Study: PR people have to navigate the media shift

 The current structural change in the media is having a lasting impact on the practice of public relations. This is the result of a study conducted by the University of Leipzig together with the German Association of Public Relations Agencies. Twenty-two decision-makers from companies such as ABB, McDonald's, Procter & Gamble and Microsoft were surveyed. According to the results, the linking of strategy and communication as well as the selection of suitable instruments for differentiated target groups is becoming more difficult, as the University of Leipzig reported. The classic focus on press relations, corporate publishing and events will no longer be sufficient in the future. However, PR people have recognized the growing importance of active recipients and the creeping decline of print media. According to study author Prof. Dr. Ansgar Zerfass, what is needed is genuine dialog competence, but it is not enough to simply switch to online communication and social networks.
The study identifies six key challenges for communications agencies: PR service providers can meet the needs of clients if they become trend scouts and guides for media change. In addition, they must enable dialog competence across all channels and expand their expertise in moving image and face-to-face communication. PR people should raise the profile of their specialist knowledge, make communication processes and impact chains comprehensible and become genuine sparring partners for strategy and communication.