Authored by Unnati Gala, Founder & CEO, Chakrum Brand CommunicationsGujarat has long been home to large, family-owned businesses. While second- and third-generation entrepreneurs continue to lead established family businesses, the entrepreneurial ecosystem has evolved significantly over the last five to seven years. We've seen a growing number of startups emerge from Gujarat, with several even securing national visibility through platforms like Shark Tank India over the past few seasons. Despite this entrepreneurial growth, the region has historically been slower to adopt modern marketing and communication practices. Businesses have largely thrived through strong relationships and word-of-mouth, reducing the perceived need for structured public relations. Even digital marketing, which today is widely accepted, reached Gujarat much later than metro and Tier I cities. Since businesses were already performing well, there was little to no urgency to explore newer communication channels.Why PR has been a Slow Cell One of the biggest challenges has been the perception that PR doesn't generate immediate leads. Unlike digital marketing, branding campaigns, or paid advertising, which offer measurable metrics such as leads, impressions, and conversions, PR is often viewed as intangible. While you can count the number of advertisements placed or evaluate campaign performance through dashboards, the impact of PR isn't always immediately visible.This has made PR a difficult investment to justify, particularly in markets like Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, where businesses often prefer initiatives with clearly measurable returns. There is naturally some hesitation in investing in something whose outcomes are perceived as long-term rather than immediate. However, PR has never been about lead generation. Its true value lies in building credibility, strengthening founder reputation, enhancing brand image and establishing long-term trust. Historically, Gujarati businesses already enjoyed credibility within their own networks because relationships have always been central to how business is conducted in the state. With Vadodara being an 80% industrial hub, word of mouth about the business community travelled fast. Additionally, a lot of Gujarat-based companies are now eyeing an IPO, which is where having the right PR agency can help you with the process.  Changing Perceptions Around PR As businesses look to expand beyond regional markets, the role of PR has become increasingly important. It's no longer just about visibility but also building authenticity, trust and industry authority while showcasing innovation. The PR landscape itself has evolved tremendously. Earlier, PR primarily meant newspaper coverage. Today, it encompasses digital publications, expert articles, founder interviews, media bytes, podcasts, social amplification, and multiple content formats that together shape public perception. Our objective in building a strategy-first PR agency in Vadodara has been to help businesses understand that many of them have been practising PR informally for years, but without a structured, strategic approach. Making PR Tangible One of our biggest responsibilities has been making PR feel tangible. Rather than asking businesses to make a large upfront investment, we often begin with a modest three-month engagement. This allows founders to experience the value and to believe in how PR can work for them and their businesses firsthand before committing to a long-term strategy. During this period, we demonstrate how media coverage can be amplified through social media, integrated into business communications and leveraged to strengthen credibility. Many of these businesses have existed for 25, 30, or even 50 years, yet their reputation often remained confined to Gujarat. Through PR, we've helped founders gain recognition well beyond state boundaries. People in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru and other parts of India have begun discovering these businesses. Increased visibility has also opened conversations around startup funding, investor interest, IPO launches, industry collaborations and opportunities on platforms such as Shark Tank India. Explaining PR in the Right Context One important learning has been that strategies that work in metro cities cannot simply be replicated in Gujarat. Instead of using industry jargon or following the same playbook as Mumbai or Delhi, we've focused on explaining PR in simple, relatable terms that resonate with local founders. The first objective isn't to sell PR but to build belief in its value. Once founders understand that PR contributes to long-term business growth through credibility and trust, strategic conversations naturally become much easier. The newer generation of entrepreneurs who have now taken over their family businesses have helped accelerate this shift. With expansion being their focus, they're more open to exploring structured brand-building initiatives. Their willingness to adopt PR has grown considerably once they see its long-term business impact.  Bridging the Awareness Gap More than anything else, the biggest challenge has been awareness. We are Gujarat’s first strategy-focused PR agency. Most agencies in the region have traditionally limited PR to press releases or press conferences. emphasising more on the regional visibility. However, strategic reputation management, founder positioning, thought leadership, and integrated media planning have largely remained unexplored. Over the last two years, I have personally interacted with more than 150 founders, entrepreneurs, communications professionals and business leaders to understand their perceptions of PR. A clear pattern emerged: ?     Many simply don't know what PR actually involves.?     Those who understand its importance often don't have the time or internal bandwidth to execute it effectively.?     Others outsource their PR to agencies in Mumbai, Delhi, or Bengaluru because they haven't found the right partner/ agency capable of delivering the same strategic quality and results. That gap in understanding and in execution is precisely what we're working to bridge. Building a Strategy-Focused PR Ecosystem From a founder's perspective, another challenge has been access to the right talent. Vadodara is home to one of the largest colleges, Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU), which produces a large number of journalism and media graduates every year. However, because Gujarat has historically lacked strategy-led PR agencies, many talented professionals have either moved to metro cities or transitioned into adjacent fields such as digital marketing and social media. Finding experienced strategic PR professionals has therefore been challenging. Fortunately, remote working and hybrid work models have significantly reduced this limitation.  Today, I can say Chakrum came to life to bring PR to Gujarat and drive brands towards purpose-driven communications. Now that vision has extended beyond Gujarat, we cater to clients PAN India.DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and theprpost.com does not necessarily subscribe to it.