{"id":2473438,"date":"2020-12-14T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-12-14T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prgn.com\/prgns-public-relations-predictions-for-2021\/"},"modified":"2021-10-05T13:41:40","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T13:41:40","slug":"prgns-public-relations-predictions-for-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prgn.com\/es_es\/pr-tips-trends\/prgns-public-relations-predictions-for-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"PRGN’s Public Relations Predictions For 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s that time of year to look into the crystal ball for the future. 2020 has by all accounts been one of the most challenging years (at least in my lifetime). I think we\u2019re all looking forward to some positive change. So, for 2021, what is the future of communications, the future of PR and the future in general? As I like to do annually, I asked a sample of our Public Relations Global Network colleagues<\/a> from around the world for their thoughts. Here\u2019s a summary:<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I think there will be some early uncertainty in 2021, I believe we\u2019ll start to see a stabilization of public sentiment, which should translate into confidence for companies to either restart or reinvigorate their communications efforts.\u00a0 <\/span>We may also see brands aligning themselves with specific societal issues on a more widespread basis.\u201d \u2013 Scott Hanson, HMA Public Relations<\/a>, Phoenix, Arizona<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a world with increasing uncertainty, PR is more valuable than ever: it manages vital risks for the business with strategy. These times are a huge opportunity for training and human relationship management in a broken and fragmented environment. Covid and isolation can be treated with communication.\u201d \u2013 Dominique Biquard, Identia PR<\/a>, Buenos Aires, Argentina<\/p>\n

\u201cAs global issues \u2013 like the constant warming of our planet, the growing gap of inequality and no existence of global agreements from governments \u2013 threaten our lives, corporations will have to step up. They need to prove they can make a difference and report on their progress of ESG (environment, social and governance) matters.\u201d \u2013 Michael Diegelmann, cometis<\/a>, Wiesbaden, Germany<\/p>\n

\u201cI predict there will be three strategic imperatives for businesses and brands to reimagine themselves for the new marketplace in this Covid-19 era, namely: digital transformation (go digital or be wiped out); health and safety agenda (storefront and workplace); and purpose-driven narrative (The power of Why).\u201d \u2013 Andy See Teong Leng, Perspective Strategies<\/a>, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia<\/p>\n

\u201cThough likely later in the year, 2021 will be a time of challenges for enterprises working to restore internal operations after the pandemic has been largely conquered. Identifying current and future staffing needs, restoring positions that had been eliminated through furloughing, determining where team members will work (virtual, physical or hybrid?) and redesigning or reestablishing elements of internal culture impacted by Covid-19. These and other critical actions will require communication for success.\u201d \u2013 Blake Lewis, Three Box Strategic Communications<\/a>, Dallas, Texas<\/p>\n

\u201cPredicting 2021 is extraordinarily difficult, as the pandemic will stay for more months to come. However, we have been learning how to co-operate with and be very creative in our personal lives as well as in business. Japan had been one of the developing countries that was not used to teleworking before the pandemic, but now it is normal. How about the PR industry? We see a number of media shrinking and the opportunities of meeting press in person is almost zero for the last six months \u2013 and it may continue. I see the world getting smaller these days, maybe because we have a thing in common \u2013 pandemic \u2013 so topics are similar around the globe. Because we are now living in such a limited access of the world, communication is more needed than ever. Quality content is valued amidst fake news and gossip. So, we PR pros must improve ourselves to offer new stories and trustworthy content to media or deliver that content directly to the audience through owned media.\u201d \u2013 Judy Kuramata, Integrate Communications<\/a>, Tokyo, Japan<\/p>\n

\u201c2021 will be a year where what a brand stands for continues to matter. This creates proactive, creative and authentic communications opportunities, and it will also spark many brand\/reputational crises. Companies need to be thoughtful, sincere and confident in their communications.\u201d \u2013 Sandy Lish, The Castle Group<\/a>, Boston, Massachusetts<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople will more than ever prefer to stay within their resonance rooms and opinion bubbles, making it more difficult to raise awareness for topics or sell products and services. As this behaviour is deeply rooted in our time with its rising awareness of political, economic and social uncertainty and complexity, PR won\u2019t change that longing for consonance. To be successful, communications professionals will more than ever need to understand the underlying needs and psycho-tectonic shifts in our societies to provide relevant content, using channels that reach into those resonance rooms.\u201d – Robert Bauer, accelent communications<\/a>, Vienna, Austria<\/p>\n

\u201cFamily, friends and community will seem more important in the more human-centric world that emerges post Covid-19. For PR pros, this means crafting narratives for brands and companies about people-led purpose. Do we save the planet from climate change? No, we save ourselves from climate change (or the next pandemic). Messages that make us think of the people we know will be more salient than ever.\u201d \u2013 Mark Paterson, Currie<\/a>, Melbourne, Australia<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe the power of PR is going to come back in full force in 2021. If 2020 has taught us anything, it\u2019s that we must consistently communicate during times of crisis. We must truly listen to our stakeholders and think through how best to communicate with them where it builds trust, loyalty and respect. I believe organizations will have renewed energy around ensuring their messages are on point, timely and relevant for all of their audiences.\u201d \u2013 Natalie Ghidotti, Ghidotti<\/a>, Little Rock, Arkansas<\/p>\n

\u201cThe communication sphere will continue to blur. The divide between marketing, public relations, social media and other elements will blend into a wide variety of mediums. Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) practices will continue. Social justice, ethical management and environmental protection have become key factors in appealing to consumers, most importantly, millennials. Companies should share their sustainability strategies throughout targeted marketing materials or by showcasing improvements in employee diversity, labor conditions and charitable work. Technology will continue to evolve as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) become more common and less expensive. And data will continue to be a huge driver in communications. As a result, we have the ability to create very targeted, trackable programs \u2013 more than ever before.\u201d \u2013 Leeza Hoyt, The Hoyt Organization<\/a>, Los Angeles, California<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s hope that 2021 is the year of hope: hope for a Covid-19 treatment, hope for a better economy, hope for the U.S. rejoining the rest of the world, hope to help end systemic racism and hope that our yearning for climate change will become an actuality. Then, the PR world will have great stories to tell!\u201d \u2013 David Landis, Landis Communications Inc. (LCI)<\/a>, San Francisco, California<\/p>\n

\u201cHere are some communications trends we\u2019ll see in 2021: Communications Are Critical<\/strong>: If brands thought communications were important before 2020, communicating to important stakeholders will become doubly important heading into 2021. Greater Emphasis on Health and Safety<\/strong>: it\u2019s something that clients and customers seek in order to engage with companies. Brands Must Lead<\/strong>: There\u2019s an opportunity for organizations to fill leadership voids on important issues. When chaos reigns and more and more people tune out our nation\u2019s leaders, brands with their own channels can communicate messages more effectively to key audiences. Forging New Connections in New Ways<\/strong>: The challenge is how to recreate the in-person experience while also keeping people safe. Stakeholders will expect greater personalization and will have lower tolerance for client experience mishaps. Greater Government Intervention<\/strong>: There will be greater government protections for consumers and employees. Not only will corporations have to evolve public relations activities to meet societal expectations, but they have to transform them to drive business growth. Seeking the Good<\/strong>: We will see storytelling play an even greater role in communications, which will be at the epicenter of this revival moving forward.\u201d \u2013 Michelle Balch Lyng, Novitas Communications<\/a>, Denver, Colorado<\/p>\n

\u201c2021 will see a continuation of a stressed economy with certain industries thriving \u2013 PPE manufacturers\/sales; trade & logistics companies to transport the vaccine; law firms that specialize in bankruptcy, immigration, etc.; and medical personnel such as psychiatrist, psychologist groups and infectious disease physician groups. These industries will need integrated campaigns that include PR\/Marketing\/Digital now more than ever. And several of these industries have not worked with PR firms previously, so our challenge is to educate and demonstrate the value we bring to increase their sales.\u201d \u2013 CL Conroy, The Conroy Martinez Group<\/a>, Miami, Florida<\/p>\n

\u201c2021 will be the year that science regains its rightful place in our world. After four years of attack, rejection, and denial, science will not only be reconsidered, I predict it will be celebrated. Look for scientists to be next year\u2019s superheroes.\u201d \u2013 Anne Buchanan, Buchanan Public Relations<\/a>, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2021, we predict a return to both good journalism and relevant PR messaging. Fact-based and authentic content will experience a revival after 2020, which will certainly go down in history as the year of the most massive fake news. 2021 will separate the wheat from the chaff in the communications industry. Those agencies that had prepared well for the Covid-19 crisis in 2020 are likely to be able to keep their heads above water in 2021.\u201d \u2013 Uwe Schmidt, Industrie-Contact<\/a>, Hamburg, Germany<\/p>\n

\u201c2021 will be a decisive year in the PR profession. Generally, PR has always been good taking up new platforms swiftly, so it is not technology that will pose a real challenge for practitioners now. Following a year of dramatic social, economic and political disruption and with clear and imminent challenges for the decade ahead, PR professionals have now an opportunity \u2013 as well as a duty \u2013 to join corporate decision makers and play an active role in shaping the new strategies companies and organizations choose to respond to the new normal. For this is where PR truly belongs to and this is where it can make real impact.\u201d \u2013 G\u00e1bor Jelinek, Executive Director, PRGN mantiene altos est\u00e1ndares de admisi\u00f3n para garantizar la solidez e integridad de la red<\/a>, Budapest, Hungary<\/p>\n

Related articles:<\/strong><\/p>\n

2021 Communications Trends<\/strong> from Novitas Communications, Denver: https:\/\/novitascommunications.com\/2021-trends\/<\/a><\/p>\n

The Future of PR<\/strong> from The Hoyt Organization, Los Angeles: https:\/\/www.hoytorg.com\/future-of-public-relations\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Being Purpose Driven: The Role of Business Post-Covid<\/strong> by Perspective Strategies, Kuala Lumpur: https:\/\/prgn.com\/coronavirus\/being-purpose-driven-the-new-imperative-to-reinventing-businesses-post-covid-19\/<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s that time of year to look into the crystal ball for the future. 2020 has by all accounts been one of the most challenging years (at least in my lifetime). I think we\u2019re all looking forward to some positive change. So, for 2021, what is the future of communications, the future of PR and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[1272,1595,1296],"tags":[1603,1518,1521,1619,1620],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-2473438","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pr-tips-trends","category-prgnfuture","category-public-relations","tag-prgnfuture","tag-david-landis","tag-landis-communications-inc","tag-pr-in-2021","tag-pr-predictions"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/prgn.com\/es_es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/prgn.com\/es_es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/prgn.com\/es_es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prgn.com\/es_es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prgn.com\/es_es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2473438"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/prgn.com\/es_es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473438\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2473964,"href":"https:\/\/prgn.com\/es_es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2473438\/revisions\/2473964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/prgn.com\/es_es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2473438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prgn.com\/es_es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2473438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prgn.com\/es_es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2473438"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/prgn.com\/es_es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2473438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}