As part of our special coverage on interactive PR, we asked several PR executives to provide their takes on where the pendulum is swinging on Web communications. Being an
infinite (and active) medium, the Internet offers a world of possibilities for companies and their agencies to craft their PR plans in tailored fashions. Then again, (cyber) space
can be a black hole that can suck the life out of your message if it's not carefully targeted to the company's various stakeholders and, just as important, the media. "The Web can
be your best friend or your worst enemy," says Jason Teitler, executive VP/global interactive practice leader at Porter Novelli. (See story below). Following are contributions -
- including real-world examples -- on how PR can drive more people to your products and services via the Web rather than driving them away from your brand entirely - an extremely
fine line, online.
Robert Brin
PSB Interactive, Padilla Speer Beardsley
612.455.1743; [email protected]
E-mail communication is becoming increasingly fundamental to many of our clients' communications strategies because of its relationship-building potential. At the same time,
the novelty of e-newsletters has worn off, which means we need to focus -- not just on doing one -- but on doing it right. That means delivering valuable content. And sometimes
it means that less is more, which is why we often recommend doing an "e-newsletter" with just one or two articles.
E-mail has gone through a similar evolution to Web sites; it had better be good, or it can do damage to your reputation. In the B2B environment, what works best is e-mail
communication that keeps the relationship owner -- the rep or channel partner -- in the loop and, even better, ignites dialog between the individual rep and their customer. Spam
filters present a challenge because they can filter out the legitimate e-mails, so it's even more important to be religious about permission marketing.
A great way to create dialogue in the consumer environment is with e-cards. PSB's client, Children's Cancer Research Fund (http://www.childrenscancer.org), spreads their message with e-cards that feature butterfly drawings by childhood cancer patients.
The pass-along nature of the e-cards, plus some savvy search engine promotion, has led to a dramatic increase in traffic to their site.
Richard Edelman
President-CEO, Edelman Worldwide
212.704.8121; [email protected]
(Edelman chaired the PR Coalition task force, which developed the Internet Ethics Code.)
From calling card to marketplace to interactive community and even crisis management, the Internet offers unlimited potential for public relations. It is very often the first
place everyone - from customer to journalist - goes for information. It can be a company's most effective front line of defense as well as their best offense. As a member of the
Board of Trustees of the Arthur W. Page Society, which is committed to advancing our profession, I am most keenly interested in the tremendous challenges and even threats that the
Internet poses to the companies and clients we represent and to the professional standards and ethical practices we strive to uphold.
The digital world is open and very accessible. Erroneous and misleading information can be posted on the Internet and instantly and widely disseminated. Anonymous postings in
chat rooms and bulletin boards coupled with a failure to disclose the background of "experts" and potential conflicts of interest can cause irreparable harm.
These are some of the factors that inspired the Arthur W. Page Society to lead a coalition of 11 PR organizations in an effort to help maintain the highest possible standards
in the digital arena. We developed a set of principles for conducting business on the Internet. We wanted to ensure that information posted on the Internet is accurate and
truthful, and that the sources for that information are always identified.
The task force arrived at four simple principles. The first is that we should present fact-based content. The second is that we should be an objective advocate, providing
timely and credible information and offering direct interaction with all expert sources. The third principle involves earning the public's trust by making relevant and accurate
information available to all interested parties, disclosing participation in online chat rooms and conferences, and correcting misinformation that appears online. The final
principle calls for educating the PR profession on best practices in the use of the Internet and new media.
The future of the Internet and its use as a public relations tool will be determined by the reputation it earns. The bottom line is that the Internet has to be credible, and,
as PR practitioners, we have a major responsibility in making it so.
Mike Paul
President-MGP & Associates PR
212.595.8500; [email protected]
At MGP & Associates PR, our clients are using the Internet in many ways. For example, top corporate, government, nonprofit, sports and entertainment clients are all
becoming more interested in using not only text and photos with news updates, but we are counseling them to use much more short video and audio messages for sales and news updates
on their Web sites.
We are also counseling our crisis clients to use the Internet as a more efficient and effective way to communicate various updates to all of their key audiences regarding their
crises. Whether it is a local, national or global crisis, the need for timely, honest, transparent and accountable messages are vital to rehabilitating a client's reputation.
The power of the Internet is extremely important for helping crisis clients and will continue to grow as faster, better and more user-friendly technology comes to the marketplace.
The Internet is one of our greatest partners and those who choose not to embrace it will fail.
Adam Smith
SVP, Hill and Knowlton
415.281.7129; [email protected]
Now that the enormous expectations have subsided, interactive PR has truly come full circle---right back to "the good old basics" of communications. What the past several
years has shown is that the Internet is simply another communications channel that needs to be considered within the overall mix of a client's PR strategy.
While the concept of an integrated online/offline communications model may not be a revolutionary idea, the execution is still the challenge. When attempting to create the
optimal PR mix, it helps to keep the following in mind:
Intelligence. Having a customized online solution that provides measurable metrics and generates intelligence that can be used in the planning, execution and evaluation stages
of a PR program is critical. The area of real-time metrics may have the largest direct impact on how PR resources perform their jobs in the future.
Cost. As interactive PR practioners do a better job of listening to online audiences, many online solutions are becoming standardized around features and functionalities.
This trend in many of the basic interactive PR building blocks (online press rooms, crisis sites, advocacy sites, product promotion sites) has helped drive the cost down
tremendously.
Audience. All of the up-front work that goes into developing the perfect PR strategy will not matter if your message never reaches the intended audience. Since the Internet
has something for just about everyone, reaching a specific online audience becomes much more of a science than an art.
Timing. The other benefit from a trend toward standardization of certain interactive PR tools is that many of these solutions can now be implemented more quickly. Distribution
of key messages to your target audience, like a press release or a response to a crisis situation, now takes minutes instead of days. There has been a lot of recent coverage
around the ability to use the Internet to mobilize a large audience in a matter of minutes.
Teisha Van de Kop
VP-Web Relations, Weber Shandwick Worldwide.
972-830-2232; [email protected].
So you say your traditional PR campaign includes a Web component, but is it working? PR on the Web means getting your client mentioned online, thus driving more visitors to
your client's Web site.
What are the strategies working online?
Pitching journalists who only write for the Web - These guys are hungry for story ideas that are usually directed to their traditional colleagues. By sharing your message with
an editor who writes unique online content, they are more likely to include a link to your client's Web site when writing a story about them.
Search Engine Marketing - Search engines like Google and Yahoo! rank sites based on "search engine friendly copy" in addition to other criteria; 80% of C-level executives say
they use search engines for research.
Messaging - Discussion groups who have a passion for the subject matter may create more buzz about your message than a traditional hit in a newspaper ever could.
How do you protect and control your messages? Monitor, monitor, monitor. Clipping reports won't cut it. You've got to visit the message boards where people congregate and
view the blogs where people write what they're thinking.
Mia Wedgbury
Senior Partner/Co-founder, High Road Communications
416.368.8348 x222;
[email protected]
It's no secret that the Web can be a powerful PR tool. For several years now, organizations have used it as a virtual pressroom. But the information has been static, often
little more than an electronic press kit. That's changing. In today's world, consumers are using the Web differently, and savvy PR practitioners are leading the way.
Here's an example: Databeacon, a Web reporting and data analysis software company, wanted to demonstrate its capabilities in Web reporting and data analysis to a broad audience
of information consumers and the media. Databeacon created a site, http://www.storydata.com, that links visitors to current events and provides data analysis into the news of the day. It has been popular
with media and consumers alike, accumulating over 5.7 million hits and 241,000 user sessions, and has made a tremendous impact on the company's bottom line.
Like Databeacon, smart PR practitioners are looking at the Web in a whole new way. Rather than simply driving Web traffic through the promotion of products and services, think
of it as an opportunity to engage consumers through education - about the key issues that those products and services address.
Microsoft Canada is another company that understands the value of this. It recently launched a site called Microsoft Home Magazine, which ventures beyond traditional PC
enthusiasts to provide easy-to-understand articles linking lifestyle issues and technology for families. It includes directions on how to make gift wrap and organize your favorite
recipes using your computer. Similar to a paper-based magazine produced by a company for a segment of its target market, Microsoft Home Magazine provides useful, interesting
information, while still promoting Microsoft's brand.
The key to a strategic interactive PR program involves understanding your audience. Who are the consumers you want to influence, and what are their online needs? If they're not
coming to your Web site now, what could you do to engage them in your business? And, of course, don't forget the media in the equation. Given that the majority of journalists use
the Web to conduct research, companies that fail to address reporters' and editors' information needs may be missing the boat.