The future isn't what it used to be

When talking about the future of public relations and advertising I think of a playing field that is constantly changing. I believe that we will always have the basic print and television advertisements but the internet and emerging communication technologies will surely restructure the current way they are delivered. Public relations is a different story. I feel that the field itself is constantly changing and new methods are being used as they have no other choice (more on this below).

I do not believe that ARGs are the next big thing in advertising. They are just plain swell and the audience for some of the sites are great, but I believe that an over-saturation will eventually take place. The Wired article on ARGs and Trent Reznor was very interesting and proved to me how truly devoted fans can be. For certain products ARGs are the way to go, but mark my words that every dumb company will begin to use the idea and kill it (like so many great ideas before it). I would like to take this time to mention that McDonald's is currently involved in an ARG. While the idea is neat and visionary, you must understand that only a select group of people (either devoted to the product/cause, obsessive compulsive, or bored) will tough out the entire game to find the answer. There is also the issue of spoiler sites and of course waiting for the next round of clues. Has anyone tried to work the 'LOST' ARGs or even the one for 'Donnie Darko?' Well don't unless you want a headache. Just remember- a company will ruin it soon.

In referring to the Business Week article on Joga. com, I do not believe that social networking sites sponsored by specific companies will be the next big thing. This may be popular at first but how long can people interact on a site designed specifically for soccer? I understand that many people outside of the U.S. worship the sport, but it is a social networking site, not a message board. The site is also invitation only and makes me think of the long line at a trendy nightclub and when you finally get inside you immediately want to leave. The whole Joga idea seems a bit creepy to me as Nike wants its users to create profiles and meet other soccer players to discuss the sport. Sounds more like free market research on a particular demographic.

Advertisements needed to be changed and creative ideas are helping that. In the 'Madison Avenue's 30-Second Spot Remover' article we are introduced to Robert Greensberg. He is truly a visionary that understands the need for creative content in the delivering of advertisements. The internet is becoming a popular medium for advertisements and it has nowhere to go but up. Greensberg said it himself in the New York Times article, " The Web is not a one-trick pony, the internet is a new language because it's not linear. The novel is linear, film is linear, but the Web is not."He acknowledges that many advertisements are tuned out by people (especially younger people) and creative advertisements on different mediums is the next step. Gain some imagination in your staff and profits will most likely follow.

Some have already failed in the quest for a creative and interactive internet advertisement. Refer to the Brawny article to find out how an internet reality show can turn into an epic failure. I will give them props for trying something different and we all need losers to know what not to do. The article even says "if you put the creativity ahead of the consumer, you are lost." It may have seemed like a new imaginative idea at first, but they should have thought more about their consumers and how they would interact with and interpret such an idea. Chrysler seems to be doing things right in their online advertisements (but they are not a paper towel company obviously) with games and videos. Who wouldn't want to race their possible new car against other potential buyers online? Not me personally but to each his own, I can see how it works.

Now to public relations. I said earlier that public relations is constantly changing because it has no other choice. I still believe this four paragraphs later as they are always looking for new ways to communicate and monitor their publics. The Marken article mentions how email and internet based communications have already changed the way people are reached in public relations. I found it interesting how they said, "The Internet puts all business-large and small- on a competitively equal footing if it properly and effectively used." This is true to a sense as some companies may prosper online at the same rate as a company that has been around long before the internet. Public relations practitioners are given immediate communication that allows feedback and conversation that once took much longer. The internet and communication technologies can be seen as making their jobs easier but there are negative aspects for them as well. When referring to the 'Stakeholder Strength' article, the concept of customers creating websites for people to complain about a company comes up. This makes (or should make) a company be very conscious about their employees and the relationships that go on within an organization and with customers. One negative experience with a bank teller having a bad day could result in a post or new website telling others not to do business with them. These negative sites can also come up in a web search making the job of the public relations practitioner stressful as they try to correct the wrongs. While the internet has made communication easier for PR professionals, it has made their job harder with spoof sites and the increasing presence and power that customers have thanks to the medium.

In conclusion, I think the next big thing will be creative and imaginative advertisements that stray from the norm. We are all so used to television and print ads that we tune out without even noticing. When a company gets creative, they get attention which could turn into profits (or maybe not Brawny). ARGs are a good idea for now but it will soon be ruined and a new idea will need to come around. ARGs are a fad in my eyes but I can see them sticking around for a little bit with devoted fans of bands and television shows; it is when fast food companies get in on it when we start to have problems. For public relations I do not know what the next big thing will be. I assume it will have to do with emerging communication technologies and creating spoof sites of their own (we have all heard of fake bloggers and sites that act as front groups for corporations). To sum up this post- creativity is the key.