Social media branding offered by alliance

The alliance will cover above, below, and through the line advertising, digital, marketing, and public relations and clients will be serviced through one project or account manager capable of straddling both disciplines, creative and PR.

studio4332 MD Brendan Wade says that as digital communications and the social media expand communication options, so more clients are asking for assistance in pulling together their communications across both conventional and new media. "In today's communications environment, one consumer tweet can reach millions of other consumers and has the potential to destroy an entire product line or brand in a matter of hours.

"Brands have never been this vulnerable and brand managers have never had this little control over what consumers say and do about products and services they don't like. At the same time, no-one has worked out entirely how to capitalise on positive sentiment about products and services that is expressed spontaneously through digital media and social media.

"Indeed, the social media add a whole new dimension to reputation management and represent uncharted waters for advertisers, marketers, PR agencies, and even creative studios with digital expertise such as ourselves. They are not pure advertising or marketing territory nor are they pure public relations territory."

Interacting with target audiences

In addition, as Headlines founder Simone Lipshitz points out, because the social media introduce the possibility of true interaction with target audiences, PR and advertising agencies alike are looking for ways to make interactivity work for the brand.

"True interaction means having every single communications channel to - or from - the consumer - representing the brand absolutely consistently with all the other channels," she adds.

"Finding and delivering that consistency is going to take close collaboration among PR people, marketers, advertisers, and creative studios. We and Studio4332 believe that pooling our skills will trigger the right creative answers for clients."

Headlines and studio4332, when it was still proximity#ttp, worked together on ToysRUs and The Economist for four years.

Outside of the alliance, Headlines and studio4332 will retain their separate clients and corporate cultures. "For existing clients, nothing will change, other than their gaining access, should they wish it, to additional skills sets," Lipshitz concludes.