With the end of the year comes the time to summarize what has been and to make plans for the future. Before you indulge in New Year’s Eve celebrations, we invite you to read our review of the past year in the public relations industry. This year, “GDPR” was declined in all possible cases. However, almost everything has already been said on this topic, so we won’t repeat ourselves. Instead, we present what we consider the most important trends of 2018.The TikTok craze Surely everyone knows TikTok (formerly Musica.ly), right? It’s no wonder, as nearly 600 million users worldwide use this app. At first, short videos based on lip-syncing were the domain of the youngest. However, the initial covers of popular hits quickly turned into daily vlogs, to which young people invite their parents and grandparents. The popularity of TikTok is also evidenced by millions of fans of the most popular Polish creators, hundreds of thousands of views, and numerous comments under each video they share. Next year will certainly show whether this Asian app will surpass Snapchat or the Insta Stories that were popular this year.The power of podcasts Producers of various podcasts will certainly consider the past year successful. Nielsen research shows that one in five Polish internet users aged 19-49 eagerly listens to them. An undeniable advantage of podcasts is that interested persons can listen to their favorite programs whenever and wherever they want. They listen everywhere: on the way to work, on business or holiday trips, at the gym, as well as preparing breakfast or before going to sleep. Will podcasts gain even greater popularity in 2019 and become one of the most important communication tools?On a first-name basis with influencersYou are probably wondering why we write about cooperation with internet creators when influencer marketing has been reigning for several years. The matter is very simple. Despite the industry recognizing the great potential of properly created and selected long-term collaborations with influencers, only in the past year has there been talk about the dangers arising from such cooperation. We mean, of course, fake likes, bot followers’ activity, or artificially inflated reach. In our opinion, next year cooperation with online creators will be an important part of communication strategies, but brands will be more cautious when choosing influencers to collaborate with. Moreover, the “attractiveness” of a given creator will not be determined by the number of likes or subscribers, but by their authenticity. That’s precisely why next year micro-influencers will have even more to say.
The PR industry dislikes stagnation and seeks various alternative solutions. However, the past year reminded us all that this word has great power.
Author of the text: Asia
