Today, PR has become a prerequisite for brands’ sustained existence: Rachna Baruah

In the last 10 years, PR has taken a different dimension, especially after the entry of social media and the rapid shift to digital during 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.

PR agency Madchatter Branch Solutions has forayed into verticals like PR, Social Media, Long and Short Form, and Content. Digital strategies are no longer alien to the PR world. Integrated or holistic marketing strategies pave the way for sustained and long-term recall in people’s minds for brands that consider them. Madchatter follows a digital-first strategy, which builds the brand image for the longer run. Believing in digital strategies has been impactful for the company.

In conversation with Adgully, Rachna Baruah, Founder of Madchatter, speaks about being an entrepreneur in the highly competitive PR industry, advantages of adopting a digital-first strategy, key PR trends, and more.

It’s been 6 years since you set up Madchatter. How have you seen the PR ecosystem evolve during this period? What are the key trends that you see dominating the industry today?

PR has been and will always continue to be one of the most fast-paced professions. From seeing it as a pureplay reputation management tool to understanding its impact on a brand’s bottomline – public relations has become a necessity for brands today. Today, public relations is no longer measured only as a brand-building tool, it has become a prerequisite for sustained existence.

While tech and digital percolation have been the mainstays, one cannot deny the rare sighting of good old storytelling in a niche, impactful manner, where attention spans are fleeting and depleting like the charge in our phones. Storytelling has become channel agnostic and focused on catering to the niche segments that create the innermost impact. We did something recently where a Bangalore tea seller’s story went viral because he accepts Bitcoin/ Crypto as payment for his tea. Covered across social media and reposted by the distant network to leading headlines across 100+ publications, the story took its shape and size without the limitations of the modality. The story’s impact took it to people’s screens, papers, and their minds.

Setting up your venture at the young age of 23, why didn’t you consider garnering some industry experience before becoming an entrepreneur? How did you take this leap of faith?

I have always been a curious learner with a voracious appetite for all things new. When I moved from a liberal arts degree to the world of public relations, it caught me wide eager to learn more about the art of communications and storytelling. I believe in learning on the field rather than being in the classroom, which accelerated my steep learning curve.

These 6 years have taken me through difficult phases and a lifetime of experience and learning that wouldn’t have happened elsewhere. Madchatter has been a ride of exponential learning and consistent evolution. The steep learning is how Madchatter could delve into media advocacy and building new businesses.

Please take us through the journey of Madchatter since its inception. What have been some of the challenges faced? How did you overcome them? Could you also share the agency’s experience during the pandemic period?

Madchatter started in my room, where I set up my office (aka laptop) next to my microwave. As a solopreneur, I started out with acquiring clients, always delivering quality output to walking to the nearest post office to send them their month-end invoices. Slowly, Madchatter grew from a solo unit to a fledgling team, which further grew exponentially during the pandemic.

As somebody with no connections and network in the PR fraternity, I spent most of my time figuring out my next growth move. I realised that the only way to sustain success is to do honest, impact-led work that opens doors from one happy customer to the other.

While the pandemic saw an industry-wide slowdown, Madchatter saw its steepest growth curve as more and more organisations realised the power of consistency in brand building, especially in bleak times. With the support of future-thinking organisations and early cheerleaders, Madchatter could grow by over 100% in 2020. The team also stood by the vision of Madchatter. During the pandemic, the ethos of ‘Business With Kindness’ was born.

As with all aspects of the media, communications, and entertainment industry, digital has also permeated into the PR ecosystem. How are you strengthening your digital strategies to deliver the best results for your clients?

PR professionals are increasingly familiar with digital strategy. Brands view integrated or holistic communications as possessing no boundaries to open the door for sustained and long-term recall in consumers’ thoughts. Our strategies have always been digital-first to keep brand-building relevant and prepared for the future. A dedicated digital division of Madchatter designs a brand strategy and integrates digital with PR and communications. Because of our comprehensive strategy, which allows them long-term access to more transparent growth and community building, the majority of companies now turn to us.

PR is a very competitive world – there are well-established big networks, PR agencies that have made their mark and become well-entrenched businesses over the years, and then there are emerging boutique agencies. Where does Madchatter fit into the mix? What are your agency’s USP and differentiating factors?

Apart from being highly competitive, PR is also one of the world’s most stressful professions. Madchatter’s ethos lies in being employee and client-centric, where we want to be the best versions. We enable kindness as a process to everybody we work with – clients, journalists, vendors, and an extended network. Our culture has always been one of transparency and no frills, consisting of constant dialogue and feedback to become better – both as an employee and as an employer.

We also pride ourselves in our agility and keenness to learn and keep ourselves in our client’s shoes. Our campaigns and ideas drive from a place of business centricity and the scope of impact and ROI.

From the sylvan state of Assam to being declared ‘Woman Startup Entrepreneur of the Year – 2020’ by Adgully – how have you traveled this far and who has inspired you the most? What is your advice to those nurturing similar entrepreneurial dreams?

Entrepreneurship is one of the world’s most effective ways to learn humility and calm. As somebody who likes a different challenge every day, entrepreneurship is the best antidote to my high-functioning brain and personality. However, it is important to note the pitfalls too.

As an Assamese who traveled extensively as a child, I can continually challenge assumptions and viewpoints outside of the boardroom. One can think freely and from various settings that would otherwise be stymied by a unilinear method of addressing things, thanks to exposure to as many cultures and socioeconomic exposures as possible. Your enormous professional growth is made possible by exposure to things outside of your immediate environment.