Last week, Marketing asked five public relations pundits to weigh in on the issues and trends that will shape the industry in 2014. Here are more bold predictions from some of Canada’s top PR pros and expert tea-leaf readers.
Geoffrey Rowan, partner, managing director, Ketchum Public Relations
“The string-and-tin-can telephone will make a big comeback in 2014. Right now we’ve got Big Data in the Cloud, which is actually wall-to-wall server farms blanketing Nebraska. We’ve got networks of supercomputers analyzing the 67.5 billion Facebook posts and 4.2 billion tweets created every month. We’ve got search engine algorithms that enable machines to find our marketing material, successfully removing the human being from the communication equation. We’ve got content marketing, which we now call brand publishing, which is bleeding into sponsored content, which we now call native advertising.
“All of this output, generations of investment and brain power, all aimed at creating a genuine conversation between two people who trust each other. It’s all aimed at recreating what my brother and I did 40 years ago, bedroom-to-bedroom over our tin-can telephone, when he’d try to convince me the Rolling Stones were better than the Beatles.
“In 2014, or maybe 2015, we’ll get better at using all the data we’ve collected to find meaningful insights that enable us to personalize and humanize our conversations, wherever they happen. Real conversations, with individuals and small groups of people, about things they care about.
“And we’ll all have flying cars.”
Justin Creally, co-founder, North Strategic
“2014 will see PR take a stronger seat at the table, gaining importance due to its ability to shape, amplify and nurture a brand’s reputation. The C-suite cares more today about what others are saying about their brand than the company’s ability to talk about itself. The credibility and weight of earned media conversations far outstrips anything currently possible with paid media. The speed with which brands can be bolstered or attacked through social media means that PR is often the first call of each day made by company leaders. They want their finger on the pulse of what is being said about their brand and what the PR team is doing to help them move the needle on their brand position, reputation, and ultimately the business itself. ”
Julie Rusciolelli, president,Maverick
“It seems like our industry is now breathlessly sensationalizing the latest flavour of the month: It’s called content.
“Amidst all the content sensationalism, didn’t we, from the public relations toolbox, always offer some variation of branded content? Thought leadership pieces, by-line articles, matte stories, product placement, in-house publications, corporate videos, white papers…? But, I guess if you bundle them up as something unique and exciting as a trend recently discovered by the advertising agencies, we can bring news to our business.
“So sorry, “content” doesn’t seem that new to me. But if you want something really sensational as predictions for 2014, then check out the content in these headlines:
“Flooding Gets Worse! Public relations practitioners continue to deluge newswires with irrelevant product and service announcements; clients remain happy, newswires stay afloat.
“More Bloodletting in the Newsroom: Layoffs continue as media outlets consolidate; editorial void a potential boon to PR agencies, but also leading to…
“Rampant Blogger Inflation: Limo rides to events, free product, charges for postings among growing number of perks demanded by bloggers.
“Extortion Uncovered! PR agencies keep smiling while doling out free strategy and ideas; keep responding to vague RFPs issued by corporate procurement.”
Ilyse Smith, SVP, general manager, Hill + Knowlton Strategies Toronto
“It’s such an exciting time to be in PR as the tools, channels and opportunities explode. Our clients are increasingly looking for the “best” solution to a problem and aren’t dictating which discipline will rise to the challenge. Because public relations understands the importance of influencing the influencer, it has truly come of age in reaching consumers (or investors, or employees or other decision-makers). In 2014, PR will continue to get smarter at drawing on data and insights to listen and respond – blurring in some ways with customer service for brands in the process. And as always, it will need to tell good stories grounded in smart and creative ideas to cut through a landscape where every person, company and organization is sharing content to build a brand.”
Greg Power, president, Weber Shandwick Canada
“The three trends that matter most to communicators in 2014 are the return of muckraking media, the shift to true enterprise storytelling and recognition that risk management trumps crisis management.
“Mainstream media of record will make a comeback by adopting a progressive agenda that aggressively defends the public interest while holding accountable those in power. Reporters need to prove their relevance in an environment where fully mobile and even wearable access to information is a given and citizens have the social media tools to participate. Organizations that are not authentic or responsive are in for a very rough ride.
“Storytelling beats “presentism” hands down because information is not communication. People are drowning in content. Companies must be bold and original to be the drop that matters. Real influence is achieved through simple and meaningful narratives. Organizations that know who they are, what they contribute to society and create and strategically amplify owned content are driving their business agendas better than those that simply distribute news. The public will reward brands that speak for them, not at them.
“Astute risk managers who ruthlessly audit vulnerabilities, get prepared ahead of breaking issues and keep a crisis out of the news are the real superstar performers. Risk management is the compass that avoids the cul-de-sac trail to a media crisis – this is as true in the world of social media as it is in traditional. The best crisis managers are proud to be invisible.”
