CommsBrief Exclusive | One Intent, Many Accents – Five leaders on the future of Integrated Communication

In a special MediaBrief exclusive feature, Prioska Uke – Vice President and Lead, Brand, Lifestyle and Entertainment Practice, Ruder Finn India; Rahul Karwa – Chief Strategy Officer & Head Experiential, Interspace Communications; Serena Paes, Head – Marketing & Branding, Viceroy Properties; Vaishali Mandlik – Principal Lead, Corporate Communications, Hansa Research Group; and Vikram Kharvi – CEO, Bloomingdale PR, speak about how brands and agencies are redefining communication in a world where PR, marketing, and digital seamlessly merge. They explore how unified storytelling blends creativity, data, and performance to drive both reputation and results, and how the modern communicator must think like a strategist, act like a creator, and measure like a marketer.

The definition of PR today has evolved far beyond what it used to be, says, Prioska Uke – Vice President and Lead, Brand, Lifestyle and Entertainment Practice, Ruder Finn India. Elaborating on this she says, “Today, it is no longer about where a brand appears, but what narrative it owns. We’re leading this shift by positioning PR as the strategic core of brand storytelling.”

Uke adds, “PR now sits at the intersection of marketing and digital: shaping ideas that can spark an article, inspire a reel, or even power a social movement. Agencies are functioning as narrative architects, finding that sweet spot between brand voice, cultural insights and editorial instinct to create stories across earned, owned and paid media.”

Rahul Karwa – Chief Strategy Officer & Head Experiential, Interspace Communications adds a strategic perspective, highlighting a common misconception: “What we often mistake as integration today is merely adaptation – the same piece of content resized, tweaked, and recycled for different screens. It’s tactical re-use instead of strategic rethinking. But true integration isn’t about repetition; it’s about re-imagining.

He continues, “Paid, owned, and earned shouldn’t be three worlds forced to speak the same line; they should be three stages of the same story. Paid gives it reach, owned gives it depth, and earned gives it credibility. Together, they make the brand feel consistent, not repetitive.”

Paid, owned, and earned shouldn’t be three worlds forced to speak the same line; they should be three stages of the same story. Paid gives it reach, owned gives it depth, and earned gives it credibility. Together, they make the brand feel consistent, not repetitive: Rahul Karwa of Interspace Communications 

Serena Paes, Head – Marketing & Branding, Viceroy Properties underscores the importance of seamless storytelling: “As integrated agencies blur the lines between PR, marketing, and digital, the real win lies in storytelling that feels seamless across every touchpoint. At Viceroy Properties, we see paid, owned, and earned media not as separate silos, but as amplifiers of a single, authentic brand voice.”

Vaishali Mandlik – Principal Lead, Corporate Communications, Hansa Research Group observes the structural transformation within agencies: “The walls that once separated PR, marketing, and digital are rapidly disappearing. Today’s integrated agencies aren’t defined by departments but by the story flow, on how an idea travels from a headline to a hashtag to a purchase decision.

Mandlik adds, “PR is no longer just about media coverage; it’s about building credibility that fuels marketing. Digital isn’t a channel anymore but it’s now the canvas where data, creativity and engagement come together. In this ecosystem, teams work less like specialists and more like collaborators where they are part strategists, part storytellers, part data interpreters. The shift is subtle but very significant: campaigns now start with insight, move with emotion and end with measurable outcomes.”

Vikram Kharvi – CEO, Bloomingdale PR highlights the operational evolution in integrated agencies: “Integrated agencies are moving from departments to squads. Instead of PR, social, creative and digital distributing, one cross-functional team owns the problem end to end with a single brief and a shared KPI tree.

Kharvi notes that three shifts define the new model. “Strategy moves upstream, with communications now shaping the offer, not just the announcement, as search listening, social sentiment, and category data inform positioning before creative begins.”

He continues, “Execution runs like a newsroom, where creators, designers, PR, and media sit together, plan by audience and moment, and ship in sprints, with paid media amplifying what earns traction rather than leading the way.

And finally he observes, “Measurement gets full-funnel, bringing reputation and performance onto one dashboard, where share of voice, search intent, consideration, trials, and repeats are read together.”

Because of these shifts, Kharvi says, “Decision rights are clearer too. Comms owns narrative, risk radar, and stakeholder mapping. Marketing owns demand design and the funnel. Digital owns distribution, data plumbing, and experimentation. Everyone shares the same weekly cadence and the same definition of success.

He adds, “On a typical launch, this means the story is validated by insights, content is tailored by cohort, creators are briefed on message not just montage, media is sequenced to nudge behavior, and PR is accountable for outcomes the CFO cares about. That is how the walls are coming down.”

The walls that once separated PR, marketing, and digital are rapidly disappearing. Today’s integrated agencies aren’t defined by departments but by the story flow, on how an idea travels from a headline to a hashtag to a purchase decision: Vaishali Mandlik of Hansa Research Group

Finding one voice: The challenge—and opportunity—of unifying paid, owned, and earned

Creating a unified brand voice across paid, owned, and earned media remains both a challenge and an opportunity for integrated agencies. Speaking on how Prioska Uke navigates this, she says, “In India, brands are never speaking to just one kind of audience. Consumer preferences vary across generations, geographies, and mindsets; making communication a nuanced exercise. Each medium, whether social, digital or traditional, caters to a distinct audience and therefore requires a customised approach.

“The real challenge and opportunity,” Uke says, “lies in conveying a unified narrative to an eclectic India through equally eclectic mediums. The goal is to maintain consistency of message while preserving authenticity, creativity and most importantly, relatability. For instance, across lifestyle and entertainment brands, that unified thread often stems from cultural insight; tapping into emotions that transcend differences, such as fandom, nostalgia or aspiration.

She adds, “When brands customise communication for each audience yet anchor every expression to one central narrative, they move beyond fragmented storytelling and create a single, resonant voice.”

Underscoring the human element behind storytelling, Rahul Karwa, says, “The biggest problem in today’s communication world isn’t the lack of media, it’s the lack of stories – and in many ways, the lack of coherence behind them. We have enough platforms, formats, and opinions to amplify a story. What we’re running short of are stories worth amplifying. Somewhere between data dashboards and boardroom debates, we’ve lost the craft of creating ideas that truly stay with people.”

The biggest problem in today’s communication world isn’t the lack of media, it’s the lack of stories – and in many ways, the lack of coherence behind them. We have enough platforms, formats, and opinions to amplify a story. What we’re running short of are stories worth amplifying: Rahul Karwa of Interspace Communications 

“Too often,” Karwa says, “brands assume insights sitting in conference rooms. Instead, what they really need to do is resume real conversations with consumers. The best stories don’t come from PowerPoint slides or reams of data or exotic reports; they come from people – from their daily lives, small joys, and unspoken struggles. Stories that come from people in the form of insights and go back to them in the form of ideas, tend to stay with them more impactfully. Somewhere along the way, we stopped believing in influence and started believing in influencers.”

“Another big challenge,” Karwa notes, “is the silo mindset.” He continues, “The ‘integrated’ agencies still operate in separate P&L buckets, each chasing its own metric. But consumers don’t consume in silos – they scroll, stream, and shop in one seamless motion. The need now is for a more honest kind of integrated thinking – data that informs creativity, creativity that fuels performance, and performance that loops back into strategy. Integration happens naturally when everyone works around the same cultural idea and a shared purpose, not just a campaign KPI. When that happens, the brand voice doesn’t just sound consistent; it feels alive.”

Karwa continues, “The real opportunity lies in designing an experience ecosystem – where strategy, creativity, and empathy come together to build stories that are contextually alive and emotionally lasting.

“At Interspace Communications,” he says, “we see this not as a service line, but as a way of thinking – bringing together experiential, OOH, digital, and media capabilities to design brand journeys that connect insight with impact. Every touchpoint then becomes a multiplier, not an island. The narrative doesn’t just repeat; it reinforces.”

Serena Paes of Viceroy Properties highlights the dual nature of the challenge, noting, “The challenge—and the opportunity—is to make data and creativity work together so that every campaign not only performs but also resonates.”

As integrated agencies blur the lines between PR, marketing, and Digital, the real win lies in storytelling that feels seamless across every touchpoint. At Viceroy Properties, we see paid, owned, and earned media not as separate silos, but as amplifiers of a single, authentic brand voice: Serena Paes of Viceroy Properties

Vaishali Mandlik says, “The biggest challenge is balance. Every medium has its own rhythm which means paid is polished, earned is organic and owned is controlled. Getting them to sound like one coherent voice without feeling repetitive or forced takes both discipline and intuition. But the opportunity? That’s where the magic happens. When paid, owned and earned truly speak the same language, brands don’t just communicate, they connect. You will get the storytelling that’s layered and alive: a campaign insight becomes a PR story, which then fuels digital engagement. That’s when a brand stops broadcasting and starts building conversations.”

Vikram Kharvi highlights the delicate fine line in creating a unified brand voice across paid, owned, and earned media. He says, “The hardest part isn’t writing one line—it’s aligning one intent. Paid wants speed, owned wants depth, earned wants credibility, and if intent isn’t crystal clear, the voice splinters.”

“The big challenges,” Kharvi says, “include channel accents creeping in, so tone shifts from ad-speak to blog-speak to press-speak; creative running ahead of facts, forcing PR to retrofit credibility; multiple agencies touching the work, breaking version control and losing nuance; and crisis scenarios not being pre-baked, which causes the voice to change under pressure.”

“Yet the opportunities are bigger,” says Kharvi, “one narrative architecture lets you brief creators, media, and spokespeople with the same spine; search and social listening can tune tone by cohort without losing core character; smart sequencing turns voice into behavior—tease on paid, explain on owned, validate on earned; and consistency compounds trust, lowering future persuasion costs.”

In practice, Kharvi mentions that what works for him is writing a one-page voice bible with do’s, don’ts, proof points, and banned phrases; locking three message layers—headline, two-liner, and 100-word proof block; running a weekly voice check in the war room and retiring assets that drift; and rehearsing crisis lines in peacetime so the voice doesn’t crack when it’s noisy.

“One intent, many accents—that’s the game,” asserts Kharvi.

In India, brands are never speaking to just one kind of audience. Consumer preferences vary across generations, geographies, and mindsets; making communication a nuanced exercise. Each medium, whether social, digital or traditional, caters to a distinct audience and therefore requires a customised approach: Prioska Uke of Ruder Finn India

Beyond vanity metrics: Measuring what truly moves reputation and revenue

As integrated communication becomes central to brand-building, measurement has evolved from counting outputs to evaluating real impact. Prioska Uke notes that, “In the integrated ecosystem, a successful campaign is one where earned storytelling drives owned engagement and fuels paid amplification. Is there a one-size-fits-all approach to measure effectiveness and success in our industry? Not yet.

She continues, “At Ruder Finn, we customise the measuring yard stick basis what brands consider as success. Most brands today measure effectiveness through a combination of value over volume. While share of voice in the category still matters to many, what takes precedence is the quality of conversations within the share of voice. This could mean stronger cultural relevance, improved conversation quality, or deeper fandom – how deeply a story resonates.

Uke adds, “We combine social listening, sentiment tracking, and engagement analytics across media that truly creates impact for the brand to measure the movement of narrative.”

For Rahul Karwa, real success is rooted in emotional durability rather than digital velocity. He explains, “When it comes to measuring impact, we’re moving from visibility to vitality. True influence is reflected not just in clicks, but in perception, participation, and eventually, behaviour. Algorithms are more unpredictable than Mumbai rains; you can’t build long-term equity just by chasing them. What you can build is admiration – that quiet, consistent respect people hold for brands that speak truthfully and behave meaningfully.

Karwa adds, “When strategy, creativity, and empathy move as a singular force, brands stop chasing attention and start earning admiration. Because in the end, it’s not about how loudly a story is told, it’s about how long it stays after the screen goes dark.”

Measurement today is more than counting mentions or clicks. It is now developed, to connecting the dots between awareness, affinity and action. Brands are looking at how a story travels and what it triggers… The smartest communicators treat analytics as a feedback loop where data doesn’t replace creativity, it refines it: Vaishali Mandlik of Hansa Research Group

Vaishali Mandlik highlights how measurement frameworks have shifted from superficial metrics to outcomes that influence the full funnel. “Measurement today is more than counting mentions or clicks. It is now developed, to connecting the dots between awareness, affinity and action. Brands are looking at how a story travels and what it triggers. Did that PR moment lift brand sentiment? Did the engagement convert to leads? Tools and dashboards are evolving, but what really matters is how teams use data to sharpen storytelling. The smartest communicators treat analytics as a feedback loop where data doesn’t replace creativity, it refines it.”

Bringing a detailed operational perspective, Vikram Kharvi shares, “We keep one simple scoreboard that blends reputation, demand, and revenue—the goal is to show movement, not just activity.

He adds, “We track awareness and trust through share of voice, quality of coverage, search lift on brand and category, and net sentiment by cohort; consideration and intent through branded search to product page click-through, time on explainers, and repeat visits; and conversions and value through trial starts, assisted conversions from PR pages, blended CAC across paid and earned, and contribution margin by campaign cohort.”

“To attribute fairly,” Kharvi says, “marketing mix modeling looks at the big picture over months, using past data to estimate how much PR, ads, price, and seasonality drove sales—serving as a planning tool for big-budget decisions. Multi-touch attribution, meanwhile, examines individual journeys, tracking the steps before a signup and assigning credit to touchpoints such as an article read or an ad click—driving weekly optimization.

“Operationally,” he says, “one KPI tree is shared by PR, marketing, and digital with clear owners; every owned link is tagged from day one so earned traffic is visible; and a stoplight review every two weeks scales green assets, fixes amber, and kills red. If the CEO asks what changed in the market because of this story, this single slide should answer it.”

The new communicator: Skills that will define the next era of integrated PR

As integration reshapes the communications landscape, the skill sets required from the next generation of PR professionals are rapidly evolving. Prioska Uke believes the role demands multidimensional thinking and emotional intelligence. “As consumer behaviour and preferences evolve with time, we need to consistently find creative ways of staying connected. The role we play is a blend of being a strategist, a storyteller, a counsel and an analyst, all rolled into one. The key is to be agile and keep thinking on our feet.

“Equally critical,” Uke predicts, “will be the ability to embrace AI and work alongside it while maintaining the human touch. As automation transforms content generation and monitoring, the true differentiator will be empathy, intuition, and emotional intelligence. The next generation of communicators will lead with both insight and instinct, using AI for precision and human creativity for connection.”

Looking ahead, Rahul Karwa sets a simple but powerful expectation: “The future of communication will belong to those who can blur the lines gracefully, not force-fit them mechanically.”

From the brand perspective, Serena Paes believes hybrid capability will define the profession: “The next generation of PR professionals will be those who can think like strategists, create like marketers, and analyse like data scientists – all while staying rooted in genuine human connection.”

For Vaishali Mandlik, the future communicator must be adaptive and analytically fluent. She explains, “PR professionals already wear many hats and switch between them effortlessly. While it is not be easy, they’ll think like a strategist, create like a content designer and measure like a marketer. Being media-savvy won’t be enough; they’ll need to be fluent in data, digital and human insight. The future belongs to communicators who can marry intuition with intelligence, those who understand that while algorithms may amplify a message, it’s authenticity that sustains it.”

The future belongs to…

• The next generation of communicators will lead with both insight and instinct, using AI for precision and human creativity for connection: Prioska Uke of Ruder Finn India

• The future of communication will belong to those who can blur the lines gracefully, not force-fit them mechanically: Rahul Karwa of Interspace Communications

• The next generation of PR professionals will be those who can think like strategists, create like marketers, and analyse like data scientists – all while staying rooted in genuine human connection: Serena Paes of Viceroy Properties

• The future belongs to communicators who can marry intuition with intelligence, those who understand that while algorithms may amplify a message, it’s authenticity that sustains it: Vaishali Mandlik of Hansa Research Group

• If you can think like a strategist, create like a maker, distribute like a media planner, and measure like a marketer, you will be impossible to ignore: Vikram Kharvi of Bloomingdale PR

Bringing a structural lens, Vikram Kharvi lays out a comprehensive model. He says, “The skill sets that will define the next generation of PR professionals as integration becomes the norm span four critical stacks. The strategy stack demands the ability to read markets, not just media—turning search, social, and first-party data into positioning, writing a clear narrative architecture, and stress-testing it with risk, policy, and finance.’

“The creation stack,” he says, “requires thinking like a creator: scripting short video, designing carousels, briefing influencers on message rather than montage, landing one clean line, and shipping in sprints while learning in public. The distribution stack calls for understanding how paid, owned, and earned speak to each other—sequencing assets across channels, tagging links, and partnering with performance teams so earned attention becomes measurable action.

He continues, “The measurement stack centers on building a single scoreboard, tracking awareness, consideration, and conversion on one page, using MMM for big bets and MTA for weekly tweaks, and tying outcomes to metrics the CFO cares about.

“Above all,” Kharvi says, “two human skills matter most: counsel with courage—say no to greenwashing, timeline theater, and vanity metrics; and operate like a teammate—work with product, legal, and customer support so the story matches the experience.”

Kharvi wraps up by saying, “If you can think like a strategist, create like a maker, distribute like a media planner, and measure like a marketer, you will be impossible to ignore.”