The digitalization of communications has introduced an array of new words into vocabularies industry-wide - podcasts, blogs, RSS feeds - all of which evolved from cryptic cyber
dialects among underground "techie" communities to conversational verbiage in everyday business interactions. Public relations professionals have not escaped this transformation,
although judging from the results of a recent PR News/MediaLink survey, many are still trying to evade the digital trend and opt for more traditional means of
communications.
Of the survey's 459 respondents, only 18% have created and managed a blog for their company or client, and only 21% have communicated news via a blog; that's a staggeringly low
number considering the hype surrounding the blogosphere. This may stem from the debate surrounding the place of blogs in PR and corporate communications: Who should be writing
them? How closely should they be monitored? Is such transparency an asset or a risk?
On the other hand, a larger number - 56% - of respondents have used Webcasts as part of their communications plans in the past year. The discrepancy, says MediaLink COO Larry
Thomas, points to a slow but steady move towards adopting digital platforms for everyday PR efforts.
"As the number of broadband users increases and online video is easier to access, it makes sense that clients will continue to gravitate toward these new tools," he says. "PR
professionals have and will continue to embrace digital media platforms as a way to take their message directly to consumers and other target audiences. When combined with
traditional media outreach, it is the best way to maximize ROI."
That may be the case, but the results indicate that traditional media outreach is still the main focus of many PR execs; what else would account for the low percentage of blog
and podcast (10%) users?
"I'd like to think [the results] are an anomaly, and that these respondents are just late-adopters," says Steve Cody, managing partner and co-founder of New York-based agency
Peppercom. "There is a reactionary school of thought that digital platforms are just a passing fad and that users will get burned like they did when the dot-com bubble
burst. But I think the perceived time investment is at the heart of the passivity."
Cody operates his own blog, http://www.repman.com, where he espouses "the importance of a good reputation in a world gone mad" from the perspective of the PR exec
himself. Most significant, though, is his constant interaction with its content: He updates it almost every day, debunking the assumption that PR managers don't have time to keep
up with digital communications platforms. So if time management issues are the crux of why some PR pros are moving at dial-up speed to adopt digital platforms, then consider
Cody's advice:
"Incorporate blogging into your daily schedule the same way you would an exercise routine," he says. "Otherwise, [PR professionals] can ignore it at their own risk."
Contacts: Larry Thomas, [email protected]; Steve Cody, [email protected].
PR'S Use of Digital Media Platforms
1. Which of the following digital media platforms have you used as part of your communications plans in the past year?
- Webcasts: 56%
- Podcasts: 10%
- Blogs: 34%
2. When have you used a podcast in your public relations campaign?
- New product announcement: 3%
- Business news: 5%
- Health news: 1%
- General consumer news: 5%
- Not applicable: 87%
3. Do you or your client plan to create an audio or video podcast in the future?
- Yes : 30%
- No: 26%
- Maybe: 44%
4. Have you created and managed a blog for your company or client?
- Yes : 18%
- No: 82%
5. Do you communicate your news directly to blogs?
- Yes : 21%
- No: 79%
6. Tell us about your experiences with satellite and radio media tours:
a. Have you (or someone on your team) participated in a Co-op Media Tour in the past year?
- Yes : 16%
- No: 84%
b. Satellite media tours can be produced from a studio or a location anywhere in the world. When planning locations for SMTs, do you seek out remote locations?
- Yes : 11%
- No: 75%
- Sometimes: 14%
c. Do you augment Satellite Media Tours with Radio Media Tours?
- Yes : 13%
- No: 69%
- Sometimes: 18%
A survey of PR News and Medialink
Number of Respondents - 459