DEAR PR Matters,
Thank you for the series of columns on PR/marketing/social-media trends this year. These have been very enlightening and have been very helpful and inspiring for me.
You see, I am currently working on my thesis with some other groupmates, and we would like to focus on public relations (PR). From what we can see, much has changed in media and public relations in the past few years.
Will it be possible to share with us some other trends that we can incorporate in our study and analysis? We will greatly appreciate your assistance on this.
Sincerely,
Anna C.
Dear Anna,
First of all, my International Public Relations Association colleagues and I would like to wish you the best of luck in your thesis. We are elated that our columns have been of help and interest to you, and that you have chosen public relations as your subject.
Mike C. Gray, a partner and cofounder of US-based Commonwealth Partnerships, a PR and communications firm that specialized in real estate, says, “The PR industry saw its importance in 2016 due to a number of high-profile corporate missteps. Coupled with a highly contentious presidential election.”
“There are a variety of lessons 2016 taught us, but one thing is inarguable: The PR Industry is primed for significant growth,” he adds. With that, he shares five PR trends for 2017, in an article printed in PR News.
1 Journalists will be more diligent than ever. “If there is one lesson we should all take away from this past year, it’s that journalist will be more diligent when it comes to facts—now more than ever,” Gray says. Think “hyped up figures disguised as facts…and the enormous propagation of fake news.”
Given that, “editors are already instructing their reporters to look more closely at the facts and what public-relations professionals send.” That is why it will be a challenge for PR practitioners to be diligent with the facts and the news stories that they send.
2 Third-party research will be critical to credentialing pitches. Gray says that “third-party research or studies from a university, think tank, or nonprofit entity can boost the chances that a pitch will be successful.” When talking about the value of a stock, for example, the opinion of analysts is important as it gives buyers the big picture of why they should buy or sell a particular stock.
Again, that’s because “media outlets are much warier of the information they receive now—especially if it is from a practitioners, company or organization, which they are not familiar. That is why boosting pitches with third-party sources from recognizable sources will play an increasingly critical role in 2017.”
3 Reputationmanagement matters more. As the extent of PR responsibilities expands further, “reputation management will take its place firmly on that list. From media coverage to social-media online reviews, businesses, organizations and individuals will rely on communicators to protect and enhance their reputation.”
In a recent study by Dr. Jonathan Albright of Elon University, “there is significant concern about the destruction of reputations through fake news sources. There is little doubt that this phenomenon will continue to be a growing challenge. It cannot be solved with one-click algorithms from IT [information-technology] firms that send out generic responses to complaints. Rather, this new reality requires thoughtful consideration from communication professionals.”
4 Live video continues to grow. “Live video is racking up billions of views of Facebook, Periscope and other platforms,” Gray says. “Live video exploded in 2016 and will continue to dominate conversations next year.”
In another article, Tyler Lessard quotes Mark Zuckerberg telling BuzzFeed News in April 2016 that, “we’re entering this new golden age of video.” And “it’s clear: both for content providers and for content consumers, this is no passing trend.”
In an article “Three Major Shifts that Will Transform Video Marketing in 2017,” Lessard cites “three major shifts in how we create, promote and measure video content” in 2017.
With this, video will shift “from passive to interactive, from mass audience to hyper-personalization, and from outsourced to in house. Video will emerge from its passive, generic YouTube experience to become a dynamic, personal experience primed to make a serious impact on business results.”
5 Influencers become contributors. “The conversation about influencer marketing will evolve in 2017 as more organizations and PR agencies leverage influencers as ongoing contributors,” Gray says.
But he is not talking about “celebrities and influencers just looking for a check”, which “won’t be a priority for most companies. The much-reported backlash against influencer marketing is more about its evolution and why in 2017, authentic voices will take the spotlight and deliver results for brands.”
That is why “finding authentic advocates who actually connect with their followers and your target audience is the new guide.”
Now that 2017 has arrived, “consider the lessons of this past year,” Gray says. “Communications professionals across the world saw many unexpected turns and twists, which has resulted in new challenges, but new opportunities, as well.”
PR Matters is a roundtable column by members of the local chapter of the UK-based International Public Relations Association (Ipra), the world’s premier association for senior professionals around the world. Millie Dizon, the senior vice president for Marketing and Communications of SM, is the local chair.
We are devoting a special column each month to answer the reader’s questions about public relations. Please send your comments and questions to askipraphil@gmail.com.