PR, marketing and the Internet: implications for information professionals

Adapted from a presentation given by the authors at the Annual Conference of the Publicity and Public Relations Group of the Library Association in November 1999, focusing on how the Internet impacts on today’s public relations (PR) and marketing and the implications for librarians. Building on the experience of the publisher MCB University Press and using analysis and practical examples, identifies how promotional activity can be adapted to this new medium. Finds that interactivity is a feature of the Internet that can be exploited for promotional purposes, and that integration of traditional and online communication methods provides the key to successful PR/marketing for the Internet. The need for effective planning and implementation of PR/marketing activity is stressed, together with the need to incorporate Internet promotion into an overall promotional plan for the organisation.