As empresas de assessoria de imprensa e os desafios da era digital
Authors: Cardoso Paulo Ribeiro , de Oliveira Tiago Reis 
Published: December 2020

The increase in the use of the internet and its tools contributed to the development of communication in organizations, leading Public Relations companies in general, and those dedicated to press relations in particular, to follow this process. The present work addresses this theme focusing its attention on the impact that the internet and digital communication had on Public Relation companies. In particular, this study aims to: understand the impact of the evolution of the internet on the work and functioning of press relations companies; understand how press relations companies are adapting to the changes caused by the internet; understand how these changes have consequences on the type of professional profile sought by press relations companies. A qualitative approach was used, with the administration of a questionnaire with open questions. The sample as composed of three profiles of professionals involved in this phenomenon: professionals from press relations agencies, professionals from companies that are clients of those agencies and a third group formed by specialists in the area of communication. Thus, it was intended to obtain a complementary and comprehensive perspective of this phenomenon. The questionnaire was sent by e-mail making it possible to interview individuals who were in different regions without involving the movement of researchers. As main conclusions it was verified that a considerable part of the participants considered that the development of the online communication brought about a change of old paradigms in which old tools are gradually being abandoned, giving way to new ways of doing. In general, there is an increase in the use of digital channels, implying the adoption of new tools and knowledge. This market reality confirms the perspective found in the literature, in which it is argued that the growth of online communication has led to an evolution in the Public Relations sector, leading professionals to adapt to this new reality by incorporating digital into their practices. The digital age has made possible new forms of segmentation and communication through interaction on social networks, allowing to communicate with audiences in a more targeted and fast way. This evolution fits into the concept of PR 2.0 present in the literature showing a new way of applying PR to communication between companies and audiences. In contrast to the one-way transmission of information that was typical of the mass media, social networks allow two-way and interactive communication. The communication advisory companies must then adapt the communication to the new digital channels, gradually completing a migration to online. As a reaction to these changes, professionals are aware of the need to adapt to the new reality. In this context, most respondents recognized, in many cases, effective implementation of digital communication. This data is in line with other studies carried out with PR professionals who believe that technological innovations will be a significant factor of change in the sector. In this development of new skills and the acquisition of multidisciplinary knowledge, communication professionals inevitably should have a solid education. To this end, universities have an essential role in teaching Public Relations by training professionals who are up-to-date and prepared for market developments.