Social Media: The Death of Modern PR Campaigns?

Photo by geralt, CC0 1.0

Tim Aldiss writes for Four Broadgate.

We are all aware that the world of social media is constantly impacting the ways in which public relations are being interpreted. Many still believe that such portals may even represent the “holy grail” in terms of client engagement and interacting with a target audience. However, all that glitters may not be gold. There is some very real evidence that social media also has substantially negative impacts upon PR campaigns. Let us examine this rather troubling concept in a bit more detail.

Out of Touch?

The younger audience is one of the most critical demographics that major corporations must target. Unfortunately, this very same sector is evolving at a breakneck pace. This is particularly the case in terms of digital language. As this article points out, it appears as if big business is now unable to keep up with this verbal revolution. Some phrases which are trending (but hardly recognised within the corporate world) include:

• “smash-mouth”
• “e-skin”
• “externship”
• “sext”

It is further interesting to note that when younger audiences were asked whether or not they identified with certain press releases, they answered with terms such as “too corporate” and “dated”. It is therefore quite apparent that many larger business circles have been left behind in the flotsam and jetsam of evolving lexicons.

Busier is Not Better

Another issue that must be confronted is the fact that many PR agencies are fighting to remain relevant with their target audiences. With so many different social media portals in existence, they may be spreading their efforts a bit too thin. This ultimately results in (at best) a watered-down version of their mission statement and (at worst) a campaign which completely fails to connect with this audience. It now seems that quality should be stressed over quantity.

The Solution?

The solution to this issue is actually much simpler than it may initially appear. PP specialists need to once again connect with their specific demographic. As opposed to jumping aboard the “big data” bandwagon, it may very well be more efficacious to employ small data (psychology, personal preferences and individual buying habits) to improve connections.

Back to the Basics

Of course, this philosophy will not apply to all businesses. It is nonetheless an undeniable fact that many PR campaigns are failing to recognise the constantly evolving world of social media. Should they fall behind this curve, their campaigns could be destined to founder upon the rocky shores of anonymity. The ways around this fate are discrete customer analyses, individual client engagement, targeted emails and understanding the desires of the customer in question.

Big data may provide the broad strokes, but small data is excellent at offering the finer details which can cement a sale. Social media is by no means the death of the modern PR campaign. It can be a proverbial thorn in its side or it can be a valuable addendum. This will depend upon the approaches taken by the professional in question.

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