Hip Hop publicist Arie Goode is here every week answering
your email questions on industry how-to's and important
Do's and Don'ts.
This week's question:
Is social media replacing the celebrity publicist? – JB
Of course not, on the contrary! Publicists are excited about
the opportunities social media outlets such as Facebook,
twitter, instagram and tumbler offer to their clients. Social
media has become such a powerful tool that Publicists and
apprentices alike are finding creative ways to acclimate such
sites into PR campaigns. We encourage clients to be more
active on them. We urge them to promote new projects,
events, and increase awareness on anything that raises positive
attention for the client's benefit.
A Great example of when social media goes right is Kanye
West's tweets announcing the launch of his design company.
With a couple of keys on his smart-phone West had the web
abuzz. He notified millions of like-minded people of the speculated
groundbreaking, available job positions, his aspirations for the
company, the premise behind it and much more. Although he
made theofficial announcement before his PR rep could, this does
not take away or undermine their duties one bit. Publicists notify
the media via an official press release or statement and the media
notifies the public. These steps before social media were and in some
cases still are very time consuming, taking attention away from more
important duties. However, now celebrities are able to spread the word
and get the ball rolling within seconds.
There are also examples of when Kanye needed the support of his PR
team with his many "What the hell was he thinking" moments. Celebrities
for the most part know what not to say in public forums. The reality is
they are human. Their expertise consists of their particular talent(s)
and not necessarily how to maintain their direct relationships with
the public and the public's interest in their personal lives. The same
social media outlets used to share great news are also used to issue
apologies and thanks to the warp speed of cyber space these apologies
normally come before their PR rep can issue an official statement on
their behalf. This is actually perceived as more "sincere". Let's be
honest who actually takes an apology from an unknown person
behind the curtain seriously? Most statements issued on behalf of
someone are perceived as very detached and disingenuous. Social
media is removing this cold element and although this alone will
raise the question, "If celebs can now directly apologize on their own,
why do they need Publicists?"
Answer, social media will never replace the human element and
physical work that goes into maintaining the lucrative brands developed
around celebrities. Social media is praised for its fast delivery and
ability to connect the entire world with one press of the "Enter" key.
It displays the exact reasons why more then ever publicists are needed
to maintain the overall stability of quality information that upholds the
public's interest in the clients.
Do you have something you'd like to know?
Send me an email:contactsaidarie[@]gmail[dot]com
and follow me on twitter at:
www.twitter.com/leirapr_ceo