PR industry’s next leap via digitization

Publicists will discuss digitization at the 31st National Public Relations Congress for local practitioners to be at par with their Asian counterparts.

Jay Bautista, managing director of Kantar Media, who served as one of the speakers for the Congress at the Manila Hotel on Thursday, disclosed that PR practitioner’s embrace of digitization is seen across all social media and digital platforms, specially TikTok.

“The industry now is fully equipped and has all the necessary skills to be effective in engaging their stakeholders. Indeed, the PR industry is now well-positioned to be effective in this landscape,” Bautista said.

Basics plus AI

Public Relations Society of the Philippines (PRSP) vice president and chairperson and head of creatives Norman Agatep maintained that despite the presence of generative artificial intelligence (AI), it would be more effective if practitioners incorporated PR handling with the basics of PR strategies.

He said PR strategies of today and decades ago differ as things are very fast right now, and PR firms remain sluggish to adapt due to fear, or not fully enthralled with AI.

“While before it was very easy to control the message, to dictate the discourse, nobody predicted the pandemic and the acceleration of AI. So, it is (really) a matter of equipping a PR practitioner with the right mindset, skills, and tools to be able to proceed with their jobs regardless of the changes,” he said.

Cling to basics

“Understanding what the basics are and applying them to whatever is happening and to the new technologies to progress. That’s what PR people should understand right now. It’s alright that change happens, but what is more important is the ability to cling to the basics, such as doing PR relationships, and building trusts, among others,” according to Agatep, who came from the family of PR handlers for so many decades now.

He said the pandemic indeed occurred and brought a silver lining to the PR world, especially the work-from-home (WFH) setup that has been exercised by most PR firms now.

“WFH is part of the balance of life, as people are beginning to appreciate their lives by themselves, being able to dictate their work hours and appreciate what happened during the pandemic to better their lives. People who live very far from Manila do not need to commute to the cities and meet clients because of the presence of Zoom and other meeting platforms and still have the same type of conversation with the same positive results,” he explained.

Asked for her forecasts for the industry ten years from now, Agatep said what is inevitable is change and another form of technology aside from AI will surely emerge, which can again alter the current.

“Technology will change, I do not know what will come after AI. What I know is that PR will still be about establishing mutually beneficial relationships. It would still be about doing good and making sure that they do good for the improvement of society. And if we are working with brands, the technology will still be there to connect meaningfully. But our tools will be different ten years from now,” he stated.

The PRSP on Thursday kicked off the two-day congress, in which the DAILY TRIBUNE is one of the media partners, as they see that the world has changed dramatically over the recent years.

“We now live in a connected society where change is constant, fast-paced, and unpredictable. Rapid advances in technology and events like the pandemic and armed conflict have increased the sense of turbulence, danger, and unpredictability. A state of flux has replaced our sense of certainty, stability and familiarity. Keeping pace with the ever-evolving trends in managing stakeholders vis-a-vis the reputation of organizations has made the operating environment for PR practitioners Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous, or VUCA,” the PRSP said.