“Digital & social media is a great enabler for generating positive brand perceptions”

In the last 10 years, PR has taken a different dimension, especially after the entry of social media and the rapid shift to digital, especially in the pandemic period. At the same time the industry has been facing stiff challenges, moreover client expectations have also increased, with more emphasis being given to digital and online reputation management. The industry has undergone a radical shift and the current times have pushed the industry to change gears.

Arpana Kumar Ahuja, Head - Corporate Communications and Brand, Shell India Markets, speaks about how PR has become crucial in the era of information overload, managing reputation in today’s world, and much more.

You have been both at the client and agency side. PR has evolved in the last 10 years and we are into a new communication world. What are some of the significant developments you have noticed in the last 10 years?

The PR and communications industry has undergone a remarkable change in the decade gone by and has much to offer in the new one. In the era of information overload, PR has now become more crucial than ever before. It is now, more than ever, a quintessential part of an organization’s structure and marketing budgets. The most noticeable development has been the evolution of Public Relations into an Integrated Communications function. With the growing dominance of digital media, PR professionals have had to arm themselves with owned, earned, and paid media expertise and an ever-growing repertoire of comprehensive communication tools and strategies. Brands now expect a 360-degree marketing communications and reputation management experience, and PR professionals are now given the exciting opportunity to demonstrate capabilities beyond just media relations. At Shell too, communication channels have become increasingly and effectively digital, as it offers widespread reach, open platforms to creatively reach out to relevant audiences, more clarity on engagement, and better analytics. Public Relations has also moved leaps and bounds to now encompass effective community building and advisory programmes. Proactive reputation management has also become increasingly important, especially when any information can go viral in a matter of minutes. In conclusion, fine tuning content relevance and its targeted distribution, making use of advanced PR tools, smart audience segmentation and creative outreach, leveraging emerging platforms and proactive reputation management (which includes tapping into topical conversations as well as expeditiously managing issues and emerging crises) stand out to me as some of the most significant developments over the past decade.

Managing reputation has become a challenge in today’s times with rapid digital acceleration. How has Shell managed to adapt to the changes in social media and what kind of digital strategy do you follow to manage your online brand reputation?

Indeed, digital and social media is a great enabler for building reputation and generating positive brand perceptions. Our first brand campaign in India, “Great Things Happen When We Move” launched in 2021, was entirely digitally led. The campaign garnered 13mn views, but the ultimate measure of success is that it helped increase the brand awareness.  Whilst we have several objectives for outcomes and KPI’s, the success for us is really the outcomes in terms of the perceptions of the brand.

Over the last few years we have reframed our presence on YouTube and today we are particular about not only on the type of content that we put there but also the type of content that we don’t put there, to preserve what our subscribers want. Shell leverages technology for audience targeting and retargeting, playlists, call to actions, all best practices that are available today for anyone.

Digital communication channels make for great opportunities to drive engagement on social media and target the right set of audiences. In terms of overall reputation management, this is a great way to understand the right engagement themes, pathways, platforms, and other metrics whilst learning from the detailed analytics that digital channels have to offer, which most other communication mediums lack.

Over the years, Shell has successfully developed a robust social media strategy for the overall brand and its ambassadors, by way of its leaders. For us, content is key. We have seen real results to prove that the reach and virality of any social media activity is directly proportional to the quality of content published. To successfully tailor this content across the right channels, we ensure that we’re present and active across all top social media platforms including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube. This encompasses a healthy mix of relevant, regularly published content (long and short form), use of engaging and snackable creative assets (static and video), leveraging fresh tools such as polls, live sessions, and carousels to name a few, and ensuring that we proactively communicate with our partners, stakeholders, and sector experts. Most importantly, we strive to consistently reinvent our strategy within the ambit of our brand guidelines to successfully communicate with our audiences; to listen and learn in this fast-evolving landscape.

We all speak about external communication, but equally important is internal communication. What process and framework do you follow to stay engaged with your internal stakeholders and employees to manage the reputation of your company on an ongoing basis?

People are our most important asset. With a large and diverse company such as Shell, aligning the employees to the larger vision of the company and equally to inspire a sense of pride in the part they play within the organization to the corporate vision is key. Therefore, a robust internal communication system is in place to help inform and engage the diverse workforce and create a shared sense of purpose. There are always multiple activities and engagements going on in different parts of the organization. It is essential that our employees are aware of these activities, and kept informed, to help them stay connected with each other to create a shared community. COVID-19 only helped further emphasise the critical role of internal communications - with physical distancing, employee communication became the primary way to promote closeness between people.

We follow an integrated communications model in Shell leading with an inside first approach, so that employees are informed and aware of company news before they see or hear from external sources of media. There are various channels that are regularly utilized to share information with our internal audience: An internal digital news platform, Town halls/ Webcasts (large-scale/ focused), polling tools and so on. We also widely use Yammer to build communities and keep the engagement and conversations going between all employees in the company.

In today’s complex world, cross-cultural communication at a global level is a challenge. One has to manage different geographies in different languages. So, what are the challenges you face here and what is the process you follow to have communication that is meaningful and sensitive across cultures?

Sensitive and relevant cross-cultural communication is a very important and strategic need for companies; not only to grow their global presence, but also be in to control of the narrative and messages that they put out, without leaving room for misinterpretation. I firmly believe one of the key requirements for any successful cross-cultural communication is to take the time to understand your key audience, learn from their experiences, challenges, cultural sensitivities, and account for further nuances, depending on the breadth of your communications. India, as we well know, is a very diverse society; culturally rich and vibrant. We understood that very early on and have thus devised a flexible communication strategy that provides ample room to listen, understand, and adjust.

A targeted approach is also very critical to meet the challenge of misinterpretation due to cultural and contextual differences. At Shell, we recognize both the widespread benefits and challenges that India’s rich diversity brings, and thus employ regular cross-cultural communication and diversity awareness trainings to improve cultural intelligence and interest in working with people from across regions and cultures. Also, irrespective of culture and country, if the content resonates with the people, it will be worth connecting to for them. Shell focuses on the quality and clarity of the content to communicate cross culturally.

You are very passionate about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. What are some of the key decisions leaders should take and encourage women empowerment in various leadership roles?

I believe, for all sectors, communities and societies, women play a critical role across the workforce and continue to make increasingly important contributions both to, and as leadership. From politics and corporates to sports and medicine, diverse leadership benefits everyone. Shell India has been recently selected as one of the 100 ‘Best Companies for Women in India 2021’, and I feel so proud to be working for such an organization that aligns with my beliefs about diversity and inclusion.

I believe that the opportunity to create gender balance begins at the very first stage of hiring and we must thus pay close attention to the hiring ratio of women at the start. This is how a company can target the disparity of women not participating in any particular field. Every company must have a properly established system that works internally to empower and support its women to advance their careers and become future leaders whilst also meeting their personal commitments comfortably. Creating mentorship opportunities for women is also a tested and proven approach that eventually leads to more women in leadership roles. Additionally, maternity policies should be supporting of not just women, but also be extended to expectant employees in LGBTQIA domestic partnerships.

How do you plan your overall PR strategy and messaging for Shell India every year? What is the role of your PR partner here? What are some of the best practices you follow from the Shell Global communication team that will help and benefit in India?

The corporate communications team shapes and delivers strategic, resonant content and high-impact internal and external stakeholder engagements designed to help Shell win. We integrate across businesses for a more aligned and impactful stakeholder-first approach, and work closely with senior leaders, regional teams, brand, policy & advocacy colleagues to ensure a collaborative focus on Shell’s highest policy and reputational priorities. We see what is happening in the outside world and bring relevant data and insights inside Shell to help us make informed, timely and appropriate decisions. We work closely with the business, supporting them with the delivery of their objectives.

In a fast-changing and increasingly interconnected world, the need for innovative communications and engagement has never been greater and communication teams play a pivotal role in changing the way Shell connects with its most important audiences. We are guided by the annual integrated planning tool that demonstrates that we prioritise high-value ($ and reputation) priorities and enable delivery of the corporate strategy. There is a continued re-evaluation of process: discarding what is not necessary, improving what adds value.

In addition to being accountable for managing some of Shell’s most important stakeholder interactions, including with media and staff, the team is also responsible for upholding the highest standards in content creation and dissemination. This includes ensuring high-quality communications and engagement activities that are insight-and audience-led, use the most appropriate channels and language, and are properly measured for optimum cut-through and impact.