I'm in Miami this week taking part in the Holmes Report's Global PR Summit and the topic of "Brand Journalism."
I know nothing about the subject but no one else does either because it's a made up term that is in the early stages of being defined. Nothing wrong in that, I do it all the time but I try to think of concepts that make sense and this one doesn't make any sense at all....
[Tom Forenski says "brand journalism" is NOT journalism. Is he right? ~ Jeff]
Marty Note
I see the need for rebranding. PR has imploded swept away by search engines and social networks. I can also understand a desire for an attachment to brands. Brands are perceived as the lasting core of marketing. I don't understand the concept of "brand journalists" since journalism is investigative and far ranging and sends shivers down the spines of most CEOs and CMOs I've worked with or for.
Since brands are becoming more social, with much of this new work being done by brand advocates and supporters NOT people with a direct stake (employees in other words), I see a brand champion role that PR experts could help create and shape.
Perhaps the most important idea for our new PR brand marketers to understand is how much flux brands and branding are in. Take a look at this infographic about how brands are "socializing": http://www.scoop.it/t/curation-revolution/p/791811864/branding-is-changing-socializing-your-brand ;
Brands and companies are changing rapidly. Here are some important ways companies and brands are changing:
* Brands and companies are becoming publishers.
* Brands and companies are becoming curators.
* Brands and companies are becoming entertainers (Meetups, Videos, etc..).
While "Brand Journalism" may seem dissonant to what brands were and are becoming, brand curator or brand champion is a much needed missing set of marketing skills. PR skills such as building relationships with thought leaders, organizing disparate information into engaging communication, promoting engagement and connecting companies and brands to their supporters wrap around this idea quickly and well.
PR pros could become the brand sherpas of a new more open, engaged and social branding. Brand journalists as a concept just sends shivers down the CEOs and CMOs I've worked with (lol).
Via
LPM Comunicação SA,
Jeff Domansky,
Martin (Marty) Smith
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Here's a good look at the power of brand advocates.