P R in Digital Age

Friends’ my 120^th blog titled "P R in Digital Age" is the outcome of ‘Communication Today’s 93^rd webinar which was held on of 9^th September 2023.  At the outset I would like to congratulate Prof. Dr. Sanjeev Bhanawat, Prof. Dr. Usha Sawhney and Prof. Dr. Prithvi Senger of Communication Today for the success of webinar series under the aegis of “Communication Today”. I felt immense pride in sharing this great platform with PR veterans Dr. Ajai Kumar Agarwal and Dr. Samir Kapur. I deeply appreciate and fully agree with the views expressed by both PR veterans on the topic. I must say that the 93^rd webinar of communication today was an excellent example of PR in Digital Age.

To have better understanding of the subject, I’ve divided the blog in five parts as under…..

1.    Understanding PR

2.    Understanding Digital

3.    Understanding the Digital Age

4.    Understanding Digital Marketing

5.    Understanding PR in Digital Age 

Understanding PR

Friends lets first understand PR in brief. What these two alphabets P R means and what P R Does?

Friends’ as per my experience and understanding of the field of PR, PR means Public Relations i.e. building relations with your target audience through strategic and effective communication i.e. storytelling  for a mutual beneficial relationship, Professional Relations i.e. Networking, Personal Relations i.e. Employees Relations and Consumer Relations, Community Relations, Press Release i.e. a Key Tool of PR, Press Relations i.e. Building Media Relations and Management of Perception, Image & Reputation.

Friends’ as I’ve mentioned above that PR is about communication and storytelling, hence by effective communication PR not only creates a bridge of mutual understanding between the organizations and its target audience but also creates or builds and manages perception, image and reputation of an individual, corporate, organisation or brand while ensuring truthful and ethical communication practices.

PR uses all types of mediums of communication i.e. print, electronic, out of home, digital, film etc., whenever required, by issuing well drafted press releases covering 5Ws, using effective press or media relations. PR offers best solutions for managing crises and greatly helps in cultivating meaningful relationships with internal as well as external audiences of an organization i.e. stake holders, investors, employees, customers / consumers’, community, and the media.

Understanding Digital

Digital refers to electronic technology that uses discrete values, generally zero and one, to generate, store and process data. In digital technology, data is transmitted and stored as strings of zeros and ones, each of which are referred to as bits. These bits are grouped together into bytes to represent data such as numbers, letters, images or sounds. Prior to digital technology, electronic transmission was limited to analog technology, which conveys data as electronic signals of varying frequency or amplitude that are added to carrier waves of a given frequency. Broadcast and phone transmission has conventionally used analog technology. Digital technology is primarily used with new physical communications media, such as Satellite and Fibre Optic Transmission. Digital can be both online and offline e.g. a digital audio file can both be streamed online and stored on a disc or hard drive.

Understanding Digital Age

Friends' PR is a constantly evolving field, and with the rapid advancement of technology and changes in the media space from Traditional i.e. print and electronics to Digital i.e. www or the internet, PR in Digital Age look very different from what it was around two decades ago i.e. when Web 2.0 was introduced globally in 2004. Digital age which is also signified as the start of the information age marked a global shift in culture and economics that was influenced by the rise of digital electronics.

The term Web 2.0 was coined by information architecture consultant Darcy DiNucci in 1999 to differentiate the post-dot-com bubble. It was later popularized by O'Reilly Media during the Web 2.0 Conference in 2004. The dot-com bubble, also referred to as the Internet bubble, refers to the period between 1995 and 2000 when investors pumped money into Internet-based startups in the hopes that these fledgling companies would soon turn a profit.

Web 2.0 reflects the new age of the internet we’re in today, which puts greater emphasis on social networking, cloud computing, higher participation levels and sharing information between internet users. While Web 2.0 doesn't signify a technical upgrade, it does reflect a shift in the way the internet is consumed. Social media sites, web apps and self-publishing platforms gained popularity during this shift. A self-publishing platform is essentially a medium for authors to create their eBooks and reach their target audiences.

Friends' Web 2.0 is the current state of the World Wide Web i.e. internet, which offers more of user-generated content and usability for end-users compared to its earlier incarnation. User-generated content is any form of content, such as images, videos, text, testimonials, and audio, that has been posted by users on online platforms such as social media, discussion forums etc. The one you're reading is also an example of User Generated Content. 

Friends’ the Internet (Web 1.0) was launched in INDIA on 15th August 1995. Web 1.0 was the original, information-oriented version of the World Wide Web which was created by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 - 1990, and consisted of largely static WebPages developed by a small number of authors for consumption by a large audience. Web 1.0 was all about content browsing and finding information. Originally, data was posted on websites, and users simply viewed or downloaded the content. Information on the Web 1.0 platform was unalterable. Compared to Web 1.0, Web 2.0 offered a greater degree of collaboration among internet users, content providers and enterprises. It highlighted user-generated content and offered interoperability among end users.

Friends' Web.2.0 does not refer to any specific technical upgrades to the internet; it refers to a shift in how the internet is used. Web 2.0 offered us websites enabled community-based input, interaction, content sharing and collaboration, social media sites and applications including forums, micro-blogging, social networking, social bookmarking, social curation and wikis. There is a higher level of information sharing and inter-connectedness among participants in this new age internet which allowed for the creation of applications such as Facebook (Now META), X (formerly Twitter), META Threads, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, Reddit, TikTok, Wikipedia, Podcasts etc..

Friends' Web 2.0 paved the way for Web 3.0, the next generation of the web that uses many of the same technologies to approach problems differently. The term Web 3.0 was coined in 2014 by ‘Ethereum’ co-founder Gavin Wood, and the idea gained interest in 2021 from crypto currency enthusiasts, large technology companies, and venture capital firms. The concepts of Web 3.0 were first represented in 2013.

Imagine a new kind of Internet that accurately translates what you type and understands what you say, whether through text, voice, or other media, and where all of the content you consume is more personalized than ever before. In the evolution of the Internet, you are about to enter a new era. It's been termed Web 3.0.

Web 3.0 is the third generation of the World Wide Web which is meant to be decentralized, open to everyone, participative, and built on top of block chain technologies and developments in the Semantic Web, which describes the web as a network of meaningfully linked data. Web 3.0 is explained best through its features, namely ubiquity, decentralization, Artificial intelligence (AI), and semantic web interactivity that provide a common framework that allows data to be shared and reused across application, enterprise, and community. 

Understanding Digital Marketing

Digital marketing refers to campaigns that are executed through digital mediums, including search engines, social media, and email. Unlike traditional marketing channels, digital marketing   makes it easier to collect data about a business’s audience and develop audience personas. Digital marketing also makes it easier for businesses to reach new customers on a smaller budget. Because digital marketing campaigns can be quickly launched or changed, many businesses prioritize digital marketing over traditional marketing avenues.

Friends, sharing some important data about INDIA to think over…….

a.    India’s population is over 142.86 Cr. as of now.

b.    Smartphone users in India are around 100 Cr.

c.     50% of India’s population (692.0 millions) are using internet.

d.    Facebook Users in India are around 32 Cr.

e.    Twitter users in India are around 3.0 Cr.

f.      Instagram users in India are around 23 Cr.

g.    Pinterest users in India are around 18 Cr.

h.    LinkedIn users in India are around 10 Cr.

i.       YouTube users in India are around 47 Cr

j.       FB Threads users in India are around 80 lacs.

With the above data you can very well make out how and where PR should be used in Digital Age i.e. Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 in INDIA.

Understanding PR in Digital Age

Friends now I will discuss how PR is transforming in Digital Age. This reminds me of PESO model introduced by Gini Dietrich in her book “Spin Sucks” in the year 2014. The PESO model is designed for PR in Digital Age. Where P stands for Paid, E stands for Earned, S stands for Shared and O stands for Owned. And thanks to this PESO model (excluding the P in my case), if anyone search for “P R Guru in World” or “P R Guru in India” on Google, yours truly name comes on the top of the first page. Friends this is an ultimate example of PR in Digital Age.

Friends’ in Digital Age i.e. Web 2.0 and Web 3.0 there would be a bigger use of Artificial intelligence (AI) which is transforming many industries, and the field of PR is no exception. We can expect to see a greater use of AI in PR, particularly in areas such as data analysis, media monitoring, and sentiment analysis. With the help of AI, we can analyze large amounts of data quickly and efficiently, allowing them to make better-informed decisions and develop more effective PR strategies.

Friends’ in recent years, there has been a growing demand for authenticity and transparency in all areas of business, including PR and this trend is likely to continue, with consumers and stakeholders expecting greater honesty and openness from organizations. Hence, we need to develop communication strategies that prioritize authenticity and transparency, such as creating engaging content that tells a compelling brand story while also being honest about the challenges the organization faces.

Friends’ you might have heard the term “Influencer marketing” which has become a foremost part of many PR campaigns, and this trend is going to continue in years to come.  With the rise of social media platforms and the increasing influence of social media personalities and influencers like yours truly are becoming more important for brands looking to reach new audiences. Therefore, we would need to develop strategies that focus on building relationships with social media personalities and influencers to leverage their influence to promote our brand.

Friends’ digital media or social media have created a significant impact on the PR industry. Since traditional media outlets i.e. print and electronic media continue to struggle due to constraints like high costs and reach, we would need to focus more on low cost digital PR, including social media, online news media, and other digital channels. This would require a greater emphasis on creating digital content that engages audiences and drives traffic to an organizations’ website or social media channels.

Friends I always say that the Employees are the face and brand ambassadors of an organization. With the rise of social media and the increasing importance of authenticity and transparency, organizations will need to focus more on developing relationships with their employees and encouraging them to become realtime ambassadors for their brand. Hence we would need to develop strategies that focus on engaging employees and empowering them to share their experiences and opinions with their networks.

Friends’ after the launch of Web 3.0 technology data and analytics have become important. With the help of data analysis tools, we would be able to track the success of our PR campaigns, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions. Therefore, greater emphasis on developing data analysis skills and investing in tools and technology is the need of the hour.

Friends’ last but not the least social media has become an essential part of many PR campaigns. As social media platforms continue to grow and evolve, we would need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in social media marketing. This will require a greater emphasis on creating engaging content and building relationships.

To conclude I would say that PR in digital age is an exciting and challenging with many changes and innovations expected to transform the field in time to come. From the growing use of AI, ML and data analytics to the increasing importance of authenticity and transparency, we need to adapt to these new trends so that we can stay ahead of the curve. By focusing on building relationships with social media influencers, and by creating engaging content for digital media platforms, we can succeed in the rapidly evolving digital media landscape.

Thank you for reading the blog.

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