Public Relations has entered a bold new era. No longer just a back-office function, it has transformed into a strategic powerhouse shaping brand reputation and influence. Companies and leaders now see PR not as an afterthought, but as an essential force driving credibility, trust, and long-term success.
The industry has undergone a radical shift with the rise of social media, fundamentally transforming PR strategies. Influencers now play a crucial role in shaping consumer perceptions and engagement. PR is no longer confined to securing media visibility; it has expanded into a dynamic, results-driven discipline focused on meaningful interactions and measurable outcomes.
With a younger, more digitally savvy audience emerging, PR professionals face new challenges. Brands and practitioners must be more agile, data-driven, and proactive in crafting business solutions that resonate with their audience. The future of PR lies in adaptability, authenticity, and strategic storytelling that build lasting trust and impact.
In our exclusive weekly column, PR Conversation, Adgully interacts with leading business leaders to gain their exclusive views and insights on various trends in the PR and communications industry.
In an era where content fatigue and digital noise drown out most brand messages, P4C stands out by anchoring its communication strategy in journalistic depth and creative intelligence. In this exclusive interview with Adgully, Sabarinath M, Founder and Managing Director of P4C, who brings a unique lens shaped by years in journalism, shares how this transition has influenced a bold, content-first PR model. From breaking away from traditional agency structures to navigating the post-COVID demand for realism, agility, and strategic storytelling, he discusses why the future of PR lies not in press releases, but in purposeful, business-driven narratives.
You have had a unique journey from journalism to founding P4C. How has this transition shaped your perspective on communication and brand building?
Journalism allows you to manifest your ideas on individuals, enterprises and brands by blending news, facts and data. These ideas inform, educate and help to establish a deeper connect with readers. When a journalist becomes a communication strategist, he or she needs to see brand building from a fresh perspective. Every brand is endowed with a unique story. You need to deep-dive and understand the story, and draw up out-of-the-box brand narratives to fuel excitement among its stakeholders. The strategies emerge from the blending of imagination and realism. While you explore an extraordinary narrative, your experiences in journalism will help you stay grounded.
PR is no longer about press releases; clients demand impact at speed. How is P4C breaking away from traditional agency models to deliver agility and credibility at the same time?
P4C has always been a proponent of powerful content to narrate brand stories. In fact, the DNA of the organisation rests solely on content. We feel that the content that is derived out of deep research, thinking and stylistic writing brings a lot of credibility. An eye-catching story idea or a campaign will exponentially raise brand awareness than a conventional release. Though we remain committed to clients’ need for agility, as Peter Ducker famously said, “True agility requires more than speed. It requires strategic insights and proactive approach.” We abide by this maxim.
In a cluttered market where everyone claims storytelling, how do you separate a truly powerful brand narrative from a glorified marketing pitch?
At a time when people are influenced by social media, glorification brings with it the dangers of brand fatigue. A realistic story is far more appealing than an overhyped narrative. Recent successful brand promotions are skewed towards realism than glorified pitches. We at P4C strongly believe that narratives that stem from the genuine thinking of collective minds can separate the men from the boys.
Many legacy brands are rebranding aggressively. Do you see this as genuine reinvention or just cosmetic makeovers to stay relevant? How should PR firms call out the difference?
Legacy is no longer a buzzword in an ever-transitioning society, which swears by instant gratification. Hence, brand repositioning is inevitable and cosmetic makeovers will not have a lasting impact. Legacy brands that make a critical difference are the ones which reinvent the business model in tune with the needs of futuristic market place and re-orient the brand narrative. We were recently part of a brand transformation exercise initiated by a 75-year-old manufacturing company. From a pure commodity play, it has repositioned as an FMCG company, which makes products for futuristic businesses. We have successfully executed a holistic brand communication exercise, reflecting the change.
Reputation management today is about culture, ethics, leadership and even CEO tweets. How should agencies prepare brands for this always-on, always-judged environment?
Preserving cultural excellence and ethical leadership is the hallmark of any good enterprise. The communication specialists have a great role to play in mitigating risks pertaining to reputation. Gathering market intelligence and training are two critical tools that keep reputational risks at bay. We do periodic market surveys and leverage social listening tools to analyse reputation quotient. The findings can be used for course correction using fresh narratives. We also have an in-house training programme called ‘Media Pulse’, which prepares top management to deal with complexities in media and social media environment.
With AI writing, analytics predicting, and platforms constantly shifting, is the PR professional of tomorrow more likely to be a techie, a strategist or a storyteller?
While AI can disrupt the PR industry in myriad ways, agencies that diligently practice ‘Creative Intelligence’ will stay relevant. Creative Intelligence is a term introduced by award-winning psychologist Robert Sternberg in 1985. It is the ability to invent solutions to new problems. PR professionals have to confront many problems on a regular basis. We need to transform into creative strategists and come up with innovative solutions that technology cannot fathom. P4C has created out-of-the-box packages like ‘Bharat Connect’ to reach out to smaller cities of India.
PR often gets squeezed between marketing and digital budgets. What is your take on PR’s true ROI and how can agencies like P4C demand a bigger seat at the CMO’s table?
In a fast-changing world, PR is probably the only marketing tool that ensures long-term reputation. If organisations want to last for longer years, they need to build trust and reputation. There is an increasing realisation that PR can make a significant long-term impact. The only hitch is that there are no technological tools to measure and validate PR’s effectiveness. The industry is addressing the issue. The emergence of scientific measuring tools will propel prominence of PR, going forward.
If you had to bet big, what is the one wild but inevitable change you see redefining PR and communications in India by 2030?
PR is undergoing a major transformation. From being an important tool to bolster reputation, it is gradually metamorphosing into a solution-driven business navigator helping organisations to grow businesses. Apart from the regular communication mandates, an evolving PR eco-system can provide tools to nurture and grow the business. For example, intelligence reports, white papers, brand reputation audits, customised events and many more things. Going forward, the one big change will be offering solutions, which can improve efficiencies of specific business goals.
