PR agency chief Richard Edelman preaches the gospel of the blogosphere in his company’s influential annual Trust Barometer survey. In a posting on his often challenging blog, he writes:
The employee is the new credible source for information about a company, giving insight from the front lines. Smart companies must reinvent their communications thinking, moving from a sole reliance on top-down messages delivered through mass advertising. This is the Me2 revolution.
His company’s study has tracked the recent growth of the ‘someone like me’ figure as a company’s most influential spokesperson. His data charts the corresponding decline of ‘establishment’ figures in people’s estimations. This is all properly researched, and can be traced back. He can’t be accused of jumping on the ‘whatever 2.0’ bandwagon here.
His conclusions range from recognising the importance of internal communications, to embracing new channels like blogs and podcasts. It’s nothing new to those of us already engaged in this space. But when it comes from the mouth of Richard Edelman, you can expect the mainstream to take notice. This is an important endorsement.