“About eight years ago, there was a lot of talk about the death of traditional PR firms,” said Nitin Mantri, regional managing director for APAC, WE Communications and CEO of Avian WE Group. However, in the meantime, public relations has reinvented itself. This shift is reflected, among other things, in Golin’s work for Specsavers which won the PR Grand Prix at the just-concluded Cannes Lions festival, marking the first time in the category’s history that a PR company pure public relations wins top honors.
Asked for his reactions to the win, Mantri, an industry veteran and member of this year’s PR Lions jury, said: “The Grand Prize winner is a remarkable example of creativity tackling a serious problem. Using a famously misheard song to highlight hearing loss sparked a national conversation in an engaging and memorable way. It demonstrates how humor and ingenuity can raise awareness and inspire change. This year has been better than previous ones, with good results for pure PR agencies. I hope this trend continues, allowing not only big bands but also young independents to shine.
Mantri and his team also have a more personal reason to celebrate: the Harpic Loocator #BeFreeToPee campaign, for which Avian WE was the PR partner, won a silver glass medal: the Lion for Change category at Cannes. The campaign focuses on the critical need for public toilets for women in India.
The PR Lions Jury in Cannes
What the Cannes Lions entries say about the evolution of public relations
This trend didn’t appear out of nowhere and reflects the importance of public relations in business and branding strategy. The mandate of public relations has expanded to include design and production; data analysis and insight; sustainability and public policies. Speaking on how the Cannes Lions entries reflect the transformation in PR, Mantri said: “They showcased a blend of creativity and strategic thinking. Many applications used AI, data analytics and digital platforms. Campaign measurability provides a better measure of success: tangible results, audience engagement and, most importantly, business impact. Additionally, the entries featured a compelling blend of humor and social causes, highlighting the correlation between business imperatives and purpose. Mantri has also observed increased cultural sensitivity, with campaigns designed to reach diverse audiences in different markets.
Using and preventing AI abuse
In this broader context of public relations, AI represents an opportunity and a challenge. While this system is already deployed by PR firms, they also need to protect brands from operational risks: from inadvertent use of copyrighted material to incorrect or inappropriate messages. Citing a USC Annenberg survey, Mantri said: “We found that communicators were primarily concerned about factual errors and misinformation – up to 60%, and misinformation was close to the same level when it came to was about adopting AI in public relations. However, more than two-thirds believe it will be extremely or very important to the future of public relations. The first to arrive will have an advantage. We should embrace its use and report times when it is not deployed ethically.
AI will therefore play a critical role in the continued relevance of PR. Many industry observers believe that CMOs need to take on the role of CTO and CFO to remain contemporary. PR also requires a similar reorientation. Mantri said: “PR managers and CMOs need to hone their AI skills. We need to be better speed engineers, if nothing else.” But he was also keen to assert the primacy of human skills even as AI becomes ubiquitous. He explained: “Human intelligence remains essential. The ability to judge ideas, to read body language, to recognise when strong instinct and gut check should trump algorithms – I don’t know when AI will get there, but right now it’s not there yet. Those who can demonstrate the power of human-AI partnerships will succeed.”
Making sense of more complex public relations mandates
In this context of new constraints, public relations agencies must continue to fulfill their traditional missions, such as protecting their clients against any damage to their reputation and strengthening their role as good corporate citizens. The complexity of these constraints is reinforced by the potential virality of any criticism.
The general rule for handling negative reactions remains unchanged. Mantri recommended: “Be transparent, open and practical. Standing still is not an option. People want companies to show they are resetting their priorities, listening and responding. You don’t have to respond to every troll, but you should give your point of view. Getting buy-in from the highest levels is helpful in such situations. During a recent crisis managed by WE Communications, the client’s board of directors became involved and took rapid action to uncover financial irregularities. Mantri said: “Our advice to the board was to highlight the measures taken to combat fraud. We communicated several times and gave our version of the facts to the media.
Such openness is essential given the rise in consumer skepticism. Mantri was clear that PR agencies had a vital role to play in this area. He said: “While there is more skepticism, consumers are also looking to brands they trust to take bold action on societal issues. The terms “brand purpose” or “purpose-driven communications” are overused. But the need for businesses to demonstrate how to leave a positive impact on the ecosystem has not changed. Company reputation and brand purpose remain a crucial element. For businesses that make real promises and strive to achieve those goals, hiring communications experts can help them resolve these complex issues.
Create works that break the mold
Specifically, when it comes to sustainability, Mantri saw his agency playing two roles. The traditional method was to amplify client work. The second, more consultative role was to design programs and ensure they had the right partners in place. One of these mandates resulted in work that Mantri is rightly proud of: the Dettol Hygiene Olympiad for Reckitt Benckiser. Last year, in its second season, the Hygiene Olympiad enjoyed the support of over 100 partners, including India’s leading industry bodies, NGOs and health service providers. The program reached 30 million children with hygiene messages. Mantri said, “It’s not every day that a client wants to create a program to educate children about cleanliness. It’s not every day that the PR agency — not the advertising or marketing agency — comes up with this idea.”
He is also proud of the work carried out around reforestation themes for the Forest Stewardship Council. Mantri said: “The amount of branding and creative work we have done for them is quite astonishing – very different from traditional work. »
This is also where Mantri sees PR playing a more vital role in the future: “advice, advice and developing partnerships is about more than just amplifying something that has already been done.”
