Authored by Burzeen Bhathena, Director of Marketing of NMIMSOver the past century, every medium has had its moment. Print took nearly eight decades to reach the ?1,000-crore ad milestone, television did it in just 30 years, and digital did the same in less than a decade.The major difference? Measurability. For the first time, marketers could see, in near-real time, what their rupee delivered, from impressions to leads to sales to advocacy. The ability to measure, optimise, and justify every spend has now redefined how brands think about success.As per the Dentsu Digital Report 2025, India’s digital advertising industry is projected to surpass ?65,000 crore by 2026, accounting for nearly 50% of total ad spends, with performance, content, and influencer marketing driving the growth.In today’s fragmented attention economy, digital remains the only medium that connects investment directly to outcome. However, even in the online world, attribution is becoming complex. A digital native learner is likely to encounter our communication as a YouTube ad, see an Instagram ad, get ‘influenced on Twitter’ and finally convert after receiving an email from the brand or one of its affiliate network partners. Traditional last-click attribution models would credit only one of these touchpoints, masking the real impact of the multi-channel engagement. This is why brands must move towards data-driven attribution models that capture the full customer journey, not just its endpoints.Another fallout of the fragmented media is that brands must ensure that they implement an Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) approach. The approach ensures that the same message is being delivered through all the media including PR. Thus, Marketing and PR, that were once viewed as distinct disciplines, are now inseparable partners in shaping perception, driving trust, and influencing outcomes.“Measurement is no longer about counting clicks. It’s about connecting conversations.”The blurring of lines between Marketing and PR also means that measurability must happen across the entire funnel, from Awareness to Advocacy. A well-written PR article in a top-tier publication can spark curiosity, while a digital marketing ad can nurture that interest into an enquiry. This is one more reason why attribution needs to evolve from the current and most-followed last-click models to multi-touch and data-driven attribution that values earned media, influencer engagement, and organic amplification as key contributors to the lead quality and conversions from it.For all leading brands including NMIMS, PR is no longer an afterthought. It is the storytelling medium that gives our marketing campaigns credibility and emotion. Through strategic integration, PR strengthens our share of voice, boosts campaign narratives, and drives trust that paid media alone cannot achieve.At NMIMS, when we launch campaigns for driving registrations for entrance exams of our undergraduate programmes, all the agencies including creative, PR, and social media work in unison. The campaign narrative across the different media including digital and print are simultaneously amplified through editorial features, alumni stories, and expert features that appear in national and vernacular dailies. The convergence of paid, owned, and earned media ensures that the message resonates across our different audiences and markets, not just through frequency, but through authenticity.The influx of AI and automation in CRM platforms like Salesforce is also transforming the way we measure and integrate communication efforts. Salesforce enables us to track every interaction, from a media mention to a chatbot query and then tie it back to the impact on the overall pipeline. Specialised analytical tools can now identify which content or coverage is most likely to convert interest into action. These tools are especially powerful in the education sector, where the decision journeys are long and reputation plays a pivotal role.In today’s scenario, both Marketing and PR must work in tandem to build reach and credibility and when that happens the result is a brand that is visible, valued, and verified, not because it speaks the loudest, but because it communicates with authenticity and impact.When marketing builds reach and PR builds belief, the result is a brand that is not just seen but trusted.?DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and The PR post does not necessarily subscribe to it.