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My new blog will be named PRforthefuture.com.  In it I will describe how I am qualified to run a site people should regularly read.  I represent the public relations person of what used to be the distant future, but is quickly becoming the present.  I have the advantage of growing up in an environment that made me naturally think in terms of interactivity.  I am very much aware of and deeply understand society’s current attitude of assuming information will be available to them.  These are the things that PR practitioners will need to understand to be successful in this new era.

The first tactic that many companies will pursue is creating an appearance of being transparent.  Notice this is different from the act of actually being transparent.  Just take a look at this headline. There is still a pervasive Bernays-like mindset in many PR professionals that the public cannot be fully trusted and that it is the PR professional’s job to spin some information while completely leaving out other information.  I think things will have to get more and more transparent in the future but many companies will be dragging their feet.  For now, though, this is the stage we will be at.

Another tactic that will continue to grow in 2010 is the trend of using social media.  Facebook and Twitter have both been used extensively by companies and the current push is for these systems.  But just like Twitter came out of nowhere, there is bound to be a new innovation on the horizon.  Perhaps that innovation will be something like Second Life, where users can interact with people all over the world in this alternate reality.  Businesses can create presences in places like these and build virtual relationships that will translate into the real world.  For example, if Wal-Mart creates characters to play in the game and uses these characters to provide users with valuable virtual goods with anyone who will interact with them, Wal-Mart could gain a loyal fan base that appreciates the free online goods.  They could reward the company with real business in the future.

Another trend will be to make media rich websites that are not obviously tied to the company.  Blogs that have become popular throughout the internet like the Drudge Report, Deadspin, and Gawker are successful because they link to many other websites and serve as an aggregator for users to gather information.  Companies could make their own websites dealing with themes close to their brand image.  This will give them an opportunity subtly mention their product.  For example, if Nike did this they could start a sports themed blog and disproportionally mention their own sponsored sporting events and products.  It would have to be done carefully, but it could be done.

My next prediction for where public relations is heading in 2010 is the lessening of emphasis on working through traditional media.  Here another blog takes a look at this issue. This is an idea we discussed in class as well.  Instead of working so hard to get a story in a newspaper, a medium that may be dying, companies can get their message out through other means like social media and completely control that message.  This trend will continue to grow in the next year.

Finally, I think a fifth trend when it comes to public relations is companies working with non-profit organizations.  People still have a poor image of major corporations, and these companies need to help their image by working with companies with good images.  Now, with technology the way it is, more people will find out about these partnerships and be impressed by them.

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