3 Predictions for the Public Relations industry in 2022
Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed many aspects of life, forcing most industries to adjust. With its vital role, the PR industry always evolves to keep up with trends and maintain its position. Join EloQ Communications to learn about three predictions for PR sector operational trends in 2022.
1. DEI is highly focused than ever
DEI stands for diversity, equality, and inclusion, which are cultural values that businesses strive to incorporate into their management models. Furthermore, with the ability to deliver stories and create strong impacts on the community, PR could be considered as a way to effectively communicate brand messages. Diversity, equality, and inclusion appear not only in the stories that brands present to the public, but these are also cultural values that PR firms strive to integrate into their daily internal operation and care about the physical well-being and mental health of their employees.
2. Global collaboration — advantages and challenges
In the new normal, face-to-face meetings and working are also returning as life regains equilibrium following the pandemic. However, this does not diminish the importance of the remote working model. During the pandemic, many industries such as information technology (IT), healthcare, and education have implemented international cooperation and training to increase connectivity and carry out many large-scale campaigns. In 2022, public relations will be no exception to this global trend.
Businesses will greatly benefit from international cooperation in the field of public relations. The biggest advantage is to provide foreign businesses with a better understanding of the local market’s journalism culture and style. Local PR firms can develop messages and media stories that are relevant to the target audience, which improves the campaign’s success and effectiveness. Furthermore, this is also an opportunity for businesses to develop new partnerships with the press, KOLs, or local agencies, as well as support local partners who are experiencing difficulties. EloQ Communications, for example, has been calling for companies to consider working with or providing business referrals for Ukrainian agencies to help them overcome the current Russia-Ukraine conflict. However, there remains certain limitations that PR firms have to face when executing global collaboration, such as language barrier and extended campaign duration.
3. Hybrid working model will continue to rise
Hybrid office or remote working models will retain their popularity in the new normal. This demonstrates that PR firms now prioritize staff motivation and effectiveness, and place importance on employees’ work-life balance as well as their physical and mental health. Typically, work hours limitations, communication guidelines, and work exchange norms are in place to prevent work overload or overtime, except for some unique circumstances.
In the flexible working model, employees could easily manage their schedule and workload, reducing time spent traveling to the office. Instead, they could spend that time improving work progress, such as meeting with the media, implementing projects, organizing events, etc. However, PR firms should pay attention to internal communications to avoid burnout or isolation.
In addition to mapping public relations campaigns, improving organizational operation also receive attention from the PR industry. The stated trends are based on habits during and after the pandemic. Then, the PR sector has been changing itself to keep up with shifting trends, improve operations, and maintain its vital role.
Written by Tho Nguyen, a PR & Communications Executive at EloQ Communications.
Originally published at https://blog.eloqasia.com on June 8, 2022.
