Prospects For PR Promising in 2012

The Council of Public Relations Firms announced on January 18 the results of its latest industry survey, and the future looks promising for the public relations profession. Here is a report of the fourth quarter 2011 survey results by Kathy Cripps on the Council's Firm Voice Blog.

Of the firms surveyed, 70% reported final 2011 revenues will be higher than 2010 earnings. The Council projects a 10% overall increase, with consumer products, healthcare, and energy leading the growth.

Growth of integrated communication approaches is creating more business opportunities. According to the Council, almost half of all firms reported that new business opportunities were "more integrated than ever," with fewer than a quarter reporting that their opportunities consisted mainly of traditional public relations.

Firms anticipate higher budgets in 2012. More than one third of firms (35.5%) predicted bigger budgets, compared to 21.8% at the end of last quarter.

Hiring is up in public relations jobs, especially in middle-management ranks. More than 60% of the firms surveyed reported an increase in staffing compared to one year ago. Nearly two thirds of firms experienced an increase in account executive and account supervisor positions, while 46% reported growth in vice president and senior vice president ranks. Roughly half of the firms also indicated growth in entry-level positions.

And what does the future hold? The Council's survey results predict growth in social media, business-to-business, corporate communications, and issues management.

Digesting all of this data, I'm hopeful that the job market will improve for last year's communication graduates and for the new crop of graduates in 2012. I'm also proud that my organization, Marist College, remains at the forefront in preparing students for the public relations profession.

Next fall Marist's School of Communication and the Arts will begin to implement a new undergraduate curriculum in public relations. We anticipated many of the trends described above, and will be offering our communication majors a specialized track and more coursework in integrated communication, marketing, business applications, social media, corporate communications, and risk communication. Our school will also begin offering in the fall a new master's program in integrated marketing communication. Our graduates will be ready to step comfortably into their professional careers and lead the way in innovation once they complete these degree programs.

For more information about the School of Communication and the Arts degree programs, visit the school's Web pages for a Bachelor of Communication (Public Relations), Master of Arts in Integrated Marketing Communication, and Master of Arts in Communication.

Also, click "It's Hot in Here -- Results From the Council's Latest Industry Survey" to read the entire report of the Council's Q4 survey.

Here's to a successful 2012!