Social Media
has changed the game
2006 TIME MAGAZINE
Person of the Year
Who’s
The Media
Public
Source
The Social Media “Revolution”
Media as Gatekeeper
Public
Source
The Social Media “Revolution”
Public
Source
The Social Media “Revolution”
No more Gatekeepers
“Everyone has a voice now”
Control
MESSAGE
The media, communications, and marketing
landscape in which the PR industry was developed
is being knocked down. [...] 

It is the decline of media based on a top-down
model of communications. [...] This model is
premised on the audience being passive receptors
for the message [...] 

In the emerging model, as epitomized by YouTube,
MySpace, Oh My News and Wikipedia, ordinary
people provide content to others. Ideas and
information are passed virally. This consumer
generated content alters the laws of control of
message. Many are calling this new social and user
driven media ‘Web 2.0.’
- Richard Edelman (President & CEO of Edelman PR)
“
“
?
?
What does this mean
for public relations
Then:
Then:
Then:
Then: Now:
Then: Now:
Then: Now:
More drawbacks: Birds of a feather flock together
More drawbacks:
“narrowcasting”, “echo chamber”
Birds of a feather tweet together
tweet
tweet
• The Internet has made PR public again, after years
of almost exclusive focus on media relations
• Social media let organizations communicate directly
with consumers
• People want authenticity, not spin
• People want participation, not propaganda
• No one-way interruption marketing
New Rules of PR
• Orgs don’t have full control over messages any longer
• Crowds create content/messages
• Need for orgs to participate in order to:
• Establish thought leadership
• Build digital brand embassies
• Encourage customer evangelism
Loss of Control
Reputation Management
When a company wrongs consumers
United Breaks GuitarsYouTube Song
October 28, 2009
UNITED BREAKS
GUITARS
PASSENGERS
April 10, 2017
Social Media: The Good
• Allows companies to engage
publics directly during a crisis
• Use the social media tools the
public is using
• Allows for information to get out
quickly and unfiltered
• Allows orgs to bypass the
traditional media
• Ability to create customer
evangelists
A Brief Recap
Social Media: The Ugly
• Allows publics to start
“firestorms”
• Enables publics to co-
construct your brand
• Negative comments/reviews
• Negative blog posts/tweets
CONSUMER
RELATIONS
The Internet has breathed new life into
consumer activists, who use the net to
mobilize in chat rooms and on rogue
Web sites. Consumer relations
departments must scrupulously
monitor the online environment.
Organization
Board of Directors
Investors Employees
Media
Unions Consumers
=
Consumer PR
Government Community
1. keeping old customers
2. attracting new customers
3. marketing new items or services
4. expanding complaint handling
5. reducing costs
OBJECTIVES
Typical consumer relations
Who are they?
Citizen Marketers
Who are they?
Citizen Marketers
Conversation
means creating a dialog with in
which useful information is exchanged so
that both parties benefit from the
relationship.
PR
publics
• Requires understanding of who your publics are, who
influences them and how to engage with those
influencers
• Means exchanging info, not delivering a message
Means conversations, not messages
Means 2-way communication not 1-way
Feedback
/Receiver /Source
Message
Channel
Source
Organization
Receiver
Publics
&
Blogs • YouTube • Twitter • Instagram •
Wikipedia • Social Networks • etc.
Tools
for communicating
Community
for sharing
Regaining Trust
When a company is wronged
CEO apology posted toYouTube
Claim	it	before	you	need	it
Regaining	Consumer	Trust
Claim	it	before	you	need	it
Regaining	Consumer	Trust
Reputation Management
When a company wrongs consumers
Comcast’s YouTube Baggage
- Sleeping Comcast Technician Video
Photo Credit: Richard A. Lipski -- The Washington Post
“Cable Rage Pushes
Granny Over The Edge
Cable guy doesn’t show up, so granny
does - with a hammer”
“Taking a Whack Against
Comcast: Mona Shaw
Reached Her Breaking Point,
Then for Her Hammer”
“Taking a hammer to Comcast”
learned
Comcast’s lesson
TechCrunch Founder Michael Arrington
tore into Comcast on twitter after 36
hours without Internet service.
Within 20 minutes of his first tweet a
Comcast executive called to ask how he
could help.
Photo Credit: Joi Ito
Customer
Relations

Social media