Digital Advertising: The New Career Path in PR?

Tags: Andrew McMain, Bing Ads, careers in PR, careers in public relations, digital advertising, digital certification, digital PR, digital public relations, Edelman, Google Adwords, Google Partners, jobs in PR, MediaWorks, Muriel Jackson, native advertising, online advertising, PR 2.0, PR advertising, PR specialties, public relations 2.0, public relations advertising, puvlic relations jobs, Richard Edelman, SEO, SEO certification, specialties in PR, Tom Foremski

PR v Ads

Can developing expertise in digital advertising become a promising new specialty for growth and expansion in public relations? We are among others asking this question lately because of the unfavorable changes occurring in and prognostications about the decline of advertising agencies.

Several recent reports have detailed the negative changes affecting traditional advertising [due to its reliance on major revenue from print and broadcast industries, both of which are also experiencing unprecedented convergence and decline.]

Writer Tom Foremski’s January 14, post in ZDNet about PR’s “war with advertising” gives an insightful indication of what some of these changes could mean for PR. Quoting in his article no less an authority than Richard Edelman, of Edelman public relations, from Edelman’s blog “6 A.M.,” Formeski posits:

 “We believe that the combination of public relations, digital and research will allow us to build a new kind of marketing communications firm that can help clients both promote and protect their brands. … [And] to challenge the status quo, which has placed advertising agencies as the first among equals.”