Disclaimer: We are social media strategists who actually also use PR and work with traditional media in most of our efforts. The only difference is that we don’t try to put lipstick on the pig and call it a pig. If the story we’re pitching is underwhelming, we tend to be honest about it as there is also room in newspapers for underwhelming stories (actually comprises about 87 percent of the pages). Moreover, we utilize elastic marketing and digital word of mouth to work to better create those relationships. And we were not eligible for Agency of the Decade as we’ve been around for only 2 years.

That being said…..

Last week an old colleague of ours trumpeted on Facebook that the agency he works for was named “Agency of the Decade” …. again.  Aside from the fact that he doesn’t work for Edelman it struck me as odd that this would be something to boast about.  Especially from a Public Relations company tasked with forming “relationships” between the companies that pay them and the publics they speak to.

A little background, first.  (and this is not meant to be a depressing, doomsday post — stick with it).  A quick Google search for “job growth in the last decade” will bring up multiple versions of the same headline.  Here are a few:

• “Off the Charts -Job Growth Lacking in the Private Sector” - NY Times
• “Lost Decade for Job Growth” – MarketWatch (Wall Street Journal)
• “A Lost Decade for Jobs” – BusinessWeek

In summary, at no other time since the depression have we added 0 jobs in a 10-year period.  (actually, we lost over 200K)

Add to that the fact that salaries have remained stagnant in the last decade as well.  College reports indicate that starting salaries have remained constant, or if they grew, grew slower than inflation.  (if you are doing the math on your own salary, keep in mind that you would have to have a 25-30% increase over the past 10 years to keep up).  NPR has been reporting similar stories that most Americans have seen little to no growth in their compensation over the past 10 years, as well as other media outlets.

But you can’t blame a PR company for the economy, right?

Let’s look at a different trend–social media.  Many attribute the beginnings of social media to the Cluetrain Manifesto.  An excerpt:

“Most corporations, on the other hand, only know how to talk in the soothing, humorless monotone of the mission statement, marketing brochure, and your-call-is-important-to-us busy signal. Same old tone, same old lies. No wonder networked markets have no respect for companies unable or unwilling to speak as they do.”

And these companies often made use of one of the best humorless, monotone generators there is: the PR firm.  A humorous look:

They say that behind every great joke lies a foundation of truth.  And the truth is that social media is a rebellion against corporate speak.  A statement, a movement that says “stop talking to us through the inhuman tones written by your marketing group, your corporate communications group, and especially…your PR company.  talk to us like human beings.  And for once, just tell us the truth.”

Oh, and one more thing.  Have you had a conversation lately about customer service?  I don’t think you need a link to a NY Times article to know that customer relations is worse than it’s ever been.

Let me repeat that.  At no other time has the relationship between the public and the companies they/we deal with on a daily basis ever been worse.

So why would a company that makes its business on forming “relationships” between companies and the public boast about being the “Agency of the Decade?”   Why would there even be such an award this decade?  A decade where everything from jobs, to salaries, to general disdain for the American public has had such low performance?  In a time when the fastest growing movement (social media) stemmed from wanting to put an end to the PR dribble companies and agencies were spitting out?

If there was to be an “anything” of the decade as it relates to actual public relations, it would have to go the many early adopters of social media.  it would go to the founders of Facebook, and MySpace, and Twitter, and YouTube, and LinkedIn and countless other social media enabling sites.  NOT some public, conglomerate-held PR agency that won the award based on billings growth.  It was social media that actually began to improve the relationships between companies and public.  And will continue to do so.

So… agency of the decade?  It’s kind of like the Biggest Loser, only you are not healthier after winning the award.