PR agencies are ‘intimidated’ by technology and simple analytics claims Tribe founder Jules Lund
Many PR agencies are afraid of adopting technology and analytics which will hold them back when it comes to retooling their business, the founder of influencer platform Tribe Jules Lund has said.
Lund: “There’s this mysterious fear around analytics when it’s not that fucking complex”
Speaking on a panel at the Commscon conference about the impact influencers will have on PR, the former TV and radio host said: “I think a lot of PR agencies are intimidated by technology. The real thing that differentiates between any PR agency and the ones that are moving quickly to influencer marketing is the technology.”
During the same session Olympus’ marketing manager Kristie Galea said the company had decided to handle all PR and influencer marketing in house and cut ties with PR agencies because they were getting “perfunctory results”.
I find PR agencies are quite early adopters of technology. They are quick to work out the useful from the hype. If Tribe isn’t cutting through… And Kristie, have a peek at what Canon has achieved by partnering with PR agencies. I think you’re putting Olympus at a disadvantage by ruling the use of agencies out.
I moderated this session and I’m not convinced the headline reflects what Jules said on the day. He’s actually very supportive of PR agencies. His point was: there are a bunch of free and paid tools out there that all PR agencies can use so don’t be afraid to use them. Reality is, some agencies are more confident in this space so if you’re an agency who wants to build capability in this area, don’t be intimidated – once you start using the tools, you’ll find them easy.
Having owned my own agency since 1998, and now as a PR analytics software provider to PR firms and brands alike, I can offer some perspective. I don’t think PR agencies are afraid of technology. I think that many have to dedicate resources that aren’t always readily available – whether money, human analysis or other – to sourcing the best technology. PR agencies are also sometimes hesitant to make the investment until either they are forced to by clients and industry evolution, or until they can get clients to cover the cost. That’s just how they stay profitable. That being said, the best PR agencies recognize what’s needed and invest in it for a long term success strategy. I wrote about this a while ago, if interested: http://seedepth.com/why-smart-.....n-pr-tech/
Thank you for an important article.
Christine Perkett
SeeDepth Inc. – PR analytics for brands and agencies
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