I posed the proposition previously that the internet is providing the tools for publics to become more connected, and as Grunig suggests, more prone to move to activism.
Grunig & Hunt (1) assert that there are three stages in the evolution of publics. In the first stage, the public doesn’t recognise the problem; the public then moves to the aware stage - recognising the problem. Finally the active stage is reached – the problem is recognised and the public decides to do something about it. According to Grunig the idea is to communicate with an aware public before it actively opposes an organisation and becomes an activist public.
Thanks to Adriana at the Big Blog Company who reminded me about the Intelliseek report – Consumer Generated Media. This white paper describes how consumers use the internet to educate each other about products, brands, services, personalities and issues. This can be via a variety of channels, referred to as Consumer Generated Media (CGM) - online word-of-mouth vehicles, including but not limited to: consumer-to-consumer email, postings on public Internet discussion boards and forums, consumer ratings web sites or forums, blogs (short for weblogs, or digital diaries), moblogs (sites where users post digital images/photos/movies), social networking web sites and individual web sites.
The report points to the growing influence of the Internet in motivating Grunig’s publics: “In essence, the Internet has exponentially supercharged the concept of word-of-mouth behaviour, giving it a power that marketers have only begun to understand”, it adds: “The internet is significantly amplifying the power of brand apostles and owners, affording them many more venues and ‘megaphones’ for sharing their views with others.”
So who’s listening to this CGM?
The report suggests:
Consumers - Because it informs purchase, loyalty
Reporters - As it accelerates research and fact-finding
Analysts - Because it offers scoop/insight company won’t volunteer
Competitors - Allows them to exploit actual users of competitors’ products as “intelligence gatherers”
Regulators - Because vocal consumers provide leading indicator into future problems
Activists - As it helps reinforce/solidify a key position
The white paper from Intelliseek focuses on the marketing potential of the information available online, but in the context of the work done by Grunig on two-way communication as a Corp Comms tool, it seems the Internet provides an ideal tool for engaging these publics in a dialogue before they move to that all important activist stage?
Matt
(1) Grunig, J.E. & Hunt, T. (1984) Managing Public Relations. New York: Holt, Rinehart, Winston.
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