Posted on Current PR Conversations PR Techster

Paying for the destruction of public relations

In 2001, a British installation artist, Michael Landy, won a commission for his work, Break Down, that involved the destruction of all his possessions as a reaction to the consumerist society. Fifteen years later, as Davis has noted, promotional practice has become ubiquitous. It’s become the default activity of public communications reflecting a consumerist mindset even around serious issues. Consider three examples: The best quotes from Davos 2016  (the 46th meeting of the World Economic Forum)...

Posted on PR Techster

Six social media and digital communications trends for 2015

One of the most enjoyable hybrid academic-practitioner experiences I have had this year has been as course leader of the PR Academy Digital Communications Certificate course. The reason is that we have been able to incorporate a lot of contemporary thinking around ways of learning as well as the emerging field of digital communications and social media. This includes blended approaches to online and offline learning (with Stuart Bruce leading a face-to-face session, alongside my...

Posted on Classic PR Conversations PR Techster

Why public relations must wake up to wearables

Things ain’t what they used to be; the end of the beginning around wearable technologies and the device jumps PR practitioners are about to encounter Op-Ed by Catherine Arrow In kicking off this post, I was sorely tempted to indulge in a Buzzfeed-style headline, complete with obligatory quirky picture—probably JIBO, the world’s first family robot. I toyed with “61 ways to know if you’re ready for wearables,” tip-toed around “True Life: Why PR was disconnected...

Posted on PR Techster

Look under the hood at how PR Conversations "performed" in 2013

What, not another “year in review” post?! So you may be groaning and thinking, and I’m sympathetic with your reluctance to get dished yet again reheated bits of the recent past…. But please bear with me: This is intended to be more of an introspection than a retrospective. As the resident Techster, I’m inviting you faithful readers, to share a look with me under the hood of PR Conversations. As I’m not a number-crunching geek I...

Posted on PR Techster

An idiot's guide to PR – lessons for SEO and digital marketing

It can be difficult to define public relations, particularly as there are different perspectives regarding what it is. However, it is much easier to give guidance on what it is not. Indeed, subscribing to the view that ‘PR is what PR does‘, the following offers an idiot’s guide to what PR is not, and what is does not do, especially for those who work in SEO and digital marketing. Rule 1: PR is not free....

Posted on PR Techster

School's out for social media – a PR report card

As many of us take a break for Summer, it seems a good time to produce a PR report card for its performance in social media this term. Let’s look at the four As, where I’m afraid most PR practitioners would do well to score a B- at best. Attendance: Undoubtedly, PR practitioners have taken to social media in droves over the past couple of years. The late majority has arrived in terms of those...

Posted on PR Techster

Nurturing Knowledge – a job for PR

‘Imagine a World Without Free Knowledge’ – Wikipedia’s blackout protest statement is a reminder of the value and reliance placed on repositories of online information.  How many of us turn to Google, Wikipedia, digital dictionaries, social media or online news sources routinely when we want to know something?  The English-speaking student population is apparently distraught that its primary place for ‘cut and paste’ assignments is offline for a day.  The Digital Natives haven’t been so...

Posted on Classic PR Conversations PR Techster

Using Twitter for PR events

How should you use Twitter for public relations events?  This is a topic we’ve pondered among the PR Conversations team (Judy Gombita, Markus  Pirchner and Heather Yaxley).  Twitter offers potential for conferences, launches, announcements, stunts and many other PR events – and we’ve seen it used well, and badly.  We’ve used Twitter at events, and participated remotely in real world activities and those that only exist online.  So we thought it would be worthwhile sharing...

Posted on PR Techster

There’s no such thing as online or digital PR anymore…

That seems to be the message from Philip Young who, with David Phillips, is editing a special edition of the online journal, PRism on the topic: Beyond Online Public Relations (to be published early in 2012). Philip claims that “Today ALL PR is Online PR” and is interested in papers that support or challenge the view that it is no longer meaningful to discuss ‘online PR’ (abstracts of up to 500 words to be emailed...

Posted on PR Techster

You start (me) up. When and how to ramp up PR?

Guest post by Bob Geller As a veteran of the tech industry – in the PR agency world for the past 14 years and on the industry/client side before that – I have worked with many startups. I am often asked, “When is the right time for a young company to bring an agency on, or otherwise kick PR into high gear?” The answer is not an easy one. While it might seem obvious that...