‘You’re only as good as the last email you sent’
December 22, 2012
An interview with Matt Grossman, VP for Publicity, Communications & CSR at The Walt Disney Company EMEA
It’s been quite some time since my last post and a great deal has happened in the meantime, the biggest of which has been the start of my internship at The Walt Disney Company (TWDC).
Disney’s Pop-Up Boutique at Harrods, Knightsbridge
Since I started back in July, I have worked on a number of campaigns and initiatives including the Inspired by Minnie Mouse designers collection, the Winnie the Pooh Storytelling Academy and most recently the collaboration with Harrods to create a Disney Boutique, the first Disney Cafe in the UK and a Disney Princess Windows Extravaganza in the Knightsbridge store.
I have enjoyed access to some of the most senior executives at TWDC EMEA, all of which I’ve found to be extremely passionate and inspirational people with a real desire to develop their staff, in particular their interns, as much as they can.
With this in mind, I approached Matt Grossman, Vice President for Publicity, Communications and CSR at The Walt Disney Company, who kindly agreed to let me interview him.
CV and Experience
Matt’s path into PR is an indirect one, which emerged from his love for film and entertainment. Matt studied his undergraduate degree in Film & Production at Middlebury College in Vermont, USA. It was at this time that Matt began to get his first real taste of the entertainment industry, including working as a ‘runner’ for Woodstock 94 – the 25th Anniversary Concert of the famous Woodstock in 1969.
Matt Grossman joined Disney in 2008
Soon after that, Matt was taken on by worldwide talent agency for writers, actors and directors, William Morris, as a trainee – despite failing his typing test!
“I loved working for the William Morris Agency; I got to see the whole film process from start to finish.”
Matt knew he wanted to work in the entertainment industry, but hadn’t quite found his calling. It was at this stage Matt decided to study for a MBA in Marketing and Entertainment at the highly revered Anderson School of Management, UCLA.
Having gained an invaluable network of influential contacts during his time at UCLA, Matt was soon snapped up by First Look Entertainment, an internet company that promoted upcoming movie, music, games and TV releases with sneak peak previews on the internet.
Matt was then quickly snapped up by The Motion Picture Association (MPA) in 2001, working on Digital Strategy and Corporate Communications. The MPA is funded by the major US studios, 7 at the time, including MGM, Sony, Universal, Fox, Warner Bros., Paramount and of course Disney. Matt’s network multiplied significantly during his time at MPA, as he liaised with all of the Comms Heads across the 7 studios on a regular basis. During this period, internet piracy was beginning to emerge as a serious threat to the future of entertainment business.
“What we had to communicate was that illegally downloading content was stealing! People just didn’t seem to understand that they were harming the industry they enjoyed so much.’
In response to this growing problem, Matt and his team at MPA launched localized and adapted an industry-wide education program in more than 40 countries to raise consumer awareness on the impact of new technologies and piracy. Although Matt was keen to stress that getting 7 competitors to form a consensus was “difficult” to say the least!
Matt then decided to use his expertise in the increasingly significant digital world as Senior Vice President of Digital Entertainment, Rights & Technology at Edelman, in California in 2005, before moving across the pond to Paris in 2007. Matt’s clients at Edelman included the likes of Microsoft, Warner Bros, MySpace, Avid Tech and Xbox.
“In an agency environment, attention to detail should be at the core of everything you do. When I was at Edelman, I used to preach to my team that you’re only as good as the last thing you sent – so make sure it’s perfect!”
In 2008, Joyce Lorigan left her role as Vice President of Corporate Communications at TWDC EMEA and one of Matt’s contacts at Disney from his MPA days put him forward as a candidate and he was offered his current role.
Marketing vs PR
Working at such a vast, transnational company has reignited my interest in the turf war between Marketing and PR, and the extent to which one ends and the other begins. When asked for his opinion, Matt claimed there was a fundamental difference in the two fields.
“Marketing can be seen as one to many, where as PR is one to one, then to many. Marketers just want to get their message out there, there’s not really a dialogue—think of most advertising for example. Where PR is concerned, there is an argument to make, which makes getting our message out there and presented in the desired way somewhat more challenging.”
Matt argues that Marketing is either owned or bought, where as PR is earned – resonating with Richard Bailey’s advocacy of Fred Hoar’s saying: ‘advertising is pay for play, PR is pray for play.’
Who owns social media?
I asked Matt about his views on social media, and more specifically should it owned by PR? Or Marketing? Or neither?
Matt claims that managing social media should certainly not be a standalone business function and instead should be utilized by both Marketing and PR initiatives, depending on the nature of the message or call to action. According to Matt, there’s no reason why Facebook and Twitter should be exclusively used by either discipline. Although, blogging and blogger relations has to be handled by PRs.
However, as the discussion developed, Matt illustrated how it’s not always as simple as that and the nature and sector of the organisation will dictate the division of ownership over social media.
For example, the social media channels of an FMCG brand like P&G will be dominated by Marketing. However as Disney’s multichannel business model derives from a heritage of storytelling and quality content, the way in which Disney leverage social media is split between the two disciplines.
“I think people get caught up in who ‘owns’ social media. Slice and dice it however you like – as long as your messages are aligned and coherent.”
In-house or agency?
I asked Matt to critically analyse his experiences of in-house and agency roles in terms of skills gained from each and which he thought would be more suitable for a graduate.
Matt responded immediately with ”time management skills! When you work for an agency, you have multiple clients to cater for – all expecting you to devote the most time to their account, you learn how to prioritise your work much more effectively.”
The randomness of the clients you work with at agency is also beneficial to developing your skillset, according to Matt. In addition, in an agency, you work on products you don’t always want to sell, which really tests your PR skills. As Matt puts it ‘you get really creative when you have to sell s*** products!’ But you have to be at the edge of changing industry and are expected not only to embrace new trends, but also be an instant expert.
“Agencies compete for intellectual capital. Therefore to thrive in the extremely competitive market, you have to have a rigorous work ethic. Your clients expect exceptional results, and if you don’t deliver, there’s always someone else who will. But the main advantage for a graduate is agencies are always looking for new people.’
Matt then talked about how in-house roles are generally more secure, but you don’t get the breadth of work in the same way do in an agency.
What’s the best way to evaluate PR?
During my degree, I’ve found that evaluation of PR is a tricky subject to talk about. Despite the CIPR trying to curtail the use of AVE as an evaluative tool, Disney heavily relies on AVE its main measurement of success.
When asked about his views on evaluation of PR, Matt cited a quote by Sir Martin Sorrell: “I’d cut 50% of our marketing budget, if only I knew which 50% to cut!”
Matt advocated that although PR initiatives are not always easy to evaluate when studied under the objective lens of ROI, it is still a vital business function. Positive, editorial coverage in the media is something you can’t put a price on.
Matt highlighted how Microsoft evaluated their outreach initiatives during his time at Edelman based on impact. Microsoft would set a target of a certain number of what they deemed “top stories”. But the criteria for a top story included among other things:
· That the brand name is in the title of the article
· The article must be exclusively about the brand
· It must feature a powerful quote from one of the brand’s executives
· It should include a placed image
Matt then claimed that thinking of PR in terms of ROI is a fundamentally flawed way of thinking as reputation is not always a monetarily quantifiable thing. Evaluation of PR should consist of comparing the results of your initiatives against the initial objectives of what the initiative wanted to achieve- whether that is awareness, sales, brand elevation, social engagement, tune-in etc.
On the future of PR
As a student entering the PR industry, I find the turbulent interefficatious relationship between PRs and journalists fascinating. I asked Matt how he envisages the future of PR in a changing media landscape.
Matt commented on how every journalist has increasing workloads, shrinking resources and less expertise and influence.
“Consumers get their info from so many different sources nowadays. New technology, such as Google Alerts has changed everyone’s mind-set – we no longer look for news, news finds us.”
With this in mind, Matt advocates that PRs should be extremely mindful of what journalists and the demographics and psychographics they write for want.
Advice for students and aspiring communicators
Matt was keen to stress the importance of experience to any budding PR, but not in the conventional sense.
“Of course climbing the ladder is important, but students and young professionals need to look at the importance of inspiration, broadly speaking. The next step in enhancing your career and personal development is not always upward or linear.”
Matt then went on to discuss how choosing to study an MBA in Marketing and Entertainment presented a pivot point on how to develop his broader skillset with a more business-focussed lens.
When asked for advice on my own academic path, Matt recommended that I gained 3-6 years work experience after obtaining my BA before considering studying a Master’s degree, as this will ensure my skillset will be developed enough to maximise my value for money and indeed time.
All in all, Matt Grossman is an incredibly fascinating, knowledgeable guy who relishes in sharing his wisdom to employees of all levels, and I hope to emulate his success in my own career.
“What Happens in Vegas, stays on Facebook”
November 8, 2011
The fourth of the CIPR Autumn Guest Lecture Series at Leeds Met was hosted by Managing Director of the northern arm of Euro RSCG, Brian Beech, accompanied by Jenni Bamford, a recent Leeds Met graduate now working as an Account Executive at Euro RSCG.
Brian began with an entertaining metaphor: “PR practitioners are like rhinos – thick skinned and charge a lot!” He then stressed the importance of the utilization of the news agenda and topical word of mouth, citing the death of Schmeichel (a dog from Coronation Street) and Pets at Home’s information campaign to advise pet owners on how to deal with a death of a family pet.
Brian then identified the key issues surrounding the future of the PR industry:
- Significant growth in online media
- Less journalists covering more areas
- Explosion of social media
- Development of consumer-generated content
Nonetheless, he was quick to outline that British people remain the most avid newspaper readers in the world, with 33 million print readers a week, this is unlikely to change anytime soon. Moreover 71% of people read regional papers in contrast with 57% of people who read nationals and the percentage increases the further north you go due to a growing perception that nationals are too London-centric. This outlines the redundancy of ‘mass’ comms and the need to target micro, rather than macro-environments when communicating a message.
“The growth in new media is the biggest paradigm shift since the industrial revolution. It’s not a fad, it’s here to stay,”
Brian quoted the fact that 96% of people have used social media at some point, and the new phenomenon has overtaken pornography as the number one activity on the web. 1 in 5 couples met online. However as Brian ironically pointed out 1 in 5 marriages that end in divorce are because of Facebook.
“ 50% of pensioners in the UK use Facebook and a third use Youtube, every minute 24 hours of video is uploaded to Youtube; there are even babies in Egypt named ‘Facebook!’”
These statistics illustrated the need for PR students to transcend beyond mere enthusiastic amateurs to experts in digital media. Social media is instant, mobile and permanent and professional communicators will need to respond rather than deny – to quote Brian “What happens in Vegas, stays on Facebook!”
Brian concluded a rather entertaining lecture by emphasising the need for students to be doing work experience throughout their studies, otherwise how will you know what you like and you are good at? Brian was also keen to outline the need for PRs to specialise, or be negatively regarded as generalists. Ending with on a comical note, when asked what he specializes in, Brian replied “Bullshit!”
“Follow Me, I’m Right Behind You!”
October 12, 2011
The second CIPR Guest Lecture attracted yet another full house as Kevin Murray
, CEO of the Bell Potinger Group delivered a fascinating lecture, based on his forthcoming book: The Language of Leaders.
Murray wrote the book after interviewing 54 chairmen, CEOs & Business Leaders as well as 3 military generals and 2 Police Commissioners to ascertain how leaders inspire and influence others to achieve the results the desire.
“It was my years spent as a journalist that I decided I was never going to stop learning and reporting on what it is I had learnt.”
In an era of radical transparency, leadership has also changed quite radically. The speed at which reputation can be damaged is accelerating and leaders need to build organisations that respond at the same speed. Murray illustrated this point by referencing the McLaren ‘Ferrarigate’ crisis that he was burdened with handling: “In the space of 30 minutes, the false rumour that McLaren had been kicked out the World Championship had been reported and dropped by media all over the globe.” This reiterates his notion of the ‘double edged sword of the modern digital world.’
The two fundamental concepts that Murray found imperative to effective leadership and organisational success were trust & engagement. Lack of trust in an organisation costs money, in terms of loss of sales and rebuilding a brand. With reference to Professor Gregory’s lecture and her example of Coca Cola’s valuation, Murray said “there is a shifting culture from managing tangibles, to enhancing the intangibles.”
Murray then highlighted the importance of emotional engagement with stakeholders using his interview with Sir Frank Williams, CEO of F1, as an example: all Sir Frank ever wanted to do was race, and his employees were worried that his successor would not have the same passion as he did.
“He couldn’t move himself, but he managed to move everyone in the organisation.” Murray advocates that passionate values are at the heart of reputation management. All members of the organisation must be empathetic to communicate effectively with stakeholder groups.
Another crucial part of an effective corporate communication is storytelling. Stories are powerful, and audiences co-create the story with you – they are the superglue of ‘conviction communication.’ Murray’s sentiment echoes one of Richard Bailey’s favourite quotes: “Branding is for cows, stories are for people!”
Murray concluded with the key message that professional communicators need to advise their leaders to inspire all stakeholders, as it is these people that are pivotal the success or failure of any organisation, quoting a paradoxical statement often used in modern leadership “Follow me, I’m right behind you!”
“Play Hard, Work Harder!” – Ailsa Brogan-Hewitt
March 24, 2011
Ailsa Brogan-Hewitt graduated from the BA PR course in 2009. She is now an Account Executive at Rising Digital, a social media and word of mouth marketing consultancy specializing in the music industry.
Ailsa was undecided about where to study, however the reputation of PR at Leeds Met coupled with a more than impressive open day swayed her choice.
Ailsa’s fondest memories of LMU include achieving her first ‘first’, finally completely her dissertation, graduation day and of course what every student loves best – excelling in the Leeds club culture.
In her current role at Rising Digital, Ailsa helps both emerging and discovered artists make the most out of new technologies and online platforms. She works to create environments where clients can communicate with fans, look after and maintain their social networks by uploading quality content and enhancing their online presence in an ethical manner.
Mostly, Ailsa manages accounts by promoting new releases, podcasts and competitions. She also updates clients’ websites, blogs and social networks with relevant content.
Working with DJs / Producers the likes of Axwell, Deadmau5, Chris Lake, Michael Woods, Sander van Doorn, Mauro Picotto, Mason, Sasha, Paul Rogers and Simon Patterson, Gorillaz, Ailsa struggles to pick a favourite as they’re all so different and talented in their own way.
“The best thing about my job is that no day is ever the same – it’s one of my favourite things about working in social media. Everyday presents new ways of doing things through the use of evolving technologies and obviously the fact that it’s music means it’s very difficult to get bored. For example, I love the instant satisfaction of posting a blog post on a clients Facebook page and seeing the amazing feedback left by fans… you don’t get that from seeing your press release in a magazine.“
Ailsa’s advice to current students is to “play hard, but work harder, nothing that’s easy is worth having – a great philosophy which I live by!”
Social Media’s USP: Its Novelty!
February 3, 2011
Everyone has a lot to say about social media nowadays, so I’ll try to keep this short and sweet.
I for one am a keen advocate of the use of social media because of its ability to connect anyone to everyone. Sites such as Twitter have enabled me to network with industry professionals and peers instantly for free.
Facebook allows me to keep in touch with my close friends and acquaintances. LinkedIn has enabled me to display my CV online which can be accessed by potential future employers.
Youtube users can upload unlimited videos which can be viewed instantly (most of the time!) by anyone with a computer or smart phone. I use it all the time to listen to new music and can share these tracks with my Facebook friends at the click of a mouse (or tap of an iProduct).
This blog has allowed me vent my thoughts and opinions and open a dialogue with others. I guess what I’m trying to say is that social media empowers people. It’s a natural territory for PR by definition – its allows anyone and everyone to relate to their publics (or stakeholders).
I wrote a blog on anti-social media outlining my opinions on the negatives of usage of social media. But on balance, social media has far more positives.
For me, the unique selling point of social media is its novelty. It conveniently connects us to the people in our lives as well as allowing us to meet new friends and handy contacts.
Social media isn’t just the future, it’s the present.
“Be Confident, Not Arrogant” – Seb Mysko
January 30, 2011
Sebastian Mysko is the Managing Director of the social media and word of mouth marketing consultancy – Rising Digital, with clients the likes of Deadmau5, Swedish House Mafia, Chris Lake, Gorillaz, Mauro Picotto, Miss Dynamite, Sander van Doorn , Simon Patterson to name a few.
Seb stud
ied Marketing Management at Northumbria Uni. It was at the music festival Sonar when he landed his first Comms Job when one of his uni friends (who’d graduated a year before him) offered him the opportunity to work at Harrison Cowley (now Grayling ).
“I got in early and left late, made the tea, but also developed good relations with the team and three weeks after my graduation, I was offered a position as Account Executive. Looking back, I’m really glad I started near the bottom and worked through all the stages – I feel it’s given me a much greater understanding and sense of compassion for the whole team network.”
Seb’s role as MD at Rising Digital consists mostly of meetings, phone calls and pretty much constantly talking digital strategy. Getting 200 to 400 emails a day, of which about 30% need dealing with there and then, Seb is a big advocate of the phone!
“I’ve worked more campaigns than I can think of, the most obvious being that of the Swedish House Mafia; eighteen months ago they started with no Facebook fans and no online presence. By Q4 of 2010, well… I think you know the rest. But, I have to say, it’s all well and good working on a campaign when you’re a part of it, but it’s much more exciting when you’re actually leading and controlling it.”
Some of his most memorable clients include the Gorillaz, who Rising has supported since they started, Radio One’s In new DJs we trust and Alex Metric - “he continues to educate me in quality and eclectic sounds. But, really I love them all – Axwell’s team is just fantastic… honestly, I could just go on and on.”
Seb admits he wasn’t the most studious student, but he is an excellent people person. When he landed that first PR job, he absorbed so much information about a topic he really had no knowledge of. Coming from an expat background, he didn’t listen to radio, read the UK papers or really ever watch the news. He didn’t read any trade magazines other than music industry stuff, which for the most part, he ‘only bought for the free CDs.’
“At Harrison Cowley I was surrounded by so many personalities that I guess I had real access to, even the MD. I was like a sponge, mopping up every single piece of advise and theory they could throw at me.”
Seb’s advice to current students is to treat the business world like a new client proposal; do your research and set your objectives, the strategy and treat the industry as your target market. Be confident in your approach, not arrogant, but believable.
“ In our first two years of trading, I’m confident we’ve won 99% of our business because people like us. The fact we do the work well is the bread and butter.”
“Don’t Flake Out!” – Anna Wilson
January 29, 2011
Anna Wilson graduated from Leeds Met in 2009 with 1st honours. Having started on the HND Business & PR course, Anna excelled in her initial years, switching to the BA Public Relations course in year 3. Anna is now the Digital Junior Account Manager at Tangerine PR.
Having grown up Birmingham, Anna chose Leeds Met because of its great integration of practical work experience into the course, which she found to be invaluable throughout her degree.
Anna secured her final year placement with Hatch Communications, where she was able to work as part of the team managing the Ocean Gateway Challenge and the launch of the Alea Casino in Leeds.
“I had a great time working on these projects and I learned so much, met some wonderful people and the experience was invaluable. Winning the Trimedia prize was fantastic, the late nights and all the work that went into our pitch was well worth it!”
Anna relished work experience with Ptarmigan PR (know as Bell Pottinger today) where she worked on clients such as Yorkshire Bank, Lemsip and Diageo. She was also part of a team that ran the Northern Journalist Awards where she met some great contacts and even got to meet Greg Dyke! Keen to gain journalistic experience, Anna wrote regularly for the student newspaper ‘The Met.’
Anna’s advice to current students is if you’re going to do something and do it – don’t flake out when it gets hard. Ask for help, the lecturers aren’t just available during your lectures/seminar’s –e-mail them, book appointments and ask for help, advice and guidance. But most importantly don’t say no and don’t make excuses – If you get the chance to do work experience go for it, if you’re sat stuffing letters in envelopes or writing PO forms (as she did at her first day at Ptarmigan!) then do it and do it well – that way you’ll be invited back.
News Corp Under Fire
January 27, 2011
The multi-media tycoon Rupert Murdoch (chairman of News Corp) will be feeling the pressure this week
after a revamped investigation into allegations of phone-hacking by his paper News of the World and arguably the two most watched and trusted pundits in football being dismissed or forced to leave Sky Sports over sexist off-air comments.
These events come at a time of the looming decision on News Corp’s buyout of BskyB. This will undoubtedly cause a headache for Jeremy Hunt, Tory Culture Secretary burdened with the verdict (after Vince Cable’s dismissal following a ‘declaration of war’ on the Murdoch empire).
Despite the concerns regarding media plurality and public interest, News Corp’s proposed £8bn takeover of the 61% of BskyB they do not own will surely be undermined by the News of the World’s accusation of phone-hacking, which incidentally forced the resignation of Cameron’s chief press officer and former News of the World editor Andy Coulson last week.
Labour front-bencher Tessa Jowel* alerted the police after she discovered an attempt to hack her voicemail earlier this week, suggesting the phone-hacking may still be happening. This presents yet another spanner in the works for Murdoch’s print publications, of which all (notably the pay-walled Times and even Britain’s best selling paper The Sun) are in sales decline.
Richard Keys & Andy Gray are probably more trusted by the majority of the British male population than David Cameron & Nick Clegg. Clearly they were unaware of the seriousness of their comments in the context (which incidentally was not on air at the time), however the nature of their comments is bound to affect Sky Sports’ reputation.
News Corp’s Crisis Comms protocols has and will be in overdrive over the coming weeks, although in terms of Hunt’s big decision (which has been approved by the European Commission) one must wonder whether these misdemeanours will influence the Culture Secretary’s decision on whether News Corp should allowed to takeover BskyB, as it could be argued Murdoch should get his current house in order before seeking to expand his empire. Perhaps News Corp is growing too fast for its own good.
Anti-Social Media?
January 18, 2011
In my first semester at Leeds Met, it became increasingly evident that social media was the future of PR (and Advertising, Journalism, Marketing & Networking for that matter). I realized the magnitude of social media when Richard Bailey not only allowed, but encouraged live tweeting throughout his lecture, with the hash tag #prlecsm.
Social media allows PROs to communicate and coverse with their publics instantly from the comfort of their office. It bypasses the traditional journalistic ‘middle men’ and puts power in the hands of of anybody and everybody. Communication has never been easier, with awesome smartphones and super-fast broadband, the power of social media is constantly growing, ushering in a ‘Golden Age’ for the PR industry.
However the revolution in social media, could lead to 
devolution in the real world. The most popular social media platform is without a doubt Facebook, which is currently valued at $50 billion. Over 500 million people worldwide have a Facebook account (including my nana!). However what can be a vibrant and entertaining platform can be abused and turn into anti-social media.
People seem to be so engrossed with their Facebook account that they neglect their offline lives. I actually overheard two girls the other day bickering over who had more friends on Facebook, as if it’s an accolade to have more friends added than someone else.
Some of my Facebook ‘friends’ post some insulting, childish, pointless and baffling status updates. I have actually starting removing people from my friends, because of their annoying updates on my so-called ‘news feed.’ I noticed that I didn’t even know some of the people on my friend list!
Without ranting too much
, seemingly innocent things, such as uploading and tagging photos of people in a drunken mess can have disastrous consequences. Many employers have been deterred from hiring candidates because of embarrassing and unsavoury photos
It’s not just Facebook, Paul Chambers’s tweet in November last year read “Robin Hood airport is closed. You’ve got a week and a bit to get your shit together, otherwise I’m blowing the airport sky high!!” This tweet may have been a joke, but Chambers was still sentenced to a £3,000 fine!
The Liverpool footballer Ryan Babel was fine £10,000 this week by the Football Association Regulatory Commission because he tweeted a picture of referee Howard Webb wearing a Man Utd shirt following their 1-0 defeat. It’s worrying how social media has the power to become anti-social.
Although, social media is predominantly useful and entertaining. It allows friends, family and colleagues to communicate and network instantly across vast distances. Social media can and does empower people.
Just look at Linkedin, which allows people to connect with past and present colleagues as well as advertise themselves to prospective employers in a fair and objective way.Other social sites such as Foursquare allows you to tell your friends where you’ve been, where you’re going and the quality of that experience. Path is the opposite to Facebook, limiting you to 50 friends so you stay connected with the people that really matter in your life.
Moreover, after reading ‘Social media lessons from the year I spent in bed’ by Jennifer Kane, you realize the amount of benefits social media bring.
Generation Unto Generation
November 30, 2010
Justin McKeown, now Regional Director of the global public relations consultancy Grayling, graduated with a first class degree in Public Relations in 1997.
It was fascinating to listen to his view on the changes in the PR industry over the last 13 years.
Justin McKeown (centre) with CIPR student reps
He started with an icebreaker activity, his own version of ‘The Generation Game,’ asking students to identify pictures, nostalgic and current. The message was to point out how cultures change over generations and to demonstrate the need to keep up-to-date and well-informed or be left behind.
Speaking more specifically of the changing world of communication, Justin said ‘YouTube is a mere five years old and is the most watched media channel in the world.’ He then discussed the demise of traditional print media with the example of how Rupert Murdoch’s newspaper The Times runs at a loss and may be scrapped by his likely successor James.
Justin then reminisced about the age of the fax machine and the inevitable end of the day queues to use it, outlining the constantly changing world (and the need to keep pace with it). In contrast, in the quiet early days of Twitter, Justin convinced Jonathan Ross to make a donation for a charity auction by simply suggesting so in a tweet.
Evaluation methods are changing too, with Justin describing the decline of AVE (advertising value equivalency) in favour the number of ‘retweets’ or ‘likes’ an article or blog post has received. Measuring online consumption is much more quantifiable than consumption of print media. He also commented on the growth in platforms of ‘mass coverage’ consisting of thousands of online outlets, the key point being you cannot stop information flowing.
PR today is much more about engaging in dialogue with customers and key influencers than the old style of: ‘I have something to say, you listen.’
“How engaged would you feel with someone who only spoke in press release format?”
Justin concluded by pointing out the transformation of media and the way it is distributed, noting that information flows in every direction (a far cry from Shannon & Weaver’s model) as well as advocating that the opportunities have never been greater for the PR profession.
