Coming up in 2009

A move to more authentic communications

I was reading Public Relations Tactics the other day, and I came across Sydney Ayers article on authentic communications.  She states that there is one overriding trend affecting the way that public relations, or any business, will be conducted in 2009.  This trend is centered on the authenticity in all forms of communication. 

I agree that authenticity is and will be very important in 2009.  In the same publication, the harris poll found that 75 percent of adults use Internet in their homes in the United States in 2008, which was over a 50 percent increase over the last ten years.  With the amount of people using the Internet, the amount of information and the ease to access this information have grown as well.  As this article stated, people have all the information they need at their fingertips.  If a company isn't completely honest with their public in their communication, then people would find out.  

With the election this past year, this trend of authenticity prevailed.  Obama's campaign honestly showed everything he stood for as a political leader.  He showed the American people who he was and how he related to them personally.  Even from the advertisements I saw on television, Obama's message was straightforward and honest. 

It's really important that this trend of authenticity is coming back into the business world, but I believe it shouldn't just be a trend.  The business of public relations has always been a credible way for the public to get information about companies' products and services; therefore, its message shouldn't deceive.  It should always have an authentic message. 

If authenticity is what the public want, public relations professionals will be greatly needed.  As this article states, it will be our job, as public relations practitioners, to make sure the companies we will represent are genuine with their public and honest in their message.  As a student studying to be in the world of public relations, I think that it is important to realize the importance of authenticity now and to learn from for the future.