Livingston

Apr
24
2007

PRWeek Declares PR 3.0 Era… Whoops.

Are these guys for real? PRWeek declared the era of PR 3.0 has arrived (see Brian Solis’s excellent write up of this gaff), after skipping the whole 2.0 debate. This is the spun version of a mia culpa. We were wrong, new media does matter.

I can’t imagine trying to push PR 3.0 given the reticence to join the current revolution… Convincing people that our business has just been turned upside down once (a.k.a. 2.0) has turned into a war of resistance for many of my aging, competing agency brethren as well as business owners locally in DC. Folks just don’t want to believe that new media is worth their corporate time… Meanwhile their competitors are engaging with their communities through the Internet, wreaking havoc!

People have a hard time grasping how much new media has changed PR, demanding a new level of transparency and openness. They just don’t get it. And they probably won’t get it until their jobs become endangered.

I think PRWeek hurts us more than it helps us with this PR 3.0 moniker. Enough people in the industry are fighting PR 2.0. Now with this article we give them extra bubble fodder.

I’m not the only one kvetching… Murphy’s Law slammed the article, “Rather than just discuss the changes taking place to PR in terms of new tools (e.g. blogs and podcasts) or practices (e.g. conversation) they have to give it a new moniker.” Engage in PR says, “What I don’t get is how PR Week is so out of touch with what has been discussed on blogs for 24 months concerning the changes in our industry.”

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by Geoff Livingston | PR |

5 Responses to “PRWeek Declares PR 3.0 Era… Whoops.”

  • Brian Solis Says:

    April 24th, 2007 at 10:24 pm

    Geoff, thank you for continuing the discussion. Here’s an interesting place to get things to bubble up - strange how it’s not garnering more feedback.

    http://thecycle.prweekblogs.com/2007/04/24/abr-the-good-and-bad/

  • Kyle Says:

    April 25th, 2007 at 8:26 am

    Hey Geoff, it really is amazing (even after I had a night to sleep on it)…love the site.

    /kff

  • PR 2.0 - Silicon Valley Says:

    April 25th, 2007 at 6:01 pm

    Kramer auto Pingback[...] PRWeek Responds to 3.0 Fallout In an impressive move, PRWeek EIC, Julia Hood, responded to the blogstorm of negative coverage about the magazine’s edict that PR was entering the 3.0 era.My original article is here.Instead of directly addressing the arguments and points of contention circulating in the blogosphere, Julia explained the rationale behind the 3.0 moniker, “Sometimes editors fall so in love with their ideas, they neglect to properly explain them. Judging by some of the blog posts about our ‘Public Relations 3.0′ agency business report cover line, that seems to be the case here.”She continues, “Honestly, I thought it was obvious. When I started covering the industry in 2000, it was already in the midst of a long-running transition from providing focusing on communicating to the media and to the public through the media, to its place in the C-suite where managing corporate reputation, CSR, employee engagement, and boosting sales would be part of the job description.Now public relations is at the beginning of its third age, when it is demonstrating its unique facility for navigating environments where the companies and brands have less and less control. Rather than lamenting the decline of traditional media’s influence, the PR industry is embracing the new platforms and communities that test their creativity and the authenticity of the messages.This change is happening much more rapidly than with PR’s previous transition, when even two years ago we were still getting letters to the editor about how little respect the profession is afforded. But even if the changes are occurring quickly, they are no less significant.So that’s the rationale. Public Relations 2.0 was simply not far enough - the industry has quite suddenly found itself facing a refreshingly high set of expectations from clients and the public alike.”This is probably the most important discussion facing the industry, because I think much of the PR vs. PR 2.0 vs. PR 3.0 discussion is still leaving people spinning with confusion and many are unsure how to even engage in this new form of media.My response…”Julia, kudos for responding to the blogosphere.I originally reacted to your assessment that we were entering the 3.0 era because the industry isn’t truly ready for it, nor are we even close (so says the people are blazing the trail for the betterment of the rest of the industry, as well as those still trying to figure out how to engage in social media.)Your point, “Rather than lamenting the decline of traditional media’s influence, the PR industry is embracing the new platforms and communities that test their creativity and the authenticity of the messages,â€? captures where we need to be, not where we are. I spend a lot of my time these days helping others “get it.â€? The truth is that many PR people, in fact, most PR people are attacking new media in the same fashion as traditional media – if at all. Remember this is an industry that is guilty of not even reading the publications they pitch, let along blogs, podcasts, etc.Honestly everything that’s documented by PRWeek only validates the whole basis of PR 2.0, it doesn’t leapfrog it. In my post, I highlight the principles behind how I define the 2.0 era.It all started with the technology that enabled the socialization of media, progressed with the people who embraced it to create new content, and it will end when PR can legitimately engage. Then, and only then, will PR 2.0 fold back into PR (without the need for a rev number behind it.)We have a tough road ahead of us, as I’ve said before, and as many have already written, PR isn’t invited to the table here. The masses think we don’t get it, so we have a lot of PR for the PR to undertake.In the meantime, the economic rationale highlighted in PRWeek only demonstrates the demand for these “newâ€? services and expertise by companies looking to jump in. However, this new breed of “smarterâ€? PR pros are a rare commodity.The higher set of expectations by clients (or executives for those in house) isn’t realistic either for defining 3.0 as most are still unsure how to measure it, or are still either intimidated by the thought of losing control of their messages or still think that social media is not a legitimate use of marketing resources.The only true expectations that exist are those of the public, and more accurately, the people that make up the public (producers, participants, and readers alike). It is their expectations that place the greatest emphasis on the evolution and necessity of PR 2.0 – or as better described, more effective, sincere, and smarter PR.For now, it is the difference between spin and evangelism. It’s also the difference between storytelling and influence.This is an incredible opportunity for the PR industry to escalate its perception by integrating value, direct engagement, and an entirely new set of metrics that prove ROI. It’s up to us to put the “proâ€? back in the PR Professional title.PR 3.0 is only confusing the market more. This existing confusion is where we need to focus. Perhaps we can talk 1:1 so that we can collaborate on a concerted way to help the rest of the industry catch up, while also helping businesses understand how to embrace this new world of social media and PR.”Additional reactions:WordymouthEngageinPRMurphy’s LawPRWeek’s The CycleGeoff LivingstonAdd to: | Digg | del.icio.us | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl | Pr pr2.0 pr+2.0 media media2.0 media+2.0 2.0 web2.0 web+2.0 blog podcast web publicrelations prweek socialmedia social+media social brian+solis pr3.0 pr+3.0 3.0 julia+hood newpr constantin+basturea marketing advertising long tail [...]

  • The Buzz Bin » Blog Archive » Goodness Gracious, Great Blogs of Fire! Says:

    April 26th, 2007 at 1:04 pm

    [...] The PR 3.0 gaff is quite amazing to me. PRWeek emailed me today telling me I was wrong, that all PR firms are blog believers. That’s kind of like George Bush trying to justify the war… again. Anyway, here’s their official response to 3.0 fury. What to like about PRWeek’s approach to this. The newspaper is dialoging and having a conversation with its constituency. This is progress. No matter what the end result on the moniker “3.0,” this demonstrates the true power of new media. [...]

  • PRWeek Responds to Fallout | WebProNews Says:

    May 3rd, 2007 at 8:39 pm

    Kramer auto Pingback[...] Additional reactions: Wordymouth EngageinPR Murphy’s Law PRWeek’s The Cycle Geoff Livingston [...]

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