So far, the impact of Google's technology has been focused on the advertising industry, but that's only because the PR value has yet to be raised in marketing circles.
Though PR traditionally is focused on media relations, at the end of the day, we're out to shape perception. And whether that's making your CEO look brilliant, embarrassing
political opponents or limiting reputation damage in a scandal, no tool should be left out of the PR toolbox.
Cheap and accurate, Google's "AdWords" system allows marketers to place relevant text ads alongside content from search queries, news Web sites, blogs and e-mail messages.
Used in PR - as "MessageWords," let's say - the technology can amplify PR campaigns to distribute ideas, to define choices and to build awareness on an unprecedented scale. Some
examples include:
"Buzz Booster" - Your candidate for governor just gave a barnburner of a speech. Do you wait for the sound bites to air and take up column inches? No way. Buy keywords
that include the messages and topics he or she just addressed. Voters searching for more information online can be served links to the text of the speech, to the press release, to
an invitation to donate or to volunteer, to send a letter to the editor or to just learn more.
"Equal Time Machine" - Delivering messages in a crisis is an uphill battle. Secure MessageWords that direct the public to your company's letter of apology or to pictures
of your CEO/elected official comforting victims or other positive coverage. If an early news story gets a fact wrong and later prints a retraction, ensure a link to that
correction appears next to articles that repeat the error.
"Rumor-Responder" - Dispelling rumors is one of the thorniest PR problems a company can face. This is particularly true when the false information has the potential of
causing damage, but has been limited in its distribution. For example, if a reporter or customer hears that XYZ meat distributor in Arizona is selling mad-cow-contaminated beef, a
search engine query for "XYZ" and "mad cow" can produce a MessageWord refuting the rumor and a link to a corporate site with more information.
"Welcome Mat" - The holy grail of PR has been tracking its return on investment (ROI). Google doesn't solve this problem entirely, but it can help convert media
coverage, blog buzz and product mentions in e-mails into sales. It can be as simple as an Amazon.com link appearing whenever an author's name is mentioned online. On a more
sophisticated level, if your university's math program got a great ranking in U.S. News & World Report, make sure anyone talking about "knot theory" online knows it.
As the public increasingly relies on the Web for news and information, these tools offer new and exciting ways to inform and educate target audiences. But you're not the only
one vying for mind share. That's where your competition comes in. Here are a few ways they'll work against your PR machine:
"Idea Insurgencies" - Think a CEO's bonus was too generous this year? Want to promote a pro-life agenda? Want to stop sea-lion clubbing? Let Google's analytical engines
automatically - and expertly - place these MessageWords in locations where they'll matter most.
"Buzz Killer" - Have a bad experience with a product? Purchase MessageWords complaining about the defect, the bad customer service, the broken promise. Have them appear
next to positive product reviews in magazines, on investor message boards and in e-mails in which one friend mentions the product to another.
Asymmetrical Message Warfare - The first step in dealing with these threats is to recognize that MessageWord technology is a PR magnifier and not a PR originator. The
words only appear in response to queries, articles, blog citations and messages. Those types of media, and the way to manage them, have long been the domain of PR pros.
As with any asymmetrical threat, the opponent only has to break through once to be effective. But an aggressive traditional PR program, coupled with expert use in these new
tools, will make sure such attacks become part of the normal slings and arrows of public life and not fatal blows.
Contact: David Rosen is information and technology practice leader at Walek & Associates (New York City). He can be reached at 212.889.4113 or at [email protected].