PRSA Northwest Ohio Keynote Presentation

2019 Trends
Steve Radick, SVP, Senior Director
BCW Global

COPYRIGHT © 2018 BCW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. | 2
BCW At A Glance
The world’s only agency created to deliver integrated solutions across all sectors on a global scale.
Combines Cohn & Wolfe’s expertise in digitally-driven creative, content and earned engagement …
with Burson-Marsteller’s strength in public affairs, corporate and crisis communications, research and analytics.
Network of more than 4,000 employees, across 42 countries worldwide.
Uniquely suited to meet brands’ complex communications needs.

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NORTH AMERICA
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MIDDLE EAST + AFRICA
ASIA PACIFIC
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78
offices
40
countries
4K
people
Connected Global Network.
Deep Local Insights & Relationships.

PRSA Pittsburgh is one of the largest chapters within the East Central District, with a
network of more than 200 PR professionals.
The PRSA Pittsburgh Mission
To create, educate, and empower a diverse community of communications professionals who
value the role that public relations plays in their careers, their organizations, and the region.
Our Value Proposition
PRSA Pittsburgh believes public relations serves an increasingly vital role in the leadership,
business, marketing, and communications functions of all organizations, and we aim to provide
our members with the tools, support, education, and networking to play this role in their
respective organizations.

It’s a tough time to be a PR pro

Status quo? What status quo?
The PR industry will change considerably or
drastically over the next 5 years
• 70% of all PR professionals agree
• 80% of students agree
Respondents cited the following reasons:
Changing Media Landscape
Technological Innovations
Greater Access to Data
Disruption of Traditional Business Models
Political Climate
Source: 2018 Global Communications Report, USC
Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

PR and Marketing are converging
In just one year, the number
of agency and in-house pros
who believe PR will become
more integrated with
marketing in the next 5 years
has almost doubled.
100%

No sources, no problems
% increase in the number of PR
pros who believe the average
consumer will not be able to
distinguish between paid,
earned, shared and owned
media in the next 5 years
13%

Who am I? Who are
you? What’s our role?
What should I do?

2019 will be a year of self-
reflection and change

Prediction 1: Trust in the media
will sink even further

Americans don’t trust…anything
https://www.knightfoundation.org/reports/indicator
s-of-news-media-trust

1. Earned media budgets will decrease
2. Executive spokespeople will retreat
3. Hot takes > facts

What does this mean for us?
• Internal PR education has to be in your job description.
• Make sure your glass is always half full.
• Identify measures of ROI beyond clicks, impressions, and other
vanity metrics.

Prediction 2: Trolling as a PR
tactic will become more popular

Trolling gets sophisticated

1. High risk, high reward marketing
2. A branded race to the bottom
3. Increased focus on diverse teams

• Be more proactive in scoping and advocating for crisis
communications strategies
• Here today, gone tomorrow – for good news AND bad news
• Figure out your brand personality…now
• Look around the room – if everyone looks like you, you’re taking
a huge risk

Prediction 3: Convergence at
the top, fragmentation at the
bottom

Blurred lines
87%
of professionals say that the term “Public
Relations” will not describe the work
they will do in five years
Source: 2017 Global Communications Report, USC Annenberg
Source: PRWeek / Boston University
Communications Bellwether Survey

1. The big get bigger and the small
get smaller
2. More in-house agencies
3. More jobs in data measurement
and digital content

• Cross-train - learn business, marketing, analytics – and expand
your knowledge base
• There will be increased demand for senior PR counselors and
consultants
• Diversify your career – big, small, agency, client-side, non-
profits, government, etc.

Prediction 4: The quest for
authenticity will lead an ethics
resurgence

Can brands actually change the world?

1. The public will become each
brand’s authenticity judge, jury,
and executioner
2. PR will be looked at as the
organization’s conscience
3. Right? Wrong? Depends on
who’s asking
To what extent do the following represent
potential ethical issues for the PR industry?

• Identify and follow your own personal ethics code
• Set expectations – you WILL make people angry
• Be your organization’s best investigative journalist

Any Questions?

Thank you
Steve Radick
• SVP, Senior Director
• www.steveradick.com
• www.twitter.com/sradick
• https://www.bcw-global.com/
37

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