An Ambitious Renegade

An Ambitious Renegade
By: Allison O'Connor

There are so many emerging trends dominating the communications industry today. For example, social media marketing, content curation, gamification, and cross-social network promotion are all emerging, digital trends taking over traditional media. With an ever-evolving digital landscape, public relations professionals must learn to adapt to all of these rising developments taking place. Likewise, Dan Edelman had to also make sure his company was constantly acclimating to changes within the industry. As said by Franz Wiser, “Somewhere in the soul of the company is a renegade streak that thrives on the line between the current and the about-to-be.” This ‘about-to-be’ during Dan Edelman’s time just so happened to be the Internet.

Pictured Above: Dan Edelman

Chapter 10 of Edelman and the Rise of Public Relations discusses the new communications vehicle introduced in the early 1990s – the Internet. While some companies and organizations began to explore the possibilities of the Internet, most public relations firms and ad agencies reacted with great caution.  They had little to no web experience and were worried about their ability to control messages in the new medium (Wiser, 83). Dan Edelman, on the other hand, wanted to embrace this worldwide communications revolution.

It wasn’t long until Edelman became the first large public relations agency to go online and create and launch its own website, www.edelman.com. Interestingly enough, the website wasn’t created to revolutionize communications, but rather to help usher Edelman’s current clients into the Internet era. The creation of this website, to me, not only demonstrates Dan Edelman’s ambitious demeanor, but also his dedication to the company’s clients. Realizing that his clients would soon have to enter this new, digital age, allowed Dan Edelman to pave the way for such a significant conversion.

These technological revolutions continue to emerge within the communications industry and are benefiting companies and organizations more than ever before. Throughout Ron’s course, we’ve heard great insights from many influential PR professionals and have made many visits to places including the Chicago Sun Times, The San Jose Group, Slack and Company, and our most recent, Edelman Chicago. These experiences have avowed that such trends are indeed transpiring and affecting the public relations field today. It’s interesting to see how these professionals and companies are ambitiously employing the latest developments; I like to think Dan Edelman’s approach to new mediums has served as an influential platform for these professionals to act on. 

Allison O’Connor is a junior at DePaul University majoring in Public Relations and Advertising and minoring in Marketing. She is currently interning at the American Diabetes Association, where she assists in the logistical planning of the organization’s high-profile events. She is also the Vice President of Professional Development for DePaul’s PRSSA Chapter. Her responsibilities include assisting the president in planning all general board meetings, contacting guest speakers, organizing interactive workshops, and planning all chapter visits. She can be reached at oconnora33@gmail.com or followed at @allyoconn.