Over the years, the public relations industry has evolved tremendously and grown by leaps and bounds. Today, almost no industry or company does not use public relations. In addition, there is an internal corporate communications team. The demands and challenges for public relations companies have also increased dramatically, especially in an always-on digital world.
As a result, the demand for skilled public relations professionals has increased. For some time now, the public affairs industry has been experiencing a talent shortage. While there is no shortage of incomers eager to join the PR industry, they are frequently unprepared to meet the demands of their position. To top it all off, the digital transformation, particularly the global pandemic, has greatly increased the need for more skilled online reputation management as the dynamics of social media have introduced entirely new behavior.
According to some reports, the PR industry is worth around Rs 2,500 crore, and the industry outlook appears to be very bullish, with the industry only likely to grow from here. Career opportunities exist not only on the agency side but also on the client side, where clients are always looking for good managers who can manage their organizations’ brand reputation. The ultimate goal of any leadership team across sectors is to present a good and positive image of their company. This positive image is what attracts talent to all of these organizations.
Unlike in the past, brand managers now play an important role, allocating separate budgets for PR campaigns. Many managers do not view public relations as an integrated communication channel, instead asking agencies to recommend standalone public relations strategies for their campaigns. Brand managers are also seeing the tool’s effectiveness, which signals that the industry needs talent and that we need to encourage, guide, and show aspiring PR professionals their path to success in this industry. To attract more talent who are serious about a career in public relations, the industry body must chart a plan with a long-term vision.
While the industry is concerned about talent, the PR industry must also take a few steps forward to do more action-oriented PR for the industry in a more systemic manner to encourage professionals to join the profession and clearly show them that there is a bright future in the industry.
To encourage PR students to pursue a career in the industry, a precisely focused public relations campaign must be planned. While several educational institutes generate PR graduates today, no one knows how many of these institutes seriously guide and discuss the career opportunities that the industry provides. This will undoubtedly improve their decision to pursue a career in public relations. The fatigue levels in the industry are rapidly increasing, which must be addressed to reduce attrition and show them the bigger picture of the industry. While this is a huge challenge for the agencies, they must find a solution that will open the eyes of PR professionals who want to work in the field.
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