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One of the key challenges that we face is that the PR world is simultaneously getting bigger and smaller. This may sound impossible, but I believe it hinges on our evolving understanding of our audience, which now includes every type of ‘contributor’ — from the media and consumers, to bloggers, vloggers, influencers and practically anyone actively adding to our global conversation.
Fifteen years ago, PR treated the audience as a mass unit, issuing broad brush press releases and generic campaigns that in hindsight had limited power due to their generalized approach.
We now understand that our audience is anything but homogenous. It is made up of micro-audiences and individuals who each have their own preferences, needs, and quirks. Just think of Dubai, where we are attempting to communicate with people from over 200 nationalities, each with its own distinct culture, language, and media habits. One size never fitted all, but we are waking up to this more and more, particularly as the growth of social media conversation highlights the highly complex nature of our audience.
As a result, our work increasingly focuses on communicating with people in a tailored, targeted way that speaks to them on an individual basis. It is only by taking this personalized approach that we can drive people beyond awareness and through the entire consumer journey to consideration, purchase, retention, and advocacy, which is what the ROI of PR relies on.
To achieve this type of targeted micro-communication, PR has become a bigger job than ever before. Our ongoing pursuit to connect with the individual has forced us to expand our services to incorporate the digital world, grow our teams to bring social media expertise on board, and broaden the scope of our work to encompass our clients’ business strategy.
In a nutshell, we are taking on increasingly more work to keep up with the complex way that our industry is evolving in the digital era, and as a result, PR is under pressure. The problem is this: digital and technological transformation is moving us onto new platforms and allowing us to connect with our audiences in new ways, but it is not yet enhancing productivity. In fact, it is currently creating more work for us rather than helping us to cope with that work.
This puts us in an exciting period as machine learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have finally entered the mainstream, sparking a ‘productivity revolution’ driven by intelligent automation and data insights. The nature of PR, which relies on human interactions, strategic decision-making, and creative content, is now starting to benefit fully from AI-based productivity enhancements, just as other sectors like manufacturing, logistics, and finance have done in previous years. As technology advances, AI and machine learning have permeated all sectors, including PR, transforming how we work and deliver value.
Even with AI’s transformative impact, the human element of PR remains irreplaceable. AI’s speed and efficiency free up time to focus on tasks that no algorithm can replicate, such as creating emotion-led, long-form content, connecting during face-to-face meetings, organizing on-the-ground events, and most importantly, strategizing. In a world where AI is fully integrated, these human tasks continue to differentiate exceptional PR agencies from the merely good ones. It is crucial that we continue enhancing the quality of our human work while leveraging AI to handle repetitive and data-intensive tasks.
With the next phase of digital transformation—the ‘productivity revolution’—underway, we must demonstrate to our clients that we are more productive than ever. Productivity is measured by the ratio of inputs to outputs; in the PR world, if the input is the man hours required to create a press release, then the output is the coverage this activity generates. We aim for greater outputs from our inputs, ensuring high productivity. Successful PR agencies now sign contracts based on outputs or KPIs, assuming full responsibility for delivering on promises. This measurement method remains a vital tool for all PR agencies because it is the essence of our value proposition to our clients.
As we lay the foundations for the ongoing productivity revolution in the AI era, we must continue to strengthen the quality of our human work and demonstrate the lasting value of PR to our clients. It’s never too early to start planning for the future, and by doing so, we will be well-positioned to face and thrive in it.
Ahmad Itani is the Founder and CEO of Cicero & Bernay Public Relations. An independent PR agency headquartered in Dubai and offering new-age public relations consultancy to the UAE and across the MENA region. | www.cbpr.me