A woman more than once referred to as “the reigning PR diva of Vancouver” garnered the new label of social media casualty this month s she prepares to step down from her influential role atop one of Canada’s pre-eminent public relations firms.

“Social media killed the PR star,” trilled one blog post from a Toronto agency about Mat Wilcox, the founder of Wilcox Group which closed the doors on its downtown office and went virtual Aug. 20.

Wilcox has hinted at her reasons for folding the successful enterprise credited with innovative ideas and known for profitable contracts with high-profile corporate clients such as Telus, Canada Satellite Radio and U.S.-based fast-food chains such as KFC and Taco Bell.

So far, however, she has said little publicly but has promised to reveal more in an upcoming magazine article. She did not respond to an interview request before this article was posted.

On her Twitter account, Wilcox wrote Aug. 18, “The times are indeed… a changing. Another debate on PR and its future.”

The city’s business and media communities are anticipating the September issue of B.C. Business in which she has promised to reveal her motivation for the mid-career upheaval and change of direction.

“Adapting is the game of business,” she tweeted.

Before the Wilcox Group website was streamlined and stripped of previous content, she wrote, “We love working in social media—it’s a new and exciting frontier for communications and business—but the financial model to support this shift simply isn’t here yet.”

This admission prompted an online response in a blog post from Lyra Communications, which asked: “Is it true that the financial model isn’t here, or is it more likely that Mat Wilcox couldn’t adapt [to] this ‘new and exciting frontier’?”

Wilcox tweeted her disagreement. “I understand your premise but frankly I don’t agree with what you wrote.”

In February this year, her opinion ran in a national online newsmagazine with a headline, “Many companies think they don’t need social media. Those companies are wrong.”

Wilcox maintained that social media presents advantages but the tools must be actively managed. With little success, she wrote, she found herself promoting platforms such as Twitter to CEOs and other executives.

“Some days, if feels like I’m bashing my head against a wall,” she wrote for the Mark News.

“Businesses have two choices when it comes to social media. They can tell their story… and engage the public in what they do and how they do it.

“Or they can be reactive, manage negative perceptions about the company and services as issues arise, and so lose the luxury of planning—or even pondering—a response.

“The most successful companies in the future will be the ones that get online, build a reputation of credibility, and respond to concerns and problems in real time. Those that don’t will go the way of the dinosaur.”

Wilcox specializes in communications strategy during times of crises, disruption and upheaval. She has managed PR for the corporate sector during labour disputes, has overseen the public messaging of organizations during public health crises such as Avian Bird Flu and H1N1, and has orchestrated media spin for incidents of product tampering and food recalls.

This month she handled her own personal brand and professional reputation as her career changes.

mstewart@vancourier.com