The Global PR Phenomenon

Last week I started following @BPGlobalPR, the spoof of British Petroleum public relations on Twitter. Reading these tweets offered a brief reprieve from reality on what has turning into a rather depressing news month (oil spills, Middle East violence, and economic instability in Europe). I was saddened and frustrated by the fact that oil had been spilling into the Gulf of Mexico for over a month and the repeated failures by BP to end this horrible environmental disaster. While the traditional media was doing their due diligence and covering the story with updated reports and live webcams, there was not as much online discussion or outcry as I felt the situation deserved. There seemed to be a void. Then I started reading @BPGlobalPR. The satire and outright frankness of the tweets offered the shimmer of a smile on an otherwise dismal situation without downplaying the travesty of what was going on.

When I began following @BPGlobalPR the account had just over 50,000 followers. Today their follower list is 123,000 and still growing. It is a testament to how fast information, news, and trends can spread virally. This is also an example of how, with the internet and a little creativity, anyone can affect public perception of a brand or entity.

And now, a phenomenon has begun. Following the Israeli attacks on the flotilla on May 31st, 2010, two new spoof Twitter accounts appeared – @IsraelGlobalPR and @HamasGlobalPR. Then soon after @UNGlobalPR, @GSGlobalPR (Goldman Sachs), and @ShellGlobalPR started tweeting. Now, @IranGlobalPR, @FIFAGlobalPR, @USAGlobalPR, and others have joined the fray.

@BPGlobalPR posted their first tweet on May 19th, 2010. In just over two weeks, not only has their influence in the Twittersphere exploded, but the phenomenon they started has also taken off. It will be interesting to see if it is a trend that gets incorporated into the social media culture or if it only remains in vogue briefly before disappearing into the bytes of the past.

But regardless of the longevity of this trend, it has proven one thing – public relations is no longer about one-way communications and controlling the message. In today’s interconnected world public relations also includes facilitating conversations and participating in the social web.