A great article on the future of our profession. Katie Delahaye Paine of KDPaine & Partners wrote an article containing several predictions made by Tom Nicholson, Executive Director of the Arthur W. Page Society:
"Tom speculates that, in another decade, the job of PR within the corporate environment will either be seen as more important than legal, finance and facilities combined, or else it will be as irrelevant as one of my old jobs now is: making sure the 35 mm slides showed up on time for the Sales Meeting presentations. (Yes, I'm old enough to have actually produced 35 mm slide presentations!)"
Here's Katie's Six Characteristics Of Future PR Stars - If You Like Data, Prepare to Go Far In The Future:
1. They'll know that it is all about relationships. The PR person who approaches the market from a relationships standpoint will win. They'll understand that the market is a conversation, and that building and maintaining healthy relationships is the foundation of any strategy.
2. They'll make decisions based on data, not gut feelings.
Yes the gut will still be a powerful tool, but in an environment that morphs faster than you can say "Utterli, Seesmic, Plurk, and Twittergrader," the gut will be a very difficult thing to read and rely upon.
3. They'll listen first, listen more, and listen more carefully than did any of their predecessors. They'll constantly keep an ear to the ground, listening to every whisper of what the customers, media, influencers, analysts, employees, neighbors, and community are saying. They spend at least as much on listening as they do on shouting.
4. They'll design programs, strategies, and messages around the needs and perceptions of the target audience. Not around the product features, or the whims of a boss.
5. They'll value truth and transparency above all; there will be no secrets in this new era. Anyone can fact check anything and probably will.
6. They'll stand up for their ethics and values. If asked to lie, to obfuscate, or to conceal, the successful PR person of the future will quit.
Nicely put, Katie! Full article here.
