By Jerry Schwartz/president-CEO of G.S. Schwartz &
Co.
Technology has finally placed enough power in consumers' hands
to force PR execs and marketers to rethink their strategies and to
find new creative tactics for selling products and services.
Traditional media alone rapidly have become insufficient for both
advertising and public relations.
Fortunately, technology has created a lot of new and significant
media, more so now than during the dot-com craze of the late 1990s.
These media reach users - not viewers or readers - where they
"hang." Because they are both hot and cool, they are uniquely
influential. More important, this is something new where PR
departments and agencies can shine and make some old-fashioned
money. And the field is virgin enough for PR agencies to grab and
hold the lead.
It's more than TiVo, Yahoo! News and packs of well-rapped
preteens on cellphones. There has been a seminal change. No fads.
No trendy buzz. Even experiential marketing, white hot in 2003, has
come and is now going. Poof. Passé. iPod podcasts,
videoblogs, Weblogs or just plain blogs, cellphone messaging,
mobile Internet, satellite radio, interactive gaming and other new
media are creating powerful new channels to get the message
out.
Contact: Jerry Schwartz, 212.725.4500, [email protected]