DISQUS

DJLitten · 1 year ago

Great post. The most important part of the entire blog comes in the first paragraph when you outline that it's unlikely for "social media thought leadership" to come from public relations agencies.

Certainly, agencies will try, but I also find it unlikely that the social media thought leaders will come from traditional PR, especially the places like Edelman or Burson Marsteller.

Mark Dykeman · 1 year ago

I left this same comment at Social Media Today before I realised that you had posted this here at Ignite, so I'm posting it again here:

My background: I'm an IT guy who's most familiar with consumer packaged goods manufacturing and distribution, so I'm an amateur and a social media enthusiast/blogger.

Now, for those of you who are still reading...

There's a fair amount of history that tends to support your concept of divergence (which we might also call "specialization" or "evolution".) Any profession or area of study tends to specialize over time if it draws enough interest or demonstrates its value through innovation and value. If it doesn't, that particular branch either stops growing, sickens, or dies. If it dies, it often decomposes in nearby soil and gets absorbed by the parent organism to help the parent grow, much like a plant or a tree.

If I understand your article correctly, you're saying that social media should exist as a separate discipline due to its collection of focused talent and skill sets. This will allow practioners to develop deep knowledge and skills and then help to set the direction forward.

If social media agencies can demonstrate the necessary value, then I would think a number of them could spring up and become strong. I also believe that large companies like the concept of "one stop shopping", which will likely push traditional PR firms, ad agencies, etc. to develop these skills in house.

However, like many things, some situations call for the "best of the best" and specific skills. If companies like yours can demonstrate that value, the social media agency branch should survive and prosper. I don't know if it will be a big branch, but at least it could be a healthy branch.

Florian Pihs · 1 year ago

Jim, what you are describing is the old best of breed vs. integrated solutions debate. While firms like lie Ignite might might have the better social media offering (best of breed), PR firms or oven digital agencies might have the better integrated offering.
Client will fall into these two camps based their bias for / against one or the other, based on their existing relationships with current agencies, pricing, the specific people in the pitch etc. Leadership can come from both choices, although the innovation will most likely push into different directions playing off the strengths of the particular agencies.

Jun Quintana · 1 year ago

I agree with you mostly. I think it is a question of available skill-sets. If all of those expertise areas you listed resided at a PR firm, what then? They could argue that these social media-related offerings allow them to perform their function of advising their clients as regards stakeholder relations.

Maybe they need to change what they call themselves. Maybe PR and Social Media will meld into a new being. Regardless, I believe that providing a compelling value for their raison d'etre will determine where this leadership will spring forth, as the earlier post posits.

My two cents. My background is in Communication Research/Media Studies. I've worked in IT Market Research for more than 10 years. And am now learning Search Engine Optimization and am just really intrigued with the possibilities of Social Media.

Jim Tobin · 1 year ago

@DJLitten: Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it!

@Mark: You're right, and there's no guarantee that Ignite will be the market leader either. Someone will prove themselves the innovator over time. My money is on the specialists.

@Florian: True. There are always clients who like (and benefit) from integrated solutions. 20 vendors can be a mess. I just bet the integrators will be one step behind the innovators. And that, for some clients, may be just fine.

@Jun: Good points, but I don't think PR and Social Media will meld into anything. I think they'll continue to fragment.

Thanks for the thoughtful comments all!

~Jim

JasonFalls · 1 year ago

Jim, we're not as far apart on this as you might think. The future of business and thus the future of public relations, has a large footprint online. As more and more of our economy and commerce moves online, or is at least facilitated in online ways, those who currently don't get social media, the social web or how to plug their marketing or communications messages into online outreach, will learn.

There will be social media agencies, like yours, that specialize in that area and they will be successful. There will be public relations firms that handle social media efforts who, too, will be successful. There will probably be search marketing firms who do it as well and some will be successful.

My post on Social Media Explorer (http://tinyurl.com/59bufc - and thank you for commenting) was more intended to push public relations professionals to take responsibility for social media. However, because social media is more a communications mechanism than a use of technology, I still see professional communicators (PR being the most logical connection of the old school, siloed disciplines) being the most appropriate future owners of strategy, facilitation and training for social media programs. Certainly, customer service, product development, marketing and more needs to participate and be skilled in social media. But communications strategy should come from communications strategists.

Social media professionals, while in many areas propelled by professional communicators (you and me, for instance), is often populated by folks with IT backgrounds, developers and even classically trained marketers. While many can and will adapt and be successful, I think proficiency as a communicator will dictate the transition I see of PR being ultimately responsible for social media.

But that only will happen, as I said in my post, if PR is ready and willing to step up and take that responsibility.

Thank you for continuing the conversation. Excellent points and post here!

Brandon Carlos · 1 year ago

One flaw with the law of divergence is that it doesn't take into account individual interest. Case in point: I'm a PR graduate, a marketing communications and new media specialist (on the job) and a social media/SEO fanatic by interest. My interests, to my future benefit and the benefit of my organization, intersect with what I do. I choose NOT to work for a social media firm though I am certainly on my way to being considered a professional-- and people just like me are being bred in PR programs across the world.
The line between social media and PR is being blurred, and while professionals on both sides exist now the future of PR relies on this new breed. That is, the best PR folks will be social media experts and the best social media experts will be PR folks. Will they work for agencies? Not necessarily.

Brandon Carlos's last blog post..I’m a Brazen Careerist

Jim Tobin · 1 year ago

@BrandonCarlos I only partially agree with you. I think the best PR folks will have to have social media knowledge, because that line is so blurry. I don't think you can do PR holistically if you put blinders on to all the new opportunities.

But I don't agree with you that the "best social media experts will be PR folks." Some will come from that background, sure. But I think the best social media experts will be the ones who think about it full-time--either at an agency or not...