Social Media & PR - The New Power Couple In Town

Do you remember what it felt like to stand in long queues just to pay your electricity bills? How we had to slog in harsh weather to complete admission formalities at universities? Today’s generation might find such instances befuddling and why shouldn’t they? The virtual world of the Internet has been displacing our physical spaces for a long time now. It has even made iconic products such as the Sony Walkman historical artifacts as music has gone online too!

It is therefore not surprising to know that in their article ‘Social media for public relations’, Allagui & Breslow (2016) prophesize the eventual displacement of PR events by social media PR campaigns. In social media, PR has finally found its new life partner. According to them, the success of social media PR campaigns can be attributed to their powerfully immersive and emotive storytelling and their ability to prompt offline engagement besides other factors such as shareability of content and adaptability to mobile displays. Engagement ensured by audience participation is considered sacrosanct. I personally find the emotional narration aspect fascinating. Don’t you agree this is what almost every brand is doing nowadays? See Figure 1 to find out how amazingly Coca-Cola did it this year. Do you believe this was their most emotional video ever? I do.  

Figure 1: To The Human Race. Source: YouTube

Farra Lanzer (2019) postulates the same belief that over the last decade, the world of PR has been most strongly influenced by the rise of social media. She offers her tips to marketers on how to better align social media with PR strategy. She first suggests the need to humanize the brand. By projecting the human side of the brand through highlighting community projects, it becomes possible to forge an emotional bond with the customers. You will be surprised to know that New Zealand’s notorious brand Hell Pizza attempts to do the same through its Reading Week challenges. Merely posting on social media is as good as doing nothing. She urges companies to break the stereotype that businesses don’t actively engage with the customers on social media. I’m sure at some point in your life, you would have gotten annoyed after getting no response to those well-written comments on a brand’s Facebook post! Lanzer finally recommends utilizing the reach of social media to create a close-knit brand community of like-minded people This can take trust with consumers to the next level. Apple fans would be no strangers to the magic of brand community.

6 years ago, the world witnessed the most viral PR campaign of all time. I bet you would have participated in the legendary ALS Ice Bucket Challenge! I certainly did. And so did the likes of Bill Gates as you can see in Figure 2. Other stalwarts like Justin Bieber, Oprah Winfrey, and George W. Bush also joined.

Figure 2: Bill Gates takes the Ice Bucket Challenge. Source: YouTube

Its purpose was to raise awareness and donations for the ALS disease. It witnessed massive online and offline engagement as more than 2.4 million videos were uploaded of people pouring ice water over their heads. In Figure 3, you can see over 200 people took this challenge in the center of Boston! Figure 4 highlights its success. The campaign raised over USD 115 million for ALS research. Its success can be owed to its simple call to action, celebrity involvement, and shareability through nominating others.

Figure 3: Offline Engagement, Boston. Source: YouTube

Figure 4: Success of ALS Challenge. Source: Forbes

Another recent successful example where a company utilized viral engagement for an emotional and humane cause was P&G’s Distance Dance Challenge (Figure 5). Launched in association with Tik Tok influencer Charli D’Amelio, users were asked to submit their videos using the campaign hashtag and the company donated money for the first 3 million videos to charities assisting sections worst hit by COVID-19. (Lustig, 2020)

Figure 5: P&G's Distance Dance Challenge. Source: TikTok

Believe it or not, the ability to convey emotions and ensure user engagement binds social media and PR the same way love binds a new couple, and given the way things are unfolding, it does not look they are going to break up anytime soon. Did your business make the most of this trending relationship yet?

 

REFERENCES

 

Allagui, I., & Breslow, H. (2016). Social media for public relations: Lessons from four effective cases. Public Relations Review, 42(1), 20-30. doi: 10.1016/j.pubrev.2015.12.001

Lanzer, F. (2019). Council Post: Three Tips To Align Social Media And Public Relations. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2019/10/24/three-tips-to-align-social-media-and-public-relations/#1ee3d2df78f8

Lustig, H. (2020). TikTok star Charli D'Amelio debuted the 'distance dance' to drive donations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Retrieved from https://www.insider.com/charli-damelio-distance-dance-on-tik-tok-to-drive-donations-2020-3