How Digital Comm Changes the PR Game

1. ATA #4
Slides:
1) Title slide:HowDigital CommChangesthe PRGame by Joe Rivera. MMC6400
2) There are many differentdefinitionsforPublicRelations. PRSA definesPRasthe “strategic
communicationprocessthatbuildsmutuallybeneficial relationshipsbetweenorganizationsandtheir
publics.”
3) Asthe practice of PublicRelationshave evolvedsohasthe incorporationof technological
advancements. Digital PublicRelationsintertwinesthe understandingof PRwiththe gratificationsof
technology. Forexample,we canfollow individualsonline withtheirHash-TaggingorLikesof locations,
newsoutletslive streamspeechesdirectlyontotheirsitesandallow forresharing,andauser’sabilityto
commentonany piece shareddirectlyforall otherstosee andreporton.
4) Enteringthe digital age,where everythingisdone remotelyandonline,we cansee more changesin
the PublicRelationslandscape. The PRindustryhasgrown 30% in the past 5 yearsalone. Justin2016,
businessesran 1.6 millionInstagramprofilesandnow there’sover8 millionwith7out of 10 hashtags
beingbranded. PublicRelationstudieshave shownthe vastimprovementsandabilitytoreachviewers
directlythroughsocial mediaandonline advertisements.
5) Digital CommunicationwithPublicRelationscanbe as effectiveasbusinessesmake it. Justlike a
businessmodel,theyneedtohave a PR plan. Businessescaninteractdirectlywiththeirpublicsand
targetedonline audience bysimplyre-Tweetingposts,Likingpages,consistence inrotationof social
mediaadvertisements. Althoughthe mediarichnessisn’tasentunedasface-to-face interactions,digital
PR can alsoutilize Zoom,Skype,orotherplatformsthatallow somethingverysimilar.
6) Althoughstillveryeffective andimportant,traditionalPublicRelationswasatan extreme
disadvantage tothe digital era. Traditional PRconsistedof newspaperswithads,televisionandradio
commercials,andevenhome phone calls. Thisisa hard statistictomeasure if affective atall. Digital PR
can connectdirectlywithonline users,bloggers,andpersonalitiesthathave a widerdigital reach. PR
can post to websites,share videos,uploadfeaturedinformation,andcanfollow links. Digital PRhas
unlimitedcapabilityandhasa much higherspeedof reach.
7) Digital PublicRelationspersonnel mustkeepanew standardof thinkinginmind. First,theymust
focuson the traditional views,goals,andimportance of businessPRwhileincorporatingadvancing
technological advancements. Secondly,theyneedtothinkstrategically.
8) PublicRelationsare Storytellers. The PrincetonReviewnotesthat:“A publicrelationsspecialistisan
image shaper. Theirjobisto generate positivepublicityfortheirclientandenhance theirreputation.”
Digital toolsusedbythese onlinespecialistsinclude digital speechwriting,onlinebusinessfollowersor
contacts,crisisstrategies,andsocial mediapromotions.
“6 PublicRelationsStatistics&TrendsToKnow |.” Mediakix,23 July2018, mediakix.com/blog/public-
relations-statistics-trends/.

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