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It can be observed today that the new technology industry heavily relies on promotion through PR activities. This is therefore a good moment to consider how PR professionals themselves are adopting technological innovations today and how our work will change because of them in the future.
Bill Gates, one of the most influential figures in the IT world and the person who propelled the development of the personal computer to the level we know today, once said that if he were left with only one dollar, he would spend it on PR. Today, this statement only gains relevance – there are more IT startup projects in areas such as artificial intelligence, mobile applications, or System_as_a_Service than ever before. To ensure a market chance for success, as well as to achieve goals like securing investors or establishing international business contacts, creators often turn to PR agencies that help companies appear in the awareness of their target groups. The high demand from companies and IT startups for support in public relations means these two spheres increasingly overlap.
Your PR specialist as a guide in the world of technology
Due to the nature of their work, a PR specialist handling activities for clients from the new technology sector inevitably comes into daily contact with the latest technical discoveries. Their role is primarily to understand how their client’s product works, what ideas and solutions underpin the technology, and ultimately – what impact it will have on the lives of its users. Besides this, they must be well-informed about the market, competitors’ activities, and also know a lot about their target group’s awareness regarding their client’s actions and products. All these factors allow a PR professional to do their job – translating often very complex technological phenomena and relationships into language understandable to everyone. Whether terms like “neural network,” “machine learning,” or “broadcasting” become valuable information for consumers or just empty phrases filling promotional content depends on their knowledge and ability to formulate thoughts. The aspects of a given product that PR professionals emphasize more strongly in press materials directly affect how it is perceived by consumers. A good example was the Huawei Mate 10 Pro campaign in 2017 – it was the first time the aspect of artificial intelligence in the phone was so strongly highlighted in media communication, along with what it can actually be used for. Since then, all reputable flagship devices have been equipped with neural network coprocessors, and the mentioned Huawei model, called the “smart machine,” started the trend of emphasizing this smartphone component’s significance, which continues to this day.
And in the other direction?
Asking whether new technologies will change the way PR professionals work is completely pointless, because for over a hundred years of this industry’s existence, scientific and technological discoveries have not only changed but actually defined the way information is conveyed. Perhaps some remember that not so long ago, press materials were sent, for example, via fax, which today no one can imagine. Therefore, the correct question should be: how quickly should PR adapt to technological progress? Technology influences not only communication tools (social media is now an almost immortal example of an alternative way to contact journalists) but also the very form of content created by PR specialists. For instance – the way people now consume media (a focus on quick “news,” increased media consumption on mobile devices) encourages creating materials with simpler messages, avoiding multi-step explanations, and forces diversification of the types of content delivered. In other words, PR professionals today cannot rely solely on text, because such a brand message has little chance of engaging the audience. Besides text, image and sound are increasingly used, seamlessly combining all available communication channels. A great example of this was the @world_record_egg campaign. By leveraging the combined power of social media and the event that is the Super Bowl finale in the United States, the Mental Health America Institute achieved its goal of raising awareness about the challenging area of mental health disorders. Although exact statistics are unavailable, it is safe to assume that the number of publications on this topic worldwide was in the tens of thousands. This PR success was achieved without sending even a single press release!
What will the PR of the future be like?
William Gibson once said that “the future is already here — it’s just not evenly distributed.” To ensure predictions about what PR will look like in the future are as accurate as possible, we need to consider how today’s trends will influence future communication activities. One such trend is the already mentioned increase in content consumption on mobile devices – not long ago, smartphones surpassed the magical threshold of 50% share in the total media consumption pool. At the same time, the role of so-called content aggregators is growing – Google News is developing increasingly dynamically on the market, and soon we expect the launch of its competitor – Apple News. These kinds of solutions may seem inconspicuous, but many technology enthusiasts suggest that their growing popularity could signal another shift in user habits. Independent content searching (visiting portals, buying newspapers) is being replaced by waiting for a “push” notification from the app about the appearance of material interesting to the user. These aggregators have the potential to completely reshape the media market where PR professionals will need to find their place. On the other hand, PR professionals must not forget that smartphone dominance is not eternal. Already, new product categories dedicated to content consumption, such as voice assistants, VR goggles, and devices enabling augmented reality (AR) construction, are seeing significant growth. All these technologies allow media consumption in ways different from how we do it today. Sooner or later, PR professionals will have to start including users of these devices in their campaigns, or else they risk their messages not reaching a large portion of the audience.
The only correct answer to the question of how quickly PR professionals should adapt to the development of technology seems to be: as quickly as possible. Effective use of new technological solutions in PR activities not only allows for achieving a “wow” effect but, above all, for acquiring very valuable skills. The value of early experience can be compared to the Bitcoin situation in December 2017. Then, most money was made by those who showed interest in this currency years earlier when Bitcoin could be bought for less than one zĹ‚oty, not when one had to pay 20,000 dollars for it. It’s very similar with new technologies that may affect the work of a PR professional – if they become popular, a good PR professional should already know them and, importantly, be able to use them effectively in their work.
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Author of the text: Krzysiek
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