Nikhil Dey, Executive Director at Adfactors PR, offers valuable insights on the changing face of Public Relations (PR) in today's information-driven world. In this interview, he explores how the industry has adapted to the "attention economy," the crucial role of PR in a digital age, and the strategies agencies are adopting to thrive in a competitive market. Nikhil Dey argues that the old "spray and pray" approach to public relations (PR) is no longer effective in the digital age. Excerpts:
How has the landscape of Public Relations changed over the past decade, and what factors have contributed to its growing importance in today's information-driven society?
The attention economy is shaping the way Public Relations is evolving. We are currently operating in a world of shrinking attention spans and untrustworthy information, news and data. A good example is the often-cited research about our attention span being eight seconds. The study in question has been questioned, and the source data does not stand up to scrutiny. This is why professional and ethical public relations continue to play an important role in shaping and building reputation.
With the proliferation of digital platforms and social media, how has the role of PR professionals evolved to effectively manage and navigate the ever-changing media landscape?
There are many times a PR professional is called into action, but of all of them, crisis management is probably the place they shine brightest. Digital and social media have increased the speed, frequency and impact of how a crisis escalates and is amplified for a brand or an organisation. This has created the need for a well-oiled public relations capability to be put in place. Preparedness is the key to effectively navigating through and past a crisis, and this is the playground of the PR professional.
In light of the projected growth of the PR industry in India, what new strategies or approaches are PR agencies adopting to stay ahead in this competitive market and meet the evolving needs of their clients?
Staying ahead of the curve requires PR partners to be deeply rooted in the realities of the business leaders they serve. What are the real problems and opportunities that the business leaders are navigating?
This requires PR teams to have deeper domain knowledge, to enable creative ideas based on insights.
Creating this capacity to listen and decode what is happening in the market using a mix of human intelligence and data analytics is one key capability that is emerging as a differentiator. What is coming around the corner?
To be the early warning system and the radar for a business is possibly one of the most valuable ways a PR partner can help protect reputation and build business.
As businesses increasingly recognize the importance of reputation management and brand perception, how do you see the relationship between PR and overall business success evolving in the coming years
Better aligned goals between business teams, brand teams and PR teams are likely to result in strong synergies. Well-orchestrated campaigns built around a central narrative targeting specific audiences will prove to be most effective. Instead of the old “spray and pray” approach where share of voice and turning up the volume was the way to show how good PR was at drumming up visibility; the future is likely to be about staying below the radar and not inviting unwanted attention. Instead laser-sharp targeting of an audience with a clear call to action is a far better approach. Each discipline is like the arrow in the quiver of a skilful archer who will know when to use the right one.
