Fusion of tech and PR: communication for the new era

We live in a fast-paced world where technology is advancing at a lightning pace. With so much online content, consumers are used to instant gratification, which makes them pay less attention. The average attention span was 12 seconds in the early 2000s. Communicators now have a limited window of opportunity to grab their audience's attention before they lose interest and move on, and this poses a significant challenge.

Consequently, there’s immense pressure to create compelling content, one that engages, educates, and inspires. To keep up with the changing times, the industry is constantly evolving. Technology is changing our world and PR professionals need to adapt to new tools and strategies to stay relevant.

A communications strategy’s research and discovery phase is pivotal in identifying opportunities, trends, and gaps, and tailoring the next phase to meet the target audience's needs. Today, PR professionals have access to a bunch of innovative research tools. This includes social media monitoring and listening tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, and Brandwatch, as well as data visualization tools like Google Analytics, Tableau, and Microsoft Power BI.

There are also media monitoring and analysis tools like Cision, Meltwater, and Critical Mention that help professionals make sense of all the data. These insights enable us to define the problem statement accurately and give direction to the campaign.

To engage the audience, you need to create content that resonates with them, leverage various communication channels and platforms, and incorporate unique and compelling visuals. With AR and VR, one is able to achieve a whole new level of immersion and interactivity. It allows PR professionals to create more engaging experiences that leave a lasting impression. It also allows the audience to visualize and experience the product more engagingly.

Using chatbots, PR professionals track and identify opportunities for crafting communications, answer questions, and decipher the narrative that emerges from the conversation, improving brand loyalty. Thanks to technology, communications professionals can automate tasks and use natural language processing. With tools like ChatGPT, PR personnel can focus on the creative aspects of campaigns. I do believe that while it’s important to balance technology with a human touch, tools like this help streamline workflows, enhance efficiency, and deliver results.

Predictive and prescriptive analysis help us understand the evolving nature of campaigns and foresee potential crises, empowering us to be proactive. A well-crafted campaign depends on choosing the right medium and network to deliver the message. Communication with the audience has never been easier, thanks to social media and messaging apps.

Changing from one-way communication to interactive, two-way communication is changing how brands engage with their audience. Now they can give customers real-time updates, respond to feedback, and strengthen relationships. In addition, it helps PR professionals engage with a wider audience on a more personal level. 

The final phase of a PR campaign is measuring its impact with advanced technology. The power of data and analytics is helping PR professionals calculate the effectiveness of their campaigns and make smarter decisions about future ones. New tools and strategies are emerging all the time, providing them with exciting new frontiers to explore in their quest for even more effective and impactful campaigns.

Apart from calculating impact, data analytics and reporting tools enable PR professionals to track campaign data and analyze them, leading to valuable insights that can be used to make data-driven decisions for future campaigns. PR professionals can benefit from these tools by achieving greater operational efficiency and accuracy.

Technology is changing the communications industry, forging a dynamic and interactive environment that is enabling people to connect with the audience more deeply. People who can harness its power will succeed and with so many innovative tools and technology at our disposal, the possibilities for success and excellence are endless.

(The author is Shashikant Someshwar, managing director, Current Global)