Knowing who to influence – a key tool for both marketers and corporates
‘PR cuts through clutter using third party endorsements. Buzz occurs when people talk about you versus advertising when you are talking about yourself”, Jerry Schwartz – veteran US PR agency owner. PR has always worked to disseminate messages through influencers – independent 3rd parties. When they say good things about an organisation, person, product or service it usually confers more credibility than if you tried to say it yourself. Traditionally media has been the main PR influencer – and getting implied endorsement from the media is still one of the most powerful tools. But now PR is taking the influencer model further and starting to use it to create word-of-mouth ‘buzz’. And a lot of the campaigns don’t even involve using the media! So who are influencers? They are individuals with the power to sway or affect attitude or behaviour based on their prestige, ability or position. Or “expertise from people who can’t afford to lie,” according to Faith Popcorn. Why are they important t