In the age of Mad Men, companies didn't have to relate to consumers at all, they just sold to them. An overly trusting American public embraced brands without question. In the 1960s, somehow that trust was broken, and the news media jumped in the middle. That is, after all, what media means – middle. And lest reporters get too aggressive or difficult to deal with, enter the consummate middle man, the public relations professional.
Leading up to the advent of the 24-hour news cycle, companies began proactively engaging the press corps as a way to tell their story to their key stakeholders. More than a middle man, the public relations professional became an advisor, a confidante and a strategist for telling a brand's story through the media.
The news media still play a major role in the reputation of a brand, but today, companies no longer have to rely on reporters to reach their target audiences. With social media, brands can speak directly to consumers — and in the most exciting twist, the public is talking back.
With two taps on an iPhone, a consumer can post a positive brand experience to Facebook or just as quickly upload a video of an employee behaving badly to YouTube. The media are never far behind on these opportunities for coverage — these days most reporters research a topic on blogs and social media before writing about it.
Earlier this fall, the leading public relations trade groups gathered in New York to do a little PR for PR. They expect to issue an official "definition" later this month or perhaps in the New Year.
No matter what they come up with, the role of our PR team at FAM will remain to tell our clients' stories to the people they are trying to reach. To put it in fancier terms, we protect and enhance companies' reputations through conversation with their key stakeholders. We do that with media relations, content creation, blogger engagement and grassroots outreach. If you'd like to learn more, please contact our director of public relations, Melissa Jones, at melissajones@freeagentsmarketing.com.
