April 26 Briefing | Community

Last month we were thinking about space at Lobby PR - environments that bring people together and how to PR them.

That got us thinking about the people in, and networks around them - what does PR mean it comes to communities.

We all hear about "Community" everywhere - but it's about more than a busy launch or a long guest list. That might look like a community, but it doesn't behave like one.

So, at Lobby PR when we talk about community we're asking: How close? How reliable? How valued?

It's the core of PR - relationships, building them and maintaining them.

We see it in our work from the Ashley Williams x Starface launch at Climax Books; the HOFF x Phoebe Collings-Hames in-store exhibition; Lucila Safdie's film club, and at catwalk shows for community-led brands like Sinead Gorey.

Community should be about lightness and ease, familiarity and closeness, knowing the small details and a human touch are important, and making the time for that one-to-one moment. In a world where we're all busy, brands that make time to show up for people show they care.

Community is built through trust and earned through time, moment-by-moment, gesture-by-gesture.

You can buy attention, but you can't buy advocacy.

Brands with strong communities grow twice as fast (Marketing LTB), 3-in-4 people are more likely to recommend a brand they feel connected to (Creatorlabz), and 88% trust recommendations from people in their circle rather than any form of advertising (Invesp).

In a competitive media environment, sometimes the most reliable PR strategies are based on nurturing relationships you can rely on.