Recently I’ve come across a good deal of commentary on who should “own” social media — PR agencies vs. advertising agencies. Although the topic has been tossed back and forth throughout the past few years, it is definitely on the top of marketers’ minds now that social media is reaching a critical mass. Yesterday, Tac Anderson provided a pretty compelling argument for PR, but working for an advertising agency myself, I have also heard plenty of arguments to the contrary.
In an attempt to get a handle on this, let’s start at the very beginning (a very good place to start!) with the definition of media.
MEDIA
Media: Plural form of medium. The most basic definition of a medium is “an intervening substance through which something else is transmitted or carried on” (American Heritage Dictionary). In the case of communications, the substance is the actual magazine, TV channel, or the radio station; and it serves the purpose of transmitting all sorts of messages.
Both advertising and PR have been working with traditional media separately (and successfully) for years, without the current sense of competition over ownership of any particular medium.
MARKETING 101
- PR agencies work within a given medium via influencers (traditionally the press), hoping that these thought leaders will spread the word — a top-down approach.
- Advertising agencies will often work within the same medium, but will speak directly to consumers, sharing information on product benefits in the hope that consumers will notice the messaging and make a purchase – a bottom-up approach.
The key takeaway here is that both PR and advertising have always worked with with the same media based on the same (or similar) end goals for the brand; they simply take different approaches. Why would social media operate differently?
MARKETING 101 — APPLIED TO SOCIAL MEDIA
When beginning a social media initiative, a brand should first consider what its goals are.
Should it start with influencers to create a buzz? PR firms are great at this, and could leverage their networking skills to interact with bloggers and other influencers in the digital space.
Should the brand go directly to consumers, creating a large user base by marketing the product’s benefits? In this case, an advertising agency would likely be more effective, especially when putting together engaging, interactive contests and promotions for consumers.
I would guess that a combination of the approaches is often the brand’s best bet in the long term, just as it always has been in traditional media.
THE SOCIAL MEDIA PIZZA
The situation is simple to understand when you look at it like a pizza.
Let’s say I make absolutely delicious pizza sauce — rich and sweet, with just the right amount of tang. Let’s also say that my friend makes the best cheese in the world, gooey and melty. And we can’t forget the crust — without it, there would be nothing on which to place these tasty toppings. You could serve the crust covered in sauce only, but that sounds boring and messy. You could also serve the crust with only cheese, but that sounds bland and dry. However, when all three elements of the pizza are combined, the results are phenomenal.
This is just like the advertising/PR/social media dilemma. Advertising is the awesomesauce. PR is the big cheese. One or the other could do its best to “own” the crust (the medium), but it’s not ideal. Just like our pizza, when the different elements exist together, everything works harmoniously and is exponentially better for everyone. We just need to let each element play to its strengths, without taking full control.
Teamwork — what a thought!! 
In the future, I could see successful agencies housing both advertising and PR teams, to maximize synergies — syncing their storytelling for truly delicious results.
What do you think?
P.S. I just noticed that PR-squared came to a similar conclusion. It will be interesting to see where 2010 leads us!
