Over the past few years, a more significant status has been attached to public relations in Croatia. Until recently, PR practitioners were perceived as operating support only, answering queries, distributing press releases and writing speeches; however, these days, they are so much more than that. Successful companies have realized that public relations are most useful when involved in making strategic decisions. Positioned closer to management boards, they are most effective when they can point business processes in a certain direction and give advice to avoid fires, rather than having to put them out.

In 2020, the said public relations’ role will be especially evident in the following trends:

PR and HR – allies in employer branding

The first trend refers to the strengthening of the ties between the public relations and human resources departments when it comes to employer branding activities. Faced with a lack of workforce, a number of companies began actively working on employer branding this year already, and public relations will be critical in taking on that challenge in the coming year.

Green and responsible public relations

Responsible PR practitioners will continue to advocate for tackling green and socially responsible issues within companies. Insisting on such practices, including dropping single-use plastics or encouraging employees to participate in socially responsible activities, will help companies to position themselves as the driving force behind positive changes and the responsible stakeholders of the society.

Presidency of the Council of the European Union

The last trend refers to Croatia’s presidency of the Council of the European Union. This will be an excellent opportunity for the companies operating in Croatia to showcase their agendas across Europe. That is why, next year, public affairs specialists will gain greatly in importance.