The year 2023 was revolutionary in many ways and for many industries. As predicted, our industry was impacted by new technologies, most notably AI. Companies also headed down the ESG path in large numbers. In turn, the parliamentary elections set in motion a personnel reshuffle across the media market (and beyond).
Artificial intelligence, stupid!
The term 'artificial intelligence' has become a catch-all phrase over the past year. It has appeared in discussions about the dangers of the 'dehumanisation' of communication and warnings that AI will replace the work of PR professionals, but also the entire creative industry, in the future.
Once the excitement had subsided and the industry had taken a few deep breaths, it became apparent that AI not only does not threaten our jobs, but can even streamline everyday work in a PR agency. This is especially true of the huge savings in time previously spent on activities such as creating and analysing databases, preparing short text forms or research. Going one step further, it has given PR professionals more room for creative, conceptual and strategic work.
Heated discussions and the widespread use of AI have made many of us realise in recent times that the heart and strength of our industry at the end of the day remains soft skills, which are key to building relationships on many levels.
Post-election personal revolution
In the autumn of 2023, we witnessed a historic parliamentary election with a record turnout. The huge social mobilisation and political upheaval was, among other things, the result of intensive PR work and many pro-frequency campaigns. Applause is particularly due to the organisers of campaigns such as '#SuccessWomen' and 'It's Your Choice'.
The aftermath of the elections and the normalisation of the work of the public media was the start of a personnel revolution in many editorial offices, which, incidentally, continues to this day. Transfers to the public media mean new vacancies in the commercial media. For us PR professionals, this means a new mapping of key contacts in the media space.
The new political scene also means a scramble for more tenders for PR services in state and government entities. In this context, we are hoping for quality tenders - not like the famous one launched last year by the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Finally, the new post-election handover also means changes for public affairs experts. They, too, have to reorganise their networks and update their strategies. The spring local elections are also just around the corner and are likely to bring further changes.
The year of the ESG
The ESG topic is experiencing a real boom. The reporting obligation has motivated companies and set in motion a machine of topics and activities related to the topic of the environment, social issues and corporate governance.
Organisations have started to create entire ESG departments or dedicated positions in their communications departments. Many tenders have been launched for services specifically in this area. At our Agency, we are also seeing an increasing number of clients for whom ESG is becoming a strategic direction.
Looking at the last year, we find that the topic of ESG is still making inroads. It is a good sign that companies are betting on increasingly holistic, well-thought-out actions, although there is - unfortunately - no shortage of entities that act somewhat ad hoc, losing credibility in the process. In this context, there are many actions that even have the hallmarks of greenwashing or pinkwashing. This is why it is so important that the ESG strategy is in line with the DNA of the company in question and framed in a long-term perspective.
The next few months will certainly bring an increasing awareness of the ESG topic and, consequently, many interesting developments that we are all looking forward to. At the end of the day, what is important is the very purpose of ESG activities, which is to bring about concrete, relevant and positive changes in many dimensions.
