Q. What has been the role of corporate communications in keeping various stakeholders informed about Meridian Mobiles’ joint venture with SAR Group?
The successful implementation of any change in an organisation is one of the greatest challenges we face. Regardless of how far-seeing and meticulously planned an organisational change may be, it will not be effectively implemented unless it is communicated in such a way that resistance is overcome, fears are assuaged, confusion is minimised, and there is buy-in from all affected stakeholders. It was critical to communicate the reason of the joint venture rather than just the benefits to the internal teams and channel partners.

Q. Post the formation of the JV, what have been the major changes in Fly Mobiles?
There is more financial muscle and a bigger story to tell.

Q. How is corporate communications helping in keeping things at an even keel at Fly Mobiles?
This is no difference in how communication has been used since ages, to communicate, to pursue and to fix the positive perception. With an organisation like Fly, it becomes all the more important to speak on time and speak continuously to the stakeholders. We, as a team, make sure that changes are well accepted and there is acceptance of new efforts at the product and service end.

Q. What role does Fly Mobiles’ Corp Comm department play in formulation of the organisation’s communications activities – be it advertising, promotions, marketing?
There is a strong relationship between marketing/ advertising and public relations. Advertising is more likely to succeed when prior public relations activity has created knowledge and understanding of the product or service being promoted. At Fly, we are a part of the complete process of bringing a product to the market, starting from the inception of the product. As they say, I can’t promise you a safe landing unless I am a part of take-off; At Fly, we seamlessly work with the marketing department to make a launch a safe and effective campaign. A new product can fail to sell simply because there is no build-up or market education and hence, the ATL/ BTL spend will be a waste of money. This becomes critical for all the communication – be it marketing or PR or advertising – to be in rhythm. The consumer should get the right feel of the product, and that is possible through aggressive, yet correct messaging.

Q. The role of the corporate communications department of an organisation has changed over the years. What, according to you, have been the major changes and in what ways are these changes impacting organisations?
Yes, our role has become very critical and the dimensions have widely spread. We need to be a bridge between the client and media, provide the correct information, as well as advise the client on the right business practices. And then, it is not just the media that we handle; we manage the reputation of the brand and control the way it is projected and perceived.

Corporate communications has moved leaps ahead. Today, it is beyond the traditional way of working with press releases and publicising a policy or product. The corporate communications manager works like a radar person. He or she gives early warning and, after detecting the yearnings and stirrings, interprets the signals for the management team.

The other change that has taken place is that now the function serves as a corporate monitor. Since public relations is involved with public issues, there is a need for constant monitoring of corporate policies and programmes to make sure that they do, indeed, match public expectations.

If the programmes are not functioning or if they fall short of expectations, it is our job to agitate for new programmes and new policies. It seems quite natural for the corporate communications person to adopt this position.

Q. What is the major role of an organisation’s corporate communications department today? Is it managing reputation, media relations or managing internal communications?
It’s like a puzzle – you can’t win the game unless all the pieces are put together in the right manner. But having said that, I believe that managing reputation is like an umbrella, and everything else falls under it. Managing internal communications or media relations or any other effort has a common vision of managing reputation or perception of the brand.

Q. As the Corporate Communications Head, how do you manage all these roles? Which one is top priority?
We keep brand reputation at the epicentre and work backwards to calculate every activity from there. Often people think corporate communications is about press releases and media mentions, but it’s not true. We have to calculate what benefit a coverage gives and what effect it will have on the business or in brand perception. If the answer is none, then the coverage is nothing more than a piece of paper. Managing communication is the job of a storyteller, and we clearly define when to speak, what to speak and to whom to speak. It is an art of telling a story in an interesting manner.

Q. At a recent workshop for leading business journalists of the country, there was unanimous view that PR or corporate communications professionals act as gatekeepers to the organisation, acting as middle-men, listening in to the interaction between the organisation heads and journalists. How do you address this issue?
I want to tell them, please try leaving your house without a lock or your office without a gatekeeper for a day and you will know the importance. Corporate communications professionals are those key individuals in an organisation who are both, strongly connected to internal audiences as well as external public, and who are capable of translating organisational information across communication boundaries.

Q. As a senior corporate communications professional, what advise would you give to those who are starting out in this profession? What skill-sets do they need to develop?
PR professionals need to understand the client’s business and also understand the media. Mutual respect with the media and industry thought leaders, transparency, informed and relevant outreach, and flexibility are some of the must-haves. ‘Human skills’ vital to a PR professional’s success include patience, congeniality, critical thinking, and ethics.

Q. Instances of media professionals joining the corporate communications department of an organisation are becoming common now. What strengths do they bring to the table? Do they hold an advantage over others?
Media journalist and PR both have a mutual interest in communicating clearly with the public. Both require a curiosity for news and an ability to tell a story beyond ‘just the facts’. To be sure, many PR professionals got their start in journalism. The only edge they have is that they know and respect the realities and challenges a journalist faces daily. I believe corporate communications is about being an integral part of the complete ecosystem in an organisation and you learn that when you are at the corporate communications side of the table.

Q. Social media is changing the way an organisation interacts with its various stakeholders and consumers. How can corporate communications help an organisation navigate through social media engagement?
Today with social media, you can literally talk to thousands if not millions and the cost is infinitesimal. You can reach a large audience at practically no cost and, therefore, you can galvanise people – you can spur people to do bad, you can spur people to do good. The medium is neutral and the content is really what’s important. Hence, one of the things the corporate communication team does is kind of control the content that goes along with uncontrolled social media.

The dynamics of social media have increased in a big way and added a very important dimension to the job responsibilities. A mobile phone is highly personal and enjoys great intimacy with the consumer and so does social media, which has paved its way into the lives of the consumer. To get interpersonal with the target consumer, we are definitely touching the digital space and social networking in a big way.

Q. What is Fly Mobile’s policy when it comes to social media interactions?
Today, social media has become a priority because it is on real-time basis. We are looking forward to leveraging from the growing social media phenomenon to reach out to our target consumers. In fact, we need to integrate social media into our marketing activities.

Q. How does Fly Mobile tackle crisis? It might not have had any adverse comments from the media or industry, but do you have a crisis management strategy in place or do you play it by the ear?
Any organisation can find itself thrust into a crisis at any time without warning. How an organisation and its leadership responds, especially in the crucial early hours and days, can have an enormous impact on reputations, brands and bottom line. In my experience, the companies that flourish in downturns frequently do so by leveraging the crisis to reinvent itself. I try to get consensus around the bold moves required to reconfigure an existing business. As a PR person, I see opportunities in the situation and start with a clean page. There is no strategy as such because every situation is unique and requires a unique game plan. The most critical part of PR is to know when to use it. As a corporate communications person,you must know when to go out and speak and when to sit silent and watch.

Q. What percentage of your corporate communications strategy is devoted to media relations?
The media is a medium through which investors, suppliers, retailers and consumers receive information and develop the image of a company. This can’t be defined in percentage as it will change as per the situation in which we are using the corporate communication strategy.

Q. Given the real-time feedback in the social media sphere, how do you monitor or keep track of all the conversations going on? What steps do you take in case there are some adverse comments posted?
Social media is very upfront. While it has its own set of benefits, there are some harsh realities attached to it as well. We have to address any adverse comments in good spirit and try to avoid such episodes in future. The delay in responding means the people that were upset had more time to voice their displeasure with the company to other people. We aggressively monitor our brand’s online mentions.

There’s no excuse for any company that conducts business online to not monitor online mentions. Even when we respond quickly and appropriately, we still have to fix the problem. People are upset for a reason, and we address that reason and correct the problems. It might not be a quick fix, but we let people know how we are handling the issue and what steps will be taken to correct the problem.

Q. How do you maintain two-way communication in today’s always connected world?
The key is to be customer-centric. India is a land of innovation; the missed call system of communication is a standing example of how the consumer can extract value out of a product. One must respect this and work with the consumer. We are very particular about post sales services. In fact, we believe that our work begins more after the product reaches the buyer. It is our endeavour to bring differentiation and deliver a consistent promise to the consumer.