Let's face it: The PR industry hasn't had a very good couple of decades. Between the public relations field's relatively negative image (no, "spinster" is not an endearing term), its stubborn reliance on irrelevant "control" messages, and the backseat it generally takes to more glamorous marketing fields such as... advertising and well, branding, let's just say that PR has kinda sorta become Marketing's redheaded stepchild.

Well, that's all about to change. PR is making a comeback... only not how you'd expect. Think blogs. Think satellite radio. Think word-of-mouth marketing and the growing influence of WOMMA. Think truth and ethics and relevance.

Does this sound a bit pie in the sky? Maybe a little. But if PR is to survive the coming decade, it's going to have to adapt to changes that are as drastic as they are inevitable. To paraphrase Corante's own Neville Hobson: if the public can't get authentic and relevant messages from marketing and/or PR firms, they will get them elsewhere. Smart PR professionals will figure that out. Less smart PR professionals will simply find themselves... out of a job.

To understand the changes facing the PR world and its new role in the development of enduring brands, you kind of have to do a little bit of digging. Because we know that you have a pretty busy schedule, we've put together a short list of articles, blog posts and podcasts that shed some light on this little thing we like to call PR 2.0.

Okay, here we go:

1) Let's start at the beginning: William Paterson University communications department Chairwoman Joann Lee, in a piece entitled "The Spin Cycle" explains where the PR biz is today (at least in the minds of the vast majority of the public). Scary, but every topic needs a baseline.

2) Once you're done with Joann's piece, go here: Duct Tape Marketing's John Jantsch shares his thoughts on the advantage that PR firms might have over advertising agencies in a very interesting article he wrote for PR Week.

The skinny:

The effectiveness of broadcast advertising is at an all-time low. People are tuning out, turning off, and TiVoing through the 'shout at me when you want' approach. Consumers now expect what they want, how they want it, when they want it. And I don't think they'll ever return from that happy place. In light of this, the real-life conversational interaction available through the use of a tool like a blog presents the perfect opportunity for PR pros to take control of a larger share of the marketing action.

Of course, John is quick to note the obvious: "PR departments and pros have been slow to embrace blogs and other new media tools as the powerful conversational marketing tools they are."

Bingo. Many of us at Corante have been wondering why, exactly, so many PR professionals have been slow to embrace new media tools.

John continues:

You likely know this, but conversational marketing doesn't occur out of press releases, talking points, and company 'spokespeak.' PR pros need to grab a hold of the rush of technology in full swing today to take a deeper role in marketing. Blogs, RSS, podcasting, videocasting, vertical search, and cheap data storage, blended with the almost ubiquitous high-speed internet connection, are changing the way customers get information and interact with the companies and products they know, like, and trust. More important, PR pros are naturally positioned to harness these tools and alter the way customer relationships are built.

Read the rest of his article. (It's well worth it.)

3) (What? There's more?) If You love studies, check out The Institute For Public Relations' The Magic Communications Machine for an overview of how the internet is changing PR and Journalism. (Not the most exciting read, but definitely a must-browse if you want to explore this topic.) If you don't like studies, bypass it altogether.

4) If you're into podcasts, check out this edition of the Hobson & Holtz Report. In this podcast, Corante's own Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson discuss - you guessed it - the future of PR. Even if you aren't into podcasts, make an exception this one time. (You can thank us later.) The discussion of PR's future is simply brilliant. Pay particular attention to the segment about the "dominant coalition", which is probably one of the most astute observations of PR's one true Achilles' heel.

One of the most useful segments (contributed by Rob Cottingham) speaks to the 4 Key Skills that PR2.0 practitioners will need to master if they are to be successful:

a) The ability to speak to niche audiences.
b) The ability to integrate messages across audiences. (Yep, silos are collapsing as we speak.)
c) The ability to write conversationally (blog style).
d) The ability to teach rather than simply announce.

Ah so.

Hey, speaking of Neville, check out his very informative piece ("Weblogs for PR - plenty of opportunity awaiting") on his NevOn blog. It's all about the Euroblog 2006 survey and how PR firms can really capitalize on social software and new media.

5) Read Richard Strauss's take on the role that satellite radio might play in the future of PR, over at the Daily Dog. It isn't groundbreaking stuff, but it's insightful nonetheless.

6) On their blog, the guys at Orange Yeti (the blog side of Orange Coat - a superfly web design firm in Greenville, SC) express their surprise at the fact that not only have most PR professionals still not embraced blogs and other forms of new media as essential tools of their trade, but they also don't yet seem to understand their impact. Responses to the piece tend to be a bit tongue-in-cheek, but relevant nontheless.

Lastly, drop by Corante contributers Johnnie Moore and James Cherkoff's blogs for some thoughts on "open source marketing". Johnnie's post (Making Conversation) and James' post (Why Conversations Are Like Snowflakes) completely bypass the concept of PR and treat it simply as - yes, you guessed it - a "conversation".

Bingo.

In case you're one of those people who always skips to the end of an article to catch the recap, here's the skinny on what we've learned in our little tour of PR 2.0: If PR firms are to survive the next decade, they need to do three things: One, they need to accept that as a result of both the emergence and growing popularity of powerful new social tools, the traditional PR model is circling the drain. Two, they need to shift their focus from monologues to dialogues. Three, they need to embrace new media. Now. (Become early adopters, folks. Your survival depends on it.)

Okay, that ought to do it for today. Have a great Wednesday, everyone.