So here we are. The noughties are behind us and the teens (or whatever we decide to call them) are upon us. This decade’s been fun so far, but I imagine at some point the snow will disperse and normal work will resume. Now, call me the irritating optimist unable to grasp the realities of the world economy, but it seems to me that a perfect storm has brewed, which has created a once in a lifetime opportunity for PR to gain revenue and market share relative to other areas of the marcoms mix. All PR needs to do is grab the moment, be aggressive, stop talking about it and get on with it. Some justification for my optimism: 1. The diversification of media: This means that consumers now access multi channels. The result of this is that the readerships of individual media brands have fallen. The opportunity for PR is that all of these channels need content but have limited resources. They will therefore rely on PR for a lot of their content. 2. The recession: Budgets are under pressure like never before, and good PR should be able to shift more boxes per £1 spent than other areas of the marketing mix. 3. The skill set of PROs: Whether PR people realise it or not, you are essentially content providers. No one else has this degree of creative, verbal and written expertise. So the opportunity is there, the skills are there, all PR needs to do is stop its defensive mindset and reach for the sky...