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June 1, 2007
I Had Fun at MESH
I was a featured speaker yesterday at the MESH Conference in Toronto. I spent about 45 minutes in a discussion with Stuart MacDonald, our former client at Expedia and now an Internet entrepreneur. View the transcript here.
Here were some key points I tried to make:
1) This is a time of great opportunity for public relations. We are now able to compete with other communications companies (advertising, promotion) which have historically had the primary seat at the table. Our big ideas are often the program’s central idea. We are also uniquely suited to the present environment, which depends on dialogue, trust and relationships.
2) The role of the PR person must evolve from a pitching mentality to a listening/learning approach premised on conversations with reporters, bloggers, critics, analysts, employees, and myriad of client stakeholders.
3) The quality of the content we distribute must be high because it is increasingly used as primary source data, without the mediation process inherent in working with a reporter. We need to offer attribution, to give real depth of content and to check our sources, to ensure journalist-level quality.
4) There is no place in PR for spin. To be deemed a spinmeister is the ultimate insult. We are in the business of presenting reality, both to clients’ stakeholders but also to the client. We advise, develop strategy and listen, so that we help to shape the reality.
5) We must dare to be great. We should not settle for being limited to conducting media relations—which will continue to be essential. Our approach is more relevant than any other communications discipline because today everyone has a voice with the means to publish their opinions, and participate in communities. We need to ski the hill hard, to fall a few times in the process, but to get up and ski again.
Here are a few links: to others who commented on my discussion with Stuart (Deep Jive Interests, Behind the Buzz, Web Walker and Globe and Mail). By the way, one questioner asked whether I would debate Mike Arrington (yes, anywhere, anytime) and said that I seemed calm, cool and smart. I accept that description with alacrity.
I am off to Chicago for my brother’s wedding tomorrow night. A small family anecdote is necessary. At my wedding, my brother John, my best man, was charged with placing the glass covered by a napkin under my foot so that at the conclusion of the service, I could stomp on it and declare my marriage. Whether it was his placement of the glass or my ineptitude, I completely missed on the first try. I will be sure to position both him and the glass properly for his big stomp tomorrow.
Posted by Edelman at June 1, 2007 1:11 PM
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