Public Relations: How it’s changing in 2021

 

Public Relations: How it’s changing in 2021

#PR #2021 #changingdynamics @Publicrelations

Public relations as an industry came into existence almost three decades back in India. In earlier days, it was more focused and based on a journalism foundation because brands always wanted to get in the news.  Over the years, it evolved, it became a sophisticated approach to creating the right messaging to targeting the right audience in the best possible way.

Has the meaning of PR changed? with the #digital transformation and emergence of #sociamedia has changed their approach completely. Now, #communication outreach means a well thought strategic outreach with crisp messaging and new age content using digital, social, traditional outlets to promote a brand or services or launch of a product going along with advertising, marketing and more.

The median age in India was 26.8 years old in 2015, meaning half the population was older than that, half younger. India has the second largest population in the world, after China. Because of the significant population growth of the past years, the age distribution remains skewed in favor of the younger age bracket. Taking this in account most of the #communication outreach depending on the brand, services and products need to adopt to platforms which are popular among the young population.

While traditionally public relations focused on editorial content, today the it holds much more than understanding of traditional media environment and media relations. It is now a combination of paid media (KOL, bloggers, influencers, youtubers etc), earned media (mostly traditional media – print and online), shared media (#socialmedia), and owned media (website, blogs, newsletters, etc.). While all these tools offer communication professionals a wide range of options in how they communicate their specific message it has become more real time and engaging with your specific target audience. Now, with micro blogging it has become easier to reach out to a specific city, specific place to a specific audience.

The industry has gone through a radical shift with the availability of data, wider reach of internet and growth of smartphones. #Covid has also fast forwarded the adaptation of the digital transformation.

 

While today’s communication professionals are more tech-savvy and trends-focused, the profession still concentrates on shaping the right messaging, creating the strategic narrative and identifying the target audience. Today the line is blurring between traditional outreach, video production, event development, brand marketing, media planning/buying, as well as content creation and influencer strategies.

While this “blurring of the lines” makes it difficult for brands to adopt and understand the requirements, does that mean the it has changed the meaning of public relations? Public relations broadly are all about storytelling and creating the strategic narrative. The art of storytelling hasn’t changed and it will not change in coming years. No matter what the communication tool is – digital outreach, social media outreach, influencer campaigns, advertorials or traditional media – this is not going to change. Communication professionals always need to craft the strategic narrative.

A move into micro-market outreach. As digital tools become more and more sophisticated, firms now have the ability to geographically target micro markets for specific messages. This will become increasingly the norm

With #digital and #social media the importance of content and #NewAgeContent has become critical. Earlier, the most widely used communication tool use to be #pressrelease now #tweets, #linkdin posts, facebook post/live, #blogs, youtube video’s, #insta posts/live are equally important tools to engage your #TG. Each tools have its own limitations and importance and hence it becomes very important for new age content strategy to have same messaging in all outreach tools. A thirst for content that’s relevant and authentic and easily adoptable in different tools of communication. Technology will continue to rule (even more than before) as the primary tool for PR practitioners. This includes digital marketing automation tools. These tools create efficiency and effectiveness without having the practitioner sit at the desk to do it.

Also, now in the post Covid ear there is an increasing use of data to show ROI and validate the success of a specific campaign. While data has always been powerful, now the availability of data today shows what worked, what didn’t and even what actions were taken.

While, public relations have evolved drastically over the years and special in a post COVID era, and this trend, too, will continue.  While the tools of communication and engagement may have changed, the underlying definition has not.  After all, it’s truly all about the story.

 ~ Bhaskar Majumdar, Strategic Communication Consultant.