If you were to ask a public relations professional who has
practiced over the course of the last decade what they thought about the
industry and how it has changed, they are likely to tell you PR has came a long
way from when they started. Today the discussion is focused on societies
advanced digital era. Everything is online, and in the palm of our hand.
Public relations 10 years ago would be thought of as this
idea of a company gaining publicity through the use of “spin” or false
information. Over the last decade there has been several crisis cases within
many organizations. Today we still see those companies thriving, Toyota, Pepsi,
BP, Taco Bell, and many others are all examples of how effective PR has kept
them alive. PR use to be solely
traditional media, newspaper ads, TV interviews, and radio publicity. Today the
media outlets are endless.
PR in 2015 and going forward is going to be a combination of
Advertising, Marketing, and PR. I believe very soon we will stop seeing pure
Marketing firms and PR firms. Soon both firms will integrate into one. The two
industries need each other, marketing cannot survive without PR., and visa
versa.
Today in the academic field classes are now being taught
about the integration of marketing and communication. As a social society we
realize we cannot drive sales by only having PR or Marketing, to be successful
they both must be implemented. There will still be firms, companies try to do
all of their work in house, which might work if they are small, but if they
hope to grow the need to outsource will show.
Sam- I agree PR has changed tremendously over the years and will continue to evolve as time goes on. Because there is such a focus on digital media in today’s society, it provides the public relations field with a unique dynamic. Like you said, PR still uses traditional media but social media has become a growing form of media. Social media has been changing and evolving so quickly making it hard to keep up. In order to be a successful PR professional, I believe it is essential to react in real-time and understand the power of social media.
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