Challenges and changes for PR in 2021

PRCA Council Chair Jules Herd shares insights into how COVID-19 has impacted the PR industry, from the monetisation of traditional media to misinformation.

Jules Herd

Like many other sectors, COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the communications industry.

Redundancies, business transformation, remote working, and juggling work with homeschooling, has seen many employees swap their agency or in-house jobs for the freelance world or even take career breaks.

Budgets were cut across the board, with this third lockdown seeing spend retract even further, putting an even greater emphasis on return on investment and how we demonstrate value.

Issues and crisis management have come to the fore as companies are forced to react to economic factors and as misinformation about COVID-19 continues to spread, placing a sharper focus on tackling fake news and the need for customer transparency and honesty.

In short, 2020 into 2021 has been tough and, while there is most definitely light at the end of the tunnel, patterns have emerged that have changed and will continue to change forever the industry and how we practice communications.

Take editorial, for example. An area in which we excel as specialists is being able to target a wide range of media with our stories. Given that we have clients that span a variety of sectors, we engage with journalists who write for everything from mainstream to specialist publications.

However, with COVID-19 affecting advertising revenue – in a November report, WARC predicted that 2020 global ad spend would fall 10.2% to $557.3billion compared to 2019 – traditional media has had to look at how it can better monetise its offerings to recoup some of that lost revenue.

One strategy – and following on from what Facebook started on social platforms – has been to introduce more pay-for-play opportunities, replacing editorial columns with promoted content.

This is challenging for PR practitioners. Not only does it undermine the authenticity of what is being communicated but it limits outreach and coverage for clients at a time when the concept of value is already under the spotlight.

Aligned with this is the fact that editorial teams have shrunk, plus the constant stream of COVID-19 related updates has further limited opportunities for non-news content.

It’s not all bad; the challenges with traditional media have prompted communications professionals to look at alternative and new ways of engaging audiences on behalf of their clients.

Long-form content has taken on a life of its own both in print and in audio also, particularly through podcasts. And social media platforms continue to be a source for information, with smaller local and specialist groups springing up around the world and creating new opportunities for brands to build communities and loyalty.

At a macro level, given the focus on ethics on issues management and generally on needing communications to deliver a broader remit, there is now an opportunity to put PR at the heart of every business, and to position it as a discipline that shapes both strategy and creative thinking.

About Jules Herd

Jules is Chair of the PRCA Council who has more than 20 years’ experience working in senior agency and brand communication roles, including Deezer and HTC. She is the Managing Director of Five in a Boat, an independent strategic communications consultancy.