Last night I was part of a panel discussion on marketing for start-ups at the Kenan-Flagler Business School. It was a great experience sharing war stories and providing advice to eager entrepreneurs. What strikes me as funny, though, is that as much as things have changed, a lot hasn't.
When I started working with start-ups, it was 1993. The internet and email were still new. Most marketing was still done on paper and by phone. A few companies had web sites. Twitter, et al, were mere gleams in someone's eye at that point. And yet, I find that while the vehicles we use to promote have evolved, good PR is still based on the same premise: take the straightest path to the people you need the most, sizzle's no damn good to you if there's no steak, pick your battles, any activity must support organizational goals, etc.
Everything else may change, but those basic fundamentals things apply (even) as time goes by.