Authored by Ganapathy Viswanathan, Independent Communication ConsultantPR had enough struggle for both respectability and clarity of purpose, but the industry has clearly overcome that today and every brand is very closely embracing with PR as an important communication tool when they draw their overall marketing plan for their company and their respective brands. Clients must be now more open to try and explore new avenues in PR and will be looking at more innovative ways to explore Public Relations especially in today’s digital world.  The year 2023 saw more openness and embracing of brands with PR and it looks like 2024 will drive many clients to examine and explore PR closely in their annual marketing plans. I personally feel we may not see any major shift in 2024 as some of the challenges in the area of talent and content creation will continue to bother the industry. Agencies will have to beef up their technology set up and operations with the right talent so that they can manage clients and meet their expectations set.So, what can agencies and do and how can clients collaborate better with their PR partners and get their best for their brands from a communication point of view. And let us examine how PR can bring in that value and differentiation for the brands for them to leverage this communication tool.I think you cannot build a strong reputation for your brand without PR. To achieve the trust and credibility for your brand there is no other communication tool other than PR. Yes, it is a slow process and it takes time but once your brand establishes the credibility it will stay for a very long time unless something really goes wrong with the brand.PR can help both reputed brands and start up business to build their reputation. Some kind of self-belief should be instilled in the stakeholder’s mind to make them believe that PR works. This can only happen once you explore that channel with a clear clarity of thought.Adaptability is possible when you think of PR. A PR campaign can work in synergy with advertising or any other 360-degree communication. While your messaging should be within the broad pillars of the advertising campaign but you have the freedom to deviate and have different approach to reach your audiences so long as the core messaging is same.Your credibility quotient has more weightage as PR is built through third party endorsements. Consumers and your end audiences tend to believe more on messages delivered by journalists than the paid advertising campaign that is planted in various media.Brands in any case do invest a lot when it comes to advertising and promotional campaign. So, as compared to that PR investments are less but you need to have a clear thought process as to what will be the role of PR and how you will leverage it with your main campaign. The perfect orchestration and the clarity between the both will bring in results.Brand building is a continuous process. Running an advertising campaign in long bursts will always be a challenge keeping in mind the exorbitant media costs and cash outflow. Hence you will be only able to run in short bursts by taking breaks. But with PR you can keep continuing the efforts as the cost you entail will be comparatively low and you can be present in the media with being out of sight.In today’s dynamic media landscape especially after the advent of social media the need of online reputation has become very pivotal. So, you cannot ignore from your brand being trolled and you need to be agile and alert to take the remedial action in case your brand gets some negative publicity. Hence, the need of PR comes into play for brands to embrace it.Education and creating awareness about the role of PR should keep happening. The more we run seminars and panel discussion this will not reach the desired audiences. IMAGEXX summit a PR conference from Adgully which is in the fourth year is one of the best platforms to preach and educate as to how brands can benefit from the power of PR.PR is now the most spoken about communication tool as more and more brands are embracing with lot of confidence. Clients have witnessed results in building the credibility of their brands. As we move forward the PR landscape in India is undergoing a fascinating metamorphosis, driven by a dynamic fusion of digital innovation and more emphasis towards influential marketing.While growth depends on several internal and external factors but the intent shown by many clients both brick and motor and the startups are a good sign for the communication industry. Network companies should use their global expertise and knowledge to widen the canvass for PR being an important communication tool for brands to continuously engage with and build their brands.