Hisense India – a subsidiary of the Hisense Group, a global leader in consumer electronics and home appliances with a presence in over 160 countries has appointed Adfactors PR, India’s largest public relations firm, as its strategic communications partner. The collaboration aims to help Hisense Group improve its market visibility and elevate the brand credibility in India, which is one of the fastest-growing consumer electronics markets in the world.The PR responsibilities will focus on driving impactful and innovative media communications and amplifying influencer engagement across India. It will also strengthen Hisense India’s thought leadership on global consumer electronics trends and smart technology integration, while highlighting the brand’s product innovations and category expansion initiatives.Capitalising on Adfactors PR’s extensive national presence, the communication will aim to position Hisense as a household name across India. This is especially crucial as Hisense India looks to accelerate its offline expansion through partnerships with major retail chains nationwide, while gearing up for a series of new product introductions and category launches. These endeavours will be supported by integrated PR campaigns to drive awareness, build consumer trust, and strengthen market presence.Hisense India CEO Pankaj Rana said, “The consumer electronics market in India is highly competitive, with demand growing steadily due to rising disposable incomes, increased internet penetration, a tech-savvy youth population, and an expanding middle-class. In this dynamic landscape, effective brand storytelling is essential. Partnering with Adfactors PR gives us the right partner to shape and share our story. With strategic media communication, we are on the right track to building proximity with consumers across India, aligning our brand promise with their evolving aspirations.”Adfactors PR Director Samir Kapur said, “Hisense India and Adfactors PR share a common vision of seeking to understand customer needs and working towards addressing these. We are delighted to partner with Hisense, a globally-recognised leader in the smart television category, and look forward to supporting its journey towards becoming one of the most trusted and admired brands in the Indian consumer electronics space through impactful and modern business communication.” 

In an era where a social media post can spiral into a PR nightmare, crisis communication has become a core brand function?Çönot a contingency plan. At the 5th edition of IMAGEXX Summit & Awards 2025 in Delhi, hosted by Adgully and The PR Post, brand leaders came together for an insightful conversation on real-time reputation management. In the fireside chat, titled ?ÇÿReputation Reloaded: Building Trust & Brand Value in an Era of Hyper-Transparency?ÇÖ, industry experts shared actionable insights on navigating communication challenges in today?ÇÖs high-stakes, always-on media landscape. Chaired by Nandini Chatterjee, Chief Corporate Brand and Communications, Shree Cement, the esteemed panellists included: Amit Nanchahal, Head ?Çô Corporate Communications, India and South Asia, PepsiCo IndiaSamir Kapur, Director, Adfactors PR Shree Cement: Balancing Truth and AgilityNandini Chatterjee opened the discussion by addressing the risks of real-time scrutiny. ?Ç£Anything the brand does is seen, shared, and judged. One wrong step and it can explode,?Ç¥ she said. She highlighted that audiences today expect instant responses, while legal clearances and fact-checking slow things down. ?Ç£Being agile and truthful is a job by itself,?Ç¥ she noted. Chatterjee also cited a recent Meltwater report that showed while 33% of consumers discover brands on TV, 31% do so on social networks?Çöyet 50% research them on social platforms. ?Ç£It?ÇÖs no longer the time of SEO, but GEO?ÇöGenerational Engine Optimization,?Ç¥ she added. Adfactors PR: Crisis Can Be Prevented in Calm TimesSamir Kapur emphasized two key principles?Çölistening and speed. ?Ç£You need to listen everywhere?Çönot just Google or news, but also Glassdoor and Reddit. That?ÇÖs where early signals emerge,?Ç¥ he said. Kapur cautioned brands not to wait for perfection. ?Ç£Perfect hair is the enemy. If you wait too long for legal or perfect statements, the narrative will shift, and someone else will control it.?Ç¥ When asked about brand readiness in non-crisis periods, Kapur shared: ?Ç£Reputation isn?ÇÖt just for crisis moments. Most brands ignore signs during quiet times thinking ?Çÿit?ÇÖs not broken, so no need to fix it.?ÇÖ That?ÇÖs when they lose the chance to prepare.?Ç¥ He referred to an Indian edtech company that ignored employee concerns and consumer complaints during growth phases. ?Ç£When the crisis hit, it erupted because they didn?ÇÖt act when the indicators were visible.?Ç¥ PepsiCo India: Purpose Builds Trust Before the CrisisAmit Nanchahal shared how PepsiCo India approaches corporate reputation with a long-term view. ?Ç£We have an always-on strategy. You can?ÇÖt wait for a crisis to start telling your story?Çöyou need to build trust constantly,?Ç¥ he said. Nanchahal clarified misconceptions: ?Ç£We are not just Pepsi?Çöwe are PepsiCo with 12-13 brands including Lay?ÇÖs and Quaker. Not many know we work with 27,000 farmers across 14 states.?Ç¥ He highlighted how Lay?ÇÖs purpose-led campaigns have won four Khadi awards for work with farming communities. ?Ç£That kind of consistent engagement helps when a crisis does come. People remember the good work,?Ç¥ he said. Reflecting on his early days at PepsiCo, he shared: ?Ç£I came from Ola, which had its fair share of crises. I thought PepsiCo would be smooth. But in my first month, I handled a major issue with Lay?ÇÖs. What helped us was the narrative we had already built and the long-term plan we had in place.?Ç¥ ?Nanchahal concluded with a powerful reminder: ?Ç£Trust isn?ÇÖt built during the crisis?Çöit?ÇÖs tested during one.?Ç¥