Jeremy Pepper’s one of the strongest voices in the public relations blogosphere. Strong blogging vis a vis Pop! PR Jots, great commentary, and leadership backed by actions are just a few of Jeremy’s assets. Further, he gets the community thing, but won’t compromise with idle chat. In a land of spinners, he throws straight. Read on for some of Jeremy’s views and insights.
BB: It seems like “participation is marketing” as a concept is picking up steam within online PR and marketing circles. Does this mean we are done with the debate?
JP: The “participation is marketing” is a nice meme for the time being, just like PR is dead and the press release is dead were nice memes for traffic. Other, smarter people have been saying that for a while, but it has come to that point where it hit more mainstream bloggers.
We will never be done with the debate, because how are we supposed to work in these communities, work into the conversations – what IS the communications and participation? There’s a reason that the Cluetrain is still seen as the bible – the participation is not really there. It’s time to move on beyond theory into practice, but that is going to take a long, long time.
BB: Who are the voices you really trust on the Internet?
JP: I trust no one. How 60′s is that of me? It actually has to do with a blog post I have been kicking around that there is no such thing as transparency, bc we all have our own personal agendas (realized or not). I know that sounds bad, but there are people I *read* and like, but that does not mean I trust them. I know we all have our own reasons for doing what we do, and that does color the things we write.
BB: When you started Pop! PR Jots you owned your own shop. Now that you are with Weber Shandwick, how has your blogging changed?
JP: And with that coloring, my blogging has changed, albeit very little. It is *very* hard to find a reference to the agency on my blog, and my disclosure and policy makes it very clear that that blog is mine.
I do have my blog URL on outgoing emails, but that is mainly during outreach to other social media peeps, to let them know that I am not pitching them shit, but that I am walking the walk while talking the talk. I look at it as street cred. Have I self-censored? Fuck yes – ha! I still swear a lot, I still say what I’m thinking, but I have looked to make sure that I do not write on clients. That has not lead to any blog posts being changed, but even at POP! PR, I did not write about clients.
BB: What are the pros and cons of going from independent to a larger agency?
JP: Running your own agency is not easy. You have to balance accounting with new business with account work, and throw in blogging (to keep your cred) and it’s time intensive and leaves you no life. On that front, the transition has been great. At your own firm, though, you also make the calls and not worry about the stuff you do at a large agency (bill-ability) and have more access and ability to explain social media ideas. Overall, though, the changes are going to occur at large firms, and I made the right decision.
BB: I read about the Cisco case study on Pop! PR Jots. Why has Cisco seen such an up-tick in its social media initiatives?
JP: Full disclosure – Cisco is a former client, and I worked with them on social media initiatives. What differentiates Cisco from other companies is that they have a person and teams internally that concentrate on social media, and integrate it into PR activities. That helps the adoption of social media tactics and strategies, and helps push forward the company.
BB: How was Supernova?
JP: As I noted in the first question, it’s time to move beyond theory and into practice and case studies. I was only at Supernova for the first day, the Challenger Day, and I found it to be the same discussion that have been going on for the past few years. Nothing new, nothing interesting, nothing substantive.
And, there were a few PR colleagues that were there, and they just asked me if it is the same thing over and over again – and, well, it is. There needs to be new voices, there needs to be real examples, instead of the same party over and over again – damn, it’s almost Gatsby-esque.
BB: Any take aways for PR/marketing pros from the event?
JP: The takeaway is less talk, more action. More walking the walk, and more actual results that show why social media and conversations do matter. Right now, the examples out there for PR and marketing and advertising suck, and only showcase what bad has been done. We need the good examples, the silver anvils of social media, that showcase how to it right. For the two events I went to this week, the Virtual Goods Summit has more PR, marketing and advertising implications (I’ll write that up soon also :)).
Edgework… What is it? It’s Brian Oberkirch’s approach to product marketing: A “process of interpreting, responding to and integrating the vast and varied feedback modern brands generate.” It seems like a great way to intelligently incorporate the conversation that social media seems to generate. And it touches all aspects of marketing and communications, forcing an honest , intelligent approach to brand/product development.
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