A decade is a long time. In 10 years, you’re guaranteed two presidents, five Olympics, one updated U.S. Census report and hundreds of Facebook birthday messages. In 10 years, trends change, new technology is invented and a new generation is born. Hey, 10 years ago, we thought the NBA was coming back to Seattle!

In 10 years, businesses and industries change, too. For example, Lyft, Blue Apron, Peloton and Tinder didn’t exist before 2012. If the way we travel, eat, exercise and even date have changed, is it surprising that the way we communicate changed, too? In 2012, Communiqué Public Relations was celebrating its eighth birthday. How much have we grown in the last decade? This blog post will take you on a journey into our blogs from 2012 to see how different (and yet similar) the public relations industry is today.

2012 PR Trend Predictions:

• New social media platforms. In 2012, Pinterest was the latest social media outlet, ready to be used to help brands communicate alongside Twitter, Facebook and Google+.

Today, the social media landscape looks different. While Pinterest is still operational, newer platforms like Twitter, Instagram and TikTok have taken over. Short, sweet and visual social media messaging is the way to go in 2022.

• Focus on measurement. Not only was Communiqué focused on press coverage results, but we also began looking into measuring success on social media. Popular measurement tools our team utilized in 2012 included Mention, TweetGrader.com and Klout.com.

While the focus on measurement, both earned and social media, continues, the tools we use utilize have changed. Today, you can find the Communiqué team logging into HubSpot and Cision to provide data to our clients. Additionally, social media platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn have expanded their analytics offerings, allowing our team easy access to social engagement.

• Integration across communication specialties. It was correctly predicted that the comms industry would see an increase in the integration of PR, marketing, social media and sales in 2012. Many firms offer public relations, marketing and advertising under one umbrella with a unified goal: effective communication for an organization.

While some firms may be known for a specific communication style (Communiqué = PR), it is common for firms to reach across industries to communicate on behalf of their clients.

• Targeted pitching. 2012 was the year of strict evaluations of our clients’ target audiences to develop and deliver niche pitches that speak directly to said audiences. This has stayed true with our team fashioning detailed and thoughtful media lists, ensuring our focus goes where our audience is.

Other Changes

• Technology is more advanced. Ten years ago, our team was excited about mobile apps for professionals like Skype (ouch), SplashTop and Genius Scan. We also recommended our clients utilize LinkedIn apps, including Box.net Files, E-Bookshelf and Portfolio Display. If none of these apps sound familiar to you, you may have been a sophomore in high school, like me.
• The creative methods in which we used to share information have changed. Of course, social media and BusinessWire will always reign supreme, but Communiqué had some fun ideas for additional content sharing. We discussed word clouds, Wikipedia and even going viral.
  • Additionally, at the dawn of the smartphone, we were hesitant about texting. Oh, how times have changed!

What Has Stayed the Same

• PR is still a high-ranking career. In 2012, S. News & World Report ranked PR as the 41^st overall best job of 2012. In 2022, PR has moved up to the 35^th spot, proving that strategic communication is timeless.
• The definition of public relations has stayed strong. PRSA developed a campaign called “Public Relations Defined” from 2011-2012 to redefine the term public relations. The result? ““Public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.” As of the time this blog was published, the definition has not changed.
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) remains vital to brand loyalty. As we said 10 years ago, “It’s important to perceive CSR as an opportunity to better the world while bettering your business, rather than as a damage control strategy or simply a publicity stunt to boost your image.”

Finally, while it is true that the world is constantly innovating, history has a funny way of repeating itself.

In 2012, our team published a blog on the merits of virtual work and provided guidelines such as “be aware of time zones,” “communicate,” and “create a culture.” We also posted a blog about collaborative tools for the office, highlighting Yammer and Zoho. We are not using these tools today, but we are incredibly thankful for Microsoft Teams and all its features and benefits as we continue remote work.

Communications is an ever-changing industry, with integration, new technology and new channels popping up constantly. However, some things never change. Ten years ago, we may have been excited about Pinterest and Google+, ready to take on the world of smartphones and hoping our clients go viral – but look how far we have come.

For more on how Communiqué has evolved over the years, we recommend reading some of our years in review, which highlight the work we have done

2013 – 2014 – 2015 – 2016 – 2017