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Social Isn’t About Advertising Or PR
Mondays are my super busy days. I do all staff and client meetings on Mondays in order to get the week on the right foot and (kind of) prepare for anything unexpected. I’m in meetings or on the phone for 10 hours straight, with little time to use the bathroom or eat.
So yesterday, when Shelly Kramer tagged me on Facebook to read this article and then when Troy Claus sent it to me via email, I knew the title was going to make my blood boil, but I hadn’t read it yet.
And boy did my blood boil!
PR Agencies Are Ruining Facebook.
I love sweeping generalizations like this.
Look, I know the PR industry has a terrible perception, one we’re working daily to change. But to say
PR agencies are good at distributing messages, but they aren’t known for really producing anything
is a bunch of baloney.
The article is written by an advertising agency guy. That’s pretty apparent in his message. He begins his argument by stating that PR professionals were the first in the social media space and that fact alone has made it a very boring place.
The problem is that in social media, as in life, a conversation isn’t engaging unless there is something interesting to talk about. No one wants to listen to an endless, aimless stream of dialog about a brand or a company, which is what you get from a strategy that focuses on news, offers and the occasional contest. That’s where PR-led social strategies wind up because those are pretty much the only arrows in PR’s quiver.
I’m the first to admit there are plenty of PR professionals who are consulting companies or working inside businesses to use the social platforms solely as news filters…one more place to distribute your news releases. And I also talk a lot about the type OO (output only) person you avoid at cocktail receptions and networking events.
No one wants to hear someone talk about only themselves. No one.
The best way to add and engage fans, as the article’s author states, is to grow your existing customer base.
But it isn’t left just to the advertising guys, or the creative, to do this. And it’s not just about social. It’s about the tools that fit best into the overall strategy.
There are plenty of companies, and agencies, that are doing it wrong. We hear about them day in and day out. It’s getting exhausting.
We all agree the social tools are just that: Social.
So let’s talk about the companies that are being social. That are engaging. That are growing their fan bases and, through that, are driving sales (not just more followers or fans).
Have an example you can share or are you fond of a case study? Leave it in the comments!
As a side note: His article states, “Even the most articulate strategies, built by the best social media gurus, tend to focus on developing a presence on Facebook or Twitter, rather than developing a brand’s purpose.” And then I noticed in his tweet stream that he’s going to be in Chicago next week and has asked David Armano to drinks. Better be careful. Armano is one of those “best social media gurus,” who works at one of the largest agencies in the world.
Funny Gini was just mentioning how some of the communication 'specialists' are partly to blame for CEO's having their heads in their asses (as you so eloquently wrote :)
Ad agencies are feeling the 'heat' from social media and I see this post as a desperate cry for help.
Either he really doesn't get PR or is really feeling threatened by PR agencies who get it and are allowing their clients to have a bigger share of voice in social media.
He reminds me of a creative director who used to tell a client "listen to me, I'm the brand custodian'
Seems like nobody is listening to you anymore Daniel.
Lol!
I love when you get fired up, Gini.
You've pretty much said what I would say, so I'll just throw my 2-cents in on companies that I think do it well. And I'll be selfish and include a link to one of my own posts since I wrote about this last year. I was fortunate enough to discover Dave Warren through a friend. Dave owns two Ace Hardware stores in Wisconsin and has taken to Facebook in amazing ways. He's not perfect, but the beauty of it is, he's not a marketing, PR, or advertising professional. He's just Dave. And he's fumbling along and getting it right more often than not. You can check out his Facebook Page here: http://www.facebook.com/davesace and my blog post about him here: http://inklingmedia.net/2010/10/26/branding-engagement-pt-2-my-new-favorite-facebook-page/
The beauty of Dave is that the way he presents himself online is exactly the way he probably presents himself in his stores when he interacts with customers. He's just...Dave!
http://www.searchenginejournal.com/how-pr-people-are-destroying-social-media/28976/
linker put this up on that post- thought this would tweak you even more
I saw that when it ran. I actually agree with him on most of his points. Yeah, I know. I'm psycho.
At this point PR bashing is its own literary genre -- part fiction, part non-fiction, mostly bile, and always void of any useful, actionable content.
What intrigued me most about your post was the description of your Mondays. If you want to get really hardcore, have meetings while you're in the bathroom like LBJ did.
Annoying isn't the word is it? You always get the conversation started Gini, thanks.
You asked for case studies that show social media working. Here is one we did for the Del Mar Racetrack. We expect even better results this year. We did integrate online advertising with our social media and you know what, it worked. Really well. http://www.dontdrinkthekoolaidblog.com/marketing-to-increase-attendance/
Since you asked for a case study, I'd love to tell you about the Columbus Marathon. It's a client, but I'm only one part of the puzzle. It's really an example of how digital strategy should integrate with traditional media outreach, community relations, sponsor development, etc. Our online effort (social media, blogger outreach and FB advertising) helped increase attendance at RunFest, drawing nearly 500 people to this kick-off event. Looking at last year's event, our numbers on Facebook and Twitter grew, we hosted a live "Ask the Race Director" show via UStream, a virtual scavenger hunt to introduce our new website, guets posts, contests, etc. But, the most important metric is this: The event sold out faster than any year prior. And, this year, even though we expanded the field, we're again going to sell out in record time. We've got a content strategy, respond to questions and comments -- all the "stuff" you're supposed to do. But, we always stay focused on the goal: Driving event attendance and generating additional community support. At the end of the day, it's not about what new, cool tool we're using. It all boils down to whether we're helping the marathon accomplish it's mission. Always love sharing client examples -- thanks for providing a forum, ginidietrich! :)
HeatherWhaling Love, love, love this! Thank you! I love that you have true metrics to show the success. So many social media "experts" say you can't measure this stuff, but you just proved them all wrong.
Um, can't we all just get along? It depresses me that "sisters" need to be adversaries. We're all likely to get much more business if we figure out ways to collaborate and leverage synergies. I even did a study for Worldcom and TAAN on this topic a few months ago, if you want to see data and my suggested model of how we might all "play nicely together." http://bit.ly/gZnX2u
elizabethsosnow I remember in 2000-2001 it was a BIG deal to try to integrate all disciplines under one roof. Then 9/11 hit and everyone went back to their corners to fend for themselves. I don't know if it's a budget thing, an ego thing, or it's just too hard, but I'm with you...we should all be able to get along!
I so agree with you and tire of the sweeping generalities made as well in so many posts. A single act by a comm/pr/ad/mktg pro quickly transforms into the latest whipping boy for others. I am regularly reminded of one of my grandmother's favorite things to say -- people in glass houses should not throw stones. That's what I'm seeing here, and my blood is boiling, but it's so many other places as well. We do need to get along, listen and solve problems. together. Here's hoping. elizabethsosnow
ginidietrich Articles like that are awful and should make your blood boil. The fact of the matter is that no one entity owns the social space. The argument that PR people have made it boring can be met with advertising agencies make it spammy. Both have some lines of truth but are overly generalized. The battle is just another version of people fighting over who has a bigger piece of the male anatomy.
The equation that I like to look at a successful social media program is a crew team. There are various functions pulling together for an organizational win. The effort should be filled with passioante knowledgeable people but led by a communicator. The main reason is that at the end of the day it is conversational media.
And don't you just love name drops at the end of an article?
jeffespo And this, Jeff, is why you're a rock star!
ginidietrich Why thank you my friend.
I see sweeping generalizations like that and just say (in my usual verbose fashion) "What-ev."
a_greenwood The man of very words speaks!
I am still trying to convince my bosses that making me hide behind a company logo is a bad idea. Many times people fear change so much, they would rather not risk anything - because God forbid they be proven wrong!
*Beats head on desk* All that can be done is just continue to prove the naysayers wrong. They will either come around and adapt, or they will go out of business. It really is that simple.
Why do my bosses not get this? I am sending you to talk sense into them Gini :)
NancyD68 Um, perhaps you should send them this guest post I wrote today http://diyblogger.net/hey-ceos-get-your-head-out-of-your-ass
ginidietrich NancyD68 See having a logo also has its benefits. The main reason I prefer them is that you can help avoid attrition and people liking one person on the account over another. If you look at notable faces who left their company but were the "social face" Dunkin Donuts and Comcast, you lose something. The logo also lets people know it is official even without an unverified account.
Many reactions on my part, but I want to stress again that the goal of social media is to get a conversation started among your community - and that may be a very different reality than most people are able to comprehend.
If your business is a bar where people talk a lot anyways, what they *want* more than anything is information on specials, events, etc. A contest here and there involving the memorabilia on the wall and you have them talking - not necessarily online, but in real life. People seek out the most intimate place to have community and that's not always going to be twitter / basefook / et cetera. It depends on the nature of the business as to when / where / how - and an open mind will identify real community wherever it comes up, no preconceptions.
So even in the worst case given by this person, the PR / Advertising can still be exactly what is needed as social media reinforces the community exactly where it needs to be. Even when this article is right, it can still be wrong. That's what makes gross generalizations so much fun!
wabbitoid Yes, it's SOCIAL media for a reason. It's not a one-way communication tool.
Do you realize how empty our lives were this past few days when we didn't all have the option of coming over to Gini's place for an afternoon of conversation, hilarity, and general hijinks??
KenMueller It's been a lonely few days!
KenMueller Have you noticed, the later in the day it gets, the more downhill it goes?
ginidietrich it's like a frat party in here!
KenMueller Seriously.
I'd like to believe that anyone who reads that article would laugh, delete any connection to that ad agency, and then tell all of their friends to do the same. Sadly, that's not the case. Really the only thing we can do is put out stellar work and continue to prove people wrong.
MattLaCasse Sadly it's not the case, is right. And you're absolutely right - that's why I'm looking for GOOD case studies. I'm tired of people inflaming the PR industry.
ginidietrich Agreed. Do you think it's because they feel threatened to a certain extent? Or is just some sense of moral and/or intellectual superiority?
MattLaCasse I don't know. If I make a gross generalization, I don't think they're smart enough to feel threatened. :) No, I really think it's some sense of superiority.
I checked this dude out; he follows 700 and is followed by 3800; it's superiority indeed. ginidietrich MattLaCasse
Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing Never thought to start checking some of these people out, but it is a lot of fun! You told me that he has about as many followers as I do - and, BTW, who the Hell am I? But the site it was published on, digidaily.com, doesn't seem to have a lot more traffic than I do (hard to tell with compete, no data on quantcast, alexa is clearly fudged) and has no presence at all on PostRank (???).
I think this is a person / site that is best ignored. I mean, Gini dearest, we want to save your wrath for those who really deserve it! :-)
Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing ginidietrich MattLaCasse ARE YOU SERIOUS? come. on.
wabbitoid Alright. Fine. I'll pick on someone else.
Heh, and just like when we all ranted about that frackin restaurateur on NYX Small Biz Blog, the traffic went higher and higher! Dang, Gin Blossom, you gotta quit driving analytics where they're NOT due! wabbitoid
Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing wabbitoid Just don't click on the story I linked to!
P.S. I wonder how many LifeFyre points that dude has? wabbitoid
ginidietrich C'mon, where's the li'l smiley emoticon ...
No, seriously, they had this coming and we do need to start going after this nonsense (I'm still working on my bit, a combination of perfectionism and cowardice is making it harder than it should be). But I also want to start checking out actual readership because a lot of people who claim and/or act out "influence" really don't have jack for back.
Feels like PR envy to me...no love lost between advertising and PR. Haven't we all felt it in the conference room when the disdainful glares from "them" to "us" whirled around the room? What a frackin' jamoke, and a "CEO" to boot. Stink.
Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing I think we now have to use jamoke and Shonali codswallop in a sentence. 3HatsComm you in??
And, I couldn't let that codswalloppy jamoke alone; had to leave a comment over there. ginidietrich Shonali 3HatsComm
ginidietrich Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing Shonali Of course. I'll start with:
So a codswallop and a jamoke walk into a bar, bluetooth earbuds affixed to their noggins, smartphones unpriable from their hands. The host promptly seats them in the Douche Canoe section and ...
Who wants to take it away? ;-)
3HatsComm "So, what'll you have?" The bartender says casually, figuring a lousy tip is in the works no matter what. "Martinis are trending," the codswallop says as if it has meaning. "Tequila is so 2010," the jamoke adds, never lifting his eyes from his phone. The bartender doesn't hear an order in there, so she asks again, "What will you have?"
Anyone have a punchline to go with this rant of a joke? :-)
Well, hopefully I can add an outside perspective here, as a business owner who uses PR and agency people but does not do either for a living. While there is obviously tremendous talent and creativity in both camps, I have to say it takes a lot more creativity to get earned media that supports a brand’s promise than to create an ad that does. On the whole, good PR folks simply don’t have room to be tone deaf. By necessity, good PR (emphasis: good) must be attuned to the wants and needs of customers (and the media) to be successful. It seems to me PR people would get the use of social media for business more naturally than ad folks.
Of course, it’s crazy to think an entire discipline is doing it wrong. Obviously, there are people in both camps who get it and who don’t. You just have a site full of people here who do! :)
adamtoporek I love you. Can I say that?! Thank you for the added perspective. I agree with you, but I'm biased. Social media is social and, by nature, it means building relationships. That's what PR pros have done for 100 years: Built relationships.
ginidietrich Well, of course you can! :) The nicest comment response ever, and I’ve been away from my computer. Fortunately, Southwest has wi-fi.
For the record, you rock, as does the Spin Sucks community! What a great discussion.
Dear Gini - you have the VERY best rants in the game. Well said! I wish I could send an in cognito video crew to get some footage of the Ad guy's meeting with David (if it happens). That conversation has some serious YouTube potential ;-)
nateriggs Right?! I mean, come on! That was as close to a personal insult as you can get. He IS a social media guru who was hired by a big agency to help them figure out the space.
ginidietrich And it was a good move too. David is one of the true though leaders when it comes to this stuff...
I agree with DannyBrown .. Everyone knows the bubble is set to burst, so it's positioning to cover your own ass. It's a turf war and posturing for the payday, plain and simple.
Reading the comments, there's another post linked from SEJ on the same thing.. how PR is hurting SM. I read that one too and didn't dignify it with a RT or even a comment (though I 'liked' Danny's reply there too). I noticed you didn't comment (boiling blood and all) but on both posts, there are a handful of 'you tell 'em' cheers, mixed with more 'wow do you NOT get what PR really is' dings. And little engagement from the blog authors. Something else that makes you go hmmm...
BTW I don't get as hopping mad on posts like this b/c it's opinion, it's hyperbole and in this case, silly. If anything FB is 'ruining' itself along with a host of marketers and that post really had nothing to offer me to help 'fix' that. FWIW.
[...] Social Isn’t About Advertising Or PR – This is a great response post from Gini Dietrich to an article titled PR Agencies are Ruining Facebook. Unfortunately there is still a line in the sand and folks just can’t see beyond it or decide on a way to have everyone working together. The comments section is also filled with very smart commentary on the subject. [...]
[...] I see that Gini Dietrich responded to the post–and she was very animated, as were the 60+ comments her post generated. Then, @prtini pointed [...]