Public relations has long been explained through communication, media relations, reputation and trust. Zoran Tomić now places at the center a concept that goes one step further: meaning. His idea of the manager of meaning starts from the fact that publics do not react only to what an organization says or does, but to the way they understand those messages, decisions and actions.
That is precisely why this concept opens the question of a new development phase of PR. If the communication environment has changed under the influence of digital transformation, artificial intelligence, algorithms and the hyperproduction of content, then the role of the public relations expert is changing as well. He is no longer only a transmitter of messages, but someone who understands how perceptions, interpretations, trust and social legitimacy are created.
In an interview for Media Marketing, Tomić speaks about why people do not react only to facts, but to the meanings they attribute to them, how the digital age is changing the theory and practice of public relations, what PR 4.0 brings and why the management of meaning could mark a new development phase of the profession.
What exactly is a manager of meaning, from an academic and practical perspective?
The concept of the manager of meaning starts from the fact that people do not react to facts in themselves, but to the meanings they attribute to those facts. Academically speaking, it is an expansion of the theoretical framework of public relations, in which the focus shifts from managing communication to managing the processes of creating social meanings. A public relations expert is no longer only an intermediary between an organization and its publics, but a person who understands how perceptions, interpretations and trust are formed. In practical terms, a manager of meaning helps organizations make their decisions, values and actions understandable and acceptable to different publics. His task is to connect the identity of the organization with the meanings created by the publics, because it is precisely those meanings that determine reputation, legitimacy and long-term success.
How much will the manager of meaning, as a new professional role, change the profession? What will be his greatest contribution to the development of public relations?
I believe that this concept will not only change the way we observe the profession, but also the way it will develop in the coming decades. Public relations will no longer be predominantly focused on the transmission of messages, but on understanding how different publics give meaning to those messages. The greatest contribution will be precisely in the fact that the public relations expert will more firmly and more deeply become a strategic adviser to management boards and decision-makers, and not only an executor of communication activities. In this way, the profession gains a stronger theoretical identity and a clearer social responsibility. Ultimately, the manager of meaning contributes to building trust, and trust is today the most valuable capital of every organization.
How much has the digital age, and digital transformation of society in general, influenced the need for new theoretical and, ultimately, practical approaches in public relations?
Digital transformation has radically changed the communication environment. Today, information is created, spread and reinterpreted almost instantly, and organizations no longer have a monopoly over their own narratives. That is precisely why classic models of public relations are no longer sufficient, because they were not developed for a world of algorithms, artificial intelligence, social networks and hyperproduction of content. In such circumstances, it becomes crucial to understand how meanings are created, how they change and how they influence people’s behavior. The manager of meaning represents a response to the new communication reality because he enables the strategic management of perceptions at a time when attention is limited and interpretation is more important than the information itself.
You are the first to introduce the theoretical concept of PR 4.0. Can you tell us something about this approach?
PR 4.0 represents a theoretical framework that describes a new phase in the development of public relations in the conditions of digital transformation, artificial intelligence and a networked society. Just as industry went through Industry 4.0, public relations is also entering a period in which it is no longer enough to manage information or communication channels, but it is necessary to understand the complex processes of creating meaning, trust and social influence. PR 4.0 connects technological possibilities with a humanistic understanding of communication, because technology can accelerate communication, but it cannot build credibility by itself. In this concept, the public relations expert becomes a strategic manager of meaning who helps organizations understand how their decisions acquire meaning in the public space. I believe that PR 4.0 will mark the development of the profession in the coming decades because it offers a theoretical and practical response to the challenges of digital society, artificial intelligence and increasingly complex relations between organizations and their publics.
How much will the manager of meaning influence the development of a new paradigm, the opening of a new horizon, not only from an academic perspective, but in all areas of strategic communication – in corporations, politics, sport…?
I think this concept has the potential to outgrow the framework of public relations and become a broader model of strategic communication. Every organization, whether it is a corporation, a political institution, a sports club or a non-governmental organization, operates in a space of meanings that publics create about its actions. That is why the ability to manage these meanings will become one of the key managerial competencies of the future. Academically speaking, it is about opening a new paradigm that connects communication studies, sociology, psychology, management and organization theory. Practically speaking, organizations that understand the processes of meaning creation will have a competitive advantage because they will more easily build trust, legitimacy and social influence.
Is the profession facing a new development phase?
Public relations today is at a turning point comparable to the greatest changes in its history. During the past century, the profession developed from informing the public, through managing communication and relationships, to the present moment in which the management of meanings comes to the center. Digital transformation, artificial intelligence and algorithmic society have changed the very nature of the communication space. The future will no longer belong to those who produce the most information, but to those who best understand how meanings, trust and social legitimacy are created. That is precisely why I believe that we are entering a new development phase of public relations, in which the management of meaning will become one of the key areas of strategic action.
How do you see the future of public relations at the global level?
Public relations will increasingly develop as a strategic discipline of managing trust, reputation and social legitimacy. Artificial intelligence will take over a large part of operational communication activities, but it will not be able to replace the human ability to understand context, values and meanings. That is why the experts of the future will be less content producers and more strategic advisers to management boards and leaders. Their greatest value will be the ability to understand the processes of social interpretation and to guide organizations through an increasingly complex communication environment. I believe that the management of meaning will mark the next decade of the development of public relations.
Where do you see the region and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the world map of public relations?
In recent years, our region has achieved significant professional and academic progress. We have quality experts, successful agencies and an increasingly strong university community that follows global trends. However, in order to be internationally recognizable, it is not enough only to follow the development of the profession, we must also offer it our own theoretical contributions. That is precisely why I believe that concepts such as the manager of meaning and the PR 4.0 paradigm can represent a contribution that comes from our region, but has universal value. I am certain that Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with Slovenia, Croatia and other countries of the region, can be a place from which new ideas will emerge that will shape the future of global public relations.
Apart from the manager of meaning and the development of that theoretical concept, what else are you dedicated to?
My interest continues to be directed toward the development of the theory of strategic communication and its connection with the challenges of contemporary society. I am particularly interested in the impact of artificial intelligence on the communication profession, the management of trust, crisis communication and the development of new competencies of communication experts. At the same time, I continue to work on international academic cooperation, the development of study programs and the connection of scientific research with the needs of practice. I believe that the responsibility of a professor is not only to transfer existing knowledge, but to create new theoretical frameworks that can help the development of the profession. That is precisely why I strive for every new book or research project to bring an original contribution to the understanding of communication in a time of major social and technological changes.
