PR in review | Looking back at 2021

Earlier this year, we predicted what PR might look like in 2021. An upturn in the need for integrity, trust and transparency in public relations, and we have seen many examples of this throughout the year. Take a look at PR leaders like Carrie Rose at Rise at Seven. Carrie has a unique, open style that draws you into her personal brand and shares her journey with you. No holds barred information sharing rather than closeted and closed strategies. It’s the way forward.

Check out Carrie’s #DigitalPRExamples for some public relations inspiration.

Personalisation and innovation in marketing were award-winning concepts. For example, Aldi’s #FreeCuthbert campaign and Guinness’ awesome Welcome Back #LooksLikeGuinness campaign. Take a look at Marketing Week’s top 8 here.

There were plenty of digital across omni-channels and Tik Tok made an appearance of even the most unlikely of businesses. Analytics and data bore the brunt of our investigations with business leaders needing to know if they were gaining bang for their buck.

That led to even the most headline-making of organisations leading the way to change things up by quitting social, like Wetherspoons and Tesla. More about that here.

Some scrapped advertising altogether, in favour of PR, like Airbnb. Amen to that. Read all about it here.

Going one step further, VaynerMedia is very vocal about their loathe of ads, shouting: “Advertising sucks!” to all who will listen. Listen on LinkedIn.

And then there was Thursday. Who shook up PR21 in the most playful and show-stopping of ways. Leading us to ask, what will they do in 2022? #PRgoals.

Looking ahead to 2022 it’s time to ensure there’s a budget for marketing and PR. Marketing plans are being formed and the bottom line is that there are tons of PR strategies you can use that have a greater impact on your customers than paid advertising.

These tactics are not likely to eat away at your budget. Yes, it still costs money to focus on PR, but it’s less transactional. You’re building trust with customers and that goes a very long way. They’ll speak for your brand and that is worth its weight in gold.

Brand is the buzz word for PR22. Brand hero. Brand equity. Brand empathy. Personal brand. Brand.

A word from the wise:

“If I was down to the last dollar of my marketing budget I’d spend it on PR!”, Bill Gates

As seen online at the Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce.

For many businesses, marketing is a necessary component of their success. An annual requirement reflected in their annual accounts. However, just because it is needed every year doesn’t mean it is needed all year.

Many marketing commitments are long term: annual data licenses, annual PR contracts, quarterly campaigns or may be even salaries. Again that doesn’t mean they are contributing for a 100% of the time they are committed to.

What is more these longer term commitments take no account of how you are trading. It may be you are up to capacity, and generating more demand is unhelpful. We can pause your marketing activity ensuring it is in sync with expected demand so that costs relate favourably to profit.

What if your target customers are on annual shut-down. Perhaps your income or cash-flow cannot justify the expenditure, and yet you have had to make an annual commitment. An annual cost that is not offering a return on investment. Our pay-as-you-go approach is a viable option.

Pay-as-you go marketing may sound like a gimmick. It isn’t. It has been thoughtfully devised to provide flexible options for businesses who do not have a year round marketing requirement. A switch-on, switch-off service when you and your business need it.

You Do Better are determined to not only deliver marketing of substance, but also marketing of substance only as and when it is needed.

Pay-as-you-go PR. It does what it says on the tin.

To see how our clients benefit from this on demand approach take a look at our testimonials, please click here.