Trends, truth and technology – Digital PR in 2017

2016 was the year of ‘post truth’ when people took to heart the age-old adage that you can’t believe everything you read (whether in print or on screen), following a series of well documented ‘fake news’ stories being published across the globe.

Are people being more honest in 2017? It seems unlikely – especially to those paying close attention to the recent General Election campaign. However, technology providers including Facebook and Google claim to have implemented solutions to reduce our exposure to fake news and there’s plenty of guidance on how to spot it, so it should be a declining issue.

Technology, in contrast, continues to dominate our communications with users increasingly using mobile technology for around the clock access to the internet and social media. The introduction of Facebook Live and Twitter Live have added a new element with live streaming now available to anyone – with unfortunate unintended consequences with people having used it to live stream crimes and even murders. Videos, gifs and emojis will increasingly be used to enhance communications and attract readers, followers and shares on social media.

Automation and AI are also increasingly playing their part in the working world and some content is already created and aggregated in this way, especially – but not exclusively – on social media. This could lead to some interesting developments, but we think the human touch will always be required in PR, after all the R does stand for relations.

Content will, as always, continue to be king. You might get more reaction by publishing pictures of cats, but to be a non-feline influencer you need to have something new and interesting to say. Reaching the right audience is also crucial.

Whether it’s delivered through digital or traditional media, thought leadership is still the on-trend way to build awareness of your company and its ideology. Ultimately, we believe that’s the way to make connections and build the relationships needed to be successful in business and that’s a trend we’ll continue to follow.