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2025: the year the PR industry stopped taking instructions
MUMBAI: They said disruption was coming. They were wrong. It’s already here.
2025 wasn’t just another year for India’s PR and communications industry, it was a tectonic shift. An industry guesstimated to be worth Rs 2,500 crore grew 19 per cent year-on-year, outpacing global growth by three times. And that’s just the number. Behind it lies a story of consolidation, AI adoption, leadership shake-ups, and a fundamental reimagining of what public relations means in a digital-first India.
The biggest news? WPP pulled the trigger on its mega-merger.
BCW and Hill & Knowlton became Burson in July, a $1.27 billion revenue powerhouse that instantly became the world’s largest PR agency. In India, Matt Stafford took charge as CEO for South Asia-Pacific, managing operations across India, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia. The message was clear: scale matters. Consolidation isn’t coming; it already happened.
This followed global advertising’s biggest deal Omnicom’s $13.5 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group. The writing’s on the wall. Bigger, faster, stronger. Or irrelevant.
But it wasn’t just the giants playing musical chairs. Six Degrees founders Zach James and Rishi Seth invested in 25-year-old Indian indie The PRactice, proving that homegrown agencies with specialized capabilities still command attention and capital.
PRCAI, India’s apex PR body, elected fresh blood for its 2025-2027 term. Kunal Kishore from Value 360 Communications took over as president, replacing Ruder Finn’s Atul Sharma. Neha Mehrotra (Avian We) became vice president, with Santanu Gogoi (First Partners) as associate vice president.
The executive committee added firepower with five national chairs: Nandita Lakshmanan (The PRactice) heading growth & standardisation, Dolly Tayal (Burson Genesis) on marketing communications, Abhishek Gulyani (Zeno Group) driving talent & academia, Vivek Rana (Gnothi Seauton) leading learning & thought leadership, and Rishi Seth (Evoc Communications) taking the newly created public affairs role.
Their mission? Simple but ambitious. Transform PRCAI into India’s dominant industry voice. Push for ethical standards. Expand nationally. Build future-ready talent.
Agencies didn’t sit idle either. Adfactors PR appointed Shilpa Desai as senior vice-president for Digital & Innovation, BFSI and Capital Markets, a signal that traditional firms are racing to own digital transformation, not just ride it.
Everyone predicted AI would replace PR pros. Instead, it became their superpower. 2025 was the year AI stopped being talked about and started being embedded. No more conferences about “AI’s potential.” Just implementation. Adfactors PR trained over 1,000 employees in ChatGPT and AI tools. Not as a novelty as infrastructure. Media monitoring went real-time. Sentiment analysis became predictive. Content generation accelerated from days to hours.
Times Internet and HT Media deployed AI for algorithmic content distribution, personalising homepages for 270 million users and doubling click-through rates. The Advertising Standards Council of India (Asci) strengthened AI-enabled ad scanning, reviewing record volumes of digital advertising with 93 per cent of violations now caught through proactive monitoring.
But here’s what the doomsayers missed: AI didn’t replace the human element. It compressed time. It scaled execution. It freed strategists to do what machines can’t understand cultural nuance, build genuine relationships, craft narratives that resonate at the human level.
The Indian PR leader in 2025 isn’t just a media whisperer anymore. They’re data interpreters. Story-provers. Algorithm architects. And yes, still relationship builders. Because trust isn’t coded in Python.
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If you weren’t digital by 2025, you were dead. PRCAI’s Sprint report laid it bare: 69 per cent of respondents agreed digital-first strategies are “necessary for all PR campaigns.” Not helpful. Necessary. PR’s share of marketing spend climbed from 10 per cent toward 15-16 per cent, and every rupee carried digital DNA.
Influencer marketing exploded, projected to hit Rs 3,600 crore in 2024 and it is estimated that it grew 25 per cent in 2025. Over 20 mergers and acquisitions reshaped the influencer ecosystem as traditional and digital agencies scrambled to own this capability. Brands stopped treating influencers as add-ons and started building long-term ambassador relationships 72 per cent favored sustained collaborations over one-off campaigns.
Micro and nano-influencers became the new frontline. Higher engagement. Deeper trust. More authentic advocacy. Macro-influencers still commanded reach, but 85 per cent of marketers in automotive and consumer durables planned to increase investment in niche, specialised voices.
Regional language content surged. With 72 per cent of Indian consumers preferring content in their native tongue, PR firms that couldn’t localize got left behind. The government’s Rs 8,545 crore creator economy fund accelerated regional content creation, propelling local talent onto national and global stages.
ESG storytelling moved from nice-to-have to must-have. According to EY, 81 per cent of Indian millennials preferred brands with substantial sustainability commitments. Corporate communications teams deployed integrated impact matrices, quantifying purpose stories with data visualisation, outcome-based KPIs, and stakeholder heatmaps.
The Tata Group set the benchmark with sustainability and CSR-driven PR that increased customer loyalty measurably. Flipkart used AI-powered analytics to predict consumer reactions to ESG messaging, adjusting campaigns in real-time and increasing engagement by 35 per cent.
This wasn’t greenwashing. This was data-driven impact architecture. PR professionals weren’t just telling sustainability stories, they were proving them with verifiable outcomes.
Talent remained the industry’s Achilles heel. PRCAI’s research showed only 13 per cent of companies had dedicated AI teams. The war for skilled professionals intensified, with agencies poaching talent at inflated salaries, creating churn and instability.
Crisis communication demands surged. The ed-tech sector, still recovering from scandals and financial challenges (looking at you, Byju’s), required clear, empathetic messaging to rebuild trust. Brands learned the hard way: transparency isn’t optional in the digital age where every misstep trends within hours.
Data quality plagued AI adoption. While enthusiasm for artificial intelligence ran high 71 per cent of Indian companies planned to invest up to $25 million actual maturity lagged. India’s AI adoption index barely budged from 2.45 in 2022 to 2.47 in 2024, held back by inconsistent data supply and misalignment of AI outcomes with business goals.
Corporate communications teams didn’t just survive 2025 they became boardroom royalty. India Inc.’s PR departments underwent their own transformation, with in-house teams gaining unprecedented strategic importance. Six Indian corporate communications leaders Rohit Bansal (Reliance), Sumit Virmani (Infosys), Abhinav Kumar (TCS), Ritu Jhingon (Vedanta), Sujit Patil (Godrej), and Arpana Kumar Ahuja (Jindal Steel) landed on PRovoke Media’s global Influence 100 list, cementing India’s place on the world stage.
The recognition wasn’t ceremonial. These leaders managed communications portfolios worth hundreds of millions, oversaw agency partnerships, drove reputation strategies for companies operating in volatile sectors, and counseled C-suites through everything from demergers to ESG crises.
TCS’s Abhinav Kumar drove brand value from $2.3 billion in 2010 to over $21.3 billion in early 2025 an 826 per cent increase directly tied to integrated communications spanning branding, media relations, events, sponsorships, and public affairs. As TCS announced a 2 per cent workforce reduction (12,000 employees) citing “skill mismatch” and simultaneously pushed into AI with a $1.5 billion annual revenue run-rate, Kumar’s team managed the narrative across multiple audiences.
Reliance’s Rohit Bansal operated at the intersection of India’s most diversified conglomerate energy, retail, entertainment, telecom, textiles. When Reliance merged its media assets with Disney to create an $8.5 billion entertainment powerhouse combining Disney+ Hotstar and JioCinema, Bansal’s communications strategy balanced regulatory scrutiny, competitive positioning, and stakeholder messaging across 60 per cent ownership by Reliance and 37 per cent by Disney.
Infosys’s Sumit Virmani managed communications around the company’s fifth and largest-ever buyback worth Rs 18,000 crore, involving 100 million shares at Rs 1,800 per share. After 21 years with the company, Virmani’s integrated remit proved that corporate communications at scale requires equal parts financial acumen, strategic foresight, and crisis-ready reflexes.
PSUs also stepped up. REC Limited’s corporate communications team won two awards at the 47th All India PR Conference for excellence in public relations and their in-house journal. Their presentation on “Role of Corporate Communication in Public Sector Undertakings” highlighted how transparency, trust, and institutional credibility in public sector organizations now depend on strategic communications, not just government mandates.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: 91 per cent of C-suites expressed confidence in their corporate communications teams for crisis management. But the same survey revealed persistent misalignment on KPIs.
In-house professionals reported that C-suite expectations remain stuck on coverage metrics clips, reach, impressions while modern PR demands business impact measurement. Unreal expectations met stagnant budgets, creating what one practitioner called “significant headwinds” given inadequate understanding among top leadership.
Yet 58.93 per cent of in-house teams confirmed that earned social content is now “highly integrated” into main PR strategy, with another 35.71 per cent calling it “supplementary.” The shift was real. The budget allocation? Not always matching the mandate.
Corporate communications professionals also flagged AI adoption at 92 per cent of Indian teams using AI for content creation. But only 13 per cent had dedicated AI teams, exposing the gap between tool usage and strategic implementation.
After a brutal funding winter that saw investments plummet from $36 billion in 2021 to $9.6 billion in 2023, the rebound arrived in 2024-2025. Funding grew 14 per cent YoY to $10.9 billion in 2024, and staffing firms projected 20-30% increases in startup hiring for 2025.
But here’s what changed: startups stopped treating communications as an afterthought. Companies like Zepto, Cred, Groww, Razorpay, and Ather Energy didn’t just hire marketers, they hired communications strategists. Flipkart appointed a head of PR & external communications. Spotify brought in Vasundhara Mudgil to lead India comms as it prepared for aggressive expansion. BookMyShow’s head of PR stepped down, immediately triggering industry speculation about the next power player to step in.
These weren’t backfill roles. They were growth drivers. Startups with strong communications functions raised better rounds, weathered crises faster, and built brand equity that translated directly to valuation multiples.
The hiring surge focused on sectors primed for growth: fintech, e-commerce, FMCG, automotive, travel, hospitality, and healthtech. Retail and consumer brands led deal flow. Ed-tech, still recovering from the Byju’s implosion and post-pandemic corrections, required communications professionals who could rebuild trust with empathetic, transparent messaging.
Mid-market companies learned the hard way: reputation can’t be outsourced entirely. Even with strong agency partnerships, in-house teams provided institutional knowledge, brand consistency, and crisis-ready responsiveness that consultancies couldn’t replicate.
Corporate communications roles became some of the most competitive in India Inc. Requirements shifted from “5 years media relations experience” to “fluent in AI tools, data analytics, crisis management, influencer ecosystems, ESG storytelling, and C-suite counseling.”
Compensation followed demand. Senior corporate communications roles at unicorn startups now matched and sometimes exceeded MNC standards, with packages including base salaries, ESOPs, joining bonuses, wellness allowances, and remote/hybrid flexibility.
The war wasn’t just for senior talent. Entry-level corporate communications professionals with digital-native skills, video production capabilities, and analytics fluency commanded premium placement. Agencies noticed the drain. Several top consultancies lost mid-level talent to in-house roles offering better work-life balance, direct business impact visibility, and faster vertical growth.
The trajectory is set. Consolidation will continue smaller agencies will either specialise aggressively or get acquired. AI will deepen into workflow DNA, with agentic systems handling increasingly complex communication tasks. Regional content will dominate as tier two and tier-three cities drive growth. ESG will move from storytelling to accountability measurement.
In-house teams will gain even more strategic power, with corporate communications leaders sitting in revenue planning meetings, M&A negotiations, and board presentations. The line between CMO and CCO will blur further as communications become inseparable from business strategy.
PRCAI’s new leadership will push for industry standardization, an ethics charter, and deeper government engagement. Influencer marketing will professionalise further with transparent contracts, performance-based pricing, and data-backed ROI metrics becoming table stakes.
The brands winning in 2025 Amul’s cultural commentary, Zomato’s viral wit, Flipkart’s AI-powered campaigns, Vogue’s influencer-led movements share one trait: they stopped treating PR as a function and started treating it as the operating system. The same lesson applies to corporate communications departments: those that became strategic partners rather than service providers thrived.
2025 rewrote the rules. The Indian PR and communications industry didn’t just grow, it evolved. From tactical media liaison to strategic business partner. From gut-feel campaigns to data-driven precision. From metro-centric to regionally distributed. From siloed function to integrated ecosystem.
The agencies that thrived: Adfactors, Value 360, Burson Genesis, Ruder Finn, Edelman, Perfect Relations did so by embracing change, not resisting it. They trained teams in AI. They invested in digital infrastructure. They built influencer networks. They proved impact with metrics, not anecdotes.
Those that didn’t? They’re the names you won’t read in next year’s roundup. Because 2025 wasn’t about surviving disruption. It was about disruption. The winners understood that reputation isn’t built on press releases anymore; it’s architected through algorithms, verified by data, amplified by influencers, and sustained by authentic purpose.
Welcome to the new PR. Where storytelling meets machine learning. Where trust is quantifiable. Where actions speak louder than words, but data speaks loudest of all.
The revolution happened. If you weren’t part of it, you watched it pass you by. And 2026? It’s going to move even faster.
(The year 2025 has been compiled following online research and industry reports. Any omissions, shortcomings or errors are regretted.)
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
