The relationship between public relations and public engagement is interesting. The most obvious question is: how does one distinguish between the two? General thinking in the field says that these two activities can be placed on the same continuum – the only difference is that public engagement is usually more interactive than PR (note: this is not to say that one is necessarily “better” than the other, as there are different rationales involved). So maybe a more focused question is: how and when does the shift from practicing PR to public engagement occur? As I’ve discovered in my current state of thesis writing, this type of discussion requires a little more of an explanation, as it can lead you down a semantic rabbit hole if you’re not careful…

So what’s the issue? According to Edelman, the isolated nature of policymaking needs to be addressed, as “communications and policy cannot be separated… both are tied to operating reality. Unfortunately, many organizations still determine policy and operating approach in a vacuum, then hand it to PR folks to explain.” So how does this issue relate to public engagement? Think about how you’re talking to your audience. PR is often about “selling” something – a good, service and/or idea – to the public and building a process to show them why. In contrast, public engagement takes it a step further – it is about asking for input on something and building a process that allows you to do so. However, it’s important to remember that the two aren’t mutually exclusive. In fact, you could make progress on your PR goals by using public engagement effectively, as sustained dialogue is often inherent to the process. That being said, the shift from PR to public engagement can occur when communication and policy are brought together in a complementary manner.

So are there major companies that have integrated public engagement into their overall PR strategy? Definitely! Check out IBM’s “Smarter Cities Challenge,” which is providing $50 million worth of IBM expertise to help cities around the world address their key challenges at the local level. In response to the city’s high collision rates, the city of Edmonton – the only Canadian finalist – sought to become a “global leader in traffic” and tasked IBM experts to analyze key transportation data within the city. In this way, IBM is evolving its stakeholder relationships in a manner that represents Edelman’s notion of “the change from impression-based interactions to long-term relationships.” These kind of shifts are solid evidence of an evolving PR industry, where passive consumers are becoming empowered influencers, and where public engagement is paramount.

-Tristan Eclarin-

Over the past weeks and months, Toyota has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons.  Reports of technical problems with its cars, along with suggestions that it failed to take safety reports seriously, have damaged its brand and relationships that matter most – with its customers.  I’m on of those, with a 2007 Prius.

PR professionals have already been lamenting what the see as the carmaker’s slow, confused and unstrategic communications response.

I’ve been thinking about this too, but from a public participation perspective – about how Toyota could be building and engaging its community, especially its loyal base of “true believers”, as it responds to safety concerns.

Here are some of the community-building steps I think they should be considering:

Actively involving their community in assessing the scope of the problem.
Part of Toyota’s woes is the perception that it doesn’t fully understand the scope of safety problems.  To really find out, it could use an online story tool where customers could privately submit reports of technical issues, along with their car’s serial number.  This could provide Toyota with a rich dataset to analyze and contact information for those most concerned for proactive customer service.

Sending personalized help and advice to individual community members
Right now, owners are worried and are seeking information.  But by Toyota’s own admission, callers are experiencing long wait times “on hold” to call centres.  Not ideal.  A better approach would be to create an online tool where owners could register for information, by providing their model, year of production and email address.  Using this contact, Toyota could send people personalized information for their specific car, including whether there is a problem, where clients can go to get it fixed, and what they can do in the meantime.

Hosting local dealership dialogue events
People who purchased their cars from local dealerships may have stronger relationships with these showrooms and individual sales staff than with Toyota head office.  The problem right now is that many of these local representatives may be getting their news from TV, just like everybody else.  Instead, Toyota could be reaching out to these community members by empowering and encouraging dealers to host in-person events with customers to share experiences, fixes and timelines.

Right now, Toyota’s approach seems old-fashioned and top-down.  Already, pundits are predicting severe damage to the brand unless it changes strategy.  Hopefully they are using social media to listen for suggestions.

Have other suggestion for Toyota?  Share them with us and our @ascentum community!

- Ellis Westwood -