May 27th, 2010 by Steve

CIPR talk: media change, PR change and networks in the language of a seven-year-old

I did a short talk (more of a gentle rant with strange anecdotes) at the CIPR’s Digital Impact conference on Monday. Rather than a Slideshare dump I thought I’d jot down some of what I talked about in case it’s of interest. It was all about how the UK media is changing, cutting through the crap of what digital media means for PR and what digitised ‘networks’ are really all about.

I got into PR, and in particular the technology side, because I trained as a journalist and was brought up playing with technology. My mum had been PA to the late Robert Maxwell. My dad installed mainframes for big companies. The bubblewrap opportunities were sensational for a seven-year-old.

I wrote crap for my local paper at 13. At 15 I was writing it regularly, after doing some intensive journalism training (mostly how to stitch people up). Then after a news journalism course I started working as a ‘normal’ reporter for a local newspaper. I chased down parish council tittle tattle, interviewed local ‘personalities’, knocked on the doors of newly-bereaved families and was humiliated at the judging of school fete fancy dress competitions. Then it was regional dailies, tabloid writing, some broadcast stuff, then PR.

Since then (the early to mid-90s) the media has changed hugely. It wasn’t a cosy world back then, especially if gypsies chased you with bricks, but now the media is not what it’s used to be. Print is on one knee. TV is wobbly. Radio is growing. Social media is rocketing. If Maxwell was still with us, he’d probably have tried to do some dodgy deal to cut on it on.

Snapshot of media change in the UK
1709, oldest surviving UK newspaper starts in Worcester. It was to be 282 years before I wrote for it, yet it survived that and is still around today
More newspapers, more magazines
1920s, early public radio
1930s, early public TV
1950s, TV really took root. If PR had been an established sector then, everyone would’ve rushed to start hip new TV PR agencies
1980s, beginning of diversification sparked by technological change
1990s, the internet. The conventional media largely ignored it until the second half of the decade, some beyond that

So media really started to digitise in the mid 90s. Initially it was about the web being a new platform for publishing words and pictures. Then video came. Technology has made all of this possible. About six years ago we saw the arrival of much-hyped web 2.0. There was a load of bollocks about this, but basically from a media perspective it means media began to change from being one-way to two-way. Before then, the only way the media had really been two-way was the odd TV vox-pop and the letters to the editor page, which was mostly made up anyway.

What digital actually means for PR people
So now the people can answer back. Brands may be able to talk to them directly, but then there are conversations they may want to have and they may not want to have. These are some of the fundamental issues for building reputation through social media these days and you’ll be familiar with them I’m sure.

What does this mean for PR? We’re about managing reputation. What it means for me is that we have to modernise what we do so that we can do that across the diverse and digitised media landscape, and be ready to tackle the way that landscape will evolve further.

Five years ago I felt I was looking over my shoulder at the rise of digital PR. Today that’s not the case. We are not there yet, but soon there will be no regular PR and online or digital PR. It will all just be PR.

The reason for that is that there will not be a distinction as such between conventional and social media. It will all just be media. We just have to figure out how to become the new middleman for a new media landscape.

Examples of how conventional media is addressing digitisation
Oil and water – can conventional and social media mix?

I think that The Guardian site is the closest I’ve come to a national newspaper that has rebuilt its content around its audience using features such as content curation and micro-blogging. An example is the microsite created for the Grand National. Content was posted in real time in a micro-blog format. Race results appeared in real term. And longer stories filed after the racing at Aintree. It’s typical of how The Guardian deals with a big story. It handled the Chilcot Inquiry in exactly the same way.

If you’re a reader of The Guardian site and follow some its journalists on Twitter you’ll spot how stories develop. Journalists tweet about stories they’re writing on. PRs or people in their network make suggestions for sources of information. A first story will go live as a blog maybe after a journalist has done a couple of interviews. Readers will comment on the story. Additional sources will chip in and the journalist will curate comments and produce a second and third version of the story. This provides PRs with more opportunities than ever to influence how a journalist writes a story.

Secondly, branded media: The Economist. Media is in turmoil, no doubt. Social media provides a means for brands to build develop communities in their own right. The Economist (Speed client) on YouTube is a media owner that has a branded video channel for disseminating its own content. But we could equally be looking at any number of consumer brands. Vodafone is a great example on YouTube that you might want to check out. The Economist has always done video but you have to look hard on the site to dig it up. We’ve created a channel on YouTube and promoted it as an asset in its own right. It has become so successful that it’s a top 100 channel on YouTube, and it’s generating revenue. Increasingly this will become a model for brands wanting to engage with their audience, bypassing traditional media altogether.

How PR people need to change/upgrade their media skills
I think what media change means is that PRs have got to assess what they do and how they do it. Across the board. We’ve got to become the type of PR people, PR agencies and PR sector that that media and clients will demand in the future. If we don’t, we should sod off and find another line of work.

But putting that delicate issue to one side, let’s look at the digital media that are changing the world of PR, and their pros and cons.

Conventional publishers: we need more understanding of each media and how content is likely to permeate within that platform and beyond. The pro is that the ripple effect can cause far broader and potentially more lasting impact, the con is that is requires far more work than just knowing a journalist on a publication and tapping them up. There is a need for firm insight and really clear planning so that our ideas can be successful

Conventional broadcasters: as above, but understand that journalists working for them are following what social media is generating, and that technology is going to change this media big time. An example is IPTV. Of course the ability to watch what TV when you want it has changed things, but imagine if you could engage with a local community group and some of your neighbours via the TV when a topical piece of programming content is there. With integration between the TV and social media communities, and the devices to support user interaction over that content from anywhere, it’s not far away perhaps. TV has long been influential, it will gain combined influence alongside new technologies and its content should have high editorial integrity. The flipside, again, is that keeping tabs on all of that for a PR means a lot of work.

Social media platforms: the pros are that conventional editorial barriers aren’t there, but influence will still be created by editorial content, albeit with the nature of editorial changing. It’s very agile, it can be comparatively cheap, but the potential to backfire is huge because it has that two-way channel. It can go from a minor problem to a crisis in minutes. It also means clients’ PR teams have to make themselves far more agile to ensure the right content is delivered.

Analytical tools: to measure influence on reputation. The great thing about digitised media is the audit trail – if you can track it, you should be able to measure its impact. Another big pro is that a lot of the tools for tracking and assessing social media and all forms of published digitised content are free – the trick is knowing which ones are most effective. And the downside is that PRs could end up digging in the wrong place for the measurement they seek. These tools mean we can track not only what is published and what the reaction is, but the sentiment of those conversations – but what price sarcasm? These tools move us much closer to honest and clinical measurement of PR value, but still we can only really know what impact editorial content in any media has on a brand’s reputation and purchase influence by asking the audience. And even then, they may not be straight with us.

Engagement: both with social and conventional media. Obviously engagement with social media is direct and requires skills. Engagement via digital means with conventional media is growing, but again needs skill and the downside can be that fickle PR methods used in conventional media relations are transposed to digital tools. Crap pitches don’t work offline, so best avoid them online. For media and social media engagement, the network is key.

What this network business means
The first thing to point out is the the value of network to brands lies with the trust factor. People trust other people they’re networked with. If they’re networked around a passion for a brand, that is a good thing for us.

But remember that networks are just really word-of-mouth digitised, and so preserved for the best part of eternity. Social media conversations pretty much replicate those that happen and have always happened in society anyway. The difference is that the media encourages conversations to build faster, encourages more participation and can engage more people. A bigger, bolder, faster, more impactful type of conversation typically – and they can be tracked and joined.

The trick for PRs is to apply themselves in the right way to that environment, rather than blundering in to a pub conversation like a gobby or naive person, and quickly ending up as the object of derision.

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April 16th, 2010 by Steve

PR department of the future, final part: evolution theory

So I’m hoping to wrap things up with this post, having covered quite a lot of ground already:

- A quick history lesson and thoughts on a new intermediary role
- The fragility of agility: why as conventional and social media all just become media, speed is the need
- Are agencies even worth hiring? The myriad of choices for PR buyers today and what the future may hold

Let’s start with a question. If you work in-house, think of your own team. If you work for an agency, think of your clients. Question: how has the PR department modernised or changed to capitalise on media change in the past five years?

My point here is not that it has all gone stale and that PR teams are failing to move with the times. It is that all must realise that PR is going to look quite different in the future and we are all in the midst of an evolutionary process. You may well have your finger on the pulse of media change and have taken many smart steps to up your game in the past few years. More, much more, is yet to come.

Reputation: no control
Brands have never really had control of their reputation. But unless they keep track of and respond to media change through the way their communications functions operate, influence will be harder and harder to come by.

If you’re going to try to understand how you should evolve in order to protect and develop your reputation in the future, you must first understand and continue to chart media change. Reputation is the result of what you do, what so you say and what people therefore think and say about you. The digitisation of media can put you in greater command of it, but only if you play it right.

Spin gets thin
I’ve already outlined that in my view conventional and social media will evolve rapidly in the next couple of years and before long will all just be ‘media’. These posts are all intended to give some thoughts on how PR teams must evolve to align to that changed media landscape and get the right value out of the agencies they work with. There’s no magic formula for what the ideal PR department should look like and do, as needs obviously vary.

But while I’ve looked at the need for faster action in meeting media information requests reactively, let’s just quickly consider what the PR department will need to do in order to influence a media agenda in the future. I say influence rather than dominate, because spin as we know it has changed. It’s probably dead, of if not dying fast. With a handful of newspapers, fewer broadcast outlets and limited online publications it used to be far easier to set and lead a media agenda. Today the attention of major conventional media is still a big asset, but there are dozens of other influential channels that attract the same audience, often simultaneously. Plus a brand that attempts to be anything but completely honest with the media can be quickly shamed via social media.

Priorities for evolution
This bit should really be a conclusion, but I think I’ve already tripped across that several times: PR departments must evolve to meeting changing media needs or they will become less effective in influencing reputation. Worst case, their influence will slip away.

Here are what I see as the priorities for making sure a PR department is ready for the future:
1. Acknowledge that media change will affect you
2. Start a conversation about all of this with the people in your organisation responsible for how PR is funded, undertaken and supported
3. Recognise that you need to be able to move faster. If not, it won’t just be a case of a few missed opportunities, it will be a case of your reputation in the hands of others
4. You will have to continually assess which media is creating the influence you seek. This will not be comfortable or easy, but needs pragmatism and a long-term view rather than being swayed by any hype or FUD
5. By all means talk to agencies, but do not put contracts out to tender before you are clear about what sort of service you need. The word ‘might’ can be dangerous. Figure out what you want to do commercially, define your brand strategy, then look at how and what PR can best deliver for you. Then you can assess who you want to reach and understand what media is best, and what content you’ll need. And recognise that media change will be ongoing, so your plans must be agile too

Hopefully this is all useful, even if in places it is fairly obvious. One final question, if you’re in-house, you should probably ask your agencies is how they plan to evolve to meet the requirements of media change.

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March 12th, 2010 by Steve

Finale: Gen Y, a whine of the times

This is all a bit odd.

Here we are, the end of this five-part series that has gripped (a very small PR sub-set of the) nation all week. Ish.

I’ve tried to poke into each corner of the issues that PR agencies and their employees are facing as Generation Y becomes a more prominent factor in the workforce. I’ve even tried to be objective about it.

And you know what? When I started this on Monday, my sense was that on Friday I’d end up writing about why Gen Y should just suck it up, snap out of it and get back to the harsh realities of toil.

Yet that is not the conclusion of this strange little blogging experiment.

Bosses must lead, tension is their gig
Instead, it is this: the people running PR agencies have to stand up and be counted over the growing issue of differing generational attitudes and outlooks amongst their staff.

Secondly, Generation Y needs to avoid going down in history as Generation Whine. The stereotypical whingeing of today’s teenagers is tarnishing the self-honesty and modern pragmatism of Gen Y in the workplace. It is up to Gen Y to change this, with the support of bosses.

Thirdly, all other generations need to pull their heads out of their fast-maturing arses and realise that we are all part of the problem and can all help to improve understanding.

The growing, oft-silent tensions in PR agencies today between people with differing ambitions, approaches, goals, motivations and communication techniques are the by-product of rapid technological, economic and (to a much lesser extent) political change. It’s the job of bosses to tackle it. If your boss isn’t, or isn’t even prepared to acknowledge it, perhaps you should ask them why.

So let’s go through some ‘learnings’ from all of this. Some points that each generational group (although many people have commented that they’re not quite sure which bracket they fit into) should probably take on board if they’re going to enjoy their jobs and develop their careers:

Generation Y
1. Think about how you’ll be the boss. I don’t mean be career-hungry and obsessed with rapid progression. I do mean think about how what you do now will enable you to manage, motivate and lead people in the future. If you don’t think the way you’re managed, motivated and led now is necessarily the right way, it probably isn’t. Don’t whine, have a discussion and figure out how you’ll do it better when your time comes, by which time workforce motivations should be even more diverse than they are today

2. Understand the business. Whereas Gen X was brought up on 1980s greed, boom ‘n’ bust and exploiting the property ladder, Gen Y has it different. But if you turn a blind eye to how the business works, how it makes money and the commercial realities that govern how you can reward and develop people, you’ll struggle to develop personally and professionally. PR businesses are simple anyway: a five-year-old could grasp the basics.

3. See it from the perspectives of others. Yes it does not make sense to be seen to work long hours any more: doing that for no good reason beyond impressing the boss is just stupid. Work long hours if you’re getting something out of it by developing your career and the business. Go home on time whenever you can. But remember that Gen Xers had it differently when they were younger: you must make them understand the value of what you’re doing. Sell yourselves more and it will go a long way.

Generation X
1. Get real. Some people will inevitable just be lazy bastards and blagged their way through those interviews, but many Gen Yers have desires on your job. They may just struggle to show it. They will show ambition in different ways. Their enthusiasm may not be overt. Get under the skin of why, work with them rather than dismissing ‘kids today’ as disengaged drifters. Unless they are, in which case consider encouraging them to find another career.

2. Take a long hard look at yourself. You didn’t really want to be that Michael Douglas character in Wall Street did you? Secretly, you may be a bit envious that Gen Y has the nonchalance and career outlook that it does. You thought you’d turn out like that, until the machine got hold of you. Be honest with yourself rather than bemoaning the differences of others.

3. You’re in a position of responsibility, and it is – probably – your generation that has the biggest role to play in cracking this generational change issue. You’ve got to lead by example and transition agency approaches to flourish from the diversity of motivations and attitudes, not sink under their weight. It’s not like me to write things that look a bit like self-serving political correctness, so let’s be clear that I don’t intend it to be. But I do mean it.

Generation Jones
1. The in-betweeners. Obama is a much-lauded example. The future now rests in their hands, it’s said. Not in PR it doesn’t. But what Gen Jones must do is realise it is different. You are very different to Gen Y, and Gen X has more of an opportunity to understand the younger generation. I think your best role is to help Gen X to open its eyes to the differences in generations by telling them what you’re thinking, and how you struggle to get to grips with the pace of change.

2. Use the tools. If you don’t get to grips with how PR is modernising because of digitising media, you won’t only hit professional snags but will increasingly struggle to understand younger colleagues. Don’t try to get down with the kids, but don’t shy away from change, grab hold of it with gusto.

3. Think about how you can rebrand your generation, because the Jones thing sounds really sh^t.

Baby Boomers
Interestingly, I’ve had some really insightful comments from people in this category in the past week, with the benefit of experience coming to the fore. My thinking is age and experience make it easier for them to spot the signs, but the pace of change remains frightening. Beyond that, boomers should really look at the points for Joneses above.

The end
So there we have it. Hardly academic, not particularly pretty but hopefully an interesting read at least.

Gen X: the ball is in your court. As well as our industry modernisation challenges, we’ve got to make PR jobs engaging and emotionally fulfilling for all. We’ve got to think beyond salaries and benefits. We’ve got to think bigger. We’ve got to pull our fingers out.

Gen Y: cheer up, liven up, realise how good you are or can be.

If anyone has any ideas for other PR topics I should tackle, do let me know. Mistakes execs make, account managers with a power complex, sadomasochism in the boardroom, whatever; I’m game.

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February 4th, 2010 by Steve

The PR person of the future will be an utter know-it-all

It used to be that certain media stereotypes befitted the PR industry. We worked hard to get away from them, talking about being consultants rather than suppliers, bigging up our strategic significance.

Today, the PR person comes in all manner of shapes and sizes. In many ways, we are a symbolic reflection of the diverse, fragmented, rapidly evolving and somewhat nervy media we work with.

We now have these types of PR people, amongst many others:

- Moderately experienced female PR, invariably blonde, lives Fulham, very comfortable with conventional media and tries hard to play lip service to social media

- Young digital pup, of-the-moment trainers, the hair of the commercially innocent, social media slurper but does not read the papers really

- The experienced senior director, a fondness for expensive moisturisers and knows PR is changing, but looks in the mirror each day and really wishes it wasn’t

- The overworked agency stalwart, dabbles with social media, sometimes surprises with digital acumen, but employer does not give them time to really learn the digital ropes so conventional remains the bread and butter

- The extreme digital enthusiast, made a personal vow a year ago to practically abandon conventional PR and bathe in the heady waters of digital, often tweets about pets and weather

You may recognise some or all of these.

Not clones, but better skilled
But in the future, the PR person will become much more of a standard item. Of course agencies will always look for diversity and range of experience when building the right team and the right culture. But the set of skills will become more regular across the team. And those skills will be a good deal more sophisticated, as well as comprehensive.

As Speed people covered at a Social Media Week breakfast this morning, our view is that PRs of the future are going to need to be experts in all corners of the media, and how to use editorial techniques to do commercially-valued things for clients. Social, print, broadcast, all types of media. Animal, vegetable, mineral, as The Bishop of Bath and Wells (pretend) once said in Blackadder.

The PR person of the future will need to be a complete know-it-all. We’ll need to know how the newspapers work (and boy is that changing fast), how social networks evolve and what has greatest influence at any given time, how ripples effects can be created and PR’s role in a rapidly changing marketing mix.

PR and advertising: let’s sort it out
Danny Rogers at PR Week has picked up on the latter point. He has also touched on why PR may need to hire people from beyond PR. My view on that is that is only one part of the picture: too many PR people have simply not been given encouraged (or had the foresight) to learn the skills they will need in the future, which is why some agencies may be thinking broader. The bigger picture is that PR must grow up and work with advertising to establish the mutual value we can create for clients.

Face it: PR must stand up and be counted
But first, we need to upgrade PR. How we gather insight, the ideas that will really work across diverse media, who the right influencers are now and for the long term, and how we can really, honestly, properly, confidently, unashamedly measure impact.

And the answer to the last point is not just about the latest slightly-better-than-previous-versions social media monitoring tools. It is more like what blend of tools will be more effective for each client, and above that how we can truly tell whether audiences have been influenced to act to our benefit, and when they will do so.

Speed’s approach to the skills challenge we now have in PR is bootcamp-like, but we feel the only way to ensure everyone across a PR business has the skills they’ll need for the future and that clients are coming to rely on. We make no apologies for this. We do not see how half measures or half-cock schemes will cut the mustard. We are working to ensure we are the consultancy that really cracks where PR – all of PR – is going amidst a diverse and fast-changing media.

We are not know-it-alls by any means, but – within the confines of public relations, and how the industry is changing – we aspire to be that. If you know what I mean. PR people who are experts across the new, broader remit of PR, rather than those who stick to our traditional knitting or cling to trends.

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