A new year gets you thinking about change, does it not? As we head further into 2019, Public Relations will also be subject to the same motivation to “move with the times”, grafting itself like never before onto the heart of business strategies across the Middle East. As January winds down, I thought I would share some trends I believe will emerge in the regional PR sector in the coming months.
Agency Becomes The Partner
The visionary business leader knows PR is vital to their organization. In the digital age this also takes on a new meaning in the face of social media frenzies and 24-hour news cycles. PR agencies are at the forefront for their clients around the clock – whether creating content, blending media relations for strong coverage, or reacting to reputation crises as they happen. This is the year that agencies become strategic partners, working hand in glove with clients to drive business impact for them and preserve their global image.
And as media outlets evolve their businesses toward the “curation-platform” model, the need for working more closely with PR agencies as content partners will also become obvious. Access to expert comment and source material means PR firms are ideally placed to help media keep content fresh.
Broader, Deeper, Stronger Collaboration
For years, I have watched the same workflow repeat: marketing teams assemble campaign plans; brief the PR agency; which will then plug in the usual PR tactics. I believe the region’s media-savvy businesses now see that throwing the same punches just isn’t getting the job done.
Marketing leads will collaborate with PR Pros for guidance on positioning and messaging to put a strong campaign together that is fueled by PR all the way. In essence, the traditional firewalls between the two functions will be replaced by bridges and PR pros will play a much broader role in boardrooms, as strategic communication advisors.
Technology, Front and Center
Advanced technologies such as AI are stealing the limelight in all industries. Why should PR be an exception? As in other sectors, we will see automation of some tasks , enabling humans to spend more time innovating – building stronger relationships with clients and the media. The right AI is better equipped to trawl the digital space for stories relevant to clients and even suggest news angles in keeping with ever-changing search trends.
Exclusive Will Supplant The Widespread
A journalist receives an average of 200 press releases a day, many of which are accompanied by a follow-up phone call. Amidst cutting down pages or people – or both, regional media houses are no longer in favor of publishing press releases and are looking for strong, yet exclusive content.
This is another opportunity for PR to evolve, and also a responsibility to educate their clients. By optimizing the quality of the content and offering it as an exclusive to one media outlet, you all but guarantee initial and strong coverage, while freeing yourself to push other outlets to pick up the story.
While these are the top trends I foresee in the region’s PR sector for the coming year, other disruptions are also on the horizon. I believe micro-influencer engagement will continue to grow, as with macro. And also look for PR to play a leading role in the adoption of the PESO (paid, earned, shared and owned) model, in an effort to strengthen strategies.