It's no secret that the Web is changing the very essence of PR. As direct communication between companies and consumers is gaining ground, politicians and the press are becoming "disintermediated," observes Evan Kraus, VP/director technology services at APCO Worldwide. So who are the corporate allies of the future?
Stakeholders, for one. The savviest PR teams of the future will activate their investors, employees and retirees to speak on their behalf online, Kraus says. This will be particularly effective in venues such as chat rooms, where a person who happens to be a stakeholder has already established credibility as a "layperson."
Another critical ally for corporate communicators: publishers of Web sites such as www.urbanlegends.com. "These are people who are out to set the record straight," Kraus says. "If I were in corporate communications, I'd be talking to them." (APCO, 202/466-6002)