As the world evolves in a post-pandemic era, public relations is also rapidly transforming If the last two years have shown us anything, it’s the importance of keeping up with industry trends and refining our approach to working. While we are still hyped about the new year, here are the nine PR trends for 2022 as predicted by public relations professionals at ID Africa.
1. Growth in audience reception to short-form content
In a world where many things fight for audiences’ attention, it is essential to consider audience needs when creating content. It’s quite predictable that in 2022, audience reception to short-form content will continue to grow rapidly. At ID Africa, short pieces have been part of our content toolbox. Whether it’s a slidegram, listicle, tweet, or Instagram post, we believe bite-size content can do wonders for cutting through the noise and getting more eyeballs on the message we are conveying.
2. Brands to invest in thought leadership content
Usually associated with executives putting out content on LinkedIn or giving ego-boosting interviews, thought leadership is finally getting the attention it deserves. More than ever, brands are poised to invest in creating more thought leadership material to stay ahead of trends and bolster public branding.
A LinkedIn-Edelman study found about 60% of high-ranking business executives confirmed thought leadership influenced decisions to award projects to businesses. That shows the benefits brands can gain from investing in producing thought leadership content. Thought leadership can come in different formats, including conference speaking engagements, expert interviews, guest posting, corporate blogging, and more.
3. Video on the rise
According to PR & Communications Adviser, Timilehin Adebiyi, ‘Video is on the rise.’ From Instagram Reels to TikTok videos, brands will hope to replicate their success with video content in 2022. Marketing experts have long considered video an excellent tool for capturing audience attention, especially as attention spans continue to reduce. Moreover, video is a great way to appeal to younger individuals – particularly Millenials and Gen Zs.
Jumia was one of the brands that leveraged video in 2021. We saw them create a viral TikTok challenge to promote their Black Friday sales. The “Big Deal” Challenge successfully drove brand awareness, served as a form of entertainment to participants of the challenge and social media users alike. In 2022, investing in video content formats is a no-brainer.
4. Storytelling is king
Storytelling always has and will continue to fuel PR and marketing efforts. In 2022, the best brands must tell stories that connect with target audiences and foster top-of-mind awareness. Fadekemi Jegede, PR and Communications Adviser at ID Africa, says of storytelling: “Storytelling remains king: No matter how much the world evolves and how things change, storytelling will remain at the core of PR. The effectiveness of every PR campaign is linked to its use of excellent brand stories. Sure, factors like time and seasonal trends may force us to tweak how and where we tell stories—but we still need to tell stories, nonetheless.”
5. Growing distrust of PR tactics and need to re-evaluate strategies
For a long time, PR experts have warned of a growing trust deficit and its likely impact on the effectiveness of PR tactics. Now, there are actual studies to back up claims that, indeed, audiences are growing sceptical and distrustful of news and PR-spun content. For Njideka Akagbogu, Lead PR & Communications Adviser at ID Africa, PR professionals must re-evaluate strategies if they want true impact in 2022. “My biggest lesson of 2021 is that our target audiences can increasingly see through many of the tactics we deploy for our campaigns, such that they no longer move the needle or serve any use beyond ticking the mentions boxes.
“More than ever, we need to rethink the way we do PR. How do we do work that matters—that makes the right kind of impact, especially in a world where there’s a trust deficit? These are some of the hard questions we need to be asking ourselves.” she says.
6. Increase in preference for audio-only platforms
Audio-only platforms were some of the hottest social media products last year. Initially, Clubhouse led the charge with the audio-sharing platform doubling its user base—until Twitter launched Spaces, a rival platform. This year, we predict audio-only platforms will continue to increase in popularity as they promise more engagement and interaction. Brands must find innovative ways to explore audio content formats to drive conversations online, build brand loyalty, and create buzz for campaigns.
Again, Jumia Nigeria provided a compelling case for audio-only platforms after using Twitter Spaces to drive Black Friday sales in December. ALAT by Wema also did the same with one of their ALAT Talk Series edition which took place on Clubhouse.
7. Influencer marketing to increase in 2022
This year, brands serious about earning audience visibility must include influencer marketing in their public relations strategy. Already, experts predict the influencer marketing industry will hit $15 billion by 2022. However, brands must refine their influencer marketing strategy to extract value from this tactic. An excellent place to start is choosing micro-influencers with higher engagement over mega-influencers with high visibility but low engagement.
8. PR landscape to get more competitive
PR has always been a competitive field and will remain so in the near future. As marketing budgets shrink, agencies must compete against rivals to secure clients. But they must also justify tactics and satisfy clients to keep the lights on.
Iretomiwa Akintunde-Johnson, Lead PR & Communications Adviser at ID Africa has a few words for PR pros to survive the cut-throat world of PR: keep your cards hidden and plan for contingencies. “Trust no one. And always have a plan B all the way to plan Z.” That’s her golden advice to both beginners and experts in the field.
She also thinks PR professionals must constantly drive themselves to succeed. “You’re only as good as you want to be. So, expanding yourself is in your hands. Don’t chicken out of things or shy away from projects that challenge you—take them head-on. And if you fail, at least it would have been something big that made you fail,” she advises.
9. PR to integrate with technology
In 2021, we saw NFTs explode, just as cryptocurrency and a dozen other technologies became mainstream. From all indications, the PR industry won’t be left out in this technological revolution. Already, companies like Plaqad are redefining the way brands, influencers, and creatives interact and collaborate on campaigns. Launched in 2020, Plaqad offers PR agencies and brand managers a seamless, all-in-one platform for conducting campaigns, recruiting influencers, and tracking the impact of PR efforts.
But that’s just the beginning, as the continued convergence of PR and tech is predicted to continue in 2022. At least, Damilola Atinmo, Senior PR & Communications Adviser at ID Africa, believes it. According to him, the PR industry “will tilt heavily towards tech next year.” He also thinks PR agencies will reduce reliance on traditional media platforms in 2022.
“The [PR] industry is likely to trim traditional media by a larger percentage as companies try to connect with the audience where they are. And if, for example, the audience is going virtual and hopping/exploring the metaverse, etc., then the industry is going there,” Damilola declares.
Oluwaseun Olarewaju, PR & Comms Adviser at ID Africa, is even more bullish about the growth of PR in tech, predicting that “PR Tech” may become a thing in 2022. “Most industries are properly integrated with technology, e.g., we all hear of EduTech, FinTech, AgroTech, and even MarTech (Marketing Technology),” he says. “There will be better integration of PR and Technology to effectively measure PR efforts; so we could see ‘PRTech’ happening this year.”
With our fingers crossed as we keep things rolling this year, PR professionals at ID Africa are ready to take advantage of changes in the industry and continually optimise our strategies to produce the best results for our clients.
Written by: Emmanuel Awosika