‘Data analytics have refined communication strategies’

A panel of experts decoded whether digitisation is a boon or a bane, at the e4m PR and Corp Com 30 under 30. Session chair Madhvi Chaudhary, Media Mic kickstarted the session by mentioning how digitisation has brought in unprecedented transformation in the society today.

Panellists Mrinall Dey, MobiKwik; Bhaskar Majumdar, Egis; Tanmana Rath, The Good Edge; Sudeep Purkayastha, Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. and Venkatesh Somayaji, Visage11 Advisors deliberated on the various critical questions that arise with the digital transformation that the world is seeing.

Majumdar pointed out that this digitisation took place majorly during the lockdown. “I generally started my day with a cup of coffee and several hard copies of newspaper. However, during the lockdown I was forced to shift to digital too,” he said.

Speaking of the perks that digitisation has brought, Majumdar highlighted how the reach and engagement factors have been taken care of with social channels today. “In earlier days, we used to pitch a story to the journalists and if it worked out, it would appear in the physical version of the newspaper the next day. Now, it goes up on the website, then amplified on the portal’s social handle, the journalist’s social handle as well as the brand’s handle,” he explained.

Majumdar feels that digitisation has made things easier in terms of the time saved as well as getting responses from people quicker.

Dey echoes a similar opinion and says that digital has enabled real-time communication and has built instant connectivity. “It has expanded our audience, not only locally but globally. It has thus broken the geographical barriers,” he mentioned.

He also explained that because of digitisation, remote work has become seamless leading to efficient collaboration. “Data analytics has also refined our communication strategies,” Dey added.

However, he also highlighted the cons of digital, and mentioned how there is a barrage of information online. “This information overload has led to reduced attention span. There are issues of cybersecurity as well, we need to protect sensitive data from online threats,” Dey said.

Rath says that crisis is a big challenge when it comes to new-age media. “It is difficult to control. The good things get amplified, but so do the bad ones. Being alert 24x7 is also a challenge, because it eats into your time.

But she also feels that digital has upped the pace of work, and made things more wholesome and integrated. “Pros and cons are many, but it depends on how we use it,” she mentioned.

Purkayastha pointed out that with digitisation, there has been a rampant surge in fake news. “We as professionals spend a lot of time proving that the news is not true,” he said.

He further shared how digitisation has taken away the empathy aspect, the human bond that communications professionals have built over the years.

Somayaji said that in the digital area, even the smallest incidents can be converted into a good PR opportunity, unlike the times when there used to be a long wait for headlines to hit the newspaper.

“There is also constant feedback coming your way. Third-party endorsements have also been enabled by digital,” he mentioned.