By Jocelyn Ko MPRCA, Associate Director, B2B and Strategic Communications, Hill+Knowlton Strategies Singapore

People are often intrigued by how much I enjoy doing PR for businesses, because they think that the work has little room for creativity. The truth is that the creativity lies deeper, in the search for stories that have intention and illuminate possibilities in a future that is shaped by industries. Today, that has become more crucial than ever before.

Businesses are at the mercy of fast global shifts

The past decade was marked by digital disruption and the resulting pursuit of transformation by businesses in order to stay relevant and thrive in the digital economy. In recent years, global issues, from environmental degradation to geopolitical tensions, have taken over the limelight.

As a response, there has been a growing need and emphasis on value creation through themes such as digital and business transformation, and sustainability, supported by rising economic systems such as the circular economy. Businesses that know how to future-proof themselves will seek alignment with global goals and government-driven imperatives and shift quickly, if not early.

Great businesses don’t always know how to tell great stories

The B2B audience has always been discerning, with a critical eye on cost and benefit, return of investment, and value of partnership. This has been intensified by the pressure to innovate, transform, and stay agile with the times.

In a race to position their businesses as trailblazers, B2B communicators are often quick to jump at trends, but fail to cut through the noise to engage on business and end-user pain points, business imperatives, and communicate value in context.

PR can lead by helping the B2B narrative transcend

You may be wondering, what is the role of PR in this? PR can help businesses showcase their resilience and unique agility in this fast-changing landscape, sustain confidence, preserve and build their reputation, across publics. More importantly, PR can lead by helping the B2B narrative transcend and centre on value creation, for long-lasting impact.

In doing so, PR can bridge solutions to needs, help businesses seize opportunities, and enable quicker transformation across industries.

These are the stories I am excited to tell.

 

Jocelyn leads B2B and Strategic Communications at Hill+Knowlton Strategies Singapore. For more information about us and our work, please visit https://www2.hkstrategies.com/singapore/en/.