The Public Relations (PR) industry has been a premier field in terms of opportunities and growth, over the past few decades. The shift to digital platforms from the mid-2000s has only pushed the industry forward and broadened its horizons.
But with Covid-19, which has brought about a pandemic charged with many uncertainties, the plethora of visionaries and companies realize that it is in times like this when companies need strong teams leading at the forefront to meet the challenges, new and old.
With the flexible nature of PR, it’s only a given that even in unprecedented times, such as the Covid era, the industry is required to remold itself and do what it does the best – Adapt.
The need of the hour is to reflect on the multitude of issues that have surfaced to create strategies that address the audience at a humane level. The overriding problem is that the times have generated trust issues and communication gaps given the decrease in human contact. This is where the PR industry can help reach out to people and thereby, also redeem the companies of their plight. In the pool of misinformation and panic, PR experts can help to find or even create the most reliable communication platforms specifically designed for a more humanistic approach.
PR is no longer about building brand value alone, but also about sustaining the brand value, come what may. Now that the audiences are home, communication is to be carried out through digital media. This is where the digital campaigns have taken the center stage and have completely altered the practices of marketing. However, even digital marketing is witnessing a shift.
Now our focus is to develop clear, precise messages that the audience can comprehend. As PR experts, we’re not fixated on just promoting products alone, rather we are striving to build strategies and designing messages that are sensitive to the times. We want to relay information that people really need to know, alongside continuing to feature products, as and when relevant. This will certainly add up to create a more positive brand image that will linger still, even as things start returning to normal.
There are no big or small businesses that are fully equipped to outperform their competitors. In such a case, the need for brands to build stronger relations with each other, to be able to work in a closely-knit digital community, is of utmost importance. Informing the audiences about the changes within the company and its coping strategies is also expected to add to trust-building in these unpredictable times. Getting people to buy stories that are closer to reality is what is being looked into. Most certainly, it is the PR industry that has both, the expertise and the flexible character, to change, deliver and meet all of these requirements of the present market.
As the months pass by and market dynamics change, a comprise on brand image is not an option. PR today can be the saving grace as it brings people and brands closer, presenting them as two inseparable entities trying to function in the midst of a global crisis.