What’s PR got to do with it?

As the biggest consumers of online content, and experientially aware of the advantages both traditional and digital media spaces bring, young people find themselves well-positioned to take up positions as brand managers, influencer managers, and social media specialists

However, while the adoption of digital channels (which themselves are ever-evolving) requires marketers to be more tech-savvy and trend-aware, ‘traditional’ skills such as communication, creativity, adaptability, reporting, time management, and teamwork, remain pivotal.

Thus the shift in focus towards digital media is not to suggest that there is no place left for traditional media in the marketing mix – indeed, there are many marketers who include radio, television, and out-of-home advertising, when the budget and scope allows.

No longer the be all and end all

However, the reality of the media shift means traditional media is no longer the “be all and end all” of marketing campaigns. It’s widely believed that for a traditional media campaign to yield the best possible results, it must run in conjunction with digital.

Since the start of the pandemic, which kept people at home and online, digital media advertising is increasingly being seen as a ‘go to’ channel by a number of brands and businesses. Influencer marketing, in particular, has taken traditional word-of-mouth marketing and elevated its potential impact, delivering exponentially greater reach and higher engagement than could ever hope to be achieved traditionally.

The repercussions of these changes can be felt in almost every area of media and marketing, from the career opportunities available to the skills individuals need to succeed in those roles.

Three booms in opportunity

This has given rise to three of the booms in opportunity that the digital shift brings. Young people can be positioned, through their digital literacy and upskilling, to best take advantage of them.

1. Self-expression is a skill
2. A self-made (digital) success
3. Traditional skills still count

The shift in media strategy, and the evolving dominance of digital, is an ongoing process that will continue to challenge the traditional while opening the arena for new opportunities – and entirely new careers.

With no sign of a slowing of this evolution, things like digital literacy and the ability to adapt and innovate in a constantly changing landscape, are a must for anyone looking to work in the modern media space, in every role from influencer to designer, copywriter to media buyer.