The future of PR- Oliver Willan

The future of PR

(picture taken from:
http://mashable.com/2012/06/12/social-media-beginners-guide/)

When looking at the future of PR it’s impossible not to look at where it started and how it has grown already. The use of Public Relations has been at work for thousands of years, as Professor Larry Litwin noted, dating back to Julius Caesar trying to convince the Roman people he would make the best head of state. But PR has evolved and become the recognised industry it is today in the last 100 years and continues to thrive.

With that said, where is PR heading? What does the future hold? Have these developments been positive or a detriment to the industry?

In the last 10 to 15 years we have seen PR become as integral to the mass media market that we the audience indulge in every day, as any other aspect of the “media”. As technology continues to advance the role of PR and its importance is even more evident. However established writer, EricGoldman noticed negative trends in the industry starting in the first half of the 20^th Century that continued to develop in the 50’s and 60’s and many of which continue to hold true today. He suggested that communication developed through three stages:

1.       Spin aimed at duping the audience

2.       Publicity aimed to build awareness through hype

3.       Two-way communication aimed at building engagement

Many of the developments have actually sent the industry back in time, where it is once again becoming a two way relationship between the brand and the public. With television and other forms of media, the information and “relations” were one way. The producers created the product and the audience consumed however with the influx of social media, search engines, comments sections etc. the relationship has become increasingly reciprocal. As such, and with the new avenues to engage with the audience, practitioners, corporations and celebrities alike look to exploit this new dynamic.

Many celebrities now have Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social networking profiles to engage with their fans, the public. But is it the actual celebrity writing on these pages? Or is this where PR comes in?

Well I suppose it depends on the celebrity but many are making use of their PR team on these pages. For example, global celebrity and brand Britney Spears uses her PR team to handle her tweets. Is this an issue or part of the ever evolving relationship where brand control has become so difficult through the ubiquity of public response that using a PR team is the only rational way to communicate as a celebrity or corporation?

Looking ahead, these are all developments that will affect the continued growth of PR. Finding the best way to utilise these new outlets is the question mark of the future and how the industry chooses to evolve will determine whether PR will continue to thrive as a modern media industry.

(picture taken from
http://www.thepicky.com/internet/top-celebrity-twitter-accounts-list/)