Public Relations 2.0 Manifesto
Paul Holmes wrote a manifesto for "The 21st century Public Relations Firm" last year. It's a brilliant insight into how public relations has evolved and how to take advantage of it. He talks about how marketing is a dialogue and no longer a monologue - something I'm discussing in my free upcoming e-book on Sept 9th, entitled, "How To Design A Winning & Profitable Music Business".
Here are a few wise words from the script:-
"It was about earning attention rather than demanding it. It was about dialogue rather and conversation rather than monologue. And it was about multiple stakeholder groups rather than customers alone." Companies need to start training their employees in brand awareness, making them brand ambassadors to instigate the dialogue. Here is a quote from the paper that reflects this:
"Last year, after GlaxoSmithKline announced that it would be training its employees to become brand ambassadors, to answer all the difficult questions ordinary Americans have about pharmaceutical costs and safety issues, the CEO of a rival company was quoted in the advertising trades expressing skepticism. Was it really safe to put the brand message in the hands of ordinary, untrained employees, he wondered. How could companies hope to control the message? Even then, those sentiments sounded hopelessly out of touch. Was there really a bygone age in which employees were not ambassadors for the brand, in which they did not discuss corporate issues outside of their cubicles or factories or labs? The choice—as smart companies understand—is not whether employees become brand ambassadors, but how effective they are in that role." He summarizes that we've entered the age of "DNA branding". Of course as a geneticist, this attracted me and it made clear sense. Your personality, service, attitudes, etc are all a reflection of your branding. Your company's marketing and branding is therefore a reflection of your genetic make-up. For me, this is an area where I want to explore more and bring in both my passions of business and genetics. More to come soon here. For now, read the entire essay by Paul Holmes here.
"It was about earning attention rather than demanding it. It was about dialogue rather and conversation rather than monologue. And it was about multiple stakeholder groups rather than customers alone." Companies need to start training their employees in brand awareness, making them brand ambassadors to instigate the dialogue. Here is a quote from the paper that reflects this:
"Last year, after GlaxoSmithKline announced that it would be training its employees to become brand ambassadors, to answer all the difficult questions ordinary Americans have about pharmaceutical costs and safety issues, the CEO of a rival company was quoted in the advertising trades expressing skepticism. Was it really safe to put the brand message in the hands of ordinary, untrained employees, he wondered. How could companies hope to control the message? Even then, those sentiments sounded hopelessly out of touch. Was there really a bygone age in which employees were not ambassadors for the brand, in which they did not discuss corporate issues outside of their cubicles or factories or labs? The choice—as smart companies understand—is not whether employees become brand ambassadors, but how effective they are in that role." He summarizes that we've entered the age of "DNA branding". Of course as a geneticist, this attracted me and it made clear sense. Your personality, service, attitudes, etc are all a reflection of your branding. Your company's marketing and branding is therefore a reflection of your genetic make-up. For me, this is an area where I want to explore more and bring in both my passions of business and genetics. More to come soon here. For now, read the entire essay by Paul Holmes here.
