Continuing down the list of the most influential PR firms in the world, we find Qorvis Communications, ranked 6th in terms of fees in 2007. Qurvis is an interesting company on many levels. Over $30 million in fees for a company with only 86 employees in fascinating in itself, but being an entity without an imminently apparent leader is as well. As far as corporate websites go, the Qorvis on is a shambles compared to some of those of competitors.
The site lacks nothing in beautiful imagery, but aside a wonderful portfolio interactive, nothing that implies digital world engagement exists. We have raised the question; "How can huge firms claim to be in the Web community without a true engagement?", to which only a few have responded. My new question is; "Why even bother or waste resources if a facade is all there is?"
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Beautiful graphics relay the nebulous message - Qorvis Communications PR[/caption]
Qorvis: Making Friends and Gaining Influence
Perhaps corporate focus and clientele have something to do with this "trend", as Qorvis does really represent what can be considered a Web based client. This seems strange in the digital age, and particularly since the company advertises interactive web communications. This indicates to me at least, that they would like to have some clients online. Logic tells us that engaging this niche requires just that, right? Well, at least the company is aware of certain needs for Web insertion, and I quote from the site:"Having a great website is the first step in creating a comprehensive communications strategy but it is definitely not enough....Search Engine Optimization, blogs, social networking sites, destination sites, online games, and so on are complementary to a great website and natural extensions that falls within the overall communications strategy."[caption id="attachment_644" align="aligncenter" width="550"]
Wheel, Wheel, Who's Got The Wheel?[/caption]
Ho Hum Hypocrisy
The three blogs linked to the corporate site have excellent content, but like most of the other "Titan's" blogs, no engagement. I ask again, "why bother?" These issues leave the impression that no one at Qorvis has the slightest idea of what social media communication is about. I simply must quote again from the firm's only "on-site" blog component:"The moral of the story is no matter what type of business you have or who your audience is, it has become clear that social media should be a significant component of your marketing mix."I can only hope these blogs support trackbacks, so that maybe my little criticisms will effect at least the traffic there. We are seeing so many examples of how "saying it is so", appears to be enough for not only giant PR firms, but their clients as well. Many people think this is what PR is any way, a hype machine aimed at a client's goals. The really sad part is, with just a fraction more resource and effort, any of these leviathans of communication could have the next generation of website, with tools that would engage millions. In short, a proof positive that there is something in the "pudding".
