ICC PR & Communication Conclave saw industry stalwarts discuss facets of communication in the new normal
Indian Chamber of Commerce, in association with PRCAI and CommsCredible, hosted the virtual ICC PR & Communication Conclave on the 20th of January 2021. With the focus being on ‘Communication Paradigm in the ever-changing world’, the idea behind the conclave was to provide a platform to industry stalwarts to engage in a meaningful discussion on the relevance of communication especially in the post-pandemic world, and make organizations aware of being ready for new-age communication.
The conclave paved the way for discussions to cover the major facets of the communication and public relations world such as the switch over from traditional to digital PR, brand communication, balancing of information overload, dealing with fake news, communication in public governance, and startup communication.
The conclave saw some eminent speakers such as Prahlad Kakkar- Communication Consultant, Founder, and Director of Genesis Film Production Pvt. Ltd.; Paresh Chaudhry- Group President, Corporate Brand Custodian, Adani Group; Gayathri Sharma, Head of Communications, Rolls Royce, India & South Asia; Roma Balwani, Director -Communications and Brand, Vedanta Group; Manoj Nair, Head of Marketing, Infosys BPM; Priya Patankar, Head of Communications, PhonePe; Prasidha Menon, VP & Global Head of Communications at OYO Hotels & Homes; Samir Kapur, Director, Adfactors PR, among other industry experts.
Speaking about the conclave, Vikash Agarwal, President, ICC stated, “Communication strategies are changing and COVID has played a catalyst in this regard.”
Further, Prahlad Kakar stated, “We are the youngest country in the world and young people think differently. 75-80% of the country is below the age of 30. So acting, thinking, and communicating young is the need of the hour so as not to lose a large consumer base.”
Also when working with the young population, the whole system of management has to change from manager to mentor and mentee to boost internal communication, felt Kakar.
He explained that in a digital world, “finding your North” is the most crucial aspect and unless the communication is done efficiently through storytelling, finding his North by the next generation will be beyond one. Particularly, at a time when the attention span of the population has reduced immensely, devising efficient storytelling and communication strategies is fundamental as it is through efficient storytelling that business values get passed on to generations. He further stated that while navigating in a disrupted world, employers should pay particular attention to internal communications to hold on to the best employees.
Paresh Chaudhry, Group President, Corporate Brand Custodian, Adani Group spoke about rebounding & future-proofing to build brand & reputation in a post-pandemic world. He stated that to rebound and future-proof brands companies must move in the path of self-realization and strengthen their character, increase their footprint on digital, and give 35-40% of KRA weightage to an internal communication to boost the workforce. He further revealed that rural internet and social media consumption has moved 20% higher than urban. Active internet users in rural areas have surpassed urban areas. Hence, in India that is scheduled to take the center stage from 2021 to 2050 billion, brands will have to tap this set of consumers through efficient communication and branding to future proof themselves. He also stated that there is a dire need to tackle the threat of fake news as it is not just a threat to marketers, startups, consumers, etc. but the overall credibility of media, “We need to have clear mapping and monitoring strategy to do away with fake news and this can be done when you are honest about your communication that has to be data-driven and empathetic”, he opined.
When discussing the transition of communication from traditional to digital means, Bhaskar Majumdar, Head-Corporate Affairs, Communication & Digital, EgisIndia gave his insights, “Although a lot is already being done, from the agency side, for the planning of content and choosing the right side of tools, they need to have an audience with the senior management of any company. Mostly they are at the mercy of the corporate communication people which makes it difficult to create content and choosing the right tools. So regular meetings with the senior management are essential to understand the mission and vision of what needs to be done.”
He further opined, “Since anyone and everyone is an influencer nowadays, monitoring the digital media for your brand, of your competitors and others has become extremely important.”
During the discussion around rethinking communication strategies in the PR industry as a result of the pandemic, Kapil Sharma, Director of Communications, Ford Motors remarked, “The companies were put to test as to where they stand in terms of their purpose that they have written in their books and the pandemic was the time to live up to that promise.”
The conclave ended with a discussion around communications in the startup ecosystem wherein Prasidha Menon, VP & Global Head of Communications at OYO Hotels & Homes, stated, “The pandemic increased the importance of empathy, transparency, authenticity and being real and at the same time being vocal about the fact that we don’t know everything. There are things that we don’t have control over, things that would change and we’ll deal with it as it comes. And just being able to say that we don’t always know the right answer is important and doing it the right way.”
You can watch the conclave here: