I was fortunate enough to be asked by Robb Hecht, the mastermind behind Brandhackers, to participate in tonight’s live panel event. I’m really excited by both the subject matter and the prestigious group of people I’ll be joining.

Not familiar with Brandhackers? Here’s the deal:

Brandhackers is a monthly Manhattan Meetup and social network showcasing prominent and rising digital marketing opinion leaders and provides an environment bringing people, technology and brands together.

Here’s the lowdown on tonight’s event -

The Brandhacker “Who ‘Owns’ Social Media Strategy” Meetup: PR or Digital Creative?

We all know Consumers “Own” Social Media, but on the brand marketing side….via PR Daily News Feed, Advertising Age is reporting that PR departments at some organizations – including IBM, Intuit and American Airlines – are “playing a strategic role more closely aligned with the marketing function.” Harry Pforzheimer, chief communications officer and marketing leader at Intuit, said his company’s “communications effort, whether it be mainstream media, Twitter or blogs, reaches three to four times more people than its advertising does.” -PR News Feed

With the rise of social media and the need for ultra-quick turnaround in creating and launching campaigns to keep up with busy social networked consumers, could the day soon come when internal client PR departments are steering the marketing and interactive digital creative ship full time? Will the two disciplines start working much more closely together vs. siloed out in agencies currently? Or will pre-eminent digital creative remain a separate entity online vs. online PR communicators in driving customer engagement strategy? What are the predictions?

PR or Digital Creative?

For our next Meetup #brandhackers poses the questions to both the PR Industry and the Digital Creative Industry: “Who ‘Owns’ Social Media Strategy?”

*Digital Creative, the lead developers of real-time consumer facing apps and social media tools to strategically propagate and guide WOM (word of mouth) memes, creative and viral marketing messages appears to many to be the “owners of social media”

* But don’t forget, it’s the PR Industry which “owns” and manages the relationships with offline and online company/organization consumers/publics and hence they have taken a strong role in ‘owning’ the social media process as well

Featuring panelists from both sides of the street (PR and Digital Creative), attendees of this meetup will come away with a formed opinion of who ‘owns’ the social media process now and perhaps a glimmer into the future of how PR and Digital Creative will be working much more closely together, strategically.

PR Panelists

*Rick Liebling, Global Director, Client Management, Taylor
*Jonathan Kopp, Global Director, Ketchum Digital
*Deirdre Breakenridge, author of PR 2.0: New Media, New Tools, New Audiences
*Stephanie Agresta, EVP, Digital Strategy and Social Media, Porter Novelli

Digital Creative Panelists
* Christopher E. Andrew, VP Group Director of Media,
D I G I T A S
* Jason Miletsky, CEO, Creative Director, PFS Marketwyse and author of the Perspective on Marketing Series
* Sarah Hofstetter, SVP Digital Creative, 360i & David Berkowitz, Sr. Director of Emerging Media, 360i
* Mike Germano, President / Creative Director, Carrot Creative

Tell your digital and advertising industry friends and colleagues and invite them to join you!

RSVP Now: (Entrance fee: $10 RSVP paid online before event; $15 at the door)

-6:00-7:00 – Pre-Networking
-7:00-8:00 – The “Who Owns Social Media” Panel -Discussion
-8:00-8:30 – Audience Discussion / Q&A
-8:30-9:00 – Post Networking/Drinking

We currently are meeting monthly at Dewey’s Flatiron at 210 5th Avenue at W25th St.

Find the Google Map here: http://is.gd/2n7Qh

Tags: brandhackers, social media panel, social media speakers, who owns social media