Does Public Relations Shatter Through Online Advertising's Glass Ceiling?

There was an interesting post on TechCrunch today about “Why Advertising is Failing on the Internet.”  And while generally Public Relations and Marketing/Advertising go hand-in-hand, the article, written by Eric Clemons, Professor of Operation and Information Management at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, has some well-backed opinions as to why advertising on the internet isn’t working.

From which I choose to extrapolate that Public Relations must be stepping in and filling the void (or, at the very least, should be trying to).

Very briefly summing up Clemons’ four main points:

1.  There Must Be Something Other Than Advertising:

Pop up and banner ads don’t stand the chance of being (as) effective as they are intrusive to the online reader.  If you’re on a site, there’s probably a specific purpose, and you’re not going to be paying attention to a sidebar flashing–even if it’s targeted–ads letting you know how you, too, can drop two pants sizes in two weeks.

With print and broadcast, viewers are not actively engaged in seeking information they are looking for when they come across an advertisement (such as a commercial or full-page ad in a newspaper).

2.  Advertising Will Fail:

Unlike other means of communication, the internet is designed to be a two-way street.  Content is posted, but users and readers of that content are actively engaged in the conversation, with the ability to respond and comment and question.

As such, if I’m looking for a way to drop two pants sizes in two weeks, I can enter my  query into Google, I can post a question for Yahoo! Answers, I can search sites that I already read for the answer.  I, as a user, do not need an ad to get me the information that I seek.  And if I’m not seeking the information the ad contains, then it won’t affect me anyway.

3.  Advertising Will Fail for Three Reasons:

a.  Consumers do not trust advertising

b.  Consumers do not want to view advertising

c.  Consumers do not need advertising

4.  Alternative Models for Monetization Are Available:

a.  Selling content and information: subscription based means of getting information (a la iTunes) means that websites won’t have to rely on advertising to make their money.

b.  Selling experience and participation in a virtual community: this would basically mean you’d have to pay for Social Networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc…  Luckily for us, not all sites have figured out how to make this work for them.

c.  Selling accessories for virtual communities:  get started on SecondLife with a pre-built house or what have you.  For serious gamers, it would really be an affront, as purchasing hard-to-earn items is often frowned upon.

There’s more to the very interesting piece, but if you want to read it for yourself why advertising on the internet might not be effective, click away!

As for leaving a nice little hole for Public Relations to come in and fill, it would seem to me that all those items being advertised would want to move their budgets over to an avenue which CAN’T be ignored by a reader. 

After all, if someone were looking for a way to lose two pants sizes in two weeks, PR about the product, diet book, or website would certainly be more effective than a scrolling banner ad.  If a publicist were able to get, let’s say, someone from iVillage to cover the product/book/site, you’d instantly be reaching a targeted demographic that is seeking out your services as opposed to blasting (and being ignored by) throngs of consumers.

Then there’s the whole notion of product placement within key blogs and sites, but that’s another blog for another day…

Jackie for AMP3pr.com

@JackieBrook