Periods of festive stupor frequently bring to light some of the best ideas –
it’s a shame they only come but once a year. One such occasion in the Brown
household this year occasioned thoughts on the future of PR, and while not the best and
most original thoughts in the world, they do warrant a blog at least. The key questions
‘Is 2009 a good year for PR?’ and ‘Who will win in the race to dominate
online?’
Unquestionably
2009 will be a tumultuous time for PR. The credit crunch and the ongoing
step-change in the way publishing works, will necessarily force a change in the
PR industry. This change will occur both in the way we all think about
communication and in the overall makeup of the UK’s PR scene. Budgets are likely
to be squeezed, yes, but the biggest change will be the way PR professionals
look at communications.
Both
in national news and trade press, circulation figures continue to slide as more
readers turn to online and blogs for their daily information. The ongoing cuts
in advertising expenditures due to the recession is also punishing publications
forcing publishers to reassess staff levels, strategy, circulation and, of
course, their online strategies. This combined with widespread confusion
amongst advertisers over exactly where and how to advertise online is already
severely changing the face of print media.
To
have a good 2009, the PR industry needs to keep up with these changes and adapt
its business accordingly. There are already more freelancers out there, less
full-time editorial staff, more bloggers, many more publishing business models
and many more niche, more intensely targeted communication channels to address.
Not to mention the opportunities presented by video and audio communication. More
changes and opportunities will no-doubt come to light this year.
The
problematic thing for out-of-touch PR’s is that the world just won’t wait for
PR to take up the mantle at their own pace. There are any number of candidates
looking to seize business in areas that are technically PR’s. The key tenet of
good PR still holds true, interesting, quality content is key. But it’s the dissemination
of the stuff that’s changing and that requires new skills: SEO, keyword
marketing, digital marketing, advanced web skills to name but a few, will all
be vital. The industry is constantly evolving and PR professionals must evolve
at the same pace to avoid being usurped. Some will undoubtedly fail to do this.
The
internet is constantly presenting opportunities for customer communication but with
this diversity comes complexity, calling for a more diverse number of
competencies from today’s PR companies. Being able to use traditional media
relations alongside the company website, blogs, social network group, news
releases, whitepapers, e-books, videos and so on, in an integrated, targeted
manner is absolutely vital to gaining interest. Ultimately bringing customers
through your virtual, and consequently, physical door.
Change
in the media and marketing landscape is constant and inevitable – PR companies
that don’t recognise this and ignore the change are sadly doomed to failure.
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