In many ways it’s hard to believe we are a heading into 2025, a quarter of a century on from the turn of the Millennium when, you may recall, it was thought computer systems might crash at the stroke of midnight! The last 25 years seem to have gone by in the blink of an eye.
When we at Aiken began our journey in the mid 1990s, the communication professional’s role was generally defined as a ‘press agent’ whose main responsibilities were primarily managing media relations through traditional media outlets.
That’s a far cry from today, when the communications specialist is recognised as a strategist whose advice is sought and accepted as necessary to every facet of business success.
Across the years, we have enjoyed the support of clients who have retained our services for decades and on-boarded new clients as our service offering has expanded and progressed to keep pace with the rapid evolution in communications.
While media relations remain at its core, the communications industry now incorporates a broad sweep of services, from public affairs to planning, content creation to event management, strategy development to sponsorship activation, media training to influencer management, and so much more.
The tenet that the essence of communication lies not in the messages that are delivered, but rather in how they land with the audience – that is, in how the listener interprets and understands them – remains true, the methods by which they are delivered have advanced beyond recognition.
Digital developments have dramatically changed the ways in which businesses and organisations must connect with their audiences if they are to be heard and understood. Communication methodologies have shifted fundamentally in the face of ongoing digital transformation, with emerging platforms and trends altering how, where and when a message is delivered.
For instance, how people consume information is radically different from the analogue world of a quarter century ago. Communication now is instantaneous, and statistics show that the viewer or reader’s attention span is greatly reduced, necessitating new ways of storytelling.
Traditional methods such as press releases and static visuals, while remaining part of the mix, have taken a back seat, superseded by content creation that is headlined by video, audio and blogs that are published via social media, websites, podcasts.
In turn, this has resulted in more interactive communication, allowing for more direct engagement between brands and their target audiences.
Real-time interaction provides the opportunity to grow relationships, monitor sentiment and influence opinion. Done right, digital communication allows businesses to keep audiences informed and, when issues arise, to respond promptly and effectively to mitigate risks, manage reputation and maintain trust.
With digital innovation has come a much more vocal populace, ready to make its individual and collective voice heard through all mediums available to it.
Companies, organisations and brands are under greater scrutiny from an ever more ethically and environmentally aware public who demand transparency. Empowered by this two-way communication, consumers are capable of holding organisations accountable for their choices on both a local and global scale.
As we move into a new year, we will increasingly see that it is by a business’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards that it will be measured by customers and stakeholders.
And core to the role of the communications specialist will be support for businesses and organisations on the complex process of telling their ESG story, helping them navigate their journey and to develop their ESG key messages in their communication strategies.
For it is those who not only conduct business with purpose, but who are able to effectively communicate that purpose to their audiences, that will thrive. Visible leadership can cut through the noise, positioning companies at the crest of the wave of change.
Particularly now, when the weight and power of information has been bolstered by user-generated content, signalling the move towards a democratisation of information where transparency and accountability are paramount to how a business is perceived and indeed understood by the outside world.
With the bar for business raised significantly these past 25 years, communications acts as the multi-faceted vehicle through which companies demonstrate their purpose-driven leadership in an ever-changing world.
It is the connecting thread that knits a business together, both internally and externally, unified by a corporate story that will define how a business is remembered in the days, months and years to come.
On behalf of the Aiken team, wishing you and yours a happy and prosperous 2025 to come . . .
- Claire Aiken is managing director at Aiken PR
