"Is Social Media Killing PR"...or Forcing Us to Evolve?

November 14, 2008 | Posted by: Jayson Schkloven

Yesterday, my colleague and fellow Merritt Group blogger, Tom Rice, brought an interesting column to my attention. Kara Swisher, co-executive editor of All Things Digital, moderated a panel on Wednesday titled, "Is Social Media Killing PR." She wrote it up in her column on All things Digital yesterday morning and I posted the following comment in response:

"As I see it, social media may be saving PR during a time when traditional publications are folding on a weekly basis. When used properly, blogs, podcasts, etc. offer clients the opportunity to have an equal, honest and unedited voice in discussions that shape their industries and impact their brands. If PR pros invest the time required to learn how to use these tools effectively, the potential for creativity is endless."

I would like to expand upon this comment in this blog entry.

We're experiencing a dramatic shift in the power and influence that mass media has held over our society for decades. If you're one of the few remaining people who questions whether or not this is true, consider the impact that blogs, online video sites and social networking platforms had on the 2008 presidential election. Obama won the election in part because his campaign understood how to leverage the overwhelming potential of social media to reach the "Joe Facebook" generation, which last time I checked numbered more than 120,000,000.

Online information sharing, self publication and mass collaboration are dramatically reshaping the modern media landscape. Mass media including national newspapers, television networks and even industry trade journals are rapidly consolidating and/or struggling to keep from going under as they desperately try to evolve their revenue models.

While there are many positive aspects to this paradigm shift, it's leaving PR professionals with fewer media outlets to "pitch" in order to get our clients' stories into the public eye. PR professionals need to begin to invest the time required to write a blog, produce a simple video podcast or create a profile on a social networking site, in order to obtain a first-hand understanding of the true potential these tools have to make our clients' voices heard. In addition, new media outlets and social platforms provided endless potential

When we ask potential clients what the most important trait they're looking for in a new PR agency, they almost always provide the same answer - "I want an agency that is going to bring me new and creative ideas to help position the company as an expert resource in our industry." Guess what folks...this is exactly what digital and social media are all about.

Social media is not killing PR, it's forcing us to evolve as PR professionals to keep from becoming extinct.