Tara Tomes, Owner and Managing Director of Birmingham PR agency, EAST VILLAGE., kicks off this year’s Expert Opinions with her predictions for the key trends we’re going to see this year. If you’re a business or brand owner, this is a must-read to see how to put your best foot forward when it comes to planning your PR and marketing activity in 2021.
Whether owned, earned, shared or paid for, the power of PR has always focused on being talked about. There’s no doubting that 2020 certainly showed us the importance that, but in a world full of worry and negativity, it was finally the time to be talked about for the right reasons. Instead of controversy and click bait, journalists have spent the last 12 months looking for positive and light-hearted stories, which has been much-welcomed by brands. But what does this mean as we enter a new year? What are the PR trends that we’re going to see come through? Here are my predictions for the top five areas to focus on when planning your own 2021 PR strategy.
Values-led comms
My biggest hope this year, regardless of how long the latest restrictions last or the time it takes to roll out the vaccine, is that we aren’t too quick to forget our lockdown learnings. 2020 showed us the importance of connection, putting the spotlight on our communities, and flooding the media with people. Actual real people. 2020 is the year we learned some tough lessons and 2021 is the year that we action them.
The brands that came to the forefront last year were those with great values. Those owner-managed businesses who do everything with purpose and want to create change. Finally, these businesses, who have often struggled to get their positive news stories covered, will be the first port of call for journalists looking to better represent what’s actually happening in the world so make sure that you’re pushing your positive news stories out.
I also think it’s really important that we broaden how we see ‘change’. We don’t all have to be Greta Thunberg – and it’s about more than just carbon emissions. We’ve seen the world fall apart in front of our eyes, so this year has to show people the small changes that they can make to create a better environment for everyone; from going plastic-free and shopping small, to ensuring we’re diverse in our thinking and representing all communities across the board.
Dynamic messaging
Any PR pro knows that the “spray and pray” tactic of sending a press release to a giant press list isn’t how you do good PR, but the importance of focused messaging and one-to-one journalist relationships is more important than ever. The media had to move almost wholly online overnight back in March, so now we need to use this to our advantage with more exciting and dynamic content. Think beyond press releases and press stunts, and look at what engages people online.
This digital acceleration will also likely see a greater focused placed on multi-channel messaging, with a rise in translation to help make brands more ‘global’. As well as prioritising better accessibility, to help reach those sometimes-forgotten audiences. Even simple website descriptions can start to open up a world to those who have all too often been missed from PR campaigns; those with learning disabilities and visual impairments will now have their needs considered beyond public sector guidelines.
Making insight more than just research and reporting
We’ve always known the value of audience insight; after all, PR is about understanding people and making messages work for them. This year, I think this will truly come into its own, as we carry through some of those 2020 lessons about people and understanding what truly makes them tick.
Consumers no longer just ‘buy’ from brands… they join them. They jump on board with their values and become part of communities. Even for the simplest of products and services, this is going to be the case so dump the old school audience profiles and get to know who you’re selling to and why they buy from you.
Creative models of working
I’m a big advocate for flexible working – EAST VILLAGE. gave up the office last year in favour of a more flexible approach and I’m certain that, whilst maybe not this extreme, businesses will have to adapt to more hybrid ways of working. Some businesses are really reluctant to see this change and want to “go back to normal” but workforces want and expert more, so you need to consider this if you want to keep your people.
Added to this, I think we’ll see a lot more collaboration across the board. I’m sure the agency owners amongst you will understand what I mean when I say that, in the past we’ve started to deliver things that aren’t our expertise. It just kind of ‘happens’. You do a favour for a client and then, suddenly, they expect you to keep doing it. So, you do and it’s only a few months (or maybe even years) down the line that you realise you’ve stretched yourselves too thin or lost your original discipline. I think 2021 will see people move away from the ‘360’ agency model and being expected to deliver everything. Instead, we’ll see more collaboration; agencies, freelancers and creatives coming together to offer clients a more focused and expert approach.
The rise in DIY PR
Anyone in PR who hasn’t seen this coming must have their eyes closed, but it’s an obvious move and one that we should embrace. ‘DIY’ PR is here to stay, and it means that agencies need to adapt how they operate so that they fit into this new landscape. There are some great PR experts out there, who I often share and direct people to; Lucy Werner, Fiona at Boss Your PR, Antonia Taylor and PR Dispatch are all helping businesses learn how to do their own PR. Even as a business owner, I’ve suggested people do it themselves when I’ve looked at their business and struggled to justify what we could do for them. I don’t believe in taking people’s money if we’re not providing true value.
This, of course, isn’t for everyone but it’s exactly I set up Pocket Sized PR last year; I wanted to support small business owners at a time they needed it most. It’s an initiative that sits under EAST VILLAGE. and we provide a host of free PR and marketing tips, templates and how-to guides over on our website, as well as easy-to-understand PR and social media packages tailored to small business budgets. The old PR agency model isn’t quite dead yet, but it does need to change because big retainers with brands who have huge marketing budgets are few and far between.
So that’s it… my predictions for PR trends in 2021. PR finally stepped into the spotlight last year and now it’s time to truly flourish; we’ve showed that we’re about more than just column inches and opened people’s eyes to why traditional ROI models don’t work for PR. So, let’s embrace the chance and evolve as quickly as our consumers… it’s going to be an exciting year for anyone marketing a brand!
Tara Tomes founded Birmingham PR agency EAST VILLAGE. back in 2013, having worked both agency and client-side for local independent retailers, internationally renowned fashion brands, acclaimed event venues, large scale exhibitions, and everything in between. Born out of a passion for collaboration and demonstrating great values, Tara was keen to create the kind of agency she would be proud to be a part of; introducing flexible working, creating ongoing training and development programmes, pushing young talent to the fore, and championing diversity in PR.
EAST VILLAGE. is an award-winning, independent lifestyle PR agency that delivers PR, influencer marketing, social media and events for brands across fashion, retail, lifestyle, property, and the Third Sector. Its clients include Castle Fine Art, Centrick Property, CHOICE CBD, Heart of England Community Foundation, Influenstar, Living Well UK, Longbridge Shopping, Love Logs, and Roseanna Croft Jewellery to name a few.
Find out more: www.eastvillageagency.com / @eastvillagepr
