With online consumer forums and personal blogs in ascendence, communications strategies are being redefined -- and PR firms, for one, have to adapt. 

That's the message Pete Blackshaw emphasized in a recent discussion with the editors of The Council of Public Relations Firms' The Firm Voice. 

Blackshaw, Nielsen Online’s EVP of Digital Strategic Services, is the author of a new book, “Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000” (Doubleday), which examines marketing in the era of empowered consumers. 

"I think PR firms are going to have to get much smarter and savvier about the root causes of what drivers [sic] buzz and conversation -- particularly customer service -- and develop practices to help clients get key operations nailed at the source," Blackshaw told Firm Voice editors.  "I worry that too many PR firms are looking for that 'viral hit' when they should be trying to figure out how to REALLY fix the issue that consistently drives the most negative buzz for bands: service."