The Information Age is the time during the 21st century that shifted from more of a traditional style of learning and changed to a more technology-based style. It began in the 1970's but continues on today. The reason this information is relevant is because public relations completely changed prior to the Information Age. With the addition of technology being attainable by the average persons, everyone began to have access to the internet. Therefore, everyone had the option of seeing more products, companies, and brands on social media.
While being able to use the internet for the use of Public Relations has transformed the market, there are also downsides. People are more able to give feedback on products and brands, which can mean more work for these public relations companies. This was not the case prior to 1970, when product reviews were mostly word of mouth, or written. While having to go back to the drawing board to fix marketing and product mistakes can be more time consuming, having feedback results in more high-quality products. The addition of instant feedback via social media also results in the elimination of brands that are not holding quality standards of their products and customer service.
In this scenario, public relations matters because it has become such an industry giant in the last 50 years. Having good products, brands, or people is not enough anymore. The addition of well-informed public relations staff and a marketing team are almost essential to every large brand in order to thrive. Succeeding in the market is what brands strive for, and to flourish in the current market, no matter the area of said market, you need to have a public relations professional in your corner in order to bring your person or product to its highest potential.
