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PR in an online world

Friday 14th May 2010

What is PR? What’s the goal?

• Grow goodwill• “Financial goodwill” is a real measure of

company value agreed by accountants• Patents, licenses• Brands• Trading relationships

• “Emotional goodwill”

“Create confidence in the people

who influence your success”

4 things PR can do

1) Manage stakeholder conversations

2) Protect corporate and brand reputations

3) Increase brand engagement

4) Increase sales attraction (in a “pull” not “push” world)

How can we do this?

• PR is mainly seen to be about media management / media relations

• Plus some crisis management• But we also do other things• Create narratives and content• Create experiences (events etc)

Media in an online world

Two types of media:

1) Independent or third party owned media channels/platforms

- Editorial/endorsed or “earned” presence- Paid for presence (advertising/sponsorship)

2) Owned media channels/platforms

Latter are growing rapidly due to low cost, ease of use and ubiquity of new on line “publishing platforms”

“Marketeers are becoming Brand Publishers”

Media channels

• Print media (press and magazines)

• Broadcast (TV, radio)• On line magazines

(hybrid and pure)• News aggregators• Bloggers and micro

bloggers (as freelancers)

• Forums and comments

• Social media platforms

- Speciality / Niche

• Shared media platforms

Media issues

• Traditional media in revolution• Swopping “print advertising dollars for digital

advertising cents”• Local newspapers lost classified, property, cars• Trade/B2B media titles closing, lower pagination,

fewer issues• Glossy consumer titles surviving but higher

turnover of titles• New world of paid content coming (freemium,

subscription)

Media opportunity

• More media platforms• More media access devices ..

Computer, mobile, iPad, games consoles (technical parameters)

• More media content formats: not just “ words and pictures” ..sound, video,interactive, user generated content

• Time freedom …not daily/monthly but 24/7/365 and instant• Unlimited space ..no pagination issues• Global reach (subject to language)• Low cost … “free”

The demand for fresh content is now exponential and voracious

Plus of course, fresh new keyword rich content is ‘gold dust’ for SEO and so are the in bound links created by presence on other media platforms

The challenge

• Marketing departments have fewer resources and lower budgets

• Although low cost or “free”, the new media platforms do consume time / money

• Marketing is no longer in 100% control of the brand message

Companies are now “porous” in information terms

You can no longer control the flow, you can only try and navigate the currents

Tidal river not a canal!

How do you manage?

• Focus and priorities• Fewer brands• Fewer “narratives” or brand stories• Prioritise and rank the audiences you wish to reach• Assess the value and reach of each media platform

including social media• Be clear about the cost and value

• What is the cost per impression? (not AEV!)• What is the value per impression?• What is the cost per action (click)?• What is the value per click?

We all know the cost of a Google adword ..so we have a cost

benchmark..but how many know the value of that click?

How do you manage?

• Decide on best mix of earned, paid for and owned media.

• Which will generate most reach and authority, which will deliver the best brand narrative experience, what is the cost/value equation

• Think about the way you manage and publish your news and content

• A “ more and less” strategy

Information pyramid

How do you manage?

• Work with the right PR and content partner• EE focused on “Editorial / Earned Media”

plus new service for “Owned media/brand publishing”.

• Paid for media … trade media, test consumer (print and online) and google adwords campaigns

What does Edson Evers offer?

• Level 1: Classic PR retainer service:• Print/broadcast editorial/earned media• On line magazines (pure and hybrid) earned media• New content formats e.g. Videonews and multi media

news releases• On line press office and twitter/blog feed (additional cost)

• Level 2: New media “bolt on” service packs• 2a) bloggers and twitterers• 2c) social media platforms …monitor and engage

• Level 3: Re-purpose news content for other media platforms managed by client

PR and social media

“PR agencies are best placed to profit from the rise of Facebook and Twitter as traditional agencies struggle to adapt to the digital world ..

“PR used to be considered the poor relation of advertising… but you could argue that “word of mouth” has always been the most effective form of communication. Digital PR is like word of mouth on steroids”

Simon Clift, Chief Marketing Officer, Unilever (annual marketing budget of £4.7billion) in the FT, April 2010

Social media issues

• Should you be there at all?• Listen first ..identify• Then classify : • Originators, replicators, mutators, amplifiers• What is their reach and authority?• Then engage ..carefully• Must have a policy ..transparency, respect, issues of

white/grey and black posting• Then listen even harder to feedback and response

Major new service:Content marketing or brand publishing

• EE will create and manage a portfolio of “owned media” channels for clients:

• Printed magazines/newsletters• On line magazines (page turning, microsite, iPad/app)• Email newsletters• Blog and microblog (twitter stream)• On line TV channel• Social media platforms: company profile management and brand ambassador

profile management• Private social media networks• Shared media site content population ..i.e. flickr, Slideshare etc• Games, apps, avatars, virtual platforms (with external partner)• Knowledge centres and fresh content for company websites including microsite

/campaign site creation .. i.e. use you website as a prime publishing channel

Full service package

• Set up and manage the platform (including hosting if required)

• Narratives and brand story definitions• Content creation in multiple formats• Defined publishing schedule/service level

agreement• Analytics and measurement

Summary

• On line or offline ..it is all media• It all starts with the brand narrative and creating the right

content to create confidence in your audience and grow your goodwill value

• The rest is “mechanics” …producing content in the right formats for each audience and each media platform

• Earned / editorial media is the ‘true word of mouth” and best generator of goodwill

• Paid for media will always have a role• Owned media is the new frontier for brands ..brand publishing

opportunity is huge• Social media can be both “earned/endorsed” and “owned”

Summary

• EE is investing heavily in people, technology and partners to integrate online with traditional PR ..with several success stories

• Leading the way in VNR and TV channels• Winner in the CIM sponsored

“Built Environment Marketing Awards” for Best Use of Digital Communications, promoted by AJ and Construction News in 2009

• Delivering social media campaigns• Publishing on line magazines in multiple languages• Creating micro sites for world class brands• Generating SEO optimised, keyword rich “fresh content”

Don’t be part of the “lost generation”

‘ There is a lost generation of marketeers …the people running global brands, aged between

30 and 45”

“ If you are 25 you grew up with this stuff …if you are 50, you see your kids using it every day …”

“ Agencies and brand managers are now involved in this really rapid catch up ..they have to start to live

the space. ”Simon Clift, Unilever CMO

Together, we can grow your goodwill value

Thank you

Any questions?