The future looks bright for PR
By Kim Larochelle

I have attended a few conferences lately discussing trends for the future with good news for the public relations (PR) industry...

Paul Holmes, President and CEO of the Holmes Group, which provides knowledge and insight for PR professionals, mentioned at the latest Public Relations Institute of Australia Annual Conference that more than ever, there is potential for PR to provide the best value for a company.

These days there is such an overload of information that people continuously need to make many choices in relation to anything and everything. We are becoming choice fatigue. Thankfully, good brands with a good reputation can simplify the decision-making process.

This is where PR comes into play. PR builds awareness of a company and strengthens its image and credibility through a range of communication means. Our job is to communicate with your customers, staff and other stakeholders. It's also about understanding what your company lives for, differentiate it from your competitors and portray this in the best possible way.

As mentioned in our blog on the social web, the advent of social media signifies an important shift in how people around the world interact. We've entered an age where information cannot be controlled and companies don't own their customers. To gain credibility, a business must be ready to lose some control through blogs and online social networking. It's not a PR practitioner's job to stop information from being unveiled, but they should be prepared so that when it is out in the open, they can respond and monitor what is being said.

Another reason for the rise of PR is globalisation, or should I say, localisation. Many social commentators have reported a marked trend towards a 'village' mentality where people can retreat and shut off the big bad world. PR can play a major role in promoting local businesses in their areas, facilitating relationships between organisations and local communities and generating word of mouth, one of the most - if not the most - powerful communication tools.

All in all, the social changes we're experiencing bring promising news for the PR industry and subsequently, for all businesses who recognise the value of PR.

15 November 2007