Yesterday I dashed over to the UK for a tech event. More on what I learned in another post. As I sat there and looked around at the media and analyst cadre I could almost close my eyes and wind the click back 12-13 years and see 90%+ the same faces. Time was standing still in more ways than one.
The tech world we occupy today is way different to that which we saw in the mid-late 90s but most of the hacks, flacks and other hangers on have not moved on. Neither has much of what passes as AR/PR. The tools may have changed but very few have understood the need to move forward. Maybe that’s a UK thing because in the US I see a very different picture.
The stand out example is SAP.
SAP has been operating a blogger program since 2006. I was one of its early entrants. In the three years it has morphed, changed and grown. While a very small number of us remain from that original ‘intake’ many have moved on, been assigned to more specialized groups or drifted away. Others have come in. The program is constantly being refreshed, new ideas introduced, new relationships formed while others are dissolved. It represents the fluid nature of current communications. It works, keeps us all fresh and in touch. It has an intimacy you don’t see in other forms of PR. It is edgy, often contrary but subtly rewarding across many dimensions.
Next time you’re worrying about getting attention then ask yourself this: what could we learn from the SAP experience? It can be applied pretty much anywhere – where there’s a will. And at surprisingly low cost.
