Public relations may have become savvier with the growing need of the hour but traditional PR cannot be shunned ever, argues a new book.
“Little Joys of Communication” by PR professional Ritu Bararia is a compilation of articles she has written over some time, about this vital component for every corporate house and every brand.
Public relations are here to stay as they are ever-evolving with time and have become savvier with the growing need of the hour, she says.
“Of course, storytelling and image-building will remain constant. But organisations need to be armed with data as a basis of dependable and influential stories to rise above the competition,” she writes.
According to Bararia, traditional PR, however, cannot be shunned ever. “So in future, there needs to be an amalgamation of traditional with modern. This is a sure-shot winner.”
The book, published by Notionpress.com, talks about the traditional PR and communication practices that existed a couple of decades ago and how they have transformed and evolved over some time, and why it is essential to implement a mix of both.
Although communication is a serious business, it can create a lot of joy if done rightly and with integrity, the author says.
The book details various types of communication, what all communication entails, the challenges faced by communicators, how communication can be improved upon, and varied mediums of communication present in modern times.
Bararia says that these are exciting times for PR, with so much to learn from the “revolution of sorts” that is taking place.
“There is a lot of focus on visual content – Instagram, Facebook, short videos, and Pinterest. This is the future of PR,” she says.
The author finds it a positive sign that the majority of brands turn up to social media for publicity and promotions as a marketing context.
But she rues that a lot of corporate houses do not understand the correct usage of social media.
“Many brands view social media primarily as a means to market their products and services to followers. What they do not realise is that this approach is not very effective, and proves to be detrimental to a brand’s image,” Bararia writes.
She suggests social media should be used primarily as a public relations tool.
