pr 2.0 = the evolution of pr, nothing less, nothing more by brian solis

8/14/2019 PR 2.0 = The Evolution of PR, Nothing Less, Nothing More by Brian Solis

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PR 2.0 = The Evolution of PR, Nothing Less, NothingMore

By Brian Solis, blogger atPR 2.0and principal ofFutureWorks PR,Co-Author Putting the Public Back in Public Relations andNow Is Gone

There are many of us running back and forth from the edge to the center who would love

to drop "2.0" from new evolution of PR. Hey, it's even the name of this blog, and has

been for years, but theres a reason I havent changed the name yet.

The subject itself is a catalyst for healthy, informative, and motivating conversations.

I was reminded of this as good friend Kami Huyseshouted on Twitter recently, "I hate PR

2.0 I HATE PR 2.0. I can't say it any louder, you get my drift. Come on folks, we aren't

software developers here."

The irony is that when I first started using the term in the mid-to-late 90s during the Web

1.0 era, it was indeed inspired by software development. To reach a state of 2.0 after

releasing the first iteration of software is a momentous step a proof point that were on

the right track, but that by listening to customers and also innovating, you could

constantly release a better product.

And shes not the only one talking about the so-called PR 2.0 contingent.

(cc) Brian Solis, www.briansolis.com - Twitter, @briansolis
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Noted PR fortuneteller, Amanda Chapel, captured it so eloquently, History won't be kind

to PR 2.0, i.e. a moment in time when infatuation with tools replaced understanding of

communications.

Its clear that there are those who want to help and those who want to cash in. Im in the

help category; so lets do something about it.

Regardless of terminology lets just say that there are those who believe

PR 2.0 = Good Public Relations, i.e. effective communications.*

Yep, thats a footnote.

*In a perfect world, it is what PR should be and shouldve been all along, but it isnt.

Somewhere along the way, PR lost its way and created a new sub standard for what

should have been one of the most respected positions within business marketing. Words

such as shill, spin, sales, BS, bluff, exaggeration, arrogant, sensationalist, and oblivious,

have become synonymous with this once golden profession. While the majority of the

PR industry truly believed they were doing the right thing, the truth is that it took the

Internet to expose our weaknesses and most importantly, it provided the infrastructure

for us to learn from our mistakes publicly.

The reinvention of public relations was sparked ten years ago and its just now gaining

momentum.

1) PR as an industry is in dire need of evolution in order to not only stay relevant, but

also prove that in the social economy, it can be one of the most effective forms of

marketing that cultivates customers, ambassadors, and enthusiasts.

2) Social Media is not New PR. It is a classification of socialized media and it is

inspiring new PR, but they are not one in the same.

3) Darwinism will weed out those who dont get it as well as those who pretend to get it

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(even if they dont realize they dont get it).

Theres a tremendous amount of confusion within the globally distributed halls of PR,

and instead of debating and focusing our energies on 1.0 vs. 2.0, we should be working

together to help people make the migration to new methodologies, strategies, and

showcase the tools to participate.

The divide between those who do get it and the people that dont is oceanic. Equally,

there are veterans and opportunistic marketers who believe they get it, but actually

dont and are actively pushing this substandard, nave, or manipulative form of person-

to-person marketingand they too must also learn.

Narrowing that chasm is a personal objective for me.

Heres how I defined it years ago:

PR 2.0 was born through the analysis of how the Web and multimedia were redefining

PR and marketing communications, while also creating a new toolkit to reinvent how

companies communicate with influencers and directly with people.

It is a chance to not only work with traditional journalists and analysts, but also reach out

to a new set of influencers, customers and peers.



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No BS, no hype, just an understanding of markets, the needs of people, and how to

reach them at the street level without insulting everyone along the way. PR is evolving

into a hybrid of communications, evangelism, and web marketing strung together by the

teachings and benefits of sociology and psychology.

Obviously, the Web matured over the years. You could have simply subbed multimedia

with new media several years ago and most recently, Social Media. Yet theyre all still

relevant.

The classification was simply a reference for reflection, inspiration, and education.

Let me be clearer.

PR 2.0 is the understanding and practice that communications is a two-way process and

incorporates the tools, principles, strategies, and philosophies for reaching, engaging,

guiding, influencing, and helping people directly in addition to the traditional cycle of PR

influence.

Social Media, the interactivity of the Web, and the rise of democratized content indeed

represents a much-needed reinvigoration for a tired and complacent industry.

The only reason I run spend my free time writing about this is to spotlight the ongoing

evolution of marketing to bring things from the edge to the center so we can all learn and

grow together. Its also one of the reasons I joined Chris Heuerand a group of other

http://www.chrisheuer.com/http://www.chrisheuer.com/http://www.chrisheuer.com/


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pioneers to co-found The Social Media Club. If you get it, share it.

In this regard, the principles and philosophies of PR 2.0 (originally) are truly different and

noteworthy when compared to what we practice in traditional Public Relations and what

were taught in school although there are some fantastic people out there working to

change this, JayRosen, Dr. Kaye Sweetser, and Robert French, just to name a few.

There's a balance between old, proven, and what's new that we must equally embrace in

order to be successful and effective.

Whats undeniable is that the Web has created and forced new channels for the

distribution of information at, to and between people. It changed everything. Its

forcing traditional media to evolve. Its creating an entirely new set of influencers with a

completely different mechanism for collecting and sharing information, and is also

reforming the daily routines of how people discover and contribute content.

The debate surrounding the name for this renaissance is insignificant and is a

distraction from the more important parade of new and renewed ideas, strategies, and

practices that help companies tell their story more effectively, genuinely, and

convincingly. People will align with the moniker they believe in as long as it all nets to the

same thing at the end of the day.

This isnt about the critics or those who believe theyre above the rest of us, or even the

enthusiasts who are overly passionate about the tools they use for sharing content in

Social Media Marketing, this is about those who are learning, and more importantly, who

want to learn about how PR can change for the better.

Its not the tools. Its the communicator.

Its not the story; its the personalization and the targeted benefits and value propositionthat compel someone to not only listen, but respond.

Lets help those millions of Public Relations professionals and students who are just

now, or soon will be, introduced to the new world of communications many of us have

already been navigating for years.

http://www.socialmediaclub.com/http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/http://kayesweetser.com/http://www.auburnmedia.com/wordpress/http://www.socialmediaclub.com/http://journalism.nyu.edu/pubzone/weblogs/pressthink/http://kayesweetser.com/http://www.auburnmedia.com/wordpress/


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Theyre embracing the new school of PR as a personal responsibility and commitment to

make things better.

Credit: Hugh MacLeod

New PR is only new until its not, and quite honestly, everything simply folds back into

Public Relations.

Until we can get the rest of the world on the same page however, New PR deserves its

own attention in order to help those looking to learn and understand where they need to

be.

PR 2.0, New PR, Online PR, Social Media Marketing, Conversational Marketing,

Influencer Relations, Relationship Marketing, Community Marketing, whatever we call it,

theres no denying it is representative of a shift in communications. Its migrating from a

broadcast mechanism to a hybrid assembly of traditional PR combined with web-savvy,

social-awareness, intelligence, and a real understanding of markets.

These more enlightened communicators get it and can effectively ignite relationships

with people directly (conversations) and through peer-to-peer influence. One-to-many

PR does not dissipate either; it becomes more targeted and informative.

For over ten years, we have had the ability and the privilege to virtually communicate

directly with people, complementing our traditional channels of influencer relations.

http://www.gapingvoid.com/http://www.gapingvoid.com/


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The difference though, is that were required to participate in a more informed and

intelligent way. Its quite simply the minimum ante to jump in. Unfortunately, however,

many communications professionals are merely using the same old tools and strategies

to reach a very sophisticated group of consumers.

Its not just about finally getting on Twitter, blogging, podcasting, creating profiles on

social networks, putting videos on YouTube or uploading artwork on Flickr. These tools

will come and go. Its about what you do with them to create mutually benefitial

relationships within each online community.

Be the person you want to inspire.

It all comes down to social sciences and the understanding, that New PR and Social

Media Marketing is guided by sociology. The study and observation of online cultures,

their interactivity, and the humanization of what it is were hoping to carry into these

important communities will by default, improve the foundation for forging successful and

mutually beneficial relationships. Thats where it all starts. Spin, hyperbole, messages,

pitches, blasts, and voicemails have no place in the new world of communications.

Think intelligently.

Whether were talking about traditional PR or new PR, it was and is still rooted in

relationships.

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Online and offline PR require strategies that were supposed to be part of PR all along

(know what youre talking about and to whom your talking, who/what you represent and

why it matters to the people youre trying to reach).

In my opinion, there is no such thing as PR 2.0 as a practice. It is simply a game-

changing mantra. But, if 2.0 is a mantra for evolution and change, then yes, it implies

that there was, and still is, a traditional way of looking at things.

Whether you subscribe to the label is moot. If you believe in the reinvention of a more

socially conscious, informed, and relationship-driven form of public relations, then thats

all that matters. Call it whatever you want, just as long as you contribute value to the

evolution instead of stealing from it.

So, what are we going to do about it?

Update:

Dennis Howlett, a respected enterprise and IT related finance thoughtleaderand author,

responded on Twitter, "@briansolis: if it's evolving then why does it continue to fail? "

(see what you're up against?)

My response, "@dahowlettit fails because people feel that there's nothing to learn.

Good news, there's an undercurrent and I'm trying to expose it."

Howlett, "@briansolisNo point in exposing it if the practitioners don't get off their

backsides and do something about it. I hope you're successful. "

Recommended Reading:

Cultural Voyeurism and Social Media

The Social Media Manifesto

The Art of Listening and Engagement

http://www.accmanpro.com/http://www.accmanpro.com/http://www.accmanpro.com/http://blogs.zdnet.com/Howlett/http://twitter.com/dahowlett/statuses/777485009http://twitter.com/briansolishttp://twitter.com/dahowletthttp://twitter.com/dahowletthttp://twitter.com/briansolishttp://twitter.com/briansolishttp://www.briansolis.com/2008/03/cultural-voyeurism-and-social-media.htmlhttp://www.briansolis.com/2007/06/future-of-communications-manifesto-for.htmlhttp://www.briansolis.com/2008/02/transforming-customers-into-evangelists.htmlhttp://www.accmanpro.com/http://blogs.zdnet.com/Howlett/http://twitter.com/dahowlett/statuses/777485009http://twitter.com/briansolishttp://twitter.com/dahowletthttp://twitter.com/briansolishttp://www.briansolis.com/2008/03/cultural-voyeurism-and-social-media.htmlhttp://www.briansolis.com/2007/06/future-of-communications-manifesto-for.htmlhttp://www.briansolis.com/2008/02/transforming-customers-into-evangelists.html


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Dear Chris Anderson, An Open Letter to Make Things Right

http://www.briansolis.com/2007/11/dear-chris-anderson-open-letter-to-make.htmlhttp://www.briansolis.com/2007/11/dear-chris-anderson-open-letter-to-make.html


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Brian Solis is globally recognized for his views and insights on the convergenceof PR, Traditional Media and Social Media. He actively contributes his thoughtsand experiences through speaking appearances, books, articles and essays as away of helping the marketing industry understand and embrace the newdynamics fueling new communications, marketing, and content creation.

Solis is Principal ofFutureWorks, an award-winning PR agency in Silicon Valley.Solis blogs at PR2.0, bub.blicio.us, TechCrunch, and BrandWeek. Solis is co-founder of the Social Media Cluband is a founding member of the Media 2.0Workgroup.

Solis has been actively writing about new PR since the mid 90s to discuss howthe Web was redefining the communications industry he coined PR 2.0 alongthe way. Solis is considered an expert in traditional PR, media relations, andSocial Media. He has dedicated his free time to helping PR professionals adaptto the new fusion of PR, Web marketing, and community relations. PR 2.0 has

earned a position of authority in the Technorati blog directory and currentlyresides in the top 1.5% of indexed blogs. BrianSolis.com is also ranked amongthe most influential blogs in the Ad Age Power 150 listing of leading marketingbloggers.

Working with Geoff Livingston, Solis was co-author of Now is Gone, a new bookthat helps businesses learn how to engage in Social Media. He has also writtenseveral ebooks on the subjects of Social Media, New PR, and Blogger Relations.

His next book, co-authored with Deirdre Breakenridge, Putting the Public back inPublic Relations, is now available from FT press.

Connect with Solis on:

Twitter, FriendFeed, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Plaxo, Plurk, Identi.ca, BackType, SocialMedian, orFacebook

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pr 2.0 = the evolution of pr, nothing less, nothing more by brian solis

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