There Is A Digital Divide Hitting The PR Industry

April 23, 2014


TrianglePictured to the left is a simple triangle, a shape that we all learned in elementary school, but its impact on the business world today can make or break a public relation’s agency. Continue to picture with us the following scenario, at the top of the triangle is the brand (client), in the left corner is an advertising agency, and in the right corner is your public relations agency. The client invites both vendors to the table, shares their campaign brief which is derived from a business goal or objective they are trying to reach. For example, “We want a campaign with xx character/ celebrity/ spokesperson who will talk about how great our product is, we want it to go viral, and store shelves to be sold out” (well, the conversation goes something like that).

Traditionally the budget for a campaign has had the majority going to the advertising agency, who creates an out-of-home, print, radio and/or television campaign, and this is supported with pr efforts by the public relations agency. All of a sudden digital started to take off, consumers were flocking to www.something to engage, interact and ultimately buy a product or service. Fast forward a few more years and the social media train rolled in as MySpace, Second Life, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube dominated the attention of consumers at one point in time. Public relations agencies started to feel the budget pinch and quickly fought for a bigger piece of the budget, but based on what value? The war for “digital dollars” that started to unfold, as advertising agencies competed against public relations agencies in the “squared ring” which we’re referring to as the Digital Divide. The world has often referred to the Digital Divide related to education and those that could vs not afford to have computers and access to them to further their education, but there is also a battle in the “triangle ring.”

Over the last three years we have seen a number of agencies launch digital division within the public relations agencies, and recruiting talent from advertising agencies, and in some cases it has helped to bring on new business and additional revenue. Is it enough? No! Overall, by running both Profectio and PR In Canada we have a pretty good handle on what is and is not happening with brands and agencies across Canada, and have noticed a few trends.  There are still significant budget dollars being allocated to advertising agencies versus public relations agencies. Having recently completed our first annual #top30under30 (we will have the results ready for you next week) gave us a good chance to dissect the Canadian public relations agencies and there are quite a few factors that are preventing it from growing, and it does not seem to be advancing at the rate the advertising industry is advancing.

So what’s it going to take? Part of the answer is there needs to be a stronger commitment from YOU (yes you), your co-workers, staff and peers. At a very basic level, there needs to be more of a commitment and investment from public relations agencies to educate staff members on how digital can help brands to communicate their message better. There are a number of events, seminars, conferences that are dedicated to digital communications or have an aspect to help teach about the digital world that you could be attending.

Get over the hang up on terms, at some level social media is simply communicating a message faster due to the fact that we’re now using a digital channel. Isn’t that what pen and paper does? Isn’t that what we did as kids when we tied two cans together with a piece of string while playing in the backyard?


Join other professionals!

Get news, tips and other industry news delivered into your inbox.

#1 source for breaking news about Canada's communications and public relations industry


Related Stories:


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.

>