We are in a new era of Public Relations. In the last few years, the importance of reputation management has undergone a sea change. More brands and clients, especially from the leadership teams, are viewing Public Relations from a close range. The industry has undergone a radical change with the advent of social media, which has to a large extent changed the approach to Public Relations. We have a relatively new and young audience that we need to face in the coming years so there are bigger challenges for brands and PR practitioners, who have to be more agile and proactive in their thinking to draw up business solutions for clients.In our exclusive weekly column, PR Conversation, Adgully interacts with leading business leaders to gain their exclusive views and insights on various trends in the PR and communications industry.In an exclusive conversation with Adgully, Akanksha Jain, Assistant Vice President ?Çô PR and Communications, Swiggy, discusses her transition to the foodtech industry, key PR strategies, and the evolving role of communications in a content-saturated digital space. She shares insights on maintaining brand consistency, crisis communication, integrating CSR into Swiggy?ÇÖs PR efforts, leveraging data analytics to drive impactful campaigns, and more.You have recently joined Swiggy as Assistant Vice President ?Çô PR and Communications. How has the transition been so far, and what excites you the most about working with a leading player in the food delivery space?Foodtech is a fast-paced and highly evolving space and it has been an exciting journey in the last 3+ months. Swiggy has a team of very talented and dynamic professionals and the scope of PR and Communications is immense. The agile work culture and razor-sharp focus on the brand purpose is what is exciting and I look forward to building positive and impactful narratives for the brand.Swiggy has evolved into a household name in India. What are the key strategies that you?ÇÖre focusing on to enhance Swiggy?ÇÖs PR and communications efforts, and how do you ensure they align with the brand?ÇÖs mission?I am focusing on building an integrated communications strategy ?Çô one that leverages paid, owned, earned and digital media to communicate the stories across all kinds of stakeholders, including restaurant partners, consumers, delivery partners and investors. Today, reputation building needs a 360 degree approach ?Çô one that leverages various channels, and communicates/ connects with various audiences across a wide range of touch points. My objective is to build an impactful reputation management strategy so as to build Swiggy as one of the most trusted new-age brands in the country ?Çô one that is committed to make a positive impact.Today, the communications strategy is not complete without having a digital leg to it. With the digital space flooded with content, how can a communications professional ensure your brand message stands out, maintains consistency, and keeps audiences engaged across platforms?We are living in a digitally connected world where brands are fighting to get the attention of the customers, who are mostly overloaded with information across channels. For brands, having a distinct messaging that is consistent across channels is key to building a cohesive narrative and ensuring a higher brand recall. Here are some recommendations on how a communications pro can cut through the noise and keep their brand message shining:Know Your Audience Inside and Out: It is important to have an in-depth understanding of your audience- which platforms they prefer, what content works for them, what are their challenges etc. Also, brands should invest in active listening - monitor social media tools, read reviews and engage in conversations to better understand the customers?ÇÖ sentiment.Content is King, But Context is Queen: Tailor content for a specific platform. Understand the nuances of each platform and create content that resonates with its users. Leverage various formats of content- videos, images, infographics, stories etc to keep the audience engaged. Also, it is important to create valuable, consumable and informative content that resonates with the audience.Consistency is Key: Ensure your messaging is aligned to the brand tone and overall brand vision and purpose. In order to build trust and brand credibility, consistency in messaging is essential.Engage: The era of one-way communication is over. Today, brands need to be interactive and open to feedback from consumers. They are expected to be responsive and solve any issues that customers highlight quickly. Also, they should participate in conversations to build better relationships with the audience. It is also important to keep track of the engagement metrics to better understand what is working and what is not, and revisit the approach accordingly.The PR industry often requires quick action, especially in crisis situations. How do you handle crisis communication, and what?ÇÖs your approach to ensuring a brand maintains trust and transparency during challenging times?Crisis communication is a critical aspect of any communications strategy, and it requires a delicate balance of speed, accuracy, and empathy. Here?ÇÖs how I approach crisis communication to help brands maintain trust and transparency during challenging times:Preparation is Key: It is important to be prepared for a crisis before it hits you. A crisis communication plan with key stakeholders, channels and processes to be followed needs to be defined well in advance. Also, it is recommended to identify potential risks for a brand and develop strategies to mitigate the same. Also, it is good to establish strong relationships with media outlets, influencers, and other stakeholders who can help the brand communicate effectively during a crisis.Act Quickly and Decisively: In times of crisis, time is critical. In case of a crisis, the Communications team should gather all the facts and information before deciding on the communication approach and messaging.Be transparent: We live in the times of social media and it is advisable that brands do not hide or ignore a crisis. In case of a mistake, brands should acknowledge the same promptly, express empathy and also talk about the corrective measures being put into place to ensure that it does not happen again. If your brand is at fault, take responsibility and apologize sincerely. Avoid making excuses or blaming others.Leverage stakeholders and brand handles to control the narrative: Communication teams should focus on controlling the narrative. An identified spokesperson can be used to speak to the media and reinforce the brand message. Also, brand channels like the website and social media should be leveraged to share the message with a larger set.Before Swiggy, you?ÇÖve worked in PR roles across several sectors, including at BharatPe, VLCC, and MobiKwik. How have your experiences at these companies shaped your approach to PR and corporate communications strategy?I have worked across a wide range of sectors during my professional journey of 18+ years. These include technology, e-commerce, SMEs, retail and manufacturing, and fintech. Having worked in different industries gives me insights into the unique perspectives, needs, and motivations of various kinds of audiences. This also enables me to tailor the communication strategies and messages to resonate with specific groups and in turn, drive impactful campaigns.It has been more than a decade that I have worked with new-age companies and I have a great rapport with senior journalists, influencers and other Key Opinion Leaders across diverse backgrounds.Additionally, diverse experience has enabled me to see the bigger picture and understand how different industries and trends interconnect. This knowledge, in turn, helps me develop more strategic and holistic Reputation campaigns.My extensive exposure to various forms of challenging situations and crises has helped me keep a cool head in any situation. I have a problem solving approach to challenges and crises which works well.Also, having held various portfolios beyond PR and Communications and working with the best of leaders in the industry, I have an in-depth understanding of new-age tools of reputation building and management as well as driving thought leadership for brands.In your previous roles, you handled CSR initiatives as well. How do you integrate CSR into Swiggy?ÇÖs PR strategy, and what role do you believe CSR plays in enhancing the brand?ÇÖs public image?I used to lead the CSR mandate at BharatPe and a couple of other organizations in the past. CSR is an important element in the overall PR strategy as the customers today prefer brands who have a clear purpose and are committed to making social impact.In my view, CSR dovetails well with the overall reputation building for a brand. It is a great medium to reinforce the brand purpose and showcase how the brand is committed to empowering lives/ doing good to the society and not only there to sell its products.In my previous stints, I had spearheaded and forged partnerships with government bodies/ initiatives that synced well with the overall brand purpose. This helped us further build on the brand purpose and position the brand as a trusted name in the industry ?Çô one that is committed to making a positive impact to the society at large.Also, one can leverage various forms of content as well as brands?ÇÖ social channels to showcase real-life stories of how the brands?ÇÖ CSR initiatives are making an impact on the ground. This can go a long way in enhancing the brands?ÇÖ public image.Data has become integral in shaping marketing and PR strategies. How do you leverage data analytics to enhance decision-making in PR campaigns, and what key metrics do you consider most important in measuring success?Data is key to devise PR strategies in today?ÇÖs times. There are numerous ways in which we can leverage data analytics to enhance decision making in PR campaigns. These include:Real-time monitoring: Real-time monitoring helps understand the impact of a news announcement. Also, during a crisis, data analytics helps monitor online conversations and sentiment to understand public reaction and adjust communication strategies accordingly.Sentiment analysis: This is very effective both in case of a big positive announcement or a crisis. Sentiment analysis helps one understand how the positive announcement is faring across social channels (is it generating positive conversations or not). In case of a crisis, sentiment analysis over a period of time helps to understand better if the crisis communication strategy is working well.Content performance: Data on website traffic, social media engagement, and response to various forms of content helps understand which types of content resonate most with your audience.Share of Voice (SOV): Data helps measure your brand's SOV compared to competitors, identifying areas for improvement in media outreach.Measuring influencer impact: Tracking metrics like website traffic, social media engagement, and conversions helps assess the effectiveness of influencer collaborations.Some of the metrics that I have considered in the past are campaign effectiveness, messaging impact, sentiment analysis, social media engagement (reach/ impressions, etc.), impact on downloads/ website traffic, and a comprehensive metric that takes into account publication type/ reach/ circulation/ and messaging effectiveness.
