New Public Relations

The world is changing. Paradigm shifts are as common as the clash of cultures that create them — change means new conditions for PR in Startups as well as in traditional companies.

The Globalization wave have stabilized around new universal development goals and financial potentiality has been replaced by the need for sustainable growth and regularity. Predictability is thus again a basic condition for further development of the global village, and the need for common ground rules all the more eminent. The change in discourse defines a new rhetorical playing field within the three primary communication spheres; the private, the public and the mercantile.

The private — Freedom with responsibility:

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is coming out of its infancy and the contours of the ’Knowledge Society’, that is going to disribute our privileges, and bring us forward toward new social structures, is slowly emerging. Political commitment and idea generation is therefore growingly crucial for our identification with the outside world. This results in a flood of cultural clashes, driven by personal beliefs, simultaneously making room for a renewed sense of freedom, to fulfill our potential as human beings.

More controlled flows of information and personal digital assistants that can help us categorize knowledge and absorb new, is therefore needed. These structures will naturally and are already doing so, redefine the limits of privacy as the demand for the (in)security necessary to change the world, is increasing.

The public — Re-establishment of trust

Globalization and the financial crisis have pushed our authorities and political system out on a slippery slope, that with the digital revolution and a fragmented media landscape, has caused a deep trust crisis between the public and the State. The distrust is further fueled by nature of Capitalism, and the institutionalization of new power structures is therefore a basic condition for the survival of Democracy.

The trust can only be restored through transparent power structures, that in exchange will re-establishing our belief in the system’s ability to fair distribution of privileges. This dictates the need for a new generation of archetypal politicians, that is able to mobilize the man on the floor.

The mercantile — Back to basics:

The dissolution of traditional marketing channels and regulatory frameworks causes a continuous fusion of PR and marketing that sends brands back to their roots to retrieve basis for new, more sustainable values. The development involves a return to ‘Owned Media’ and simple advertising, which only further reinforces the need for a rethinking of corporate values.

Long-term strategic thinking will pave the way for new loyalty schemes, based on thought- and cultural leadership. Which in turn will help the establishment of new growth concepts, based on more than just financial gain, anchored in a global perspective.

Particularly favorable for Startups

Companies that manage their Public Relations in accordance with the changes, will be able to continue to operate in existing markets and automatically earn their ticket to future markets. This is good news for smaller and highly scalable companies — the so-called ‘Startups’ — who are not, to the same extend as larger companies, bound by corporate thinking.

Traditional companies that depend on fixed structures, or ignore the changes, will slowly but slurely push themselves out on slippery slope of unclear selling points, while Startups who dares to break the norm and build relationships based on lasting values, can help define and influence the new markets.

Nordic cooperation

In the Nordics, the business segment is hampered by a low number of Startups, an increasing number of bankruptcies, and declining investment and sudden acquisitions that sends the growth abroad. This makes it difficult to reap the benefits of an otherwise naturally innovative company culture and involves only a few IPOs.

In Sweden however, the entrepreneur segment is slowly beginning to show signs of growth and the Norwegian Oil Fund has begun to reinvest itself. That paves the way for new Nordic transnational initiatives, such as the newly formed entrepreneurial community Startupmatcher who aims to draw benefit from Nordic intersections and bring together the national Startup environments.

The challenge for Nordic Startups is more than anything, the regions countries’ individual sizes — far from big enough to keep up with international trends and visions, leading to lack of visibility and thereby financial clout. The Startup environment in the Nordics must engage in cross border initiatives, and share challenges and opportunities that arise as a result of the disruptive business reality we find ourselves in.