2008 will be a very exciting year for me.

Today, and in the days following, I will be sharing three new developments in my life that will immediately be my top professional priorities; and will influence what you will find on this blog.

I will start with the first piece of news today and elaborate on the others over the next couple of weeks, so I invite you to stay tuned.

Director for Digital Strategies Group, Asia | Waggener Edstrom Worldwide
Last week on 2 January, I joined Waggener Edstrom as the Asia Lead for the company’s Digital Strategies Group. Having managed a couple of global multiple-agency PR accounts some years back, I had the chance to work with several Waggener Edstrom teams; and the experiences left me very impressed by the culture of innovation and excellence that runs throughout the agency.

In speaking with the company about taking on this newly-created role, I was just as blown away by the expertise and capabilities of the DSG; and those conversations convinced me that Waggener Edstrom is way ahead of the curve in delivering on the Digital PR promise for PR and online influence. And so with Asia as my mandate, I embark on this journey with my new colleagues with great excitement.

Coming up… Two Theses…
The other two priorities for me this year lay outside the domain of my work at Waggener Edstrom; and is in the form of two theses that I’ve been thinking about over the past few months. I hope to post an executive summary on each of them on new blogs over the next two weekends.

The new blogs will not be as regularly updated as this one; but they will serve as conversation-starters with like-minded individuals. Having them on separate blogs will help me to separate our PR 2.0-related conversations from that of my other interests.

Till the next post…

Some fundamentals seem lost in the Web 2.0 world.

Having a good name is one of many. I’m not referring to a company’s reputation - we already know that to be undeniably crucial. I’m referring to the very names of companies and products.

I was just testing Wikia Search earlier and the one thing that struck me was how easily cynics could headline a negative post.

All because ‘Wikia’. Sounds like. ‘Weaker’.

And the possibilities are endless - Wikia: The Weaker Search Engine. The Weaknesses of Wikia. Jimmy Wales’ Hopes to Beat Google Get Wikia and Wikia…

Of course it could work in favour of the new search engine… For instance - Wikia Weakens Google’s Stranglehold in Search. But against a giant like Google and its kingdom of fans, the downside risk for a name like Wikia seems greater than the upside. And Wikia’s powerful founder doesn’t give it the opportunity to enchant the masses with a David-and-Goliath story.

On the flip side, Apple’s range of operating systems - Panther, Tiger, Leopard etc - makes made it very easy for Apple-loving journalists to headline their articles with “Leopard takes a giant leap ahead of Windows” etc. (A random example I found; and I’m sure there are many more.)

That said, a poor name will not deny a good product from succeeding; and from a digital PR perspective, it would be good to explore Wikia Search a little more. BusinessWeek has a pretty good introduction to Wikia.

I am a demanding customer.

Like every other customer, I’ll call customer service whenever something displeases me about a product or service.

But if the problem is not well solved, I’ll e-mail an account of my experience to the customer service manager, copying in the PR manager and the CEO.

Why? Because I know that if the customer service manager doesn’t care about how much impact negative customer word-of-mouth can have on a company’s brand, the PR manager and CEO does! And if customer service won’t hold themselves accountable to the customer experience – and consequently, the company reputation – the PR chief and CEO certainly will!

As a PR consultant, I am closely associated with the clients I serve because my contacts are easily found on online press releases. And I have been personally contacted by unhappy customers whose experiences with my clients’ customer service further aggravated their dissatisfaction. In response, I have stepped in on several occasions to resolve issues that would have otherwise led to letters of complaints in the newspapers or negative word-of-mouth. And, while I don’t have a client-side mandate for customer relations, I don’t think my work was beyond the call of duty. Simply for the reason I stated above. PR is ultimately accountable for all facets of a company’s relationship with the public.

The question I have for experts in Customer Relations is: what do customers expect of PR today? Am I the only one who would demand that they are aware and accountable for sloppy customer service?

In an earlier post this year, I proposed that PR managers should be responsible for orchestrating the concerted PR effort – one that goes beyond mere media and analyst relations, and extends to areas including customer and employee relations strategies.

Do You think the PR manager has a role to play in Customer Service?

The social media revolution has given rise to quite a number of ‘rules’. They come in the form of phrases like “the Long Tail” and maxims like “Content is King”; and they attempt to change the paradigms of marketing and communications as we know it.

But are these sayings completely trustworthy?

I wrote in a recent post that “maxims have the power to form paradigms that eventually shape our thinking and consequently (in our case), strategy.”

But while these maxims are fantastic in helping us understand social media, we deceive ourselves when we take them at face value and fail to consider the truths behind counter perspectives.

Think of the proverbial Blind Men and an Elephant story, in which the true physical characteristic of the elephant (truth) is misrepresented by the interpretations of several blind men left to feel with their hands, the different parts of the animal.

True wisdom in PR 2.0 then, is not simply taking every buzzword and saying, and crafting strategies and tactics around them; but rather, in understanding the essence of these ‘new rules’ and turning them on their heads to get to the real truth. It’s all about eliminating the “either-or” fallacy that logical psychology warns of.

If we systematically question every social media maxim that we know, and examine them carefully, we will gain a tremendous amount of insights. Kudos to Chip Griffin who, in his post on “Throwing Out the Social Media Rulebook“, has given us a head-start. John Cass’ commentary following Chip’s post is well worth the read too.

Enjoy.

PR Bloggers we have aplenty, but Brendan Cooper has gone where few PR professionals dare to venture – the world of tables and numbers.

Brendan – formerly known in the Blogosphere as the Friendly Ghost – is the man behind the PowerPR Index in which he ranks the top 100 PR blogs using Technorati, Google and Yahoo! measures.

ThePR2.0Universe.com happens to rank at 58 this month, slipping from the 51 spot in August. And I suppose I deserve it for being lazy with only two posts since August.

But my ranking’s not the point here. I write this post for two reasons:

First, I – along with 98 others – have to thank Brendan for the effort that he has taken to put the Index together, and fuelling that competitive streak in us all.

Secondly – to thank him again; but for perhaps a far more important reason. In crunching up this table for PR bloggers, he has subtly reminded us of the relationship that we (must) have with numerical data and analytics in the PR practice today. And here I can almost hear the cry, “but if I like to work with numbers, I would have been a private banker!”

In all seriousness, the deeper we dive into understanding the new media landscape, the more we will need to hone our sense for data and analytics. And the moment we begin to grapple with the explosion in the number of influencers out there, it will become absolutely vital for the 21st Century PR practitioner to be a numbers-person.

Instead of writing a thesis here, I will simply point you to a book worth reading if you haven’t already read it – Super Crunchers: Why Thinking-by-Numbers Is the New Way to Be Smart, Ian Ayres

I’m not too sure if this should go into The PR 2.0 University, because if I do, then many other books and articles need to be included too. But who knows, I may revise that list one day.

This afternoon, I had lunch with a journalist who has a brilliant mind for business strategy; and the one question I wanted to ask him was – whether he had any business plans to pursue when he tires of journalism. We never got to that question for lack of time, but I was confident that he would make a good strategist when the time comes.

I must say, I am exceedingly fortunate to count as friends, several other journalists who impress me deeply with their business acumen.

But when I got back from lunch, I stumbled upon a Financial Times article by Michael Skapinker, who asserted that “you can handle the web without an adviser”. In his commentary, he explained how complex the Web was; and went on to question the ability of PR agencies to bring any value to businesses.

“When it comes to your whole industry being damaged, you can look for alternatives (paid-for music downloads, online newspapers),” claims Michael, “but it is difficult to imagine what the PR people can do for you.”

There are some very good observations in his article – such as the relationship between PR and customer service quality, and an all-round 360-degree approach to PR. And I’m not disagreeing with some of what he was saying. In fact, as PR professionals, we should certainly consider some of those issues.

But his headline may not be the most helpful to companies trying to grapple with the complexities of the new media and business landscapes.

In fact, Michael’s article reminded me of a Guy Kawasaki post in May this year titled “The Top Ten Reasons Why PR Doesn’t Work”.

I cannot, for the life of me, understand why these guys are still going on about the same thing.

In an increasingly sophisticated business environment, PR is probably one of the most valued disciplines (I didn’t say “job” or “tool” or “person”) to management. Yet it seems increasingly fashionable for someone – a journalist or, horror-of-horrors, Guy Kawasaki himself – to have a go at slamming the PR discipline and profession. One of the things they seem to like doing is to insist that businesses don’t need PR firms to navigate social media and help them develop strategies to build trusted relationships with customers online.

Michael Skapinker, for one, clearly thinks so.

So why don’t we admit that they’re right. Almost right. Yes, Businesses can build customer and other crucial relationships online without the counsel of PR professionals.

But I wonder how many of these journalists, in making their arguments against the need for PR firms, actually consider the opportunity cost in developing the expertise and implementing those strategies in-house?

I am quite sure that if you think hard and well enough, there’s no big secret to effective web strategy; or Strategy for that matter. If there were, the best strategists won’t be blogging or coaching others; and professional services firms won’t be publishing case studies.

But PR firms can bring broader expertise, deeper insights, economies of scale, efficiency, quality and perhaps more significantly – a disciplined, systematic approach to web strategy that businesses today really need.

Now, I have no doubt that any capable business leader can acquire or develop the expertise to do all this within the organisation or the management team. But at what cost?
Intelligent business leaders do what they are good at. And they outsource the rest by engaging professionals to bring all I stated above to the table. Sometimes, you can bring on your management team, someone who’s great at online public relations strategy. But often, depending on the scale of the business and the business structure, it makes more sense to engage a consultant or an agency.

So yes, Michael Skapinker is right. And in his words, “you can handle the web without an adviser”.

And businesses don’t need professional PR counsel agencies just like they don’t need accounting firms, research firms and IT vendors. Businesses don’t need PR agencies just like I don’t need a plumber, or a laundry mart, or an investment manager.

But how much business sense is there in having the account executive or the relationship manger spend time learning to build the office network. Or how much business sense is there in setting up a full-fledged IT organisation within a mid-sized business?

We are talking about fundamental management principles here, and it’s disappointing to see such simplistic views from credible publications like the Financial Times. Especially when the intent is in question.

If you feel that CEOs and other senior managers are capable of developing strategies to manage their public relations without counsellors, I won’t argue against that. I humbly submit though, that the true differentiating value is not the big strategies, and the creativity and the PR awards (although I admit they are all important; except the awards). But as a PR consultant or an agency, the greatest value that I can bring to businesses is this: a less-glamorous but disciplined and systematic approach. It is the discipline of developing strategy, skill-sets, relationships and whatever else it takes – in order to help companies meet their business objectives. And very often, this means helping business leaders to listen well, communicate clearly, and hold them accountable to the high standards of sincerity and honesty that’s required in building trusted relationships with the Public.

So, Michael-Skapinkers-of-the-world, until business leaders decide that it’s not importance to focus on core competence and manage organisational resources and intellectual capital efficiently, professional PR counsel and services are still your best bet.

Eternity is…

• Eternity is a two-month break from blogging, watching fellow ‘PR bloggers’ analyze countless issues that I would have loved to discuss, but for lack of time… and realizing that after all that, nothing has changed… really.
• Eternity is the moment, frozen in time, when after sunset on a breakwater by the sea, I asked Ruth to consider a courtship with me… and she said yes.
• Eternity is the rock – Chronos – upon which all our grandest endeavors to communicate clearly and build trusted relationships, is built on or smashed against.

I am amused to realize while I pen this entry, that after a two-month break from blogging, I unintentionally resume with the same theme with which I first started this blog – time.

Why I’ve not been blogging…
The one question I have to answer here is the one that many of you have asked me via e-mail, instant messaging and even when we meet face-to-face – “Why have I not been blogging?”

If it would serve no other purpose, this excuse-riddled post will explain everything.

This is one entry that has seen the most number of revisions starting from the first draft two months ago. And even now, I post this with some hesitation.

Separating the person from the blog
For a long time, I’ve tried to keep this blog completely free from accounts of my personal life. I wanted it to serve as a guide and a resource to those who needed to know more about how the discipline of Public Relations has changed in the new Web 2.0 economy. And I remain rather sure, that what I will write next in this post will do very little in accomplishing that.

Therein laid my dilemma – for two months, the very most pressing thoughts I wanted to share with the rest of the world, I refrained from doing. And because of that, every other ‘PR 2.0’ entry I intended had taken a backseat.

But in finally putting this post up, I now truly appreciate first-hand, how hard it is to separate the person from the blog, and the blog from the person.

So yes, contrary to popular opinion, I’m still alive and blogging. And while I can’t promise that this will be the most insightful piece on the blog, it will certainly be the most personal one so far.

… Changes in my life
Another reason I refrained from blogging over the last two months because life was very much in transition… and for lack of time in grappling with the changes and transitions.

A Relationship
I was adjusting to a life in a relationship… And… between spending time with Ruth and taking time to discuss communication strategies on a blog post… come’on…

Career-change
During the past couple of months, I was also working through a decision to leave Burson-Marsteller to pursue…

Independent Consulting
It seems that most of the foundation for ‘PR 2.0’ has been laid and this is the season to develop strategies from principles and put words into action. It’s time for Execution. Execution. Execution.

In a timely convergence of frustration with age-old PR bad-practices, opportunities in consulting for companies that seek to understand social media and operate in the new environment, I’m leaving to do just that.

Project O.F.
Final reason for my tardiness in blogging – I’m working on a project that I shall codename ‘O.F.’ for confidentiality. It’s got everything to do with social media, public relations and business leadership. Needless to say, I look forward to opportunities to collaborate. If you are keen, drop me a line… I may not be able to reveal very much; but would love to chat anyhow.

Project O.F. will be the one constant in my schedule over the next couple of months until it’s launched and I move on to something else.

… But back to this blog and back to writing…

The purpose of this blog
I started this blog to get the unacquainted started on their journey in PR 2.0. And after having compiled the PR 2.0 University reading list, after putting up Paul Holmes’ brilliant manifesto with his permission, and after pointing to some brilliant minds who are blazing the way in the industry, it feels like my job is done, and I don’t intend to spend much more time commenting on incidental issues (the Debbie Weil-GSK Blog fiasco, Edelman’s Walmart boo-boo etc) when others are doing it so brilliantly. (I still intend to join in the discussions though, because I think there will be valuable lessons there… and for that same reason, I will attempt to point the way to those conversations).

You and I
Finally… You. You do realize… that I dragged my seat back into writing because of you? I do want to talk. I want to talk about your interest in PR and social media and how we can do what we do better. How we can build strong relationships with the people that matter to us and to whom we matter. How we can make a difference in the world, by not only having the best intentions, but by also articulating our vision clearly. By engaging in fruitful dialogs with people and getting others involved in what we do. Not shutting our organizations and businesses away from people, but by opening up the doors and inviting them in.

This blog has been a great way for me to engage in those discussions with you; and it will continue to be a great way for us to grow together. And I look forward very much to our next conversation.

Aside:
As I return to blogging, I read with interest an article by The Friendly Ghost about the decline in volume of blog posts by PR Bloggers (specifically in the UK). This is somewhat cathartic since I feel somewhat better that I’m not the only one who’s been spending less time blogging.

Walter Lim also wrote a piece titled (the) Death of Blogging, pointing to Steve Rubel’s post on the same subject. More validation (and excuse) for my eight weeks of silence in the Blogosphere. But that’s another post altogether. Meanwhile, this blog is still alive!

I.Z. Reloaded recounts the courtship that led to a Blog-sponsorship/Brand Ambassador relationship with San Street

San Street, a street-wear company in Singapore, has appointed local blogger - I.Z. (of I.Z. Reloaded) - as Brand Ambassador. I.Z. will represent San Street’s portfolio of clothing brands, and the company will be the main sponsor of his blog. Details can be found in the official announcement on Scoopasia.com.

Today, businesses are clearly interested in reaching out to online communities by working with bloggers that attract such an audience. The tactic? Creating associations with Global Microbrands.

When I.Z. gave me the heads-up on this news, I interviewed him in the hope of providing companies with insights on how to approach bloggers with a marketing agenda (an issue that still divides the blogosphere):

Q. Did the company approach you “cold”? Or did you have friends in the company?
A. I did not have prior contact with San Street until several weeks ago when the company was scouting for bloggers to work with.

Q. How did they approach you? How did they strike up that conversation?
A. They sent me an e-mail with a brief description of the company and its clothing brands. They also mentioned that they were looking at new marketing platforms, and were interested in using my blog as part of their marketing plan. I agreed to meet to discuss further, and that’s how the conversation started.

Q. What did you like about their approach?
A. I liked it that they were straight-forward and very clear about what they wanted. And I think that (approach) is important. Not many companies know how to approach bloggers properly for such purposes.

Q. What would have made or broken the deal for you?
A. Before this, I was already talking to a few companies about similar endorsement/sponsorship arrangements. Because of that, I was prepared with the right presentation (on my reader stats: the number of readers per day and month; and a breakdown of where they come from) and the right plans (how I would promote their products on my blog).

Q. When I first asked the question above, I meant to ask if there was anything San Street would have done to make or break the deal. But it seems you feel that the blogger has an equal part to play; and certainly an equal reward to look forward to in the relationship.
A. Yes. There are many bloggers out there who are interested in some form of sponsorship. So, if a blogger would like to be selected by a company for such deals, he should go all out to impress the company.

Q. How do you feel about your blog being labeled “a marketing platform” by San Street?

A. I’m happy with it because it shows that blogs have come of age, and that companies are starting to regard them as an important marketing tool or platform. I’m not saying that every blogger should start pursuing sponsorships, but I think as a blogger and publisher, it is always satisfying to know that you can make a difference; not only to your readers, but also to the companies that want you to help them market their products.

Q. Did you wear their range of clothing and accessories before this?
A. I never wore their apparel before this, but I guess now I will have to! I’m obligated to wear their stuff during functions and events, but I’m pretty comfortable with the clothes that I’m representing now. They have an entire range, not just t-shirts, but jeans, caps, wallets, bags, slippers, even girls’ stuff!

Q. How many brands do you think a blogger can effectively represent at any one point of time?
A. Ha! Well, David Beckham represents quite a few brands doesn’t he? I don’t think there’s any limit for a blogger seriously but he or she must try not to be seen as overselling because having too many ads and other marketing messages on his blog may put off readers. For me personally, three is the optimal number of brands I can represent effectively.

Q. What do you think will happen if you disagree with some or all of San Street’s future business decisions? For example: a range of clothing that you absolutely detest, a corporate decision that you object to… What would you do then?
A. Well, we have a pretty flexible agreement so I’m sure that if we don’t like what each other is doing, we will be able to come to a quick solution. But I don’t see any problems because I have a very good relationship with them and it’s something that is growing everyday.

Q. How often do you meet San Street to discuss branding/marketing issues?
A. We talk and meet daily or as often as I can. There are a couple of interesting things that we have planned and you will see the end product of those discussions on my blog in the near future.

Finally, after quizzing him, I distilled three factors to consider in establishing a ‘marketing relationship’ (for current lack of a better term) with a blogger:

1. Personality - the blogger’s personality and how well it complements your brand identity. There is no substitute for reading the blog thoroughly and assessing the blogger’s style of writing, as well as the responses from his/her readers.
2. Popularity - the extent of the blogger’s influence, and perhaps more importantly, his/her ability to keep readers constantly engaged. Blog popularity awards are a good (but not always reliable) indication of bloggers who are tried and tested in their ability to do this. I.Z., for example, was runner-up in both the 2006 Weblog Awards (Best Asia Blog) and the 2004 Asia Blog Awards (Best Singapore Blog).
3. Chemistry - how well you can get along with the blogger. It is crucial to have a good rapport with the bloggers you work with because:
   • they can get very involved in the publicity and promotions activities;
   • their personal brand is intrinsically affected by your business decisions (and vice versa - their personal decisions can dramatically affect your company brand); and
   • a ruined relationship can possibly result in rather negative publicity on the same blog thereafter

San Street’s business relationship with I.Z. Reloaded follows other similar PR tactics in Singapore, and I am sure we’ll see more of such Blogger-Brand-Ambassadors emerge in the months ahead.

In the meantime, I’d be quite glad to consider doing a life-long review of a condominium if CapitaLand looks this way!

In Mission Impossible 3, Ethan Hunt, played by actor Tom Cruise, had a bomb planted in his brain. It was later triggered by the villain who placed it there; and in order to deactivate the bomb, Hunt had to electrocute himself in the hope that his wife would be able to revive him later.

And so it is with this blog. Because of problems with my web host, I have decided to migrate to another server. This means that the blog will be down/inactive from 0600 hrs to 2359 hrs on 17 May 2007 (Singapore time, GMT+8). In the meantime, nothing in the world would have changed much.

And unless you tell me otherwise, I will remove this frivolous post when the migration is complete.

Bravo! Paul Holmes has absolutely nailed it with his recent article: A Manifesto for the 21st Century Public Relations Firm.

Paul’s essay was published in the latest issue of the Holmes Report dated 30 April 2007. The weekly newsletter is available on a paid-subscription basis, but Paul has generously given me permission to republish his entire article in this blog entry.

It is a brilliant combination of revelation and affirmation for the case of PR 2.0. It draws out everything in my heart on PR. A must-read. Thanks Paul.

And here is the manifesto… Continue Reading »

In naming an agency effort that deals with the complexities of PR in our very wired world today, Ogilvy PR has nailed it with ‘360 Degree Digital Influence’. Few agencies can do better because “360 Degree Influence” is exactly the challenge that businesses face today in reaching out to the public and other stake-holders, and influencing them. (Well, almost the perfect name. I think ‘digital’ wrongly puts the spotlight on the technological aspect of the media revolution. It is primarily a sociological change, with technological second. But that’s another post altogether.)

The Case for 360 Degree (Digital) Influence
Corporations today are forcibly more transparent than before; with citizen journalists probing at every outlet, and with the power to draw public attention – for good or bad – vested on every employee from CEO to janitor.

Rohit Bhargava in his post on Corporate Bloggers and the Rise of the Accidental Spokesperson offers an insight into the complexities of PR today. He points out that individuals “working for an organization and blogging, but are not considered official spokespersons” can become ‘accidental spokespersons’; and he cites the example of Robert Scoble who became that very accidental spokesperson who humanized Microsoft to the rest of the world.

Similarly, outside corporate walls (and payrolls), there are customer evangelists who speak more for a company than the designated spokespersons or individuals from the corporate communications team itself. Mike Kaltschnee of HackingNetflix.com fame is one such example. So great is his influence on, and for, the online DVD rental service that Steve Rubel constantly talks about what Mike does for Netflix.

The Naked Corporation and its Many Public Faces
The point is – there are more faces to a company today than there were three years ago; and there are more public inquirers in the form of citizen journalists. The world is rife with ‘Accidental Spokespersons’ like Scoble, evangelists like Kaltschnee or unwitting newsmakers like the Comcast technician who fell asleep at a customer’s home while being put on hold by his own company’s customer service!

The Changing Role of PR Managers
In recent months, I’ve been thinking about the role of the PR manager amidst all these changes. The dynamics of PR has changed, but observably, the role of the PR manager hasn’t. And it should. With public spotlight on every inch of the company at all levels and in all departments, the PR manager has to stop focusing on mere publicity and media relations. He has to start influencing public relationships through every department and at every level of the company’s structure – orchestrating, in effect, a concerted PR effort.

The Concerted Effort
John Cass, in his response to my previous post on “Being transparent…”, accurately observed that “many public relations professionals were [not] formerly in the business of creating trusted relationships with customers directly, though certainly maybe indirectly.” He added that “product builders, customer service people and the people who traditionally were the first contact with customers were responsible for creating trusted relationships.”

Now, when you realize that customers (with the power to blog and to be heard online) ARE the Media as well, you can’t help but wonder about the need for PR counsel in Customer Relations, and the many other functions within the corporation.

Why PR Has to Lead
Because PR professionals have the skill-set to deal with the intricacies of public relations and corporate reputation, the PR manager/director must take the leadership reins in preparing the company to deal with the ‘360 degree’ landscape of digital influence.

John Cass observes that “blogging is a team effort that borrows many skills from the public relations profession, [and] also much from other professions.” And that is true. This is why PR must be considered in every aspect of the business; for counsel on the impact of every business function on public relations.

Clearly, PR (in the true sense of the word) is no longer the sole responsibility of the PR team, or designated spokespersons. The reputation of a company and the relationship it has with the public lies in the hands of many.

And the PR manager must lead this concerted effort with an effective strategy – energizing employees to be effective spokespersons, engaging customer evangelists and integrating them into the media and marketing strategy, holding customer service accountable to stringent demands that corporate reputation is built upon etc.

Earning Our Place in the C-suite
Along with this responsibility comes PR’s opportunity to prove our place in the C-suite.

It begins when CEOs recognize that corporate walls have vanished and that the company – like it or not – is made more transparent than ever. And there is a need for effective counsel in the C-suite, because in the ‘transparent organization’ phenomenon lies both danger and opportunity:

Danger, for the company that does not have its house in order. And opportunity, for strong companies to bring vital relationships with the public to a much deeper level.

The way to do it?

Before developing strategy at the C-levels, corporate PR managers must first earn that trust and equip themselves by understanding how every department in the company operates and its intrinsic relationship with the public. When they do, they will see their (transparent) company as it truly is. And this understanding will enable them to forge relationships with the public that views the company, not through the windows of the CEO office or the communications department, but through every pore. Only then, can Influence be truly 360.

Updates:
John Bell and Walter Lim have made two comments that are worth expanding here

PR’s Catapult into the C-suite – Direct Impact on the Bottom-line
John Bell affirms that today, we have an increasingly important place in the boardroom because social media has greater impact on stock prices than before; and “traditional marketing is going in only one direction”.

We need no more evidence than corporate crises like the Kryptonite lock case, or the numerous research papers that forecast higher online expenditure. The imperative is now on CEOs to bring PR into a calm boardroom with a solid game plan; rather than yank them in later with the panic button.

Everyone thinks 360 anyway. It’s time we do too!
Walter Lim points out that another motivation to think 360-degrees – is simply because everyone else does! Even if ‘traditional PR folks’ don’t think so, journalists are even more aware today, of a company’s many public faces. This means that more reporters will want to talk to bloggers with a point of view on customer service, and interview the shop-floor operators who sit 10,000 cubicles away from the HR directors.

If there ever was a motivation for those holed up in ‘traditional media’ to embrace the mandate to think 360-degrees, this is it!

Natural Progression
And a final point – natural progression. The world is clearly moving towards greater social public disclosure. Financial standards, food and drug labeling and manufacturing data, amongst many other aspects, have to abide by stricter standards of social disclosure than before.

Sure, we could wait for a global public disaster the likes of Enron, before bringing PR higher up the management agenda, or we could be proactive in creating constructive transparent relationships at all levels of the business.

It’s your call.

I’ve created a page - PR Apps (for lack of a better name) – to list web applications that will be useful to PR professionals and agencies.

This is definitely work-in-progress. Flickr, YouTube and other tools that enable PR professionals (or any web worker for that matter) to do more / be more productive, deserve to be on the list, but I will only list them along with tips on how to best apply it to our work.

If you wish to contribute to this list, please send me an e-mail with links to the application and your blog post on how to make full use of it. I’ll be glad to add it in.

I’m posting this for the benefit of those who’ve been accessing the content on this blog primarily through RSS feeds; because you would not have noticed a new page that I added:

It’s a list of essential readings in PR 2.0, and I’ve labelled it “The PR 2.0 University“. Click here to find out more.

Clive Thompson of Wired wrote about the need for honesty and transparency in his article on “The See-Through CEO”. I agree with Greg that this is a pretty good piece, but I’m appalled by Clive’s sub-headline – “Fire the publicist. Go off message. Let all your employees blab and blog. In the new world of radical transparency, the path to business success is clear.”

In the interest of fellow PR professionals, I’d like to dissect it and examine the misconceptions embedded within:

• “Fire the publicist” – For too long, the term “Public Relations Professional” has been contracted to “Publicist”. This wrongly puts the focus on “Publicity” as the end-in-mind. The focus should be on “Relationships” instead. Publicity is mere “fruit” of the process, and a means to an end.

• “Go off message. Let all your employees blab and blog.” – “Messages” should explain the vision and actions of an organisation. A company that “goes off message” gives wrong and unclear impressions of the company’s vision and state of affairs. This is no good for everyone. Yes, we need to listen to the public, but after the listening is done, we have to make decisions; and our messages have to explain what the decisions are. Then we listen some more, participate in more conversations and adapt, innovate, and clearly state what we’re doing, where we are going. Leadership and clear directions are vital to the “conversation” process. I said it earlier at the end of my post on Leading Change, and I’ll say it again – the path (conversations with the public) ahead is a journey to lead, and not a walk in the dark.

• “Radical transparency” doesn’t mean “reduced accountability” (to the organization, shareholders and customers). If you prioritise blabber above action, you alarm the public and you waste their time. Yes, I’m all for “naked conversations” and “naked corporations”, but who wants a CEO to shift his businesses strategies from boardroom to bedroom? PR professionals are responsible for helping to pull that act together and make sure that CEOs listen and act in the best interest of the public and every stakeholder. CEOs and their companies must be human, personal and transparent. But Greg sums it up perfectly when he says that “being transparent doesn’t mean being stupid or sloppy.”

PR, Clive Thompsons-of-the-world, is far higher up the rungs of leadership than you perceive it to be. It is more about relationships than publicity, and more about leadership than relationships.

We PR folks get our priorities mixed up sometimes; but some of us are changing things.

And CEOs, this is not the time to “fire your publicists, go off message and let your employess blab and blog”. Even more than ever, you need the counsel of true PR professionals who understand that our chief mandate should not be “to create publicity”. We build the vital, trusted relationships that your companies depend on, and not the illusion of it.

“PR” is not a job title or “marketing strategy”. It is organisational leadership made public and personal. And today, we have the tools to do this better than ever.

(written for the upcoming IPRS Newsletter)

We need no more evidence that the world of Public Relations has irrevocably changed with the emergence of the Social Web phenomenon and the increasing penetration of Web 2.0 technologies.

Unfortunately, in Singapore, there is still a chasm between what we believe in and what we actually do about it. In an informal poll I conducted early this year amongst more than 50 PR agency folks (from junior staff to MDs), this belief-action gap was most startling. All but one agreed that blogs will have a profound impact on the future of business communications, yet only 34% of them blog and less than 5% are even aware of their company and clients’ corporate blogging policies. And we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of Social Media.

Today, we are ceding control to the advertising and online marketing folks who are first to jump in with very tactical communications strategies that ignore the importance of sustained trust and relationship-building. In doing so, they jeopardise the reputation of the companies that they represent, leaving PR to deal with a clutter of distrust and cynicism online.

There are two reasons why PR is still behind the curve (as compared to advertising and online marketing) in the social media landscape:

1. ‘Digital Divide 2.0′ – even within PR agencies, a huge gap exists between those with a sound understanding of PR 2.0, and those who don’t.
2. There is an even larger gap between knowledge and action, stemming from two main factors – fear of venturing into the unknown; and the lack precedence to prove and promise substantial return on investment. PR measurement is important, but relationship is not a numbers game.

How do we bridge these gaps?
What can you do, as an agency head or account team leader, to develop PR 2.0-savvy agency teams? I recommend five ways:

1. Dedicate resources
Just last month, I met with John Bell, the MD and Executive Creative Director of 360° Digital Influence at Ogilvy PR Worldwide. He was in Asia for a meeting with the company’s regional Digital Influence teams. He also spent some time connecting with influential bloggers in the region. This speaks volumes of the emphasis that Ogilvy PR is placing on developing digital expertise all over the world. According to him, Ogilvy PR has “a global team who is expert in digital influence or digital PR, and they make training and evangelism via client engagements part of their jobs.”

2. Encourage everyone to be digital
John adds that while Ogilvy has a dedicated digital team, “the end game [must] be that everyone in the agency becomes digital.”

He has this piece of practical advice for every PR practitioner – “PR pros have to take this seriously. The business will forever be changed; maybe not tomorrow but soon. Every PR pro should have a RSS feed reader set up, a del.icio.us account and either a blog or at least a profile in a social network like LinkedIn or MySpace. Reading blogs and watching video blogs are a great start. Once the aggregator or feed reader is set up, this becomes a lot easier.”

3. Constantly clarify understanding
We must constantly clarify our understanding of PR 2.0. Many have rushed through their learning on the subject without true comprehension. They consider it an additional set of skills or tools to be acquired, without understanding that PR 2.0 is a complete paradigm shift. They fail to realise that it’s not just all about the technology; and it’s not just the Media that has changed. We have changed.

As a result of poor understanding, many remain focused on mere tactics. Their entire worldview of Social Media strategy comprises almost completely of reaching out to bloggers, and uploading award-winning TVCs on YouTube!

4. Create safe places to experiment
The Social Web can be a brutal place. Make a mistake like Edelman’s Walmart fiasco and everyone jumps on you. Say something wrong on your blog and you may be ripped to shreds. No wonder fear is the main hindrance to implementing PR 2.0 strategies.

To overcome this fear, you should create safe places where members of your team (or your clients) can experiment. An internal company blog hosted on an intranet is an excellent way to do it. Instead of having meetings in the next couple of months, use the blog (where appropriate) to make company announcements and discuss internal issues. Have members of the team respond and establish dialogue over pertinent topics.

Better yet, if you can afford the time and resources, create scenarios and have members of your team role-play online “PR situations”. Coach your team members by providing advice on the effectiveness of their actions online; and clarify their understanding of how Netizens really respond in differing situations.

Set targets, appoint “Social Media” coaches, and create an intensive training ground for the 360-degree complexities of online conversations.

Fear is a primary obstacle to innovation of “Social Media” PR strategies, and the understanding of how things work in the Social Web will dramatically reduce that fear.

5. Hire your audience
The younger tech-savvy crowd of today are possibly the only ones who truly wonder why we even use the term “new media”. They are born into Friendster, learned how to blog as a subject in school and probably never actually owned a physical photo album because Flickr manages all their photos.

So instead of looking only for “traditional” PR experience in your next hire, consider hiring those who already live and breathe Social Media. They may not know how to write a press release, but they write in “conversations”, and you never know when their blog entry may just change the world!

Conclusion
The Social Web is possibly the best thing that has ever happened to PR, and while opportunities abound, there is also much uncertainty. It is absolutely vital then, that we see the path ahead as a journey to lead, and not a walk in the dark.

Back after three busy weeks crammed with a business expedition to Saigon (Vietnam), ‘New Media’ training sessions for clients and colleagues, and church projects. And on every one of those 21 days, I’ve been bugged with a typical Blogger’s dilemma – I’m too busy to blog, but should I still do it? Should I keep my (online) world in the know? Should I chronicle this part of life’s journey?

My silence over the past weeks has more than answered this question for myself, but here’s an excellent insight by wallydownundy into one of the most common (and comical) pickles that we bloggers sometimes find ourselves in.

Vietnam Venture
The natives prefer the tradition name, “Saigon”, to the modern “Ho Chi Minh City”. And do so I. Behind the two names you’ll find a city that is rich with tradition, yet not lacking for modern economic growth opportunities. Vietnam is drawing FDIs at quite an unmatched pace today, and I see great opportunities in Saigon because it has a winning compromise of China’s characteristic massive size, Singapore’s manageability and a disproportionately large young and literate population. Like all emerging markets, the marketing communications industry is still in its infancy, but business is flowing in, and it’s certainly primed for growth. Just recently, Grey Global Group announced its joint venture in Vietnam and I expect many more communications companies to follow in 2007.

‘New Media’ Training
Most encouragingly, after ‘New Media’ training sessions and discussions these days, there are fewer occurrences of the classic questions – the almost inevitable, “So… how do we ‘target’ the bloggers?” or “Can we start uploading our TV ads on YouTube?”

I think we’re getting somewhere.

Web 2.0 Highlights
The Digital Ethnography workgroup at Kansas State University posted an absolutely fantastic video that summarises the entire Web 2.0 phenomenon in less than 5 minutes. It’s titled “Web 2.0 … The Machine is Us/ing Us” and the clip has already been doing its rounds in Cyberspace, but certainly still worth bookmarking.

The launch of Yahoo Pipes brings us one step closer to automating the arduous process of monitoring news online. On the back of this announcement, Ben, my Scoopasia.com partner-in-crime, wrote a pretty useful piece on something that we’ve always been lamenting – the lack of automation in (PR) Work.

In its now-trademark SMNR style, Shift Communications has launched a Social Media Newsroom template. To rival this, one can almost expect Edelman to come up with an ‘Omnibus’ to complement its StoryCrafter tool!

It’s good to be back in the world of 2.0.

More news today on the Microsoft-Wikipedia fiasco – ‘Idea of Paid Entries Roils Wikipedia’ by Brian Bergstein, AP Technology Writer.

Good article with valid points of contention on the issue of ‘corporate meddling’ on Wikipedia. This, along with his first article - ‘Microsoft offers cash for Wikipedia edit’, is useful reading for companies that are thinking about editing Wikipedia entries.

But that’s not all. Emerging from the messy brawl, is a new kid on the 2.0 block – Helium.com – a Wikipedia-esque site that allows anyone (and we’re really talking about companies) to post information about themselves.
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Business 2.0 writer Owen Thomas interviewed Josh Pickus, CEO of SupportSoft via Instant Messenger yesterday. And the (edited) transcript became the form and substance of his post on the Business 2.0 Blog.

Nice. I love it.

No elaborate set-up; no need for travel; no band of message-crafters hunched over the computer churning out the CEO’s message.

Just a simple, compelling conversation between journalist and CEO; shared with the rest of the world.

Quick, honest and engaging.

Now THAT is the ‘2.0′ way.

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Getting Started on PR 2.0
This entry is dedicated to fellow PR professionals who sit in the threshold of calendar years religiously drawing up ambitious lists to gain self-enlightenment, achieve world domination and please impossible clients/stakeholders (in that order of difficulty).

If you’ve been absorbed in thoughts and talk on ‘new media’ and are just raring to get started in the new year, here are three possible additions to your list of New Year resolutions:

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Some highlights in the PR 2.0 Universe this year; as I remember them…

The Good — Google’s US$1.6 Billion acquisition of YouTube - a strong affirmation that the future belongs to ‘new media’. The launch of Second Life, followed by quick, bold attempts by Text 100, Dell and even IBM’s CEO Sam Palmisano (“Breathing Second Life into Business”, BusinessWeek, 17 October 2006) to harness its potential.

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