Tech. P R: A Glimpse Into The Future Well Before It Arrives

 The roots of great innovation are never just in the technology itself. They are always in the wider historical context. They require new ways of seeing.

-         David Brooks, Columnist -The New York Times

Engineers can invent the most exciting, game-changing technology, but nobody will know about it without great marketing and communications professionals. There’s a huge demand for people who can bring their stories to life.

-         Rene Shimada Siegel, Founder & CEO “Connext”

One of the greatest benefits in focusing on Tech. PR is that we get a glimpse into the future well before it arrives. But we also have the incredible opportunity to help position brilliant entrepreneurs and organizations by developing imaginative strategies and stories to place them in the present.

-         Valerie Christopherson, Founder & CEO “Global Results Communications”

     Advertising is necessary for competition…but good PR educates.

-         Steve Jobs, Apple Co-founder

Friends, Thank you very much for taking out time from your very busy schedule to read my blog(s). I really feel encouraged after reading your feedback in the comments column. Friends, presenting 56^th blog titled Tech. P R: A Glimpse Into The Future Well Before It Arrives.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seve­rely disrupted economic activity, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF 2020) the global gross domestic product (GDP) expected to shrink by over 3% in 2020, If the estimate is realized, it will be the steepest slowdown since the Great Dep­ression of the 1930s and much worse than the 2008–09 global financial crisis. Restrictions on international travel, strict social distancing norms and ceasing of industrial activity can have a fatal impact on sectors like travel, tourism, and hospitality among others. Companies in several other sectors will have to rejig their business processes and practices to survive and thrive in the post-COVID-19 world.

Today, most of the debate seems to be focused on the severe demand problems which the companies will face in the short to medium term and what governments can do to ease the pain. However, it is inevitable that significant structural changes and new business models will emerge over the long term as the economy and society adjust to the paradigm shift. It is critical for countries and the companies to understand these structural changes in order to compete effectively once the current crisis eases. The economy will also face several challenges as they adjust to a structurally altered new normal. The world is being completely reshaped by the pandemic. No country or company will simply bounce back or rebound to the way they were before even the technology sector.

As we all know that PR is a significant aspect of effective communication in any industry. The purpose of PR is to generate favorable public opinion about a company and its offerings, and this is especially important for the ever-changing field of technology as there are the major announcements happening on a regular basis in the tech world that affect practically every organization.

Every day, reporters write articles about how artificial intelligence is changing businesses; how sophisticated machine learning replaces the jobs of several people; and how the Internet of Things connects door locks, thermostats and ceiling fans for easy access via an app. The sports world, hospitality sector and even movies are touched by technology. Organizations worldwide use technology to connect and innovate.

In the last 10 years, we’ve seen remarkable innovation in technology, and with the arrival of artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, we’re likely to see even more remarkable advances in the coming decade, and the Tech. companies would need communication experts to explain their technology in ways that potential customers, investors, and ordinary people can read and understand.

Friends, the word Technology comes from two Greek words, Techne and Logos. Techne means art, skill, craft, or the way, manner, or means by which a thing is gained. Logos means word, a saying, or an expression. So Technology means words or discourse about the way things are gained.

Technology is the system consisting of the technological process, technological objects, technological knowledge, developers of technological objects, and users of technological objects. Technology means the application of scientific knowledge for practical purpose.

The technology sector is constantly evolving with new products, new innovative technologies and radical new thinking that the key influencers and stakeholders in the industry are desperate to hear about. Tech businesses that range from production of hardware to development of software include product developers and service suppliers from a range of scientific and technology sub sectors including mechanical, electronics, computing, satellite communications, mobile, security and medicine. So how does PR shall play a role in this? 

PR is the art and science of building relationships between an organization and its key public. Its practices have the ability to take technology from obscurity to prominence, creating important visibility and generating deal flow. Today, technologies and tech innovations rely on public awareness and support. If people misunderstand the value of technologies, entities will struggle for support. Jobs will be eliminated, budgets cut, and support will be directed elsewhere. Having clear messages and PR strategies and communication programs in place that enable technologists, scientists and other experts to distinctly articulate their vision can not only help them become industry leaders and advance their technologies, but provides organizations with a voice in the marketplace of ideas, facts, and viewpoints to aid informed public debate.

PR campaigns have the potential to turn possibilities into favourable actions. When a prominent scientist wants to pronounce his/her technological breakthrough, he/she may do so openly and in his/her own name. But it is far more effective to have a group of citizens or experts, a coalition, or the media which can publicly promote the outcomes desired by the scientist while claiming to represent the public interest. And, when such relationships do not exist, one can be created through a well planned and executed PR campaign.

PR provides third party credibility to the technology and is a right combination of planning and opportunity for strategic use of mass media to promote a tech initiative. But one must ensure that all the tech systems and procedures to be promoted are in place prior to the commencement of PR campaign.

Steps to be followed while doing Tech. PR

Knowing the audience:

a. To get best media promotion, one should have proper understanding of the concerned media.

b. Create a system for reaching out to desired media.

c. Prepare a list of media professionals doing Technology coverage with their names and contact details i.e. name of the media, email id, phone/fax number.

Know the organisation and the innovator behind the technology to be promoted:

a. Whether it's a new tech. product, tech. innovation, tech. research paper, study how the tech. initiative, to be promoted through PR campaign, has taken shape.

b. PR person should study and incorporate the mission, and core values of the organization, and innovator’s concern in the promotional matter.

c. Promotional matter must carry all the facts about the technology to be promoted, process followed, with related pictures as far as possible.

Tech companies may be experts in innovation and engineering but in absence of right PR efforts, the target audiences may never learn about the innovations in products and services tech companies are offering. Tech companies should follow these steps to understand how the PR works.

a. Think like a journalist

Journalists are always looking for well packaged stories with relevant statistics, case study and other interesting information related to the product. This will make the job of a journalist much easier and the story is very likely to be picked up for publishing.

b. Knowing and pitching to the right media

Sending stories to every media contact in the list, whether the story is relevant or not for them, creates unnecessary noise and media clutter, and can build a bad reputation among the journalists that the PR doesn’t know its job well. Therefore, pitching to the media should be narrow casted and must be pitched to only those journalists who are most interested in our story. Also understand what each media outlet is looking for, hence select a few target media outlets and create the pitch based around their specific needs.

c. Be different and stand out.

Tech. journalists want to write about those businesses that are doing new and innovative things. They want to be the first one to break the news on an innovative new product, and or to analyze and discuss upcoming trends. They keep looking for the pitches that stand out. The more innovative a pitch, story or product is, the more likely it will capture the attention of tech. journalists.

At the centre of any media outreach is a mass of right information supported by relative statistics or numbers. Making that information easy to understand entails making the content real and vivid. Media uses ‘creative terminology’ to make scientific, technological or academic information more understandable for the target publics. Positive public opinions on technological innovations are greatly based on authentic media coverage giving unbiased and well researched viewpoints about the product. Pitches to the media that offer interesting data, insights on tech. trends and other related information are considered for publishing by the journalists/media. Quality of the content gets the attention of journalists and gain due attention for that tech. innovation.

To sum up,

In order to promote the innovations, technology companies need good PR tactics, not only to translate industry terminology but more importantly to build brand loyalty. Also, because of rapid and often random changes in this industry create the need for communication experts who can think beyond today’s reality and effectively communicate the benefits of new innovations to the target audience. Further, success in getting good media coverage happens only when it is a strategically planned PR effort and the main objectives of the PR strategy should be to develop the desired influence and public awareness that will help achieve strategic goals, and furthering the technology and innovations of the Tech. Company.

Thank you for reading the blog.

#######