The role of strategy in PR will increase

With the development of the market and society, the structure of PR is changing. The development of the Internet has led to the emergence of online media, and the advent of social networks has encouraged brands to create their own communication channels - own media.

PR events are becoming more interactive and niche, and the speed of dissemination of information is accelerating. Along with the development of the information infrastructure, not only opportunities, but also risks are growing: fake news, invasion of bots, deliberate distortion of facts, etc. Let's imagine what PR will be like in 20 years?

Events are perhaps the most traditional PR tool, but even in the digital age, it remains relevant. People need direct contact and personal presence - this is especially noticeable today, due to thecoronavirus epidemic, almost all offline events are canceled or rescheduled. Therefore, after 20 years, PR events will be held, and the integration of offline and online will deepen.

Media relations will become more pragmatic - today it is not necessary to maintain contact with specific journalists of specific media: it is enough to disseminate relevant information in a timely manner on a reliable basis, and it will be published. But perhaps, after 20 years, the media will more carefully check the facts that they receive in order to protect themselves and the public from fakes and false information. As for press events, they will probably go completely online, and off-line events can only be local events, such as press breakfasts or exclusive interviews. Perhaps the media will go to social networks - just as print media once turned into online media, so online media will turn into Facebook Media.

The role of strategy in PR will increase - there will be an understanding of the fact that without a pre-designed, clear vision, it will be impossible to move forward. And without taking into account the PR component, a stable positive reputation and trust, there will not be truly long-term success in the market.

Digital PR will be strengthened, but not in the “technical”, but in the semantic direction, the realization will come that the quantitative development of sites and marketing results are achieved by advertising methods (as is already happening). In other words, PR will gain individuality (opinion leaders, bloggers) and meaning (generating key messages and strategically important posts).

Will there be any new PR tools? Experience shows that at its core the PR toolkit remains the same, but its format and logistics may change. For example, what is Longrid? The same review article, but with a brighter design and media support. And what is a “webinar”? The same seminar, only with online broadcast.

Therefore, if in 2040 the event will be held in a cosmo-hotel in orbit of the Earth - it still will be a PR event, if the speaker makes his statement from the base on Mars - it will still be an “expert comment”, and if the latest news appears of our choice in the form of holographic images, and anywhere in our apartment - it will still be news. At the same time, there will still be novelties - and they will concentrate in the direction of virtual reality, as well as in the field of research technologies (psychology of the masses, the trajectory of the movement of information, changes in behavior, etc.)

In general, the structure of PR services in 20 years may look like this: media materials - 25%, press events - 5-10%, corporate and other PR events - up to 10%, strategic products - at least 35%, digital - about 20%, other forms - 5%.