2024 was a year ripe for innovation across industries — and perhaps most for media and communications professionals. Newsrooms shrank, social media gained influence, media fragmented and what was once referred to as a “next-generation technology” quickly became this generation’s primary disruptor.
At a bird’s eye view, advertisers embraced the future of measurement via advanced currencies, brands and publishers reevaluated their definitions of brand safety, companies are entering a golden age of climate goals, and content entertainment providers once again evolved their offerings to meet consumers’ changing viewership preferences.
The common throughline of each and every trend, no matter the industry? Every dollar counts, and the customer counts most.
With this in mind, 2025 has the opportunity to be a watershed moment for communicators. As we move beyond planning season and start to execute our carefully laid campaigns and activations in support of our new KPIs, we must keep the following principles in mind:
There is a new media mix in town. Earned media opportunities are just one way to tell a company’s story. The best way to get out there and be seen by the right audiences is to story tell effectively, across channels. Think with the PESO (Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned) model in mind.
With PESO in purview, reconsider your content distribution methods. Think through how to best get your news out there. For instance, owned channel distribution (ie. blog content, a webinar) can be a great way to fuel subsequent earned media coverage. Don’t forget to then amplify those earned media wins on shared social channels!
Be strategic in leveraging B2B influencers. B2B influencer programs are on the rise, and it is quickly becoming an imperative to incorporate them into your communications strategy. B2B influencers offer third-party validation and credibility to your story. Also, gone are the days when the influencers with the most followers had the most impact. Authenticity reigns supreme.
Embrace mixternal communications. The lines between internal and external communications are blurring. This internal memo from McDonalds is a great example as to why internal employee communications should read as strongly as any public statement to external shareholders. Everything is connected; your messaging should be too.
AI is ready to be applied. It’s important that communicators view AI and its capabilities as a complementary resource to our efforts. Will it ever replace human value and creativity? No. However, it is a beneficial tool that can be best leveraged to help free up communicators from low-value, administrative-type tasks so that we may have the flexibility to spend even more time on the strategic thinking and execution that matters.
While the future is inherently unpredictable, one thing is clear: 2025 is the year for communicators to evolve, shine and thrive. Contact us today to discuss our industry forecasts and insights further. We’d love to help you achieve your goals and more in the year ahead.