By Gregory Bortkiewicz
It feels like PR has been in the news a lot lately, from the airline fiascos at United and British Airways to the resignation of the White House communications director (good luck to whoever takes on that job!) A good old-fashioned PR crisis will always make the news, but this doesn’t change the fact that PR remains an integral part of any business…which leads nicely onto a few infographics!
Although the numbers from this first infographic are from a couple of years ago, we can see that North America, the UK and Oceania are the biggest PR spenders. The other global region spending big on PR was Latin and South America, which I found surprising. I expect to see other emerging markets, such as Eastern Europe, continue to grow in the next few years. Here at LCI, we’re part of the Public Relations Global Network, which gives us great access to markets around the world!
One area of PR stands out in this infographic is where growth is expected: Digital and online communications. Any PR agency worth its salt must be an integrated shop offering not only PR expertise, but digital and marketing savvy too. Those that don’t will get left behind.
Social media community management was the biggest growth area identified from last year. Social media has become such as crucial tool for brands – many customers go to Twitter first for a customer service issue and expect brands to be responsive. Maintaining an active presence across numerous social media channels is a daunting task, which explains why this is a growth area for PR pros.
For agencies to adapt and stay competitive, their staffs will need to learn new skills and hone their existing skillset.
What is the biggest change you’ve noticed in PR since you started working in the field, and what predictions do you have for the future? Leave a comment below or tweet me @greg_borko.
These infographics were shared in a blog by Salesforce – see the blog here.
It’s interesting to see CSR rank low. I’m not sure many make the connection of how important CSR –
true CSR that is backed up by corporate values – is to the social strategy.
Sean
Interesting to see how the in-demand skills in PR will change over the next decade.
Great insights. Thank you, Greg.
~Ashley
The biggest change in PR since I’ve been working in the field? We don’t have to stuff envelopes to send press releases – and we don’t use manual typewriters any more! Cheers, David
Thanks for the insight, Greg. Interesting to see how digital platforms are transforming the PR industry. I still think media relations is key to any successful campaign, and a skill that should be mastered by all PR professionals.
Hi Greg,
Lots of good insight here – thanks for sharing! Interesting to see how paid media is becoming less and less important. And you’re right…the industry’s changing and one must keep ahead of the curve in order to be successful.
Regards,
David