Following up on the case study proposal
Dan York points me to a post from Jeff Pulver about what he wants from a PR firm. The underlying message: In most cases, these typically are not the things he actually gets. His post lists the kind of problems he experiences, from interns assigned to his account to account reps taking credit for his work.
Pulver,
founder and chairman of Pulver Media, is widely read, as are Chris Anderson and Tom Coates—just three who have used their blogs to complain about bad PR practices. (There have been—and will be—many others.) This rising tide of negative publicity about the profession is what led me to propose that agencies post case studies for each engagement that outline their approach to the assignment.
In a post calling the proposal “unfeasible,” Clemson PR professor Mihaela Vorvoreanu suggests that the work of PR bloggers will will improve the PR’s reputation and professionalism. It’s a nice thought—and it’s certainly flattering that there are those who believe we can influence the behavior of others. Experience is a cruel teacher, though, and it has become clear to me that social media is a two-edged sword. While we can blog our opposition to unethical behavior, anybody can use social media to engage in just such practices. As I noted in the post proposing the case-study solution, our profession will always be contaminated by these people. Social media gives prominent bloggers a channel for complaining about them. Consequently, all of us are painted with the same brush.
The case study proposal is a means by which we can begin painting our own picture, particularly since nobody seems interested in enforcing the existing codes of ethics to which members of professional associations are supposed to adhere.
Objections to the proposal fall into two camps:
- We can’t expose our secret sauce to competitors
- Nobody has the time to write these case studies
I’m not suggesting that we give away any secrets, although I question how many firms have the equivalent of the recipe for Coca-Cola in their vaults. Generally, what distinguishes one agency from another is the quality of its people and its leadership. It’s an incestuous business where people bounce from firm to firm. (Look at David Jones as one example; the author of the PR Works blog worked for Thornley Fallis, then went to Fleishman Hillard, and is currently at Hill & Knowlton. I don’t suspect each firm erased his memory when he left to keep him from sharing their secrets with his new employer.)
The case studies are meant to be published after the PR effort is launched and would be summaries, one-pagers that encapsulate the steps taken. Any good agency is already producing a written project plan; it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to edit the plan into a web-ready outline.
Of course, I’m not so naive as to believe that the case study idea will be broadly adopted as some sort of industry standard. I just think those who do begin publishing their work plans will stand apart as the blogosphere-wide condemnation of PR continues to spread.
11/27/07 | 13 Comments | Following up on the case study proposal