expert outlook on pr and marketing tactics for the coming year
In December 2020, Everything-PR asked five marketing and communications leaders what would shape PR and marketing in 2021. Their predictions covered video, managed freelance talent, diversity, a more human tone, and the value of a good PR team. Their answers are below, followed by a short note on how each idea has held up.
Originally published December 2020. Updated October 2026 with retrospective notes. Quotes are lightly edited for punctuation only.
What did the experts predict for 2021?
Social media and video marketing
Simon Elkjær, Chief Marketing Officer of avXperten, an electronics company, said: "One strategy that we'll definitely be seeing more from the public relations and marketing industry in 2021 is social media marketing strategies. Companies that devoted their time to strengthening their social media presence are definitely reaping the goods, especially now that almost everyone is online to keep track of the outside world. However, among the numerous social media marketing strategies, one seems to outshine the rest and that is video marketing. As it is becoming increasingly popular and effective, you can bet that multiple companies will try their hands at this strategy as well."
How it held up: Video became the default format across the major social platforms, and brands now plan content around it.
Managed networks of freelancers
Zack Holland, CEO and Co-Founder of SelectFew, said: "Out of the many issues 2020 brought to the forefront, for marketing it's becoming clear that agency programs aren't genuinely built to grow client accounts. They're crafted to ensure the agency has room between the retainer fee and the cost to fulfill baseline service to grow their own business. This leads the entire system to be wildly unsuccessful in the long-run. In a similar vein, many organizations have attempted a shift to solely working with freelancers, and soon realized this isn't the perfect solution either with a lack of systemic management needed to guide tangible results."
He continued: "In 2021, marketing will leverage specialized talent working as managed-distributed systems, where a system of pre-vetted freelancers is guided and managed by an industry-grade strategy. This allows clients to create marketing structures that are flexible and accountable for performance, while utilizing newly-found funds for higher quality creative and increased media purchase power."
How it held up: Freelance and fractional talent became a normal part of marketing teams. Retainer-based agencies remain the main model for large communications programs.
Roy Ferman, founder and CEO of Seek Capital, said: "With the recent social upheaval, next year will surely be a year that emphasizes diversity and inclusion. Marketing and public relations trends will most definitely move towards diversifying the image and representation of brands and businesses."
How it held up: Brand emphasis on diversity and inclusion peaked in the early 2020s. Since then, several large companies have scaled back public commitments, so communicators now weigh representation against changing audience and political expectations.
A more human approach
Kyle Johnston, President and Founding Partner of Gigasavvy, a full-service creative marketing agency, said: "In 2021, we'll see a pullback to a more human approach to marketing and advertising. This is already happening, especially as a result of COVID-19, but most of the creative out there still feels forced and opportunistic. Brands will realize (again) their purpose needs to go beyond their charitable donations and create real value for an increasingly discerning audience."
How it held up: Authenticity stayed a core demand. Audiences scrutinize purpose claims closely, which makes stated values easy to test against company actions.
Human connection and the role of PR
Vietek Ladislaav, CEO at Square Motion, said: "People are now after human connections; that is why it is the most powerful marketing strategy right now and the years to come. A more personal approach gains more interest because they can relate to it. Find people who can help you construct a more realistic strategy so you can influence and convince people to acquire your products and services, and that's where the PR team enters. They are well versed when it comes to influencing people, so having a good PR team will help you achieve your goals."
How it held up: The case for credible, personal communication has strengthened as audiences meet more automated and synthetic content.
What changed most since these predictions?
The biggest change since 2020 is where buyers look for answers. Many now ask AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity before they visit a website or contact an agency, so PR strategy includes earning citations in those answers. EPR covers this shift under AI Communications and in Digital Communications in 2026.
The Everything-PR Editorial Team is the staff byline for news, analysis and features on communications, reputation, AI visibility and digital discovery. Everything-PR has published since 2009. AI tools assist with research and drafting, and every article is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Coverage follows the Editorial Policy, and substantive corrections are noted on the article under the Corrections Policy.
