The “2024 Global Comms Report” sheds light on critical trends reshaping the public relations (PR) and communications landscape, emphasizing the evolving role of professionals in impacting bottom lines and the growing reliance on data-driven strategies.
The report underscores PR’s expanding role beyond reputation management to influencing financial performance and brand growth. C-suite expectations now include driving revenue, share of voice, and overall brand value, prompting a strategic shift towards data-driven approaches (GCR, 2024:3). PR professionals are urged to utilize data and analytics across various aspects of their work, including performance measurement, audience insights, crisis management, business impact assessment, and strategic decision-making (GCR, 2024:1,4,12). Leveraging these insights enables PR teams to demonstrate the direct link between their efforts and business outcomes.
Insights into workplace settings and regional differences provide valuable context for practitioners. Balancing in-office and remote work arrangements is essential, alongside variances in challenges, priorities, and tool usage across regions. Globally, 57% of respondents work in a hybrid arrangement, with 29% working fully remote and 14% working fully in-office (GCR, 2024:4). In the US, 63% of respondents report working in a hybrid fashion (Ibid), which is the highest percentage among all regions surveyed. This contrasts with Europe, where 58% work in a hybrid arrangement, and APAC, where only 40% do so (Ibid). Professionals Dawn Beauparlant and Nick Cowling emphasize the importance of in-person collaboration for effective communication work (GCR, 2024:5).
The significance of data and analytics in measuring impact, managing crises, and tracking real-time data is of great importance. This is illustrated by the fact that 42% of global respondents stated that they are relying on data and analytics “very much so” compared to the previous year (GCR, 2024:4). Additionally, 59% of respondents reported having a dedicated data analyst on their team (Ibid). PR professionals are urged to leverage analytics to demonstrate their contributions to key business factors such as revenue and brand value.
The report also explores the evolving social media landscape, indicating platforms like Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube as pivotal for content strategies (GCR, 2024:9). Emerging platforms such as BeReal and Artifact are gaining traction (GCR, 2024:6), particularly among Gen Z audiences. However, regional differences exist, with U.S. respondents slower to adopt emerging platforms compared to Europe and APAC (Ibid). The report stresses the importance of tracking media metrics alongside business outcomes (GCR, 2024:14).
In essence, the report underscores the imperative for PR professionals to adapt to the evolving landscape by embracing data-driven strategies and staying attuned to regional nuances and emerging platforms. By doing so, they can effectively drive business success and meet the evolving expectations of stakeholders in an increasingly dynamic communications environment. In Dagorà, we believe in innovation through interaction and communication between people.
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