A new study fielded by Vocus surveyed more 1,800 marketing and PR executives on the topic of PR planning for 2010. A key takeaway: Though social media has been a primary catalyst for change in the PR industry, respondents see PR’s role in the overall marketing mix becoming increasingly more important.
"One of the most compelling findings from this survey are the indications and perceptions of how the lines are blurring between PR, advertising and interactive marketing functions," said Deirdre Breakenridge, president of PFS MarketWyse, which contributed to the survey analysis.
Other key findings include:
• 64% of respondents either agree or strongly agree that PR planning will be more difficult in 2010.
• 42% indicate PR budgets will remain flat in 2010, though one-third say they anticipated their budget increasing slightly (24%) or significantly (5%).
• 63% plan to refine processes in 2010 while 51% will invest in new technology in order to do more with less.
• 80% of respondents say they will focus on 2010; multimedia is close behind with 63%, while measuring results, SEO and viral campaigns trail with 58%, 57% and 56% respectively.
Source: Vocus