MediaPost Publications 2013 - Beginning Of The End For PR Boomers 02/08/2013

MediaPost Publications 2013 – Beginning Of The End For PR Boomers 02/08/2013

See on Scoop.it – Enterprise Social Media

The media landscape is evolving rapidly, and baby boomers are about to be left behind because of their inability to keep up with technology and the changing times. The days of the self-proclaimed experts (those who profess to be “thought leaders” as a result of reading and hearing about new advancements that clients can take advantage of) are long gone.

Mike Ellsworth‘s insight:

Boy did this post stir up a hornet’s nest of dissenters!

While this Boomer does not subscribe to the ageist generalization that Boomer’s don’t get social media, it is true that many public relations professionals of all ages don’t get it.

PR folks have never really understood the "Relations" part of the name of their industry is short for "Relationships." Many still believe that pushing out a PR or having some kind of event, or buying "brand ambassadors" are valid ways to get the message out. We get into this subject in a series of posts, beginning with

Social Media is Not Advertising. Duh! (http://smperformance.wordpress.com/2012/12/03/social-media-is-not-advertising-duh/).

Many old-school PR techniques are defunct, and not just because PR firms are led by Boomers, but because the whole push messaging thing is defunct.

Bray catches a whiff of this scent in the article when he states: "Media today is all about authenticity — and largely dominated by participatory media and consumers, who see right through advertising and marketing hyperbole and shut it out."

A good manager knows to criticize the behavior, not the person, and Bray would do well to avoid branding a generation and concentrate on the oh-so-20th-century techniques his industry still relies on.

And if you’d like to find a Boomer to mentor your employees of any age, I’m available . . .

Via Dr. Luci Bearon, Boomer gerontologist.

See on www.mediapost.com