10 Big Things That Will Shape the Future of Public Relations in Nigeria
The future of Public Relations profession will only blossom in Nigeria and across the world when practitioners brace up to the task of acquitting themselves with the trends that are currently shaping the industry globally.
This was disclosed at the recently held monthly Nigeria Institute of Public Relations PR Clinic held at the Westown Hotel, Lagos, where Public Relations practitioners were educated on the need to take cognizance of the trends that will shape the profession in the nearest future.
Group Managing Director, CMC Connect Limited, Mr. Yomi Badejo-Okusanya who was the guest lecturer, delivered a presentation titled ”10 Big Things That Will Shape the Future of Public Relations in Nigeria”.
Technology
Not surprisingly, the first item on YBOs list was technology. Badejo-Okusanya pointed out that one of the ten major things that would shape the practice of Public Relations in the world is technology.
According to him, technology has changed virtually everything that we do today, citing an example of a driverless car manufactured by Tesla. For PR practitioners to survive they must embrace technology to effectively compete amongst their peers both locally and internationally, he said.
Consumerism
The CMC Connect MD further noted that Consumerism is another big thing that will shape the future of Public Relations because consumers’ consumption pattern has changed drastically and therefore PR must understand the best strategy that triggers a change in consumer behavior in favour of clients’ brands.
He said that consumers no longer behave in the same way they used to many years back, and that means Public Relation must also modify its approach in order to remain relevant in the brand building value chain.
Activism
This is a situation where Public Relations can be used to advocate for social courses. He cited the long struggle of the “Bring Back Our Girls” in the country as an advocacy that can be driven using Public Relations.
“Activism is the next thing that I feel will affect the future of Public Relations and here locally we have the Bring Back Our Girls struggle. PR should be involved in championing courses like this” he said.
Media Consumption Pattern
The fourth big thing according to Badejo-Okusanya is Media Consumption Pattern. Researchers have shown that people no longer read physical newspapers rather they do so on their smartphones and other digital platforms.
This means that Public Relations professionals have lesser time to solve and manage crisis situation.
“We used to require 24 hours to manage a crisis, now, with the advent of digital, we have about 60 seconds, to do the same. So if we don’t change our approach, then we are in trouble” he said.
Global Business
Global Business which encompasses global business practices, business intelligent and analysis, corporal governance and ethics, is another factor that will drive the business of Public Relations in the country.
He urged practitioners to take part in businesses globally as that would fetch them good money both within the private and public sector.
“Most PR professionals are not involved in big businesses that have global coloration. If we are not there, we cannot make money. You are only going to get the left over,” YBO said.
Communication
He added that Public Relations professionals should use communication a lot as that was the most effective technique used in managing crisis in the profession.
Culture and Re-orientation
Badejo-Okusanya also noted that the place of culture and re-orientation is another big issue that will shape the future of Public Relations practice. He challenged PR practitioners to take cognizance of the culture of people living around them as this will boost their performance on the job.
Value determination
Value determination is another big thing that will shape the practice of Public Relations in the country. This is so because the era of using the Advertising Value Equivalent (AVE) was over.
He, however call for a proper Public Relations measurement and evaluation body that would help to prove the actual value of Public Relations in the industry.
Talent
In terms of talent, the world does not care about the designation of Public Relations professionals rather they care about those that can do the job perfectly.
Competency is the key and one of the major big things that will shape the future of Public Relations and it will distinguish between those that are core professional from those that cannot do the job.
He said: “Clients don’t care about your designation; they care about you delivering on the job. So, for you to do well as a PR professional, you must be competent on your job”
Specialization.
The agency boss pointed out that for Public Relations practitioners to survive in the future, they will need to specialize in a particular area of Public Relations like agriculture, communications, tourism amongst others.
On the aspect of commoditization, he employed Public Relations practitioners to create branded services, which will further make them different and stand out in the course of rendering their professional services.
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