Hutton: The lines have blurred and PR should challenge creative
The global head of Edelman’s international consumer marketing practice Michelle Hutton has urged the Australian public relations industry to challenge other disciplines and help lead the marketing space.
Giving the keynote address of the Public Relations Institute of Australia (PRIA) national conference, the recently promoted Hutton told the audience that it was time for PR to challenge areas such as creative and digital, and become a full partner with marketing, noting: “the solution to every problem is not a new advertising campaign”.
“What is abundantly clear is that the lines have blurred and these brilliant ideas can come from anywhere: ad agencies, digital shops, media buyers and PR firms,” said Hutton.
We were delighted to have Michelle open today’s national conference. We are proud of the fantastic work she has done in Australia, and her recent appointment overseas. Best of luck!
The PR industry doesn’t have the skills, vision or people to make it happen. Too fluffy, too limited and it’s been too easy for too long.
But the sentiment is probably right for an industry being systematically dismantled.
Too easy? I would hardly say PR agencies have had it easy at all. This coming from a publisher who has day-to-day interactions with publicists from a wide range of agencies and fields.
Michelle is right, there needs to be closer collaboration, though it’s not just on PR to own that. As a publisher, we’re open to any campaign and any idea where all parties benefit. Who is best placed to drive that though, is up for debate.
*cue attacks from insecure advertising creatives*
oh look! there’s one already.
@Except, you’re confusing party planners like Roxy Jackenko with strategic PR, which is as difficult, or more so, than cracking traditional advertising problems.
Advertising continues to morph into PR more and more each day. That adland in 2014 is enamored with scoring “free media”, partaking in dialogue via social and “content marketing” is all the proof you need.
Adland is just waking up to the power of the underlying premise of PR, which makes it one of the most effective (but least self-glorifying) disciplines – instead of disrupting the consumption of editorial, be the editorial content yourself; deliver your messaging through authoritative third party, in a compelling and relevant way that consumers choose to seek out
Earned media outcomes are effective almost by definition, because a story idea first has to be sold into a journalist and editor, whose day to day business is to know, anticipate and deliver on content desired by their audience.
With Google ruling every purchase decision, the power of helpful editorial is so great that a desired editorial outcome largely achieves the end objective of most ATL advertising, in terms of nudging target consumers down the purchase funnel
The only thing holding back PRs from grasping the opportunity to lead the new melded mar comms industry,is the ingrained constraint of having no money to fund big ideas. PRs have been conditioned for decades, to achieve outcomes based purely on their own hustle, relationships, ideas and skill.
By way of contrast, take Best Job in the World for example. Arguably that shouldn’t be regarded as a PR campaign, in the sense that the creative team was not bound by zero budget because they were ad people, not PRs. I bet Hamilton Island’s incumbent PR agency would have wet their pants had they realised they could have the equivalent $$ value of a salaried caretaking position for a tropical island, plus a small amount of classified advertising.
Once PR agencies, or new amalgams like Edelman, are freed of this constraint and realise their new objective is earned media/talkability/social engagement, the gloves will be off and i suspect they’ll be the winner.
Hear hear Sammy, couldn’t agree with your points more.
I’m always perplexed as to why the industry looks down on PR? In its most basic form, PR focuses on how a brand relates to its public; it’s an intrinsic part of building trust, brand equity and sales, it’s not a fluffy add on.
The whole business is changing. Overseas, the lines between PR, digital, media and ‘traditional’ advertising have been blurred for nigh on 15 years. Australia is just a deep laggard. I mean, just look at the cultures of places like Whybin and Ogilvy. Even Cummins (a great shop) is still clinging to the model of advertising that peaked in 1988.
Source: I’ve been freelancing with all these places multiple times over the past 18 months since returning from the UK.
I see Communications Agencies with specialists from all disciplines working together as the future…and yes, I am perhaps somewhat hopeful but if not this generation then def the next.
In the current market, clients want certainty and specialisation, not-an-all things-to-all- people agency offering. Moving across to the creative side runs the risk of diluting the traditional media relations offering.