The Future of PR

The always-on generation will continue their rise in prominence. As communications experts, we have to be able to adapt not only the content we create but also the technology we use to meet the ever more pressing needs and demands of this generation.

Immersive Content: The way we communicate ideas has evolved, online we have seen written word overtaken by images and now video. For me the future is virtual reality. Or augmented reality. Google pushing into 360 degree video and Facebook’s purchase of Oculus Rift is a sign of how two of the world’s biggest content purveyors view the future of content and it would be a brave man to bet against Zuckerberg. In 2030 we can expect to see less clunky headsets and more Google Glass style user interfaces delivering immersive content.

Blurred Lines: That fully immersive content will be created by a different kind of agency. They will be swiss army knives of the agency world offering the full range of content creation, from digital to what is left of print. More importantly agencies that haven’t evolved to offer the ‘complete solution’ by integrating closer with client teams will be marginalised. Forget agencies specialising in PR, digital marketing or social media. The future will be agencies specialising in niche topics, be that sport or automotive, but with all marketing disciplines under one roof advising clients on all elements of the marketing mix by looking at the pricing strategy, the product development lifecycle, sales channels and finally the promotion/communication with audiences.

Influencer: In 2030, those blurred lines will extend beyond agencies to encompass influencers too. The differing value of arbitrary platform based distinctions of influencers e.g. journalists, bloggers, Twitterati etc will be obsolete. Working with influencers will be based on who they are influential to and in what area, not some old definition of print vs. digital vs. video. The medium with which they project that influence is irrelevant; the end audience reached will be all that matters. But to get there, we will need some fairly radical changes in the world of measurement.

Measurement: The way we measure things will have been revolutionised. AVE makes me shudder and we’ve talked about it long and often enough that you’d hope the changes will soon happen. A complete value attribution system will allow clients to see at a glance, the value of each customer’s interaction with different touch points in the communications mix. This unequivocal valuation of the different elements of the communication mix allows everyone to see with transparency what value the Google AdWord or newspaper article or Facebook ad had in the customer’s purchase decision, giving brands a clearer understanding of where to invest more for different objectives.

Whether I’m right or not, one thing’s for sure, to remain successful you need to be ready to evolve because the ‘now’ generation is here.