How They Shaped 2024
A few years ago, Al Ries and Laura Ries shook the communication world to its bone when they released what many ad practitioners have grown to hate: The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR. By juxtaposing successful PR campaigns against failed advertising crusades, the authors showed the world just how PR would outsmart advertising before anyone realizes it. Sounds like a good piece of music to the ears of PR enthusiasts?
And then, the authors took a step further. They cited how successful brands such as Palm, Starbucks, the Body Shop, Wal-Mart, Red Bull, and Zara raked in all the profits with a magic wand, yet without any speck of advertising efforts. Expectedly, PR practitioners were flattered by these ego-massaging revelations. then the flipside came. Convolutions on the marketing terrains have challenged the postulations of these influential marketing eggheads. Disruptions, especially by technology in how we communicate, interact, and sell have brought us to a whole new world that redefines the relevance of all genres of communication.
Many believe the result we see now is a tacit shift of power from media firms and PR experts to consumers.
Tech Influence
With new technology and faster ways of communicating being introduced every day, PR has been compelled to take on new forms and methods to remain relevant. The vast power of the internet has opened doors for PR professionals, as they provide innovative and creative approaches to issues. In the past, the majority of the tools available for use were either through print or broadcast platforms, however, these days, the merging of both traditional and digital forms has increased the chances of PR relevance and success.
In Nigeria today, public relations is rapidly evolving, with a growing emphasis on digital communication, strategic storytelling, and reputation management, as businesses and organizations increasingly recognize the importance of managing their public image through proactive engagement with diverse audiences across various media platforms, including social media. This trend is driven by a demand for transparency and accountability, especially from the government and corporate sectors, with a focus on building positive stakeholder relationships through effective communication strategies.
Most outstanding Public Relations firms in focus in the special pull-out are strong proponents of Digital Transformation. Their primary focus is on utilizing digital channels like social media, online news platforms, and influencer marketing to reach wider audiences and engage in real-time conversations. They are equally deep in stakeholder engagement and crisis communication.
They have demonstrated strong capacities in building strong relationships with diverse stakeholders, including communities, media, investors, and employees. Such relationships are vital for successful PR practice, as well as the ability to effectively manage crises through prompt and transparent communication.
Growth Trajectory
As they grew in competence, PR consultancies, and brands started to explore deeper creativity in their campaigns. With the birth of memorable slogans, interesting campaigns, and catchy jingles campaigns began to shape consumer culture, with campaigns and TV commercials making a lasting impact.
The PR sector in Nigeria today is dynamic and multifaceted. In the coming years, as technology continues to advance, and consumer behaviours evolve, it will still undoubtedly undergo further transformations. However, one thing remains constant: the industry’s resilience and ability to adapt, ensuring that it continues to captivate and influence audiences in the ever-evolving IMC landscape.
The fundamental goal of any campaign is to deliver messages to potential consumers designed to convince them to perform a specific action. To be effective, one must have a keen grasp of the effects of different media on communication and understand how consumers are most likely to interpret various messages.
In marketing, communication plays a significant role in the way the audience reacts to messages about any product or service. No genuine marketer can ignore the relevance of communication if he wants to succeed.
Over the years, Nigerian PR practitioners have consistently produced memorable campaigns that resonate with audiences both locally and internationally. We need to Celebrate the minds behind these legacies as we promote excellence in public relations.
The beginning of each year provides a great opportunity to celebrate the strides made in maintaining high ethical and professional PR standards.
Relishing the challenge to find great stories and tell them the best way will push most teams to discard long-standing norms, generally accepted notions, and assumptions to create PR stories that truly inspire.
2024 also witnessed the rising relevance of Tech PR. Historically, African agencies have relied on press releases and sporadic media engagements to drive visibility. However, the landscape has evolved. In today’s hyper-digital, media-saturated world, traditional PR tactics alone can no longer sustain the pace. PR agencies that will thrive must master the art of storytelling, thought leadership, and digital PR.
The Shift to Storytelling must be intentional. In the words of Oluwatobi Rasaq Alaka, Corporate Communications Manager at Zone Payment Network and author of Hack Your Way In: A Beginner’s Guide into Tech PR.”In the African tech landscape, we’re not just communicating features – we’re crafting narratives that transform complex ideas into human experiences,” says
PR today is about creating a consistent, engaging narrative that connects with different audiences. It’s about moving beyond the ‘what’ of innovation to the ‘why’—why does this product or service matter? Why should people care? Why is it different?
With this, Public Relations practice in Nigeria will continue to grow based on its far more identified relevance and importance to the activation of brands.
Contents created by PR professionals are equally evolving well at present. By including new avenues of communication, such as social media and websites, organisations can tap into a large pool of target audiences, while communicating in an engaging and timely manner with them. These new media tools allow for rapport to be maintained between organisations and their publics, while also strengthening their reputation in the digital landscape.
As the most active users of new technology, the youth carry the most weight when it comes to digital communication. As more people and organisations join these platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and others, PR professionals must stay on top of youth trends. Today, many youths spend the majority of their time online, either consuming or creating content. Often, spending so much time online influences the shift of public attention to either public figures, events, or organisations. As such, with these growing numbers, this segment of the public has become a large pool of engagement for PR practitioners. By remaining on top of these shifting and ever-changing trends, industry professionals will be able to further evolve approaches for tackling issues that are experienced during the implementation of their strategies. exposure online and the success of any strategy is dependent on engagement with this segment of the public.
Today, despite some drawbacks, the trajectory of PR is encouraging. With more PR agencies being established in the country, the standard of its practice has grown remarkably. The importance of PR is growing by the day as reflected in the quality of PR firms to watch out for in 2025. As more organisations are beginning to understand that the stance and attitudes of their public are essential to growth, the demand for professionals well-versed in PR has led to a boost in the industry.
From organisations allocating the necessary time and resources to external consultancies or in-house departments that are focused solely on this aspect of their management, to institutes providing stability as well as training to both potential and established players of the sector, the importance of PR is mounting increasingly in Nigeria.