european pr congress 2011 – the role of pr in the digital age

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The Role of PR in the Digital Age

Philip Sheldrakewww.philipsheldrake.com

@sheldrake

Author

The Business of Influence: Reframing Marketing and PR for the Digital Age

www.influenceprofessional.com

Founding Partner, Meanwhile

www.andmeanwhile.com

http://www.philipsheldrake.com/

http://twitter.com/sheldrake

http://www.influenceprofessional.com/

http://www.andmeanwhile.com/

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Public Relations, as defined by the Excellence

Study, has a very bright future.

Excellent public relations and effective organizations: A Study of Communication Management in Three Countries, Routledge, ISBN: 9780805818185

http://www.flickr.com/photos/philip_sheldrake/488820724

Let’s start with a conclusion:

Public Relations – a management function that focuses on two-way communication and fostering of

mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and its publics.




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And a polemic:


Public Relations practised as spin, as one-way, as just “media relations”, is dead.




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You have been influenced when

you think in a way you wouldn’t

otherwise have thought, or do something you

wouldn’t otherwise have done

The Business of Influence, Philip Sheldrake, Wiley, 2011



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If you’re in business, indeed any type of organization, then you’re in the business of

influenceThe Business of Influence, Philip Sheldrake, Wiley, 2011


… marketing, advertising, public relations, internal communications, public affairs, customer service, customer

relationship management, social media, copywriting and content, SEO, branding, branded apps and widgets, brand

journalism …

… web design, graphic design, direct marketing, packaging, merchandising, promotion, publicity, events, sponsorship, sales and sales promotion, marketing and market research, product

and service design and development …

… human resources, training and development, channel management, procurement and supplier management, facilities

management …


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The authors of the Cluetrain Manifesto asserted back in 1999 that the Internet allows markets to revert to the days when a market was defined by people gathering and talking among themselves about buyer and seller reputation, product quality and prices.

This was lost for a while as the scale of organizations and markets outstripped the facility for consumers to coalesce.

//The rise of social media

The Cluetrain Manifesto – http://www.cluetrain.com



http://www.cluetrain.com/


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social / digital is not:– a new team or department– something to procure, design or manage separately



social / digital does:– require new skills– bring new opportunities, and threats


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An illustrated history


http://youtu.be/wp2eUSL4oHc

http://www.philipsheldrake.com/2011/01/content-an-illustrated-history



http://www.philipsheldrake.com/2011/01/content-an-illustrated-history


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May have been a relevant axiom for 20th Century, but now…


Influence Strategy and Execution, Philip Sheldrake, Marketing Magnified eJournal, June 2011, CMO Council http://www.marketingmagnified.com/2011/june


Perception is reality

The real-time social enterprise must, by

nature, be authentic.You can’t fake it.

Reality is perception

http://www.marketingmagnified.com/2011/june


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We are more influenced by the 150 nearest to us

than by the other six or so billion combined





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Everything an organization does occurs in the context of a changing world, in a dynamic interplay with every entity

around it


Align Your Stakeholder-Facing Functions with an Influence Strategy, Philip Sheldrake, Balanced Scorecard Report, July-August 2011, Vol 13 No 4, Harvard Business Publishing


No organization is an island

Organizations must cultivate a sensitivity to the new dynamic (one that’s superior to competitors’) and sharpen their ability to interpret and respond

to the myriad communication flows issuing from all sides


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Phones are the most personal of consumer

electronic devices. They rank with keys and money

when going out. They become an extension of

their owner and their loss is mourned, literally

It keeps you connected with those far away, and

disengaged from strangers nearby

//The info tech explosion



- address book- diary

- digital messenger- web browser

- games machine- music player- video player

- navigator- video & stills

camera

... and, of course,a phone


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The Internet of ThingsA public and private nervous system for the planet


Internetome Conference, London, 2010



Electronic devices (washing machines, air conditioning units and cars)Electrical devices (lighting, electric heaters, and power distribution)Non-electrical objects (food and drink packages, clothes, and animals)Environmental sensors(measuring such variables as temperature, noise, moisture)


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Data paucity was a problem of the 20th Century.Big data is the problem and opportunity of the 21st.





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Web 3.0 – the Semantic Web – is about the Web itself understanding the meaning of all the content and participation.




Indeed, the Web becomes a universal medium for the exchange of data, information and knowledge.


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The social enterprise

//The Business of Influence





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Socializing the enterprise demands more than just procuring some social tools. It

demands a CEO-led organizational redesign.




A framework for all influence activities, for the social media, info tech and

business strategy of the 21st Century.

It demands a new and simple model, devoid of ‘baggage’, to think about what

we’re trying to achieve.


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The Six Influence Flows



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The Influence Scorecard

How can we systematically learn from and manage influence flows?

How do we define, develop, and execute a consistent and coherent influence strategy?

How do we prioritize investments in influence-related human, information, and organizational capital?



Kaplan and Norton’s strategy map tool and Balanced Scorecard framework are well suited to these efforts.

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The Influence Scorecard /2

The Influence Scorecard serves as both the methodology for defining influence strategy and the tool for executing it.

It’s a subset of the Balanced Scorecard, containing all the influence-related objectives and metrics extracted from their functional silos.

Helps management ensure that the potential to influence and be influenced is exploited cohesively and consistently throughout the organization.



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In conclusion

Today, influence activities are:

– Spread, uncoordinated, across functional silos

– Encompass only some aspects and subsets of the Six Influence Flows and the Influence Scorecard

– Defined in the context of 20th Century technology, media, and articulation of and appreciation for business strategy

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In conclusion

Tomorrow, your influence strategy must:

– Socialize the enterprise, systematically

– Take best advantage of new info technologies

– Drive business performance management

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Public Relations, as defined by the Excellence

Study, has a very bright future.

Excellent public relations and effective organizations: A Study of Communication Management in Three Countries, Routledge, ISBN: 9780805818185


In conclusion:

Public Relations professionals have the right expertise at the right time to help lead this transition; to help socialize the enterprise.




The Business of Influence: Reframing Marketing and PR for the Digital Age

Philip Sheldrake, Wiley, May 2011ISBN 978-0470978627

www.influenceprofessional.com#infpro

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http://www.influenceprofessional.com/