As part of his author's course "PR Sharks," the doyen of Ukrainian PR, popular blogger, founder of the first Department of Public Relations in Ukraine (1996), and rector of the University of Culture, Mykhailo Poplavskyi, shared his vision for the development of Ukrainian content in the digital space with students. He announced this on his Instagram page.
The professor emphasized that social networks have become the main communication tool of the XXI century: "Social networks – are the basis of communication with the world. Our main task – is to popularize national projects, Ukrainian songs, and Ukrainian-language content. We demonstrate Ukrainian identity, culture, and traditions to the world."
Mykhailo Poplavskyi has been in the media space for over 30 years, 15 years in social networks and has over 10 million subscribers. He showed by his own example how to build a strong personal brand in the media and emphasized that social networks are the most powerful tool for promoting a university brand, maintaining its image, and building trust.
"Today, social networks – are a platform for creating and developing a strong personal brand. The Ukrainian brand "Mykhailo Poplavskyi" became an impetus for the development of the University of Culture. And today we have the best creative university in Ukraine and Europe."
During the master class, the rector mentioned the creation of the world's first TikTok faculty, demonstrated statistics on the reach of university and personal pages on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, and also shared case studies of projects that garnered millions of views.
A vivid example of the popularity of Mykhailo Poplavskyi's content was a TikTok created by the winner of Eurovision 2024, Swiss rapper Nemo, using the song "Ukrainian Varenyky," and the song "Salo" topped the world's music platforms.
"Social networks are your media business! Your own brand – is success. If you are not in trends – you are nowhere! Audience – is influence, subscribers – are capital, and attention – is the new currency," – emphasized Mykhailo Poplavskyi.
The mentor urged students to form a personal image, think strategically, and be at the forefront of new media trends:
"Support Ukrainian! Create your own Ukrainian brands! Be in trend! The world must know that we are Ukrainians, we are a nation and we are a people! Let's keep the Ukrainian wave together!".