PR

As AI reshapes the communications function, the profession is hiding behind a word it has never had to prove.

Ferrari has built its brand on a very specific set of sensory cues. Could a deviation from those cues prove to be its smartest bet yet?

SIGNALS: For years, the dominant logic held that visibility was the proxy for credibility. That no longer holds true, and brands need to adapt.

SIGNALS: Brand awareness without brand substance is a ceiling, not a foundation. You can spend your way to recognition, but not trust.

Vishaal Shah, founder, Moe's Art, argues that Martin Sorrell's recent critique confuses a narrow, outdated interpretation of the discipline with the function itself.

SIGNALS: Communications agencies want a seat at the table, but earning that seat means agencies should be empowered with the full brand context, not just an invitation.

Despite shortages and social chatter, loyalists aren’t switching brands. This highlights how habit, identity and cultural cachet now intersect.

There is a specific reason why this pattern keeps repeating, and it sits in a place most companies are reluctant to examine — the westernised template.

For brands, rumours are not just occasional incidents of reputational embarrassment but brand risk multipliers.

Experiential marketing, as it currently operates, is not built to prevent failure. In many ways, it is built to absorb it.

Traditional advertising may help a brand create awareness, but it cannot build trust on its own. That’s where PR steps in.

As stories move faster than briefs, brands are demanding agencies that can hold narratives together and not just execute channels.

With AI-driven discovery pulling from everywhere, a fragile shared reality and constant brand scrutiny, PR needs to become structural, rather than episodic.

Creator-led circles and fandom-driven spaces are subtly but surely overtaking mass feeds as the arena where brands compete for credibility.

This piece is not a farewell to PR, but a farewell to an older mental model of it.

In an era where outrage escalates in minutes, the airline’s December meltdown is a masterclass in what not to do.

When PR grows, but client demands remain the same, partnerships feel misaligned. The outcome: fragmented messaging, poor performance, and lost opportunities.

Brands rely on advertising research for their PR strategy. But these insights are designed for creative messaging, not behavioural or cultural context.

Agencies need to rethink their role. Beyond crafting messages, they should act as conscience keepers to ensure that ‘purpose’ isn’t reduced to a positioning strategy.

As force majeure situations become more frequent, agencies and brands need to rewrite the ‘crisis’ playbook.

As AI hype sweeps industries, brands risk credibility by overstating capabilities. Exaggerated claims may win attention now but undermine long-term trust.

Geopolitical divides, misinformation, cancel culture and data breaches are reshaping how brands protect trust in a hyperconnected world.

Deepfakes and AI scams test communicators’ ability to safeguard trust. Pre-bunking and literacy now matter as much as storytelling.

Despite bold ideas and real impact, On Purpose's founder and MD rues that Indian PR often sidelines creativity for caution—and misses its shot at global relevance.

From smashing stereotypes to reshaping narratives, Connekting Dots’ founder underpins how women in PR and marcom showcase resilience, creativity, and leadership this Women’s Entrepreneurship Day.

In today’s social media-driven world, Boomlet Group's co-founder and CEO believes that swift and authentic crisis management is essential as brand reputation can shift in seconds.

The average journalist response rate to media pitches is down 10 per cent on last year, with the vast majority of pitch emails being ignored

The author discusses a 'remarkable shift' in the PR industry and highlights seven trends from the last two years

Purpose driven campaigns that we see today backed by will, confidence and insights will harness the true power of brands for years to come, says the author

What happened in 2015? What's next, in 2016? Here's what Genesis Burson-Marsteller's Prema Sagar and Viacom18's Nina Jaipuria had to say (part four)

Suprio Guha Thakurta, managing director, India, The Economist Group.

 Traditional media still matters. Just ask retired US Army General Stanley McChrystal, former commander of US forces in Afghanistan. Disparaging comments he made about his civilian bosses and their management of the Afghan war in Rolling Stone forced his resignation, with President Obama “What was he thinking?”