The Future of PR...

As a student in Newhouse at Syracuse, I am often lucky enough to listen to some great guest speakers in my classes and this year in PRL 215 was no different. One speaker that really stood out to me was Jen Granston from Zignal Labs, an organization dedicated to tracking and analyzing media trends. Granston was joined by analyst Kait Rassi who explained a few specific trends and the methods used by Zignal to track those trends. The pair gave an interesting and detailed presentation that was right up my alley from the world of data analytics.

One of my favorite segments of the presentation was Rassi's dive into examples where Zignal tracked trends and had plans prepared when misinformation spreads. The preparedness of public relations professionals always surprises me slightly because I typically think about how to react rather than how to prepare. Rassi's explanation of data trends and response preparation really caught my attention. I found it interesting that in combination with raw data, Zignal provides clients with brand protocols to better handle the spread of misinformation. These insights can be essential to keeping public opinion of a brand positive instead of negative. As we saw in 2020, fake news travels fast and can be detrimental to a brand's reputation so a solid plan of action like Zignal's can save a brand.

Granston and Rassi followed that segment with an explanation of the importance of data in brand decision-making. Rassi demonstrated this data-driven decision-making with a case study from Exxon. In this instance, the historically conservative company responded quickly to a misinformation spike using data trends on Twitter that flipped the narrative and gave Exxon a positive spin on a potentially damaging story. Zignal constantly tracks similar data trends to help companies protect their brand but also to give industry insights to anyone who might want that data. I found these actions fascinating and a crucial part of public relations functions for thousands of organizations.

In an industry that has had a poor reputation for decades, this shift to data-driven decisions is great for public relations professionals everywhere. Public relations is now an industry rooted in confident and informed decisions rather than inaccurately spun narratives. The way organizations like Zignal have revolutionized communications is fascinating to me as a college student looking to break into the industry. I enjoyed listening to both Jen Granston and Kait Rassi explain their impact on communications and their passion for strong public relations and marketing. It seems Zignal Labs will continue to be at the forefront of media trend analytics and I am excited to see how the industry evolves in the next few years.