Why PR is the bigger beneficiary of Digitisation than Advertising

Digitisation has blessed the Public Relations (PR) with better presentation, better outreach, and high engagement at low cost. Though the print media is losing its luster day after day, the overall readership is increasing gradually not because of growing population, but due to the drastic changes in the consumption of news and information. People who were not interested in reading newspapers some years back are now comfortable reading online news stories and articles. Unarguably, the PR is booming rapidly after its merger with digital technology.  

How the Unconventional Media is Revamping the PR

According to the latest research by Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI), the Indian Public Relations (PR) industry has witnessed an annual growth of 19 percent in 2016, and it is expected to develop into Rs.2,100 crore industry by 2020. The research report also highlights that digital, social media and content-driven campaigns are expected to fetch 25 percent of the total revenue for the PR industry in the current fiscal year.

Digital is making PR more dynamic, now, republishing of an article that already appeared in a newspaper or magazine on online platforms gives more mileage to PR communications. Also, the same content can secure more views through link sharing and link building activities on the highly interactive social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Moreover, the availability of high-resolution images to support and boost the content without spending a single penny is the real power of Digital PR. In contrast, to promote a digital advertisement, one needs to spend money on Ad Platforms, Ad Networks and on activities like Real Time Bidding which are inconsistent due to their changing prices. 

The Pitfalls of Digital Advertising

Print and TV ads enjoy perfect and definite positioning; usually, newspapers and magazines offer dedicated space for advertisements and advertorials. Similarly, commercials on TV run only in the ad-break. But, a pop-up banner on a news website and an unsolicited video while choosing a product on the e-commerce portal, instigate the viewer to click on the cross sign. Beyond it, the slow internet speed, buffering, and high data consumptions are the factors that discourage the audience to watch online advertisements. Since they take more interest in reading the social media posts, articles and blogs rather than watching an online advertisement, commercial zapping is more common on the Internet than on TV. Besides, people watch television primarily for entertainment whereas they mainly surf the web for professional or educational gains and secondarily for entertainment. The more sincere motive doesn’t allow them to pay attention to online ads.

According to the joint study by FICCI and KPMG that has been published recently, the TV industry grew at 8.5 percent in the previous year to reach the size of Rs 588.4 billion with 11 percent growth in ad revenues. On the other hand, the latest report of WPP-owned media agency GroupM reinstates that Television is still the largest advertising medium, i.e., almost 300 percent bigger than Digital Media regarding revenue collection. That’s why television is still the first choice of advertisers in India. 

Advanced Crisis Control

Digital PR is not just phenomenal in extending the reach of brands, but the magical duo of social media and content marketing makes it robust enough to deal with PR Crisis. In the time of emergency, a tweet from the desk of company’s CEO or a live stream video message on YouTube, Facebook and Periscope can be very effective in placating the aggrieved or displeased customers. Earlier, there was no other option for PR companies than to wait for the response of journalists or news editors, and sometimes pointless edited stories were responsible for intensifying the crisis further. Also, with the advent of professional social networking sites like LinkedIn, the relationship between media and PR has strengthened tremendously. Consequently, coordination with clients as well as media personnel is much easier than ever, and brands leverage a more integrated approach to deal with the crisis.

The New Image of the Image Creator

All in all, Digitisation engenders more content optimization opportunities, enhanced integration of offline and online branding activities, and improved relations with media. PR, that was always more affordable to businesses than advertising becomes more strategic and results-oriented too, in its new incarnation – Digital PR. 

Knowledge Courtesy: Geeta Singh, Founder & Director of TYC Communication.