Following on from Nick’s previous post, we attended tonight’s CIPR event at which David Parkin former business editor of the Yorkshire Post and now editor of thebusinessdesk.com highlighted his vision for his new venture – and where traditional media aligned with that.It was an interesting discussion and I was certainly intrigued to see how successful it has proved – despite the myriad naysayers along the way. However, one of the most intriguing – and for me quite frightening – issues came right at the end. Carol Arthur of Northern Lights and deputy chair of the CIPR in this region asked the 40+ attendees which out of us read a daily newspaper and who consumed their news online. Of the approximately 20 students, who were all studying some sort of PR degree, not one read a newspaper.
Having provided work placements for many students as part of our commitment to giving back and nurturing the next generation, we have encountered some truly outstanding young people – as well as some that worryingly knew very little about the workings of the media nor seemed to care very much.
While we are all embracing online and social media and recognise its importance, it still remains very much part – and some would say only a small part – of the UK’s general psyche and therefore must continue to combine with traditional media. Securing clients coverage in newspapers, on the radio and on television is something we at Quest do every day and something that continues to achieve our clients the recognition and business success they are seeking.
If the next generation of PR professionals fails to even acknowledge or consume on a regular basis our quality daily and weekly newspapers we are going to encounter an even more intense talent war than we are currently experiencing.
To any budding PR I would urge you to pick up a newspaper and start reading, critically examining it and dissecting the origin – PR-driven or otherwise - of a story. Only then will you learn how to position newsworthy ideas and stories that integrate into your new media to deliver powerful PR campaigns for your clients and achieve success for their business.
I would be interested to hear what others within the industry and particularly students and lecturers have to say on this issue – are the next-in-line moving too quickly away from traditional media to the detriment of their potential career progression?
3 comments:
While I am with you here, David, we should recognise that no newspaper doesn't necessarily mean no news. (I was in a Leeds PR consultancy yesterday which had News 24 running on large screens in the backgroun. News; but not necessarily in a newspaper.)
As I found yesterday, my online newsreader is full of traditional news. I can also read news on an iPod Touch or other mobile devices.
I do encourage my students to open newspapers (they all have to have a letter published in one in their name), but I'd rather they became news junkies through any available means.
Good point Richard - I know certainly we have either Sky News or News 24 running constantly in the office so we can react to opportunities for clients. Indeed we also monitor both the regional and national newspapers each morning both to pick out stories and to also keep up to date with the latest features, columns and opportunities - not something that's as readily available online.
The key for me is that an in-depth understanding of each media outlet's focus, audience, style and tone is an essential part of any PR professional's job. Reading a newspaper becomes therefore as vital as harnessing the power of Facebook - both are going to bring benefits to your clients' businesses.
I too was at the same 'Print is dead, long live new media' seminar that David blogs about and I too have an issue with tomorrow's PR profession relying solely on just one format of media to get their daily intake - something, which I think is incredibly short sighted.
Although I agree that new media and social marketing is a fantastic way to quickly consume headlines and get a general overview of today’s news in a very short space of time I think that PR professionals shouldn’t rely on this in isolation.
When evaluating what format of media we think we should consume I think we need to consider where our clients want to be seen. I understand that many B2B clients appreciate the value of appearing on websites and blogs and email alerts but a lot of clients are still very traditional in their approaches. They want to be seen in print and this is particularly pertinent in the world of consumer PR.
One final point, which I think is also important, is selling in. When I sell in a story I will always try and arm myself with as much background information about the journalist so that I know what stories and issues turn them on, which enables me to pitch the sell in appropriately – information which I rarely get from websites and the TV alone.
Don’t get me wrong, I think TheBusinessDesk.com is great and their daily email is one of the first messages I open each morning but I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I thought that I could get through my day with just one format of news only.
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