It’s hard to believe that we’ve already started the second half of the year, but here we are. The first half of the year has been exciting, not only for us as an agency but also for the tech industry at large. As we start H2 of 2023, we wanted to take a chance to reflect on a few trends we saw in the first half of the year.
In a world where the average consumer is savvier than ever, data has taken on a new life as companies are looking to use their proprietary data to tell their story and drive thought leadership. Companies have realized that using data, proprietary or sourced, brings credence to what it has to say, and it’s clearly working. We’ve been using data to drive storytelling for a long time now and have even won two awards this year for our data-driven storytelling work, and we’re excited that more companies want to use their data to secure media coverage. What does it mean to use data to tell a company’s story and develop its narrative? As an agency, we’re always working on ways to help our clients use their data in a way that’s impactful and will drive greater media coverage. Stay tuned for future resources around this topic!
When ChatGPT was unleashed to the public in November 2022, we knew it would change the world, but we weren’t sure how much and how fast it would change. As public relations professionals, we have a responsibility to maintain a high level of informational integrity as we often work on behalf of our clients in our pitching efforts. We believe in the promise of generative AI but are wary that the results of queries are not always accurate and that, even if we use generative AI applications to assist in our work, we have to be the ultimate decision-makers as PR professionals of what is included in the content we create.
Look out for a future blog post on how we think about generative AI applications and using them in our work!
2023 has already been an eventful year for our colleagues in the media. Generative AI caused a scandal at a large consumer electronics publication that eventually led to layoffs; Protocol, a major technology publication, was shut down, and its reporters are still looking for new roles; Insider’s reporting staff went on the longest strike in digital media history. In 2022, there were 6.2 PR professionals to every journalist, and that ratio has most likely widened already this year. It serves as a poignant reminder that when we develop our pitches and our POVs for our clients, we have to be constantly analyzing the media landscape to ensure that the stories we are telling are ones that not only be picked up by journalists but will also contribute to and/or shape the greater conversation that’s happening in the media right now. And it reinforces a brand tenet we hold near and dear at Gravitate: PR strategy is just as much knowing what stories not to tell as which stories to chase. In a PR market that is so saturated by a multitude of voices, being thought in what you say is the only way to stand out and build rapport.
As a team, we’ve already learned a lot this year when thinking about how we’ve done things before, how they won’t necessarily keep working, and the best ways we can easily and quickly adapt to continue serving our amazing clients.
Here’s to the next six months in the industry – whatever that may bring.
