Digital Independence (Filmmakers as "Disruptive Messengers")

Filmmakers as "Disruptive Messengers"

So I stumbled upon a new blog that's focused primarily on the world of public relations and the Web, and found a really challenging post that (from a PR perspective) describes the world of blogging, pinging and filmmaking by the new PR challenges they present: the rapid propogation of "disruptive messages" to existing brands.

I'm going to write more about their approach at yet another of my blogs (the one focused on online marketing), as they are a fascinating combination of brilliance and Machivellian horror-show. But one aspect got me thinking about filmmakers (including one that has a blog here at indieWIRE):

"Disruptive messages that campaigns like Super Size Me and Fahrenheit 9/11 send out to audiences threaten brands (be it McDonalds or the Republican Party). But don?t think that for a second that the 'old' approach to online marketing (blasting out branded emails and canvassing highly-branded web sites with banner ads) will work to handle the new brand threat of blogging and talkback interactivity."

Spot on, right? Viva la revolution, baby! But their conclusions take a radical shift from my perspective:

"Any Fortune 1000 company that has a threat (blogs) also has a need. PR people...fill that need."

Hmm ... I suspect that Morgan Spurlock would say that McDonald's PR people did more to make sure that his film was "disruptive" (and successful), I wouldn't be surprised if Michael Moore wouldn't say the same thing about the Republican spin machine. If PR people are really going to be the answer for the companies that want to deal with the "threat" of bloggers, they are going to have to radically rethink the one-way channels of communication that they have grown used to.

I wonder if my blog tracking back to their blog will be seen as a disruptive message?

Posted by bclark on Jul 14, 2004 at 11:51AM | Filed under Internet & Filmmakers

Comments

fascinating stuff!

Posted by eugene on Jul 14, 2004 at 11:51AM

Not disruptive at all! That is what many of us are saying (both there and at our own blogs): we need to break away from the command/control mindset of the Old PR and jump into the distributed communications of the New PR.

Thanks for stopping by!

Posted by Elizabeth Albrycht on Jul 14, 2004 at 11:51AM

I particularly disagree with the general statement that "Power needs secrecy and control to survive". We are actually seeing the opposite effect. What is changing is the definition of "survive". All the trends in the age of connectivity are about freedom and speed. The power we are creating bloggers, listserves, message boards, etc. is decentralized into many hands and therefore very redundant. It may disappear from the "radar" for a few days because it is fractionalized back into the hands of the masses but the ability for groups to quickly resyncronize is the new survivability. (Peace movement..without an organization)

Power that is distributed in the new dynamics of campaigns can not be controlled as effectively as in the past but it is still very real and very open. The ability to flash destroy a brand is in the hands of the media cyclones fed by the fuel of a "connected" public. In the middle of a firestorm no PR department spin is going to matter the best strategy seems to be "wait" and ride out the storm.

Unfortunately, the flash attention mobs have not yet built the infrastructure to quickly reorganize at future critical organizing points. The biggest challenge to those of us that want to exploit the new trends for creating social change is to work on timing issues.

Posted by Marty on Jul 14, 2004 at 11:51AM

Trackback (ping URL)

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