Quick gains, frugal budgets: What I Expect For PR in 2020
Sadiya Khan, Founder of Akund Communications, talks about emerging trends which would outline how things go in 2020 in the field of PR.
From ‘Touch Of Care’ to the year-end ‘Madbury’, a good campaign at its heart is about the level of connectivity and engagement it can build with a target audience. However, as PRwalas, we know that it is also dependant on the number of hours and proverbial midnight lamps we’ve burned to create the right message, pitch it to the right people and the platforms we’ve utilised to do it.
As I sit here, trying to etch out emerging trends which would outline how things go in 2020, I acknowledge that our work is only going to get more complex and challenging, as we fine-tune our approaches, pitch to our clients and come up with our own, individual and agency-level success stories.
Here are a few trends that I can predict for the upcoming year:
- Lead Gen > Brand building strategies
Let’s be honest here. 2019 has been a year of upheaval, one with an economic slowdown, sluggish sentiments and brands asking for immediate gains. And these gains are expected in the form of leads.
Brands are especially targeting TIER II and TIER III cities for quantitative, measurable leads. These expectations and smaller budgets also require us to tighten our belts and perform on a more efficient and effective scale.
2. Guerilla tactics and techniques
The above-mentioned client expectations require us to think small, disruptive, below-the-line and even digital. Campaigns would be shorter and focus on baseline improvements rather than establishing a brand.
An electric scooter brand may focus on adoption in a specific time window. We could also be looking at more unpaid / barter coverage opportunities or riding on the coattails of an existing event.
3. Adoption first, please
The times are changing indeed. Even as we pitch future clients based on our previous wins, we need to prove our case first, possibly with a test run, where our efforts would clock measurable brand wins.
These help us join the dots between our services and the ultimate brand goals. Remember, a loyal customer base happens with every successful adoption – every time a person finds value in usage of a product/service.
Compelling calls to action for adoption, rather than just leading the customer to the landing page, is the ideal way forward.
4. Hold on brand-building:
Yes, I can’t emphasize this enough. The smarter brand would not invest in this activity so openly in 2020 unless they’re touching virgin markets or bringing in new products.
The ultimate goal for any business is to earn a profit. Brand building and awareness come in at a later stage. These days, brands know that brand-building activities accrue measurable value only if a business has a strong base. Money is a significant factor as well – one which they want to leverage for quicker gains.
This does not mean that 2020 would be a gloomy journey. Coverage, communication and targeted messages can make the graph for any business and brands need a steady, stable hand to help them achieve these at any rate. Seasoned freelancers, agencies and communication powerhouses who are listening to the ground have already modified their approaches and are working on them with surgical precision.
This would also mean a more open atmosphere for collaboration and community-based learnings. That’s how we can make the most of these times and ensure silver linings for all of us.