In conversation with Atul Sharma, Ruder Finn India

Atul Sharma is the Managing Director of Ruder Finn India and President of Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI). With 20 years of experience in the communications industry, he specializes in corporate reputation management, brand building, media training, agency operations including client acquisition, management, and team building.

Agency Reporter- You have been in the communications industry for two decades. How do you think the needs of the audiences in India have changed in your experience? 

There’s a remarkable difference between the audience of today as compared to two decades ago. A large part of the credit goes to the diversification and democratization of technology. Two decades back the sources of information were limited, news, views are reviews floated between a handful of players in television and print. With the advent of social media and as data became affordable and made its presence in every household, the nature of the audiences changed drastically. Today, the audiences we cater to are far more aware, informed, and armed with a definitive point of view. Social media has become a playground for all sorts of opinions, polls, and views, and the audience is highly opinionated about almost everything. As a firm, we understand that it’s practically impossible to ignore the opinions of such a large demographic that’s hooked to social media and is increasingly relying on digital media for the most basic of information, so the best way to communicate with them is to ace every possible medium of communication. 

AR- The way we communicate changed overnight in 2020 with the onset of a pandemic. What were some big changes that you think were of utmost importance for the communications industry? 

I speak largely on behalf of the industry, considering amidst the pandemic last year, I also took charge as the President of Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI). Prior to 2020, the communications industry worked comfortably in silos, meeting periodically for awards or annual gatherings. One of the most significant and positive development for the Public Relations industry during the pandemic was that we came together like never before. Right from taking out time to share learnings, to suggest ways and means to address problems coming out of the pandemic—leaders across the board came together to make the journey smoother. This unification was beneficial both for consultancies and the industry too. I can very happily say that today every peer of mine whom either I hardly interacted with or didn’t know, I see each one of them today as friends. I know them as people, I know what makes them happy, what excites them, and I am sure the entire PR fraternity feels the same about each other. I made new friends through the pandemic, without even meeting them! That’s our collective silver lining out of Covid.

AR- Rapid digital transformation continues to change the way organizations communicate internally and externally. What is your take on that?

As an undying proponent of technology, I’ve always said that it’s here to stay. At Ruder Finn, our DNA is deeply rooted in chasing What’s Next in technology. Since the tools of engagement have changed, we’ve always rooted for technology; in fact, we were the first agency to use technology as a disruptor. Be it through our latest offerings in voice, data, predictive analytics, or SONAR ™ media training for crisis management, we understand that technology is fundamental to what we do and who we are. In line with this, we have not only been building our own capabilities and staying abreast of industry developments but also acquiring companies that are far ahead in this realization. From RLA Collective, which is a unique marketing services firm for Health & Wellness Brand to SPI Group, which is bolstering the agency’s offerings in areas like employee experience, corporate branding, and corporate reputation to Osmosis Films, which is expanding the firm’s video, animation, and interactive media capabilities, we have always recognized that this is the future and we’re driven to strengthen our offerings, intelligently customizing them for our clients. Whether it’s through our proprietary tool for crisis management like SONAR, or through voice, predictive analytics, or intelligent websites, we’re acutely aware of the power that technology yields for current and prospective clients. 

AR- Adapting to the new normal also required the industry to go back to basics and invest in significant amounts of research. What role do you think will first-hand research play in effectively communicating in 2021? 

Research forms the backbone of almost all functions and is industry agnostic. No matter which business you’re in, whether you’re launching a new product, campaign or creating a media or communications strategy, everything is premised on hardcore research. Without it, it’s impossible to achieve the desired goals. At Ruder Finn, we give immense credence to research and you will notice whether it’s our study “Entertain Me. Inform Me. Inspire Me. Feed Me: How to Satisfy Southeast Asia With Your Content launched in 2019 or the annual Ruder Finn Luxury Forecast in China, we’ve been front and center at decoding latest trends through research. Even in 2021, you will see that most agencies, as well as brands, will bank heavily on research to cull out interesting trends and strategies. It’s central to everything we do, and I foresee it remaining that way for a while. 

AR- The PR sector in India has also gained its due recognition in the last year. In your opinion, what does the future of this sector look like in 2021? 

The future is tech-fuelled, and technology has disrupted every industry and is changing the world of communication for the better. Its domination will continue in 2021 too. As we speak, we’ve begun to see some of these changes in the world around us, self-driving cars that use AI assists, robotics in complicated healthcare procedures, automation and machine learning in automobile manufacturing, and data & analytics changing the way financial institutions do business. Closer to our industry, we see more and more sophisticated technologies emerging which are simplifying the world of communication. The biggest example is a measurement of outreach that has always been a point of debate for the industry, today can be decoded with a handful of clicks. I’m certain 2021’s buzz words will be AI, ML, AR, VR, robotics, automation, predictive analytics, and let me assure you, as we head deeper into this decade, these technologies will feature increasingly in our daily lives. 

AR- What are some challenges that the ever-evolving communications industry has yet to tackle? 

The communications business has come a long way and has evolved significantly in the last decade, but we do have latent issues that we need to address moving ahead. One of the areas that needs a serious rethink is nurturing talent to withstand enormous changes that the industry is undergoing. The public relations business has always been a people-intensive industry. Today, we are at the cusp where the mix of technology and talent is determining which way our industry is going to go. More than two decades back, we relied heavily on traditional and print media to put our story out there, but today with the advent of social and digital, which has changed radically, the media world has spread from earned to paid, owned, and shared. We have more avenues to not only tell our story but also to work with our stakeholders to co-curate the story that the brand stands for. To do this effectively, we need talent who is creative, well-read, and informed with a well-defined point of view. With technology at our disposal, we have big data, predictive analytics, and AI to come up with not only interesting data points but also predict trends that will help shape the narrative. But we will still need talent, which will be able to take these data points and weave them into stories that play along with the topicalities while staying clear from issues like fake news. To raise the professional standards of our industry, we need to invest in the future, to create talent which is job-ready. We need to train them on the practical aspects which are required on the job and not an only theory (which also in most of the cases has become obsolete). 

AR- What are some key trends the communications industry should look out for in 2021?

Future will be more predictable: Especially after 2020, Predictive Analytics as a next-gen trend is here to stay. Predictive analytics in tandem with machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) is going to lead the world of communication and hopefully make it way more predictable. After 2020, humankind is surely looking for a predictable future. AI is making huge strides in natural language selection, which the PR professionals should keep a close eye on. 

The rise of influencers: Growth of internal influencers – internal influencers will grow in significance as organizations increasingly realize the artificial divide between internal and external comms and make use of advocates in new and exciting ways. At Ruder Finn, when we wanted to push our employees to have a healthier lifestyle, we picked up our fitness expert from one of our employees, and the message resonated loud and clear, prompting our teams to take out their running shoes! 

Text is passé, future belongs to voice: The future belongs to voice-based virtual assistants. Voice-activated devices like Google Home and Alexa are becoming a part and parcel of our daily lives especially in a country like ours where people can converse well in their native languages but can’t type in English. Banking on this trend early, we at Ruder Finn embraced the future of communication by leveraging voice-activated technology with the power of Amazon Alexa. This new frontier of experiential communications demonstrates new ways for brands and leaders to reach millions of customers on a personal level in a medium of their choice and at a time of their convenience.

The power of visual reality: Considering most activities around lockdown came to a grinding halt, live streaming emerged as a popular medium connecting people around the world. Live streaming that earlier seemed like the neglected cousin of the video became the go-to for not only corporates but brands as well. At Ruder Finn, video streaming services kept our flock together. Similarly, every social media platform including Instagram, YouTube, Facebook saw growth in their live streaming services. Brands and companies are taking this further, be it for entertainment or business applications, immersive technologies will make their way into every aspect of our lives.