2016 Was 10 Years Ago
By Sarah Van Dommelen
If you spent any time on Instagram this January, you’ve seen the “2016 was 10 years ago” trend. Cue the collective identity crisis!
When thinking about how much my life has changed over the last 10 years (and realizing how old I am now…), I also thought about how PR/marketing has changed. In 2016, PR was still very digital focused. We were paying influencers, amplifying everything on social media, pitching journalists, etc. Same ballgame. So what’s changed?
In my opinion, two big things have evolved the PR game: AI and audience distrust.
- AI (GEO) and SEO now need to be core pieces of a PR plan, not an afterthought.
- SEO used to be a marketing conversation adjacent to PR. Now, they’re inseparable. If you want to show up in a search, you need content and PR placements across the web. And, that content now needs to be structured for generative AI search (GEO), not just direct web linking. Earned media, thought leadership, expert commentary and consistent messaging now directly contribute to discoverability in an AI-powered search environment.
- More than 60 percent of Google searches now end without a click-through. AI summaries and featured snippets are allowing people to get their answers directly on the search engine results page. Because of this, marketers need to design all content with the assumption that people won’t even click through to the website or article. Headlines and quotes need to be clear, factual and able to get the point across quickly without a click.
- Influencer content and paid amplification has been a piece of the puzzle for a long time, but now, these partnerships need to be executed with AI in mind. Partnerships should be selected based on credibility and expertise, not just follower count. AI systems increasingly treat high-engagement creator content as reference material.
- Reporting is getting more complicated. PR used to be measured by clicks, impressions and number of placements. Now, more and more people are discovering brands through AI summaries, which are pulling from trusted sources including news media and corporate websites. Today, brands should put more emphasis on PR to drive the right storytelling to their audiences. Determining results should include looking at AI-generated answers vs clicks to see how the brand is being represented and awareness expanded.
- Consumer trust is harder to earn (and easier to lose) than it was a decade ago. Today, consumers are more skeptical and quicker to challenge inconsistencies in real time.
- People are trained to fact-check instantly. Claims are validated (or disproven) in seconds via search, social comments and AI-generated summaries.
- One small mishap can spread across platforms within minutes and live on through algorithms and AI systems that continue to bring it back up long after the moment has passed.
- Consumers trust people more than brands. Reviews, influencers and employees often carry more credibility than corporate messaging.
- Silence is interpreted as avoidance. In fast-moving, always-on environments, delayed responses can damage trust as much as a wrong one.
So yes, 2016 was 10 years ago. Since then, PR has evolved and is leading the way in a world shaped by algorithms and real-time scrutiny. And that’s why it matters now more than ever.