Vice President, Corporate Communications, Fiat India Pvt. Ltd.

Nikhil Dey has ten years experience, both in the PR Agency environment as well as in corporate communications positions. During his tenure with Clea PR, he handled diverse requirements of CNBC, Channel [V], Morepen Labs, Maruti, Barista, Godfrey Phillips India, Encyclopedia Britannica, Modicare, Lacoste and Ernst & Young, etc. Nikhil is currently with Fiat India Pvt. Ltd. as Vice President, Corporate Communications.

In his spare time, he has conducted a number of communication courses and guest lectures in Delhi School of Communication, IMI, LSR, Masters of Business Economics, Institute For Technology and Management, K.C. College of Management, IIPM and Symbiosis.

In this session, Nikhil Dey talks to Jasmeen Dugal about the role corporate communications plays in promoting different models of Fiat, how Fiat utilized corporate communications as damage control in a crisis and the definition of PR today.

Our primary objective is to present the new face of Fiat India to our key stakeholders - customers, employees, dealers and business associates. One of the most visible facets of the company is its range of cars, and promoting them through various communication initiatives is an ideal route to showcase the Fiat.
Palio has re-defined the dynamics of the B segment of the Indian automobile market; it has pioneered the introduction of a range of 'Vibrant Exciting Colors' and is the only 'Hot Hatch' in the market. Based on Fiat's 178 platform, Palio lives up to its name of being a 'True World Car.' The car was customized for the Indian market by increasing ground clearance, providing greater leg-room at the rear and incorporating an engine cooling system to suit our climatic conditions. We brought attention to these facts using media relations.

Fiat's efforts in product development are to continually keep its cars fresh and appealing. In keeping with this approach, Palio NV was conceived. To highlight the USP - great mileage - the launch was conceived and executed in such a way that the media were able to experience the improvements. The two-day launch program involved a 150-km test drive from Mumbai to Khandala and back. Since the journalists drove the cars themselves and verified the checking procedures, they were convinced about the credentials, and this message has been effectively passed on to our customers.

Apart from straightforward product-led communication, Fiat's Italian heritage and association with brands like Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Lancia are often highlighted through our participation in and sponsorship of events. For instance, we showcased the F1 Ferrari at the Fiat stall in Delhi during the Autoexpo 2002. We also ran a television commercial featuring Michael Schumacher and the Palio. We are highlighting the linkages between Fiat and Ferrari, and at the same time, re-enforcing the message that Palio comes from the same stable. The ad spoke for itself, the underlying message was simple i.e. 'The Fiat Palio comes to you from the same company that makes the Ferrari;' infact the voice-over of this ad said, "From the makers of Ferrari, comes another winner, the Fiat Palio".

A successful promotion that builds on Fiat's Italian heritage was 'Festa Italiana;' a 15-day Italian festival to showcase the 'Best of Italy' and latest 'Made in Italy' brands, conceptualized and hosted by the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Fiat India was one of the principal sponsors for this event. 'Festa Italiana' flagged off with a special fashion exhibition on '50 years of Italian fashion' with some fashion designs created by leading Italian designers.

Mumbaikars were also treated to a photo exhibition, 'Italy - The One and Only,' in collaboration with photo archivist Fratelli Alinari at the NCPA foyer. It included an exotic food festival at Oberoi with speciality gourmet cuisine from Piedmont, Marche, Verona and Puglia of Italy. Seven leading and renowned Italian chefs were specially flown in to Mumbai to share the taste and flavor of authentic Italian delicacies. The event culminated in a Grand Finale Fashion Show with participation from La Perla and Balestra, two leading Italian fashion houses, Miss Italy and Italy's top fashion models. During the course of Festa Italiana, a special contest was held in association with Fiat India where the Palio S 10 was the mega prize.

Another joint promotion that builds on Fiat's Italian roots was 'A Taste of Italy'. Mezzo Mezzo, at JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai organized a food festival 'Tuscany in Mumbai' where cuisine from the Tuscany was on offer. Once again, Fiat India was associated with the event through a contest that offered diners the opportunity to win a Fiat Palio S10. Since this was a success, we recently conducted another promotion with JW Marriot called 'Need for Speed' which showcased the range of Ferrari Merchandise that we retail in India.

Effective 'Crisis Communication' is all about 'Preparedness' and 'Speed of Response.' Our role is to provide access to factual information as fast as possible and that is exactly what we strive to do. We followed the principle of 'Actions Speak Louder Than Words' to tackle the particular case that you have mentioned. Apart from issuing a statement clarifying the situation, we also quickly followed this up with the launch of a new car and the signing of a new wage agreement with our workmen. Both these actions served as a clear signal that Fiat is committed to succeeding in this market.

One of our major marketing and communication initiatives was signing Sachin Tendulkar as the brand ambassador for the promotion of the Fiat in India. Palio's success is a combination of many factors, one of which is the advertising campaign featuring Sachin. The association of Sachin Tendulkar as Fiat's brand ambassador was a new approach, which worked very well for us. Sachin having joined the Fiat family gave the campaign a special flavor and immediate appeal, with the added bonus of widespread awareness and recall.

Apart from our advertising campaigns, the launch of the Sachin Series, India's first Signature line - the limited edition Palio S 10, was a major milestone. The S 10 is a tribute to our brand ambassador Sachin Tendulkar and to all the cricket enthusiasts in the country.

As a company, we strongly believe that in order to succeed in a competitive market, no effort can be spared. Hence, 'Technology to the max,' 'Style to the max,' 'Safety to the max,' 'Comfort to the max,' etc was what we committed. Our marketing and communication initiatives are a direct articulation of this philosophy, and implicitly communicates that our products are the 'Best Value for Money' offering in the market today.

With the launch of the Palio 1.6 we opened up a new segment in the market as no one earlier had a 1.6 as a hatchback. So the product itself lent credibility to the claim of taking things to the max. The entire 'To the Max' Philosophy was a critical element of the Palio launch, and the thread that ran through all our communication during this phase was based on this powerful philosophy.

Media relations are what I refer to as 'the bread and butter work' of any PR professional. Everything else is 'Jam and Jelly'. In other words, employers and clients expect and demand good media relations' capabilities from their PR people. However, if they are able to deliver more value, then nobody will stand in their way.

The media relations' aspect of the business is time consuming and often quite taxing, hence more often than not it tends to become the only thing that a PR person does. However, my view is that Media Relations is the base upon which a plethora of other activities can be built.

The extent of influence a PR person is able to exert on his/ her environment is a direct function of capability. There are no walls limiting PR professionals today - simply because there is no clear understanding of what the discipline is all about. This is a huge opportunity for PR professionals who have the drive and desire to excel in their profession. So I see pockets of excellence emerging; Media Relations is just one of the many things that a good PR person does. This movement will gather momentum, as more qualified people are attracted to PR as a career.

There will always be good apples and bad apples in any profession. In the end, ethics or the absence of ethics, is a function of the value system of an individual not a profession.

The industry norm of 'column centimeter' analysis is a standard that most PR campaigns are at least measured on, if not evaluated by. The stringency of this as an evaluation parameter varies, ranging from using a weighted average index with key messages, pictures, nature of headlines etc being identified and assigned relevant importance before the final calculation is made to a competitive rating vis-à-vis competing news. But this again reduces PR to the status of Press Relations as it is only measuring the impact of the media relations' effort. Pre and Post research is another tool used sometimes that somewhat broadens the base, but here it is difficult to isolate the impact that PR alone has had, since most communication campaigns today utilize multiple tools. So the measurability of a PR campaign continues to be an elusive target.

Some of the major service initiatives that have been introduced and conducted by Fiat through this year include Free Service Camps, followed by the installation of eSIRA, an online dealer communication system to improve availability of spare parts; reduction in prices of fast moving spare parts; and the introduction of a new service policy to coincide with the launch of the Palio NV. We had a press conference to launch the Palio diesel, during which Fiat underlined its commitment to improving customer service as a top priority for the year; each of these activities in themselves are the best PR activity we as a company could undertake; communicating them to the relevant audiences was only the last step in the long road to continuous improvement.

The reason why I find this definition most appealing is that it is a constant reminder to me that PR is all about doing the right thing first and then finding the right time and place to communicate it. The emphasis on 'doing' underlines the most important aspect of a PR person's job - that of influencing and motivating the company to move in the right direction. Getting the company to do the things that are in line with the desired image is the only way to be truly effective as a PR professional.