Looking 20 Years Into PR’s Future

In April 1953, the Pasadena, Calif. office of the Associated Press issued a story titled “There’ll be no Escape in the Future from Telephones.”

The article, which ran in newspapers across the country, quoted Mark R. Sullivan, president of San Francisco-based Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company: “In its final development, the telephone will be carried about by the individual, perhaps as we carry a watch today,” he said. “It probably will require no [rotary] dial or equivalent, and I think the users will be able to see each other, if they want, as they talk.”

Sixty-eight years later, Sullivan’s prescient comments proved true, when Apple introduced the FaceTime feature for iPhones in June 2010.”

Fast-forward to 2041

Now, imagine if you will, it’s the year 2041. What will public relations be like in the United States and Canada? 

As someone who has practiced PR for more than 25 years and studies foresight, I’ve pondered this question many times. Whatever might occur in our profession 20 years from now, budding strategic-communications professionals will do well to adopt a futures mindset, just as Mark R. Sullivan did in 1953.

As we look ahead 20 or 30 years, there are any number of possible futures. Change happens continuously. It can happen gradually, like a slowly dripping faucet, one change building upon another. Change can also happen suddenly, with a cataclysmic event such as 9/11, the effects of which we are still experiencing today.

When it comes to the PR profession, I believe a handful of factors will drive change over the next two decades. 

Factors that might change PR

In today’s attention economy, brands seek our attention and try to keep it for as long as possible. But attracting attention will become increasingly difficult as the amount of commercial messages (written, audio, video and virtual) continues to increase and bombard our senses. 

Today, print and broadcast news are undergoing huge changes as the media continues to digitize online. Meanwhile, the delivery of news is being replaced by social media. In 2041, all media will be digital. Most news will be delivered by video or through virtual reality. What will these new delivery methods mean for PR practitioners?

The technologies of artificial intelligence, data mining and automation, already advancing into the world of public relations, will bring further changes in the years to come. AI-driven software will write and distribute news stories and — as the technology is already doing on YouTube and elsewhere — select the news that we view or hear. Combined with data mining, AI will ensure that more people within your target market see and hear your news. At the same time, your new co-worker might be an android — a robot that looks like a human.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and most PR professionals were forced to work remotely, we immediately turned to online video technology such as Zoom and online productivity tools such as Slack, which allowed us to work and communicate from anywhere. 

According to a report from the analyst firm Frost & Sullivan, more than 88 percent of C-suite leaders say video makes meetings more effective. More than 80 percent say it reduces meeting times, accelerates decision-making and improves productivity.

We may hunger for in-person events and meetings, but video communication will become ubiquitous in the future. 

According to a 2019 Pew Research study, only a narrow majority of U.S. adults (56 percent) say they are somewhat or very optimistic about what the country will be like in the year 2050. Both Pew and an annual study by Chapman University find that many Americans are pessimistic and fearful of changes they might face in the years ahead. 

I believe the two primary drivers of change for public relations will be technology and the trust that people have in the governments, institutions, groups and individuals who share information. This intersection of technology and trust is where we could see a range of futures, from an authoritarian scenario — in which technology is used to sow distrust with misinformation — to a future in which humans work with technology, such as AI, to restore trust. 

How to prepare for 2041

One thing that won’t change is the need for storytelling. In fact, in an all-digital media future, telling good stories will be more important than ever. 

Two truths lie at the heart of the public relations profession: We are storytellers and keepers of trust for the organizations, groups and people we represent. Organizations will continue to rely on professionally trained communicators to tell their stories.

To fulfill that responsibility in the years to come, we will need to continue developing our skills. One such skill requires us to think not business-to-business or business-to-consumer, but human-to-human. Artificial intelligence and androids will do many things more efficiently than we can, but it’s impossible to replicate human empathy or human purpose. 

PR professionals who differentiate themselves with their creativity, paired with their knowledge of technology, will win the day in 2041. We need to stay abreast of new communications technology while also continuing to refine our soft skills such as presenting, networking, sharing, leading, thinking critically, analyzing and planning scenarios. Connecting with humans and being able to think critically will still be important skills.

In 2041, if we have maintained our democratic principles, there will still be news outlets through which to communicate important stories. Today’s upstart media will likely be tomorrow’s traditional media. New social media platforms and influencers will emerge in the generations to come. But the skill of persuading a reporter or an influencer to share a story will remain crucial for public relations professionals in 2041. 

Most important, PR practitioners will need to communicate visions of the future for their organizations. We also must learn how to communicate in a world that will change dramatically over the next 20 years. People don’t like change, but confident leaders who communicate well can help overcome those fears and bring about a brighter tomorrow. 

PRSA members have free access to Stephen Dupont’s on-demand webinar, titled “Future Trends of PR and Communications.”