Evolution of Core PR Skills

There’s an interesting thread on Ajit Jaokar’s blog about WOMMA, which in turn refers to an earlier post on the topic of Agency 2.0. Although he mostly focuses on advertising, Ajit does touch on PR.

As Ajit (who I have interviewed for this blog) said in his post The Elephant in the Room:

Can agencies be a part Agency 2.0? I.e. The future of Agencies (Agency 2.0) may be out of the hands of the Agencies themselves

So these are good questions to ask: what should PR’s role be going forward (assuming there is a role) and, if so, what should the new core skills be?

We don’t want to be the proverbial technology in search of a problem; simply rolling forward and applying old metaphors to new realities may not work. E.g., print journalism is struggling to adapt to an online world in which most people expect info to be free. And, when it comes to PR 2.0, you can’t just replace media relations with blogger relations and call it a day.

I believe PR agencies need to thoroughly reevaluate all areas of their businesses. We need to look at how people are recruited and trained, the range of services, the value we provide etc.

We are moving from a world in which one of the most valued skills is simply to “get media” and all this implies (hiring armies of young people and equipping them with the minimal tools needed to pitch media) to a world in which we are increasingly becoming vested in the conversation.

This does not mean traditional media does not count any longer, it just stems from the recognition that the emphasis is shifting.

So what should the core PR skills be in this new world? We need to be able to:

• Understand the new communications channels and evolving influencer landscapes
• Master the mores and mechanics of online, social media and social networking comms
• Be comfortable with and skilled at communicating in a public forum
• Be credible and genuine, not spammers but people who and add value in public exchanges

Together these skills are much more complicated and amorphous than simply “getting media;” but it is I believe where we need to fcous and excel if we are to remain relevant and add value.

Some people will dismiss us as flacks and shills whatever we do, simply because we are paid to represent clients (ironically, some of the very same people use social media to build their own brands and shamelessly promote themselves, their friends and business associates).

But is a PR person blogging, tweeting or commenting about clients so different from an employee who blogs about their field of work and employer? Or from formerly captive journalists who are becoming “unplugged” from publishing brands and building out their personal brands?

Our fields of specialties and the clients we represent are in fact extensions of our personal brands; there is no reason why we can’t credibly engage on these topics to express our own thoughts while at the same time helping clients meet their communications objectives.