From soapbox to notebook: political communications come a long way

Wowing people to vote for a political party has come a long way since screaming oneself hoarse over a soap box. (London's Hyde Park with the Speaker's Corner is one such relic.) As Obama unfolds his plans to run for the second term, his landmark campaign that drew on the strengths of new media, will no doubt set the bar higher. Millions spent. Millions were wowed and he won a term as the president. However, attributing this win to his new approach to campaigning alone wouldn't be right. There still remain some fundamental aspects to winning over an electorate. 

In the US particularly, it's acknowledged that presidential elections are as much about image management, and projecting the right kind of personality, as it's amount having the right backers. In the UK,  humour and policies are key to who wins. This isn't to say that USA is given to frivolous showmanship as opposed to real policies. But, one can safely say that image management (case in point: Gordon Brown's Leader in the living room during last year's elections) in GB doesn't fly very well. We looked at images of Maggie Thatcher pre and post her standing for elections, and though the makeover is obvious (the infamous 28 eggs a week diet!), one can't say she won for her looks!

But aside from the candidates themselves, there are other operatives in this process that lubricate this delicate procedure of getting them elected. Their campaign managers, and of course the media. There's complex web of relationships that often lie at the heart of such political appointment. The media, as we know, still retains its position of disseminating information to the masses, and its opinions are often taken seriously. 

While many political strategists and others disagree about the impact newspapers (reportage and commentary on politics) have on the ideologies of the public at large, one can't definitely say that they have no role to play. At the top of all this comes the business of running the media empire, and who the "Big Cheese" favours is obviously an important aspect in this game. There has been lots of commentary about the influence ownership (or also known as media bias) has on the journalistic standards. But the take-away is that industries (lobbies et al), politicians and the media make strange bed-fellows. In the interstitial spaces exist the PR machinery that has to ensure that the right kind of information goes out, the right things are written out, and the people working for the candidates, (or even elected leaders) are in the know. Alastair Campbell set the bar when he gave those at Number 10 pagers, and took no excuses for not being in the know! While such micro-management of everything doesn't always work, the role of PR in keeping all fronts of the government (and party elected) together can't be undermined. There are few roles where one is a gatekeeper of information, image manager, communicator for colleagues, and information manager all rolled into one. 

As the levels of engagement that politicians share with their electorates change, thanks to the profusion of social media, the roles that PR persons play are set to change. One can't help but wonder what the next soapbox will be!

Vidcast on transparency as a growing trend

As organisations around the world are put under a microscope by stakeholders more than ever before, the need for transparency is heightened. The video below highlights why we have reached this stage, in what ways can we help achieve this goal, and the potential risks it poses to the organisation. I hope you enjoy watching it. 







Disclaimer: This video contains audio and video inputs from different sources, and was produced as part of an assignment for a degree course. No copyright infringement is intended. The designation of the speaker is fictional.

Social Media and its relevance for Public Relations

Social media can be defined as any such media that can engender an interactive dialogue between people, irrespective of their geographical boundaries and time differences. Social media gains more momentum as the number of people around the world who access it increases exponentially each day. It offers the perfect meeting place for brands to communicate with their audiences, get a sense of the public's pulse and respond to their reactions in time. The video illustrates the importance of social media PR and how it can be integrated into a brand's value propositions.

Blogging for dummies

With social media garnering the importance it already has, and other plaftorms that are being generated to harness this new medium, it's impossible for a PR practitioner to ignore one of the earliest ways of connecting with an audience: the BLOG. Blogging (and push-button publishing in itself) is so simple that kids from age 8 to geriatrics in their 80s are doing it. If you bear these tips in mind, you can not only create your own blog, but gather an audience around it as well. Most importantly, you can use it to influence opinions, generate comment and develop an expertise.

1. Why are you blogging: Defining the purpose your blog not only makes it clear about what you're going to write, but also helps create a unique voice for your blog. 
2. Audience: Like the fundamentals of any communication, ask yourself who's going to read this. 
3. Tone/style: Are you an expert, sharing your observations or making a comment? Clarifying this to yourself, and then posting will help set a style and tone for the content viewers will see on your blog. #
4. Original content: There's enough content floating around on the web on practically everthing under the sun and the rock too. So, ask yourself what am I saying that's really unique. Original content draws people to web pages like moths to a flame. 
5. SEO: When you have all these moths around your flame, it's hard for Google to ignore you. But in the odd case that it does, how to get its attenion? Keyword. Use labels/tags/keywords in your posts that will help Google index your blog on searches.  

For more information on blogging:

Blogging and video workshop

View more presentations from Matt holland.