Here’s How the PR Industry Should Transform When Everybody Is Writing it Off

There was a lot of talk about the recent The Straits Times article about essential and non-essential jobs. Public Relations didn’t rank high on the list. To add to this – there was also a recent article by Martin Sorrell claiming that digital natives view public relations as an “analogue” discipline, associating it with “press releases” and “gin-soaked lunches”.

Here’s what experts from PRecious Communications have to say on this subject.

Public Relations experts from PRecious Communications weigh in on how the PR industry should transform when everybody is writing it off.

PR is dead. Long live PR. Cheers to the future of the industry

For as long as I have been in Public Relations, the industry has been declared outdated and obsolete. The number and types of channels to interact with your target audience is constantly evolving, and so are the messaging tones and formats. Technology is helping with analysis, research, discovery, and measurement. But while it can aid, technology is not able to replace finding the right combination of creative angle, strategic focus, and tactical execution nuances that did. It will continue to make all the difference.

The essential part of PR is about nurturing and enriching relationships through the power of storytelling, the most human part of connecting with others. One of the biggest challenges of the PR industry is centred around its very core – creating and nurturing mostly intangible assets of trust, likability and desirability. The technical execution growingly becomes an optimization problem as part of the broader marketing mix, which can more easily be automated. It is the level of reputation management and strategic business support that is becoming ever more crucial to a brand’s positioning and ultimately, survival.

Contributed by Lars Voedisch, Founder and Managing Director, PRecious Communications

As long as there are disruptors, there will be a need for storytellers

I remember when I started, armed with a ruler to measure inches and columns. We used to hear tales of our predecessors, the digital immigrants, who’d talk about the days of fax. I know Lars still does. One person back then even had an actual Rolodex of contacts. It was a time when if there were three wise men, at least one of them would have a copy of the journal, in print no less. We were always afraid of being archaic and ripe to be disrupted. Still, the fact is, as long as there are disruptors, there will be a need for storytellers to speak and share about how awesome, said disruptors are, as evidenced by the growing number of innovators we represent.

The job of today is a different one; we’ve built our offences on the premise that social media and advertisers must not shape the news cycle. Otherwise, we’d exist in a world in between unaltered, sponsored messages and opinions. Our profession holds a responsibility to question the accuracy of information we receive from clients, or what we read (don’t get me started on the flaws of the methodology around the Straits Times article) and to then make it relevant for a mass, often online audience.

As the baton passes from digital immigrant to digital native, our role as equal parts scribe and storyteller will not just remain valid, but more and more prove a crucial skill to help pierce through all the noise. At least that’s my opinion. Meanwhile, I’m delighted to share my schedule will be open, and I’m personally available for socially-distanced, gin-soaked lunch invitations.

Contributed by Prayaank Gupta, Head of Growth & Innovation at PRecious Communications

Building credibility through PR is more important today

In today’s era of changing media consumption habits and an emphasis on corporate survival during this pandemic, there will always be questions on the value of PR. However, at the core of what we do is storytelling – PR helps tell the company’s story and explains the whys and the usefulness of a product or service from an unbiased perspective.

This helps build relevance and credibility – two criteria that are especially relevant in today’s landscape where there is a myriad of choices all vying for attention digitally. Transforming the industry to meet changing media habits is a must, but decision-makers and the industry should continue to rely on our core storytelling skills to stand out.

Contributed by Clarence Lim, Client Services Director, PRecious Communications

Moving the needle from vanity to real impact

For some years now, the technology PR industry has been fighting a ‘perceived PR fatigue’. Is what we do essential, are we going overboard, are we contributing to the client’s business goals, are we offering them value and helping build trust?

Maybe, as technology PR practitioners, we need to articulate our value proposition to the business more clearly. Technology PR is no longer just serving at the top of the sales funnel. Armed with the right set of tools, skills, and relevance, we can make a more profound impact in influencing purchase and adoption decisions. For starters, we need to work more closely with clients to stop reporting vanity metrics and focus on actual impact and attribution models.

Contributed by Rajiv Menon, Client Services Director – PRecious Communications

Inspired by this post? If you are a startup or a corporate and are looking to build trusted relationships with your key audiences, Get in touch with us to expand your brand awareness. Let’s push the creative boundaries together.