the Twitter team, “You are invited to attend a special event at Twitter HQ tomorrow afternoon, RSVP Yes or No.”
I had just finalized my travel from San Francisco to New York and thought for a moment, that it might be worth reconsidering. The message could only mean one thing, Twitter was going to announce something new and given that they don’t usually host live conferences for just any new feature, it would carry a level of importance that would see the likes of tech’s top press and industry leaders in attendance. More...
12 Search Engine metrics for brands using social media
by Rebecca Caroe of Creative Agency Secrets
Image by bragadocchio via Flickr Surveys are frequently used by companies as a market research tool. Doing surveys is a great way for Brand Managers to cross-check the marketing tools you are using. We frequently take surveys in order to check
Are your marketing tools up to date?
What new services could you be using?
EConsultancy did a survey on behalf of SEMPO the search engine marketing professional organisation which was very instructive. It taught us a lot about both the search engines available and the ways in which search engines can be used for marketing. More...
by Paul Greenhalgh of Searched, Designed, Developed
Stood at the bus stop, I noticed something familiar about this advert. No, not the bud logo or typeface (I'm not a fan of bland American beer) but something else. Can you spot it?
That's right, there's the little Facebook "f" in the corner.
This is interesting for a few reasons. Taking a branding perspective, there is no mention of Facebook on the advert; there is no context and the full word does not even appear. However, it has already been established that f is for Facebook in the Google instant alphabet and Facebook's estimated 500 million users are, I'm sure, more than familiar with the icon from their tab bars and bookmarks so it's understandable, if a bit arrogant!
It also makes me wonder what the connection is between Facebook and beer. More...
Sheldrake says:
New post: Friday Roundup: Are you an Influence Professional - https://philipsheldrake.com/wp/2010/09/f... #inflpro
17 September 2010 — 4:01 pm