TurnPRon - Communication 2.0 -
The Convergence of PR, Advertising, Media and the Consumer

Brown Rudnick, Seven Times Square, 47th Floor
Thursday, November 15, 2007
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Technology has changed the communications landscape, and the public relations industry must evolve to survive. The top-down traditional media models, and the PR methods that utilized those models, are becoming less and less relevant in a world of YouTube, FaceBook and the iPhone. The lines between PR, advertising and marketing are becoming increasingly blurred, and the creators of today’s media content are often the consumers themselves as two-way interactions replace mass distribution.

But the new world also presents great opportunities for PR professionals who are savvy enough to adapt. Those who know where the opportunities lie, and how to participate without trying to cut-and-paste the outdated PR strategies onto the new communications marketplace, can thrive.

 PR vs. Advertisers: Can’t We All Just Get Along?

With the emergence of YouTube and myspace, the line between advertising, PR and self broadcasting is quickly morphing. Speanding on public relations currently is less than 1 percent of what is spent on advertising and marketing. With web 2.0, PR is becoming more and more significant in the evolving marketplace, where the end user plays a greater role and two-way communication is more common. Look to coporate websites as an example, where videos, blogs, podcasts, RSS feeds and other tools of the Internet are used to attract relevant and interactive audiences. And in the not-so-distant future, look for PR to merge with advertising, marketing and other forms of communication.

How does PR stack up against advertising in the Web 2.0 world, and should advertisers start to think of their PR brethren as co-equals?

 

Speaking:

  • Jiyan Wei-  Product Manager,  Vocus, Inc.
  • Thomas Burg-  Marketing Director,  DoubleClick
  • Sarah Skerik-  Vice President Distribution Services,  PR Newswire
  • Larry Thomas-  Chief Operating Officer,  Medialink
  • Robert Fitzgerald-  Vice President Sales and Marketing,  BizBash
  • Miranda Tan-  Chief Executive Officer,  MyPRGenie, Inc.
  • Dr. Georg Kolb-  Executive Vice President,  Text 100 Public Relations, New York

Moderator:

  • Heidi Cohen-  Columnist,  The ClickZ Network, President of Riverside Marketing Strategies