Empathy will be the clean sustainable fuel powering human interactions: Madhukar Kumar

The start of a new year is seen as bringing in new operational efficiencies, stronger strategies, a far greater emphasis on building deep bonds with various stakeholders and consumers. In keeping with the current market ecosystem, technology and a human approach are seen as going hand in hand.

As 2023 kicks off, Adgully has approached key industry leaders to Crystal Gaze into 2023 to highlight the major trends and developments that they see dominating the industry in the year ahead.

Madhukar Kumar, Founder & Chief Strategist, Grey Cell PR, speaks about the key trends that will be dominating the PR industry in 2023. Some of the trends mentioned include Metaverse-led PR in the PR matrix, rise of artificial intelligence, importance of crisis management and more.

Key trends that will dominate PR in 2023

Evolution and changes in the PR industry are like a forever game of 4D chess. Our industry evolves not only on its own plane, that is, for the sake of itself, but it is hugely and constantly impacted by the seen and unseen forces that keep influencing all the sectors that the PR industry serves. And that means that PR professionals must continuously hit the ground running, alongside any emerging force in any industry worldwide. The latest example is the growing emergence of the phenomenon called the Metaverse.

The most significant trend that I foresee for 2023 is strengthening Metaverse-led PR in the PR matrix. Conversations in the Metaverse will be of enormous quantum, and we are ready to be part of them. 5D chess it will be from here on! 

The other few trends that I foresee dominating the PR industry in 2023 are:

The importance of crisis management will become more critical than ever: The instant nature of news dissemination via social media and immediate audience engagement quickly give rise to significant crises that none even existed until a couple of years back. The immediacy and significance of the impact on any company’s reputation due to a crisis needs equal propinquity in the correct response. The industry will need to be more readily and technically equipped to handle crises and have a plan in place to effectively communicate with stakeholders and manage the situation.

The role of diversity, equity, and inclusion: The PR industry has long been criticised for its lack of diversity, but now there is a growing recognition that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential for the industry’s success. Companies will be more cognizant of this and prioritise DEI in their PR efforts, ensuring that their messaging and campaigns are inclusive and representative of their target audiences.

The greater integration of PR and marketing: PR and marketing have been playing a tango for a few years now, but the distinct nature of the two entities is increasingly blurry now, with many companies opting to integrate their PR and marketing efforts to reach and engage with their audiences. We will see greater integration of these specialisations to drive home some great campaigns and communicate effectively.

The rise of artificial intelligence and automation: Artificial intelligence and automation are becoming more prevalent in the PR industry, with tools and software being developed to help with tasks such as media monitoring, content creation, and analysis. While these tools can be helpful, PR professionals and agencies must be aware of their limitations and ensure they are not relying too heavily on them.

Overall, the PR industry will continue to be influenced by various trends and developments in the ecosystem. PR professionals, marketers, and agencies must stay in step and adapt to these changes to effectively reach and engage with their target audiences.

Major expectations from 2023

A fresh new year in the AC era presents exciting opportunities and challenges for the PR industry. Here are a few of the significant expectations for the coming year:

The rise of immersive storytelling: With the increasing popularity of virtual and augmented reality, we can expect to see more usage of these technologies to create immersive and engaging storytelling experiences for their clients. This could involve creating virtual reality press conferences or using AR to enhance product launches.

Larger pie for influencer marketing: Influencer marketing has become a hugely popular strategy for brands to promote their products or services through social media influencers. We expect this trend to grow in the coming year, with PR professionals seeking new and innovative ways to work with influencers and create authentic and engaging content. We may also see more founders from the client turning into influencers and advocating their brands and causes using various social platforms, hence becoming influencers themselves.

A constant eye on sustainability: Sustainability is increasingly important for businesses and consumers. We expect to see PR professionals and leaders playing a pivotal role in helping their clients communicate their sustainability efforts to the public. This could involve creating campaigns that showcase a company’s environmental initiatives or working with organisations to promote sustainable practices.

The continued evolution of social media: I wait to see more creative and innovative weaving of social media in telling brands’ stories.

The integration of PR and content marketing: A study by the Content Marketing Institute found that PR professionals who integrate content marketing into their work are more likely to report success in their efforts, and we expect to see more PR professionals integrating content marketing strategies into their work in the coming year. This could involve creating and distributing valuable, relevant, consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience.

Empathy everywhere: Lastly, but most importantly, empathy will be the ‘clean sustainable fuel’ powering human interactions. Increased empathy will be witnessed at workplaces between teams, client-agency relationships, and employer-employee relationships. There cannot be a more opportune time than now to take care of our teams and their well-being and support them, especially in our industry. 

Major focus areas in 2023 for Grey Cell PR

  • Empathy, empathy & more empathy

We have already been an early advocate of this practice at our firm, and we will continue to pledge our allegiance to it as we take on Chapter 2023 of our story. A happy team means a satisfied client. Gone are the days when only visible efforts reflected in the balance sheet or quantifiable results are of value. Without our team, we are nothing. Emotional well-being cannot be ignored or unattended to, knowingly or unknowingly. Our personal lives must be satisfying to channel our true potential and focus on professional targets. We will ensure that it is practised in the truest sense at our firm in 2023.

  • More value to our clients

The average age of a client engaging us is probably double what we usually see in the industry. This year, we have vowed to overwhelm our clients with good work and better value. We work with many young founders who probably need to figure out what to expect from PR. We intend to create awareness and educate our clients that their expectations are planted in reality. We must always align their business goals with the public relations exercises we do for them.

  • Above and beyond just regular PR

One of the core focus areas for us lately has been to combine more strategic advisory to our PR services. We are constantly exploring ways to provide our customers with more than just traditional PR: strategic advisory leading to their growth. We have formed a core senior team that works with all our client-facing teams to help them formulate this strategy in crafting beyond PR strategies.

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