IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media has opened a plethora of opportunities in front of PR practitioners. The growth and development of social media has fundamentally transformed the way businesses are interacting with their stakeholders. Public Relations industry has been striving hard to deal with such fast-moving and dynamic developments. It is imperative for PR practitioners to be competent in using these new technologies in order to leverage current and future business opportunities. Therefore, with the help of two case studies, I would like to highlight the impact social media can have on a company’s policy and the need for businesses to understand that they need to adapt themselves with the changing environment.

Examples of the impact of social media on PR:

Case Study 1

Source: Public Relations handbook by Alison Theaker
Brands: Greenpeace and Apple

The Story: Greenpeace established a sub-website ‘A Greener Apple’to challenge the company over its corporate social responsibility. Greenpeace wanted customers to campaign for a Green Apple, focusing on iPoison and iWaste to urge CEO Steve Jobs to prioritise environmental concerns. The site used social media with lots of ideas for how users could promote the campaign. As a result, in May 2007, Apple launched a new policy to talk more about its environmental activities.

Lesson learnt: Social media can have a deep impact on a company’s policy and companies need to respond quickly to the demands of the social media interactions.

Case study 2

Source: Public Relations handbook by Alison Theaker
Brand: Avis
The Story: In January 2007, Avis started a blog ‘We Try Harder’ with the aim of getting established before gaining media attention. Initially, the blogs did not have a human voice and appeared to be self-congratulatory in tone. Also, the company was too slow in responding to customer demands. However, gradually the company realised these shortcomings and changed its approach by responding to the bloggers feedback. As a result, it helped the company in developing a positive image of brand and has shown itself to be delivering on its brand message and corporate values.

Lesson learnt: If used in the right way, social media can be an effective tool for building brand image and reputation.

Conclusion

As PR practitioners we learn that in today’s world of social media, it is impossible for any brand to hide itself, in fact, social media provides an opportunity for brands to be open, vocal and transparent about their plans and policies and if their messages are communicated at the right time and at the right place, social media can enhance their brand image and value.