The HR/PR Connection
As the dividing line between PR and marketing continues to blur, the once-feuding siblings of the communications family are showing an increased likeness to one another,
according to a recent study released by HRmarketer.com. The study, which surveyed suppliers in the HR/benefits marketplace during the first quarter of 2006, highlights trends in
HR marketing and underscores the growing consolidation of marketing and PR resources.
This resource consolidation has benefited marketers accordingly, as marketing PR "drives online lead generation efforts ... through online media placements such as Web site
publications and e-newsletters, more specifically those that link back to an online information collection form, and via marketing press releases." With that, 74 percent of
survey respondents have increased their PR spending; thus, PR-department size has grown accordingly. Other increased allocations: print, e-mail direct and events marketing.
The study also points to the increase in PR 2.0, or the "adoption of Web 2.0 tools (blogs, podcasts and RSS feeds) to distribute a PR message," but acknowledges the still-slow
adoption of the term - and the practice - in the communications industry.
Measuring The Blogosphere
In the ever-growing world of measurement, yet another milestone has been reached: Katie Paine, president and CEO of measurement firm KDPaine & Partners, has begun measuring
the share of discussion of seven PR firms (Fleishman-Hillard, Ogilvy, Burson-Marsteller, Weber Shandwick, Hill & Knowlton, Ketchum, Porter Novelli and Edelman) in blogs over
time as a feature of her proprietary measurement dashboard. (Note: Paine only counts blogs that allow for commentary - no postings of press releases were considered in these
measurements.)
The results for July: Ketchum tied Fleishman for share of positive blog coverage in July with 40 percent; the remainder of positive coverage went to Hill & Knowlton with
20 percent. (See graph)
In terms of blog body coverage over time, Fleishman topped the list with nearly 26 percent, followed by Hill & Knowlton and Ketchum (both at just over 20 percent), Burson
(close to 17 percent), and with Porter Novelli, Edelman, Weber Shandwick and Ogilvy rounding out the list.