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The growth of the digital sphere and social media in particular has had a significant effect on our everyday lives – both personal and professional. For those of us in the PR world, it has completely changed how we proceed with our plans and campaigns. This is because people are becoming increasingly connected to social media, blogs and websites for keeping abreast of the latest trends and news, especially as these platforms are updated so frequently.
However, this has not weakened PR, but strengthened it immeasurably.
In fact, while continuing to achieve excellent results with ‘traditional’ activities like drafting press releases and building relationships with the media – the importance of which you can read about in the blog written by my colleague Riya Vitani on Cicero & Bernay’s website – PR has expanded to become an essential tool for clients across activities including:
All of these are designed to deliver key messages to the media in the most concise and accurate way possible, while leveraging the benefits of both traditional print and new-age digital platforms.
One of the interesting things about this shift in PR paradigms is how it has taken the lead when it comes to planning and strategy, and broadened to become the umbrella under which digital, social media and even video content is managed.
For every campaign announcing a new project, launching a programme or raising awareness of an event, the PR plan and content is the guiding star.
When the Etihad Museum launched, we developed a comprehensive PR plan that included all key messages, fact sheets and content, which served as the basis for all communication. Our strategy was not just used for PR, but also informed all social media, marketing and digital content, and videos and adverts. The content we created was the backbone of the communication strategy and continues to serve as the definitive article on the Etihad Museum, whether for tweets, billboard ads or full-length feature pieces.
This is the PR umbrella, which is flexible and able to incorporate any new trends that come its way, such as adapting to people’s interest or moving onto new channels. PR finds opportunity and seizes it – we still ensure that our events are mentioned in the listings sections of magazines, yet we also target digital platforms such as Dubai Calendar and Dubai Post websites. This amplifies messages and breaks down barriers.
I believe that PR is the trailblazer for broad communication strategies. The plan and content comes from us, and is designed in such a way that it can be broadcast far and wide. PR can easily adapt to different channels and will continue to maintain its position as a communication leader.
Wajd Breek is the Account Manager of Cicero & Bernay Public Relations. An independent PR agency headquartered in Dubai and offering new-age public relations consultancy to the UAE and across the GCC. | www.cbpr.me