Yesterday's BusinessWire breakfast was proof that some PR firms do get it. It also proved if the jury's still out on their capabilities, they're plugging in the right people to execute. Enter Waggener Edstrom and their new digital duo Jim Olson and David Almacy. Both were asked by BusinessWire to host their so-called "wireside" chat about PR in the Digital Age. I actually Twittered some of the session from my Blackberry Pearl, at one point looking up during a post as Almacy remarked that, "some of you might be Twittering this presentation right now." I looked up to see a bunch of blank stares. Oh well, nice try David.
Olson, a big brand guy and former VP at Overture, kicked off the discussion with his list of digital trends. One of the things he confirmed was what we're all seeing happen in front of us - video. As he put it, the web now is in full motion and has a voice. Video is mainstream.
( Jim Olson and David Almacy | Pics taken by Blackberry Pearl)
The second point was the broad notion of "interactivity", where users are now part of the mix - like it or not. Citing the oft-used citizen journalism term, Olson explained how media companies have had to rethink the way news is produced and delivered.
Individual Addressability was another term Olson used to describe the ability to tailor content to the right constituents. This is a big one in a lot of ways. It brings the Long Tail into the fold and helps all of us get a clearer picture of the impact of our marketing and advertising spend. Olson quoted the old advertising saying, "I know half my advertising dollars are wasted - I just don't know which half!" Well folks, that's a changing. And that's the lure of content with digital DNA.
The last few points dealt with the potential ramifications of a growing global internet community and the proliferation of mobile devices. On the former, Olson pointed to statistics showing how China will soon surpass the U.S. with more than 200M internet users. The numbers aren't so surprising for a country of more than a billion, but the message was more about preparation. Think about the challenges (cultural, technological) that poses for U.S. marketers. Olson was dead on titling the slide, "The Revolution is not being televised."
The last digital piece he dissected was the mobile movement, drawing a definitive stake in the sand by proclaiming, "Mobile is the new PC". He reminded us more than half the planet's mobile devices are in developing countries. A fitting end to his pitch was a quote from GE's CEO - "I want my communicators to be role models for creativity and innovation."
David Almacy took the floor next with a little faster tempo. A well-traveled political advisor and former web guru for the White House, Almacy came across as part geek and part strategist. That's just what the Doctor ordered for the big PR agencies being called on by the big brands.
His White House 2.0 discussion was fascinating. It's daunting to even think of developing a Web 2.0 strategy for the leader of the free world. Even more interesting was hearing Almacy talk about the early backlash from the President's office when he launched the first Presidential podcasts. Once the first distasteful threads started to bubble up, he was asked to remove the content from iTunes. But in true web evangelist form, Almacy stuck to his guns, finally winning out after the comments evened out with an acceptable positive and negative mix.
I told the President's office, we can't take the podcast down, we're on the front page of iTunes!
The other thing Almacy knifed through was the bevy of social media tools and services. He obviously caught me nodding as he rattled off all the newest Web 2.0 kids on the block, everything from Digg to Twitter and Pownce. The takeaway though wasn't being jargon-capable, it was more about curiosity and exploration. As he put it..
I only have a few Tweets out there but I had to see what it was all about.
And that's really the sense I got from yesterday's event. There was a lot of tire-kicking, a lot of curiosity, and heck of a lot of passion. It was apparent the room was full of communicators trying to keep a foothold on the shifting ground beneath them.
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