‘Monitoring audience sentiment is now more important than ever’

The ‘PR Outlook for 2022’ showcases domain stalwarts sharing their views on the shift in the industry towards digitalisation and AI, the transition, current trends, the future of the PR sector, and more. 

In today’s conversation, Girish Balachandran, Managing Partner, On Purpose, explains why digital PR cannot be avoided, the importance of data analytics and how monitoring tools giving the industry an opportunity to use social listening.

According to you, what are some of the upcoming trends in the PR industry? What are some of the opportunities and challenges you have faced so far in 2022? 

We have sailed through the most extraordinary times of our lives and had to adapt to many ‘new normals’. The only thing that has remained constant, however, is human experiences. Human emotions - the common anxiety for the next wave, the joy of coming back to normal functioning after recovering.

People-led storytelling instead of brand storytelling is the present and the future.

Also, an extension of the same is the necessity for diversity and inclusion. It needs to be applied not only in theory but also in practice. At ON PURPOSE, we recently upgraded our D&I policy and have appointed a dedicated team ‘D&I Ke Gunde’ for sharing information and educating team members about the topic.

The ESG movement will continue to grow. The pandemic was a test run to the looming catastrophe that is climate change. Both the clients and the audiences are embracing ESG (environmental, social and corporate governance) policies and are supporting strategies that have sustainability as a core value.

Lastly, the audience today is smarter, more aware, more woke, more vocal, more sensitive. There is a need for data-driven solutions. Data analytics and monitoring tools give the industry an opportunity to use social listening and manage their content in a way that is more authentic, relatable and trustworthy.

Almost every organisation heavily leverages the digital medium for industrial activities. How do you see the clients focusing on data customisation?

The audience we interact with has evolved and so has the medium of communication.

Gen Z is the next generation of consumers. The average representative of this new generation will use their smartphone (with about 98% of them having one) for at least 5 hours a day. Furthermore, they cannot go more than 30 minutes without checking their phone. They are always on the internet. Hence, digital PR cannot be overlooked.

With the adoption of work-from-home and hybrid cultures, there is no concept of ‘office hours’. The social media traffic reflects the same. The algorithms get updated more frequently. Monitoring audience sentiment is now more important than ever as there cannot be a one-size-fits-all strategy. We’ve moved beyond just geo-targeting, the TG is now being  reached out to basis the music they like, or the content they consume, cults they follow, pages they like, etc.

AI technologies have the ability to free PR professionals to focus more on pursuits like crafting compelling messaging and planning strategic media outreach.

The PR and Communications industry is now making its way in the age of podcasts. What are the advantages that the professionals can garner from the same? 

Podcasts have been around for a while, but it's only now that podcast listenership is skyrocketing. A major reason for this was production houses shutting down and celebrities turning to podcasting for connecting.

In my opinion, a podcast as a platform offers access to a very niche audience who are interested in your story and will listen intently. It also allows the brand story to be narrated in a more authentic, personal way by giving it a voice. With the sensory overload that comes with different screens, podcasts are a welcome change that can play in the background. 

Be it PM’s Mann Ki Baat, or Nilesh Misra’s Kahani Express- people-led storytelling is a growing trend. If not as a stand-alone offering yet, podcasts can surely help amplify existing brand messaging or creating a personal brand.

How do you foresee the future of the PR industry with the usage of Artificial Intelligence?

In a recent client event, I observed our team’s media executive capture the speaker quotes, get their pictures, have the transcripts ready and disseminate the release all in a few hours’ time.

I see AI as a catalyst to speed up processes. With AI in the mix, professionals are able to provide their audiences with better and more relevant messages, create and share more reports and manage their time more effectively.

With the growing need of data-backed campaigns and messaging, AI helps in analytics that are more accurate and timely. 

We can also not underestimate the power of social listening to avert a crisis. According to a mentionlytics report, over 30 percent of company crises turn global in less than an hour. AI is now used in sentiment analysis, to differentiate vocabulary use, tone and language context.

The world as we know it is changing every minute, with the rise of crypto, NFTs and now metaverse.

While some may fear the threat of unregulated AI (and rightly so), we cannot deny it to be a foundational tool in business success. Learning and adapting to the digital new is the way forward.