The Changing Face of Public Relations Practice: Are You Ready?

Public Relations (PR) practice has for the longest time struggled to find its footing in the sphere of revered professional bodies. While early pioneers of the profession like Edward Bernays thought the concept of public relations was settled, the debate is far from over, several decades after he died. Instead, today, PR is still chasing a badge of honour and respect from its peers. The constant debate around the definition is one of the oldest running professional feuds to be witnessed in modern times. The practitioners and scholars haven’t reached a consensus on what PR should be and this has turned, some, into mortal enemies. Everyone is pulling in a different direction. However, this is good for the profession. The raging debate and criticism have continued to enrich the discipline profoundly.

PR Trends To Watch Out For
Even though numerous definitions exist, there seems to be an agreement on what the outcomes of a public relations program ought to be: build and maintain trust as well as mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and its various stakeholders. Amidst the debate, the profession, just like many others, has been undergoing a silent but powerful transformation to keep up with the changing times. We are witnessing new trends that altering the way PR is practised. The question is: are you ready for the new dawn of public relations? Below are the top five trends that you should endeavour to learn as you pivot your practice or organization to the new regime.

1. Online media is the new traditional press
Before the rise of the internet, PR operatives were required to cultivate and sustain a cordial relationship with various journalists to push their stories onto the mainstream media. This made media relations a challenging endeavour because the journalists played God and were the gatekeepers of information flow from organizations to the general public. In many instances that I can also personally attest to, some journalists demanded bribes to publish stories pitched to them. The behaviour is still rampant these days, at least for those who have stuck with the old ways of doing PR.

However, thanks to online media, PR gurus no longer need to beg or pay for organizational stories to reach the public. Access to information has been democratized and stakeholders can now access company information on demand. Today, you can share press releases and conduct public briefing online. If anything, the roles have reversed. It is now the journalists who are browsing the internet for stories to report on. With this paradigm shift, PR practitioners now need to work on improving the quality of content and target only those publics that truly matter to them.

2. PR measurement has changed, for good
Measurement of public relations effort has also been a controversial subject within the greater profession. Most members of the C-suite believe that the PR department doesn't produce exceptional tangible value to the organization. But, they still think it is a good idea to have them around for whatever little value they generate. That is why during economic recessions, the PR outfit is usually among the first organizational units to receive budget cuts or worse, retrenchment. The pressure to demonstrate value led to the use of the once-popular Advertising Equivalence Value (AEV) as the official key performance indicator. At its core, the metric measures the advantage to a client from free media coverage of a PR campaign. Put differently, it captures the value in terms of how much you could have spent on advertising in case you decided to pay the media coverage that you got for free. However, this metric has been largely criticized for its shallowness and was eventually abandoned as a professional measurement standard.

Before, PR practitioners were required to keep huge files of press clippings to show that they are working. Although press clippings are still a core task of public relations, the objective is largely on surveying stakeholder sentiments. These days, the impact of public relations is measured using several methodologies including conducting regular behaviour and attitude surveys and of course, the old yardstick of bottom-line performance: sales and profits. For commercial organizations, what matters is how the positive sentiments can be converted to some form of revenue. For non-governmental organizations (NGOs) on the other hand, the impact should rally support for the cause activities being undertaken.

3. Use of more influencers
As organizations and PR practitioners alike reduce over-reliance on traditional media in amplifying corporate messages, influencers are increasingly playing a crucial role in publicity. Previously confined to a few celebrities, the world of influencing has been opened to several individuals with considerable swaying power in their respective spheres. Companies are increasingly tapping into both macro and micro-influencers with niche audiences. Instead of spending huge sums of the PR budget in trying to lobby a handful of journalists to cover your organization, you can opt to engage several micro-influencers who are well aligned with the brand and the audience. Influencers are now a long-term strategic opportunity rather than just a short-term tactic. This is the new, smarter way of stakeholders relations.

4. Demanding stakeholders
With the increased access to information and literacy levels around the world, various organizational stakeholders have become highly conscious of what is happening around them. Corporate actions are now under heightened scrutiny than ever before. Issues relating to sustainability, diversity, inclusion, employee wellness, fair trade, data privacy, and fair compensation among others have taken centre stage in most stakeholder conversations. As an illustration of just how far stakeholders are willing to go in their demand for accountability, shareholders of ExxonMobil, an American multinational oil and gas corporation, elected three sustainability activists onto its board. Their mission? To try reorienting the giant oil company towards renewable energy. Several other corporations are finding themselves in defensive positions and fending off attacks from various quarters of the stakeholders with different interests. Public relations efforts should now be highly more proactive and identify controversial issues among stakeholders and address them beforehand. Do not wait for picketing or lawsuits to come your way.

5. Misinformation is rife
Even though technological advancements in informatics have been largely a blessing, it has also been a small curse in some measure. One of the downsides has been the escalation of misinformation. In a bid to get ahead, some companies are spreading fake news to discredit their competitors. On other hand, we also have cases of customers who are vexed for one reason or another and are circulating disinformation, destroying valuable reputations in the process. Indeed, misinformation is at an all-time high. It is time for PR pros to take an active role in surveillance, identification, and mitigation of fakes news. Don’t leave anything to chance!

Final Thoughts
The Public Relations landscape is evolving continuously. And from this evolution, we are witnessing new opportunities as well as challenges. For professionals who would like to stay ahead of the curve and continue being prosperous, there is a need to be mindful of the trends that have emerged in recent times. The winds of change will not stop and if anything, more change is coming on our way. You need to get yourself ready for the new future of public relations. Find innovative, interesting ways to support long term stakeholder relationships and brand growth even as the operating environment changes.

Stephen Osomba currently serves as the Lead Partner, Communication & Marketing at SMD Consulting Associates where he helps SME clients deliver value by adjusting the solutions to each company's mission, product, strategy, and industry.