One of the dreary aspects of the social media revolution is the constant debate about who “owns it”. This self-perpetuates as bloggers, tweeters and all the rest, seize on any hint of a “battle” between the public relations industry and our colleagues in advertising as an excuse to write a quick post in which to wax indignant. Most of these posts are simply snacks, tossed in the direction of a ravenous social media beast forever demanding content. In this way a dull debate is prolonged. I suppose this post is ironic evidence of this in action.

A recent survey, though, stood head and shoulders above the usual claptrap. It was a joint effort by Worldcom and Transworld, significant PR and advertising holding companies respectively. The worthwhile Social Media Influence site carries perhaps the most interesting assessment of the story, leading with the headline: Social media: ad agencies “falling behind” as PR pros cash in.

Take a look at it and let us know what you think. Are the Big Beasts of the advertising industry going to overrun PR’s strong position, as they divert money from their enormous TV budgets toward online means of communication? Or will social media, with its focus on relationship building, continue to be a below-the-line discipline, better suited to the softer, subtler and more flexible programs of the PR community?