Bold & Beyond was founded in 2021 with the aim of challenging the traditional agency model, where brands often work with multiple partners for different communication needs. Sonalika Pawar, Founder and CEO of Bold & Beyond, says the agency was built around the idea of bringing PR, branding, digital, influencer marketing, creative and experiences together under a common strategic vision.What began as a two member, self funded venture has grown into a team of over 60 professionals working with homegrown and international brands across categories. The agency’s approach centres on identifying a brand’s business objectives and bringing together the capabilities needed to address them, rather than offering a fixed set of services.From visibility to brand relevancePawar believes that visibility alone does not necessarily translate into a stronger brand. With audiences encountering brands through media coverage, creators, social conversations, campaigns and real world experiences, the challenge is to ensure that these interactions contribute to a consistent brand identity.The agency’s work with Heads Up For Tails reflects this approach. While the brand had established a retail presence across India, the opportunity was to deepen its emotional connection with pet parents and position it as more than a place to shop for their pets.Through PR, influencer partnerships, experiences and hyperlocal storytelling, initiatives such as Wag Away, Pettin’ Out and Dogathon created opportunities for the brand to engage with pet parent communities. Collaborations and founder led narratives further strengthened its relevance beyond the retail environment.The initiatives contributed to a larger brand narrative centred on community, care and the evolving culture of pet parenting.Influencer marketing and the question of credibilityAs influencer marketing moves beyond follower counts towards credibility, community and measurable outcomes, Pawar believes brands need to evaluate what visibility actually changes.At Bold & Beyond, creator selection begins with the campaign objective. The agency considers audience quality, category relevance, engagement patterns, the creator’s voice, brand safety and the relationship they have built with their community.Its work with The Wellness Co. illustrates this approach. With science led wellness and recovery therapies still relatively unfamiliar to many consumers, the opportunity was to help audiences understand the therapies, how they fit into a wellness routine and why they might be relevant to their lives.<img src='https://erp.adgully.me/artical_image\eb0c3dcbce811d9739bb543303aebaae.jpeg' class='content_image'>Creators helped make these unfamiliar concepts more accessible through relatable experiences and explanations. For Pawar, the objective is to identify creators who can contribute meaningfully to a brand’s narrative rather than simply distribute its message.Measurement also depends on campaign objectives. While reach, views and engagement remain useful indicators, saves, shares, audience interactions, sentiment, traffic, enquiries and conversions can provide additional measures of performance where relevant and reliably tracked.Pawar also points to the role of subject matter experts, niche communities, employees and customers in building trust, depending on the audience and the conversation.Linking creativity with business objectivesFor Bold & Beyond, creative experimentation begins with understanding the business problem a brand needs to solve. Pawar believes agencies must establish whether the objective is to build credibility, enter a new market, shift perception, reach a new audience or generate demand before determining the communication approach.The agency’s work with NxtGen Cloud Technologies demonstrates this thinking. In a crowded AI market, the campaign moved beyond product features to a broader business narrative around accessible, sovereign AI for Indian businesses and institutions. According to the agency, the campaign generated over 50 media features.Pawar believes that accountability requires agencies to define success upfront and select metrics that reflect the intended outcome. While some communication efforts can be linked directly to enquiries or conversions, others contribute to reputation, credibility and consideration over time.She also emphasises that reporting activity is not the same as demonstrating impact. For Bold & Beyond, the distinction lies in bringing multiple capabilities together around a specific business challenge rather than applying a standard playbook to every client.AI, trust and the road aheadLooking ahead, Pawar identifies discovery, trust and accountability as three shifts shaping the future of brand communications.AI is changing how people search for information, evaluate options and make decisions. This is extending brand visibility beyond traditional search rankings and media coverage to how clearly and credibly a brand’s expertise, content and point of view surface across emerging AI led discovery environments.At the same time, influence is becoming more distributed. Alongside large creators and mainstream platforms, specialist communities, subject matter experts, employees and customers can shape how audiences perceive brands.Pawar also sees a need for the industry to better connect communication efforts with changes in perception, audience behaviour and commercial outcomes. AI can make research, analysis, content workflows and measurement more efficient, but she believes strategic judgement, original thinking, cultural understanding and relationship building will remain important differentiators.For Bold & Beyond, the next phase involves strengthening the connections between strategy, PR, creator partnerships, branding, digital and experiences, alongside investments in talent, tools and processes to support the agency’s growth.Pawar’s ambition is to build Bold & Beyond into a benchmark for modern communications consultancies in India, combining commercial understanding with cultural relevance and creative ambition with accountability.

The agency landscape is constantly evolving, with new and emerging firms bringing fresh thinking, sharper specialisations and new approaches to the way brands communicate. From “What If?” to “What’s Next?” explores the ideas, ambitions and strategies shaping these agencies as they build their place in a changing industry. After nearly 16 years across established PR firms, large consumer portfolios and a tech startup, Nidhi Agarwal, Founder, Ebony & Ivory PR, entered the agency-building journey with a clear idea of what she wanted to create. Rather than pursuing scale through a larger client roster and bigger teams, Agarwal wanted to build an agency that could work more closely with fewer clients, understand their businesses deeply and create work that went beyond conventional media relations. For Agarwal, building the agency was not about replicating the traditional agency model of constantly pursuing scale, more clients and larger teams. Instead, she wanted to work with fewer clients and understand their businesses closely enough to challenge briefs, offer an informed point of view and create work that the agency could genuinely stand behind.“I wanted the opportunity to go deeper with fewer clients. Agency life can very quickly become about scale, more clients, bigger teams, more deliverables. I wasn't interested in recreating that. I wanted us to know our clients' businesses well enough to have an opinion, challenge a brief when required, and do work we were genuinely proud to put our name on,” she says.That approach also extends to how Ebony & Ivory views the role of PR itself. Agarwal believes communication can no longer be confined to media relations, with culture, communities, creators and brand owned platforms increasingly becoming part of the larger brand conversation.“I also felt that PR could no longer only be about media. A lot of our work today sits around culture, communities and influence. We look at which communities a brand can genuinely become part of, which creators make sense, what is happening culturally around the consumer, and whether there are interesting IPs we can build,” she adds.Starting with the business, not just the briefFor Agarwal, the connection between communications and business outcomes begins with understanding the business itself. She says most of the agency’s weekly client conversations begin with a deceptively simple question: “How was business this week?”That approach becomes particularly relevant when working with F&B brands, where community building can have a direct impact on customer discovery, engagement and repeat behaviour. Ebony & Ivory works with running clubs, music communities, creative groups, food communities and other interest based groups to help brands become part of conversations that exist beyond conventional media coverage.“Community building has become a significant part of our work and, in many cases, a real revenue generator. We work on associations with running clubs, music communities, creative groups, food communities and other very specific interest groups. The idea is about getting the right people to discover the brand, come back and eventually become part of its regular customer base,” Agarwal explains.While earned media remains central to the agency’s approach, she sees it as one part of a wider ecosystem involving creators, communities and owned platforms.“Media continues to be extremely important because nothing quite replaces the credibility of good earned coverage. But today it works alongside creators, communities and what the brand is doing on its own platforms,” she says.At the same time, Agarwal is cautious about attributing every commercial outcome directly to PR. For her, understanding the business allows the agency to assess whether communication is influencing something beyond conventional coverage metrics.“I don't think PR can or should take credit for every sale. But if we understand the client's business, we should be able to see whether our work is moving something beyond coverage numbers,” she says.From influencer reach to creator relationshipsAs influencer marketing becomes increasingly integrated into brand communication, Ebony & Ivory is approaching creators as part of the strategy from the outset rather than treating them as an amplification layer added at the end.“For us, influence marketing is never a separate line item at the end of a PR plan. We are always thinking about an integrated approach, media, creators and communities together from the beginning,” Agarwal says.She points to a broader shift in how brands are working with creators, particularly the idea of involving them earlier in the planning process. At Cannes, one recurring conversation was around bringing creators into the room as business advisors and partners rather than approaching them only once a campaign has already been developed.“Brands have traditionally made all the important decisions and then gone to creators when they need amplification. But creators are speaking to consumers every day and can bring a very different perspective to a product, an experience or even a business decision,” she notes.That also means moving beyond follower counts when evaluating creators. Depending on the brand and audience, the most relevant voice may come from food, music, fashion, fitness or a specific city based community.“We don't start with follower count anymore; we start with who we are trying to reach and who they actually trust,” Agarwal says.For her, the next phase of influencer marketing is therefore less about transactional reach and more about building relationships that can develop over time.“PR has always been a relationship business. Influence shouldn't be any different,” she adds.AI can accelerate the work, but judgement remains humanAI is another force reshaping the communications industry, from research and monitoring to content creation and audience analysis. Agarwal acknowledges its growing role within the agency, but sees it primarily as a tool that can remove repetitive work and create more space for strategic thinking.“I use AI. My team uses AI. There is no point pretending it isn't changing how we work. It's extremely useful for research, monitoring, analysing large amounts of information and taking away some of the repetitive work. Used properly, it should actually give PR teams more time to think,” she says.However, she believes the fundamental currency of PR remains human relationships and judgement. AI may provide information about a journalist or creator, but it cannot reproduce relationships built over years or replace the instinct required to recognise the right story, person or moment.“AI can give me information about a journalist, but it cannot recreate a relationship built over ten or fifteen years. It can't replace being able to call someone and know when you have a genuinely good story,” Agarwal explains.The same applies to influencer selection, where data can provide information about audiences but cannot necessarily determine whether a creator is genuinely right for a brand.With access to similar AI tools becoming increasingly widespread, Agarwal believes differentiation will increasingly come from the human capabilities surrounding the technology.“AI will make all of us faster. But if everyone is using the same tools, access to technology isn't going to differentiate a great PR person. Judgment, ideas, perception, intuition, creative thinking, and the relationships you have built over years will,” she says.Building what comes nextAs the boundaries between earned, owned, social and creator led communication continue to blur, Agarwal believes the next generation of PR agencies will need to move beyond defining themselves through individual channels.“We need to stop defining PR agencies by channels. Consumers don't think, ‘I discovered this brand through earned media and then engaged with its influencer strategy.’ They saw something interesting, somebody they trust spoke about it, a friend sent it to them, or they experienced it somewhere. It all becomes one impression of the brand,” she says.For Ebony & Ivory, that means building a team that understands not only media and communications but also the wider cultural forces shaping consumers.“You need to understand what's happening in media, but also what people are watching, eating, listening to, joining, sharing, and talking about. Culture and communities are going to matter enormously,” Agarwal adds.The agency’s next phase, however, will not necessarily be defined by how large it becomes. Agarwal wants growth, but with the same emphasis on depth that shaped the agency from the beginning. She also sees an emerging opportunity in how brands show up in AI driven environments, with media stories potentially playing a role in shaping those conversations.“I want us to grow, of course, but I'm quite conscious that growth shouldn't mean taking on every client we can. I still want us to be able to sit with a client, understand what's happening in their business, and spend time thinking about the work,” she says.For Agarwal, the ambition is ultimately less about building the biggest agency and more about building one that is recognised for the quality of its thinking.“We are still a young agency, and there is a lot I want to build. But I would much rather E&I become known for the quality and thinking behind a smaller body of work than simply become a very large agency,” she concludes.

The agency landscape is constantly evolving, with new and emerging firms bringing fresh thinking, sharper specialisations and new approaches to the way brands communicate. From “What If?” to “What’s Next?” explores the ideas, ambitions and strategies shaping these agencies as they build their place in a changing industry. Starting Avance PR from home in 2022 with one intern, Ritika Garg, Founder & CEO, Avance PR, has since grown the agency into a communications partner that has worked with more than 100 companies. As client expectations move beyond conventional media coverage towards credibility, executive visibility and measurable business impact, Garg reflects on how the agency has evolved and how emerging shifts such as AI-led discovery are reshaping the PR landscape.1. Avance PR has grown from a boutique PR firm into a strategic communications agency working across multiple sectors. What have been the biggest shifts in the agency’s journey, and how has your approach to PR evolved with the changing market?I started Avance PR in 2022 from home with one intern. Since then, we have worked with more than 100 companies, and the questions clients ask us have changed as much as our team has grown.At first, a brief might centre on announcing a launch and securing coverage. Today, a founder may need to explain an unfamiliar business model, build a voice in the industry, reach different regional markets and prepare for difficult questions. That requires us to understand the business before we pitch its story.For an EV company, we may need to make infrastructure and adoption understandable; for a hotel opening, we may need to connect the property with local travel and hospitality conversations. We have grown our work in executive positioning, LinkedIn thought leadership, media engagement and reputation alongside traditional announcements.The biggest lesson for me has been that good PR starts with a clear business problem and an honest, relevant story, then finds the right audience and format.2. Today, brands are looking beyond media coverage towards credibility, influence and business impact. How is this changing the way PR agencies define and measure success for their clients?I still care about coverage, but I want to know what the coverage accomplished. A story in a relevant publication that accurately explains a client’s proposition can be more useful than several mentions that give readers little reason to remember the brand.At Avance PR, we agree on the objective before we decide what to measure. For a launch, we may examine whether target media picked up the announcement and whether the key facts came through. For a founder, we may look at the quality of interview opportunities, engagement from relevant peers and whether their perspective is becoming part of an industry conversation.We can directly track coverage, message inclusion, audience relevance and enquiries that come through a campaign. Clients may also tell us that a story supported a partnership discussion or helped a prospect understand their business, but we should not claim PR alone caused that outcome. Success is a pattern of useful visibility and growing credibility, assessed against the client’s actual goal.3. With AI changing search, content discovery and how audiences consume information, how do you see AI reshaping the PR function and the way brands build visibility? AI is changing how people encounter information. Someone researching an EV charging network or a hospitality brand may see an AI-generated answer before they reach the company’s website or a news article. For us, that raises a practical question: if a tool summarises a client, will the information it can find be accurate, current and clear?At Avance PR, that means working closely with clients on factual company descriptions, consistent spokesperson details, well-supported claims and stories that explain what makes their work relevant. Credible media coverage contributes to a brand’s public record, although no placement guarantees that an AI tool will surface or interpret it correctly.AI also helps our team organise research and spot questions audiences may be asking. Every claim and quote still needs a human check, especially when we work across technical sectors. We are learning how to monitor AI-led discovery alongside familiar PR measures, while keeping our focus on information people can verify and trust.4. Avance PR works extensively on founder and CXO personal branding, including LinkedIn thought leadership. Why has executive visibility become such an important part of brand communication, and what makes an executive voice genuinely credible? A company can tell you what it does. Its founder can often tell you why a decision was made, what went wrong along the way and what the industry is still getting wrong. Those details matter, especially when a business is introducing something unfamiliar or asking customers and partners to place trust in its leadership.At Avance PR, we build executive communication around conversations with the person, not a calendar of generic motivational posts. We ask about decisions they have made, questions customers keep raising and changes they can see firsthand in their sector. From there, we identify ideas that can work as a LinkedIn post, an interview or an authored article, while keeping the language close to how they actually speak.Credibility comes from a distinct point of view backed by experience. An executive does not have to comment on every trend; they need to be useful and consistent on subjects they know well. That is when personal visibility strengthens the company’s reputation.5. Looking ahead, what do you believe will fundamentally change the Indian PR and communications landscape over the next three to five years, and how is Avance PR preparing for that shift?I think the next three to five years will demand more precision from Indian PR agencies. A company may need to speak to national business media, regional audiences, potential hires and industry partners, each of whom cares about a different part of its story. At the same time, people will encounter that story through journalists, LinkedIn, video, search and AI-generated summaries. Keeping the facts and message consistent across those channels will become harder and more valuable.I also expect clients to ask tougher questions about what communication has achieved and to expect evidence behind every claim we put forward.At Avance PR, we are preparing by strengthening sector knowledge across our team and connecting media relations with founder positioning, digital content and reputation work. Our pan-India experience has shown us why a national story sometimes needs a strong local angle. As we expand, I want us to retain the habit of getting close to a client’s business before deciding what deserves to be said publicly.

Public relations is entering one of the most consequential phases in its evolution. In an era where artificial intelligence can generate content in seconds, creators rival traditional media in shaping public opinion, and every stakeholder has the power to influence brand perception, the industry's role is expanding far beyond securing headlines. Reputation today is built across multiple touchpoints—earned, owned, shared and executive-led—and organisations are increasingly looking to communications not simply for visibility, but for strategic counsel that strengthens trust, manages risk, shapes narratives and delivers measurable business outcomes. The shift reflects a broader transformation in how businesses view communications. Once measured largely by media coverage, impressions and clip counts, PR is now being evaluated on its ability to influence stakeholder perception, support corporate strategy, navigate crises, enhance executive visibility and create long-term brand equity. As media consumption fragments, AI reshapes information discovery and audiences become more discerning about authenticity, communicators are finding that credibility—not reach alone—has become the industry's most valuable currency. On the occasion of World PR Day, Adgully spoke to communications leaders across agencies and brands to understand how the profession is evolving. Their insights reveal an industry that is moving decisively from media relations to reputation management, from campaign execution to strategic business advisory, and from chasing visibility to building influence, trust and sustainable business value. While technology is transforming how PR is planned, measured and executed, industry leaders agree that the profession's future will ultimately be defined not by automation, but by human judgment, authentic storytelling and the ability to shape narratives that stand the test of scrutiny. From media relations to reputation managementFor Shalini Gupta, Co-founder & Director, Secret Sauce Communications Pvt Ltd, public relations has evolved far beyond media relations to become a critical driver of corporate reputation and stakeholder trust."PR today is beyond mere media relations and is a corporate reputation and an indispensable tool for every organisation focused on long term growth in creating credibility and stakeholder trust," she says.Gupta believes one of the industry's biggest challenges lies in changing client expectations. Rather than treating PR as a commodity or evaluating it by the number of media placements, she says organisations need to recognise its strategic value."For clients, we need to remind them that PR isn't a commodity. PR agencies need to stop selling mere articles and instead thrive on the foundation of transparency and truth."While acknowledging the growing role of artificial intelligence, Gupta believes technology should enhance strategic communications, not replace it."PR holds and will forever hold tremendous worth, especially in an era of AI generated misinformation. AI helps consultants work more efficiently and with agility, but the real thinking, customer research and strategic counsel continue to come from people."Reflecting on six years of building a strategic communications consultancy, Gupta adds that the industry's future lies in creating sustained narratives rather than chasing coverage metrics."Our clients continue to value strategic counsel that creates credibility beyond clip counts. Until Indian clients stop asking 'How many articles?' As the first question, the golden age of PR will remain largely aspirational. The real question is what narrative are we driving and how can we sustain it in line with the organisation's larger purpose."The AI era demands credibility beyond visibilityThe rapid adoption of artificial intelligence is also reshaping how brands are discovered and evaluated online. Communications professionals say PR is no longer responsible only for earning media attention, but also for building a credible digital footprint that AI driven search engines can trust.For Sayesha Arora, Associate Vice President, Tech for Consumer, Zeno India, discoverability has become just as important as visibility."The biggest shift we are witnessing in public relations is that discoverability has become as important as visibility. Search has evolved from keywords to AI generated answers, which means brands are now being evaluated long before someone visits a website or speaks to a spokesperson."Arora believes this shift places PR at the centre of reputation building, where earned media, expert voices and authentic storytelling serve as trust signals for both audiences and AI."PR is no longer just about earning media coverage. It's about building a credible digital footprint that AI can trust, cite and surface. In a world flooded with AI generated content, credibility is becoming the ultimate differentiator, and that's where strategic public relations has never been more valuable."The fundamentals of communication remain unchangedHaving witnessed the industry's evolution over nearly two decades, Namrata Aswani, Director, Marketing & PR, MiQ, says communications has transformed from celebrating newspaper coverage to building integrated brand narratives."Going back nearly two decades, when I started my career in PR, tracking newspapers was a great start to the day. What was once focused on traditional storytelling and celebrating every client mentioned in print has evolved into crafting powerful narratives within an integrated ecosystem that strengthens brand perception and drives business outcomes."Despite the rapid rise of the creator economy and AI powered insights, Aswani believes the essence of effective communication has not changed."One thing shall remain constant, the essence of communication and the relevance of content. It is no longer just about what you say, but about how and when you say it, authentically, consistently and meaningfully to stay relevant and make an impact."Business impact is becoming PR's biggest metricAs organisations increasingly integrate communications with business strategy, industry leaders believe the success of PR can no longer be measured through coverage alone. Instead, its contribution to trust, brand preference and commercial outcomes is becoming a defining benchmark.Tarun Joshi, Founder & CEO, IGP, says successful PR in today's landscape is ultimately about influencing business outcomes."When we talk about successful PR in 2026, it won't be defined by just headlines alone but by its ability to influence business outcomes. The real measure of success is whether it fosters consumer trust, influences brand preference and contributes to business growth."According to Joshi, media visibility, creator partnerships and executive thought leadership are no longer independent pillars but complementary elements of a unified communications strategy."Today's audiences move seamlessly between traditional media, creators, communities and digital platforms. PR has evolved from a communications function into a business function that connects storytelling with culture, commerce and credibility."Drawing from IGP's campaigns including In My Lover Era, To Mom, With Love and To Papa, My Hero, he adds that communications today must create meaningful engagement while remaining closely aligned with long term business growth.One brand story across multiple touchpointsFor Nivedeeta Moirangthem, Country Communication Manager, IKEA India, the communications landscape has fundamentally changed because consumers now interact with brands through multiple channels rather than a single source."People don't experience brands through one channel anymore. They discover us through conversations, stories, creators, news, colleagues, communities and their own experiences. Communications today is much bigger than PR in the traditional sense because it helps businesses stay relevant, build trust and create meaningful connections."She says successful communications is no longer about treating media, creators and executive voices as separate channels but integrating them into one consistent brand narrative."At IKEA, we don't see media, creators, executive voices or our own channels as separate parts of the story. Our role is to make sure every touchpoint comes together to tell one authentic and consistent story that reflects who we are as a brand."According to Moirangthem, visibility alone is no longer enough. "The strongest communications connect culture, consumers and business with consistency and purpose. Visibility will always matter, but its true value lies in the impact it creates, whether that's building trust, strengthening brand preference or supporting long term business growth."Executive thought leadership is gaining prominenceAnother notable shift within modern communications is the growing importance of executive thought leadership. As audiences increasingly seek authentic perspectives over promotional messaging, industry leaders believe organisational voices are becoming one of the strongest assets in building credibility.For Hemendhira Muralidharan, Vice President of Marketing, Blackstraw.ai, authentic leadership creates a lasting impression that extends beyond traditional media coverage."I would always lean towards executive thought leadership, but not in the way many companies approach it. Everyone is competing for attention, but one thing that stands out is a leader who provides an authentic opinion that stems from experience and real conversations."He believes sustained leadership communication builds stronger recall than isolated media mentions."Media visibility gradually disappears. Readers may forget the headline, but they remember leaders who consistently share real world stories with clarity and purpose."Credibility will outweigh visibilityAs artificial intelligence becomes deeply embedded in communications, Nikita Manchanda, Co-founder, Brandsadvert, believes authenticity and credibility will become even more valuable."We're entering a defining era for public relations where influence is earned through credibility, not just visibility."While AI has transformed how agencies analyse data, generate content and monitor conversations, she believes the industry's future will continue to depend on human judgement."Strategic PR today is about helping brands navigate complexity with purpose, respond to cultural moments with sensitivity and build lasting relationships with stakeholders."Looking ahead, Manchanda believes agencies that combine technology with ethical storytelling and business understanding will define the next phase of communications."The 'Golden Age of Strategic PR' is not about doing more communication. It's about delivering communication that creates measurable trust and long term business value."Trust remains the profession's strongest foundationDespite rapid technological advancements, communications professionals agree that the core principles of public relations remain unchanged. While AI may reshape workflows and new platforms may continue to emerge, trust, credibility and sound judgement remain central to the profession.For Anushka Dey, Vice President, PR, SRV Media, the ability to build and sustain trust has become more important than ever."If there's one shift that has stood out to me over the years, it's that trust has become harder to earn and easier to lose."While AI and data continue to improve efficiency, Dey believes they cannot replace human understanding or strategic judgement."Our role has never been just about securing visibility. It has always been about helping organisations communicate with credibility, build meaningful relationships and protect their reputation."Looking ahead, she says the communications industry will ultimately be judged by its ability to earn trust consistently."Technology will continue to evolve, but trust will remain the one thing every brand will have to earn, every single day."As the communications landscape continues to evolve, one message resonates across agencies and brands alike. Public relations is no longer measured by the volume of coverage it generates, but by its ability to build trust, shape reputation and deliver meaningful business outcomes. In an era increasingly influenced by AI, creators and fragmented media ecosystems, the industry's greatest strength may still lie in what has always mattered most: authentic storytelling backed by strategic thinking. 

Few brand-building exercises are as complex as redefining an identity after a major business transformation. Following its carve-out and subsequent public listing, Sagility, a healthcare operations and technology transformation company, embarked on a journey to sharpen its positioning, strengthen its fundamentals, and create a brand narrative that resonates across clients, talent, and investors. Sagility builds on more than two decades of operational experience in India and the global healthcare outsourcing sector. The company focuses on AI-driven healthcare operations, revenue cycle management, member engagement, and digital transformation, helping healthcare organisations improve efficiency, compliance, and patient outcomes. In conversation with Adgully, Dhaivat Mehta, Vice-President, Global Brand & Corporate Communications, Sagility, speaks at length about the evolution of the brand, the role of stakeholder-led brand building, how the company is balancing consistency with local relevance across global markets, and more. In highly specialised sectors like healthcare operations, brand storytelling can often become too technical or corporate. How do you ensure communication remains accessible, engaging, and differentiated? Our go-to-market marketing teams, many of whom are specialists in the US healthcare space, play a key role in showcasing the value we create through case studies, whitepapers, experiential events, and other initiatives.As the corporate brand and communications team, our role is to build a strong and consistent brand foundation that supports client marketing, talent branding, investor communications, ESG initiatives, and other stakeholder engagement efforts. Building a healthcare operations brand in today’s market requires balancing trust, innovation, and scale. How is Sagility positioning itself differently within the US healthcare ecosystem? Sagility brings decades of healthcare operations expertise with a dedicated focus on the US healthcare market.Our brand promise is centred on delivering value through deep domain expertise, technology and AI-led transformation, and trusted collaboration. We see ourselves as the decision intelligence and outcomes layer for healthcare operations, helping clients drive efficiency and better outcomes.Sagility has gone through a significant transformation journey following its carve-out from a large Indian conglomerate. How would you describe the evolution of the brand identity and what were the key strategic priorities while rebuilding it as an independent global brand? Following the carve-out nearly four years ago, we undertook a brand naming exercise in partnership with a specialised healthcare brand naming firm. While we brought decades of healthcare operations experience, we were building a new brand from the ground up. The name ‘Sagility’ emerged through a collaborative process that involved employee participation and feedback. Alongside this, we established the initial foundations of our brand design system. After going public in November 2024 and as the brand gained visibility in the market, we recognised the need to strengthen our brand fundamentals and better articulate the value we deliver to clients, talent, and investors. This led to a comprehensive brand rejuvenation exercise in partnership with a leading brand strategy consulting firm. Through extensive conversations with clients, employees, analysts, and other stakeholders, we refined our brand promise, brand principles, core narrative, and design system. This brand refresh involved deep engagement with clients, talent, and stakeholders across markets. How important is internal alignment when shaping an external brand narrative? Internal alignment is critical. Our global leadership team was deeply involved throughout the process, and we engaged with the Board at multiple stages. We also brought together a representative cross-section of employees across regions and seniority levels to gather perspectives and feedback. A data-backed and future-focused approach ensured that the refreshed brand remains credible today while supporting our long-term aspirations. The new global campaign spans markets like India, the Philippines, Jamaica, Colombia, and the US. What were some of the biggest challenges in creating a unified narrative that still feels locally relevant across geographies? Our refreshed brand framework provides a cohesive narrative across audiences and markets. With a workforce of over 50,000 employees across five countries, strengthening our employer brand remains a key priority.While the core narrative remains consistent globally, the brand system is designed to adapt to regional and audience-specific nuances. This allows us to remain globally consistent while staying locally relevant. The campaign uses a mix of outdoor, digital, and social media platforms. How has the role of integrated marketing evolved for B2B and healthcare-focused brands in recent years? We view this as a corporate brand-building initiative designed to engage key stakeholder groups, with the current phase focused on talent and investors. Media choices are guided by audience priorities and campaign objectives in each market. Outdoor delivers scale and visibility, while digital and social platforms enable targeted engagement. Together, they help us balance broad awareness with meaningful audience interaction. 

In an era where misinformation spreads faster than verified facts and public perception can shift within minutes, crisis communication has become far more complex than issuing carefully worded statements. For brands operating in a hyper-connected, always-online environment, the challenge today lies in balancing speed with accuracy while protecting long-term credibility.In a conversation with Adgully, Anshuman Chakravarty, Vice President and Head of Marketing & Communication at SOMANY Ceramics said that modern crisis management is no longer just a PR function, but a continuous exercise in trust-building. He spoke about leadership visibility, misinformation risks, cultural nuances in crisis response, and why reputation management in the AI era will increasingly depend on authenticity, preparedness, and credibility.Over the years, you’ve worked across industries, geographies, and brand transformations. From your perspective, how has crisis communication evolved in today’s hyper-connected and always-online media environment?Crisis communication has fundamentally evolved from being a controlled response function to becoming a real-time trust management function as the traditional “golden hour” of response has now shrunk to just a few minutes. Earlier, organizations had the luxury of time, news cycles which lasted days, communication flowed through traditional media, and brands had the opportunity to verify information, carefully craft messages, and release structured responses. Today, in a hyper-connected and always-online environment, a crisis can emerge, escalate, and shape public perception almost instantly, often before all the facts are fully established.The biggest change is that brands no longer own the narrative. Social media, influencers, employees, customers, and even internal stakeholders can become publishers instantly. The challenge is no longer only managing facts, but managing velocity, sentiment and perception that too, simultaneously. I believe three shifts define modern crisis communication: First is, speed with accuracy. The expectation today is not to have all the answers immediately, but to acknowledge situations quickly and demonstrate action. Important to note here: silence is often interpreted as indifference. Second, authenticity over perfection. Audiences today can detect scripted or overly corporate messaging instantly. People expect transparency, empathy, and accountability rather than polished legally worded statements. Third, communication has become continuous. Crisis management no longer starts when an issue erupts; it starts much earlier through reputation building, social listening, stakeholder engagement, probability-based risk-assessment and action planning and trust creation. Ultimately, crisis communication today is less about protecting image and more about protecting credibility and in the process reputation merely gets tested. While there cannot be a standard template for response but being visible, acknowledging quickly, being empathetic, stating known facts, informing on actions initiated, committing to transparency, avoiding speculation and committing to regular updates helps to regain trust.In the age of social media, a brand crisis can escalate within minutes and public perception often forms before facts emerge. How should companies balance speed with accuracy during high-pressure situations?We saw recently in the sad airline crash in Ahmedabad, even before the ambulances and fire brigade could arrive, cameras started reporting live, this amplifies public anxiety in the absence of verified facts. Speed and accuracy are often seen as competing priorities during a crisis, but in reality, organizations today need to manage both simultaneously. The mistake many companies make is believing they must either respond instantly with incomplete information or wait until every detail is verified. Both extremes carry risks.In today’s environment, the first response is not necessarily the final response. The objective is to acknowledge with empathy quickly, establish that the organization is aware of the situation, and communicate that action is underway. Stakeholders and audiences do expect immediate answers, expect accessibility, visibility, accountability, and responsiveness. Silence creates a vacuum, and in the absence of information, speculation fills that gap.A practical approach is to think of crisis communication in stages. The first communication is about acknowledgment and empathy. The second is about verified facts and actions being taken. The third is about transparency around outcomes and corrective measures. As more information becomes available, communication should evolve accordingly.Equally important is preparation, under pressure, you cannot build a process, you can only rely on a process that you have built over years. Leaders in organizations must realize that Crisis preparation has a cost but it is much cheaper than re-building lost reputation.Ultimately, speed gets you into the conversation, but accuracy protects credibility. If speed helps control the narrative initially, trust is what sustains it over the long term.You have handled communication mandates across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Are there significant differences in how brands approach crisis communication across markets and cultures?Yes, there are meaningful differences, because while the principles of crisis communication remain universal, the response must always be adapted to local cultural and market realities. Trust, transparency, empathy, and accountability matter everywhere, but how stakeholders perceive and respond to communication can vary significantly across regions.In many Asian markets, communication often tends to be more relationship-driven and community-oriented, where preserving trust and long-term stakeholder confidence becomes critical. During the COVID-19 period, several Asian brands and businesses focused less on transactional messaging and more on community reassurance, employee well-being, and continuity communication because maintaining social trust became as important as addressing operational issues.In parts of the Middle East, reputation, credibility, and institutional trust carry significant weight, and communication often requires greater sensitivity to cultural nuances and social dynamics. For example, during major regional disruptions such as the Red Sea crisis, many businesses placed emphasis on calm, authoritative communication and stakeholder confidence rather than frequent public commentary.European markets, on the other hand, generally place a stronger emphasis on regulatory compliance, data privacy, and direct communication. A good example is a European Airways data breach incident, where the conversation quickly extended beyond brand reputation to regulatory scrutiny, customer rights, and compliance obligations.In India, crises often evolve differently because media intensity, social conversations, and public sentiment can escalate rapidly. A recent example was the controversy involving an educational institution, where questions around the presentation of robotic dog technology displayed at a summit was frivolously claimed by a representative as an in-house development, whereas it was sourced. A single interaction by a representative and a wrongful statement unfurled a huge backlash. Fact is you cannot defend and communicate against visual evidence. The incident demonstrated how, in today’s environment, communication challenges are not always created by the original event itself but by the speed at which narratives form and spread. Once visual content and public perception begin shaping the conversation, organizations need clarity, accountability, and timely communication, rebutting and disowning doesn’t work. The challenge for global brands is that crises today are rarely local in nature. A comment made in one market can become a global conversation within minutes. We have also seen this with incidents such as an American airlines passenger removal incident, where an event originating in one geography quickly became a global reputation issue. So, while the core values of crisis management should remain consistent globally, the tone, channels, speed of engagement, and stakeholder approach often need local adaptation. Effective crisis strategies are therefore not built on a “one-size-fits-all” model. They combine global consistency with local relevance, because in crisis communication, context is often as important as content.Reputation management today goes far beyond issuing official statements. What role do empathy, transparency, and leadership visibility play during a crisis?Empathy creates connection, transparency builds credibility, and leadership visibility reinforces confidence. Together, they shape not just how a crisis is managed, but how an organization is remembered even after the crisis has passed. It is important to have clarity over improvisation, and facts over emotion.Reputation management today is no longer about simply issuing official statements or controlling messaging or the narrative; it is about building and sustaining trust during moments of uncertainty, important to note here that sometimes even uncertainty creates crisis. In a crisis, stakeholders are not only evaluating what an organization says, they are observing how it behaves, how quickly it responds, and whether its actions align with its words. A response that demonstrates genuine concern for affected stakeholders can create far greater trust than a perfectly crafted corporate statement.Transparency is equally important because in an environment where information travels instantly, attempts to hide, delay, or selectively disclose information can often create a bigger crisis than the original issue itself. Organizations may not have all the answers immediately, but they should communicate honestly about what they know, what they do not yet know, and what actions are being taken.Leadership visibility also becomes essential. During uncertain situations, people look for confidence, accountability, and direction. Leaders provide a human face to the organization and reinforce that responsibility is being taken at the highest level. Visible leadership is about showing up at the right moments with clarity, empathy, and purpose. Even scheduled calendar bulletins or hourly updates instill confidence. Conversation, instead of recorded monologues helps, scrutiny though difficult to manage, but if managed well rebuilds trust and reputation at a much faster speed.During your tenure at Orient Electric and now at SOMANY CEREMICS, you’ve led large-scale integrated campaigns across ATL, BTL, PR, and digital. How important is having a unified communication strategy during both brand-building and crisis management?Communication today is not about managing channels independently; it is about orchestrating a unified narrative. Whether building a brand or protecting one, consistency transforms communication into trust.Organizations need a “single source of truth” supported by agile execution. Messages can be tailored for customers, employees, media, investors, or partners, but the facts, intent, and organizational stance must remain aligned.This becomes critical because stakeholders experience brands across multiple touchpoints simultaneously: advertising, PR, digital platforms, retail, employees, influencers, and customer interactions. During brand-building, every channel should reinforce the same brand promise and emotional proposition. Formats may differ across ATL, BTL, PR, social, or experiential platforms, but the core message should remain consistent. Familiarity builds trust over time.As traditional PR becomes increasingly commoditized, creativity and narrative mapping aligned to business purpose become stronger differentiators. Earned media increasingly acts as an independent currency that strengthens credibility and protects reputation.In a crisis, the stakes become even higher. If official statements, social media, customer service teams, and internal employees communicate different narratives, organizations end up managing confusion instead of the issue itself. This is why spokespersons and customer-facing teams must be informed and trained in advance to ensure a consistent response.With misinformation, online outrage cycles, and AI-generated content becoming more common, what are the biggest communication risks brands need to prepare for today?Communication risk is not misinformation itself; it is losing control over trust. Trust isn’t built by technology and automation; it’s built by intention and in the process, credibility increasingly becomes a brand’s most valued asset.The communication landscape today is becoming increasingly complex because brands are no longer managing only traditional crises, they are also managing information volatility. Misinformation, online outrage and AI-generated content have significantly reduced the time available to distinguish fact from perception.One of the biggest risks is the speed of misinformation amplification. A rumour, edited clip, or misinterpreted statement can gain momentum within minutes and create reputational damage before the organization even enters the conversation. The second challenge is the rise of outrage culture and sentiment-driven narratives. Social media conversations often operate on emotion and not on evidence. Brands increasingly face situations where perception becomes reality in the short term, and isolated incidents can rapidly evolve into broader discussions and witch hunts.A third emerging concern is AI-generated manipulation, deepfakes, synthetic content, fabricated visuals, voice cloning, and highly convincing false narratives. The challenge is not only technological; it is purely trust-related. As AI lowers the barrier for creating realistic content, organizations will need stronger mechanisms to verify authenticity and respond rapidly.This is why crisis preparedness today can no longer be reactive. Brands need continuous social listening, strong verification processes, predefined response protocols, scenario planning, and clear escalation frameworks. The focus is shifting from simply responding to crises toward building organizational trust and resilience.Many organizations still treat crisis communication as reactive rather than preventive. What systems or preparedness frameworks should companies build before a crisis actually occurs?Effective crisis communication begins long before the first headline appears. The strongest responses often look effortless, because they have prepared for multiple scenarios in advance.Organizations need a clear crisis framework with defined roles, decision-making authority, escalation protocols, and spokesperson responsibilities. They also need real-time listening systems- social monitoring, media tracking, and stakeholder feedback, to identify issues early before they escalate. Another aspect is risk and crisis evaluation if not monthly, at least quarterly assessment of new risks and probabilities should help re-evaluate the crisis-response processes for better preparedness. This should be treated as a fire-fighting drill.Regular scenario planning and simulation exercises are equally critical. Whether it is a product issue, cyberattack, misinformation campaign, or leadership challenge, response mechanisms should be tested repeatedly until they become organizational muscle memory.Finally, creating a single source of truth through communication playbooks and keeping employees aligned ensures consistency across all channels and stakeholders.Ultimately, crisis preparedness should not be treated as an insurance policy; it should be viewed as a strategic capability. Reputation takes years to build but can be tested in moments.Recent crisis in India where an airline failed to adequately prepare for new pilot duty and rest regulations. Thousands of flights were cancelled or delayed, creating airport chaos and affecting a very large number of passengers. The issue moved quickly from an operational problem to a reputation challenge for an airline whose reputation was built on “on-time arrival”. Crisis demonstrated that in service industries, customers judge organizations not only by the disruption itself, but by the speed, clarity and empathy of communication during uncertainty. Operational failures may happen; but communication often determines whether they become reputation failures.Looking ahead, how do you see crisis communication and corporate reputation management evolving over the next five years, especially with AI, digital media fragmentation, and changing consumer trust patterns?The challenge ahead is that trust will become harder to earn and easier to lose. Technology will continue to evolve, but credibility, transparency and authenticity will remain the strongest differentiators. In the future, trust will not simply support reputation; it will define it.Over the next five years, crisis communication and reputation management will become far technology-led, and trust-centric. Organizations will move from reacting to crises toward anticipating them through AI-driven monitoring, sentiment analysis, and early warning systems that can identify risks before they escalate.At the same time, digital media fragmentation will make the landscape more complex. Audiences are increasingly spread across multiple platforms, communities, creators, and ecosystems, meaning brands will no longer be managing a single narrative but multiple conversations happening simultaneously.AI will also create a new trust challenge. While it will improve speed, monitoring, and decision-making, it will also enable deepfakes, synthetic content and misinformation at scale. The ask will be both: “How fast can we communicate?” and “How credible can we remain?”. Consumer trust patterns are also evolving. Trust is moving from what brands say to what stakeholders see, experience, and validate independently. People today increasingly trust authentic voices: employees, communities, creators, and peer networks, social voices and influencers, sometimes more than traditional corporate communication. This will require brands to become more transparent, human and values-driven. Ultimately, reputation management will move beyond managing image to managing trust ecosystems. 

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: On Instagram it would be short visual stories of real beneficiaries/ patientsOn LinkedIn it would be leadership POV + data-driven initiativesIn media it would be outcome-driven narrativesIt’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. 

In an era where reputations are built—and destroyed—at the speed of the news cycle, the role of public relations is undergoing a fundamental reset. What was once largely measured through media visibility and press coverage is increasingly being evaluated through its ability to influence business outcomes, manage reputational risk and shape long-term narratives.Across industries, companies are asking communication partners to move beyond traditional media outreach and become strategic advisors capable of linking narrative strategy to measurable organisational impact. The shift reflects broader changes in the communications landscape: real-time digital discourse, increasingly fragile corporate reputations and a growing expectation that communication strategy must be embedded in core business decision-making.Industry leaders say this transformation is forcing PR agencies to rethink not only how they operate externally, but also how they structure talent, capabilities and internal culture.According to Radhika Nihalani, Founder of Think Ink Communications and Think Talkies, the shift is already visible in the way success is defined.“The number of media clips is no longer the central ask,” Nihalani says. “What matters today is how the PR strategy and its outcomes directly impact the business. PR is no longer operating as a silo; it has become an integrated function within the business.”She notes that traditional metrics such as column inches or volume of coverage have gradually given way to measures such as audience sentiment, engagement and narrative resonance.“The measure of PR today is not in square centimetres of coverage but in the sentiment and engagement it creates,” she adds.Real-time news cycles reshape expectationsThe acceleration of digital news cycles has further altered client expectations. Communications teams now operate in an environment where narratives can emerge, escalate and evolve within hours, leaving little room for delayed responses.Nihalani points out that two capabilities have become non-negotiable for agencies: crisis preparedness and rapid response.“With news cycles now unfolding in real time, readiness for crisis has become a baseline requirement rather than a premium service,” she explains. “Equally important is the speed of response—timing is everything in PR.”The broader transformation, she says, is also making the industry more dynamic. “It’s one of the most exciting times to be in this space because no two days are alike and the possibilities to shape narratives are endless.”Strategic advisory requires new agency structuresThe demand for business impact is forcing agencies to reconsider internal structures that historically prioritised media outreach and campaign execution.Nihalani argues that the first step toward repositioning as strategic partners lies in rethinking team capabilities.“Agencies need to build teams that think in terms of narrative and positioning—not just media outreach,” she says. “That fundamentally changes the DNA of campaigns.”She also highlights the growing need for integrated capabilities spanning partnerships, creator ecosystems, communities and media relationships.“Clients increasingly expect holistic advice that brings together multiple communication channels,” she notes. “This also requires organisational cultures that support long-term thinking and constant upskilling.”Reputation management becomes central to communicationsA similar shift is visible across other segments of the communications industry. According to Sunanda Rao-Erdem, Founder and CEO of Seraphim Communications, the definition of PR success has broadened significantly in recent years.“Earlier, success was often measured largely through visibility metrics—media coverage, press releases or campaign reach,” Rao says. “While those remain relevant, organisations today are far more focused on how communication contributes to tangible outcomes such as reputation, stakeholder trust, policy alignment or market positioning.”She notes that the digital era has also made reputation increasingly fragile.“Narratives can form and spread rapidly, and organisations may find themselves responding to scrutiny within hours,” Rao explains. “Communication therefore needs to focus not only on amplification but also on anticipation and preparedness.”In addition, shorter attention spans and faster news cycles are forcing brands to think beyond one-off announcements.“The challenge today is sustaining relevance beyond the initial announcement,” Rao says. “Clients expect agencies to contribute to long-term narrative building and strategic positioning.”From tactical execution to strategic influenceFor PR agencies seeking to reposition themselves as business solution partners, Rao believes internal capability development is critical.Traditional agency models were built around media relations and campaign management. The emerging model, however, demands interdisciplinary skills that combine communication expertise with policy insight, research capabilities and stakeholder engagement.“Agencies need interdisciplinary skill sets that combine communications expertise with sector knowledge, policy understanding and analytical capability,” Rao says.Equally important, she argues, is earlier involvement in client decision-making processes.“Agencies create the most value when they are part of conversations around partnerships, initiatives or market entry strategies—not only when communication needs to be executed,” she explains.This deeper integration requires consultants to think like strategic advisors rather than service providers.“They must identify opportunities, anticipate risks and align communication with broader organisational goals,” Rao adds.Credibility will define the next phase of PRAs more agencies position themselves as strategic partners, industry leaders say the real differentiator will lie in credibility and consistency.For Nihalani, the foundation of strategic influence lies in honest counsel.“The simple answer is honest counsel—what works, what doesn’t, and what can be done to make it work,” she says. “Great campaigns are built on realness, not unrealistic promises.”Ultimately, she believes the distinction between tactical and strategic PR comes down to one fundamental question.“The biggest difference lies in whether an agency is helping shape the direction of the business narrative—or simply executing a communication brief,” she says.As corporate reputations become increasingly intertwined with business performance, that distinction is likely to define the next evolution of the communications industry.

For decades, the success of public relations was measured in headlines, column inches, and the scale of media visibility a campaign could generate. That metric is rapidly losing relevance.Today, brands are asking a far more pointed question: What did the communication actually achieve for the business?As companies increasingly link reputation management with growth, investor confidence, and stakeholder trust, PR agencies are being pushed to move beyond traditional press relations and position themselves as strategic partners in shaping business outcomes. The shift is quietly redefining how agencies structure their work, measure success, and participate in corporate decision-making.A structural shift in the client–agency relationshipAccording to Madhurima Bhatia, Head of PR & Partnerships at Ipsos India, the relationship between brands and their communication partners has already undergone a structural transformation.PR agencies are no longer expected to operate as external vendors executing predefined mandates. Instead, they are increasingly treated as strategic collaborators aligned with leadership priorities and broader organisational objectives. Agencies working on long-term retainers now spend significantly more time understanding a company’s business strategy, financial goals, and stakeholder landscape. Communication planning, Bhatia says, must reflect those priorities.“If the organisation’s focus is top-line growth, the narratives we build through earned media must create stakeholder momentum and support that objective,” she explains.Even project-based mandates are now evaluated through a similar lens. The key question, she notes, is whether communication efforts trigger meaningful action—whether that is stakeholder interest, customer enquiries, or measurable engagement with the brand.“Outcome decides the strength of the agency,” Bhatia says.<img src='https://erp.adgully.me/artical_image\7545ea61a0993dc6bc0d8e5b46686632.jpeg' class='content_image'>The expanding scope of modern communicationsAcross the broader communications industry, leaders say the definition of PR itself has expanded.Komal Lath, Founder of Tute Consult, believes the industry has moved well beyond its traditional association with media relations.“The communication landscape today looks very different from what it did a few years ago,” she says. While visibility remains important, clients are increasingly focused on long-term brand narratives, reputation architecture, and measurable outcomes rather than media outputs alone.This shift has forced agencies to adopt a more integrated communication approach. Modern campaigns often combine strategic storytelling, digital amplification, influencer engagement, experiential marketing, and partnerships to create impact across multiple touchpoints.In this environment, agencies are expected to understand a client’s market dynamics, expansion plans, and competitive positioning before crafting communication strategies.The role, Lath argues, increasingly resembles that of a strategic advisor rather than an execution partner.The perception gap within the industryDespite this evolution, she also sees a gap between how the industry talks about strategy and how it sometimes operates in practice.While many professionals position PR as a strategic function in industry discussions and thought leadership forums, some client mandates continue to prioritise traditional output metrics such as media coverage volume or impressions.For agencies attempting to reposition themselves as strategic advisors, this can create a dilemma.“Agencies need to assess whether certain mandates align with the strategic direction they want to pursue,” Lath says.<img src='https://erp.adgully.me/artical_image\af340a28fb5f84123ce2de13e2e3723d.jpeg' class='content_image'>The rise of data-driven PRFor Jagriti Motwani, CEO of Cha-Chi Communications, another defining element of PR’s transformation is the growing emphasis on data and audience insight.Public relations, she says, is gradually shifting from being perceived as a marketing expense to being recognised as a function capable of influencing business outcomes.“Businesses increasingly understand that reputation affects credibility, stakeholder trust, and market opportunities,” Motwani explains.As a result, communication strategies must be grounded in research, audience understanding, and clearly defined objectives rather than simply pursuing media placements.The agencies that stand out, she adds, are those that think beyond publicity and focus on how narratives influence perception, trust, and ultimately consumer behaviour.<img src='https://erp.adgully.me/artical_image\e40186955fc9a941498c35be104119e5.jpeg' class='content_image'>The future of PR: influence, not just visibilityIndustry leaders believe the real differentiator in the coming years will be an agency’s ability to influence decision-making rather than simply execute communication plans.Agencies that operate as trusted advisors are often involved in early-stage conversations—helping brands shape narratives during periods of expansion, navigate reputational risks, and build long-term credibility.Motwani notes that public relations has always had the potential to shape business outcomes through investor interest, stakeholder confidence, and market perception. The difference today is that companies increasingly expect those outcomes to be visible and measurable.For PR agencies, that expectation represents both an opportunity and a challenge.As communication becomes more tightly linked to commercial performance, the industry’s role is being recalibrated. Visibility may still matter—but the real test of PR is increasingly whether the stories it tells can move the business forward.