PR’s chance to be at the head table

Forward-looking editorials, blogs and posts about the shaping trends of the media industry bylined by seasoned observers, analysts and trend spotters spring up like mushrooms this time each year.

And from what I gather either by reading articles in authoritative international publications predicting the future of marketing on a global scale or by browsing posts on my LinkedIn Pulse app written by some of the region’s most respected colleagues, most trends for 2016 seem to boil down to one thing; This will be the year of the reinvention of Public Relations.

As a PR practitioner who has transitioned from the era of the fax machine to the age of the Big Data, I am simply loving it.

The consensus out there is that PR will continue to defy sceptics of marketing’s nomenclature by reinforcing its influence in the 360-degree communications mix and onto the boardroom this year and beyond. And for all their newfound influence, PR practitioners have just to thank the increasing importance of SEO (search engine optimisation) and content marketing.

Let me explain. The secret behind SEO success is the creation of killer content. And if SEO is at the core of marketing strategy due to its ability to enhance traffic to the company’s website, you’ve simply got to have the indispensable element of content marketing, the SEO enabler or trigger, so to speak.

One can’t be as effective and impactful without the other. And both can be administered by PR departments or individuals as skillsets continue to evolve and blend with social media, content marketing and SEO now part of PR’s arsenal of value added services.

One could argue that this is a rather hasty, contrived conclusion. And a theory devised by the kings of spin and content - the PR experts, in a last ditch attempt to reinvent their dying profession to rescue it from inevitable demise that has been written in the ‘death of print’ scriptures.

Which brings me to the noble profession of journalism to examine where it fits within the changing landscape of earned, bought and owned omnichannel media and omnipotent content creators.

It is no secret that trained journalists wield a skillset that is very attractive to brands looking for content marketers and it is no surprise that brands like Apple have their own editorial staffs (i.e. content marketers, mostly ex-journalists) in addition to an increased realisation of the synergy that exists between SEO, PR and content marketing.

The lines continue to blur and visionary, pioneering chief marketing officers – or whatever else they may be called these days – will be the first to benefit from the diversity of skill ingredients making up their teams.

The final concoction of the recipe, or the starting 11 to borrow a term from football broadcaster’s vocabulary, will not be determined any time soon. Certainly not in the next 12 months, as technology will continue to advance faster than the ability of marketers to adapt to perpetually new realities.

But this year PR can make a big statement, a bold proclamation of its prowess and powers to literally revolutionise the way it is perceived by marketers and the public at large. Having already conquered social media and mastered digital, PR will be asked to prove that it can also create and curate content in various forms, tell narratives and deliver them across diverse channels while using traditional or new age tactics to entice, sustain and augment consumer interest in brands.

This wouldn’t lead to the obliteration of other marketing or advertising functions, but signal the transition to a new era during which PR will grow in stature and influence, command larger budgets and, more importantly, respect.

Following a period during which everyone is trying to adapt to the new norm, PR’s greatest challenge would be its ability to deliver consistency as it works hard to re-establish credibility in the new world order. But it is still perhaps way too early to attempt a prediction for 2017 trends. So I will leave it here and with best wishes for a Happy New Year.

Having already conquered social media and mastered digital, PR will be asked to prove that it can also create and curate content in various forms, tell narratives and deliver them across diverse channels while using traditional or new age tactics to entice, sustain and augment consumer interest in brands. And for all their newfound influence, PR practitioners have just to thank the increasing importance of SEO and content marketing.