Gemma Went

This time last year I ran a ‘looking backwards and forwards‘ post and it was pretty popular. So it made sense to give it another airing and ask some clever comms folk the following questions:

1. What was your biggest learning from a comms perspective in 2011?
2. What is your one key comms forecast for 2012?

This is what they said:

Vikki Chowney // Econsultancy // @vikkichowney

1. That the PR industry is totally unaware of what it now needs to provide to clients. It’s getting an ass-kicking from digital agencies.

2. More use technology to interweave proper infrastructure into organisations to allow them to analyse, response and track social/online conversation.

Olivia Hill // Coca Cola // @oliviahill77

1. That consumers now truly understand how much power they have. Examples being the Arab Springs or Time Magazine honouring ‘the protester’ as Time Person of the year.

2. The link between onine and offline via mobile applications will become increasingly seamless.

Jim Connolly // @jimconnolly

1. More options did not lead to better quality comms.

2. Mobile. This really will be the year, where mobile takes off. We now have the hardware, software affordability.

Joanne Jacobs // @joannejacobs

1. Influence is much more subtle than marketers and measurement systems would have you believe.

2. Innovation will be further compromised by burgeoning patent wars and endemic malware, but ‘traditional’ social media tools will improve business processes.

Alex Packham // Odeon Cinemas // @alexpackham

1. Word of mouth was hugely underrated until this year.

2. Social Media will become part of Marketing Departments core Marketing Mix.

James Whatley // @whatleydude

1. Social media doesn’t fail. Comms strategies do.

2. Integration, integration, integration.

Charlie Southwell // Screendrip // @Charliesaidthat

1. Partner with the right people; work with people who excel at areas you don’t love passionately, the people who play at the things you work at.

2. Integrating social and mobile with known offline behaviour will become much, much more important for the UK market. Understanding and leveragin changing behaviour, on new devices, will be a key element in new strategies.

Paul Sutton // @thepaulsutton

1. Not sure whether it counts as a specific learning, but…The thing that has had the greatest impact on me during 2011 has been the incredible increase in the speed of communications. Client demands for real-time communications (both internally and externally facing) have rocketed, enhancing the pressure on client-facing teams and personnel. And it makes keeping up with everything even more important.

2. I hope (more than expect) that business stops seeing social media as a separate entity or an add-on, and starts treating it as an integrated part of the communications process. There are signs from some of the enquiries I’m getting that this is the case, but it remains to be seen whether these are the rule or the exception to it. Social TV and social commerce are two predicted key trends, but until social integration becomes mainstream it’s hard to see either really taking off.

Kate Spiers // @wisdomlondon

1. Silos are dying, thank goodness. We can now talk about comms in all-encompassing terms of narrative, production, engagement… and with social media tools recognised as enablers, not necessarily a means of their own.

2. A return to basics, which will underpin all the sexy, exciting digital stuff. At the end of the day, you need to know what you stand for, what you’re saying, and what kind of legacy you want your communications to achieve. Narrative is the key.

Dan Bowyer // @DanBowyer

1. How integrated above the line / on and offline have become

2. Social media to become much more commercial outcome focussed

Drew Ellis // Likeminds // @drewellis

1. That you can create a powerful sense of community around a brand using social media platforms and technologies.

2. The Facebook IPO will not achieve the current valuation of $100B.

Adam Vincenzini // @AdamVincenzini

1. The best work is delivered when paid, earned and owned channels are used in the most balanced way (relevant to that project). Visibility of content, not just the creation of it, is what makes campaigns work.

2. Online video will reach is true tipping point. We’ve just learnt that online video viewing has eclipsed regular TV viewing in China for he first time which suggests, along with all the other key indicators, online TV / video will be the preferred household choice in 2012.

Jon Holloway // @socialvation

1. Consumers don’t think like brands and agencies anymore, they are more advanced, more educated and far more alert to the way they engage with brands.

2. More integration, less focus on single channel and bringing campaigns to life on 1st, 2nd and 3rd screens. 2012 is the year of multi-channel, multi-screen, mutli-content.

Su Butcher // @SuButcher

1. Just because you know how it works, doesn’t mean that they do.

2. I’ve just set up a new business, so breaking even would be good! But seriously, constructions communications are going to have to get more intelligent. Those that don’t will be frozen out as people learn to cut the noise. As we’re in an extremely competitive environment, there will be some fallout from this.

Katie Bell // Royal conservatoire of Scotland // @RCSTweets

1. Forward planning and keeping colleagues on message.

2. Forward planning for implementation of new curriculum

Ben Fox // @bnfx

1. Without an integrated approach and insight-led creative, any engagement activity will absolutely divebomb.

2. More location-based campaigns. More usage of photography apps by agencies. I would, however, like to see less Twitter/Facebook pages spring up, “just because”.

Phee Young // @PheeYoung

1. It’s a competitive market and social media is becoming more prominent.

2. Apple will up it’s PR and markering game after the sad departure of Steve Jobs.

And finally, mygoodself …

Gemma Went // @GemmaWent

1. Never be afraid of making mistakes, they can lead you to the right outcome eventually.

2. Integration and transmedia thinking will, hopefully, be taken more seriously next year.

A nice mix of opinion there, with some common themes, particularly around integration. Do you have anything to add? If so, pop your thoughts in the comments below …