“‘PR is dead. Long live PR!’ perhaps best describes the perception or impression of the public when it comes to the public relations profession. Those who don’t work in public relations are of the opinion that PR is losing its power and strategic position in the world, while those who are more versed in the topic realize that PR is more alive and stronger than ever. Most of us who work in public relations have experienced and felt this renaissance first hand over the last decade,” said Mario Petrović, co-owner of Millenium promocija and founder of Edward Bernays University College, at the opening of this interesting panel on the PR industry.
Panelists Mario Aunedi Medek, president of the Croatian Public Relations Association (Croatia); Berislav Jelinić, co-owner, director and editor-in-chief of Nacional (Croatia); Borislav Miljanović, founder and director of the regional communication group Represent System (Serbia); Melita Župevc, senior consultant at Pristop (Slovenia); and Tomislav Krasnec, Brussels correspondent for Večernji list (Croatia), agreed that all types of advertising, from native advertising to the placement of information on social networks, has given PR the opportunity to improve its position in the market in such a way that it is no longer just an intermediary between the media and clients, but also a placer and creator of desirable content capable of analyzing its effects.
“PR has a future, but we must continue to adapt and evolve. Digital downloads, recording podcasts, creating apps, conducting online analytics—PR is more lively than ever. But the industry has to think about how best to use new opportunities through content and digital marketing,” said Borislav Miljanović.
PR is certainly alive, but it now comes in a new package and has a fresh direction for development as it continues to grow and evolve.
