Public Relations, the new 20s will usher in a shift in the way organisations perceive PR. The business has undergone a tremendous change in the era gone by and has much to offer in the new decade. PR as a profession has become more relevant than ever before. There is no doubt that it has become a typical part of one’s organizational structure.
PR Companies have derived a long way, from being mere press relations to joined communications Companies. They cover all facets of communications, be it marketing, advertising, event management or corporate communications. With the dominance of the digital media, Companies of the future are arming themselves with owned, earned and paid media.
The time forays into the new age of communication and PR public relations. Affirmed by leaders of the industry, it will be predominated by disruption and innovations. “Predictions are a dangerous business in the fast-changing world that we live in. Having said so, I foresee the decade ahead representing an extraordinary inflection point in human history.
The notable trends that marked 2019-2024 and which will be further strengthened in the coming years are:- Marketing and Advertising are playing an important role in PR strategy and outreach. The lines are blurring.
The lines of communications are gradually and steadily clouding. With the advent of integrated Companies, clients have also become demanding and expect a 360 degrees holistic PR experience. Digital PR, alliances, owned media platforms, research, online reputation management and PR driven by data and insights are just a few of the competencies that I would like to see in PR consultancies to support me more effectively and most importantly to stay relevant in the future.
Why communication in public relations is Impotent
The current media buying scenario and hyper-connected digital world, public relations (PR) has moved leaps and bounds from traditional press to effective community building and strategic advisory. This has opened avenues for us to be thinkers and enablers and not executors of press releases anymore. We at Tutte have been doing very different and new-age techniques to communicate with consumers than just doing vanilla media. Be it holding events end to end, content associations with complementary brands, working with KOL (key opinion leaders), other than just bloggers, online consumer communities, Meet-ups, Telegram etc and also creating our IP’s like Pour which has been a massive success and literally upped the bar for what are the possibilities in communication.
Rise of Reputation Management System
In the age of naked media, reputation management has become all the more about management. Create relevant, topical and viral content through paid media channels to capture the eyeballs of consumers and creating a buzz in the market. This approach needs the support of paid as well as earned media. The teams that manage these three aspects need to work in tandem with each other to provide a concurrent theme to the message that is being disseminated to consumers.
PR Companies of the future will have to find and develop the teams of professionals who understand the processes of all three media channels, making reputation management a seamless, yet dynamic process.
Earned Media vs Paid Media: Understanding the Differences
Marcom Companies with separate teams managing digital, PR, events and advertising. often, clients worked with different Companies to manage these campaign channels for them. Needless to say, this strategy does not yield great results and clients have begun to demand a comprehensive media strategy from PR Companies.
Rising Micro- In PR, influencers
PR, influencers are individuals who have managed to grow a substantial audience, which has the potential to affect a specific organisation either positively or negatively. The last decade saw a paradigm shift in the business of influencing. From Companies, the baton of being agents of influence has shifted slowly to organic and micro-influencers. The rise in micro-influencers shows the importance of the vast audience present and the need for brands to connect with their subjects through these influencers. The PR agency now have a greater and complex role to play.
The rise in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT) and other technological advancements.
Leaving behind the redundant practices of public relations, the new age Companies have started riding on the technological advancements like AI, big data and IoT. The decade will witness more usage of these advancements and try to ease the complex word done by the Companies.
Video and Digital content as they hold strong narrative and instant touch, cost-effective and wider reach.
With the attention span reducing significantly, the need for video and digital content has risen exponentially and brands are riding on the Companies to serve the purpose.
Increased Accuracy, Transparency, and Authenticity
In a bid to win the maximum likes and more reach, the industry had started compromising on the quality of work being delivered. The coming years will have to be dedicated to increased authenticity, transparency and avoiding disposal of fake news.
