In Putting the Public Back in Public Relations, authors Brian Solis and Deirdre Breakenridge discuss the ways in which social media is transforming the public relations industry as a whole. On the first page of the preface, the authors lay it out clearly: “Social media is empowering people to become the new influencers, and it is forcing PR and marketing professionals to recognize and include these powerful tools in their advertising and marketing communications strategies.”
The book is comprised of five parts, “The True Value of PR,” “Facilitating Conversations: New Tools and Techniques,” “Participating in Social Media,” “PR 2.0: A Promising Future,” and “Convergence.” Each part contains several chapters addressing factors within the broad categories.
Part I, “The True Value of PR,” contains five chapters that summarize today’s public relations industry and suggest the way social media is transforming it; for example, page 34-35 reads, “Suddenly, PR is no longer just about audiences. It’s now about people… PR in the era of Socialized Media requires a fusion of traditional PR, Internet marketing, Web-savvy market intelligence, and the ability to listen and engage in conversations without speaking in messages.”
Part II, “Facilitating Conversations: New Tools and Techniques,” covers how to develop mutually beneficial relationships with Web influencers, as well as new PR tools such as social media releases and video programs. Part II provides more direct advice to PR professionals than Part I. For example, pages 134-135 include an 11-item checklist of “Strategies for Creating Successful Video Programs,” and pages 96-100 give examples of real feedback to Johnson & Johnson’s 2008 attempt to develop relationships with “mommy bloggers.”
Part III, “Participating in Social Media,” addresses the psychological and sociological aspects of social media within the PR industry. Chapter 12 describes today’s major social media sites, why people use them, and how marketers should use them—constantly reverting back to some form of the phrase, “cultivating relationships,” the overarching goal behind all PR social media involvement.
Part IV, “PR 2.0: A Promising Future,” and Part V, “Convergence,” illustrate the future of PR and how PR professionals’ involvement in social media will advance the industry as a whole. Page 223 offers a concise summary of the purpose of the book as a whole with its important statement, “that PR is no longer rooted in broadcast methodologies and the single-focused, general messages that drive them. PR needs to follow the authoritative dialogues, wherever it takes place. Without you, who will answer questions, clarify confusion, defend the brand, or develop relationships for the long term?”
Putting the Public Back in Public Relations is absolutely a useful guide for PR professionals in general, describing the influence of social media and giving advice on how to use that influence and how to develop mutually beneficial relationships with audience members. However, it may not be an effective supplemental resource for courses focused on public affairs, public information, and nonprofit communication. Though it is crucial for all three sectors to embrace and utilize social media in order to sustain credibility and influence their audiences, Putting the Public Back in Public Relations as a whole may not be the best choice for additional reading. Though in some chapters the book does give specific guidelines and examples of how to effectively use social media, that information is likely available in other books geared more specifically toward government and nonprofit PR professionals. Solis and Breakenridge are two very credible PR practitioners and their advice in the book may be applied to several fields within the PR industry. But their major focuses are more on commercial and corporate marketing; thus, I recommend that public affairs, public information, and nonprofit communications professionals seek more applicable information elsewhere.
ALEXANDRA NORRIS
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
The book is comprised of five parts, “The True Value of PR,” “Facilitating Conversations: New Tools and Techniques,” “Participating in Social Media,” “PR 2.0: A Promising Future,” and “Convergence.” Each part contains several chapters addressing factors within the broad categories.
Part I, “The True Value of PR,” contains five chapters that summarize today’s public relations industry and suggest the way social media is transforming it; for example, page 34-35 reads, “Suddenly, PR is no longer just about audiences. It’s now about people… PR in the era of Socialized Media requires a fusion of traditional PR, Internet marketing, Web-savvy market intelligence, and the ability to listen and engage in conversations without speaking in messages.”
Part II, “Facilitating Conversations: New Tools and Techniques,” covers how to develop mutually beneficial relationships with Web influencers, as well as new PR tools such as social media releases and video programs. Part II provides more direct advice to PR professionals than Part I. For example, pages 134-135 include an 11-item checklist of “Strategies for Creating Successful Video Programs,” and pages 96-100 give examples of real feedback to Johnson & Johnson’s 2008 attempt to develop relationships with “mommy bloggers.”
Part III, “Participating in Social Media,” addresses the psychological and sociological aspects of social media within the PR industry. Chapter 12 describes today’s major social media sites, why people use them, and how marketers should use them—constantly reverting back to some form of the phrase, “cultivating relationships,” the overarching goal behind all PR social media involvement.
Part IV, “PR 2.0: A Promising Future,” and Part V, “Convergence,” illustrate the future of PR and how PR professionals’ involvement in social media will advance the industry as a whole. Page 223 offers a concise summary of the purpose of the book as a whole with its important statement, “that PR is no longer rooted in broadcast methodologies and the single-focused, general messages that drive them. PR needs to follow the authoritative dialogues, wherever it takes place. Without you, who will answer questions, clarify confusion, defend the brand, or develop relationships for the long term?”
Putting the Public Back in Public Relations is absolutely a useful guide for PR professionals in general, describing the influence of social media and giving advice on how to use that influence and how to develop mutually beneficial relationships with audience members. However, it may not be an effective supplemental resource for courses focused on public affairs, public information, and nonprofit communication. Though it is crucial for all three sectors to embrace and utilize social media in order to sustain credibility and influence their audiences, Putting the Public Back in Public Relations as a whole may not be the best choice for additional reading. Though in some chapters the book does give specific guidelines and examples of how to effectively use social media, that information is likely available in other books geared more specifically toward government and nonprofit PR professionals. Solis and Breakenridge are two very credible PR practitioners and their advice in the book may be applied to several fields within the PR industry. But their major focuses are more on commercial and corporate marketing; thus, I recommend that public affairs, public information, and nonprofit communications professionals seek more applicable information elsewhere.
ALEXANDRA NORRIS
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill