Lines between PR and marketing are blurring: Sonali Madbhavi, Quikr

As part of our latest series on ‘PR Conversation’, we at Adgully are speaking to some of the industry leaders from both PR agencies and the corporate communications world about how PR as a business and communication tool has evolved and grown over the years. In the last 10 years, PR has taken a different dimension, especially after the entry of social media in a big way. While the PR business has grown, some of the challenges that the industry is facing have also multiplied as clients are becoming more demanding and are expecting their consultants to be on their toes to manage their brand reputation, as news today travels fast and clients are expecting quick response and action in case of a crisis situation.

In conversation with Adgully, Sonali Madbhavi, SVP, Public Relations, Quikr, speaks about the changing face of Public Relations, different ways of reaching out to the stakeholders, adapting to a virtual more of operations and more.

How has PR evolved in the last 10 years? Going forward, how will the industry shape up as the dynamics of the PR is changing with the acceleration of digital?

PR as a profession has gotten more relevant than ever before! In this digital era, with audiences consuming information, sharing opinions on anytime, anywhere basis, is keeping brands on its toes, giving PR the additional impetus. Not to forget the number of channels that go beyond traditional media to include web versions, brand owned channels and other third party platforms. Communicating with minimal content and maximum expression has brought visual content at the centerstage and blurring lines between PR and Marketing. While what’s next for PR will continue to evolve with ever changing technology formats, what will remain at the core of everything PR is the content and its presentation.

The Pandemic has disrupted everyone. In these times how have you managed the expectations from your PR agency? Did you redefine your objectives to them and revisited your deliverables?

With fear of unknown grappling everyone, on the PR and Communications front, the first step was to understand the news cycle and not go after the media who themselves were under pressure. Secondly, understanding the criticality and timing of the story before taking it to any external channels. During this time, we worked with our PR agency partners to look for different ways of reaching out to the stakeholders while keeping business objectives of each of our verticals in mind along with the information that would resonate during this ongoing pandemic.

Today, artificial intelligence and data analytics are becoming very important in marketing and communication. How are you making use of this to help in your overall messaging and achieving your ROI?

Since the beginning of the Internet era, we as consumers have started leaving digital footprints every time we engage online. Because of this, there’s never been so much data available as there is today. With this wealth of data that Quikr has, we are able to use it to our advantage not only on the product side but to also provide real insights into some of the trends from the past and even predict its effect in the future. For example, recently, we at Quikr analysed what Indians searched for the most during the phase-wise lockdown to witness changing consumer buying patterns and predict what it could mean for the pre-owned goods industry. Repurposing such insights on various channels not only helps brand image, but also garner interest in those specific product categories among consumers.

PR measurement and effectiveness of PR has always been a subject of debate. As a PR professional, what steps should the PR industry take to bring in uniformity so that everyone speaks one language when it comes to PR measurement?

PR objectives of every brand may vary depending on who the stakeholders are and their important to align the outcome of PR to business objectives that one is trying to achieve. For example, when Quikr was looking at franchisee partners for its retail stores in smaller towns, the number of organic enquiries received via PR outreach was one of the measurements. In this case, traditional measurement of ad value would mean nothing to a business. Hence, factors like objectives, KPIs, return on efforts, reach, and investment, together will help to demonstrate the effectiveness of any PR campaign/ activity.

Getting the right skillset and training has always been a challenge in the PR profession. What is your view on the same and what would be the valuable tips that you would like to give to the budding young professionals?

As Richard Branson rightly said, ‘The best way of learning about anything is by doing’. Having pivoted earlier in my career, this has also been my personal experience. It is crucial to understand every aspect of the industry one is representing and connect the dots with the news cycle that means read, read and read more about the business side of things. Speaking from my personal experience again, understanding business needs has helped create valuable partnerships from a business standpoint that can be leveraged as new messages, third party endorsements at a later date. The willingness to build on the practical knowledge, upskilling, and continuous learning is all you need for success in any field.

Do you feel the traditional role of interpersonal communication, which was so critical to the profession, has somehow been put to the back burner because of too much virtual engagement? How are you experiencing that, is it bringing down the efficiency and the final output?

True that physical spaces and interpersonal communication have been replaced by digital and virtual ones, but I believe the PR industry has adapted effortlessly. The concept of audio/ video conferencing existed long before the pandemic, but given the risks associated with COVID-19, it has become a mandatory form of engagement tool for PR partners and businesses. Even the media landscape, for that matter, seems to be transitioning smoothly into it as they seem to prefer virtual events and conferences now. Although the face-to-face element is missing, work continues in the right direction as it has not hampered the efficiency or our spirits!

Your PR partner plays an important role in building your brand reputation and also helps you in shaping a positive opinion of the company. How do you measure your agency’s performance and evaluate them every year?

Understanding of business and hence, to be able to reach our stakeholders using the right communication channel is non-negotiable. As our brand custodians, it is important that they listen more to the chatter around, brainstorm the way forward with us and respond accordingly. Along with proactivity and periodic reviews, what we look at is the quality of the content being churned, strategic insights based on ongoing industry trends, ability to deliver on strategic announcements and percentage of conversations in line with the brand messaging and targeted deliverables.