Before the birth of Facebook, Twitter and Yelp, PR professionals were limited in their efforts to reach the right audience, or any audience for that matter, to advertise their clients' products and services. Publicists were expected to produce broad-based mass mailings, or if they were upper level professionals, demographically targeted mailings. Costly radio ads were another popular method of advertising, along with expensive newspaper ads, and the labor- and time-intensive billboard and poster approach to advertising.

Publicists also relied on word of mouth, but news only spread as fast as another's ability to verbally advertise an event, product or service. Much like the game of "Telephone,"" messages risked becoming misconstrued.

Then in the early 1990's the Internet started to gain popularity, and it was quickly recognized as an excellent tool for advertising. At practically no cost, someone could send an email message to thousands of people. As the Internet became inundated with unsolicited junk electronic mails, however, they came to be known as 'Spam.'

In the past five decades, both the consumer and the marketplace have greatly changed. The consumer is more informed than ever, with more options available to them and the ability to easily check others' views on a product or service. While the marketplace has changed, the core objectives and the elements of the marketing mix are much the same today as they were 50 years ago. McCarthy's 4 P's, when defined and implemented appropriately, will give any marketing plan a solid structure.

Enter social media! Today's PR professionals can now enjoy precisely targeted communications, assuring that their messages are going out only to consumers who fit within the demographic and psychographic framework that is most effective and relevant to their brand. Not only that, a PR pro's success can be measured, as two-way communication offers advertisers to gauge what is working, and what is not.

On the flip-side, social media has raised customer service expectations. Gone are the days when consumers could only interact with brands Monday through Friday, during business hours. The heat is on, as now consumers are able to communicate with brands on social media 24/7, and many customers expect the same from brands.

Technology has improved the lives of PR professionals through social media, yet this added convenience places more responsibility on advertisers and PR professionals to be on their game at all times to monitor, address and deliver what consumers expect.