Members of the Board of Directors sound off on key considerations for their 2019 campaigns

  1. Sensory Journalism Catapults Storytelling — Great PR campaigns will continue to be rooted in timeless elements: powerful stories, strong media relationships and innovative committed professionals. But technology applications will distinguish good campaigns from great ones, advance brands and help them rise above the noise. From AI that helps automate tasks to VR and AR for powerful immersive storytelling experiences – PR pros can and should leverage technology to differentiate their brands.
  2. Consider Alexa on your Media List: Smart delivery platforms can serve custom content to customers at the exact moment they need it. Layer on voice technology as another option for audience consumption. Given how people use Alexa and Siri to find and consume content, PR pros must learn how voice technology influences audience consumption habits, and how voice search plays into umbrella communications strategies, content calendars and SEO.
  3. Grass Roots Turns to Amplified Influencers: The PR tool kit has always included voices from passionate communities. Now more than ever, we see the aperture for evangelists expanding beyond customer testimonials to viral influencers. Influencer marketing is a natural extension traditional reporter relationships, and no matter the industry, we need to consider this expanded pool of influencers and their ability to inspire action within your market.
  4. Stronger Strategic Partnerships: The media industry continues to face challenges that have caused an upheaval of sorts. Between the constant flurry of content, fierce competition for views, proliferation of fake news and increasingly skeptical audiences, communications pros need to recommit to being strategic partners for the media. We need to be smarter about our narratives, consider order of effects and put forth fully vetted sources to reinforce the our roles as trusted partners what welcome transparency.
  5. Help is on the Way: Communications continues to attract creative, intelligent specialists to the field who are well-rounded practitioners. Today’s up and coming communicators are quickly adopting new technologies, learning new software tools, and seamlessly switching among channels and audiences. This next generation of PR pros are learning about interconnected disciplines, and their self-service approach to problem solving will make them valuable team members.

2019 is bound to be a big year for communications professionals. What trends are you seeing on the horizon for 2019? We’d love to hear from you!

Contributors: Caitlin Snider, Lindsay Poole, Cheryl Gale, Todd Graff, Amy Shanler, Kaitlynn Cooney, Donna Ayer