After the year 2023 was, 2024 will introduce even more shifts for the PR industry. We see communications practitioners diving deeper into what we do done and expanding the remit to meet the changing landscape. After looking into our glass ball, these are the changes we will foresee that will start in 2024.
Authenticity and transparency
“We are sick of the bulls**t” is a catch cry reverberating among GenZ.
Purpose and values will further come to the forefront as Gen Z increase their purchasing power.
This year will see people start making more of a statement about buying preferences – what and from where as their honest thoughts as authenticity and transparency demands grow.
Meaningful connections with brands and their audience will be the driver of sales and with AI-generated content becoming more prominent, authenticity will be integral to standing out. People need value and when it comes to PR practitioners, we will be placing more human emotion and connection into communications.
Authenticity, transparency and connection will take focus in every aspect of the communications landscape, which takes us to these next points:
AI will not be taking over
We all know AI is not going anywhere, however we predict there will a shift to greater awareness of automated writing and messaging from previous hype. The result? People will be more aware of those using it and steer far far away.
It would be easy for PR practitioners (if done right) to use AI to take over most of their communication writing but, let’s be real, you can tell the difference between a real human to a computer.
Using AI to write defeats the communication purpose, AI is not able to impart human connection, warmth and empathy the way a person can. The more people who use AI, the more resources get reused and the more the content becomes similar.
Brands and social media
Third-party wording for brands is so 2022. With connection being top of mind, this year we will see more brands move to a personalised relationship with their followers.
Instead of the typical ‘at xyz’ we will start seeing more ‘we’ as they include their audience into their community. Long time coming we say…
Brands will also further increase their use of social media in the age of immediacy by becoming their own reputation manager. Expect to see more live content and the re-sharing of consumers’ posts as brands focus on inclusivity rather than aesthetics. By piquing people’s attention, getting personal with content and creating conversation an engaged audience will naturally follow.
Posting daily, having a key spokesperson, getting involved with trends and showing personality, answering comments, and collaborating with like-minded individuals will be key factors to success this year.
Influencer marketing
Influencer marketing is still having its day with the rise of TikTok accounts. We foresee another dynamic shift with the preference coming back to authenticity and engaged tight community preferences over high follower numbers alone.
Social media attention spans will remain very low, with this creators will need to capture attention by infusing creativity into their everyday content. This could bring more ‘trends’ and a shift in effectively engaging an audience – we could see the moral of the story evident in the opening seconds.
Brands will look to loosen the brief and let creators create what feels right for their audience as they become accustomed to what resonates on TikTok and this will move to other social platforms. Creators will value the creative freedom and going a bit ‘off the brief’ to create authenticity, emotion and energy ultimately delivering results.
Climate Crisis
Expect to see even more of a deep dive into tackling the climate crisis. Scrutiny is rising so ensuring that the planet is at the forefront will be key, and if it isn’t we will start to see brands being challenged to do better from multiple sectors.