It\u2019s a truism that everything a brand or company puts out there is in effect an ad. To quote William Randolph Hearst (as opposed to his alter ego, Citizen Kane): \u201cNews is something somebody doesn\u2019t want printed; all else is advertising.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
We may have built a multistorey structure, with floors containing specialists in PR, digital content, influencers, advertorials, product placement, customer relationship management and the rest but the truth is, it\u2019s all ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you see social media commentary explaining that \u2018advertising\u2019 these days has to compete with brand influencer messages on Tik Tok \u2013 just remember, it\u2019s all advertising, even if it\u2019s competing with itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Levels of control vary across communication channels (the influence a press officer has over what finally appears is clearly less than with a paid-for communication, whether that appears via an ad or an influencer), but levels of influence aside what a company says about itself in any shape or form says something about the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve never really understood how come so many non-marketers don\u2019t get this. Maybe it\u2019s because those at the top still see marketing as something nice to have, something to be proud of, something to show off about, but not something that has much to do with the real business of business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everything communicates. There will always be odd occasions, rogue employees or whatever but companies are far too often seriously inconsistent in the messages they put out there. Even when they have 100% control over the message as with paid for ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Take far too many ads on social media. Not only are they dire, but they\u2019re disliked and avoided wherever possible by those they\u2019re supposed to reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s as if creative teams don\u2019t really understand how to get the most from these media forms (I almost typed \u2018new media forms\u2019 except that they\u2019re in no way new). In the same way that print ads rarely work well on OOH sites, so traditional ads are just wrong for social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If everything communicates then as much care should be taken over a paid for message on social media, with how staff address customers, with retail layouts and displays as with a TV spot. It certainly looks as if that isn\u2019t the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s as if in the large agencies social media is today\u2019s radio. Chuck the brief to the junior team \u2013 no-one cares. It was wrong; it is wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Outside of paid for communications, even CEO\u2019s seem unaware that what they say and how they behave can undermine the carefully constructed edifice of their company\u2019s reputation. And that can influence not just a few survey numbers but also their share-price and the opinions of their investors and stakeholders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n