As PR practitioners, we are almost always privy to the writing on the wall – of our clients and organisations. We help them navigate challenges and mitigate risk. Yet are we doing enough for ourselves? Are we reading the writing on our own wall??
For years now, the dearth of good talent in our industry has been among the top three challenges the industry faces. Today, that dearth is compounded by our struggle to understand the dynamics of a Gen Y/Z workforce, as well as the ‘Quiet Quitting’ that is growing. For the first time in many years, I hear PR professionals speak of wanting to fall off the PR grid, and of universities not getting the kind of PR intakes as in the past. All this despite the great fillip and recognition the PR industry has received during the pandemic.
It’s easy to brush off these challenges with a ‘we need to do PR for PR’ stroke. But there’s more needed, and at the risk of being controversial, I believe that we (PR professionals) are the elephants in our own room.
Happenings of the past year, my observations, and personal experience have led to some amount of angst and sadness at how our industry is evolving. And so, instead of a reflective year-end post or predictions on what the year ahead could turn out to be, this year I have chosen to share my concerns about what I think needs to change/be fixed in the PR industry, one that we collectively own and should work towards.
- That we stop making cost (fee) the prime driver of PR consultancy searches. I’ve been privy to several agency search discussions (whether looking for support in India or overseas) where the prime consideration is cost. Yes, one does have to work within budget, but budgets must be fair and based on what the market rate is in the respective markets. As a former colleague in my consultancy days used to say – pay peanuts and you’ll get monkeys.
- That we recognise that good communication skills are non-negotiable in a PR or communications role. Mediocrity begets mediocrity and sadly, we are beginning to see a lot of it today – a view held by many other senior communication professionals I have spoken to as well.?That we recognise the strategic value of communications and equally, the strategic role we play in organisations or consultancies, and the responsibility we carry. This means sifting the wheat from the chaff and recognising that there will be publications, events and awards that lack credibility or are not a fit with PR objectives. Our role is not to fill up space in such publications or be bestowed with such awards to please our stakeholders or clients who may not know otherwise.
- That consultancies will step up to meet the needs of evolving clients. The 2022 Asa-Pacific Communications Index discloses that 53% of respondents (in-house communication professionals) can do their work without external PR support, up from 44% last year. Only one in 10 are confident of PR firm effectiveness. This is worrying and requires clients and consultancies to collectively address the gaps?
- That when a journalist posts on social media about an unprofessional interaction with a PR professional, we don’t let the discussion digress into the behaviour of the journalist without also discussing what we need to do as a fraternity to train professionals entering the industry. The basic tenets of PR are overlooked and there is a huge need to run training and refresher programmes for young professionals.
- That we go back to old-school wisdom in the relationships we build and nurture, and are mindful that social media is not necessarily the best way to engage with everyone.
- That we as a fraternity will start to take a more critical view of the many and more awards being dished out in our industry today, both paid and unpaid. I recently heard from two senior professionals who were approached by a well-known entity to pay to receive an award. ?The unprofessionalism and bias creeping into awards are unfortunate and something we need to be cognizant of.
- That we will see more women grow into senior roles in our industry. Once again, the 2022 Global Women in PR Annual Index has found that two-thirds of senior leaders in the industry are men although the industry is two-thirds female. Very little progress has been made to address the senior-level gender disparity although its merits have been well recognised.
- That finally, no matter what we do, ethical considerations will be at the forefront of every decision we make.?
And one more to make it ten.
- That though I used ChatGPT to generate a poem on PR (and it does not construe my endorsement of everything said there), we will still rely on our own strengths and expertise to deliver value, interpretation and insights.
Note: The post is specific to my India experience. I recognise that some of what I say may not sit well with everyone but every bit of what I say is based on experiences and interactions with PR professionals across the country.
