Millennials: How we Have Changed PR

On March 19, 2019, I went to a panel at the S.I Newhouse School of Public Communications called, “Millennials: Changing the Landscape of Public Relations.” The panel had four speakers. The speakers were Evelyn C. Ingram, Kelly Gaggin, Jeff Knauss and Tom Armitage. There was also a interviewer leading the discussion.

As a student studying public relations while also being a millennial,I was interested to see how current public relation practitioners are affected by newer generations. The panel began by the interviewer asking the first question: How have millennials changed PR?

Ingram, director of community and media relations for the central New York region of Wegmans markets, started the discussion by explaining how at Wegmans customers are their most important focus and part of information. Ingram stated that good service to meet customer demands is key for success. “To-go” items, for example, are items that millennials favor. I personally can say that this is a major bonus from any supermarket. I find that society is so fast and people have no time on their hands, that “to-go” food items has been a modern method of consuming food.

She also addressed how in the past, funds would be used for advertising or print items such as coupons. Now, those funds are going to social media promotion and ads that can be seen by millennials. Knauss, CEO and founder of Digital Hive, then pitched in by saying, “Everyone can access information on mobile devices now. I remember when we had to use an encyclopedia.” He expressed that information is now delivered in a matter of seconds through social media and the development of technology. Millennials, like myself, have grown up in an environment where new information is placed to us every moment we reload an app. Whether it be Instagram, Facebook, or any other platform, new information fills my feed each moment I click on the app.

The book “Social Media: How to Engage, Share, and Connect,” by Regina Luttrell, states that, “Today, professionals can instantly engage with a wealth of online influencers using media. Social networking sites are a way to complement traditional media relations by bringing the relationship between PR professionals and their contacts to life online.”

Image taken by me

Knauss said, “We as practitioners now have to think about the consumers mind, and we have to understand how they [millennials] want to receive information. That's how PR and marketing are being shifted.” I think this is very interesting to hear because practitioners must understand their audience in order to convey a message accurately and effectively. Millennials are exposed to information all of the time, so practitioners must understand what matters to millennials, and how to effectively deliver those messages.

Armitage, senior digital marketer team leader for Site-Seeker, Inc., then took the floor and discussed how the relationship between millennials and restaurants is now affected by social media. He explained how customers who want to buy products, will want to be in touch with the company. To do this, Corelife Eatery, a restaurant he works closely with, has used social media to be present in the eyes of a consumer. I find that now almost any restaurant or cafe has a presence on social media. Millennials are so active on trends, that social media acts as a free form of advertisement for companies. He also mentioned how the company has made changes to its menu due to millennial trends and what the customers are requesting. Gaggin, senior public relations consultant with Strategic Communications, LLC, then stepped in and mentioned how public relations will always be about forming two successful lines of communication between the public and a company. She agreed that although millennials and technology have shifted the way PR is presented, the core value of having a successful relationship will never change.

Image taken by me

The panelists then continued to emphasize how millennials’ presence on social media has changed the way PR is presented to society. Because content can be shared, re-posted, and commented by others so quickly, Ingram expressed the importance of a company to be transparent to its publics.

Overall, the panel inspired me to become excited about my future in the PR industry. It makes me wonder how the next generation will shift public relations.

Category: Public Relations, Social Media, Millennials, Technology, Youth

Hashtags: #Millennials #Newhouse #Syracuse #LRNSMPR #Socialmedia