PR is growing not dying

Lately it seems like there have been a lot of questions about the future of the media, advertising, PR and marketing. One of the latest related buzzes is around Tom Foremski of Silicon Valley Watcher's post Wiley E Coyote: Traditional PR is running on thin air.


In response to Tom's post Engage in PR published some interesting thoughts.

"For too long we lived a symbiotic relationship with publications, broadcast and even bloggers. Pure reliance on another industry to sustain your own is a recipe for enormous highs, lows, and eventual withering."

I have to address /kkf of Engage in PR's use of the word symbiotic

I think the term that best fits the PR/media relationship is mutualism, a form of symbiosis in which both parties benefit from the interaction. It seems /kkf writes with the impression that the PR/media relationship is a form of parasitic symbiosis, where one party benefits at the expense of the other. But, simply saying that the PR industry has pure reliance on publications, broadcast and even bloggers is hugely over-simplifying the issue. Symbiotic mutualism would mean that just as PR has this dependence, publications, broadcast and bloggers are as equally dependent on PR for their survival.

I don't think that mutual dependence is necessarily a negative thing. Isn't that the basis for having a healthy relationship? There are benefits for both of us in this relationship. Lets work on getting back to this mutual relationship with the media. How can we find our way back to a place where it isn't just PR depending on the media, but also the media appreciating and understanding the role that good PR plays in supporting the media? I think a little more mutualism is what we need. How we get there is another post all together.

An example of mutualism at work? This is an excerpt from a real thank you note written from a local media outlet to the internal PR department of a local organization. (Details have been omitted)

"just wanted to THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH
for all your help this morning!! I'm always EXCITED when I have a _______
story to cover and I can turn to _______! Your Public Relations Department is
SO ORGANIZED, SO DEPENDABLE and SO EFFICIENT. YOU always know exactly what
we need...even when it comes to b-roll and visuals!!

The _________ we interviewed today was GREAT and the _____ worked out really
well too. So, again, THANK YOU!! Hope to work with you again SOON!!"

Just because things are changing and people are having to ask important questions doesn't meant that PR is dying. The only industries that die are the ones that can't adjust to change. But, I have more faith in PR. It won't die, hopefully it will grow and change.

/kkf writes that the industry is shifting towards more internal PR. I think this could be a positive thing. Having people on the inside who truly understand and ARE your organization, be the ones to establish relationships with publics? Genius! Why didn't we think of this before. So, no I don't think it is the death of PR. PR agencies on the other hand...?