Direct Public Relations

Back in the classroom in Public Relations class, I’m confronted with how much the reality of public relations has changed. This was pointed out by a friend who sent me an article the other day about media bias and the current ACORN scandal.

There is a bit of bias in the commentary, and if you are upset by the current state of political rhetoric, just stop after the second paragraph. The bottom line of the opening is this; people don’t trust the media and that distrust is getting worse.

This takes me back to thinking about a foundational concept of public relations. We have been taught to focus on getting our stories in the media because people see the media as a more credible source than advertising. While I would agree that because of cost and several other factors public relations is still a worthy goal I have to ask if the world of social media begin to take some of the shine of that particular golden apple. Since most of us read, “The End of Advertising as We Know It” we focused on public relations.

What I’m seeing today though in reality, and I think the theory needs to catch up, is that direct public relations is the new path. Maybe I’m coining a new term, but direct public relations isn’t exactly public relations because it ignores the media, going straight to the “public”. For instance, websites that post press releases that aren’t really press releases. They are never intended for the press, they are actually news items intended for stakeholders of the organization.

It is also not advertising, because there is a veneer of reporting and it doesn’t rely on some other vehicle to carry the advertisement. The item is controlled by and appearing in a company or organizational vehicle.

I know I’m not the only person thinking about this because I hear versions of it in a lot of places. What is missing is that foundational book like Sergio Zyman’s that helps us quantify this new phenomenon.

What I think would be important about quantifying this theory is that it may help explain and is some ways solve resource issues that we are all facing. Many of us still have shops built heavily around a traditional public relations and traditional print public heavy mix. Some (including some of my fellow bloggers) seem to have solved these resource issues, but for Presidents, Deans, and others it would helpful to have a broader discussion on this so that we can retool the offices around the actual functions that need to happen.