Advocacy - The Next Wave

Jack Leslie, Chairman, Weber Shandwick Worldwide

It's a story as old as innovation itself: Change is evolutionary, not revolutionary at first. The first cars went where horses did, only quicker. The first word processors did what typewriters did, only easier. And the first wave of digital communications technology did what print and broadcast media had already done -- share information -- only faster and farther.

At first, in other words, new technologies usually enhance the performance of existing tasks -- no small feat, but not a revolutionary one, either. The real revolution comes when people use the new technologies, not to improve existing tasks, but to create new possibilities.

Public relations caught the first wave, the adoption of new technology to spread information. We showed how it no longer makes sense to send a message to the many to persuade the few. But that first wave, sharing information with more segmented audiences, is cresting. A new one, a fundamental transformation of communication from information to advocacy, is rising.

For the first time, individuals looking for news, information and cues are relying less on institutions and more on each other. The technology may accelerate, but the human scale transforms. And personal interaction is a place where values -- and responsibility -- matter more. Three game-changers show why:

First, the news media aren't dictating the "news" anymore. Instead of merely accepting what's presented on traditional media from conventional sources, people increasingly are turning to each other for information and validation. Forrester used a simple Google search on the world's 20 largest brands to prove the point: Less than 20 percent of search results were linked to the companies themselves. About half were related to experts, the media and other sources. The remaining -- and growing -- 26 percent came from consumer-generated sources such as blogs and product reviews, which are playing an increasing role in what the public learns and thinks about current affairs.

As individuals take control, they're demanding more, which brings us to the second game-changer: "Pull" now trumps "push." Amid information overload, pushing messages is not enough. We need to pull people toward the ideas we want to convey in a true exchange. What's required is engagement. Individuals the world over are increasingly striving to fulfill higher needs, if not more actively shape their own futures. As consumers, they're looking for deeper total experiences delivered by companies that share their values. And values are something only personal engagement can convey.

The need for personal engagement helps explain our third game-changer: the law of the few. Initial forecasts said the new media would produce isolation, not interaction. As it turns out, people may not have as many close acquaintances, but they have multiple "core ties" to others they turn to and confide in. In this networked society, individuals don't take their cues from centralized, institutionalized experts. They come from influentials, connectors, bloggers, activists and simply anyone willing to stand on top of a soapbox to voice their opinion, virtually or otherwise, anywhere in the world.

As the game changes, the public relations profession must too. Rather than pushing information for our clients, we need to engage individuals as advocates. In its strongest form, advocacy forges emotional bonds and higher levels of involvement -- active, vocal, proud, informed, experiential.

Public relations' new mission must be to move people faster to this highest form of loyalty -- advocacy -- and at Weber Shandwick, we've adopted this goal as our own. We are researching how best to mobilize advocates early on in the decision process. We are investing in new ways to sustain and build advocates as the core foundation of any client's ongoing marketing communications program.

The world's strongest brands already have grasped this potential. The public relations industry must, too. The first technological wave, the acceleration of information, has crested. The second, the use of information to transform individuals into advocates, is rising. Our choice is simple: We can catch it, or it can crash over us. That is, of course, no choice at all. It's a necessity -- and, more important, an opportunity -- to lead. That's why advocacy must start here.