PUBLIC RELATIONS TRENDS
Author: Natalie Price, President of The Fearey Group
Publication: Daily Journal of Commerce

SEATTLE, WA – December, 2005
There are three trends in public relations that industry professionals should be aware of: the increase in information clutter, the rising importance of pinpoint marketing and the changes taking place within the newsroom. We live in a world where a never-ending flow of information assails us at every front and from every source imaginable-television, radio, the web, intranets, blogs, printed media, email, BlackBerrys and cell phones. Many of us spend more time deleting email than reading it.

This phenomenon has caused a direct shift in how public relations professionals communicate with key audiences and the media. In order to separate their clients from the information clutter, public relations professionals are creating tightly targeted public relations campaigns. In the battle for attention, effective communication requires the discerning use of a laser, not the indiscriminate shotgun. Our company's real estate practice group has seen a localized shift from mass marketing to many tenants, to pinpoint marketing to specific industries and even, in some cases, to a single tenant. This more disciplined approach requires a greater understanding of a client's true audience, which in turn, demands a more skilled public relations professional-a business strategist rather than just a communications technician.

Media relations also demands a much more targeted approach. Personalized, highly targeted pitches to key reporters for specific placement have replaced traditional tools such as elaborate press kits and press conferences. The economic slowdown has resulted in fewer reporters available to cover hard news stories, and fewer still to cover specialized in-depth features such as real estate. Accordingly, there will be less reliance on mainstream media and more emphasis on communicating directly to constituents."
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