Comments on: When Ad Agencies Practise PR …

By: Social PR » The Buzz Bin

Social PR » The Buzz Bin — Fri, 30 May 2008 02:05:47 +0000

[...] challenge for communicators isn’t necessarily learning best practices. It’s offering a unique, integrated blend of new social media, marketing and public relations services to the marketplace. Rather than throw-up a long ridiculous term, I have been shortening the many [...]

By: CEO blogging returns « PR Research

CEO blogging returns « PR Research — Thu, 22 May 2008 23:29:55 +0000

[...] post on Common Sense PR talking about ad agencies being a place to practice PR. Some PR firms now have [...]

By: Eric Eggertson

Eric Eggertson — Thu, 22 May 2008 04:56:49 +0000

Well said, Lally.

By: Lally

Lally — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:23:56 +0000

I started in the agency business at the (then) Very-Big-Advertising-Agency-of-America. I then went to a small entrepreneurial PR agency.

I swore I’d never go back.

After a tour on the corporate side, I … well … went back.

The problem is not a conflict between advertising, marketing, wha’ev … and PR. The problem is respect. Find a place where you get respect and are allowed to do good work and it’s a much different world.

Look for that place where they appreciate and — ideally — understand what relationship marketing is about.

By: Eric Eggertson

Eric Eggertson — Wed, 21 May 2008 06:00:08 +0000

Jason:

It seems that the online community-building thing is the flypaper that is drawing marketing to the PR side of the customer relationship. It’s hard to be in that space without applying public relations skills, and the PR side finds ways to incorporate creative development and brand building.

I think it’s cool.

By: Eric Eggertson

Eric Eggertson — Wed, 21 May 2008 05:47:42 +0000

Angela:

Definitely. But most J-schools would have you believe that public relations is a debased form of devil worship. I’d argue they’re two sides of the same thing.

Marketing/branding vs. PR don’t seem to have the same ideology-based differences, but they seem to be taught and practised in isolation. In many cases, the marketing budget has dwarfed the PR budget, and the marketing folks haven’t seen a compelling reason to do joint planning.

By: Angela Solomon

Angela Solomon — Wed, 21 May 2008 04:35:27 +0000

I am a journalism student, and the overwhelming message that so many professors push is the idea of convergence. Whether you want to be a reporter, or work in PR, they say the future of those fields is knowing how to do a wide variety “things” that are loosely connected to your field. Having that expanded knowledge (like PR and advertising) would seemingly only help you in your career and success.

By: Jason Falls

Jason Falls — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:12:38 +0000

I can certainly vouch for certain advantages to working PR at an agency. Prior to my focus on social media, I was in the PR department at Doe-Anderson. I would also agree with Boches on another count as well. As public relations expands (or migrates, depending upon the client) to the online space, having a strong digital or interactive component to your agency is extremely helpful. In many ways, social media is essentially online PR. Having some technical know how and acumen to backup your efforts there can only help.

Interesting post!