Comments on: The great game

By: The best of the We Are Social blog, 2009 / we are social

The best of the We Are Social blog, 2009 / we are social — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 03:05:46 +0000

[...] The great game This post examines the convergence of above the line, digital, PR, direct marketing and media agencies and predicts who will win in the age of social media. [...]

By: andismit

andismit — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:28:58 +0000

15pc for PR? More like 5pc – certainly if you are looking at technology firms – IDC has been tracking marketing spend in the tech biz for years, and PR never seems to break out of its 5pc share of marketing budget. Digital on the other hand has gone from zero to 12pc and continues to grow.

The thing that struck me most about the NMK debate was the almost total absence of client side representatives. Debate is a good thing – however, at the moment, it is a debate that doesn't seem to include probably the most important segment – the clients.

By: michelle goodall

michelle goodall — Sun, 10 May 2009 11:55:11 +0000

Here here Ged!

OK, so we are broadly in agreement?

…some are bored with the debate..others are using it to demonstrate that they get it and should be invited to the clients' table (PRs, SEMs, specialists, 'conversation agencies' etc) ….slow lingering deaths to those who fail to adapt….marketing Darwinism in action….survival of the smartest/best at demonstrating what good looks like….. shut up and get on and do it….

Right ho… I'm going to sign off from this and other debates like this and focus my time and energy on helping others to plan it, do it, measure it, refine it…..

By: Ged Carroll

Ged Carroll — Sun, 10 May 2009 10:39:40 +0000

This is all a bit tedious, I remember a similar debate when PA Consulting used to do PR for Compaq. PR always has had to duke things out with other disciplines and agencies. Often it hasn't done it particularly well and as Robin alludes to there is a marketing singularity coming.

Ultimately the people who will win will be the people most trusted by the client. Will PR die, I doubt it, will PR agencies die – some undoubtedly will (most likely a slow lingering death due to the low barriers to entry), the smartest have already started evolving.

By: Jonathan Hopkins

Jonathan Hopkins — Sat, 09 May 2009 09:24:13 +0000

@ Danny Agreed. Grrrrrrrr!

By: dannywhatmough

dannywhatmough — Thu, 07 May 2009 09:31:02 +0000

@ Jonathan – furious agreement it is then

By: Jonathan Hopkins

Jonathan Hopkins — Thu, 07 May 2009 07:15:13 +0000

@ Danny – I guess my point (done in a slightly tongue-in-not-so-serious-cheek way, granted) was that we should stop debating it, talking about it and agreeing on different bits in unison. . . and just focus on DOING it.

By: dannywhatmough

dannywhatmough — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:28:32 +0000

I'm afraid I disagree with Stephen and Jonathan, I think this debate is great, relevant and has really been missing at an 'industry' level (whatever that means) for some time, even if it has been very active internally. Broader perspectives are always useful.

I do agree with Katie and Michelle though, the definitions we use are irrelevant (indeed that is the main thrust of my post on the subject – http://www.dannywhatmough.com/2009/04/22/its-pr... ).

I also think Ian makes a valid point. Trad PR is in many ways ideally placed to handle the new wave of marketing/PR/conversation/social media (whatever you want to call it).

The gauntlet has been thrown – many of us (call us whatever you want) are eager and willing to rise to the challenge.

By: Jonathan Hopkins

Jonathan Hopkins — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:57:27 +0000

I'm with Wadds . . . a little bit bored by the #PRdebate.

I reckon the proof is in the pudding, actions speak louder than words and the early bird catches the worm . . . etc

By: Ian Delaney

Ian Delaney — Tue, 05 May 2009 23:36:07 +0000

For the last 100 years, PR has not been recognised as central to a brand's strategy. The media buyer/planners have effectively controlled the marketing budget. The agency that has the largest slice of cash controls all the others to a large extent. That's normally advertising and this is how the conversation goes:

A: “Yeah – and put in 20% for some PR”; B: “Why?”; A: “Yeah – you've got to do that to get some press and that”; B: “Mmmm – maybe 15% ?”; A: “Yeah: OK”.

We enter the social media 'age' (or whatever it is) and PR firms have been given a golden opportunity to reinvent themselves as the conversation specialists. The people on top of what people are talking about.To my mind, far too few agencies are alive to that. They ought to be trouncing digital teams because their specialisation is relationships. Yet they are not.

I could not expect the event to do much more than get people really talking and worrying and thinking. Hopefully, thanks to input like yours, Robin, that's happening.