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by The Notified Team on Aug 27, 2024 3:49:28 PM
The growth of online communities and social media has led to the current age of “decentralization.” While this shift lets organizations connect directly with audiences, it also presents unique challenges for public relations pros.
Will this trend make it harder to ensure consistent messaging and storytelling across channels? Or is this something corporate communicators can overcome?
A recent survey by Notified and PRWeek provides valuable insights into this important topic. Keep reading to learn more!
Decentralization: Turning Challenges Into Opportunities
Let’s start with a key survey finding - only 35% of respondents believe decentralization will enhance transparency, authenticity and trust - key pillars of effective stakeholder engagement.
Linda Rutherford, Chief Administration Officer at Southwest Airlines who oversees communications, summarized this sentiment succinctly: “A decentralized influence environment makes it much more difficult for communicators.” Misinformation spreads faster now and repairing damage is tougher.
However, Rutherford believes that brands can turn this challenge into an opportunity. She pointed out that as decentralization grows, brands should recognize that their own channels have also expanded.
“We don’t have to wait for permission to be invited to the conversation,” Rutherford said. “Brands are part of the decentralization movement. We can use our multiple channels on social media to be our own publisher. I see decentralization as an opportunity for a brand if they smartly invest in the channels where their customers also engage.”
Understanding Decentralization: A Closer Look
Despite this potential, not all communicators are excited.
The survey also highlighted that while 48% of respondents are “enthusiastic” about AI’s impact on their jobs, only 22% feel the same about the rise of these influence networks. This gap shows that many PR pros still have concerns.
When asked why they feel this way, the responses were telling:
- 85% of respondents agreed that it will become harder to enforce rules and regulations across these decentralized networks (with 28% strongly agreeing and 57% somewhat agreeing).
- 69% of respondents agreed that it will be more challenging to ensure content and messaging consistency and quality across different networks and platforms (with 23% strongly agreeing and 46% somewhat agreeing).
With so many digital domains, it’s natural that the sources of influence have been spread out. But agency and in-house pros will need to continue to adapt to this new environment and share learnings.
Download the Full Report To Learn More
As PR pros adjust to these challenges and embrace new technology, our report offers valuable insights to help shape strategic communications.
Get the findings to learn more about:
- Using AI for enhanced storytelling
- The top factors that impact trust
- The future of PR skills
- And more!
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