As communication becomes more fragmented, fast-moving, and increasingly influenced by AI, the role of PR is expanding far beyond media visibility. Reputation today is shaped in real time across platforms, employee voices, customer communities, and leadership narratives, making credibility more complex and far more fragile.
In conversation with Adgully, Priya Bendre, SBU Lead - PR & Corporate Communications at Fortis Healthcare, speaks about the shift from campaign-led communication to behaviour-led reputation, the growing importance of authenticity in the AI era, and why trust cannot be automated even as content creation becomes faster and more scalable.
The PR landscape is evolving faster than ever. What are the biggest shifts you’re seeing in how brands approach reputation today?
Reputation has moved from being campaign-led to behaviour-led. Earlier, brands could shape perception through storytelling; today, perception is shaped by what you do, not what you say (through print ads/ outdoors/ radio spots, etc.) and is tested in real time. The second big shift is decentralisation of influence platforms. Of course, traditional media is still crucial, but reputation is now equally built (or broken, perhaps) on platforms like LinkedIn or Instagram, through employee voices, and even customer communities. For example, a company announcing sustainability goals isn’t credible unless the employees are talking about real internal changes and customers see product-level shifts. So, reputation today is an ecosystem, not a press release.
With media fragmentation and shrinking attention spans, how do you ensure your message actually lands and sticks?
You don’t try to say everything, you build recall. For this, three things matter: clarity of the core idea, contextual storytelling (which is platform-first, not message-first), and repetition without fatigue. In context of healthcare, if you’re launching a health initiative, it would have to be platform adapted:
It’s the same story with different expressions.
In moments of crisis, speed often clashes with accuracy. How do you strike the right balance when every second counts?
Speed without credibility can cause damage and silence without intent can also have long-drawn consequences.
The balance comes from preparedness, not reaction, this includes pre-approved holding statements (scenario-based), clear internal escalation protocols and clearly defined ‘source of truth’ teams (typically a designated response unit). The key is to have a clear demarcation for what you know, what you’re verifying, and what you’ll do next.
Owned, earned, shared, paid – everything is blurring. Where does PR truly lead today, and where does it need to collaborate more?
PR leads in narrative integrity, ensuring that what the brand says is consistent, credible, and coherent across channels. But it cannot operate in isolation anymore. PR must collaborate with Marketing (for amplification and targeting), HR/ Internal Comms (since employees are also brand carriers) and Legal & Policy teams (especially in sensitive or regulated sectors). So, a C-suite announcement today isn’t just a media release; it extends to – internal town hall (owned), leadership post on LinkedIn (shared), media coverage (earned) and targeted amplification (paid).
Measurement in PR has always been debated. What does meaningful impact look like beyond vanity metrics?
Impressions does not mean influence, that’s the bottomline, And volume of coverage does not automatically translate into credibility. What matters is whether communication drives real change in perception and behaviour of its consumers, and the community at large. Meaningful measurement, therefore, must help address questions such as – did we shift how people think about us? Or did it change how they engage or make their decisions? The indicators that truly matter go beyond surface metrics. At its core, effective PR isn’t about how far a message travels, but how deeply it resonates and what it compels people to do next.
AI is enabling content at scale. How do you ensure that efficiency doesn’t come at the cost of authenticity and trust?
AI is great for speeding things up; it can help you get to a first draft much faster, while offering ample references, or help create multiple versions in minutes. But that’s really where its role should stop. The thinking still has to be human.
What keeps communication authentic is judgement, that is, having a clear point of view, understanding context, and knowing what not to say. Especially in sensitive situations, tone, cultural nuances, and risk analysis cannot be templated. Bottomline is that you can’t automate trust.
Do you believe audiences can distinguish between human-led and AI-assisted communication, and does that distinction even matter?
Yes, especially in high-stakes communication. But what matters more is not ‘who wrote it’, but whether it feels real, specific, and accountable. It is easy to detect over-polished neutrality, lack of specifics and absence (complete or total) of ownership.
Looking ahead, what will define credibility for brands in an increasingly automated, AI-influenced communication ecosystem?
Credibility will be defined by how aligned a brand’s words, actions, and impact are. Honesty with which brands work to help their consumers will stand out over perfect narratives.
