All signs point to growth in public relations

Public relations is a growth industry. It’s also an increasingly demanding industry as professionals have to contend with the changing relationship between consumers and brands and the concomitant change in communication. Digital media is an important area of specialisation, especially social media, and PR agents who have been slow off the mark are scrambling to catch up with what started as a trend and has turned into way of life.

PR has also survived the fracturing economic situation and, according to two separate studies, is emerging stronger than ever. A survey by the Worldcom Public Relations Group on the state of PR globally has revealed that agencies will be hiring more staff in the coming year and have already started to see companies willing to spend more on public and media relations. Agencies have to be on their toes, however, as clients won’t be fobbed off with generic approaches but are demanding more strategic communications across the board.

Sageworks Inc. has made similar findings, although these are restricted to the US rather than the global market. According to Sageworks, PR and advertising agencies, media buyers and other companies in the industry can expect their second year of double-digit sales growth. The data has been largely supported by the findings from several other media companies in the US, with only a few forecasting lower rates of growth from 2011 – which is still growth.

All of this points to the importance of diversifying product offerings. Public relations companies that choose to offer a limited range of services are unlikely to benefit from the growth projections as clients seek to keep all the PR services they require under one roof rather than use several different agencies. A comprehensive array of services is necessary and should include traditional public relations that relate to TV, radio, print and events, as well as digital media relations, branding and crisis communications.

Livewired, based in Cape Town, offers all these and more. And what’s more, its range of services aren’t limited to Cape Town but are available for companies all over South Africa.