With technological advancement and digitisation at its pace, the world of many industries including that of Public Relations (PR) is changing rapidly. With this rapid pace of changes taking place here are the 3 main trends that will have an impact on PR professionals, especially those working in Public Relation companies:
- 1. Convergence
There are changes happening all around the Public Relation firms. While traditional below the line agencies are providing the social media and digital services, creative agencies, on the other hand, have hired digital experts, creative folks and sponsorship strategists. In totality, PR companies are indulging deeper into brand strategy as well as in offering new services such as creative, design; video and digital Public Relation. Convergence of a variety of services is also a threat to Public Relation firms. Because the more the company expands its service offerings, especially in technology, more are the chances of clients and potential clients moving in a conflicting space. PR consultants are need to handle this as the accountancy and legal practices have.
- 2. Video- the new star element in storytelling
Public Relation professionals are the storytellers. They tell the target audience stories about their clients through selected media. However, as the way of how people consume media and stories have changed so has changed the pattern of storytelling in PR industry. Many recent reports and studies suggest that people watch at least one video every day and by 2020, 75% of mobile traffic will be video driven only. This leads to the fact that live videos are the trending topics racking up billions of views on Facebook, Instagram and other platforms. With such a high inclination towards video, it is obvious for the Public Relation firms to start using video and other visual tools- such as infographics, images and slideshows in their Public Relation campaign.
- 3. Reputation is the key concern
Reputation management will gain its prominence as a PR service offered by PR companies. The service has already been there, but in such a volatile and negative world, its importance is ever increasing. From media coverage to political changes to cyber-attacks to online reviews, businesses, governments, organisations and individuals will rely on PR professionals to build, protect and enhance their reputations. PR firms/companies need to enhance and improve their skillset to provide deeper and more accurate reputation auditing, management and recovery services, in a coherent and sellable way.
