Joe Marchese of socialvibe wrote a thought provoking column today about who should own the advertiser relationship of record when social media is the strategy. I think there is a lot more to say here, but he addresses a lot of the players and how they should approach the concept. I agree with his thoughts about PR, but most PR firms will have to change radically to handle the business.
Read it here:
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=99206
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Here's the one you referenced:
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/index.cfm?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=99596
What's interesting is I think the article you link to has a point related to your commentary as well - the biggest challenge with social media is not necessarily how to get ingrained in it, but how to measure its effects. With traditional media, and online media especially, there has been a metric that measures effectiveness. Whether it be television ratings, impressions, clicks, or purchase behavior, these things have always been measurable. The challenge with social media, similar to word of mouth, is how to you measure "buzz". You don't control the medium. You don't have an inventory of your placement. Your brand and (hopefully) your message are just out there, floating organically (that is, if you're doing it right). You can plant content, or garner reviews by targeting "nodes of influence" but the real value comes in the viral nature of social media. Like most viruses, the best way to control them is to destroy them - not exactly the aim of any successful marketer. I think ultimately, the player that is able to establish a way to harness and quantify the value of social media will own the advertiser relationship. I'm not sure that necessarily fits the role of traditional or even the most forward-thinking PR agency.