The New Face of PR

Photo from Pexels.com

A MORE CARING PEOPLE

As someone who is interested in the public relations track/industry I was always a little unsure of exactly what public relations is. I knew that one of its focuses is to maintain a good reputation for a brand or person with the public; that is, be the middle man between the brand and the public. This appeals to me because I enjoy learning about how people work, what their interests are, and maintaining healthy relationships. However, with the rapid pace of social media it is more imperative to listen to the people. With the rapid rate of news that we are constantly receiving as consumers, people are reacting accordingly and publicly. This indicates that people are caring about what they are reading. Because of this I think that one of the most important skills that a person in the PR industry could have is being in tune to what people are caring about. This means knowing what people prioritize over the actual product. For example, I have watched this happen with the beauty and makeup industry in regards to being vegan and cruelty free. No matter how good the product is, many people will not purchase or support the brand because they are not cruelty free or vegan. As I imagine this is a huge cost sacrifice for a brand, so is missing out on the large audience that prioritizes this particular issue.

SOCIAL MEDIA IS KEY

We can all recognize by now that social media plays a huge role in the success of brands, but sometimes examples are the only way to really illustrate this. Kylie Jenner brought out a cosmetics line that has absolutely blown everyone else out of the water. Although this is partially due to Kylie Jenner already having a set brand for herself with a worldwide audience, but she also is very good with her social media presence. For example, when she reveals new products in her line she tweets out when she will do the reveal on her Snapchat. Then, anyone who has her on Snapchat can watch the reveal on their own time and watch as many times as they want. Her success is obvious as she was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2017, but it has skyrocketed because of her close connection with her fans through social media and being able to immediately respond to their feedback.

THE FUTURE OF ADVERTISING

When reading over the 12 Industry Leaders' Insights on Advertising in 2016, I was most struck by Eric Lee's comments about e-Commerce. As someone who uses the internet on a very regular basis, one of my favorite things is online shopping. It's not only easier, quicker, but also offers a wider selection of products. However, e-Commerce is also a great way for a brand to communicate their values to their consumers. If a brand has a great interactive website that is easy to use, nice on the eyes, and is consistent throughout, I am much more likely to buy from the company as opposed to a company that does not have these qualities built into their website. My mother is quite the advocate of this as well, as she will refuse to buy from a website if it causes her any grief and her absolute favorite place to shop is Amazon. This is true for even restaurants, as many people look up the menu online before deciding to eat there or not. This means that every company, no matter what platform, can increase their success by having a well designed website.