RHetoric

I've had this book on my shelf for several years:  The Fall of Advertising & The Rise of PR.  I dusted it off today after reading a New York Times story indicating the book's prophecy is closer than ever to being realized.

When the book was written, in 2002, the term 'social media' was not part of marketers' or PR pros' lexicons.  However the authors' premise was that in the 21st century, successful brands are born with publicity and the credibility generated by PR.  Advertising's credibility is increasingly marginalized because it is a bought-and-paid-for message.  The authors claim advertising's true value is brand maintenance, not brand definition.

So no wonder then that new research finds that advertising continues to contract, while PR and 'word-of-mouth marketing' is expanding.   See the full article here.

This is not to say that spending on more credible forms of communication will overtake ad spending - not even close.  But projections that place the media industry as the third-fastest-growing economic sector in coming years (after mining and construction) are due primarily to the growth in PR and word-of-mouth marketing.

This is all good news for brands with great stories to share, and good news for those of us in the business of telling great stories.

Every HIMSS produces a thread - last year it was PHR’s; this year it is the stimulus.  Everyone - and I mean EVERYONE - has a marketing message related to the stimulus.  “We are the only company that can get you ready for incentive payments by Jan 2011.”

One context for all of this marketing is the HIMSS Analytics staging - a Stage 7 hospital is the nirvana of IT adoption; only a few have accomplished it and are being celebrated at the show.

From a marketing perspective, it is as usual a very noisy show.  The booths with flair are the ones getting the traffic.  OnBase’s stadium pub is a classic and right at the entrance.  Hard not to get pulled in when an account exec tosses a company-branded baseball at you while walking by.

My favorite so far is the Iatric Systems booth.  These guys hired a pool trick shot champion to show off his best moves at a pool table in the booth - and his script includes all kinds of clever messaging about the value of Iatric’s solutions.  It’s a bit of a stretch but this is HIMSS - you HAVE to stretch to break through.  I have captured this bit of marketing genius on video so as soon as my PC cooperates I will upload it to this post.

On the media front, the press room is very quiet.  It is located far off the show floor, so it may not be being used much.  I’ve spent time at the press room and a reporter will dart in and out every once and a while.  However it does appear that there are far fewer reporters here this year than in the past.  One of our favorite industry reporters, Patty Enrado of Healthcare IT News, was one of those spotted darting in and out of the press room several times - and no wonder - she filed six stories that day!  Way to go Patty!

And finally, a nod to the weather gods who greeted us with snow upon arrival on Chicago.  Today it is sunny and 40’s.  We’ll take it.

I love my friends in the fourth estate, but even they will confide their trade is facing a PR crisis. The top story on ABC News last night was a cranky assessment of Obama’s “lipstick” comment and the McCain campaign’s reaction. The second story? A light-hearted jab at the media’s infatuation with covering inane stories like this one. Is this really happening?

In Alaska, where hundreds of reporters and camera crews set up camp within hours of the Palin announcement, the frenzy is a certifiable media circus. Reporters staking out homes of the Palin’s extended family at all hours of the night. Climbing over fences and tromping through neighbors’ yards. Knocking on random doors and asking, “Did you happen to go to school with Sarah Palin? Yes? What do you think of her foreign policy experience?”

“Well, I don’t really know. I just went to school with her.” (Awkward silence). “Well, I suppose she could hold her own with the Russians.”

Headline the next day: Alaskans Say Palin Ready to Take on Putin

Okay, that is not the exact headline; but you get the gist. The foreign policy stories were all the rage until something more salacious caught the media’s full-time attention.

There is this one, a call to the city clerk’s office from a network news investigator: “I need to get a copy of file X.” Clerk: “I can copy it for you and mail it.” Reporter: “No, I need to know what it says now. Is there any dirt in the file?” Clerk: “Nope, you’re the 20th person to call and ask the same question today.” Reporter (exasperated): “Well where do I look to find some dirt!?!?!”

My personal favorite: Greta Van Sustren reporting live from Alaska, in 55 degree weather, wearing a ridiculosly puffy down coat rated for 30 below. An average person would absolutely melt in this thing at any temperature a lick above freezing. But hey, this is show business. Bring the sled dogs around front! We need to mush to a new location.

And finally: “Sarah Palin’s Former Hairdresser Speaks Out.” I swear I am not making this up.

Palin’s candidacy has thrown everyone off their game. The Obama campaign’s media strategy is in tatters. The media itself is licking its wounds from the fallout of its initial coverage of Palin. Media pundits continue to dumb down the issues and run them through the same old conservative vs. liberal filters, totally missing the point. Frankly even the McCain campaign could not have predicted the tectonic upheaval that Palin’s candidacy would introduce to the media landscape.

Regardless of the outcome of this election, there are handbooks that will have to be trashed and rewritten from scratch: The Campaigner’s Guide to Media Strategy; and The Media’s Guide to Campaign Strategy - all because of a single, game-changing event. That is good news for all of us, because the old way has run its course.