The PR Guru on the Art of Happiness and Fun
Porntip Tanchaya
Assistant Vice President of District Communications, One Bangkok
Over the last 4-5 years, the world has gone through several transformations. The arrival of artificial intelligence (AI) hasrevolutionized the way we live, eat, sleep, and shop, while transforming the landscape of labor market which economists have predicted will see several old jobs disappear and many new ones emerge. However, public relations and mass communications will always be one of the most favorite career choices for younger people.
Miss Pornthip Tanchaya, Assistant Vice President of District Communications, One Bangkok, is among the first group of people who weren’t hesitant to make use of the technology, be it the Internet, social media, and now AI. However, she believes that human touch is still an indispensable part in every piece of a task as it symbolizes sincerity and attentiveness to your client and, more importantly, yourself. When asked to share her tip for success, the veteran PR executive cited honesty and hard work. But when it comes to happiness, the only way is to distance yourself from all technology and return to yourself.
The beauty and charm of this career path.
It’s when you meet different groups of peopleto brainstorm and map out a plan, turning ideas into reality. It’s about getting our messages across to the public.
The world has changed, so is the communication method and channels. How do they affect the PR work?
Our ways of working has changed drastically. We have to be faster and more adaptable. During the Covid-19 lockdown, we had to change everything. First of all, we couldn’t meet our clients face-to-face anymore, or do a shooting in the studio. Still, we were required to deliver the job with the same quality standard.
On the other hand, it was a great opportunity to try new things. For example, we could turn to influencers and vloggers on different social media platforms. There’s no need for a studio anymore. All we need are good working tools such as editing apps, media apps, then AI.
Recent studies have shown the AI is set to replace more and more jobs.
In fact, we have used AI in answering questions too. But human touch is still the most important regardless. Every job we deliver must have output from humans. Otherwise, every PR work will have similar dialogue. Technology provides convenience but cannot finalize work because it doesn’t look real. You clients should be able to tell that this work is tailored especially for them.
But you can’t personalize your work entirely. You need to bring technology to suit the taste and lifestyle of young generation and to get closer to new target group. Then again, you have to make sure it’s balanced because some groups are in a niche market, small but influential.
Is AI helpful, for example, in finding catchy phrases and creating a suitable strategy?
Very helpful. But we humans still have to understand what the problem is, who is our target group, what kind of output we want. AI can create a plan with the right strategy and tactics, along with thorough analysis…but it will come out perfect after we give it a good briefing. Once, we receive all the information, we have to analyze if what AI proposed is what we really want. This is because it’s still a machine.
