Social media pro Mike Germano of Carrot Creative, in an interview with Capture Your Flag, says PR and ad agencies are having a difficult time building social media capabilities because it "goes against what they traditionally do":

Veep (1/19):
I can't disagree more and don't see agencies having problems putting together first-rate teams. I can see where so-called "social media agencies" don't like the competition from full-service PR agencies, but PR pros have a well-rounded pedigree in communications that a S.M. pro typically does not.

Karriesue (1/19):
While I appreciate where Germano is coming from (some people in our industry have difficulty doing anything but selling), he's confusing public relations with media relations. While media relations typically focuses on communicating a specific piece of news with specific messages, that is only one part of PR. Other PR tactics include strategic relationship building, influencer outreach, and grassroots campaigns. As these types of program illustrate, PR is all about building relationships, which is the heart of social media engagement. PR people have long had to master the art of listening to and learning from our audiences -- and then taking steps to give them what they want/need. And this applies to media relations too. You can't just jam your messages down the throat of a journalist. You need to develop a relationship with him/her to understand what kind of stories and information he/she does and does not want.