Speed and Agility

In class we began reading a new book,  “Real-Time Marketing & PR” by David Meerman Scott.  The book in its entirety is about engaging the market, connecting with customers and creating products that can grow your business now. This leads right into chapter 1 titled, “Grow Your Business Now.” At first glance I was interested in this chapter because I am a management major with a PR minor. I was hoping this chapter would help blend both of my educational backgrounds and it did.

The chapter explains how the size of mass media is no longer an advantage. It is more about speed and agility that creates success. Scott uses the example of David and Goliath by showing how one individual can outperform a large organization.

There are three main points the chapter hints at throughout the text:

1. Speed in media relations – Getting a message out in media relations happens quickly. A prime example of this is viral videos on YouTube.

2. Real-time market engagement – Engaging in the market while the story is popular is the best way to gain more spotlight and attention.

      3. Real-time product creation –It is important to build goodwill among customers and keep them engaged with products that will be useful for them. For example, when the iPhone become popular, OtterBox quickly came out with a durable case to keep the iPhone safe.

Each point plays to both my PR and management education and it is neat to see both come together. This chapter constantly is repeating speed and agility is the new way to operate. Though, this does lead to smaller companies having more success engaging the world in real-time, but it is not impossible for large enterprises to do the same thing. As long as the companies realize its success does not come from its size.