I’ve been blogging for a few years now, and one thing I’ve learned is that there’s an art to the digital news cycle–something to be balanced between your relationships with companies, and your gut instinct.  The public relations industry has been a big part of that balance, and no one understands that more than Brian Solis.  He’s something of a PR diety, you know.

But in this digital era, public relations isn’t just about making phone calls and enforcing embargoes.  New technology has lent the industry new means of communication, and every one of those has been taken advantage of by PR reps.  Any worthwhile blogger knows that no online account is safe from the PR world, be it Twitter, Facebook or GTalk.  Understanding the ways in which these new communication mediums affect brands, news coverage and outreach is part of the job, of course.  Yet leveraging their collective impact has become a new art form.  Solis is charting new territory, as he takes his PR experiences into brand-building, right on into new age marketing, joining Altimeter Group with industry heavyweights Charline Li and Jeremiah Owyang.

The boutique group is a research-based advisory firm, helping companies and brands determine the best methods around presenting and establishing their brands, given the changing media environment.  Here, Solis will be a Principle Analyst, lending his years of firsthand experience to the job of shaping a new approach in a new world.

“Over the years, I’ve published my experiences, observations and insights exploring primarily the impact of social technology on marketing, advertising, media, business, communications, and culture,” Solis writes us.
“But in recent months, the two places where I continually gravitate towards more often than less is defining business strategy and bridging the gaps between strategy and execution.  As such, I’ve been focusing a  considerable amount of my time on helping business leaders define a new era of relevance. As I am doing with my next book, I am expanding my focus from social media and social business to document and contribute to the evolution of an adaptive business.”

Solis outlines the areas he’s learned from, and the direction in which he’s headed.  Market research will only be a portion of what Solis is to provide at Altimeter Group, along with strategy review, training and education, workflow and organizational transformation.  These are all the things that make way for insightful brand-building, which can become a far more productive in its effectiveness with a little bit of introspection.

A lot of this work boils down to data analysis, and even real-time trends, which we discuss extensively at SiliconANGLE, so it’s certainly a treat to see such well-respected industry personalities putting their heads together around implimenting innovation.

For Solis, a good portion of his work will be based on the ideals he’s promoted in his books, particularly at the economic impact of the connected customer.  Finding ways to make businesses more adaptable to the needs and actions of the connected customer, Solis will have a pragmatic approach to his job at Altimeter.  Li and Owyang have their own ideals to bring to the table, around analysis and shifting strategies around executable catalysts.  With their forces combined, Altimeter Group will certainly be an influence in public relations, brand management and marketing in the coming years.

It’s an opportunity for Solis to really dig into the data behind recent and ongoing trends, discovering ways to make them applicable in a rapidly changing world.  Moving forward, “we’re looking at a lot of growth in mobile, business intelligence and advertising,” Solis says.  “Every aspect of a business needs to become more responsive, and able to lead in every direction.  We have an amazing team, and though we’re all known for social media, we’re looking beyond this to run a transparent organization, and applying that to the greater good.”