Friday, October 14, 2011

Why I love ‘Real-Time Marketing & PR’

Long overdue on my reading list has been David Meerman Scott’s bestseller, “Real-Time Marketing & PR.” Now that I’ve read it, I don’t know how I could have gone without it. “Real-Time” is a catalyst of insightful case studies, resources and thought-provoking strategies.

His book adds new insight to already classic examples of real-time PR such as the “United Breaks Guitars” incident and highlights other great marketing examples including the Grateful Dead’s real-time tour marketing strategy. Scott also touches on the importance of crowdsourcing. One of my favorite analogies from the book was his astute observation of today’s two-way, tech-savvy communications between vendors and consumers as resembling that of an ancient bazaar – something that was lost in the later part of the 20th century due to the one-way communication format of traditional media.

I particularly enjoyed Scott’s citation of Telstra’s 3Rs of Social Media Engagement:
  • Representation
  • Responsibility
  • Respect

If you’re puzzled about where to start writing your organization or brand’s social media guidelines, the book includes eight insightful steps to create and implement those guidelines along with a great example that showcases how IBM gets it.

Scott is also very candid about his own missed opportunities and how real-time responses by others such as GM helped to provide positive examples of the organizations and brands that readily understand the urgency to adapt a real-time strategy.

Whether your strategies involve everyday or crisis management communications, “Real-Time” resonates a central theme for succeeding in today’s evolving marketing and PR field: “Scale and media buying power are no longer a decisive advantage. What counts today is speed and agility.”

3 comments:

David Meerman Scott said...

Hey Andrew -- Glad my book made it to the top of your reading pile. Very few people are doing real-time right. I hope you become one of the successes. When you do, please share the story with me.

Andrew M. Scott said...

Thanks, David (for the great book and comment)! It was an awesome read. I'll be sure to share my experiences with you.

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