“Invisible Wire Pullers” and PR 2.0
Invisible Wire Pullers and PR 2.0? Let me explain.
Looking to get some perspective on the whole PR 2.0 debate (Stuart Bruce, Philip Young), I pulled Stuart Ewen's book, PR! A History of Spin, off my book shelf.
It was published in 1996 – just as the commercialization of the Internet was accelerating. I was looking for some insight from Edward Bernays, one of the pioneers of our profession, whom Mr. Ewen had interviewed for his book. As I settled in and began rereading other sections of the book, I stumbled on the following passage written by Mr. Ewen:
"We need to imagine what an active life might look like in an electronic age. We need to discover ways to move beyond thinking of public relations as a function of compliance experts and learn to think of it as an ongoing and inclusive process of discussion. Ordinary people need to develop independent ways and means of understanding and airing public problems and issues and acting on them."
With the hindsight of blogs, podcasts and wikis, I felt like the kid who knew something that everyone else didn’t. I didn’t have to imagine the impact of new media. MoveOn.org, Wikipedia and iPods had done the work for me, reshaping the landscape and to some degree the balance of power.
You have to look no further than Trent Lott, the makers of Kryptonite locks and AOL customer support -- to understand the impact of this new class of citizen journalists.
But upon further reflection, I began to wonder whether Mr. Bernays would recognize our profession today in the advent of new media. What if anything was so different?
Was it a matter of new technology? Yes and no. Blogs and social networks are new, but adapting to new technologies and new mediums isn’t. Before new media, our predecessors grappled with the advent of radio and television. And in time, we will be grappling with what replaces blogs.
Have our objectives changed? As Bob Winslow, a trusted friend, now at Fleishman-Hillard points out, PR is still about understanding your audiences, knowing the influencers, engaging in the conversation and building trust within those communities where you need to tell your story and develop your brand.
Has our function changed? Here at last is where invisible wire pullers come into play and why I ultimately think we are not in Kansas any more.
Mr. Ewen writes that Bernays believed that public relations experts were “invisible wire pullers” who mediated between the public at large and the companies they represented. Bernays saw public relations counsel as the ones who pulled “the wires which control the public mind.”
At one level, aren't we like Mr. Bernays still seeking to control the channels of communication to maximize exposure and deliver favorable outcomes to those we represent? Like a speech, press conference, case study or video news release, isn’t corporate blogging just the newest way to shape the message and influence the public debate?
For me however, the key point of differentiaion is the word "invisible." What is really transformative about new media is not the wire pulling; it is that the wire pulling is no longer behind the scenes. Where we once sought invisibility, we now strive for transparency.
In the age of new media, we now share the pulling with our audience. We are entering into unintermediated dialogues with consumers. We have made a virtue out of full disclosure, candor and openness. We eschew corporate speak and strive to communicate with greater informality (the new corporate speak). We are not just the expert behind the scene; we are the public’s trusted friend. We rely on its expertise. We learn from our customers and follow their suggestions. We want them to be our messengers, create our ads, and generate our content. We seek to influence, but through engagement.
And so yes, new media is shaking things up, requiring new rules to reach the same objectives. Yes, new media is transformative; how transformative it will be is what makes our jobs interesting.
Let me get back you.
Looking to get some perspective on the whole PR 2.0 debate (Stuart Bruce, Philip Young), I pulled Stuart Ewen's book, PR! A History of Spin, off my book shelf.
It was published in 1996 – just as the commercialization of the Internet was accelerating. I was looking for some insight from Edward Bernays, one of the pioneers of our profession, whom Mr. Ewen had interviewed for his book. As I settled in and began rereading other sections of the book, I stumbled on the following passage written by Mr. Ewen:
"We need to imagine what an active life might look like in an electronic age. We need to discover ways to move beyond thinking of public relations as a function of compliance experts and learn to think of it as an ongoing and inclusive process of discussion. Ordinary people need to develop independent ways and means of understanding and airing public problems and issues and acting on them."
With the hindsight of blogs, podcasts and wikis, I felt like the kid who knew something that everyone else didn’t. I didn’t have to imagine the impact of new media. MoveOn.org, Wikipedia and iPods had done the work for me, reshaping the landscape and to some degree the balance of power.
You have to look no further than Trent Lott, the makers of Kryptonite locks and AOL customer support -- to understand the impact of this new class of citizen journalists.
But upon further reflection, I began to wonder whether Mr. Bernays would recognize our profession today in the advent of new media. What if anything was so different?
Was it a matter of new technology? Yes and no. Blogs and social networks are new, but adapting to new technologies and new mediums isn’t. Before new media, our predecessors grappled with the advent of radio and television. And in time, we will be grappling with what replaces blogs.
Have our objectives changed? As Bob Winslow, a trusted friend, now at Fleishman-Hillard points out, PR is still about understanding your audiences, knowing the influencers, engaging in the conversation and building trust within those communities where you need to tell your story and develop your brand.
Has our function changed? Here at last is where invisible wire pullers come into play and why I ultimately think we are not in Kansas any more.
Mr. Ewen writes that Bernays believed that public relations experts were “invisible wire pullers” who mediated between the public at large and the companies they represented. Bernays saw public relations counsel as the ones who pulled “the wires which control the public mind.”
At one level, aren't we like Mr. Bernays still seeking to control the channels of communication to maximize exposure and deliver favorable outcomes to those we represent? Like a speech, press conference, case study or video news release, isn’t corporate blogging just the newest way to shape the message and influence the public debate?
For me however, the key point of differentiaion is the word "invisible." What is really transformative about new media is not the wire pulling; it is that the wire pulling is no longer behind the scenes. Where we once sought invisibility, we now strive for transparency.
In the age of new media, we now share the pulling with our audience. We are entering into unintermediated dialogues with consumers. We have made a virtue out of full disclosure, candor and openness. We eschew corporate speak and strive to communicate with greater informality (the new corporate speak). We are not just the expert behind the scene; we are the public’s trusted friend. We rely on its expertise. We learn from our customers and follow their suggestions. We want them to be our messengers, create our ads, and generate our content. We seek to influence, but through engagement.
And so yes, new media is shaking things up, requiring new rules to reach the same objectives. Yes, new media is transformative; how transformative it will be is what makes our jobs interesting.
Let me get back you.
