While attending an industry conference last year, we began asking ourselves if the term PR really conveys what we do within the ad biz. For my part, living in Hollywood, "Publicist" has a very specific connotation; red carpets, couch-jumping, going pantiless or multi-sexual for the paparazzi. In the corporate and political sectors, "Publicists" are more about spin and damage control, focusing on public perception as relates to viability or electability, or both. With rare exceptions (Cannes, the Clios, and anywhere else damage control might come in handy), we have a very different set of objectives for our clients, and we were in pursuit of a term that captured the style and scope of our endeavors.

The term Image Broadcasting was suggested by our brilliant Chief Technology Officer, Justo Diaz. "In today's competitive marketplace it's imperative that we take a fresh approach to how branding works," he said to an audience impressed in equal parts by his passion and his track record on Alexa. "People Google each other while dating, certainly you Google a company you are working with or for...Think about how the environment is changing. We must make the leap so that others follow. Our model must reflect a new paradigm in PR, Advertising, Marketing and Brand Building."

It was only later, over drinks, when the crowd was long gone, that the term Image Broadcasting poured out of his mouth (I said he was brilliant, I didn't say he had killer timing). Anyway, he nailed it. Our stated objective within the advertising and commercial production community, is to do for our clients what they do for theirs: communicate their brand, their message, and their art, to the trade and extended media. This spans the full spectrum of branded creative content, spanning traditional and alternative media, from broadcast and print advertising, to viral marketing and client-sponsored film & TV projects. We make this work and news available to the "audience at large" - that vast readership comprised of trade reporters and editors, ad agency creatives and producers, production and post-production personnel, bloggers, and more. In addition, we provide expert Internet technology and a full menu of Web marketing services to clients seeking to heighten their visibility - and their Google-ability. Developing a client's image, and raising their profile, not just via trade exposure, but on search engines as well...this is Image Broadcasting. Right?

The reality, however, is that coining a new term takes time. And going all in on a phrase no one else uses is not something we'd advise our clients to do. So we're taking it slow, following our own advice, using Public Relations in our descriptive language, and making ourselves available when that Gutter Bar video hits YouTube. The cool thing about "evolution" is that it doesn't have to happen overnight. And when it does happen, if it's pervasive enough, it can start a revolution. So we've got that going for us. Which is nice.

To circle back around and answer the question posed in our chosen title... Of course you do. We all do. I wanted to call this piece "Image Broadcasting: A PRevolution?" As article titles go, that's pretty good. It's catchy and maybe even clever. Trouble is, it flies in the face of everything we know about SEO♣. And as important as SEO is to brands, advertisers, and marketers, it is equally important to those of us seeking to disseminate the messages of ad bizzers.

So I compromised - cleverly. ;-)

What I like about my orginal title is that "Revolution" suggests radical change, and the advertising industry is undergoing a radical change as we speak. "Evolution," should you choose to read it that way, suggests the progression from one stage to another, and that certainly is apt; as the world changes around us, we can resist, or we can open our eyes - and our minds - and leap to a new platform. 

So, while we're waiting for the new term to catch on, let's get the ball rolling, and take the leap together.  

-HR

♣Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via natural ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results for targeted keywords.