Of PR and social media

There’s been a flurry of discussion recently about PR and social media. Do PR people understand social media? Are PR people necessary in a Web 2.0 world? Do journalists care? Are journalists even the audience anymore? (See Todd Defren’s blog for this one) If you’re new to the topic, here’s a detailed introduction and summary of developments to date from Brian Solis. For a great overview of the issues and lots of discussion, check out Chris Anderson’s “Long Tail PR: how to do publicity without a press release.”

OR you could subscribe to the Benioff school of PR. In a Forbes interview described by Valleywag as a “breathtakingly arrogant lecture on how to play the media,” Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce.com, offered the following pearls of PR wisdom:

• “Always pitch the bigger picture. [...] Reporters are writers. They like to write stories with a protagonist, a villain and a plot.”
• “Before you start talking to the media, get ahold of your metaphor. [...] Journalists will use your metaphor in their story because they can’t come up with one on their own.”
• “You have to be part of the tech dialog. Even if you announce you’re going to buy Apple, when really you aren’t, that’s OK. Do it because it will keep you relevant.”
• “Reporters think I value my relationships with each of them. I have a list of 25 reporters I consider influential worldwide. I pay special attention to this group. I always answer their e-mails.”
• “People open our press kits for free chocolate.”

Technorati Tags: PR, social media press release, Marc Benioff

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