Kim Kardashian's Going to Show us all what PR Really Is.

Previously, I blogged about the presence of PR in reality TV.

In an update to that post, People.com has announced Kardashian's newest project, a reality show focused on public relations. The show will be focused around her friends in the industry, "PR gurus Jonathan Cheban and Simon Huck" of Command PR.

"It'll show all the ins-and-outs or PR. It's going to be really fun. It'll show how there's lots of drama and crisis in the PR world."

Now granted, I have not seen the show, therefore I can not judge thus far. However, I will say why this makes me nervous. So far PR has a Hollywood reputation of being a job in which publicists help celebrities clean up messes. Although I have a deep respect for those in entertainment public relations (it's a tough and 24/7 type job!), there's just a lot more to PR.

Celebrity publicity is just one small facet of public relations. Among the intricacies of the public relations profession are creating press releases, organizing media, strategies of product releases, fostering relationships, facilitating business to business relations, and more. PR professionals can specialize in consumer marketing, manufacturing technology, agriculture, investor relations, and digital media. Each of these practice areas differ from each other in some ways, and are equally challenging in their own right.

The sad thing is, none of this can be conveyed through a half-hour television show no matter how well produced. It took me four years of college, and 5 internships to begin to grasp what PR fully entails. It would be wonderful to see a show attempt to expose the real world of PR. And in the end, it wouldn't really make for good entertainment (credit to my first commenter for this modification, as it's so very true).

Again, this is my opinion. But...If you listen really closely, you can hear a collective sigh among many PR professionals everywhere.

It Slices, It Dices, it does it all! It's TWITTER!

Recently I had the pleasure of discussing the uses of Twitter in public relations with other professionals. Twitter is "a new and exciting tool" that I'm sure most of you are all sick to death of hearing about. But despite all the hype, I really do believe in the value of Twitter in public relations.

It's really a tough sell to most. I've heard, "It's so overwhelming, I can't keep up with this!" and "It's just a bunch of mindless chatter, who cares what you think of Brett Favre joining the Vikings!" and "This will never catch on." These are all very valid arguments. But in public relations, Twitter is quickly becoming an important conduit to creating relationships with clients and networking with journalists.

One great question that was asked recently was "What if my clients aren't on Twitter? Then it doesn't really apply to me!" True, Twitter is making strides in B2B marketing and consumer marketing every day. Box office hits are even being attributed to whether or not the movie got good Tweet reviews. But, Twitter really relies on being a 2-way communications tool, and if your client isn't hopping on the trend, it's tough to justify the jump onto Twitter. Or so I thought.

But then, I found #agchat and I changed my mind.



I am already a participator in #journchat- a weekly conversation on Twitter between bloggers, journalists, and PR professionals. The weekly chat has already helped me do my job better- by letting me gain insight into journalist perspectives and network with journalists and PR professsionals. I never realized there were more #chat's out there until I stumbled upon #agchat.

#agchat is another weekly conversation (founded by agricultural advocate Michele Payn-Knoper) among agriculture marketing professionals and those in the agriculture business.

It occurred to me that even though your specific client may not be on Twitter, there are those out there (such as the participators in #agchat) who can give you valuable insights into your industry. Learning first hand information from professionals in your industry is ALWAYS a way to improve in your career and to improve your work for clients no matter how old you are or what industry you serve.

So, IHF Twitter for once again providing me with ways to conduct PR in a more effective way.

Innovative Facebook Photo Use - Koo Koo Kamera

I was creepin' out on Facebook the other night and checked up on the profile of Neil's band, Koo Koo Kangaroo. I've known Neil since I was in middle school and it's great to see him rockin' the Minneapolis music scene. I know Neil and Bryan appear to have several screws loose, but they're actually really smart. Neil has been promoting bands off and on for 5 years and is trying new things to connect with fans through Facebook and Twitter. Anyways, I was looking at some of the new photos that were posted from the video shoot and show on Friday when I noticed several albums titled Koo Koo KAMERA.

What is Koo Koo KAMERA?

At every show they boys set up a Macbook near the merch table. Fans at the show can take photos of themselves with their friends, strangers or the band using the Photobooth app. Neil creates Facebook albums of the photos as soon as he can after the show. Fans are eager to check the photo albums the next day to find their photo and tag themselves, adding a little social currency to their "photos tagged of" section. As fans rack up tagged photos for each show they attend they can compete with other fans for the most tags. It's also great organic promotion for the band as people exposed to fan networks will see updates about their friends being tagged in a Koo Koo KAMERA album.

OMG that man has a donut and Hey! That's my sister with Neil's siblings on the right!

Why it's great and what it means for brands.

When people are out with their friends and cameras are involved, I'll bet you five beers that you'll likely hear "omg that's my new profile pic", or "don't you dare put that on Facebook", or even "that's totally gonna be the name of my next FB album," Tagging your friends in photos keeps the shared experience going, even after the hangover fades.

While Koo Koo is operating as an open Facebook Profile instead of a Page, this fun use of albums can still be used with Pages. Finding a unique way to use existing features of social sites can be challenging, but giving fans the ability to interact with your brand without having to add another application will make life easier. Another example is Modern Amusement's use of the Like feature - Libby recapped the contest last week.

Creating strong offline/online connections is key for cohesive branding and specific campaigns. Keeping the photo concept in mind, brands could implement the photobooth self tagging concept at events or to enhance in-store experiences. Or integrate product photobooth to share your in-store purchase or to tag them for online purchase at a later date. Real time photo tagging can also be used with TwitPic to give fans the instantaneous credibility of being present at exclusive locations. These photo proof points are a win-win for fans and brands as the connection lives on the can't-live-without photo application.

Review of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies

Any book with "winning" in the subtitle is off to a good start for me. Groundswell didn't disappoint. If I ever write a book, it will be laid out like this--straightforward, parallel structures and packed with powerful case studies and numbers.

Groundswell (by then-Forrester researchers Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff) is divided into three sections. First the idea of "groundswell" and prominent tools like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter are defined. More importantly, the book introduces and defines technographics and their tool for measuring how different groups of consumers use social media. See the free profile tool which lets you specify age and country here. The next section explains how to tap into the groundswell and make it work for your company. There are five ways that they categorize involvement, each building on the one before:

1. Listening. Monitor the groundswell for research and to gauge overall sentiment about your brand and competitors. It's a free, always-on, completely honest focus group; you just need to know where to find it.
2. Talking. Use the groundswell to spread marketing messages.
3. Energizing. Turn brand enthusiasts into brand ambassadors.
4. Supporting. Best suited for complex brands. Mobilize your customers into a support group for one another.
5. Embracing. Bring your customers and their needs, wants, and ideas into your brand. Let them directly help you in improving your product, services, and marketing.

This section is filled with amazing case studies and action items for brands who want to get involved in these ways. The final section helps you implement groundswell techniques within your company. I recommend partnering that section with Tribes for full effect.

I also suggest having a highlighter and notepad handy while you devour this book. It's an easy read but it's saturated with statistics, tips, and sites to visit later. The only downside? The book was finished in late 2007 and published in 2008--in other words, pre-Twitter. To their credit, the authors cite Twitter as an emerging tool that they think will really explode into the groundswell. More importantly, they maintain a blog on the Forrester site to keep the conversation going and apply the content to modern case studies.

Bottom line: Read this book now, no matter what level of understanding you have of social media. Until you can get your hands on it, read the blog. Your co-workers will thank you when someone in the room can be truly knowledgeable about social media, and your brands will thank you when you approach them about entering or improving their presence in this brave new world.