Crafting communication that connects beyond borders

At the IPRCCC 2024, communications leaders from diverse industries convened to unpack how intercultural communication is shaping global public relations strategies. The session explored how brands and institutions are navigating complex cultural nuances in both domestic and international contexts, particularly within the framework of purpose-led storytelling and inclusive engagement.

Moderated by Girish Balachandran, Founder & Managing Director, On PURPOSE, the panel included Prasidha Menon, Regional Head of Communications, Brand & Product, Asia Pacific, Airbnb; Jasrita Dhir, Vice President, Brand & Communications, Ashoka University; Rohit Khatua, Executive Vice President and Head – Marketing and Communications, Antara Senior Care; and Michelle Francis, AVP – Corporate Brand & Communications, Godrej Industries Group.

Balachandran opened the session by emphasising the need to look inward when considering intercultural communication. “One might argue that if you live in India, you're already communicating across cultures,” he said. “Our language, dialects, and cultures change every 20 kilometres. So, we’re quite familiar with diversity by default.”

Turning to Jasrita Dhir, he remarked that universities are natural melting pots of diverse cultures and asked how Ashoka University manages internal and external intercultural communication, especially given its liberal arts foundation.

Dhir began by underlining the multifaceted nature of communication in the academic context. “A university intersects with all age groups and both genders,” she said. “You can't define your audience by a single demographic, parents, students, potential applicants, regulators, policymakers, you're communicating with everyone. It’s a high-involvement, high-interest category.”

She went on to explain how Ashoka’s interdisciplinary pedagogy informs its communications. “Biology is at home with philosophy, and computer science finds common ground with chemistry. The same integration carries through to our messaging,” she said. “We think about each stakeholder group and the impact our communication will have, both internally and externally.”

Dhir also stressed the importance of buy-in from various groups before any messaging is released. “Consultation and collaboration are key before the final product sees the light of day,” she said. Offering examples, she described the Ashoka Bridge Program, aimed at helping financially supported students, who make up nearly half of the university’s population, adjust to campus life. “It’s not just about economics, they come from different regions and even continents. Assimilation can be intimidating,” she explained.

She elaborated, “We introduce them to our writing and communication centre, help them with spoken Hindi, teach them how to get an auto or navigate the metro. Bilingual communication, spoken and written, eases the transition, especially for those coming from southern India to our Haryana campus.” With a three-week head start, these students are more confident and prepared when the larger cohort arrives.

Balachandran noted that beyond demographics, diversity in attitudes and beliefs also presents challenges, particularly in an institution like Ashoka that promotes critical thinking. He asked how the university addresses conflicts that may arise from such diversity.

“Some conflict is natural,” Dhir responded. “Not all conflict is bad. Critical thinking teaches you to question dogmas and the usual way of doing things. When you teach young people to do that, they’re going to practise it, and that’s the point.”

She acknowledged that managing this requires resilience. “We do grow a bit of a thick skin,” she admitted. “But just as liberal arts education promotes openness, our approach remains liberal. There are microcultures on campus, and as long as we’re united in our core agenda, ‘interdisciplinarity, a liberal arts foundation, being global in pursuit but Indian in thought’, then some friction is acceptable.”

The discussion then shifted to global consumer brands, as Balachandran turned to Menon, citing the brand’s philosophy of “belonging anywhere” and its efforts to connect global and Indian travellers through hyper-local experiences. He asked if, in a multinational environment, she had ever had to push back against a one-size-fits-all global message that did not align with local cultural contexts.

Menon reflected on her experience across geographies. “One common thing I’ve heard everywhere is how hard it is to work with the other party. The global team often says, ‘The country teams just don’t get it,’ and vice versa.”

She acknowledged the challenge. “The sooner we accept that communicating across cultures with teams sitting in different parts of the world is tough, the easier it becomes to strike that balance.”

Menon added that localisation is often oversimplified. “Too often, people think localisation means translating something into a language, and then we pat ourselves on the back. Especially for a consumer brand like ours, that’s the one thing we actively avoid.”

“To me, it’s about the context, the intent. Where is the message being delivered? At what stage is the brand in that country? Airbnb’s maturity and awareness in Europe or the US is very different from where we are in Japan or India. The campaign must reflect that.”

She cited brands that had successfully managed product and communication localisation. “At Uber, when we launched in India, we knew credit cards weren’t common, so we had to introduce cash as a payment method. That wasn’t part of the founder’s original idea of a ‘magical experience,’ but it was essential here.”

This change added a touchpoint between rider and driver, something the original philosophy avoided. But that’s what made the product work in India.

Menon pointed out that communication follows the same principle. “Take Dove, for instance. The global message is about inner beauty and body positivity. But how that comes to life in India might include themes like confidence or gender equality.”

She gave examples from Airbnb as well. “When we ran an inclusive travel campaign for the LGBTQIA+ community, we knew the way it lands in different regions would vary. What we do in one country can’t be replicated in another where legal issues exist or where featuring individuals could put them at risk. In such cases, we don’t pursue that route.”

She also shared an India-specific campaign she was proud of. “We created ‘Only on Airbnb’ experiences with celebrities opening their luxurious homes to guests. It worked well here because people are still curious about how celebrities live, and it gives them a way to live that life, if only briefly.”

But in Japan, the same campaign took on a different shape. “The country is facing larger issues around housing and hospitality, so when we launched the campaign there, we did it with the founder, and we focused on kuminkas, traditional Japanese homes, and their cultural heritage.”

Shifting the conversation towards product storytelling and global brand consistency, Balachandran invited Francis of Godrej Industries Group to share her perspective. He pointed out that when brands deal with products as diverse as hair care or homecare and take them global, they often risk exoticising the Indian identity. He asked how she balances authenticity with international relevance in such scenarios.

Francis responded candidly, “Consumers don’t necessarily want to hear their own language. They want to know whether you truly understand their lives. Emotional connection and cultural relevance will always outweigh a simple translation.”

She went on to recount an early career mistake that left a lasting impression. “In 2009, we hosted a press conference in Agra for a hair colour product. I invited a hairstylist from Mumbai. The press release, translated into Hindi, referred to her as a ‘nai’, which, while meaning barber, is also the name of a community. The audience, many of whom belonged to that community, were deeply offended.”

She continued, “I remember running around the venue as they started throwing press releases, and chairs. I was just this one little chicklet in the room, and I didn’t know what to do. It was a culturally sensitive term that I had unintentionally misused, and it could’ve become a major issue.”

“We salvaged the situation,” she added, “but it taught me that what may seem factually correct can still be culturally damaging. Doing your homework is non-negotiable.”

She emphasised the need for cultural awareness in brand expression. “At Godrej, we are deeply rooted in our values: trust, legacy, simplicity. These are not just Indian values; they’re universal. That makes it easier to take our products and insights global. The key is to make them locally relevant.”

Francis illustrated this with a product case. “Many of you probably have the Godrej car air freshener in your vehicles. That product was ideated and designed in India by our R&D team and is now sold in 60 countries. Of course, the fragrances change depending on the region.”

She added an insightful detail about how the same product is adapted for Indian consumers. “Internationally, it’s a dashboard perfume. But in India, we turned it into a cupholder perfume. Do you know why? Because most Indian car owners place religious idols on their dashboards. That cultural insight shaped how the product was designed for India.”

She concluded that product innovation isn’t only about solving functional problems. It is about understanding cultural nuances, what the consumer feels, and what matters to them.

Closing the discussion, Balachandran turned to Khatua of Antara Senior Care and posed a question about building the category of senior care in India. He pointed out that unlike Western markets where such services are more established, India’s relationship with senior care is layered with cultural stigma and differing value systems. He asked how Khatua navigates these challenges.

Before diving into strategies, Khatua took a moment to ground the audience, “Don’t look at the world or different countries; just look at your homes. You’ve got people under 40 and people over 60 coexisting. The diversity in their minds, their cultural references is enormous. And that’s a small microcosm of the challenge we face when trying to explain what senior care actually means.”

He acknowledged the evolving role of personalisation in communications. “We’ve heard all day about personalised conversations and how AI helps us with that. But the reality is, you can never be personal enough. Somewhere, someone won’t feel connected. And that’s okay.”

“Our job as marketers and communicators,” he continued, “is to connect with as many people as possible. But we must accept that we won’t reach everyone. There is no one-size-fits-all PR strategy. Today, everything is local, human, and deeply personal.”

Speaking specifically about senior care, he said that they are trying to address as many types of audiences as they can, because there are many types of needs. Their goal is to help people see what life can be for seniors, not just what it currently is.

He concluded with a call for continued effort. “PR, media relations, communication, they’ve all evolved with this shift. We’ll never get it perfect, but we can keep improving. Like the examples shared from Airbnb, Ashoka, and Godrej, our job is to keep trying, to be more local, more personal, and more relevant. Because in the end, that’s what intercultural communication is all about.”