PR PRACTITIONERS & SOCIAL MEDIA

Themes in a Global Context

Prue Robson, University of Newcastle

Karen Sutherland, Monash University

ADOPTION RATESADOPTION RATES

PLATFORMS USEDPLATFORMS USED

GOVERNANCEGOVERNANCE

MODELS OF COMMUNICATIONMODELS OF COMMUNICATION

SOCIAL MEDIA ADOPTIONSOCIAL MEDIA ADOPTION

(KPMG 2011, p.3)

SOCIAL MEDIA ADOPTIONSOCIAL MEDIA ADOPTION

Active vs Passive users?

SOCIAL MEDIA ADOPTIONSOCIAL MEDIA ADOPTION

SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMSSOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

GOVERNANCEGOVERNANCE

(Macnamara, 2011; Zerfass et al., 2011a; Zerfass, Verhoeven, Tench, Moreno, & Verčič, 2011b)

NO. 1 FEARNO. 1 FEARLOSS OF CONTROLLOSS OF CONTROL

(DiStaso et al., 2011; Kelleher & Sweetser, 2012; Macnamara, 2010a; Macnamara & Zerfass, 2012; Robson & James, 2011; Smith, 2011; Verhoeven et al., 2012; Wolf &

Archer, 2012)

GOVERNANCEGOVERNANCE

HAVE GUIDELINES OR MONITORING IN EUROPE

HAVE GUIDELINES OR MONITORING IN EUROPE

<1/3<1/3(Macnamara & Zerfass, 2012; Verhoeven et al., 2012)

GOVERNANCEGOVERNANCE

DON’T HAVE POLICIES OR GUIDELINES IN ASIA-PACIFIC

DON’T HAVE POLICIES OR GUIDELINES IN ASIA-PACIFIC

65%65%(Macnamara & Zerfass, 2012)

GOVERNANCEGOVERNANCE

NEVER MONITOR OR MEASURE IN

THE US

NEVER MONITOR OR MEASURE IN

THE US

46%46%(Wright & Hinson, 2010)

GOVERNANCEGOVERNANCE

MEASUREMENT IS USUALLYMEASUREMENT IS USUALLY

LIMITED LIMITED DESCRIPTIVEDESCRIPTIVEANDAND

(Fitch, 2009a)

GOVERNANCEGOVERNANCE

OFFER NO TRAINING IN ASIA-PACIFIC

OFFER NO TRAINING IN ASIA-PACIFIC

67%67%OFFER NO

TRAINING IN EUROPE

OFFER NO TRAINING IN

EUROPE

73%73%(Macnamara & Zerfass, 2012)

GOVERNANCEGOVERNANCE

TRAINING AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION

TRAINING AND RESOURCE ALLOCATION

NOT A PRIORITYNOT A PRIORITY

GOVERNANCEGOVERNANCE

PRACTITIONERS FEELPRACTITIONERS FEEL

UNDERPREPAREDUNDERPREPARED

(Avidar, 2009; Fitch, 2009b; IBM, 2011; Lariscy, Avery, & Sweetser, 2009; Macnamara, 2011; Zerfass et al., 2011a)

GOVERNANCEGOVERNANCE

Academics and practitioners alike claim that social media provides an

ideal platform for dialogue, collaboration and building relationships with publics

(Bortree & Seltzer, 2009; Estanyol, In press; Evans, Twomey, & Talan, 2011; Grunig, 2009; Macnamara, 2010b)

very little evidence

MODELS OF COMMUNICATIONMODELS OF COMMUNICATION

MESSAGE DISSEMINATION

MESSAGE DISSEMINATION1.1.

PROMOTIONPROMOTION2.2.

MODELS OF COMMUNICATIONMODELS OF COMMUNICATION

Even where there is evidence:

“this finding is considered questionable and suggests rhetoric within public relations

unmatched by practice, based other information provided in this research and the

findings of other studies”

(Macnamara 2010, p. 32)

MODELS OF COMMUNICATIONMODELS OF COMMUNICATION

Even where there is evidence:

“...respondents pointed out that they were offering advice based on their opinion of how Twitter

functions successfully and not how their firms currently employ the tool”

(Evans et al., 2011, p. 15)

MODELS OF COMMUNICATIONMODELS OF COMMUNICATION

Problems with current research:

1. self-reporting

2. short-term content analysis

MODELS OF COMMUNICATIONMODELS OF COMMUNICATION

AREAS OF SILENCEAREAS OF SILENCE

1. qualitative research not reliant on self-reporting

2. case studies of ‘best practice’

3. application of theory

4. audience/reception studies

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