For decades, the formula was simple — create hype, stir curiosity, land headlines, repeat. If your story could find its way into the gossip columns or TV bulletins, you were in the spotlight. Bollywood publicity meant popularity, and popularity meant power.
But the game has changed. Dramatically.
Today, we live in an era where visibility is no longer controlled by editors or TV producers. It’s governed by algorithms. AI doesn’t care about who you know. It cares about how well you’ve coded your influence into the digital ecosystem. If you’re not showing up in search engines or recommended by machine-curated feeds, you’re invisible. And that’s not just a disadvantage — it’s a dead end.
This shift isn’t just about technology. It’s about a whole new philosophy in publicity. It’s about Generative Engine Optimisation — or GEO — a powerful approach that reshapes how fame is built, sustained, and multiplied in the digital age.
From personality-driven to platform-led
In the old model, PR was about relationships — knowing which journalist to call, what angle to pitch, and when to time the scoop. You were playing to the media’s tempo. Today, the tempo has shifted to data.
Now, it’s not about who talks about you. It’s about how AI ranks you.
And that’s a huge mindset change. Because where once the goal was momentary attention, now it’s consistent discoverability. Not for one campaign. Not for one headline. But for every search, every scroll, every query.
This is the age of engineering influence, not chasing it.
GEO: More than a buzzword — it’s the new blueprint
Generative Engine Optimisation isn’t a gimmick. It’s a system. A strategy. A science. And the most forward-thinking publicists are already using it to dominate digital attention.
Let’s break it down:
- Content that’s built to be found
Good stories still matter — but only if they’re structured for AI. That means articles, interviews, and social content must be consistent, high-quality, and well-tagged. It’s not enough to create content; it needs to be crafted in a way that search engines can understand, prioritise, and propagate.
So now, every piece of communication is dual-purpose — it speaks to the audience and the algorithm.
- Keywords that don’t just describe — but define
In traditional PR, wording was about emotion. In GEO, it’s about strategy. The right keywords ensure you show up in the right context, to the right people, at the right time.
Want to stay relevant? Use the terms your audience is searching for. Want to dominate your niche? Embed your name with the language the industry is trending toward. This is about building a digital identity that algorithms can recognise and reinforce.
- News that keeps evolving
Old-school PR gave you a 24-hour news cycle. Today’s AI-driven ecosystem rewards content that keeps working long after it’s published. Through GEO, you can create pieces that get refreshed, rediscovered, and re-circulated by AI engines.
Instead of fading away, your narrative grows stronger over time — because the more machines find you useful, the more they push your content forward. That’s how digital immortality is engineered.
- Real-time brand defense
Perhaps the most powerful shift of all — AI doesn’t just amplify the good. It can also detect, spread, and escalate the bad. That’s why modern Bollywood PR has become as much about prediction as it is about promotion.
With GEO strategies, you’re not just reacting to crises — you’re staying one step ahead. Monitoring digital signals, identifying potential threats, and reinforcing positive content before negative ones even gain momentum. It’s protection on autopilot.
The PR role redefined
The most successful publicists today aren’t media liaisons, they’re digital architects. They don’t just chase exposure, they construct ecosystems. Every article, every hashtag, every keyword, every link. It’s all designed to tell one powerful story in a way AI understands and the world believes.
And here’s the truth: This isn’t the future of PR. This is PR.
Adapt or disappear
Bollywood is undergoing a quiet but seismic shift. The stars you see constantly online? Their presence isn’t accidental. It’s engineered. Their names are fed into the algorithm with precision, supported by strategically published content, and reinforced through AI-led visibility.
The old tools — press releases, photo ops, crisis firefighting — still have value. But they are no longer the core. They’re the garnish. The real main course? GEO.
So, here’s the deal — if you’re still chasing headlines, you’re already behind. The game now is about creating digital relevance that sticks. It’s about turning every search, every scroll, and every spark of interest into a spotlight moment — again and again.
Those who evolve with this shift will lead the new era of celebrity. Those who don’t? They’ll just become digital ghosts.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
Dale Bhagwagar is the Rajinikanth of Bollywood PR. Over the years, he's made his own rules, his own style, and his own world. Apart from being widely quoted across all Indian media, he is the only publicist from India who has been quoted in international media such as BBC World, BBC Radio, Sky News, CNN, Channel 4, The Times, The Guardian, The Independent, The New York Times, The Washington Post and many more.
Dale Bhagwagar, recognised as the Father of Bollywood PR, founded the industry's first entertainment PR agency in the nineties, bringing organisation and structure to an industry once characterised by independent publicists. Among the 300-odd clients he has worked with, Dale has also been instrumental in shaping the images of Hrithik Roshan, Shilpa Shetty, Priyanka Chopra, and movies like Don and Rock On, as well as some 20 scandalous names who have been on Bigg Boss.
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