Can the big agencies be thought leaders in a changing marketplace?

A fascinating discussion jumped out at me right before Christmas ... prompted by this post from Shel Israel admonishing PR big-whig Richard Edelman for not linking to others.

It brings to mind a larger question that goes beyond Edelman's 6 a.m. blog -- can big agencies be thought leaders in a new environment?

Trevor Cook says no ... not without sharing the limelight with others, and the top-tier firms won't do that (especially with competitors).


No longer the voice of wisdom

Consider yesterday's thought leader. He was an authoritative voice of wisdom who published opinion pieces in the Wall Street Journal and spoke at top-flight conferences, dispensing pearls and staying above the fray.

Today's thought leader has a blog and is held accountable for everything he/she posts via comments and trackbacks and the rapid-fire response mechanism that is the blogosphere. He/she links to others, builds upon others' ideas, gives credit to others when it's due and engages in conversations -- not lectures.

Today's thought leader isn't a pontificator on high. He or she is a "thought generator" -- someone who stimulates thinking and creativity by bringing others together.


Collaboration, not competition

So can big firms do that? Can Richard Edelman link to someone at Hill & Knowlton, or even some guy in Texas, and give credit and visibility to a competitor?

I don't know the answer, but Shel certainly is asking the question.

And I suspect others will too, once the holidays wind down and bloggers start reading their newsfeeds again.

Digging deeper: This much is true ... without a doubt, the majority of emerging thought leaders in the PR blogosphere come from the independent consultant or small-agency space. Makes sense ... these folks have the freedom to be open, timely and provocative.

But they also have no qualms about sharing information or building upon others' ideas -- and giving credit where it's due.

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