Things have changed. Dramatically. And the approach to PR—the whole perception of what PR is and does—needs to change along with everything else. That’s why Calysto is re-inventing the agency model.
The Internet and social media have transformed the media industry. Many publications that were kings of their domains 10 years ago don’t even exist today. Everything from trade media to local newspapers migrated online to survive. The most popular news sources have changed. Yes, the Wall Street Journal, NY Times and USA Today are still kings of the hill—but even they have changed their business models.
How has this affected the PR world? Some agencies claim the press release is dead. Some companies have their PR agencies focused only on media relations. Internal PR people have had to become masters of social media and other marketing services to keep their jobs. Even the largest agencies are confused about their identity. Ketchum claims to be “A public relations and marketing agency which specializes in …” Edelman is the world’s largest “public relations firm.”
The consolidation of the media is threatening to make PR a commodity. Clients view PR as “easy” now that they understand it and no longer see it as black magic. And as commodities go, so go the budgets. Agencies that could once command $40,000/month for a retainer are now getting half that. Or less.
We are more than PR practitioners now. We are marketing consultants. True PR is about relationships. And those relationships and influence are still important. Influencing the publications that are still out there is extremely competitive. Getting covered in the Wall Street Journal is not a layup, by any means. It takes true PR professionals.
That all means it’s time for the new agency. So we’ve recreated Calysto.
We think the image of your company is in the story that you tell. The story that you tell is in every post, every blog entry, every press interview, every speech. But it all starts with that story. The story is most prevalent on your website. And what about other sites that you’ll use to influence customers. So that’s where we start: Who are you? What do you want to stand for? How do we tell the world that story?
So as we relaunch Calysto, you will see that we hired a CCO (chief content officer) from the industry we serve: mobile & telecom. A journalist. Not a digital media expert. Someone who understands the stories being told, the trends, the news and who can help tell them.
Which brings me back to “the agency.” We are more than PR. We are more than social & digital media. We start with helping figure out your story—and then we use PR and social media to tell it.
I’m not saying Edelman is wrong to call itself a PR agency. Maybe that’s still all they want to be. They did have the foresight to name a chief content officer—the trouble is they just moved their digital leader over into this position. Why would a digital leader be the expert on developing content?
Ketchum added “marketing communications” to its descriptor. (So did Calysto, but we aren’t copying them.) I don’t know what they mean by it exactly. What I do know is that there have to be more ways to tell your story. (Cliché alert!) “Content is king.”
Back to the press release for a second. I don’t believe it’s dead. I believe that it has a lot more audiences reading it than it did 10 years ago. It has to appeal to investors, customers, partners, potential buyers and, of course, the media.
So, I think the press release will always be around. It will just evolve. It will tell more of a story. It will include more video and less copy. It will ensure that those who care about that content will get the story. But the Qualcomm strategy of the 1990s—putting out a press release everyday—no longer works. People don’t care that much. PR “strategy” when it comes to press releases is still important. Rely on your PR professional to decide what content belongs in a press release.
What are we to do with the rest of your story? If we can’t pump out a release every day, how do we tell your story?
That’s where the content comes in. Content is more than press releases. Content is more than white papers. It includes everything you say about your company (and yourself). Content is the Facebook “check-in” you just posted.
Did that check-in reflect your image? Is that what you want people to think of you? Did the article your VP of engineering shared on LinkedIn reflect the persona of your company? It’s attitude, it’s tone, it’s BRAND.
Brand comes from content and the delivery of that content. Yes, public relations is still one of the most important ways of delivering that content. But there are plenty of other ways—social and digital media being the next most important.
That’s the new agency—and the new Calysto. Is it a PR agency? Is it marketing communications? What would you call it?
How can the new Calysto help raise awareness of your company through content, social media and PR? Contact us to find out.