Speaking at the AMEC Virtual Global Summit on Measurement, Lilia Glazova, CEO of PR News Russia, highlights some of the global PR trends that she has picked up on during 2021, while also pointing towards the future of the industry.

Lilia opens her presentation by outlining a number of different methods and platforms used for trend spotting: Haystack, Foresight and Content Analysis – the latter being used by PR News. She explains how PR News has conducted research into the key PR trends in 2021 by communicating with over 300 experts to gather information. From there the information was categorised into 10 trends.

The measurement of the trends was recorded in over 40 countries, where they differed within regions. However, Lilia reveals the  global top three: digitalisation, ethics – both major issues in West Asia – and personalisation. She adds: “I believe in the next four to five years that personalisation will become the top trend in PR.”

Lilia expands on the digitalisation theme by explaining how it is no longer simply about companies going through a digital transformation, or developing a strong social media presence. Over the last year it has become about much more than that – it has been essential for survival, for instance in the delivery of food to people during lockdown.

But digitalisation within the PR industry means that specialists are having to become ‘universal soldiers’ who are expected to have strong skills in many areas, especially in technology.

Ethics is the second most important trend, according to PR News’ research. Lilia explains how “it is not enough to just post content, consumers want to see a human side”. This is another challenge for PR professionals as it has left them confused about how they should communicate with consumers, with many more considerations to focus on, including issues such as tone, content and delivery method.

The final trend is effective content. Lilia explains that “everyone should be using videos”, which are a better way to present information and to engage an audience. Furthermore, Lilia explains that chatbots and voice recognition help to create effective content, having become vital tools that allow constant contact with an audience.

Lilia acknowledges that working in this industry is challenging, especially since PR specialists are expected to have strong universal skills. However, she believes it is possible to move forward: “We all need to adjust our tools”.