The ‘PR bubble’ is something the industry has grown more conscious of in recent years. Was the impactful campaign you worked on actually impactful? Or, was it just a hot topic in the marketing press and on Linkedin that week? Then maybe it was – if marketing professionals were your intended target. The effectiveness of our work not only depends on the quality of our messages but also on who it reaches and how.
To ensure our efforts are truly meaningful, we must prioritise access to new information and foster meaningful connections with our audiences. Good comms can empower, community-build and create new touch points for audiences to engage with information.
In November 2023, vehicle manufacturer, Polestar, launched the ‘Polestar Truth Bot – a purpose-built bot on X (formerly Twitter) created to help debunk the most common inaccuracies about climate change within the automotive industry. Given Polestar’s affluent and tech-savvy customers, X was exactly the place they needed to be. In a similar vein, the launch of rapper Stormzy’s Merky FC, and more recently, his separate venture, House Party, utilised social publishers like GRM Daily and The Shade Borough – as well as content creators – to break the news to a young millennial and Gen Z audience.
It’s great to see that brands that look beyond traditional print or editorial coverage are creating truly impactful campaigns.
However, it’s no surprise that the brands that choose to move into these spaces are newcomers, niche or non-traditional. The fact remains that there’s still work to be done to validate and elevate new media to a place where they’re not just seen as add-ons or only thought of for a youth-focused campaign. Instead, they should be viewed as first-rate platforms that can stand beside the likes of The Times and Vogue.
As communication professionals, it’s our job to meet audiences where they are. Consider all the mediums you receive your news and ask yourself whether your media strategies even come close to engaging with these channels. Not-so-new media, including social publishers, content creators, thought leaders, ‘internet people’ with blogs and Substacks, podcasters – the list goes on – might just be the pin to pop “PR bubble” campaigns.
