Spring Break
The changing PR world
Katelyn Hogan
Issue date: 5/29/09 Section: Ed-Op
As technology becomes more and more prevalent in our society and changes the frequency and way that we communicate, it cannot help but also change the way business is conducted. In the second of this three-part series, three Philadelphia public relations professionals share their experience and insight into how technology and the Internet have shaped the role of public relations.
Michael Guzzo, account executive at Simon Public Relations Group, feels strongly that the Internet is rapidly changing the way that PR is done.
"There are so many avenues to get information now; blogs are now the No. 1 resource for PR. People are getting media through the Internet, and people are taking the Internet more seriously," Guzzo said.
Guzzo believes that blogs were once viewed as an unreliable news source with very little value. He says they had a stereotype of being written by teenagers ranting on a topic. Now, however, Guzzo says that many blogs written by experts in many disciplines are recognized as a reliable source of information and are an increasingly important tool to PR.
"You're still going to find teenage blogs out there that don't have much worth, but the main use of blogs now is to get reliable information out to people and we're using that to get product reviews and descriptions, company information- really anything we want, out to the customers of our clients," Guzzo said.
Tracey Santilli, senior vice president of PR at Tierney Communications, has seen the progress in technology and the omnipresence of the Internet and thinks it is an invaluable tool to the PR field.
"The Internet has been an amazing tool for public relations and has made the field so much more competitive," Santilli said. "People used to get their news from the newspaper in the morning and on TV at night, which made it easier for PR people to stay one step ahead. But now with the Internet, people are getting their news immediately, from all over the world, and you really have to know everything about your client and their past and be prepared for anything, because if you aren't there to give your client what they're looking for, someone else will be."
Michael Guzzo, account executive at Simon Public Relations Group, feels strongly that the Internet is rapidly changing the way that PR is done.
"There are so many avenues to get information now; blogs are now the No. 1 resource for PR. People are getting media through the Internet, and people are taking the Internet more seriously," Guzzo said.
Guzzo believes that blogs were once viewed as an unreliable news source with very little value. He says they had a stereotype of being written by teenagers ranting on a topic. Now, however, Guzzo says that many blogs written by experts in many disciplines are recognized as a reliable source of information and are an increasingly important tool to PR.
"You're still going to find teenage blogs out there that don't have much worth, but the main use of blogs now is to get reliable information out to people and we're using that to get product reviews and descriptions, company information- really anything we want, out to the customers of our clients," Guzzo said.
Tracey Santilli, senior vice president of PR at Tierney Communications, has seen the progress in technology and the omnipresence of the Internet and thinks it is an invaluable tool to the PR field.
"The Internet has been an amazing tool for public relations and has made the field so much more competitive," Santilli said. "People used to get their news from the newspaper in the morning and on TV at night, which made it easier for PR people to stay one step ahead. But now with the Internet, people are getting their news immediately, from all over the world, and you really have to know everything about your client and their past and be prepared for anything, because if you aren't there to give your client what they're looking for, someone else will be."
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