In the PRmoment predictions for 2012 last year, PR figures foresaw tough trading conditions, but also excellent prospects in some areas, particularly digital media. In 2013, these threats and opportunities still exist, but there are profound changes happening at the heart of PR, in particular in attitudes towards trust and transparency.

Trust will decline and audiences will fragment says Nick Barron, deputy managing director, corporate and financial at PR firm Edelman:

“2013 will be like 2012 minus the purple tracksuits. Without the Olympics to look forward to or back on, the fate of the Euro and the coalition will dominate headlines, as will every ratings agency doodle.

“Meanwhile, the long-term trends that have transformed the PR industry will continue and accelerate: Trust in traditional sources of authority will decline; Influence will disperse and audiences will fragment and cluster in new communities.

“In 2012, this manifested itself in Leveson, Savile and corporation tax. In 2013, as the government's austerity measures kick-in in earnest, we'll start to have a serious debate about what ‘rebalancing’ the economy means in practice, about the UK's place in Europe and about Scotland's place in the UK.

“The US will also start to get serious about three of the biggest issues America faces – climate change, gun control and above all, the role of money in politics, which has made reasonable debate almost impossible. It will be a long journey.

“Against this backdrop, companies have a license to lead debate, but only if their actions match their words.

“Like music, publishing and advertising, PR is being disrupted by digital technology. Unlike these industries, we've barely begun to discuss the implications. In 2013, I hope the new age of seriousness will extend to our own industry.”

PR needs to look global says Francis Ingham, PRCA director general:

“2013 looks like an incredibly promising year for the UK PR industry as a hub for global activities. The media’s global perspective means that even those PR people working on purely UK-level campaigns will increasingly need to be aware of their clients’ or companies’ worldwide activities, and be ready to respond to an issue that may be taking place on the other side of the world. So, global PR networks keep growing in importance for UK agencies.

“On social media, we were recently surprised to discover that as many as 20 per cent of PR practitioners still admit to not understanding social media. If the PR industry is going to remain relevant, we have got to change that.

“I think we will also see the industry making more money from social media campaigns, as this relatively young discipline finds ways to gain more profitable returns. The growing demand for institutional transparency could feed into that, creating new opportunities for digital and social media content.”

2013 is going to be a “good” year says Kevin Murray, chairman of PR agency The Good Relations Group:

“The new price of doing well is doing good,” wrote the global CEO of Havas David Jones and author of Who Cares Wins in the Daily Telegraph last month. We at the Good Relations Group couldn’t agree more. Our 2013 prediction is that in this radically transparent, high-scrutiny and hyper-networked world will get even more difficult to traverse than it is now for anyone who still doesn’t understand the power of 'good’.

“What's good for the environment, for communities and society, is good for business. We believe ‘good’ is a universally understood currency; increasingly it will become a vital and recognised measure of a company’s value and worth.

“Trust has been the defining issue of 2012. In 2013 the global community will shift its focus onto what businesses are ‘good’ and which ones aren’t. ‘Good’ sometimes requires PR help and sometimes wholesale change in behaviours and culture.”

We need to see more diversity this year says Bieneosa Ebite, managing director of agency Bright Star PR and co-founder of cultural diversity campaigning organisation Ignite:

“2012 has been a year in which the PR industry has been more willing to embrace the need for greater diversity. However, we only need to look at the results of the census to see that there is still much work to be done before our profession is reflective of diverse Britain.

“While in 2013 more agencies will take on apprentices and industry bodies will continue to flag the issue of unpaid internships, I do not expect to see a major demographic profile change to our industry overnight, particularly at senior levels. In 2013, there needs to be a more concerted effort to both attract and retain diverse candidates across the board, ranging from black and minority ethnic to the disabled. I would also like to see a culture shift towards monitoring, evaluation and benchmarking so that agencies can assess success and progress to be made in relation to their diversity commitment. The latter may be a big ask for 2013, but there is certainly plenty of scope for the industry to build on its achievements of 2012.”