New Decade, Who Will Own Social Media – PR Firms Or Advertising Agencies?

January 8, 2010


Depending on what you read social media is either owned by one camp or the other – public relations firms or advertising agencies. Of course there is another camp who feels that social media is not owned by either, but I’d love to see your thoughts on this. Will this new decade change the rules of the game or how it is played?

I asked the question early on last year which triggered quite a bit of debate. Since that time there have been a lot of changes to social media. While companies such as Maverick PR, Edelman and Environics have been bulking up on their social media hiring throughout 2009. In some cases pulling independent consultants or people who were not previously in a pure social media role, but had a great online profile and very immersed in social media.

Over the last year we’ve seen a number of companies launch tools that help to measure engagement, a number of companies have been created that help to measure engagement on various social media platforms.   “Time spent” become a big buss word within marketing departments and they started to move away from the traditional click on ads as once again consumers became tired to be sold to and wanted a more meaningful way to spend their time online.

It is often said that public relations professionals are great communicators so perhaps this will be a something that sets apart a PR person’s ability to deliver a social media solution vs. an advertiser.

What do you think?

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Dave Forde


Dave “The Connector” Forde has been involved in the marketing, public relations and technology industry across Canada for over 15 years in various sales and marketing roles, he launched The Connected One network of business sites which connects buyers to the right sellers. Profectio and PR In Canada covers news about the marketing and public relations industry each day helping professionals advance their career and businesses.
He also serves as an advisor to a number of businesses across the country. Find Dave on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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