exploring the new frontiers of pr
DESCRIPTION
Key digital communications trends for 2014 - analyzing the new frontiers of communications and the convergence of public relations (PR), marketing and advertising, driven by digital and social media. WHAT ENVIRONMENT DO WE EXIST IN? The Always On Society People are online 24 hours a day. They are having multi-screen experiences. Their attention span is going down, but overall time spent with content and brands is going up. Digital isn't an option any more - communicators need to put content in places people will consume it. The Internet Isn't New It is no longer a novelty. There is a generation of professionals who have grown up online. Babies are having digital devices thrust in their hands as learning tools. What this means is that users aren't excited by content just because it is digital. They are more discerning in the information they consume - messages and content have to be crafted carefully and have to truly engage the audience. THREE KEY TRENDS FOR 2014 1. Society is taking back the internet People don't need the internet to tell them to go to social networks to socialize with each others. The internet is now a completely social place and service providers are integrating social functions into their offerings. Communicators can't focus on platforms and fitting solutions to them - they need to think about consumer motivations and then devise a plan to get content in front of them. 2. Tailor-made experiences The personalization of content consumption, driven by data analytics, is creating a richer more engaging experience for every digital user - both in search, social and service sites. However, this isn't necessarily a good thing - it means users are only getting limited content streams and are less likely to discover new info, brands or products. Personalisation should lead to higher engagement but potentially means considerably lower reach. 3. Long form makes a comeback People live on the internet - the trends have been about making everything shorter but users are more more comfortable with consuming long-form content online. Netflix and e-paper subscriptions are proof alone. Users will only become more comfortable with digital content and there is a place for carefully crafted, engaging and interesting long-form content online. WHAT IT MEANS FOR COMMUNICATORS Create Content People Want to Consume There is massive information overload. Communicators need to cut through the noise and make an impact. But the impact must be meaningful. Chasing virality and views is pointless if it doesn't tanslate into business impact. Brands must overtly own content and clearly communicate their message / key proposition. Activate Across Multiple Channels Content needs to be placed in multiple places to penetrate their social fortress. Content marketing must reflect the consumer decisions making journey and drive tangible actions.TRANSCRIPT
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Presented by
Peter McFeely24 February 2014
WHAT’S UP AND COMING: EXPLORING THE NEW FRONTIERS OF PR
@mcfeelypwww.linkedin.com/in/petermcfeely
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THE OLD FRONTIERS OF COMMUNICATIONS…
PUBLIC RELATIONS
MARKETING ADVERTISING
Each discipline had a distinctive character and purpose
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DECISION MAKING JOURNEYS HAVE CHANGED
Decision making journeys used to be linear with distinctive touchpoints…
Now, journeys are more varied and less direct – as a result, disciplines are becoming less distinctive
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TRANSFORMATION OF COMMUNICATIONS
The frontiers have communications have been transformed by the
emergence ofDIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA
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TRANSFORMATION OF COMMUNICATIONS
All disciplines compete for a slice of the digital pie
PR, marketing and advertising have been brought CLOSER TOGETHER
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TRANSFORMATION OF COMMUNICATIONS Now, the most important thing to communicate is
VALUE TO THE CUSTOMER
The most important factor is MESSAGINGOnce they came closer together, disciplines began to compete with
each other
There is now a lot of overlap and everyone specializes in COMMUNICATIONS
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WHAT ENVIRONMENT ARE WE OPERATING IN?
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THE ALWAYS-ON SOCIETY
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WHAT ENVIRONMENT ARE WE OPERATING IN?
Internet isn’t new anymore
THE INTERNET IS NOT NEW
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THREE KEY TRENDS IN 2014
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SOCIETY IS TAKING BACK THE INTERNET
-Communications are about social behaviour not social networks
-All services are trying to leverage social functions for advocacy and peer recommendations, to create awareness and preference
-Focus must be on consumer motivations before the tools with which they can be engaged
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TAILOR-MADE EXPERIENCES
-Tracking of behaviour and peer groups is driving a personalisation of the online experience
-On one hand, this creates a richer, more relevant experience for the user and a more targetted audience for the brand
-On the other hand, it limits user experience and constricts information flow
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LONG-FORM MAKES A COMEBACK
-Information overload is causing an overall decrease in attention span
-Short-form platforms take advantage of and intensify the behaviour
-However, as users spend more time online they become more discerning in what they consume and more willing to spend
time with content they are engaged with
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE COMMUNICATIONS PROFESSIONAL?
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CREATE CONTENT PEOPLE WANT TO CONSUME
-We must create things that our target audience genuinely want to consume-Aim for business impact not virality-Retain clear ownership of the content-Communicate your message clearly – show the customer what value you are bringing to them
VS.
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ACTIVATE ACROSS MULTIPLE CHANNELS
-Wage multiple attacks on the social fortress
-Drive tangible actions from online engagement
-Content marketing must reflect the decision making journey
-Don’t think of PR in isolation – act as a 21st century communicator
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THANK YOU
© 2014 Waggener Edstrom Communications All Rights Reserved.
@mcfeelypwww.linkedin.com/in/petermcfeely