The ball has dropped, Auld Lang Syne was sung, and you’ve likely eaten your last Christmas sugar cookie by now (maybe?). Twenty-twenty-three is here! And it’s a whole vibe.
It’s a time to shed the archaic ways of operating business as usual and instead plan out a new strategy of attack for collecting, implementing and distributing messaging for clients.
“We couldn’t be more excited to see the changing landscape for our industry and if we were to look into our crystal ball for what this year will bring, it’s hard to know for sure: Its ever-changing nature is what makes the communications and public relations industry so exciting.” – Bramble Creative Founder, Shaina Pherigo
But if we could make some fact-based guesses, here’s five big trends we see unfolding this year and expect to see more of these in the years to come.
- Owned Media is top tier – There are three types of media – earned, paid and owned. There are great opportunities for all three in the world of PR, but we will likely continue to see a rise in owned media for a few reasons. For one, it’s fully controlled by you and your client. The company can control the frequency and content in the posts as well as decide who to target with their message. Also, these messages can be shared on firm social accounts and then distributed more widely among employees and their followers. It’s a great, targeted way to share stories with the people who need to hear them and it continues to grow in popularity.
- Where’s the party at? – As we all emerge from our holiday caves, it’s time to put away the ugly Christmas sweater and regain the world. We see networking at in-person events continuing to be bigger than ever this year. If you are in a role that books and plans corporate events, venues are getting booked quickly as well as vendors and speakers are getting slated for panels months or even a year in advance. While there will always be room for virtual webinars for personal growth and learning opportunities, we expect to see in-person events for work and fun continue to grow.
- Short-form video is king – No one likes Facebook anymore, but we do it anyway. Instagram is growing tired and trying to stay relevant. TikTok has risen to the top of the social media heap since 2020 and now, it’s all about the short-form videos that are created with mass appeal. Numero Uno Rule: The videos have to be authentic. They can’t drip with thirst for likes or copycat others and their content. The reason for this is because Millennials and GenZ can sniff out the B.S. real quick. If marketing and delivering the message is your game, you’ll want to be sure that your short-form video is done in a way that feels like the person on the other end of the screen isn’t getting sold or pushed. One sure fire way to do that is to return to the fundamentals of storytelling – remember that people want to be entertained, informed or educated. Always remember to share your message and be consistent.
- Writing is in higher demand than ever – With an never-ending demand for content through a variety of different platforms, the foundational skill of communications, the written word, is sorely needed. Many communicators see writing as a top skill they look for when hiring and a skill they hope to learn and grow themselves. The need for writing is ubiquitous and can be found in the crevasses of all PR and marketing efforts – from writing a piece for a website, helping with thought leadership to creating a script for a video. But the *chosen* few who can match a client’s style can be tough to find – once you find your writer, don’t let them go! All in all, the pen continues to be mightier.
- What do you stand for? – Perhaps the biggest and most important trend we will likely see this year is the importance for a brand to show it cares. It’s long been called CSR or corporate social responsibility, but for much of time, CSR was resigned to small pet projects or community-based efforts – rather than larger, global and social efforts.
Many believe that it is no longer okay for a company to sit on the sidelines in silence when such huge issues exist in the world (i.e. Black Lives Matter, Climate Change, LGBTQ+ rights, Women’s Rights, etc.) Conversely, we hear that many firms believe that if a company gets involved with hot topics, it’s possible to alienate some current and potential clients, which could potentially be “bad for business.” To that, we say, first it’s important to understand your values as a company and decide for yourself “what do you stand for?” If Climate Change is an important topic to your firm, then perhaps it’s time to realign your client base to match your values. This can be a tricky storm to navigate that should be done with the help of a PR professional that understands the implications of changing your external brand to reflect a cause that’s important to your company.
We at Bramble Creative have seasoned PR professionals and writers on our team who have experience with all types of communication, writing and promotion. For all the different types of places that writing and PR can be, Bramble can help.
