Decoding trends that will rule PR in 2023 and beyond

We can safely assume that AI will have a profound impact on the public relations industry 

Sri Lanka stands at an unprecedented, unpredictable point in history. Change is the only certainty in our future, as mega disruptions on the local and global stage continue to radiate across society. 

Exponential advancements in technology – from the emergence and proliferation of generative AI to breakthroughs in quantum computing and superconductors – are hurtling humanity towards a new paradigm. 

Yet all of this incredible progress is threatened by increasingly devastating impacts of climate change, open conflict between nations, rising wealth inequality, unprecedented polarisation and demographic shifts that are challenging the fundamental pillars of societies and institutions across the globe.     

The game, it seems, is already beyond anyone’s control.

Amid all this change and disruption, one thing is clear – uncertainty and conflict will only increase.

Such times call for clear, calm and rational communication informed by as much foresight into the risks ahead as possible. Therefore, public relations, as a profession, will become more relevant than ever before. PR practitioners will have to serve a greater mission of becoming arbitrators of conflict and drivers of a positive change in the society.

This presents exponential challenges and opportunities for the practice of public relations. However the question is: are PR professionals and consultancies ready for them? 

The following paragraphs represent our effort to document some of the visible movements and trends relevant to the practice of public relations. 

The exponential rise in reputation risks

Companies, brands and individuals will experience a rising tide of reputational risks.

Rising scrutiny, stakeholder activism, inspired influencers hiding behind the power of anonymity, low governance in the digital space, and weak redressal mechanisms, combined with the speed and power of digital, will require an urgent re-writing of the rulebooks of issues and crisis communication.

Many businesses are far from ready to deal with this new and increasingly complex landscape of reputational risks. Online Reputation Management (ORM), as currently practiced - either on the fringes, or in isolation of traditional communications - will need a radical review and overhaul.

The changing paradigm of influence through media

As one definition goes, the business of public relations is about influencing the influencers. For the majority of Sri Lanka’s history, the print, radio, and television were the only means of engaging in mass communication. Today, this dominance has been challenged for the first time by social media, as publication of print news reduced sharply – particularly post-COVID. This decline is driven not only by the rising cost of newsprint, but also a seeming shrinking attention span. 

Yet at the same time, demand for accurate and timely news has never been higher. Even as the public’s willingness to read complex stories has reduced, its demand for staying updated has only grown. 

Clearly, print and the written word will remain the strongest medium for impact and opinion; however, with changing media consumption habits, the product will need to evolve. 

The size of content will have to match the attention span of its audience. Crucially, this does not mean simply that the media needs to simplify and shrink its message. Rather, it calls for a much greater proliferation of content that caters to all audiences, based on the level of engagement they are willing to commit. 

On the other hand, we will continue to witness an explosion of organic micro and nano influencers – dispensing opinion and shaping narratives on hundreds of subjects. The rise of ideology-based influence will be another unmistakable trend that could impact businesses. 

For the PR professional, this will mean a higher level of complexity to deal with, requiring new abilities to engage a vastly increased number of people with the power to impact and affect business outcomes.

Customised solutions and digital-first thinking will be the new order

More than ever before, clients will ask for PR solutions to address specific business needs – ranging from reputation issues to change management programmes to corporate branding or capital or policy imperatives. Successful consultants will be those who can operate effectively at the intersections of media, markets, and policy, and deploy a sound understanding of digital plays in each of these segments.

For this, domain expertise is key. PR practitioners will have to adapt, becoming business consultants for a variety of deliverables beyond press releases. For example: during the pandemic, we started developing weekly advisories for a client as a business solution to apprise and update foreign business partners on factual conditions in the country without the sensation created by foreign media. For this, we hired policy and media analysts, veering completely from traditional recruitment pools. Soon, the lines between management consultancies and PR will blur. 

Digital creates myriad opportunities due to its flexibility to target specific constituencies with customised messaging at an economical cost.

Demand for new kinds of leaders in consultancies

PR consulting in 2023 and beyond will seek new kinds of leadership from think tank policy analysts, to economists, researchers and lawyers to business analysts, data scientists, AI programmers, and creative artists of every stripe.  

Evolving client-agency relationship

Business imperatives due to growing reputation risks, rapid responses to changing business circumstances, market segmentation will all require public relations to be specific, adequate, and effective. 

Clients with a sound understanding of public relations will demand multiple interventions to simultaneously address multifarious strategic priorities. The ‘one-size-fits-all’ retainer relationship is set for a reboot. The standard retained relationship, based on a fixed number of media and deliverables, was always inadequate. Mature clients and agencies will move to higher ground – leveraging the power of public relations for business success.

Monitoring and social listening will take precedence

Harnessing data and reporting becomes another business stream for consultancies. Investing in tools to track these conversations will become a business imperative for PR consultancies, given that billions of conversations take place on social media every day. 

Enter the dynamic duo – tracking online and social media listening for real time information, to analyse perceptions and transform audience and leads into an engaged community. The value of just being in the know and staying ahead of an issue will make significant improvement to customer support, campaigns and stakeholder engagement. 

User-Generated Content (UGC) will boom

As we enter an era of heightened consumer scepticism, UGC emerges as a powerful tool for organisations to connect with their audience on a deeper level. By encouraging stakeholders to share their experiences and become brand advocates, UGC provides a compelling way to showcase genuine interactions and foster a sense of authenticity.

This kind of story-telling can tap into the power of peer recommendation and participation, creating a sense of ownership and loyalty among target groups or customers, as they feel valued and acknowledged.

UGC is a powerful resource brands can use to build a vibrant community of brand advocates who not only promote their products or services but also provide valuable insights and feedback.

Artificial Intelligence and Public Relations

We can safely assume that AI will have a profound impact on the public relations (PR) industry. But what effect will automation have, and how will the role of a PR professional change as a result?

Low-skilled, repetitive tasks such as developing coverage reports, dispatching press releases and creating media lists have already been fully automated in many agencies. But machines cannot surpass the nuanced creative ability of humans. Having said that, we can expect further advancements in computational creativity and increased automation within the next few years. To survive these challenges, the PR industry must adapt. 

To find a role for humans in the automated future, it is necessary to look for areas where human intelligence is vastly superior to AI. Developing strategy from domain knowledge and providing superior counsel for decision making cannot be replicated by AI. In a world of unprecedented, unpredictability, the innately human ability to intuitively anticipate and empathetically respond to challenges is paramount. 

That is what separates us from machines. It is these skills, together with our technologically augmented creativity, that will guarantee the future of PR and prevent complete automation. By prizing and honing these attributes, PR professionals can ensure they find their place within this emerging brave new world.

(The writer is the founding CEO of Adfactors Public Relations Lanka and has been in the practice of PR for over 25 years.)