The urgent need is for digital-first employee advocacy

The first 356 days of the year have arrived, bringing with them accomplishments, success tales, thoughts, and ideas. This is also a good time to reflect on the past year, reassess our lessons learned, express gratitude for our victories, learn from our mistakes, and get ready for the days ahead.

We present "Epilogue 2022," a year-ending series from e4m PR & Corp Comm that will feature stalwarts from the Indian PR fraternity as we pause to consider 2022 and what it has left us with. Deepshikha Dharmaraj, CEO of BCW India Group, joins us today to discuss the year that was and the international PR standards she would like to see the Indian PR community adopt.

What changes have you noticed in the sector this year (2022)?

Despite appearances, 2022 was a year of significant change. Here are a few examples:

Getting back to normal: The biggest change, if I can call it that, was how we were able to emerge (to a large extent) from Covid's perpetually crippling shadow and achieve a respectably high level of normalcy. We were all experimenting with hybrid work arrangements at the start of the year. Today, the option is hybrid versus in-person rather than remote working versus hybrid. Virtual and digital-first communication is still important, but the emphasis is on active collaboration and two-way communication rather than just connecting.

Changing workplace expectations: The other significant change is the evolution of employee expectations and the requirement to interact with them in novel and novel ways. For the 2022 Expectations at Work study, BCW collaborated with two of the top global research firms, Mercury Analytics and PSB Insights LLC, and surveyed over 13,000 people from all over the world, including India. The study covered expectations across generations in addition to expectations across industries and geographies. Effective communication can resolve six out of the top ten expectations that employees in India have to do with workplace culture.

A greater need for public affairs and policy advocacy: The need for policy advocacy and public affairs is growing as the regulatory environment becomes more complex, both in terms of educating our clients about the changes to the landscape and how to adapt to them as well as in terms of engaging with the government to let them know what the industry needs for its growth. The need to comprehend the evolving global environment and convey it to their stakeholders has also been prompted by growing consumer activism, an emphasis on ESG, and other geopolitical issues. All of this has increased the demand for experts to guide businesses through these changes.

What patterns have produced the best outcomes this year? Do you have any suggestions for global trends that the Indian PR/Corporate Communications community should follow?

I believe that this year, our clients concentrated on the three Ps: people, purpose, and planet.

People - Although the issue of finding, keeping, and developing talent is not new, it has gained more urgency this year. The movement of talent also increased as things started to get back to normal. Additionally, they now have different expectations for the workplace. As I already mentioned, according to BCW's Expectations at Work 2022 study, many of these expectations are related to the organization's culture and vision. Digital-first employee engagement and advocacy are urgently needed to address them.

Purpose - Most of our clients said they wanted to talk about purpose when we asked what the next big thing was on their agenda. The reason a business or brand exists is its purpose. However, outside of the C-suite, the purpose is rarely understood. Yes, it must be included in the corporate strategy, but that strategy can only succeed if all of the stakeholders support it. We step in at this point to assist our clients in engaging with their stakeholders and assisting them in comprehending and supporting their purpose.

Planet - Businesses must exert just as much, if not more, effort than governments and civil society to address the biggest crisis we all face today: climate change. Both action and accountability are required. Regulations like those requiring ESG reporting exist on the one hand, but there are also reputation and perception issues. Businesses must show they are willing and able to work with the government and citizens to combat climate change.

In the field of digital communications, we are making great strides and will continue to do so in the coming year. Do you believe that modern technology can coexist peacefully with established PR and business communication practices?

They don't just coexist; in my opinion, they actually work quite well together. Traditional PR and corporate communications are becoming more widely accessible and have a wider audience thanks to technology. The media landscape underwent a significant upheaval over the past three years. A number of media outlets switched to digital, many discontinued their regional editions, and some even stopped publishing in print. However, it also meant that those publications had a much wider audience than just the areas in which they were distributed. Clearly, PR and communications strategies needed to be adjusted as a result.

The scope of "traditional" PR as a whole is also expanding. Before going digital, content creators like bloggers and influencers only existed online. They are now an essential component of the PR strategy.

Web3, AR/VR, and AI technologies undoubtedly add a new dimension, but they enhance traditional PR rather than replacing it. Consider Volvo as an example. On the one hand, it developed Volvoverse, an immersive platform for experiencing its new car, and on the other, it also invited a reporter to conduct the first-ever Metaverse media interview.

Most importantly, even as formats and media continue to change, the fundamentals of communications—messaging, insight-based creativity, execution, and measurement—remain constant.

There has been a recent revival in talent acquisition and salary restoration as we return to full-time normalcy. What other areas are you anticipating a complete revival in?

In-person interactions are also experiencing a revival, as I already mentioned. People are eager to reconnect with others in the real world, whether it be through events or meetings. Everything that happened before is still happening: press conferences, on-the-ground activations, industry events, media round tables, and interactions.