PR is Not Noise, It’s Nation-Building

By The Malketeer

Malaysia’s public relations industry is standing at a crossroads — not one paved in vanity metrics or viral reach, but at a fundamental reckoning of purpose, value, and identity.

At the heart of this reflection is a timely and urgent call by Prof Mohd Said Bani CM Din, President of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) Malaysia.

His message is clear: the profession must reset.

And if it doesn’t, it risks fading into irrelevance amidst the din of digital chaos and commodified content.

We would do well to listen.

In his recent remarks, Prof Said Bani expressed grave concern over the dilution of public relations — a craft historically rooted in truth, trust, and transparency.

Instead, he warns, PR is increasingly misunderstood as nothing more than social media management or damage control in the face of crisis.

“One in-house executive once said, ‘The war is on social media’ during a corporate crisis. That mindset is dangerous,” he cautions.

“A crisis is not a war, but a time for calm and sincere communication. Social media is a platform, not the strategy.”

The Myth of Metrics and the Mirage of Influence

Prof Said Bani’s words cut to the core of a troubling industry trend: the obsession with visibility over value.

As marketers, influencers, and digital agencies increasingly claim the PR mantle, the profession itself is being stripped of its strategic gravitas.

True public relations, he reminds us, is about narrative stewardship, not chasing trends.

It’s about long-term brand trust, not shallow optics or the perfect reel.

It’s about engagement with empathy, not just clickbait headlines.

Yet too often, brands equate “going viral” with strategic success — confusing volume with credibility.

In doing so, they not only erode public trust but compromise the integrity of communications as a whole.

Fragmented Voices, Forgotten Practitioners

Even more worrying is the fractured state of the PR ecosystem in Malaysia.

With three separate associations — including one housed within a government ministry — practitioners are working in silos rather than uniting behind a shared code of ethics or industry standard.

“It’s counterproductive,” said Prof Said Bani.

“Worse still, discussions on accreditation are happening without involving the very practitioners, agencies and educators who form the backbone of our industry.”

This top-down, exclusive approach threatens to deepen fragmentation, pushing the profession further away from the cohesive reset it so desperately needs.

Why Are We Outsourcing Our Voice?

Another thorn in the industry’s side is the continued preference for foreign PR firms — especially in high-profile government and GLC-driven campaigns.

UK and US-based agencies are frequently appointed, only to front their efforts locally through media personalities or consultants.

Malaysian professionals are sidelined in their own narrative.

“This perpetuates the myth that foreign equals superior,” laments Prof Said Bani.

“Effective PR must be rooted in local language, culture and community dynamics.”

It’s a sobering truth: while countries like Singapore actively support their local PR firms to go global, Malaysia is still busy writing cheques to foreign agencies to do what our homegrown talent is fully capable of — if only given the chance.

Reset. Reframe. Reimagine.

But all is not lost.

Prof Said Bani’s rallying cry is not one of despair, but of opportunity.

The opportunity to reset the profession on ethical foundations.

To reframe public relations as a strategic enabler, not a support function.

And to reimagine its role as an engine of trust in a nation increasingly starved of it.

PRCA Malaysia’s Code of Ethics and Integrity, which Prof Said Bani champions, provides a much-needed compass — one grounded in global best practices yet steeped in local values.

Yet frameworks alone are not enough.

The industry must look inward and ask: are we willing to break out of our comfort zones?

Can we let go of performative PR and embrace meaningful stakeholder engagement?

Can we move beyond polished statements and embrace courageous storytelling?

For Malaysian PR professionals, the path forward demands more than technical skill.

It calls for moral clarity.

For bravery.

For the conviction to speak truth to power, and the wisdom to do so with grace.

The late Harold Burson, one of PR’s towering global figures, once said, “Public relations is an applied social science. It is about doing the right thing and getting credit for it.”

That ethos — of doing the right thing — is more relevant today than ever.

As Prof Said Bani so powerfully concluded, “PR professionals are not content managers; we are architects of narratives and custodians of conscience. PR is not noise; it is nation-building.”

It’s time we took that message to heart and to market.