Pooja Chaudhri on how Concept PR has kept its attrition rate in check

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.

In conversation with Adgully, Pooja Chaudhri, Executive Director, Concept PR, speaks about the evolution that she has seen in PR during her 22-year long career in this industry, how Concept PR has been able to prevent attrition in the agency, and more.

You are a seasoned PR professional having spent over two decades in PR. What are some of the significant changes that you have noticed? 

When I started my career in public relations around 22 years ago, it was very nascent and not too many young people wanted to enter it. Advertising was ruling the roost, and PR seemed like a stepchild. Most of the communication strategy was driven by advertising, and PR was reduced to media relations. The success of a PR campaign was measured in the quantum of coverage received. The only time PR came to the fore was in a crisis, where the PR consultants were expected to stop negative articles from being published. Print media was the most significant chunk of a PR practitioner’s domain.

But over the years, we have seen the entire communication industry undergo a sea change. With the rise of social media and boom in all things digital, especially content, the emphasis is now on the impact of a message. In the digital universe, traditional news media is replaced by Influencers, Bloggers, Vloggers and the communication needs to be customised for each of these diverse audiences. Increasing client demands have given rise to hybrid PR: Digital PR and traditional. We have successfully migrated to being a digital-first PR agency.

In my mind, the amalgamation of traditional and digital PR is one of the most significant changes that we are experiencing today.

Your agency was always known for the financial practice of PR.How have you diversified and what are some of the verticals you handle and how has the journey been of the agency?

Concept PR is part of the Concept Group, one of India’s most prominent communication consultancies. The group had a robust financial communication portfolio when Concept PR was established. But since then, Concept PR has evolved into a complete public relations consultancy with 11 growing practices, ranging from BFSI, Real Estate to Start-Ups and Technology. Along the way, we acquired and then grew Concept BIU to become India’s largest Media tracking and Analytics consultancy across print, broadcast and digital media.

The journey, since its inception, has been of growth. We started with just one client and a four-member team, and today, Concept PR has grown to a network of 12 offices nationally, with more than 300 people across the country. As we speak, we are looking at expanding our network.

Talent crunch is hugely faced by the PR industry. How have you faced with this challenge and what has been your strategy to retain talent? 

Yes, it is a reality that despite the many professional PR courses available, getting and then retaining good talent is still a challenge. We decided early that we would spend more time connecting with our Concept family in addition to having great systems and processes in place. As a result, we have designed programs that help upskill our teams, but also help their family members.

We have a monthly virtual town hall, where the entire Concept PR team logs in. The new team members are introduced, special announcements are made, wins are celebrated, and any individual talent is recognised and encouraged. There are several other initiatives which we undertake towards the professional, personal and emotional wellbeing of our employees.

Fun activities include talent shows, celebrating festivals and occasions. We have an in-house doctor that teams can reach out to for free tele-consulting on health issues for self and family. There is medical insurance that we provide for.

We have in place a rewards and recognition programme for star performers. We reward loyalty and encourage growth through sustained upskilling and learning initiatives.

Our attrition rate is very negligible, which is largely driven by a churn at the entry level. But at the mid and senior level, we continue to build robust teams, led by strong leaders who are domain experts.

You have a good understanding of Sports PR. How has this evolved and what are the challenges faced in this vertical? 

Having been one of the earliest to offer Sports PR services in the country, I’ve been fortunate to have witnessed many an exciting live sporting action, across disciplines. I’ve seen several sporting legends in person, and encountered some epic sporting moments across cricket, tennis, football, rugby, badminton, distance running to name a few. It is phenomenal to see the rise and continued growth of our sports ecosystem. Today, we stand at a crucial juncture, given the unprecedented attention that India is getting in the sports world with several of our athletes dominating the world stage in their field of play. All of these factors should be enough evidence to prove that the role of specialized sports communication is critical. Other than positively impacting the success of sports, it is encouraging the emergence of a healthy sports culture in India, which can only mean well for us as a country.

As an agency how do you bring the differentiation into your services and how do you set expectations with clients right at the beginning?

Our servicing team sits with the client at the very onset and fixes the expected deliveries. This document becomes part of that team’s KRA, and a monthly tracker is established. Before the end of a month, the output is measured against the tracker to measure performance. Any discrepancy is highlighted and corrected subsequently.

We customise the deliverables according to the needs of our individual clients. At the same time, we hire talent that will supplement the existing services.

It is all to do with a mindset. We are an ROI-focused, completely-driven PR agency with a digital-first approach to everything that we think and do, and that is what sets us apart.

It is good to see more women leaders in the PR industry. What has been your mantra to reach the top and how will you encourage more women managers to take responsible positions in their career?

While I applaud the increasing number of women in the PR industry, I doubt gender had anything to do with their success. When we highlight gender while highlighting one’s successful career, it is a dis-service, as all attention gets diverted from success to gender. I believe gender is a function of genetics and not a personal choice. Whether one is  female or  male, one needs to work hard for success.

In my case, gender had nothing to do with where I have reached today. When I became an Executive Director in Concept PR, my seniors looked at my performance, not gender. Even in my early career, I faced no-discrimination based on my gender.

At Concept PR, we are gender and orientation agnostic. We recognise and reward hard work, irrespective of gender. It is an equal opportunity for all to succeed in our agency, and that’s when its most fun coz it’s a level playing field for all, where only talent and merit shine!