IMPACT-Penn Schoen Berland survey on state of public relations industry in India - its challenges and opportunities, especially in the area of digital marketing – throws up optimism in good measure; 60% respondents of the nationwide survey say the industry’s best days are still ahead of it
The sun’s out. But we haven’t seen it shining yet. That’s the verdict of an IMPACT Penn Schoen Berland survey on the state of the Public Relations industry in India, undertaken ahead of the exchange4media Group’s India PR and Corporate Communications (IPRCC) Conference and Awards 2013. A majority of PR consultancies and senior functionaries of their client organizations who participated in the survey say India’s PR and communications industry appears to be heading towards an era of growth, even as it negotiates the turbulence of a relentless recession afflicting the global economy.
Alongside the survey, we have top-rung corporate communications professionals in the industry decoding the current PR firmament and its various nuances. “Business imperatives are increasingly shaping PR strategy,” says Roma Balwani, Chief Group Communications Officer, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., while Deepa Dey, Head, Communications, GSK Consumer Healthcare, India Leadership Team, feels PR professionals need to understand the online space and engage with it as they do with offline influencers. Meanwhile, Senjam Raj Sekhar, Director, Corporate Communications, Vedanta Group, sees opportunity for the industry but warns of the danger of ad agencies taking the lead in mega campaigns, with PR agencies playing the side role of implementer.
In the ensuing pages, we have also showcased four prize-winning campaigns at the IPRCC Awards, along with comments from members of the eminent IPRCCA jury panel telling us why the campaigns stood out as singularly successful cases.
Why the survey?
To help understand how PR can remain relevant and drive impactful and sustainable business ROI in an era of low margins and constant economic flux In association with IMPACT, PSB South Asia conducted research to assess expectations, preparedness and delivery of public relations through a survey among customers of PR consultancies and their client organizations. In an era of citizen journalism and the explosion of digital information, companies and PR agencies are struggling to establish and maintain mutually-beneficial relationships. Organizations that use sophisticated PR tools, including the use of technology and science (analytics/measurement) strategically to co-create opportunities will separate the boys from the men.
The methodology
• An online survey was conducted across the country’s major metropolitan areas, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad in May, 2013
• PSB used its proprietary research and analytical frameworks to draw insights, while the exchange4media Group used its targeted database to get high quality responses
• The analysis of the survey was based on a sample size of 89 interviews with senior communications practitioners and senior corporate executives. Chief Executives, Heads of Communications on the client side made up 56% of the sample; while Country Heads, Account Heads and Senior Managers at PR consultancies made up the remaining 44%
• The survey places consultancies in three categories: Full Service (64%); Specialized (24%); and Regional (10%).
BE A STRATEGIC PARTNER. FOCUS ON BUSINESS ROI
THE JURY IS OUT ON THIS: SOME WINNERSAT IPRCCA 2013 AND WHY THEY WON
EVEN PR NEEDS PR, BY WAY OF MEASUREMENT
Differing views: Readiness quotient of Consultancies & Clients
New media & focus on business ROI drive change
Opportunity: Media relations, public advocacy & investor relations
Driving impact as client audiences become smarter
EXPERTSPEAK
‘Business imperatives shape PR strategy’
The PR landscape is changing and evolving with business imperatives increasingly shaping the PR strategy. There is a shift and we see a pattern emerging, led by a new paradigm of understanding the impact of the digital medium, which is both an opportunity and a peril. PR practitioners are adopting & leveraging social media & analytics tools to stay ahead of the curve and create a buzz amidst the clutter in an era of information overload. Online conversations impact the reputation of a brand and engaging with the consumer is as much a part of the PR strategy as it is for a marketing strategy. To build and sustain the brand promise in a credible fashion requires one to deal with both the pundits and the quants.
ROMA BALWANI, Chief Group Communications Officer, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
View from The other side...
COMMUNICATION EXPERTS SPEAK…
‘The challenge is to show real business impact’
It is heartening to see that more and more corporates are recognizing PR to be much more than just pushing press releases and managing crisis situations. PR has a significant strategic role to play, influencing functions as diverse as HR, Marketing, Sales, Brand, Legal, Finance and Regulatory in addition to the CEO’s office. PR professionals need to understand the online space and engage with it as they do with the offline influencers. The function has got its recognition – the challenge is now to get more budgets and show real business impact through meaningful measurement of the work that we do.
Deepa Dey, Head, Communications, GSK Consumer Healthcare, India Leadership Team
‘PR has opportunity as well as threat’
The Public Relations discipline in India has come a long way and yes, the best years are still ahead. We are now operating in a world where organizations are under greater scrutiny. There is expectation of greater transparency and accountability from all institutions, and every stakeholder including the smallest one, has equal power. Media, especially social media, has exploded and tends to set the agenda on many issues. This is a complex scenario, which a PR professional with his/her nuanced worldview, understanding of issues and media, is most equipped to navigate. When it comes to institutional or corporate communications, PR is well poised to play a very important role as a defender and nurturer of reputation.
In the retail brand and consumer space, we are seeing a trend of other communication disciplines like advertising, direct marketing, media agencies encroaching into what has traditionally been the domain of PR. Nowadays, campaigns tend to be more integrated in nature and aimed at engaging the consumer and having conversations with him/her. Brands are also increasingly associating with a social cause or event. These are some areas that PR has historically specialized in. This represents both an opportunity and a threat. The industry could seize the opportunity and play a lead role in campaigns with mega budgets that PR campaigns normally do not see. On the other hand, there is a real danger of an ad agency taking the lead with the PR agency playing the side role of an implementer.
Senjam Raj SekhaR, Director, Corporate Communications, Vedanta Group
‘PR faces irrelevance if it doesn’t embrace digital’
The PR industry is an opportunity waiting to be harnessed. I would call it the Good, the Bad and the Ugly truth of transition…. First the good news - shift from broadcast news dissemination to a two-way conversation has ushered a “data revolution”, resulting in better search, analytics and campaign measurement. Therefore, a tangible measurement of ROI for PR is now possible. This has widened the scope. PR is now talking directly to the customers for the first time. The possibilities are endless. Yes, the best days of PR industry are certainly ahead of it, and I totally agree with the IMPACT-PSB survey in this regard. The bad news is that one should approach this data deluge with a bit of caution, as overdependence on metrics could suppress creative instincts of PR professionals and kill spontaneity. The ugly truth is that PR faces irrelevance if it does not embrace the digital platform.
Prateek Chatterjee, Vice President, Corporate Communications & Marketing, NIIT Ltd.
