This was a question posted by marketing blogger Gordan Whitehead on Linked In. Here is what Director of Gray Media Services, Yasmine Gray had to say:
Social media is a fantastic new tool that needs to be embraced by marketing and PR professionals alike however it isn't necessarily the right medium for all businesses and as industry advisors we need to have a good understanding of how best to use it, when and why. This medium is only going to grow and develop and so to not have any idea about how it may or may not be beneficial doesn't display a great deal of future market insight. We don't have to use it at all times or for all campaigns however I would hope all of my staff would at least have a few clues about what it's all about. It is obviously not a fad in that the medium is already well developed and continuing to grow. It will change and morph and it remains to be seen into what forms however to ignore it is at your peril as it is here to stay in some format or other that's for sure.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Why ex-journos should NOT (or should?) head the PR function
Why ex-journos should NOT (or should?) head the PR function
This was the title of a debate started by PR blogger Craig Pearce as appeared on Linked In. Here is what Yasmine Gray, director of Gray Media Services had to say about the issue. To follow the debate go to the PRIA group on Linked In.
Yasmine Gray says:
This debate re-enforces the age old problem of divide between PR and journalism. Having worked as a journalist for over 23 years before setting up a a PR company I can tell you that I found many, many PR's did not have a clue about media and what our requirements were as journalists. Likewise now I find many journalists have an instant bias towards having a dislike of PR's when of course there are many fine practitioners out there that make the life of the journo a lot easier. The bottom line is that we are all in the same industry and are trying to achieve the same goals ie create media. Those of us that have had experience on both sides of the fence have the greatest overall understanding of how the media machine works and I would encourage both journos and PR's to open their minds to learning about each other's worlds.I employ people with experience from either side of the fence but ensure that those staff members learn as much as possible about the area in which they are less knowledgeable. We need to have respect for both professions and the importance they both have in providing interesting media for the varying target audiences we are trying to reach. So it's not a case of one being better than the other and at the end of the day it will always be a case of the individual having ability. The wider and more diverse your experience is within the media industry the better you will be at which ever role you perform.
This was the title of a debate started by PR blogger Craig Pearce as appeared on Linked In. Here is what Yasmine Gray, director of Gray Media Services had to say about the issue. To follow the debate go to the PRIA group on Linked In.
Yasmine Gray says:
This debate re-enforces the age old problem of divide between PR and journalism. Having worked as a journalist for over 23 years before setting up a a PR company I can tell you that I found many, many PR's did not have a clue about media and what our requirements were as journalists. Likewise now I find many journalists have an instant bias towards having a dislike of PR's when of course there are many fine practitioners out there that make the life of the journo a lot easier. The bottom line is that we are all in the same industry and are trying to achieve the same goals ie create media. Those of us that have had experience on both sides of the fence have the greatest overall understanding of how the media machine works and I would encourage both journos and PR's to open their minds to learning about each other's worlds.I employ people with experience from either side of the fence but ensure that those staff members learn as much as possible about the area in which they are less knowledgeable. We need to have respect for both professions and the importance they both have in providing interesting media for the varying target audiences we are trying to reach. So it's not a case of one being better than the other and at the end of the day it will always be a case of the individual having ability. The wider and more diverse your experience is within the media industry the better you will be at which ever role you perform.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)