We will witness a transition from storytelling to story living

The first 356 days of the year have arrived, bringing accomplishments, success tales, thoughts, and ideas. This is also the time to reflect on the past year, reconsider the lessons we learned from it, 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. Nitin Mantri, the group CEO of Avian WE and the co-founder of the public policy and regulatory affairs company Chase India, is here today. He was admitted to the International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO) Hall of Fame in December 2022.

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

The sector has nearly resumed its pre-Covid activity levels: Pitch sessions, business meetings, and events are all going on right now. Additionally, business travel experienced a significant recovery and nearly reached 2019 levels. However, speculation about a sluggish economy might lead to some spending reductions in the first quarter of 2023.

Hybrid work is now commonplace and will continue to exist: Progressive companies have examined their core values and beliefs, abandoned procedures that are out of step with the needs of the post-Covid era, and created an organisational culture that is flexible and places employee engagement, development, and welfare at the forefront. With 70% of businesses increasing their investments in mental health resources, mental health is a crucial metric for employee retention.

Leaders who are more sympathetic: The pandemic has ushered in a completely new paradigm for leadership. Leaders in the aftermath of the pandemic are no longer superhumans who plough through issues with unwavering perfection. They are open, frank, and heartfelt leaders. They converse in a two-way fashion and listen more effectively.

Heightened concern for hygiene and health: It led to a stronger emphasis on healthcare communications. The Healthcare Mandate, a recent "Brands in Motion" whitepaper, showed that audiences anticipate the health sector to have the biggest influence on positive change in the world. But consumers have apathy when they see it. As their communication's partners, we've worked on a number of campaigns that aimed to forge stronger ties with the clients the sector serves and transform what is currently an adversarial relationship into one of respect.

The Bravery Mandate: Make it Real, the most recent "Brands in Motion" report, has revealed that consumers want businesses to join other reliable organisations in providing solutions to the urgent problems that affect their daily lives. At the same time, doubt about whether businesses are actually achieving their objectives is growing. Brands are aware of this and have been using our assistance to record their journey toward their purpose. A fantastic example of community outreach is the Magical Mangroves initiative by Godrej & Boyce and WWF India, which used the power of communication to launch a campaign that included young people as agents of significant environmental change. The partnership has urged residents to take part in the conservation effort to safeguard the mangroves in India's coastal states.

Increased data use: In order to create compelling narratives for our clients, PR has always been about keeping a finger on the pulse of consumers, events, and trends. Data and analytics have become increasingly important this year as a result of consumer demands for businesses to be more openly transparent about how they are addressing pressing social issues. In order to assess results and guide our clients' future efforts, we are now gathering crucial insights on key performance indicators like SEO, media reach, earned media, and audience behaviour.

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?

This year's best trends included integrated PR, data-driven storytelling, digital media, and developing brand purpose. The majority of them were covered in the previous query.

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?

Engagement is very important to our business. According to the audience, various tools and tactics are needed for that. The Bravery Mandate: Make it Real, our most recent "WE Brands in Motion" report, revealed that younger people prefer social media or two-way channels, while press releases and media statements, television media interviews, and public Q&A sessions are the top ways brands are expected to publicly communicate with, especially older cohorts. As we use platforms like the Metaverse for customer engagement, we will also observe a shift from storytelling to storyliving.

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?

Neither the number of employees nor their pay were decreased at Avian WE during the pandemic year. In actuality, bonuses were given out as normal. Talent acquisition continues to be a top priority, as we have hired 100 more people in the last two years. The majority of daily life has returned to normal, and the workplace has fully recovered.