The artificial intelligence conversation has entered a new phase. After three years of relentless investment, experimentation and boardroom enthusiasm, the debate has shifted decisively from whether organisations should adopt AI to how they can deploy it responsibly, securely and at enterprise scale. As AI Appreciation Day 2026 is observed globally, one message is becoming increasingly clear: the next wave of competitive advantage will not be created by organisations that simply use more AI, but by those that combine intelligent automation with trusted data, sound governance and human judgment.  ManagementWhat began as a race to launch AI pilots has evolved into a far more complex  business challenge. Across industries – from marketing, manufacturing and financial services to healthcare, enterprise software, cybersecurity and consumer technology – AI is rapidly moving beyond productivity tools and copilots to become the underlying operating layer of modern enterprises. It is increasingly shaping customer experiences, influencing  strategic decisions, orchestrating workflows and redefining how organisations innovate, compete and create value. Yet, as AI becomes deeply embedded in business operations, executives argue that technology alone is no longer the differentiator. The real questions facing leaders today are far more fundamental: Can AI be trusted with mission-critical decisions? Can it scale without compromising governance, privacy and security? Can organisations harness autonomous systems while preserving accountability, transparency and human oversight? And perhaps most importantly, can AI augment human intelligence rather than replace it? The consensus emerging from industry leaders is that the AI conversation has matured beyond fascination with models, chatbots and automation. Success is increasingly being measured not by the number of AI tools deployed, but by measurable business outcomes, better decision-making, stronger customer experiences and resilient enterprise ecosystems. In this new phase, trusted data, explainable AI, cybersecurity, responsible governance and human expertise are becoming strategic assets as important as the algorithms themselves. To understand how this transformation is unfolding, Adgully spoke to more than 40 business leaders, founders, technologists, marketers and AI strategists across sectors. Their insights reveal an industry at a pivotal inflection point—one where AI is quietly transitioning from a disruptive technology into critical business infrastructure. From agentic AI and intelligent automation to enterprise governance, creative collaboration and cyber resilience, the conversations point to a shared conclusion: the organisations that will lead the next decade will not necessarily be those with the most advanced AI models, but those that build the greatest confidence in how those models are deployed. If the first chapter of AI was defined by experimentation and speed, the next will be defined by trust, responsibility and intelligent execution. AI Appreciation Day 2026, therefore, is less a celebration of artificial intelligence itself than a reflection on how businesses are learning to transform technological capability into sustainable competitive advantage, by ensuring that every algorithm is matched with accountability, every automation with oversight, and every breakthrough with human judgment. From AI adoption to AI executionA recurring theme among industry leaders is that enterprises have largely moved beyond debating AI adoption. The real challenge now lies in embedding it into everyday operations.Venugopal Ganganna, Co-Founder and CIO of LS Digital, believes the conversation has evolved from awareness to measurable business outcomes. Organisations have already decided to invest in AI, he says. The differentiator now is how quickly businesses can integrate AI into customer experiences, operational workflows and strategic decisions that directly drive growth. Shrish Anand Lal of MiFiX.ai echoes a similar sentiment. Enterprises are no longer questioning whether AI works, they’re questioning whether it can be trusted in production. While AI models continue to improve, scaling them across organisations still depends on governance, auditability and enterprise-ready architecture rather than technology alone.Suraj Victor, Vice President, Go-to-Market, Pegasystems India, puts it even more bluntly: everyone is buying AI, but very few are buying outcomes. The winners, he argues, will be those who convert AI into measurable business value instead of merely accumulating AI pilots.Ambika Sharma, Product Architect, Neuro Rank & Chief Strategist, Pulp Strategy, says most of the appreciation for AI goes to the systems we all can see working like the copilots, the agents, the models writing code. She further says quieter story is the one with the widest reach and AI search is where artificial intelligence touches the most people, most often, with the least ceremony.That growing maturity is evident across sectors. The excitement surrounding AI tools has given way to discussions around business transformation.Competitive advantage isn't AI, it's better decisionsPerhaps the strongest shift emerging this year is the recognition that AI itself is no longer a differentiator.Ajay Varma, Managing Partner at 0101.Today, argues that organisations are celebrating AI for the wrong reasons. Too many companies proudly count the number of AI tools they've adopted instead of measuring the problems they've solved.Real success, he says, can already be seen in organisations like HDFC Bank using AI for fraud detection, Apollo Hospitals improving clinical decision-making, and Flipkart delivering personalised customer experiences. These are examples where AI has quietly improved business decisions rather than becoming the headline. Rahul Garg, Founder and CEO of Moglix Credlix and Cognilix, believes enterprise AI is entering its second phase. Earlier, AI automated individual tasks. Today, it is beginning to influence strategic decision-making by transforming scattered data into insights that businesses can actually trust.Rama Rao, Creative Director – Video, TheSmallBigIdea, says it feels like a good time to look at just how quickly AI has gone from being something he spoke about as our future to something that we use almost every day at work. Nikhil Vijay Bagalkotkar, Director, AEC India & SAARC, Autodesk, sees a similar evolution in architecture, engineering and manufacturing. AI is becoming an intelligent collaborator that helps professionals evaluate alternatives, detect risks early and make better decisions when they matter most, long before projects are completed.The common thread is unmistakable as AI is moving from execution to judgement.Human intelligence becomes more valuable, not lessContrary to early fears, executives increasingly see AI enhancing rather than replacing human capability.Prashant Puri, Co-founder and CEO of AdLift, calls this one of AI's greatest ironies. As machines become increasingly capable, they make distinctly human qualities such as empathy, creativity and strategic thinking even more valuable. Technology may provide speed, but humans continue to provide direction.The future, he says, belongs to organisations that master collaborative intelligence, knowing precisely when to keep humans in the loop.This philosophy resonates strongly across industries.Shemaroo Entertainment, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer Anuja Trivedi says AI is helping decode audience behaviour, personalise content discovery and strengthen storytelling. Yet its real value lies in amplifying creativity rather than replacing it.Rishabh Suri, Co-founder and Chief Content Officer at Studio Blo, believes AI has removed creative barriers for young storytellers, allowing teams to build ideas that were previously impossible. But creativity, he insists, still originates with people.Vishal Rajani, CEO of Synergos, argues AI has taken over the repetitive work marketers never enjoyed in the first place like research, reporting and endless iterations, freeing strategists to spend more time understanding clients, asking better questions and solving the problems that actually matter.Nitin Burman, CRO, Balaji Telefilms says AI is no longer just a tool for efficiency, it is becoming a creative collaborator across media, marketing and entertainment. He further adds how AI is redefining how content is created, distributed and consumed from enabling immersive storytelling and reducing production costs to delivering hyper-personalised audience experiencesSaket Dandotia, Co-Founder and CEO, Onetab.ai honours the minds that are building India's intelligent future - and remind ourselves that the smartest technology is the one guided by human values.Across creative industries, AI is increasingly being viewed not as a substitute for imagination, but as an amplifier of it.The rise of the invisible enterpriseIf the first phase of AI focused on chatbots and copilots, the next wave is likely to be far less visible.Anjaiah Surgi, CTO of Hindware, believes the future lies in making AI almost invisible across customer interactions. Today, AI already helps the company automatically triage complaints, improve dealer receivables, support HR operations and enhance customer service.The next evolution, he says, will see AI moving beyond dashboards and alerts into autonomous action, following up with dealers, supporting sales teams and quietly improving every interaction without customers consciously noticing the technology behind it.Albert Nel, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific and Japan, Genesys describes this transition as the emergence of agentic AI, systems capable of reasoning, coordinating enterprise workflows and orchestrating actions instead of merely generating responses.Yashwant Singh, Founder & CEO, AmbitionHire says AI Appreciation Day is a timely reminder of how rapidly artificial intelligence has become an integral part of the way we work, recruit, and make decisions and how AI is helping organizations automate repetitive tasks, uncover meaningful insights from data, and improve efficiency. Rather than replacing customer service employees, these intelligent agents will handle routine work while humans focus on complex decisions, empathy and relationship-building.It marks a significant evolution in enterprise AI, from assistance to orchestration.Trust becomes AI's biggest competitive advantageIf the first wave of artificial intelligence was defined by speed and automation, the next will be defined by trust.Almost every executive agrees that as AI becomes more autonomous, governance, transparency and accountability are moving from compliance checklists to boardroom priorities.Sonia Nahar, Group Head – Social Media & Strategic Initiatives at Barcode, believes AI has quietly become the invisible engine powering modern workplaces, from decision-making to customer engagement. But as organisations deepen AI integration, she argues that transparency, ethical governance and human-centric design can no longer be optional. The businesses that thrive will be those that balance technological capability with human judgment.That sentiment is echoed by Sameer Kanodia, Vice Chairman and CEO of Lumina Datamatics & TNQTech, who says the future will belong to organisations that integrate AI across end-to-end workflows while maintaining strong governance, intellectual property protection, data privacy and human oversight. For him, the next breakthrough isn't merely agentic AI or multimodal intelligence, it is trusted AI.Deepak Sharma, CTO, Thriwe says next phase of AI is moving beyond automation to intelligent assistance. He further adds consumers no longer just expect faster service, they expect brands to understand context, anticipate needs, and simplify decisions in real time.Priti Sawant, Founder & CEO, Joules to Watts says their focus has increasingly been on helping organizations develop AI Charters that go beyond a list of tools, pilots, or technology investments as they bring together leadership alignment, talent readiness, operating models, governance, customer impact, and execution discipline.Subhash Kalluri, Founder, FreJun shares an interesting perspective on how Voice AI now sits inside some of the most sensitive conversations a business has like a candidate discussing a job change, a patient booking a medical appointment, and a customer disputing a loan repayment. Niraj Nagrani, Chief Data and AI Officer at Altimetrik, believes enterprises are now entering an era where success depends less on building bigger models and more on operationalising AI responsibly. Trusted context, cyber resilience, governance and intelligent orchestration are becoming the real differentiators as organisations scale AI across business functions.Agentic AI changes the enterprise playbookBeyond copilots and assistants lies what many executives describe as AI's next defining chapter – Agentic AI.Unlike traditional AI tools that generate responses, agentic systems can reason, plan and execute tasks across multiple workflows with minimal intervention.Deepak Dastrala, CEO and Business Head of Purple Fabric, describes this as a shift from isolated co-pilots to “Digital Experts” that augment human judgement across enterprise workflows while remaining accountable within clearly defined guardrails.Bhavin Turakhia, Founder of Neo, goes even further, calling AI the biggest force multiplier of his lifetime, larger than both the internet and smartphones. The real opportunity, he argues, lies not in gaining access to increasingly powerful models but in fundamentally redesigning how work gets done, where intelligent agents and humans collaborate seamlessly to solve bigger problems faster.Yet executives are equally clear that autonomy cannot exist without accountability.Security can no longer be an afterthoughtGreater intelligence also creates greater vulnerability.As enterprises deploy AI agents with access to customer records, financial systems and sensitive enterprise data, cybersecurity is emerging as one of AI's defining challenges.Bikash Barai, Founder and CEO of FireCompass, warns that every autonomous AI agent becomes a high-value target for cybercriminals. While marketers celebrate AI-driven personalisation, attackers are leveraging AI with equal sophistication. Security, governance and human accountability therefore need to be designed into every AI workflow from the outset rather than added after a breach.Bhavyan Mehta, Vice President - Engineering, Commvault, points to recent demonstrations showing how AI can compress vulnerability discovery from weeks to minutes, fundamentally changing the economics of cyber risk. The organisations that succeed, he argues, will build resilient ecosystems where humans provide judgement while AI accelerates execution.Similar concerns are raised by Ankur Kanaglekar, Vice President – India, Thales; Chetan Jain, Managing Director, Inspira Enterprise; Hariprasad PS, Head of AI, HyperVerge; Vasanthi Ramesh, Vice President of Engineering and Site Leader, NetApp India; and Srividya Kannan, Founder and CEO, Avaali Solutions – all of whom stress that trusted data, explainable AI, robust governance and secure infrastructure will ultimately determine whether AI earns long-term enterprise confidence.Infrastructure becomes AI's silent enablerBehind every impressive AI application lies an increasingly sophisticated digital backbone.Dr Badri Gomatam, Group CTO, STL, notes that as AI models become larger and more compute-intensive, demand for high-performance, low-latency and energy-efficient AI data centres is rising dramatically. Fibre networks, connectivity infrastructure and scalable digital ecosystems are becoming just as important as the models themselves.Ishank Joshi, Founder, MD and CEO, Mobavenue AI Tech Limited believes the future of advertising will be defined by systems that continuously learn, predict, and optimize. He further adds how AI is enabling marketers to move beyond campaign execution towards intelligent decision making, where every impression, audience signal, and media investment contributes to measurable business outcomes. Vikram Raichura founder and MD of helo.ai reflects how twenty years from now people will look back at this period the way we look back at the internet in the early 2000s and The businesses that are paying attention to what AI is actually demanding of them right now are the ones who will have the most to show for it.AI becomes deeply personalWhile enterprise AI dominates headlines, consumers are experiencing AI in quieter but equally meaningful ways.Pankaj Rana, CEO, Hisense India, views AI as an enabler that helps us better understand and address evolving consumer needs. Rajeev Singh, Managing Director, BenQ India and South Asia, sees AI creating value only when it improves everyday experiences consistently rather than existing as a flashy marketing feature.Ravi Agarwal, Co-Founder and MD, Cellecor Gadgets Limited, similarly believes India's AI journey must balance innovation with affordability, ensuring intelligent technology remains practical and accessible rather than exclusive.For consumers, the most successful AI may ultimately be the AI they barely notice.The future of work isn't human versus AIOne of AI's earliest fears, that it would replace human jobs wholesale, is giving way to a more nuanced reality.Saumitra R Chand, Career Expert, Indeed India and Singapore, believes AI can help employers identify overlooked talent while enabling jobseekers to be recognised for skills that traditional résumés often fail to capture. But the final hiring decision, he insists, must always remain human. Sivakumar Ekambaram, India Site Leader, GoTo, similarly argues that AI's greatest contribution lies in helping employees focus on higher-value work while intelligent systems handle repetitive tasks. Naresh Agarwal, SVP, Engineering, India, Harness, describes AI as a multiplier rather than a shortcut—one that increasingly rewards judgement, contextual thinking and decision-making over routine execution.Across industries, executives agree that human expertise isn't becoming obsolete; it is becoming more valuable.The next decade belongs to responsible AIPerhaps the most striking takeaway from this year's AI Appreciation Day is how dramatically the conversation has matured.Gone are the days when success was measured by the number of AI pilots launched or tools deployed.Today's leaders are asking harder questions: Can AI be trusted?Can it scale responsibly?Can it remain transparent?Can it improve human judgement rather than replace it?Can it deliver measurable business outcomes without compromising security, ethics or customer trust?The consensus is remarkably consistent. AI's future will not be defined by increasingly larger models or ever-faster automation. It will be defined by the organisations that successfully combine intelligent machines with human judgement, robust governance and trusted data.AI has undoubtedly become one of the defining technologies of this century. But perhaps its greatest achievement is not that it is replacing people, it is forcing businesses to rediscover what only people can uniquely contribute.In that sense, AI Appreciation Day is no longer simply a celebration of technology. It is a reminder that the next era of innovation will belong not to artificial intelligence alone, but to organisations that know how to combine machine intelligence with human wisdom. 

Artificial intelligence may be changing the way public relations professionals work, but if there's one message that echoed across the industry on World PR Day 2026, it is that technology alone cannot build reputation.From AI-powered workflows and the rise of the creator economy to integrated communications and data-driven storytelling, the PR landscape is undergoing one of its biggest transformations in decades. Yet, communications leaders believe the future of public relations will be determined not by the sophistication of technology, but by authenticity, credibility,  counsel and lasting relationships. To understand where the profession is headed, Adgully spoke to communications leaders, founders, strategists, and PR professionals across agencies and corporate communications. Their perspectives reveal an industry that is moving beyond media relations to become a strategic business function, where reputation, authenticity, and measurable impact matter more than ever.One of the strongest themes that emerged from the conversations was the growing importance of transparency and trust in an age where information is abundant and audiences are more discerning than ever.Echoing this sentiment, Abhinay Kumar Singh, Founder and MD, Adgcraft Communications, said: “The most significant shift has been the growing expectation for transparency; audiences today are more likely to verify a brand's claims before trusting them, which means PR built on messaging alone isn't as effective as it once was. AI and data have given communicators sharper tools for storytelling, but the organisations seeing real results are using these tools to communicate more clearly and honestly, not just more efficiently. Looking ahead, successful PR will be less about broadcasting a message and more about sustaining an ongoing conversation with audiences, grounded in accurate data, delivered through the right channels, and supported by substance that holds up to scrutiny.”Another recurring trend highlighted by industry leaders was the evolution of PR into a strategic, integrated business function, extending well beyond traditional media relations.Sharing her perspective, Sonalika Pawar, Founder & CEO, Bold & Beyond, said: “One of the most significant shifts in PR has been the evolution from isolated tactics to integrated communications. Today's audiences are more informed, discerning, and harder to impress than ever before. They don't engage with fragmented campaigns - they connect with authentic, consistent narratives across every touchpoint. Media relations or influencer marketing in isolation are no longer enough. The most effective communications strategies seamlessly bring together earned media, creator partnerships, digital campaigns, and on-ground experiences to build reputation while delivering tangible business outcomes. AI is undoubtedly transforming the industry by enabling greater speed, efficiency, and data-driven decision-making. But while technology can enhance how we work, it cannot replace the essence of public relations. Great storytelling begins with empathy, cultural understanding, strategic thinking, and human intuition- qualities that remain irreplaceable.” Looking ahead, Pawar believes, “Successful PR will be defined not just by the stories we tell or the coverage we secure, but by the trust we build, the reputation we shape, and the measurable business impact we create. As communications professionals, it's time we stop viewing PR as a support function and recognise it for what it truly is, a strategic business driver that influences perception, builds credibility, and fuels long-term growth.”The growing influence of AI on search, discoverability and earned media was another area that experts believe will significantly shape the future of communications.Rahul Jain, CEO, SGA PR, observed: “In a world where AI and digital platforms have made information accessibility easier, the role of PR has evolved significantly. It is no longer just about disseminating information; rather it is about ensuring credibility and relevance. As the communications landscape is evolving, human relations and human intelligence (HI) have become indispensable. It is important in adding a perspective that is emotionally and culturally relevant and authentic.” Jain further said: “In a future-forward AI driven world where AI engines favour citing earned and organic content over paid advertorials, we are likely to witness more emphasis and focus towards building brand reputation through earned media campaigns. PR will play an important role in shaping narrative by driving optimal answer engine visibility.”“Looking ahead, I believe that the future of PR belongs to those who can tell original stories rooted in real consumer insights and create positive impact on client’s business growth, is what will define great PR,” he added. Similarly, Sonam Shah, Founder & CEO, Treize Communications, believes PR has become deeply embedded in organisational strategy.One of the key shifts that has been seen is how the clients see PR as an add-on value to the brand. Today, Public Relations strategy is part of the larger strategy from initial stage. The integration of PR is done in a much smarter and better way as compared to few years ago. This helps in better storytelling and building a stronger brand recall. The focus today is on more intent driven stories which brings quality value to the table. As consumption patterns evolve, there is a dynamic shift in how media performs, and this has been a larger contributory factor in the evolution of PR in India. This definition of successful PR will tilt towards how the activity helps the business in the larger perspective and not on an immediate outcome. Long term brand building will hold more importance.Beyond technology, many industry leaders pointed towards authenticity, empathy and human intelligence as the qualities that will continue to differentiate successful communicators.Reflecting on this, Harsheeta Gandhi, PR Consultant & Strategist, said: “The communications industry is evolving faster than ever. AI, the creator economy, predictive analytics, and changing media consumption habits have transformed how brands communicate. However, the most significant shift is not technological it is the growing demand for authenticity, credibility, and relevance.” She noted, “Today, anyone can create content, but not everyone can build trust. While AI has made communication faster and more efficient, successful public relations still depends on human judgment, strategic thinking, empathy, and a deep understanding of stakeholders. The ability to interpret insights, craft meaningful narratives, and respond with sensitivity remains irreplaceable.” Data-driven storytelling has also become a defining force. Every campaign is expected to deliver measurable impact, making PR more integrated with business outcomes than ever before. At the same time, journalists continue to play a pivotal role by validating information and bringing credibility to stories in an increasingly crowded information ecosystem.“Looking ahead, the organisations and professionals who will lead the industry are those who embrace innovation without compromising ethics, transparency, or relationships. Technology will continue to change the tools we use, but it cannot replace the human connection that lies at the heart of communication,” Gandhi said, adding, “After all, while the industry evolves, the “R” in PR will always stand for Relationships—because trust is earned through people, not platforms.” The expanding role of communications within organisations was another major takeaway.According to Yetesh Sharma, Assistant Manager, Content at Adfactors PR, PR today has outgrown its traditional definition. He observed, “The biggest change in the PR industry is that the profession has outgrown its own definition. What many organisations still call 'PR' today is, in reality, integrated communications. The mandate extends far beyond earned media to include executive visibility, digital platforms, social media, podcasts, creator ecosystems, owned content and stakeholder engagement. Reputation is no longer built through one channel. Rather, it is shaped across all of them.” According to Sharma, “This evolution has also changed where PR sits within an organisation. Earlier, it was largely viewed as an extension of marketing, focused on visibility and media outreach. Today, PR has found a place in boardroom discussions because reputation has become a business asset. In an always-connected world, where every stakeholder can influence public perception, reputation impacts investor confidence, customer trust, talent, partnerships and even business growth. Communications is, therefore, a strategic business function.” The success of PR in the years ahead will depend less on producing more content and more on making better strategic decisions. Every situation demands a different communication approach which is sometimes sustained visibility, sometimes a single, high-impact intervention. Getting that balance right requires deep business understanding, credible research, meaningful conversations with clients and insights that can shape perception with purpose. Technology will continue to change execution, but strategic counsel will remain the true value that PR brings to the table.As AI-powered tools become increasingly embedded into everyday communications, professionals also stressed the need to balance automation with human judgment.Speaking about this shift, Zohra Shamim, Account Manager, PR & Communications, Bloomingdale PR, said: “Over the past few years, the PR industry has witnessed a remarkable transformation driven by artificial intelligence. The shift from manual research, content creation, media monitoring, and reporting to AI-powered workflows has significantly improved efficiency. Today, professionals have access to specialised tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude for research and content, alongside media intelligence platforms like Cision, Meltwater, etc., for monitoring, journalist discovery, and sentiment tracking, making it easier to manage multiple clients and fast-paced communications with greater agility. What has changed is not just the availability of these tools, but the need to develop the skill to handle and operate them well.” Alongside this, the very definition of PR has broadened. While earned and paid media remain important pillars, the rise of digital PR and content creators has added a new dimension that is grabbing eyeballs and driving conversations. PR today is no longer confined to traditional media relations, it has rather become a 360-degree approach that blends earned coverage, paid amplification, digital storytelling, and creator collaborations to build a brand's narrative across every touchpoint.However, no matter how advanced AI becomes, there is always something left behind that requires human intelligence and human touch. AI can accelerate execution, but it cannot replace critical thinking, contextual understanding, empathy, or sound judgment. In Public Relations, every strategy crafted for a brand, every media pitch, every analysis report, and every client recommendation requires a nuanced understanding that only humans can bring. More importantly, the relationships built with journalists, clients, content creators, and other stakeholders are deeply personal and are based on trust, credibility, and consistent engagement, something no AI tool can replicate.Successful Public Relations in the years ahead will be defined by the ability to strike the right balance between Artificial Intelligence and Human Intelligence. The smartest professionals will be those who know how to leverage specialised AI tools to improve productivity while applying their own expertise to ask the right questions, provide the right prompts, interpret outputs, and ultimately add the human perspective that makes communication authentic, meaningful, and impactful."The industry’s growing alignment with broader business objectives is another recurring theme. Sharing his views, Kunal Gupta, Assistant Manager – Corporate Communications @ Yukio & sirrus.ai | Founder – Media & PR Folks, said: “In the past couple of years, the most significant change in PR has been its transformation into a strategic business function from a media relations function. Organizations now demand that communications help in building trust, reputation, support business goals, and make an impact and not necessarily earn media coverage.” “Although technology such as AI, data analytics, and creator economy have changed how we communicate, what has remained consistent in PR is credibility, authenticity, and relationships. Technology can help us be efficient, but it will never help us think strategically or empathise with our audiences,” he maintained. Gupta further said, “In one of my recent LinkedIn posts on thought leadership, I mentioned “clients don’t hire agencies for PR. They hire them for growth”. It was quite evident from the overwhelming feedback received from industry experts that organisations today require 360° integrated communication where PR needs to work together with corporate communications, digital marketing, thought leadership of executives, content, events, podcasts, and reputation management to deliver measurable results.” “Being the Founder of Media & PR Folks, a community of more than 12,000 PR, Corporate Communications, and Media experts, it is my pleasure to get connected to the communicators from different industries. And one point becomes clear the future will belong to those communicators who will know how to combine all of PR, Corporate Communications, Marketing, Branding, Digital, Content, and Reputation Management into a single strategy for a business. Communications and marketing cannot exist in isolation from each other anymore, as they create trust, build brand equity, engage stakeholders, and achieve sustainable business results,” Gupta added.For Zainab Jariwala, Senior PR Executive, Milestone PR, the conversation is also about balancing the pressure for instant visibility with the need for long-term brand building.She pointed out, “We are living in a different era today, and PR has evolved with time and so has the approach. At times, the need for showcasing results in the pr domain and number games being at its peak determining someone's worth and credibility in a virtual world overpowers real human connection. Getting paid awards and paid features is considered an achievement because clients today want quick results and they are paying for it so are right to expect the same. But is it worth their money and does the platform and association match the brand values is where we step in. Being their advisors and having a long term vision and strategy is what is important. 2026 is a year of unexpected events and PR in the advent of AI evolution will have to keep up with the times. Short messaging forms such as 10 second Reels need to convey the crux of what you are trying to say without saying it entirely. And for long extensive and engaging discussions, speakership platforms and podcasts are booming. Networking is becoming one's net worth slowly. If you have managed to communicate effectively and create a lasting impact, half the battle is won. The rest, will find its way through all the clutter with authenticity and sincerity. Ultimately, connecting with people and becoming or associating an emotion and maintaining the human touch will be the ultimate winning streak for brands.” Meanwhile, Dr Sarvesh Tiwari, MD, PRP Group, brought the discussion back to one of PR’s oldest and most enduring principles. He noted, “Every PR person has a contact list. Far fewer have relationships. The practice I would retire is the one where a journalist hears from us only when we want something. A pitch lands, then silence, until the next pitch. We call that media relations. It is closer to a transaction with a very long gap between payments. The people who cover our clients are doing a hard job under real pressure. They deserve to be treated as professionals with their own deadlines and judgment, rather than a channel we activate when a client needs coverage. So, call when you have nothing to sell. Point them to a story you have no stake in. Say when your own story is weak. That last one costs you something today and earns you a hearing for years.” “Contacts get you a reply. Relationships get you believed. Only one of those survives a bad week,” Tiwari emphasised. Adding another perspective, Aakanksha Gupta, Founder, The Other Circle PR and Cavalry Media, noted that audiences now play a much larger role in shaping brand reputation than ever before. She noted, “The biggest shift in PR and communications isn’t that brands are telling more stories. It’s that audiences have become editors. Every interview, campaign, founder quote and customer interaction is now examined, debated and reinterpreted in real time. That’s why reputation won’t belong to the loudest brands, but to the most coherent ones. Today, PR isn’t just about earning attention; it’s about ensuring every touchpoint tells the same story, because reputation is no longer defined by what a brand says about itself, but by what people choose to believe, question and pass on.” 

In an era where reputation can shape business outcomes as much as financial performance, strategic communications is emerging as a vital pillar of corporate leadership. As organisations grapple with AI-driven disruption, misinformation and increasingly complex stakeholder expectations, public relations is being called upon to provide not just visibility, but strategic counsel. Reflecting on this year's World PR Day theme, "The Golden Age of Strategic PR", Roshan Mohan, Founder of Tharaa Labs and Group Managing Director of Pepper Communications Group, discusses the growing influence of communications in executive decision-making, the need to measure reputation capital, and why human judgement will remain indispensable in an AI-powered future.This year's World PR Day theme is "The Golden Age of Strategic PR". Do you believe public relations has finally earned a seat at the executive decision-making table, or do communications leaders still have to prove their strategic value?I believe PR has undoubtedly moved closer to the executive decision-making table. However, it is only a matter of time when more and more business decisions will be driven by PR advisory. The organisations that see communications as a business function, that understand the importance and value of building trust are involving communications leaders much earlier in decision-making, whether it's navigating reputation risks, managing stakeholder trust, driving transformation, or supporting business growth. In those environments, PR is no longer reacting to decisions; it is helping shape them.That said, the industry as a whole still has work to do. Communications professionals need to move beyond reporting media coverage and start demonstrating how their work influences business outcomes. Today's communications landscape is driven by data, technology, audience intelligence, and integrated storytelling. The value we bring lies in connecting these disciplines to business strategy.The theme of this year's World PR Day, 'The Golden Age of Strategic PR', is particularly relevant because the role of PR has expanded far beyond earned media. We are increasingly expected to advise leadership on reputation, stakeholder sentiment, crisis preparedness, policy shifts, and the broader narrative surrounding an organisation.Strategic PR is no longer about being the loudest voice in the room. It is about ensuring the organisation is communicating the right story, to the right stakeholders, at the right time, with measurable business impact. Those who consistently deliver that value have already earned their place in the boardroom. The rest of the industry is steadily moving in that direction.In an era marked by AI, misinformation, geopolitical uncertainty and heightened stakeholder expectations, how should PR professionals balance speed with accuracy while maintaining public trust?In today's communications environment, the challenge isn't just responding quickly; it's responding responsibly. AI, misinformation, and an increasingly complex stakeholder landscape have made trust more valuable than ever.While speed is important, accuracy and credibility cannot be compromised. A delayed response can be explained; an inaccurate one can damage reputation and erode stakeholder confidence. AI can certainly enhance efficiency, but all AI platforms say “AI can make mistakes.” Human judgement, context, and ethical decision-making remain indispensable.The role of strategic PR is to help organisations communicate with clarity, consistency, and credibility. In an era of constant information flow, trust will continue to be the defining measure of effective communication.Trust has become one of the most valuable assets for organisations. What role do you see strategic PR playing in helping businesses navigate crises, regulatory changes and increasingly complex stakeholder relationships?Trust is built over time but could be eroded in an instant, which is why strategic PR has become a critical business function rather than just a communications function. We at PCG have worked out a particular formula to calculate Reputation Capital and Reputation Efficiency. It allows us to assess how communication contributes to stakeholder trust, reputation and business performance, demonstrating that while reputation is an intangible asset, it can be measured, managed and strengthened through a strategic communications approach. PR earns trust. PR helps navigate the landscape of communicating with various stakeholders, providing leadership with clear, timely, and credible counsel. PR helps anticipate risks, aligning communication with business strategy, and ensuring transparency across every stakeholder touchpoint.However, we also need a way to measure this beyond just human instinct. Despite all the PR done over decades, for instance, how long can a brand withstand a crisis? At what point does the trust start to erode? As gatekeepers, we also need to have a measure of these, hence the RC and RE scores. Having a tangible score helps us understand what’s the distance to be covered and the most effective way of doing it.As the communications industry enters what World PR Day describes as the "Golden Age of Strategic PR", what skills and mindset do you believe the next generation of PR professionals must develop to remain relevant and influential over the next decade?The professionals who'll matter most in the next decade are the ones who can combine the power of AI with sound judgment. AI is a powerful tool, but it doesn't alter the fundamentals of public relations. The communications professionals who will create the greatest impact in the next decade are those who can combine the power of AI with sound judgment. Familiarity with AI tools is becoming a baseline capability, but what will truly differentiate professionals is their ability to think critically by understanding the business context, evaluating stakeholder perspectives, anticipating reputational impact and knowing which stories deserve attention, which conversations matter most for a client, and when human insight should take precedence over automation.I'd also encourage young professionals to develop a deeper understanding of business, not just communications. The best communication strategies are rooted in an understanding of industry dynamics, competitive challenges, and business objectives. Creativity is important, but it delivers far greater value when it's backed by commercial context. Technologies will continue to evolve, and audiences will change, but authenticity, strategic thinking, and credibility will always remain the foundations of meaningful communication.

As brands navigate an increasingly complex landscape shaped by AI, misinformation and evolving stakeholder expectations, the role of communications is undergoing a fundamental transformation. Public relations is no longer confined to generating visibility or managing narratives; it is becoming central to building trust, shaping reputation and delivering measurable business outcomes. On World PR Day and its theme, "The Golden Age of Strategic PR", Sonalika Pawar, Co-Founder and CEO of Bold & Beyond, discusses why integrated communications has become a strategic business imperative, the enduring importance of authenticity in an AI-powered world, and the skills tomorrow's communicators must cultivate to remain influential. This year's World PR Day theme is "The Golden Age of Strategic PR". Do you believe public relations has finally earned a seat at the executive decision-making table, or do communications leaders still have to prove their strategic value?The more interesting question isn't whether PR has earned a seat at the executive table; it's how the role of communications itself has evolved.Today, businesses aren't looking for partners who simply execute campaigns or generate visibility. They expect communications leaders to understand business priorities, anticipate market shifts, build stakeholder confidence and help navigate uncertainty. PR has evolved from being a support function to becoming a strategic business enabler.This shift is also redefining the agency model. Brands no longer want fragmented partners managing PR, creator marketing, digital and brand strategy in silos. They increasingly seek integrated consultancies that bring these disciplines together under one cohesive strategy to solve business challenges - not just communication briefs.Ultimately, the future of communications won't be defined by the number of stories we secure. It will be defined by the trust we build, the reputation we shape and the business value we create. Reputation is no longer just an intangible asset - it's a measurable business advantage and one of the strongest drivers of long-term growth.In an era marked by AI, misinformation, geopolitical uncertainty and heightened stakeholder expectations, how should PR professionals balance speed with accuracy while maintaining public trust?The pace of communication has accelerated dramatically, but trust is still built the same way - it begins with accuracy, credibility and context.AI has become an invaluable tool for communications professionals. It enables faster research, real-time monitoring, sentiment analysis and quicker execution. But in a world where misinformation spreads just as quickly as facts, speed cannot come at the cost of accuracy.More than ever, PR professionals need to slow down where it matters most - fact-checking, validating information, conducting deep research and understanding the broader context before a story is told. The ability to separate signal from noise will become one of the profession's most valuable skills.Technology can help us gather information faster, but it cannot replace critical thinking or editorial judgement. Great storytelling has never been about simply creating content; it's about uncovering meaningful insights, asking the right questions and telling stories that are truthful, relevant and rooted in credibility.The future of communications won't be defined by who publishes first, but by who earns trust. In an AI-powered world, authenticity, rigorous research and human judgement will remain the strongest foundations of reputation.Trust has become one of the most valuable assets for organisations. What role do you see strategic PR playing in helping businesses navigate crises, regulatory changes and increasingly complex stakeholder relationships?Trust has become one of the few competitive advantages that cannot be replicated overnight.Organisations spend years building credibility, yet a single misstep can erode stakeholder confidence in moments. That's why strategic communications shouldn't begin during a crisis—it should be embedded into the way organisations lead, communicate and make decisions every day.Whether navigating regulatory changes, market volatility or evolving stakeholder expectations, communications today plays a far broader role than managing external perception. It helps leadership communicate with clarity, align stakeholders and build confidence when uncertainty is at its highest.The organisations that emerge stronger from crises are rarely those with the most polished messaging. They're the ones that have consistently invested in transparency, leadership visibility and authentic relationships long before challenges arise.Strategic PR today isn't about controlling narratives - it's about building credibility. Reputation isn't built through a single campaign or announcement; it's built through every interaction, every decision and every promise a brand consistently keeps. And increasingly, reputation isn't just an asset - it's one of the most important drivers of resilience, trust and sustainable business growth.As the communications industry enters what World PR Day describes as the "Golden Age of Strategic PR", what skills and mindset do you believe the next generation of PR professionals must develop to remain relevant and influential over the next decade?The next generation of PR professionals will need to be naturally curious, have a sense of urgency, be deeply informed and willing to continuously evolve. In an industry that's changing faster than ever, technical skills alone won't be enough - it's the mindset behind the work that will set great communicators apart.Today's audiences are more informed, discerning and harder to impress than ever before. They don't engage with fragmented campaigns - they connect with authentic, consistent narratives across every touchpoint. That makes great storytelling more important than ever, but storytelling without substance simply won't cut through.The strongest PR professionals will be those who invest time in deep research, understand consumer behaviour, immerse themselves in the brands they represent and uncover insights that lead to authentic, meaningful narratives. Before you can tell a brand's story well, you need to understand it inside out.Equally important is agility. Communication is constantly evolving, and professionals must be willing to adapt, experiment and pivot quickly when strategies aren't delivering the desired outcomes. The ability to learn continuously, embrace change and make informed decisions based on data and feedback will become a defining strength.Finally, integrated thinking and measurement will become essential. The future belongs to communicators who can see the bigger picture - bringing together earned media, creator partnerships, digital, content and experiences into one cohesive narrative, while understanding how those efforts contribute to reputation, brand equity and measurable business impact.

As communications evolves from a support function to a strategic business discipline, public relations professionals are increasingly being called upon to shape reputation, navigate uncertainty and build enduring stakeholder relationships. Yet, many organisations continue to engage PR only after critical decisions have been made. On the occasion of World PR Day and this year's theme, "The Golden Age of Strategic PR", Gaurav Jain, Founder and Managing Partner of Morning Star BrandCom, argues that the industry's biggest challenge isn't proving its value, but changing perceptions about when and how that value should be deployed. He shares his views on trust, AI, crisis preparedness, media relationships and why empathy remains the most indispensable skill for the next generation of communicators.This year's World PR Day theme is "The Golden Age of Strategic PR". Do you believe public relations has finally earned a seat at the executive decision-making table, or do communications leaders still have to prove their strategic value?PR has long earned its credibility. People know the value it brings. What has not caught up is how that value is deployed. Too many organisations still call PR into the room after the decision is made and the damage is done. The proof of strategic value still has to be made in every boardroom, every budget cycle, and every brief, not because the value is in question, but because the understanding of when and how to use it has not yet fully taken hold. That is not a seat at the table. That is a seat in the aftermath. Reputation is not a post-crisis consideration. It is a business asset that must be built into the strategy from the start, not retro-fitted onto it later. The Golden Age of Strategic PR begins the day organisations stop treating communications as a response function and start treating it as a founding one.In an era marked by AI, misinformation, geopolitical uncertainty, and heightened stakeholder expectations, how should PR professionals balance speed with accuracy while maintaining public trust?Speed should never come at the cost of accuracy. That sounds simple. In practice, the pressure to respond instantly is enormous, and the temptation to fill the silence with something, anything, is real. But credibility is not recoverable the way a news cycle is. In a world where information travels instantly and misinformation spreads just as quickly, credibility, or trust, has become the most valuable currency a communicator holds. The communicator who rushes and gets it wrong does more damage than the one who pauses, verifies, and speaks with authenticity. Trust, once lost, is extraordinarily expensive to rebuild. That trust is built the same way it always has been: through consistency, honesty and accountability, applied every single time, not just when it is convenient. The discipline the moment requires is knowing the difference between being first and being right. They are not the same thing. AI has a role here too. It can help with faster research, drafting and analysis, but it cannot replace human judgement. Whatever content AI helps create, the communication that ultimately goes out has to be verified thoroughly by PR professionals before it reaches the public. The organisations that have earned lasting public trust are almost always the ones that chose accuracy over immediacy when the two were in conflict. Trust has become one of the most valuable assets for organisations. What role do you see strategic PR playing in helping businesses navigate crises, regulatory changes and increasingly complex stakeholder relationships?The most revealing thing about how most organisations handle a crisis is that they were often not ready for it. PR often gets called when the situation has already deteriorated, when the narrative has already been formed, and when the options available are significantly reduced. That is not a crisis management problem. It is a relationship management problem that was never addressed upstream. Regulatory changes follow the same logic. An agency truly embedded in a client's business tracks the regulatory environment continuously, shapes the narrative ahead of any announcement, and ensures the organisation is never caught explaining itself reactively. Complex stakeholder relationships do not become crises overnight. They deteriorate gradually, through neglect, through assumptions left unexamined, through conversations that never happened. But this is a shared responsibility. The client has to remain an active partner, providing the agency with the access, context, and transparency it needs to serve them effectively. When both sides commit to that, consistent and authentic communication becomes possible. When either side does not, the gaps show.As the communications industry enters what World PR Day describes as the "Golden Age of Strategic PR", what skills and mindset do you believe the next generation of PR professionals must develop to remain relevant and influential over the next decade?Curiosity and critical thinking will matter enormously. So will the ability to analyse data and draw genuine insight from it. But the skill I would place above all others is empathy. The ability to understand what another person, a journalist, a client, a stakeholder, the public, needs from a given situation is what separates good communicators from great ones. It cannot be automated and it cannot be taught purely through technique. It comes from a sustained interest in people and a willingness to listen before speaking. The professionals who will lead this industry a decade from now are the ones who invest in understanding people deeply before they invest in understanding platforms. Alongside this, there is a very practical skill that will define the next decade: knowing how to use the technology available and deploy it the right way to get the desired outcome. The input you give it matters as much as the tool itself, and not everyone can do this well. It takes judgement to know what to ask for, how to shape it, and when to trust it versus when to override it. Tools will keep changing. Human motivation will not. That is where the real work of this profession has always lived. How do you build trust with the media and clients in an environment where everyone is competing for attention?In an environment this saturated, the instinct is to shout louder. The approach that actually works is the opposite. With media, trust is built through mutual respect and understanding. A journalist's time is finite and their credibility is their currency. When you pitch something that does not serve their audience, you are signalling that you do not understand their work. Building genuine media relationships means knowing what they need, not just what your client wants placed. That takes consistency and the willingness to sometimes say this is not the right story for you right now. It also means nurturing the relationship over time, understanding what a journalist covers and supporting them with useful inputs even when there is nothing to gain from it immediately. At the same time, that relationship needs boundaries. Respecting a journalist's time and independence means never taking advantage of the access or goodwill you have built with them. With clients, it comes down to genuine partnership. That means being honest from the very first conversation, setting expectations that are grounded in reality, and explaining every decision and every step along the way. What a client believes is newsworthy and what a journalist finds newsworthy are frequently different things. Navigating that gap transparently, rather than papering over it, is what builds the mutual trust and respect that makes long-term relationships possible. Do you think the industry has created an expectations problem by promising more than it can realistically deliver? If so, how can agencies balance honesty and ambition?Yes, and it is one of the industry's most persistent self-inflicted wounds. The balance between honesty and ambition is not complicated. Be ambitious about what you pursue. Be honest about what you can deliver. The two are not in conflict unless an agency makes them so by promising outcomes it has not earned the right to guarantee. Public relations can influence perception and build credibility, but it cannot compensate for weak business fundamentals or guarantee media coverage. Agencies create stronger partnerships when they clearly define success, communicate what is within their control, and remain transparent about what is not. Ambition should always be accompanied by honesty. In the long run, clients value trusted advisors who provide realistic guidance far more than those who make unrealistic promises. But beyond process and promises, what the industry really needs is a return to first principles. Agencies that do PR the way it is meant to be done, with genuine investment in each client, with quality of counsel over volume of output, and with relationships built on substance rather than deliverables, do not face this problem. The ones that chase numbers at the expense of meaning are the ones that create it. Quality over quantity has always been the answer. The industry simply needs to find it in itself to commit to that as a core principle rather than an aspiration.

As reputation becomes one of the most valuable assets in business, public relations is increasingly moving beyond its traditional role of managing media and messaging. In an age defined by artificial intelligence, misinformation, regulatory complexity and heightened stakeholder expectations, communications leaders are expected to serve as strategic advisers in the boardroom. On World PR Day's theme, "The Golden Age of Strategic PR", Noopurr R Chablani, Founder and Image Strategist at Words Matter, shares why PR has earned its place at the executive table, the importance of balancing speed with credibility, and the skills the next generation of communications professionals must develop to remain influential in the decade ahead.This year's World PR Day theme is "The Golden Age of Strategic PR". Do you believe public relations has finally earned a seat at the executive decision-making table, or do communications leaders still have to prove their strategic value?I believe that public relations has earned a seat at the executive decision-making table because reputation has become a business asset and not just a communications outcome. Organisations have increasingly recognised that reputation cannot be managed only when a crisis arises or a campaign is launched. It needs to be built intentionally and protected consistently because perception influences stakeholder decisions.That said, the role of PR today goes far beyond media visibility. It is about understanding the complexities of the business environment and helping leadership communicate with clarity, consistency and credibility. Strategic PR today is no longer limited to communicating decisions after they are made but it has a role in shaping them. As businesses navigate a more visible and interconnected world, communications leaders who bring a reputation lens to business decisions are becoming an essential part of the leadership conversation.In an era marked by AI, misinformation, geopolitical uncertainty and heightened stakeholder expectations, how should PR professionals balance speed with accuracy while maintaining public trust?In an environment shaped by AI, misinformation and constant information flow, the challenge for PR professionals is no longer just getting a message out quickly but ensuring that the message is credible but speed should never come at the cost of credibility. The balance here lies in the preparation phase and not in the reaction phase.Stakeholders today expect organisations to respond with transparency and accuracy while also being swift. This requires PR professionals to establish clear messaging frameworks, streamlined approval processes and have a strong understanding of stakeholder expectations long before an issue arises. While technology can help monitor conversations and identify emerging risks faster, every communication decision must still be guided by a human judgment.The balance lies in being prepared enough to respond quickly, while remaining disciplined enough to ensure that what is communicated is accurate. Public trust is maintained when organisations are transparent about what they know, honest about what they do not know, and consistent in both their messaging and actions. Trust has become one of the most valuable assets for organisations. What role do you see strategic PR playing in helping businesses navigate crises, regulatory changes and increasingly complex stakeholder relationships?Trust is one of the few assets that organisations cannot build overnight, especially during a crisis. It is earned through consistent communication and credible actions over the time. That is where strategic PR plays a critical role.Whether it is managing a crisis, communicating regulatory changes or engaging with stakeholders with multiple expectations, strategic PR helps organisations communicate with clarity, consistency and credibility. It ensures that concerns are addressed proactively, messages are aligned and relationships are nurtured even during periods of uncertainty.More importantly, strategic PR helps leadership understand how decisions may be perceived and received by different audiences even before the crisis arises. Its role is not just to communicate during periods of uncertainty, but to build the trust and credibility that organisations can rely on when those challenging moments arise.As the communications industry enters what World PR Day describes as the "Golden Age of Strategic PR", what skills and mindset do you believe the next generation of PR professionals must develop to remain relevant and influential over the next decade?The next generation of PR professionals will need to move beyond thinking like communicators and start thinking like business advisors. Understanding media relations and content creation will remain important, but it will no longer be enough.They will need to develop a deeper understanding of business, reputation, consumer behaviour and the broader environment in which organisations operate. Equally important is the ability to ask the right questions, challenge assumptions, contribute to business conversations and bring perspectives that help leaders make better decisions. They must also understand that PR is not just about telling stories, but about shaping narratives that influence perception, build credibility and support long-term business goals. The mindset shift is from seeking visibility to creating value. As the industry evolves, the professionals who will remain influential are those who can connect communication to business outcomes and help organisations make better decisions along with telling better stories. In the coming decade, influence will not come from being the loudest voice in the room, but from being the most trusted advisor at the table.

On the occasion of World PR Day, Adgully, in association with CommsAdda, hosted the latest edition of #GullyChat on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. The topic for this episode was ?ÇÿHow the PR industry is adapting to the changing media landscape, the rise of social media, and the importance of data-driven strategies.?ÇÖThe esteemed participants included:Bhaskar Majumdar, Head - Marketing Communication, CSR & Digital, Egis - India and South AsiaMou Chakravorty, Marketing Communications Director, DeloitteAmit Arora, Head Corporate Communications, Housing.comSana Zabeen, PR and Comms Lead, TV9 NetworkSandhya Malik, Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Sesa Goa, Vedanta LtdThe shift from traditional media to digital platforms has impacted the PR industry, and PR professionals are adopting various strategies to stay ahead.Bhaskar Majumdar noted, ?Ç£The industry has gone through a radical shift with the availability of data, the wider reach of the internet, and the growth of smartphones. There is a sea change in planning and media mix for campaigns. While planning campaigns and devising communication strategies, brands are going for a kind of media mix which has both digital and traditional approaches intertwined into each other ?Çô or as they call it, ?ÇÿIntegrated Comms?ÇÖ.?Ç¥ Quoting Charles Darwin, he said, ?Ç£It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.?Ç¥Mou Chakravorty observed that shifts in mediums have brought in a much more cohesive integrated #comms approach in #PR, where the story is the main hero. ?Ç£This means a faster, agile way of creating short-form content catering to modern tech-savvy consumers, and digital engagement builds reputation,?Ç¥ she said, adding, ?Ç£Faster narrative building, on-the-go brainstorming, and the amalgamation of mediums bringing new concepts alive. PR has truly stood out to be the central voice of a #marketing campaign in changing times.?Ç¥Amit Arora pointed out, ?Ç£We are living in the #Screenage; hence our audience is always available and more engaged on digital platforms, whereas the rest of the platforms will continue to hold their place.?Ç¥?Ç£The shift to digital platforms has revolutionised PR, offering real-time engagement and broader reach. #PR pros now prioritise digital storytelling and multimedia content to captivate audiences,?Ç¥ he added.Sana Zabeen shared some case studies to better illustrate her perspective. She mentioned about Dove?ÇÖs Real Beauty campaign, which she considered to be a stellar example of creating authentic content that builds trust and credibility by featuring real women of various shapes, sizes, and ethnicities instead of traditional models. ?Ç£This approach not only built trust, but also positioned Dove as a brand that values and promotes natural beauty, enhancing its credibility and emotional connection with consumers.?Ç¥She further added, ?Ç£PR professionals are creating content tailored for digital consumption, including short-form videos, infographics, and interactive media. Leveraging social media for real-time interaction and feedback enhances responsiveness and engagement with audiences.?Ç¥Sandhya Malik noted, ?Ç£Digital platforms have transformed the PR landscape completely, making it more dynamic, instant, and targeted, especially with the recent advent of AI.?Ç¥ She further added, ?Ç£Innovative PR strategies such as dynamic user content, purpose-driven, personalized storytelling through data-driven insights, and immersive AI/AR/VR experiences ensure they are adaptive, impactful, and highly engaging.?Ç¥