In celebration of World PR Day on 16^th July, Telum reached out to four PR practitioners from various industries across the Asia Pacific region. We invited them to share their vision for the future of PR and the steps they are taking to prepare for it.

Reflecting on their experience, they shared their thoughts on PR value, affiliated links and of course, AI and the human touch.

Dawn Ling, Head of PR & Communications, Stellantis Malaysia
In the past decade, PR has rapidly evolved, especially with social media hand in hand. There has also been a major shift in the consumer's news consumption behaviour as well as shifts in the media landscape. Aside from the rapid digital transformation, here are some things that I look forward to:

• Use of AI. It is not uncommon for new execs (and some seasoned ones) to rely on and sometimes overuse AI. But how can we find that sweet spot in using AI as inspiration or guideline, and not abuse it to do our work for us?
• Use of content. With new formats such as real-time live streams, podcasts, interactive content and influencer marketing, packaging our content delivery has just got interesting. And I wonder what is next.
• Omnichannel approach. It is no longer just a press release or just a media event. PR needs to integrate with marketing for a cohesive campaign that spans across multiple channels, platforms and touchpoints. Perhaps even new formats such as a video press release?
• Crisis management. Social media has changed the way brands react and deal with crises. It is now all about transparency, honesty, and authenticity. I look forward to seeing new strategies and execution plans as case studies.

However, one area that hasn’t evolved as fast is the use of PR Value as a KPI. Aside from a media qualitative index or a score point system, I would like to see a new format that considers new calculations of how to put a tangible PR value to social media postings, which only gains higher engagement and reach with time.

What am I doing to prepare for this? I’m just keeping my eyes and ears open and letting creativity take the wheel. Long gone are the old traditional PR days (remember when we used to fax media invites?), and this is such an exciting time to be a PR practitioner because the possibilities are endless.

Angela Cowley, Managing Director and Founder, Eight Communications (Australia)
We are excited about what the future holds for PR and embracing the technological advances - not necessarily from a copy point of view, but from a data, analytics and reporting sense. PR is notoriously hard to track and with things like affiliate marketing and Google Trends, we’re able to report back to clients some really quantifiable results from the amazing work the team here at Eight Communications produce. It’s a win-win.

On the topic of Affiliates, using affiliate links as a pitching strong point and an incentive for media to run with a story, is something we’re preparing clients for. In addition, if both parties receive strong uptake from an affiliate link, this data will help inform decisions when it comes to paid media and confidence in audience alignment.

One of the things I love the most about PR is the people, the connections, the events and the experiences. AI can never take that away. It is important, however, that we continue to be present, get out there as much as we can, advocate for our clients and share their stories to journalists and outlets that align, and remain relevant.

In a nutshell, I would say the future of PR is a blend of advanced (long overdue!) analytics and the irreplaceable value of personal relationships, creativity and storytelling.

Tanwarat (Minnie) Tiyapongprapan, Thailand Country Head, Redhill
As the way of life is ever-changing, the way of information consumption has also been evolving constantly. Hence, the future of PR, or I would say, the key characteristics of PR should always be responsive and agile. 

Even though the future of PR landscape has shifted to be more on digital platforms and technology will have more impact on the way of media consumption and way of working, PR practitioners have a significant role in keeping the human touch viable.  

For me, I have been updating myself regularly on industry trends, including new tools and standards of communications, by attending seminars, observing media and social media landscape, and staying connected to the communities.

Woody Shih, PR Manager, Taiwan Art Gallery Association
In the future, PR practitioners in the art industry can look towards advancements in AI to gather more substantial data and expedite the data collection process.

Art collection and appreciation often elude widespread understanding. Currently, collecting information on consumer and industry trends in the art sector is challenging. The process of finding, filtering through and analysing the data is time-consuming and indirect.

PR professionals in this sector not only have to comb through aesthetically pleasing language to obtain the necessary data, but also navigate the ambiguity that comes with artistic preferences and nuances in the industry.

To bridge these data gaps, we can look towards the rise of AI. Each person’s online activity and digital footprint can reveal preferences in art and art consumption. AI can not only collect and analyse this data, but also help us identify any missing information to improve data accuracy.

AI can tell us who is looking at the art, what they are looking at and why they are buying it. By leveraging these insights, communicators can better understand the preferences and trends of art collectors, the consumers and the general public. As a result, we can become better equipped to make more informed, targeted campaigns and communications strategies that align with the changing contemporary trends and landscapes.

I actively use AI as part of my day-to-day work - not only to get inspiration and support for my writing and tone, but also to train my language model. Although the use of AI in Taiwan is gradually increasing, the market’s comparatively smaller population means that the Chinese language models in Taiwan still require enhanced training.

In actively engaging with the language model and feeding it art-related prompts, I continuously train it to recognise linguistic idiosyncrasies and process the localised language nuances of Taiwan. As a result, the language model can become more aligned with the needs of communicators in the Taiwanese art market and the sentiments of the art consumers we work to align with.