06 Aug We Work in Comms, Not A&E!
Posted at 02:00h
in
PR,
Social Media
by Paul Sutton
#FlockFriday: an ongoing series of weekly interviews with progressive, intelligent, knowledgeable and insightful communications professionals who want to address the issues in the industry and make a real difference to its reputation and its future. 1 topic, 6 questions, a number of thought leaders…
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If you don’t know the name Adam Vincenzini, then you’re probably not on Twitter and probably don’t follow the UK social media sphere. He may look like the bouncer at your local club at 2am on a Sunday morning, but Adam is probably the most personable, friendly and helpful person I’ve ever come across online. He’s developed an awesome reputation as a truly progressive, insightful and knowledgeable individual, and is respected and admired by an army of devoted followers. He blogs at TheCommsCorner and is the co-founder of #commschat on Twitter. Adam is also the compere of the Social Collective conference in September. But that’s enough of the platitudes, over to Don Vincenzini…
Q: PR/comms always used to be about building relationships with the media and with influencers; as client demands have increased, has the industry lost that ability and become too competitive and too task focused?
A: PR / comms solutions are, on the whole, badly outdated. In a traditional set up, junior staff arguably perform the most important tasks on the ‘front line’ while their senior counterparts are forced, for the most part, to manage processes. For me, this is where the disconnect stems from. Clients pay more for senior people but their tangible output is often brought into question. Meanwhile, junior staff cost less and ‘do’ more, but they probably aren’t always the best equipped (every time). So, in essence, the wrong people have been ‘doing the doing’ and client scrutiny has increased as a result. (And I haven’t even touched in the impact this has on the media – our job has always been to add relevant and timely value to their jobs, not make it harder through poor execution).
There are pockets within the industry challenging the traditional model, creating environments that lend themselves to better performance (and resulting relationships) but deviating away from the norm isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. The industry still has the skills, but more lateral thinking is required to give the right people more opportunities to make connections with the right message carriers.
Q: Is fear and/or a lack of understanding or knowledge responsible for the PR/comms industry not fully embracing new digital marketing tools such as Twitter and Facebook? And if so, what are we scared of?
A: Firstly, we don’t work in the A&E department of a hospital, we work in PR – let’s not forget that real scary situations characterise other professions far more regularly than ours. We’ve also been terribly spoilt for a very long time. When we are giving a brief, we have a chance to work up a draft, bring in other people, conduct research, make revisions, work on it a bit more and then deliver a response within an agreed period of time. Imagine being given draft ‘priviledges’ in an A&E department?!? “Sorry Sir, I didn’t mean to connect your knee to your elbow last night but, you are ‘in draft’, so I’ll just press delete and try again…”
We now operate in a truly real-time environment and instead of being scared we should embrace the opportunities being presented. YouTube is an amazing content delivery channel. Twitter is an incredible engagement platform. The developments we’ve seen and will continue see will only make our jobs more fulfilling. Let’s just get on with it.
Q: Digital media is changing the face of the communications industry and yet many CEOs and MDs in PR/comms agencies seem unwilling to learn the evolving skill sets needed to drive the industry forward. Do you feel that the onus is falling on individuals to take personal responsibility for their own learning and development in this area and, if so, is this a good or a bad thing?
A: I can really only speak about the environment I operate in, but I think it has to be a combination of both. The co-founders of our agency gave me a great deal of latitude to get inside the social media engine for 12 months so I could understand it from a practical perspective, allowing me to talk about it to clients with confidence. That was, and continues to be, a big commitment on their part. At the same time, I’ve invested a bit of my personal time in developing my knowledge as well – but it has been one of the most rewarding periods of my career so if you have a passion for it, get amongst it. In that respect I think it is a good thing.
Q: The ‘new generation’ of PR/comms professionals, which is embracing the social web, appears to be far more collaborative and supportive than the more competitive and guarded old school. Do you feel that a chasm is emerging within the industry between the online community and those who are less progressive? And if so, what are the effects on the industry as a whole?
A: Are we really more collaborative and supportive? While I have seen some great examples of the positive developments in recent times, I’ve also seen some petty and short-sighted behaviour take place as well. The accessibility of the social web also means people can take advantage of situations much more easily, scoring cheap points at the sake of others. Common sense has a role to play too. Not every issue has to be played out in public via social media – sometimes the more private environment of a pub is better place to stage some conversations. Fortunately, I think the majority behave in a really encouraging way. For us to succeed individually through these times of change, we need to work together collectively and share knowledge – that is the only way we will deliver the results clients want…and demand.
Q: The PR/comms industry has a poor reputation for being ‘spin doctors’ and PR flacks. Who do you feel is best placed to build credibility, educate business owners and consumers, and change this reputation, and how do they go about it?
A: I don’t think business owners need too much convincing, they are acutely aware of how vital PR is to their commercial prosperity. Consumers, on the other hand, don’t have the same reasons to believe in what we do. The only time PR is talked about as a function in the consumer arena is when a brand is ‘clean up’ mode, or when it is in relation to the darker side of politics, or when a celebrity goes off the rails. Ironically, the only time we proactively talk ourselves up is when we are talking to people who don’t need convincing – our peers. This is why I often think the ‘my bollocks are bigger than yours’ mentality within channels like Twitter is compounding the issue – but then there is a perception that if you don’t tell the world how great you are you’re probably not – and it goes on, and on, and on.
I think the solution is quite simple. Take personal pride in what you do, remember you are part of a community, and treat all people, whether there’s anything in it for you or not, equally. Remember clients are the ones we need to make happy first – not award panels and judges (although they have their place too). Individuals need to show leadership when they start to see behaviour that isn’t fitting of the hard working majority, but be tactful about it. If we all step up a bit, the flow on effect would be pretty profound I reckon and begin to permeate the mainstream a little. Or, go do something else – we are very lucky to be doing what we do, maybe we all need to do more to show we appreciate it.
Q: With regard to the competition between PR agencies, specialist digital agencies and full service marketing agencies, how do you think things will play out over the next five or ten years? And what will happen to the PR/comms industry if things don’t change?
A: Even though my head sometimes resembles a crystal ball, I’m not very good at looking into the future. Two years ago, I had no idea what RSS stood for, and today I might as well have it tattooed on my chest. I do know that competition, within reason, is healthy – it pushes us to excel. I do know that if we were all the same, the world would be a pretty boring place – we need different people believing in different things. I also know that people, sooner or later, will adapt if they have to. We are moving toward a completely digital existence and brands will always want to be where their consumers are. PR agencies are no different. They will have to be where their clients want them to be. This is why I think embracing change now is the right move – resistance is futile…plus the social web is much more fun!.
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