However you want to describe it, online and social media is playing an important part in shaping the reputation of brands around the world. It’s been doing so for some time now, certainly a few years. The issue at hand though, the one that New Media Knowledge (NMK) raised at their ‘What happens to online PR?’ event last week was if the Public Relations industry was best suited to lead clients through the ever-changing digital media landscape.
Led by New Media Age Editor-in-Chief Mike Nutley the NMK team brought together MD and founder of Wolfstar Stuart Bruce, Head of Social Media at iCrossing Anthony Mayfield, Global Head of Digital at Weber Shandwick James Warren and Founder and MD of Content and Motion Roger Warner. A great panel, though apart from Mike, sadly lacking journalists or independent bloggers that make their living from building or knocking down the brands that PRs work so hard on.
On one side we had the argument that PR is and should be just about press and media relations, which is what we were told clients expect from their PR teams or agencies – an outdated thought. Some of those present even claimed that PR agencies find it difficult to re-invent themselves, which is why online PR should be left to niche digital agencies, which “better understood this channel.”
Fifteen years ago this might have been the case when it was all about the technology and not the PR or the message. It was about something new that only a few people understood yet everybody wanted a piece of the action. Not any more though.
On the other side you had those who believe that it’s PRs that should continue guiding clients through the digital world. PRs that have experience in reputation building and management, people who know how integrated communications campaigns work. Who know have experience in developing influence and creating relationships.
The interesting point that came through from the evening was that digital media is still seen as niche and not a communications channel that would be part of any overall campaign planning. Some even complained that within certain agencies, they were seen as an ‘add-on’. They weren’t integrated, mainly because clients had the ‘get me in the FT’ attitude to their work, even though their reputation was more at risk from bloggers and social networkers. Something that is true given that staff in newsrooms around the world are experiencing a bloody cull. But, educating clients and employers takes time.
There was broad agreement on the fact that online and social media is all about credibility. There is a difference between a pastime and a service. Comms teams need to have social media people within, they need to be able to use their knowledge to develop campaigns.
Clients and employers know and are used to buying press relations services, but they need to understand about social and online media. This new channel needs to be quantified and measurement tools need to be refined so that they can understand the importance and influence that it has on audiences that they want to communicate with.
At the end of the day, PRs are here to serve clients, to put on the table solutions to issues they face. Communications is becoming much more integrated, with PR moving more to the centre of decision making, shaping the strategy not just for consumer campaigns, but advertising ones.
Social and online media is a new channel and needs to receive the attention that it deserves.
Never doubt how Social Media can help develop and drive a brand. To give you an example of its power you need look no further than 
How not to sign up a brand ambassador
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009Bookmakers Better Bet have signed former Arsenal player Paul Merson as their new Brand Ambassador. An interesting choice given that Merse claimed some time ago to have lost £7 million on gambling, which led to him being declared bankrupt in 2007.
So why appoint a self-confessed [former] gambling addict as the face of a bookies? Surely appointing Merson is like appointing La Winehouse as the brand ambassador for the Colombian Tourist Board.
Since those dark days of his, Merson has been a regular on Sky Sports News as a pundit on the Gillette Soccer Saturday show. So I guess that must have been the clincher for Better Bet; sign-up a pundit that regulars down the pub can recognise and your in the money. Because I am sure that many people would want to place a bet after seeing Merse, after all, what could go wrong with one little wager, eh?
Brand Ambassadors after all are by nature people that can help promote and advertise a product, company or brand. They have an element of celebrity that can help the company promote itself and its products in a controlled manner. They become the human face of the organisation, a person that clients and importantly potential clients can associate themselves with and can help drive sales. Ambassadors have to be asprational characters that can help get the clients messages through.
Just look at how David Beckham helped Gillette increase sales even with all the gossip that was surrounding him at the time. Sales of Gillette products in the Far East, where there’s still an obsession with all things Beckham, broke records. The deal was put together by Hill & Knowlton’s London office and while it was claimed to be one the biggest sponsorship deals the client was pleased with the results of their association with a person that even today is making headlines wherever his career takes him.
Meanwhile, in a statement Better Bet said: “The customers love Paul and can relate to him.” Before adding: “I don’t know about his gambling problem in the past. He doesn’t hold an account with us or bet with us.” It’s a kind of bearing your head in the sand after the horse has bolted (at the 3.15 at Lingfield no doubt. Ed.) comment.
When researching candidates for the position of Brand Ambassador the first thing an in-house PR team or agency must do is analyse how candidates will affect the brand and reputation of their client or employer. It appears that this hasn’t been done.
Sports sponsorship is an import tool in the PR armoury, especially in the US. Get it wrong and you damage your brand. Get it right and everybody wants a piece of the stardust that your ambassador brings to the company.
This is one to watch!
And if you want an alternative view on the deal then read ‘Celebrity Sell Out’s Altenative View of the Merson Campaign.’
***UPDATE***
Today, 26 March 2009, Betting firm Better have annouced that they have dropped their brand ambassador Paul Merson from the advertising campaign due to the large number of complaints they’ve received. I wonder what they’ll be saying to their PRs? A serious and harsh word if I were them.
More here: “Betting firm drops Merson from ad campaign.“
Tags: ambassador, brand, communications, gambling, marketing, pr, reputation, sponsorship, sport
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