What Does 2020 Have to Offer for PR?

By: Emma Stevens

PR Daily recently posted an article titled “2020 vision: The top 5 emerging trends in marketing and PR.” I personally believe that to better understand what’s happening in PR, you should explore many people’s ideas of what those trends may be. So…here is my take on the PR trends predicted for this year.

According to PR Daily, digital marketing is going to dominate in 2020. We are currently in the age of an interactive content explosion. In other words, companies should put their money into digital marketing. Vogue Magazine has done a terrific job at this. I was able to listen to talks by Michael MacLeod and Christine Banawa, who are both part of Vogue’s audience team. They were hired to revamp Vogue’s digital footprint. Vogue now uses snapchat to record backstage activity during fashion week, interviews with celebrities, links to articles, etc. As I stated in my earlier blog post, Snapchat and Vogue’s international Instagram accounts, run by MacLeod and Banawa, focus on a new way of storytelling and consumers love it. Make your stories digital. 

The second trend emphasises “chatbots.” Honestly, when I see the phrase “chatbots,” all I can think about is robots taking over. And I guess, in a sense, it’s true. Even when I clicked on SpinSucks a little robot popped up and asked me what I was doing there. Really?! Chatbots are supposed to be relationship builders, a way to interact with a customer who comes onto your website. If your robot is the right match and asks the right questions, you can learn what consumers want from you as a company. In other words, insert a robot and fish for the information you want to better connect with your audience. SpinSucks says this kind of AI, isn’t just a trend, “it’s a new reality.” So it looks like we will be talking to robots more, like it or not.

The third trend is “A social media influencer shapeup.” If you read my last blog, you know my personal opinion on influencers. The article PR Weekly somewhat agrees with me by stating, “consumers are no longer buying into influencers who rep brands that are not authentic to them.” Put differently, as a company you should consider carefully screening your influencers’ socials and reputation. Make sure they can do their job well while upholding the values of your company and your consumers. According to data accumulated by SpinSucks, politics really matter to most consumers, as do ethics. We have a very, very important election coming up. Although Twitter has said it will not allow political ads, Facebook is holding firm. Social media influencers will likely become even more important as the election heats up – it will be interesting to see how it’s used to gain and maintain audiences.

The fourth trend calls attention to “Brandstanding,” which is a new word for me. According to PR Weekly, “studies show that consumers feel a strong connection and are more loyal to companies willing to take a position on major issues and less to those who stay out of the fray.” Sprout Social released a survey indicating that two-thirds of consumers say, “it’s important for brands to take a stand on social or political issues.” A great example of brandstanding is Nike’s campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick. The ad spread like wildfire, with incredibly strong reactions going both ways. Some people burned their Nike shoes, while other people were celebrating Nike for making a stand. Regardless, Nike got a LOT of attention, which is what they hope for. Nike took a big risk,but it paid off. Not only did Nike get internationally recognized, the company’s sales skyrocketed. I like the notion: brandstanding. Definitely something I can get behind. 

Finally: “personalized brand experience.” In short, let technology take over. This means using algorithms to generate ads and content for consumers based on searches, demographics and social media behavior. Be sure not to overdo it, and implement it only for the right reasons. As PR Weekly states, “when executed correctly, new technologies will produce highly accurate customized recommendations.” AI again, this time in the form of algorithms that track our every digital step. While it might freak some of us out, ultimately it makes shopping much easier and that absolutely benefits brands. The other day, I wrote a paper that included the name of a book I’d read. By afternoon I was getting ads from Amazon that featured the same book. No, I wasn’t interested in that book anymore, but if it had been workout clothes…? No denying this kind of targeted marketing is very, very effective.

Thank you for reading my review of, and opinions about, current PR tendencies. Feel free to explore more PR trends – it’s going to be an exciting new year!