Perhaps the most famous quote in the modern era of presidential debates is:
“There you go again.”
– Ronald Reagan, to Walter Mondale
The most famous quote in the history of vice-presidential debates?
“Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy”
– Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, to Sen. Dan Quayle
Ah – but the most relevant quote in the history of VP yawn-fests is:
“Who am I? Why am I here?”
– Adm. James Stockdale
I find myself relating a lot to the Admiral about now, because my “contributing blogger” status at Now is Gone is a bit of a stumper. I didn’t write the book. I just answered a few of Geoff’s questions about a project. I’m also not one of those PR 2.0 stalwarts like Brian Solis. I mean, c’mon – his blog is even named PR 2.0! So… Who am I, and Why am I here?
Six months ago, I wasn’t a blip on Livingston’s radar, not enough of a bug to splatter his windshield as he zoomed by. I provided no buzz for the bin. Then he contacted me about using some of my communications work with the Red Cross as a case study in the implementation of new media platforms. That’s what he called it, anyway. I called it ‘problem solving on the cheap.’
Forgive me for over-reaching on the self-deprecation, but I really am a Nobody. But as we discovered over dinner (Geoff picks up a generous tab), I am a Nobody with some different ideas about the future of all these techno-societal innovations. I’m not schooled in PR – took my first job three-and-a-half years ago, and desperately set out to learn as much as I could about PR from the internet. I didn’t know that I was really learning more about ‘online PR’, or whatever it is we call these things these days. I also didn’t know that I was happily splashing around in a muddy, poorly-defined patch of land that sits at the crossroads of several traditional disciplines.
I’ve been told that my blog, Occam’s RazR, is not a PR blog. (No hard feelings.) I know it is not a Marketing blog, nor a MarCom, and definitely not an Advertising blog. I’m glad it is not – because I don’t think I could handle being rejected for the Ad Age Power 150 on so many simultaneous levels.
No – I am the owner of a Communications blog. I talk about pretty much whatever I want, coming from this mindset: stuffing complex truths in simple packages. Sometimes it is just a brief original statement – sometimes a reflection on the power of analogy – sometimes just a parody. But it is communications, and it is the piece of real estate where everyone is headed. The PR people, the Ad people, and the Marketing gurus are all going toward the same point. Not merging, mind you, because they all have different ways of measuring objectives and success. But the lines are blurring, because they are increasingly using the same tools. Ad people put their spots on YouTube hoping to spur sales, while the PR people do the same thing to pump goodwill or tell a story. Marketing people engage social networks to build brand awareness, while PR people do it to build brand relationships.
It’s fun to play in the mud – but I fear it won’t be fun for long if the different disciplines start getting territorial. Now is Gone – and the Lines are now Gone too. At least they are blurry, and they aren’t coming back. The sooner we identify ourselves as “communicators” first and by our objectives second, the better off we’ll be.
Who am I? I’m Ike Pigott, communicator.
Why am I here? Because I’m just as lost as you are. Now is Gone, and we’d better get on the stick because the first one to Tomorrow gets to make the rules.
