With emerging trends, hot topics, technology firsts – and an American Fridge Freezer!
The IBA team was all bright eyed and bushy tailed as we started the New Year after a well-deserved break over the festive period! It’s a good job too because a fresh year means a refresh of client hot topics – and trust me this isn’t a task for a tired worker or the faint of heart! It may be a new year but thought leadership is just as sought after in 2023 as it ever was, and unless you’ve been living under a social media rock, I can’t forget to mention the new AI technology called ChatGPT that is taking the world by storm – marketing and PR included!
It’s Sam here, posting my third IBA blog since I joined and here’s what’s been happening in the IBA office at the start of 2023!
The trendsetting begins with predictions galore and hot topic tracking
IBA’s industry leading clients are true thought leaders, and our job is to make sure they let the world – prospects and media included – know by sharing their opinions and predictions on what they believe will be the most prominent in their technology and industry areas throughout 2023. Our Aerospace & Defense client’s predictions piece flew off the shelves, gaining coverage across the globe in the UK, North America, APAC, and Middle East & Africa, as topics from Advanced Air Mobility (think drones), Maritime 4.0 (think digital shipbuilding), and the increasing commercialization of space (big place, space) resonated with target commercial aviation and defense publications.
Predictions, crystal balls and #trending
But for me one prediction placement stood out, a placement for our enterprise software management client’s manufacturing expert piece in a top industry magazine’s 2023 Crystal Ball Report. This annual report includes predictions from many of the industry’s leading thought leaders on the immediate future and digitization of manufacturing – the perfect place to demonstrate market leadership would you not agree!
The team’s hard work hasn’t stopped there as the new year brings a fresh load of media hot topic tracking and industry event research (note to self this can be a mammoth task as I have found out!) This important media activity task ensures our client’s PR campaigns stay refreshed and relevant, which has been especially key for our business management software client as they look to expand their presence in a new vertical market.
Everyone wants a piece of the C-Suite thought leadership pie
Thought leadership content is great but when it comes from the desk of the CIO, you know it’s the real deal and our walk down Wall Street with our automotive software client that I wrote about in our last monthly round-up, has now led us down another thought leadership road. The same CIO’s newest article on the changing role of a CIO was not one the media wanted to miss out on – with 10 top technology publications across the UK and U.S. snapping it up.
Talking of articles hot off the press – a bit like buses, two C-level thought leadership opportunities came at once this January for our contact center client. Following on from a recent article pitch, an editor from a top customer experience publication reached out to the IBA team to invite our client’s CIO to a roundtable discussion on Microsoft Teams in the Contact Centre industry. This came at a very good time for our client, who was able to talk about their recent Microsoft certification and new product release – organic brand exposure at its finest!
A new robot is in town, but who would have thought it could impact the PR and Marketing industry
Clearly never ones to miss out on the latest hot topic, the IBA team have been keeping a very close eye on ChatGPT – the new kid on the AI block grabbing everyone’s attention with its capabilities to generate thought leadership pieces from just a couple of prompts. This has been a big wake-up call for PR pros and Marketing agencies alike. IBA’s very own CEO, Judith Ingleton-Beer has been tracking this hot topic all the way, looking at what ChatGPT can offer and where its limitations lie. This evidently didn’t just pique our interest, but the interest of our wider audience given the outstanding metrics the blog gained across our social media platforms!
But it’s great to be working with a team that does not rest on its laurels in the exploration of incorporating new ideas, ways to deliver PR and use of technology into the delivery of its services. In the coming months we’ll be putting ChatGPT to the test to see how well it can tap into key Marketing and PR trends to generate any new ideas for our weekly IBA blogs.
Will this be the real deal or just another stab in the dark technology? Seems that there is already ChatSonic hard on its digital heels. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled here to keep up to speed with developments.
Redefining water cooler chat
Oh, BTW, talking of 2023 refreshes, the IBA offices are being refurbished. We have a London-based designer choosing colours and desks, tech is all wireless, cabaret tables and chairs are about to adorn the kitchen for casual chats over a coffee or ice-cold filtered water from some new stainless-steel behemoth that purports to be an American Fridge Freezer, giving a whole new meaning to water cooler chat. It’s all go, and we’re only a month into the New Year!
Sam Walker is a PR Executive at IBA International.
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