Ch-ch-ch-changes!

This is the first of many writings I will post about Public Relations this semester. To preface my outline style I will share that most of my writings will speak to the strategy of public relations. I will try to begin each post with a fun quote/image that relates to that particular post. Though there will inevitably be some selections that are jargon filled, I will do my best to keep it simple and pertinent.


Enjoy!

"Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine." 

- Robert C. Gallagher

The New Year is upon us and many are discussing what changes to expect for 2011. Now more than ever the business world is changing in remarkable ways. Public Relations has become an extremely volatile discipline. Some may even wonder if it is becoming obsolete.

PR agencies are service oriented businesses, which sell the time, knowledge, and skills necessary to complete tasks that give their clients the competitive edge. Software is becoming increasingly advanced and can take over many of the menial tasks that public relations agencies had been managing. The new tools and technologies are driving down the perceived value of those core tasks.

News consumption is becoming more personalized with social media distribution via Twitter, RSS feeds, etc. PR agencies can look forward to competing in this ever evolving environment by replacing service with product. Analysis functions are becoming more automated, yet there remains a significant layer of information that still requires interpretation.

Visionaries in the PR world will see this volatility and these technological innovations as good news. They will view applied technology as a method to streamline low value tasks. 

Bottom line...