Have new Internet tools changed the public relations profession?

Published by IVC J - SEPTEMBER 2007

Charlotte Gutman, founder and managing director of CGP Europe SA, examines the impact of the Internet on the public relations business.

A web site is like a business card. If you don’t have one, you don’t exist. SEO, blogs, vlogs, glogs, wires, webinars, webmarketing, customized e-newsletters are new terms that subtly entered the PR profession. If you don’t consider them in your daily business life, you are missing something, but you will never know exactly what it was.

The PR profession, besides being part of a company’s success tools, has a code of ethics (Code of Athens, 1965) where words like objectivity, truth, respect of human rights, dialogue, honesty, integrity and non-manipulative processes are the basis on which we build customized strategies to address targeted audiences such as editors, analysts, consultants, research institutions, trade associations, universities, test laboratories, congress and trade show organizers and more.

Are all blogs respecting the PR Code of Ethics?

Blogs (weblogs) are successful. A new blog is  created every two seconds, and a new video is  put on YouTube even faster. Talking about  speed, how much time do you allocate to  reading on the computer? Some blogs are even  getting more attention than established media.  This trend shows that people want to communicate  on points of interest. However, as there is  no control of ethics, there is an amazing number  of splogs (spam–blogs), and a lot of contradictory  information out there. Blogs are a global  trend today. Will they be an efficient business  tool tomorrow? 

We are witnessing a reduction in printed media  in order to leave budgets for new online publications.  In Europe, however, there is still more  printed media than online media. In PR, both are  on the priority list, along with radio and TV  programs/news. The Jupiter Research survey,  covered in the Financial Times, shows Internet  consumption has doubled from two to four hours  per week in the last two years, but is not cannibalizing  print and TV. 

Are we heading towards a society with a huge  gap dividing people connected to the Internet and  those not? This issue has been undergoing research  for many years. 

The word vlog (video–weblog) first appeared  in Europe when Jose Manuel Barroso, President of  the EU commission, introduced it to the European  Union in order to have interactive conversations  with viewers. 

The word glog (magazine-weblog) designates  a technology enabling anyone to create their own  digital magazine, demonstrating the vision of  several companies that have claimed that the  mobile phone will be the remote control for any  media communication. Imagine a time when  sending SMSs during the day will systematically  build up your customized magazine, which you  will then discover in the evening at home on  your PC. 

Search Engine Optimization or SEO is a new  profession. We can’t make it without SEO professionals  who can position any company at the top  of search engines results. It is especially gratifying  to see your company coming up first or second  when looking for your key words. 

Technologies exist to pave the way for the  evolution of communication. Between the existence  of technologies and the use of it by millions  of people relevant to your company, the road is  called public relations.

The press release remains the center of PR activity

Ten years ago, PR agencies organized traditional  activities, such as copywriting a press  release, support at trade shows, a press  conference, a European press tour, an exclusive  success story. Today, PR agencies are still doing  the same work, but now have new means to  inform targeted audiences via the Internet: search  engines, blogs, vlogs, glogs, wires, e-newsletters  and webinars. 

Europeans still like the phone call and are  answering it, even returning it! 

Europeans are not yet picking up on the  webinar press conference but prefer one-to-one  interviews by phone or face-to-face meetings.  Europeans may decide to allocate time to surf on  blogs, vlogs and glogs, but there is no doubt that  the production of paper is increasing. 

We are going through a social move. Will  people still be able to talk on the phone and  write/post a letter? Aren’t we all selecting the  information we want to see, hear and read? Is it so  much of a change after all? We know what we are  looking for and thanks to the Internet we can find  the way to reach it faster than ever. Does it mean  a brand awareness can be created overnight? No,  you still will need the traditional way of (medium  & long-term) public relations to help you and  your company.