Among the experts who view communication as a holistic and long-term process, Kağan Konçak stands out for his precision and experience. Kağan Konçak is a communications consultant and the founder of Roke Communications Consultancy, specialising in shaping and protecting the reputation of organisations through carefully tailored communication strategies.
With more than five years of experience in the media and ten years in the field of communications, Kağan brings extensive expertise that spans strategic communication, crisis management, content creation, brand positioning, internal and marketing communication, and leadership communication. He has worked with prominent clients such as Astaldi, Booking.com, Cochlear, Daiichi Sankyo, Honda Türkiye, Istanbul Airport and the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
Alongside his work with organisations, Kağan has also contributed to the academic community – he taught the course “Communication Skills” at Bahçeşehir University and conducted media training sessions for spokespersons. He holds a degree in International Relations from Kocaeli University.
How would you assess the current state of the public relations profession in Türkiye?
“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born. Now is the time of monsters.” – Antonio Gramsci defined the chaotic era of the 1930s.
Gramsci’s phrase highlights that hard times filled with uncertainty tend to occur on the brink of great changes. The new reality of our lives is uncertainty, at least until the next certainty.
In terms of the public relations profession in Türkiye, the subject might be more complicated. Media, as one of the main stakeholders of public relations, has lost its “Fourth Estate” position. Technology disrupts habitual behaviour patterns. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, an incorrect understanding of media relations had already become entrenched in the minds of enterprises. That outdated mindset persists today, despite strong demand from the media: media is not only a tool for strengthening reputation but also for convincing potential consumers, so there should be invest in media.
Looking at internal factors, the main problem is about positioning. Most public relations professionals do not position themselves as strategic thinkers. This mindset is a key driver that negatively affects many aspects, from reputation to influence, and even income for the profession.
Lastly, there is a chronic issue affecting those specialising in branding: inflation. This issue has persisted since the 1970s and pushes company owners to focus on short-term financial gains instead of long-term operational profit. As we all know, branding is a long-term strategy.
In the bigger picture, these issues lie ahead.
However, all of these challenges also provide a significant opportunity.
Building transparent relations between all stakeholders from the very beginning is key. We should always consider establishing a balance between promise and trust.
Another key is self-investment. To become strategic thinkers, we must invest more time than other professionals in building knowledge. We should experience as many cases as we can. Otherwise, we risk becoming stuck in purely theoretical examples.
Finally, we must improve our international relations. This brings us to another chronic problem in the Turkish business environment. For a long time, Türkiye has operated as a self-sufficient country. However, the situation has changed in recent years. The post-pandemic era and the economic policies of the current ruling class have forced Turkish companies to open up to the world more than ever. As younger generation in the public relations in Türkiye, we should not repeat the similar mistake.
How far back does the history of public relations in Türkiye reach?
In modern Türkiye, public relations (PR) began to be systematically implemented with the establishment of the Publication and Representation Branch under the State Planning Organization in 1960. In 1966, public relations was introduced as a department at the School of Press and Broadcasting. Later, in the 1970s, the Institute of Journalism, affiliated with the Istanbul Business Institute, and the School of Journalism and Public Relations at Ege University in Izmir were founded.
- Alaeddin Asna, the founder of Türkiye’s first PR agency, initiated systematic PR work in the private sector alongside Betül Mardin in the 1970s. In 1974, the Public Relations Association, today known as TÜHİD (Türkiye Halkla İlişkiler Derneği), was established. During the 1980s, Turkish public relations began to integrate more deeply with international organisations such as IPRA and the Confederation of European Public Relations Associations.
These developments were accelerated by the structural transformation of the Turkish economy during the same period. With the exponential growth of the private sector in the 1980s, the number of public relations agencies began to increase, particularly in Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir. As a result, public relations practices started to become more widespread.
To what extent is AI applied in the operational activities of public relations, and does it represent a threat to the profession?
As is well known, many critical operations, such as media monitoring, preparing coverage or competitor reports, and researching content, can be time-consuming.
However, AI allows us to reduce the time spent on these essential tasks. It’s important to find the most effective way to integrate AI into our work so that we can spend more time improving our knowledge and intellectual development.
As has always been the case throughout human history, those who can adapt to the latest innovations in the right way will be the ones to shape the future.
When we talk about communication processes, how developed are they within public administration compared to the private sector?
Despite the pioneering role of public institutions in communication, such as the establishment of Anadolu Agency in 1920 and the Publication and Representation Branch in 1960, the economic reforms of the 1980s allowed the private sector to take the lead in public relations and other communication fields.
As of 2025, there are cases of public institutions adopting similar practices in areas such as monitoring and perception management, but these are not yet widespread.
In my own experience, I had the opportunity to be part of a consultancy team providing communication services to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of the Republic of Türkiye. At the time, the Ministry representative was a senior bureaucrat with the authority to implement decisions. In any kind of communication effort, top level involvement is always key. This case was a remarkable example in my career, particularly in the context of managing communication with public institutions.
The Directorate of Communications of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye is another key institution promoting the country’s brand through a comprehensive communication strategy. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism also uses public relations and communication to increase Türkiye’s visibility, applying a private-sector mindset with growing frequency in recent years. One notable example is their collaboration with Cercle and Ben Böhmer, who performed in a hot-air balloon at sunrise in Cappadocia. By the way, I highly recommend watching the video if you enjoy indie electronic music or to listen Ben Böhmer.
Apart from a few examples, there is still a long way to go before public relations becomes a core function within public institutions more broadly.
The Turkish nation is well-known for its strong sales culture — and behind every successful sale stands good marketing. What are the key habits of Turkish consumers?
When considering the key habits of Turkish consumers, we must acknowledge that the current and worsening economic conditions for households play a crucial role in shaping brand marketing campaigns.
Thanks to recent research by Research İstanbul, we can now identify a new type of consumer:
- Adapted to crisis but emotionally exhausted,
- Digitally adept but seeking peace,
- Searching for identity and representation,
- Spending less but seeking meaning,
- Craving sincerity rather than loyalty.
Antonio Gramsci’s “Age of Monsters” metaphor is relevant here, too. The constant search for what comes next continues to disrupt conventional consumer behaviours. For those interested in this topic, here is a valuable resource for more details.
When it comes to media consumption, what is the relationship between radio, print, and digital media in Türkiye?
To better understand the relationship between media channels, recent research by We Are Social and Meltwater provides useful insights.
As of November 2025, Türkiye’s population is 87.7 million, with high levels of mobile and digital penetration. There are 81.9 million mobile connections, 77.5 million internet users, and 62.3 million active social media accounts. All figures have increased compared to the previous year.
Looking at media usage for aged 16+:
- 94.7% of internet users consume online video weekly,
- Social media ranks second at 94.1%,
- Short-form video (e.g., TikTok) is third at 90.6%,
- Television (linear, broadcast, and streaming) is fourth at 90.0%.
Out of 16 categories, printed press ranks 13th with a 54.8% consumption rate, while radio is in 15th place at 53.4%.
In terms of weekly time spent:
- Online video leads with 15 minutes and 7 seconds,
- Television follows with 12 minutes and 22 seconds,
- Video games come next with 10 minutes and 11 seconds.
From a practical perspective, I often observe trends through a WhatsApp group of hundreds of communication professionals. Radio is rarely discussed, while printed media only slightly more so—both rank low in conversation frequency.
At the upcoming PRO PR Conference, you will be speaking about the state of public relations in Turkey. How would you personally assess it today, and what do you think is still missing for it to reach a higher level of development?
The importance and care you give to your profession begin with the language and definitions you use to describe it. Frankly, I don’t remember exactly when I first heard the phrase “PR’cı”. In Turkish, nouns derived using structural suffixes like “-cı” are commonly used to define a profession or occupation, similar to the “-er” suffix in English. In this case, a Turkish structural suffix is attached to the English abbreviation “PR”. However, it has always sounded odd, even mocking. Unfortunately, this definition is still widely used in the communication environment in Türkiye.
Another issue lies in positioning. As I mentioned at the very beginning, we, public relations professionals, are strategic thinkers. We are not just doers who handle the tasks that corporate staff don’t want to deal with, or mere content creators, or helpers during crises. We are professionals who craft impact through communications. We are communication experts who remind corporations of their responsibilities to society.
To live up to such a broad responsibility, to stay one step ahead of our clients, we must work harder, read more, and follow trends or research more closely than they do. We must always be prepared. Our role is not only to transmit messages but also to develop, enrich, produce, highlight, and stay close to decision-makers.
We guide brands in identifying and articulating their unique value proposition, helping them stand out in the minds and eyes of their key stakeholders.
Lastly, we must persuade, or, when necessary, convince and even push, our clients to measure the effectiveness of their communication efforts.
These are the main issues, and meaningful progress in any of them would significantly elevate the state of public relations in Türkiye to the level it deserves.
