For years, many thought of public relations as communicating a message to an audience through the media. That's true, but the term "media" is changing.

Each day, fewer people rely on the traditional media for their information. The Internet has fueled an exodus from network news, daily papers, and radio shows to online communities and news sources, such as blogs, wikis, and social networking sites like myspace.com. Relationships forged through these "new media" have renewed and underscored the influence of the oldest form of communication: the conversation.

More and more, online and offline, people are turning to friends, family, neighbors and colleagues for advice on everything from their next clothing purchase to the best candidate in this year's election. Research shows that people value this advice 1.5 times more than they did just 30 years ago and twice as much as information they receive from traditional media sources. There is a conversation occurring with or without marketing and PR firms – and, most importantly, with or without you. This conversation gives your audience a voice they never had before.

There is clearly still a place for traditional media outreach. Sometimes, a story in USA Today, for example, becomes the topic of discussion on blogs or around water coolers at the office. At Rosenberg Communications we believe an organization or company left out of this conversation – wherever it started - will ultimately be left behind. We've developed our Word of Mouth Public Relations, or WOMPR, practice by adapting our expertise in community organizing, audience specific messaging, and public service advertising to our new understanding of how your audience receives and processes information. Our goal is not to manipulate, but to allow the voice of the consumer (or the voter, the manager, the parent) to speak for you.

We will work with you to develop a tailored WOMPR plan that reaches the right people with the right message at the right time. We'll help you join the conversation.

Rosenberg Communications is a proud member of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA). We're deeply committed to WOMMA's code of ethics and believe that a group of consumers committed to honestly discussing you and your product with others can often be worth far more than a front page placement in the New York Times.