Perspective is an interesting thing.
It takes time and experience to gain it, and you can also easily lose it once you do have it. The key is never to lose sight of it.
Growing up, I collected baseball cards. At least once a month or every couple months, my dad and I would go to a baseball card show in the area. Once you stepped inside the hall, it was like a whole new universe opened up. While the time you were there, there was nothing else: just that little universe of baseball and sports card buyers, sellers and enthusiasts.
Once you stepped outside, walking towards the car, you realized there was more to life than just baseball cards.
In public relations, as well as other forms of marketing communications, it’s easy to lose sight that there are other “universes” we have to keep track of — even if we haven’t explored them yet.
For example, in one universe, you have those who focus on traditional marcomm, and see advertising as the best way for companies to reach their markets. Or, they focus on public relations (though, they really mean media relations, but that’s a previous post).
Then, you can have a second universe who focus on social media or word-of-mouth (WOM) communications like blogging as the best way for companies to reach customers and prospects.
Often, those in the first universe won’t even consider the other because it’s too new for their current needs; they can’t see how it’ll fit into their future.
You also have people in the second universe who see traditional marcomm as out of date with the times.
Be wary of beings from either of these universes.
They’ve lost perspective.
Whether you work on the client side or the agency side in PR and other marcomm, it’s your responsibility to:
> Be aware of the objectives of your company or clients.
> Work to perfect your core universe while being open to exploring others — old and new.
> Offer your best counsel and tactical performance to meet the objectives — no matter what universe(s) is(are) needed.
Those in executive management, R&D, sales and other universes of your company or clients rely on you to counsel, navigate and steer them throughout the entire marketing communications universe.
The only way to effectively do that is to maintain perspective.
– Mike
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