A story in the Telegraph today reminded me that in the world of technology PR, whilst there may be new names and new vehicles for the dissemination of a message, the same basic principles still apply. Emma Barnett, the Telegraph's Digital Media Editor was reporting on the analyst firm Gartner releasing the results of its consumer research into the influence of social networks on consumer purchase decisions. Gartner's press release is headed up "Gartner Says Majority of Consumers Rely on Social Networks to Guide Purchase Decisions".

Although the press release doesn't specifically say so, it looks as if Gartner were looking at online social networks and there's nothing wrong with that, but much of the industry seems to have forgotten that social networks existed long before the internet was born. In my view that's a dangerous thing to do when you're designing a PR campaign. Yes, online social networks can be extremely important but if you design your entire social network campaign around the usual suspects (Facebook, Twitter etc.) you run the risk of ignoring more traditional social networks that for some companies, may have greater importance.

Twenty years ago if someone said "most people's purchases are influenced by their friends, family, colleagues and associates" (ie. their social network), we might have replied "no sh*t Sherlock". That's why we spent so much of our time trying to influence them through various means. We therefore shouldn't be surprised that today's online social networks have influence, but that doesn't mean traditional networks have lost their importance. As Nick Ingelbrecht, research director at Gartner says, "Retailers who run small shops have instinctively done this [developed relationships with key customers] with their best customers for years with the intention that these 'VIP' customers will not only buy the new products but recommend them to their friends."

That kind of work still needs to be done and taken account of in a PR campaign. You find out who your audience is, where they hang out, who they talk to and who they respect. Only then do you design the PR tactics - It would be surprising today if that didn't include something on the social media front but it would also be foolish to ignore their more traditional social networks.