Brand Journalism: Two Great Tastes That Taste Awful Together

Oh, the PR/marketing profession is at it again, ladies and gentlemen, taking your lovely pure news and communication that you enjoy so much and turning it into a Frankenstein’s monster of marketing. asics chaussures They call it “brand journalism” and in a recent article in the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)’s member magazine, one energy company that does it says “like other companies before us, we are out to tell our own story in our own way without constantly relying on the traditional media to interpret and distribute our news.” How nice. Different than blogging, this new perversity is where companies create stories about their industry or related subject matter that “enlighten, inform and inspire.” (which I read as shoveling corporate spin and BS 24/7). nike internationalist Some (like Coca-Cola) even try to create separate news channels of their own. (Sigh) Here’s the problem. It’s not disclosed that these stories are being mutated and created with a marketing/branding purpose, not a journalistic one and thus, it’s basically a ruse designed to hook the consumer (the fish) before they realized they are being hooked. timberland homme People as it turns out, aren’t that stupid. We as a profession can and should do better than deception like this by working with actual journalists, also known as “earned media.” Earned media tastes better because: 1. They (traditional media) have a channel already — no need to build one, which can be costly and fragile 2. They are TRUSTED far more than you ever will be (check the Pew Research numbers on this) 3. They have journalistic training, lack of bias and access to more sources than you 4. adidas stan smith Pas Cher They can tell a negative story, you probably can’t. Your “sunshine and roses” feed will lose to actual negative news every day and twice on Sunday. (again, check the numbers) If you’re going to do “brand journalism” and expect it to have any impact out there, I urge you to fully disclose the connection to any brands upfront. Journalism (you know, our free press) is still pretty fantastic and branding is wonderful, emotion-filled and amazing, too. But two great tastes don’t always go together like a yummy Reese’s.