By Industry leaders and PR experts have envisaged new landscape of public relations in the digital era suggesting that the transformational impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and automation though phenomenal will not result to job lost.
At a webinar put together by The Newmark Group Limited under the InfluenceXXI series with the theme: The Future of PR in a Digital Age: Content, Automation, and the Role of AI, the experts explore how cutting-edge technologies like AI and automation are transforming PR strategies, empowering professionals to craft compelling content, amplify brand voices, and respond to crises in real-time.
They took the participants through key areas such as Crafting content that resonates in a crowded digital world, Leveraging AI to enhance storytelling, audience targeting, and crisis management, The role of influencers in shaping narratives and building trust during crises, Focusing on building a cohesive brand voice through internal communications in the digital age, Best practices for integrating AI-driven insights into digital PR campaigns, Discover the tools, tactics, and trends shaping the future of PR.
Speaking on how PR professionals can adapt in the digital era through Ai and automation, the Senior Account Manager, Social and Influence, Newmark Digital, Maureen Nwendwa in her keynote address harped on the need to embrace continuous learning about digital tools stressing that it would foster a culture of agility and innovation.
She noted some actionable steps which needed to be taken such as investing in training teams on automation and Al, use analytics to refine strategies, experiment with content formats to see what resonates as well as collaborating across disciplines by work with data analysts, designers, and content creators.
While describing AI as a game changer in PR profession, Nwendwa said that AI will provide real-time sentiment analysis, predictive insights into audience behaviour adding that AI will aid content generation through the ChatGPT and Jasper.
She however noted the challenges maintaining authenticity, ethical considerations and the balancing of human creativity with Al efficiency.
Head, Digital Marketing and Social Media Management, Keystone Bank Limited, Oreoluwa Ettu revealed that public relations in recent times experienced a number of dynamic shifts; from the creation of the internet, to the advent of social media and all its stages of development now to the emergence of Al and all the possibilities it holds.
According to him, these changes have transformed the way we approach PR and present various opportunities as well as challenges noting that AI is critical financial marketing and that AI helps to analyse complex data and identify useful patterns and an eventual approach to strategy development.
He stated that Al can help to create personalised customer experiences thereby improving engagement and loyalty adding that Al automation can save time, freeing teams up for more strategic thinking and creativity thereby improving efficiency.
On how AI has been reshaping PR and marketing, Ettu said that Al tools can assist in media monitoring and reporting identifying potential PR crises, just as AI tools can provide more accurate sentiment analysis thereby giving PR teams a way to fine-tune strategies where necessary.
According to him, Al analysis of audience behaviour can help you identify what audience is interested in, what messages resonate with them, when they are active adding that “We are now not only able to measure how we are doing against competition but what they are doing and how to approach.”
He also observed the change in media consumption in Nigeria stating that it is no longer news that the current trend in media consumption is shifting more and more to digital, a development which he attributed to the statistics: mobile phone ownership (87.0%) surpassing ownership rates for both radios (83.46) and televisions (74.66).
He said traditional news outlets in Nigeria have shifted to a more digital focused approach.
Associate Director, Communications, Food and Nutrition Portfolio, Global Health Advocacy Incubator, Jill Chanley who spoke on AI role in story telling disclosed that AI provides data to back up your story or point with proof, overcome people’s biases and opinions, make the message hit home, lend credibility and give people confidence to act.
