Let’s roll up our sleeves, the bright future of PR needs to be worked for

We live in a time of revolutionary change. Technological, social, environmental... A time that will significantly transform not only our industry, but everything. There are a lot of concerns.

AI, which is inevitably embraced by all responsible PR professionals and which most of us, thankfully, according to current research, consider more of an opportunity than a threat. The media, our long-standing partners–after all, media relations has been, and perhaps still is, the flagship of PR–but increasing economic pressures and declining readership are driving publishers to greater sensationalism and the intertwining of newsrooms with business departments. This makes it increasingly difficult to get free editorial space and forces us to think about how to deliver our message across different communication channels, paid included. The erosion of trust in experts, politicians, but also the media and communications industry, hand in hand with the growing influence of propaganda and disinformation, puts us in a role where reputation management and trust building are key values. Because without trust there is no relationship. Evidence-based marketing and an approach that builds strategies not on impressions but on data is making its way into PR, and the ability to gather and work with data will become increasingly important. As will the ability to respond with surgical precision across different communication channels. Advancing globalisation is forcing us to look broadly around us, take in pop culture overlaps, and increase our language skills. On top of all of this, we have a new generation growing up that the previous ones hardly understand at all. They are not only hard to reach, because they consume different communication channels and in different ways, but also hard to employ.

So, there are several challenges facing us in PR that will form the shape of our industry in the near future. But this also shows that the role of PR is becoming stronger and stronger, that the ‘earned first’ approach and the ability to work with reputation and trust over the long term has an unquestionable and irreplaceable role in the communications of all brands and organisations, including those of the public administration.

The following pages will provide guidance on how to meet these challenges and what we, as PR professionals, will have to change in our daily work and practices in order to survive. I personally believe the future of PR is bright. But we still have a lot of work to do.