Driven by the trend of the Great Reset, Publicis UK published a text on its website calling industry players to an open and honest dialogue about where they are, which direction they are heading, and what their work processes look like in this transitional period that, it claims, leads to a new era of knowledge. The marketing, creative, and communication sectors, writes Publicis, need to be the driving forces of the transition as they trade and share their knowledge and turn it into something tangible, whether it is a TV ad or a story. Although the role of the industry has not changed – it still helps clients communicate in the broadest sense – the environment, technology, and times have changed. To help others navigate the new age, it must first master it itself, reorganize, or rather, reset its own ranks.
New times always bring new challenges, so it is no surprise that even two-thirds of senior women in a survey by Women in PR admitted to considering quitting due to burnout, and as many as 83 percent consider public relations more challenging than other industries. Women in PR, therefore, launches the campaign ‘Speak out, don’t burnout’, and we checked with domestic PR experts how much times have really changed and how they are adapting their work processes to the transition into a new era.
In the job description
Thus, managing partner at the Dialog Communication agency, Marina Čulić Fischer, confirmed that PR professionals indeed live stressful lives, and in the past four years, like everyone else, they have felt the consequences of the pandemic, wars, and economic instability.
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Integrated approach to communication brings the erasure of once-clear boundaries between certain types of jobs. Until recently, it was known exactly what the job of creative, media, and communication agencies or consultants and media was. Digitalization has blurred those boundaries
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– Perhaps we have been additionally exposed to these stresses in our work because our professional senses are always engaged – we constantly listen to trends, events, communication, and the public – said Čulić Fischer, emphasizing that the responsibility is great, challenges are always present, but in that lies, she claims, the charm of their job.
She is joined by the owner of the Communication Laboratory agency, Manuela Šola, who, when asked if domestic experts would respond as those included in the Women in PR survey, said that they are also exposed to stress and demands for high productivity, which can affect work exhaustion.
– However, the situation can vary depending on numerous factors such as the size of the agency, the type of clients, and independently managing the project. It is not good to generalize; it is necessary to carefully consider and understand the specifics of the market to better understand PR professionals’ responses to this topic. What we can definitely work on as employers is balancing work and private life, but also empowering employees to cope with stress, regardless of gender – emphasized Šola, adding that new factors such as constant changes in the media, the growing number of online media, the demand for quick responses on social media, and a greater focus on online presence can increase stress and pressure among colleagues of different seniority levels, and it will always be present due to the nature of the job.
Or, as the director of corporate communications at HT, Igor Vukasović, says – that is in the job description or comes with the territory, regardless of whether it is an agency or corporate position.
Who you work with
PR is continuously mentioned among the top 20, even top 10 most stressful professions in the world, but these studies, claims Vukasović, should be taken with a grain of salt.
– Far from it that when you choose a career in PR you don’t see everything, but without any desire to diminish the great demands of our profession, we cannot really put it in the same sentence with doctors, surgeons, social workers, firefighters, soldiers… However, the fact that we are constantly ‘on’, that the workload is considerable, expectations are always high, pressure is omnipresent, and working with (some) people even for those who are true people-persons is demanding, takes its toll – noted Vukasović, adding that regardless of whether you are an agency or corporate PR professional, it is crucial who you have the (mis)fortune to work with, what your colleagues, team, partners, clients are like, and whether they value you and if respect is mutual, whether you are still interested in PR and love what you do, and whether there is understanding at home for the nature of the work you do.
Of course, there are also the mentioned changes that the PR industry must adapt to and develop alongside, which is inspiring but also demanding.
The notorious AI
Indeed, it is the trends in the environment that are the reason why the typical job of a PR professional has fundamentally changed in the last five or ten years. Yes, only change is constant, but the fact is that the industry must digest a huge amount of changes in a short time, adapt to them to be able to help clients do the same. In addition to changes driven by technological development, Marina Čulić Fischer notes that the pandemic has changed clients’ priorities and focus (it is no longer enough to just highlight the importance of an issue but also to actively participate in its resolution), and there is also the notorious artificial intelligence, which has become one of the burning topics and for which many industries will have to restructure at least part of their business. In a recent survey ‘Dialog vox populi‘, conducted by Dialog Communications on their social media, it was shown that most respondents believe that AI will not replace them in their jobs, although more than three-quarters of participants have already used ChatGPT or another AI chatbot in their work, and their attitude towards it is positive. About half use AI for creating creative concepts and during copywriting, and the same number believes that AI can accurately assess the sentiment of media releases. Two-thirds think that AI can be useful in crisis communication, but also that it can help in researching public opinion.
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Measuring the impact of practices on reputation, along with digital marketing services, crisis communication, and reputation management on social media, will be the focus of PR professionals in the coming year
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– Greater use of artificial intelligence in the future will certainly lead to the restructuring of some jobs, but in the last five to ten years we have been more or less constantly in some restructuring. Besides the high flexibility of business, among the challenges, there are at least two constants – the hunger for quality personnel and the need for market education. These needs appear stronger or weaker in certain cycles, but 20 years ago the situation was very similar to today – emphasized Čulić Fischer.
When asked if there have been changes in budget redistribution, i.e., the jobs they perform, she replies that less is invested in some channels than before, while in others (or new ones) much more.
– Budgets are opening up across the entire range of services that are an integral part of public relations, and the trend of an integrated approach to communication will further strengthen our market position – noted Čulić Fischer.
Generational dramas
The integrated approach to communication also brings the erasure of once-clear boundaries between certain types of jobs, so it was previously known exactly what the job of creative, media, and communication agencies or consultants and media was.
– The boundaries are becoming increasingly unclear, partly due to rapid digitalization. PR agencies are increasingly becoming creative content producers, media houses are developing their own PR departments, and consultants are entering the sphere of strategic communication. And vice versa. There is a convergence of industries that opens new opportunities but also creates competition as all actors try to provide comprehensive services. I sincerely believe in creating strong partnerships with various stakeholders in the market as this leads to excellent results and competitive advantages – commented Manuela Šola from the Communication Laboratory. Thus, when it comes to work processes, public relations agencies need the same experts and departments as five or ten years ago, but due to the more complex job, also new departments and experts with a new set of skills. Additionally, PR agencies are getting younger, which can be an advantage but also a challenge, as new generations come with different skills and mindsets.
The owner and executive director of the agency Abeceda komunikacije, Marina Bolanča, illustrated this challenge with an example from her agency.
– Recently, we brought a team to a client presentation that would, if the collaboration happened, work with them. All our teams are a mix of generations, as we believe that this is the best way to blend experience and freshness. However, this client did not like that and noted as negative feedback that our team was too young. The collaboration did not happen, and shortly after, in an informal conversation, he complained that he lacked understanding of the new generations. I kept quiet about the ‘did I tell you?’ and asked how we could help him. We have a strong senior team consisting of experts with ten to twenty years of relevant experience, and they are operationally supported by younger colleagues. However, given that we have an open organizational culture, our strategies arise synergistically, resulting from all team members, and sometimes even the entire agency. For us, change means complementing, and we believe that this is the best approach – explained Bolanča.
She sees the opportunity for market development precisely in this intergenerational collaboration, and they have gained expertise in this, as well as in Generation Z and communication sustainability.
– No matter how much we resist the trends brought by new generations, the fact is that there has always been resistance before us and them, yet new things were adopted. We used to complain (most often quietly) about how hard it was to work 10, 12 hours a day (at least that was how it was done in agencies), and when today’s generations prioritize work-life balance, it does not suit us again – because how do they, and how do we. We need to learn from the young because that is what we wanted too, but we did not have the courage to fight for ourselves. All this is important to understand how target groups think and live and how we can then propose the best solutions for our communication tools. That is precisely why we are launching the communication platform 20:40, which aims to make intergenerational misunderstandings understandable – Bolanča listed.
The key to synergy
In addition to intergenerational understanding, she sees an opportunity for market development in the application of ESG strategies. Measuring the impact of practices on reputation, along with digital marketing services, crisis communication, and reputation management on social media, will be the focus of PR professionals in the coming year, according to Manuela Šola.
– PR agencies that successfully integrate ESG into their services can expect growth in that area. Clients are increasingly focusing on sustainability and social responsibility, which could stimulate demand for services, especially in segments dealing with representing and promoting ESG initiatives – explained Šola, while the executive director of Millenium Promotion, Vladimir Preselj, sees an opportunity in the development of AI tools.
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66 percent of senior women in a survey by Women in PR admitted to considering quitting due to burnout, and as many as 83 percent consider public relations more challenging than other industries
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– We view AI and tools based on the use of artificial intelligence rather as an opportunity – it is indeed a tool that can help us perform certain operational, technical tasks faster, better, and more economically, which is ultimately good for both the agency and the clients. At this moment, there is no reason to view AI as a threat, as we provide input and control output in these processes, determining what is rational use and deciding what quality content is. Ultimately, we are still responsible for creativity and strategic thinking; therein lies the true value and meaning of our work – said Preselj, adding that these strategic advisory services will continue to be the most lucrative for agencies and the most valuable in the market, and the biggest challenge will be developing and perfecting new generations of professionals who will know how to use new technologies and tools in the best possible way. In any case, transitions into new eras of business are always challenging, but for PR professionals, especially those with years of experience, this is not the first time they witness profound changes in the environment. Besides the experience in overcoming new challenges, open discussion and transparency regarding the application of new business practices can help them, as Publicis UK suggests. Because, just as synergy among employees/departments is necessary for the progress of an agency or company, synergy and communication among players are needed for the development of the industry.
