The pyramid of influence, the classic C. Wright Mills description of the power elite where information moves one way from pinnacle to the mass audience below, has been eclipsed. The new reality for communications is the sphere of cross reference, in which information moves unpredictably among equal stakeholders. Conversations now occur spontaneously, in peer-to-peer discussion, with individuals creating their own webs of trust including people like themselves. Our task in PR must be to facilitate and contribute to the discussion in both the controlled vertical axis reaching traditional audiences such as investors, regulators and mainstream media, and on the horizontal axis to inform employees, passionate consumers, NGOs and communities.
Tom Friedman wrote a column in the New York Times on June 27, 2007 called, “The Whole World is Watching,” that “In this transparent world, how you live your life and conduct your business matters more than ever…Companies that get their ‘hows’ wrong won’t be able to clean up their mess by taking a couple of reporters to lunch…But this also creates opportunities…’how’ you keep your promises … build trust…collaborate…lead…that is where companies can now really differentiate themselves.”
PR is simply a reflection of reality, well presented perhaps but based on fact and behavior. My late colleague, Michael Deaver, said that the organizing principle for PR is “Know Who You Are.” Effective communications should evolve, from controlled messaging towards conversational collaboration. We need to acknowledge the dialectic between control and credibility, encouraging our clients to embrace this new construct without fear and with alacrity. By aspiring to big ideas and helping to change the reality not simply the perception, we move along the continuum from Talk to Action. Here is the link to my presentation.
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