The increasingly massive digital transformation is forcing the corporate world to completely overhaul their strategic management functions. In the 73rd MAW Talkshow online discussion titled "Public Relations: From Reputation to Business Impact", communication practitioners emphasized that the role of public relations (PR) has now shifted from merely conveying information to becoming one of the pillars determining corporate business policy.
Head of Corporate Communication of PT Garuda Indonesia, Dicky Irchamsyah, revealed that modern business decisions are heavily influenced by online sentiment. According to him, today's PR practitioners must be able to present the tangible impact of communication strategies on business performance. Dicky cited the example of when Garuda Indonesia faced the Suspension of Debt Payment Obligations (PKPU) process in 2022, where public communication free from bias was key in negotiations with hundreds of creditors.
Meanwhile, Deputy Head of Corporate Communications of PT Merdeka Copper Gold, Indriani Siswati, highlighted the importance of transparent communication to mitigate industrial risk. In the mining sector, the open communication of Corporate Social and Environmental Responsibility (TJSL) commitments is crucial to securing a social license to operate from the community, or Social License to Operate. The success in maintaining this reputation is seen as providing certainty for long-term investment sustainability.
On the other hand, Head of Corporate Communications of PT Taspen, Rizky Bachrudin, added that precise communication can minimize public misinterpretation of state-owned enterprise products. These practitioners agree that although analytical data is abundant, the role of PR in translating this data remains a crucial factor in generating silent, precise, and profitable crisis prevention strategies.
