PRSI Ahmedabad hosts roundtable discussion on ‘Future Challenges and Opportunities in Public Relations’

The session was moderated by Nikhil Aboti, chairman, PRSI Ahmedabad chapter.

The Ahmedabad chapter of the Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) recently organised a roundtable discussion on the theme ‘Future Challenges & Opportunities in the Field of PR’. The event, held on Friday, brought together public relations professionals from the industry to explore the evolving landscape of Public Relations in the fast emerging digital era.

Members who remained present include Nikhil Aboti (Kinesis Communications), Dilip Thakkar (Founder – Gopi Dining), Santosh Zokarkar (Anant National University), Nishit Joshi (Doordarshan), Jeet Dholakia (Jio Cinema), Baiju Govindan (Kinesis Communications), Malhar Dave (Viewfinder), Vipul Shukla (Vital Relations), Swapan Dholakia (Hire4Higher Consulting), Vaibhav Shah (Strategic Growth Advisors Private Limited), Bijal Thakkar (PR Consultant),Divy esh Dabhi (Genius Marcom), Hemant Sadkar (Simulations PR), Vicky Shah (Vacha Consultancy), Dhaval Khunt (Reliance Industries) and Unmesh Dixit (Ahmedabad Management Association).

The session was moderated by Nikhil Aboti, Chairman, PRSI Ahmedabad chapter, who initiated the discussion about the impact of digital media on PR practices.

At the outset, participants discussed at length about the shrinking space in traditional print media and the challenges PR consultancies face in meeting high expectations of the clients. Members also highlighted a commonly prevalent misconception about PR yielding instant results, whereas PR is actually a process-oriented discipline focused on communication.

Members talked about the credibility and effectiveness of digital influencers, the problem of superficial metrics, like follower counts, often used to measure influencer impact without verifying authenticity, in detail. All unanimously agreed on how despite the changing approach of clients, the core principles of PR remain the same.

During the discussion, a member also highlighted the sheer lack of awareness or understanding about the Public Relations Profession among clients. The member lucidly explained how the true nature of PR is seldom understood and often confused with advertising or sales and how PR is at its core about building and maintaining reputation over time, irrespective of the medium.

Members present during the discussion strongly advocated that PR professionals must return to the basics of effective communication, regardless of the media platform, which is bound to evolve over time.

The discussion later shifted to the role of PR in organisational decision-making. Opinions of members present during the discussions varied on whether PR has gained importance in boardrooms, with some participants arguing that it still lacks the recognition it deserves, as compared to advertising agencies, which are often seen as more creative and provide more tangible results, which makes them more integral to business and marketing strategies. This led to a deliberation on how AVEs still continue to be the benchmark for measuring the effectiveness of a PR campaign, in spite of it being a redundant measurement tool considering the fast-changing media and audience landscape.

Participants also discussed the relevance of regional versus national PR agencies and how their prominence is growing. The participants also spoke about how AI and other technological advancements have influenced the evolution of the PR and communications landscape over time and the measures required for industry professionals to stay relevant.

The session ended with a call for greater awareness and understanding of the PR profession, both within the industry and among clients.

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