SVP – Marketing & Communications,
Indraprastha Gas Limited
The Future of PR
I can visualize that PR is no longer going to be a domain limited to mass communication, journalism and marketing professionals in the coming years as technology is going to drive and control this domain. While AI is definitely going to be a major factor in shaping the future of this profession, creativity and in-depth research backed by human intelligence shall remain at the core for growth of this profession.
The PR professional of the future shall be required to have hunger for mastering latest technologies and adapting seamlessly to change in the dynamic world. They shall be expected to be extremely comfortable with handling data and numbers to draw meaningful results, which can be used to the advantage of the brands. Thus, the new age PR professional shall be a well-rounded professional with a huge bandwidth ranging from creativity to comfort with numbers to mastery over technology.
The quantum leap in the quality of professionals opting for PR domain shall be an indication of its progress towards being a strategic function for the organisations and vying for a seat on the table. The results have already started showing with business as well as thought leaders personally leveraging social media platforms like LinkedIn actively to share their thoughts and shape narratives. Their own firsthand experiences on social media platforms are leading to increased trust in their PR teams to drive home the desired messages and move towards developing their capacities.
However, authenticity of communication is going to be the biggest challenge going forward in the field of PR. The fake news being pedaled on social media platforms has become a major menace in the last few years and many a times, mainline media as well as public figures have also fallen prey to it. Futuristic PR shall be focused on development and usage of tools to gauge the authenticity of news and flag the fake ones.
Creative storytelling and ideation, which resonates with the target audience shall remain the cornerstone of success of any campaign in the future as has been in the past. The change is going to be in the mediums and platforms through which it is delivered. While AI can make life easier for the specialists in this field, it shall not be able to overshadow the creative prowess of the human mind.
On the whole, exciting times are ahead in PR profession. Fast changing technologies and their platforms are going to keep those engaged in PR on their toes. There shall be no room for complacency as those not keeping pace and updating skillsets shall go to obsolescence immediately. Agility and common sense shall remain the primary traits in this profession, which needs to be topped up with mastery over technology and numbers. PR professionals need to be careful that they don’t start becoming hostage to technology. That can be start of the end game for the profession as well as the professionals.