The world in which marketing and PR people operate is changing. And it’s not just slow incremental change. It’s a fundamental shift that will affect how we all operate.

1. Mass markets are no more
The days of communicating with a mass market are past. Niche markets are becoming the norm, presenting more challenges for communicators to reach fragmented audiences.

2. Consumers have more control over media consumption
The days of the broadcast model are numbered. With TiVO, Sky Plus, video on demand, podcasts, RSS and the like, people have control over what media they consume and when.

3. Consumers are more sceptical than ever before
I don’t buy the view that one day in a golden advertising past people just lapped up advertising and did as advertisers wanted, but a general lack of trust in corporates (and governments for that matter) means traditional advertising is less effective than ever before.

4. The internet is changing media consumption
The internet today is demanding over a quarter of weekday media time among UK residents with access over 15 years old (BMRB Internet Monitor Q3 2005). The media mix is changing fast, and for good. Marketers and PR people cannot afford to ignore the role this channel could play, whether by accident or design.

5. Social media and user generated content is happening
The traditional split between publisher and reader is no more. Anyone can get themselves a voice online through a blog, and connectivity between user generated content is massive, through social media networking tools like Flickr, Del.icio.us, Technorati etc.

To be effective in marketing and PR you need to understand these changes, and how they affect your audience and communications mix.

The environment is changing so marketing and PR people need to too.