Mastering public relations on the Web comes with a steep learning curve. Online maneuvers can effectively build a one-to-one relationship with users or they can be viewed as spam.
Gustav Carlson, VP, corporate communications for barnesandnoble.com and author of the new book total exposure, talked with PR NEWS and discussed the problems facing corporate PR professionals who wish to tame the Internet beast.
PRN: Does the Internet make PR's job easier?
Carlson:
No. In many ways it makes it more difficult. I call it the 'news vs. noise' phenomenon. There's so much information flying around out there and there's no context. So, from a proactive standpoint, it's hard to get your messages notice because all the noise dilutes it. Also, the Internet is a medium that has the ability to move information quickly. PR professionals really need to grasp this very important concept.
PRN: But isn't the Internet just another medium?
Carlson:
I don't think so. It has the potential to be very powerful and I think there is a tendency for PR people to not quite understand that influence. There is still the view that a PR strategy will use all the usual suspects and "Oh yeah, we better have an online component too." It's an afterthought. And the ones who consider it so are going to get a rude awakening.
PRN: As for the ones that will awaken rudely, is it their inexperience that makes promoting on the Web an afterthought?
Carlson:
Well, I think the learning curve is very steep. Again, it's 'news vs. noise.' From what I see, there is a tendency for PR professionals to overuse the Web. They must impose some sort of news or editorial judgment onto this incredibly powerful medium. Otherwise all they are doing is clogging it up.
PRN: So, for example, you mean using bullet points to highlight the facts on a press release instead of lengthy prose?
Carlson:
It's even more fundamental than that. The question is what constitutes news and what is strategically important for your company. Companies have a tendency to get very close to what they are doing and a good PR person has to help them step back and say, "Okay, what is the newsworthiness of this piece of information and how are we going to get it to the right people." They have to impose some judgment before they click on the mouse and send it out.
PRN: So, look before they leap.
Carlson:
Exactly. For the public to notice your company, you must distinguish it as one that is giving good information and not just noise. If [a reporter] sees a news release everyday from company XYZ and on it is everything from putting new bathrooms in their offices to strategic investments in another company, their eyes are going to glaze over the release. They're not going to know what's important and what's not.
PRN: How does a PR person distribute only news and avoid being noise?
Carlson:
They have to put themselves on the side of who's receiving the release. Look at their corporate Web site. It's hard pulling perspective out of all the noise. You have to help the reader figure out what it all means. You have to give context to all the information that sits on your site.
PRN: Which leads to the notion that an effective Web site can create a one-to-one relationship with its viewers. Is this a realistic goal for PR people to have when planning their online strategy?
Carlson:
I don't think it's unrealistic. But, there's a fine line between being informative and being intrusive. Personalized messages are a wonderful direct marketing technique. But, if you're not careful, you're in danger of alienating your target audience, or worse, offending them.
PRN: But if they opted in aren't they fair game?
Carlson:
No. Opting in should not be a license to bombard people. It's only an indication that they are interested. You need to be on notice. You need to look at each situation on a case-by-case basis. There is no over ruling definition of what infringes upon someone's privacy. The entire e-commerce universe is struggling with how tolerant people will be.
PRN: Speaking of tolerance, the Web allows companies to speak directly to the public, eliminating the reporter as a filter. Will the public be tolerant of the Web if they can't trust what it says?
Carlson:
You've put your finger right on the problem. Since anyone can pretend to be a journalist, it's adding to the 'news vs. noise' confusion. I am a firm believer that a good PR person has to be a good and strong counselor. And I don't mean a devil's advocate. I mean someone who can tell their company not only what they should do, but also why they should do it and what the downside of doing it is.
PRN: So PR people should hold themselves to a journalistic standard and not just preach the company line?
Carlson:
Yes, but I don't think that requirement has changed because of the Internet.
PRN: So in 10 years, if PR professionals are doing their job and reporting the truth, where do you see the role of the journalist? Will it become extinct?
Carlson:
Here's my opinion and it is only an opinion. I think the so-called responsible journalist and the so-called responsible media will prevail. But, if the Internet doesn't check itself it will go the same way that TV did and suffer a serious credibility problem.
(Gustav Carlson, 212/414-6014, [email protected].)