THE PHILIPPINES, JULY 18, 2012: When PR Congress chair Malou L. Espina was asked to clarify what the “age of disruption” means, The Wanted’s latest hit, I’m Glad You Came, plays in the background, cutting her off in mid-sentence. Members of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) stood up, donned hats, and danced in their seats while someone opens a party popper as confetti appears from out of nowhere. Espina gives up answering the question and watches the commotion that was a press conference only minutes ago.
Today, the PRSP launched a the 19th National PR Conference, with the theme PR360º: Responding in the Age of Disruption, at InterContinental Manila.
The advent of social media and technology in general have seen disruptive influencers such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, flashmobs, and mobile technologies. These create tremendous opportunities for brands or governments to create a new competitive mindshift for more effective customer or citizen engagement.
But on the flipside, these countless social signals “swimming in the sea of unstructured consumer information” give rise to citizen journalism. Companies’ every act and behavior are being watched closely, and as social netizens comment and write about, PR is demanded a faster and more empathetic sensitivity to develop and give the appropriate responses.
However, this doesn’t mean that social media should be completely shunned or stopped. According to PRSP president John Rojo, social media is the new tabloid. "We’ve learned to adjust to the new paradigm because at the core of it, what audiences really rely on and clamor for is sensible and accurate reportage,” Rojo said.
Because of this, PR professionals should aim how to integrate these challenges, engage stakeholders, and create a harmony of messages.
The 19th National Public Relations Congress will be held on September 27-28, 2012 at the InterContinental Manila where a panel of international and local speakers will assist the delegates in mapping out their responses within the new media industries as they answer questions on topics such as "Who are the media today?", "Walk the Line: Has Ethical Practice Changed Today with the Change in Influencers?", and "Integrating Communications Amidst the Disruption".
