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Who will be the relationship manager?
By: Jennifer Brinkmann | 02/04/2008
I have had a lot of interesting conversations lately with people about the convergence taking place in the marketing industry. Standing Partnership's roots are in one specific marketing discipline: public relations. Yet, this firm always has held a much broader view of that word and its meaning than the market affords PR today. Unfortunately, today's meaning of the term "public relations" almost exclusively means media relations. I could use this post to rant about how the industry has spent the last decade dancing on the same dime, but I won't.
Instead, I want to float out a theory: it does not matter which marketing discipline you claim; it matters what ideas, partners and resources you bring to the table; and most importantly, it matters who can facilitate relationships. Who understands a voice that is conversational? Who understands how to humanize organizations, so they can have relationships with people (not consumers...just people)? Who knows how to match resources with internal cultures and aptitudes? These are the people who will win. They may be PR people. They should be PR people. But, others are equipped to claim this leadership role, leaving PR people simply to pitch traditional media.
My colleagues recent posts about the mis-steps of PR people make me wonder if our industry is up for the challenge. What do you think?
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comments
Jennifer says:
Mon, February 04, 2008 at 10:59:pm
John, I think you’re right. It’s about the facilitation of various expertise to arrive at the desired outcome. This is a skill I hope social media teaches the public relations industry. Collaboration should be viewed as a tool, not just a necessary evil. Through collaboration we will arrive at unique solutions to complicated issues.
john cass says:
Mon, February 04, 2008 at 6:59:pm
I really think the industry is up to the task, but I think that it is as you suggest you must also partner with people who have expertise in other disciplines. In the social media space, that’s customer service and product management. Public relations is not just about media relations, strategy is just as important, I think public relations can lend its strategic approach to online marketing.
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