Digital collaboration is the step forward: Chaittali Dave, Nucleus PR

The second batch of ‘e4m PR and Corporate Communications 40 under 40’ saw a conglomeration of leaders from the industry who have not only shaped the future of communications but also made a benchmark of innovation and adaptability for others to follow. So, ‘e4m PR and Corp Comm Next Gen Series’ aims to celebrate the win of such communications professionals. In the first episode, we talk to Chaittali Dave, PR Manager, Nucleus PR who shared her thoughts on being in the elite list, key skills required, trends that shaped up the industry and more.

Edited Excerpts:-

How do you feel being a part of the elite list?

I am truly grateful and humbled to be recognised by e4m as one of the '40 under 40' PR & Corporate Communications professionals in India. It's a pleasure to be a part of the list with other fellow young leaders who are paving the way for the growth of the communications industry by breaking the glass ceiling.

It is commendable that industry-renowned platforms like e4m are giving the chance to the PR and Corp Comm industry to be recognised. PR professionals are always ‘behind the scenes’ kind of people. This is also the reason that a lot of brands don’t understand or are unable to acknowledge the power of PR and the expertise of its professionals. We don’t really do PR for the PR industry.

What are the key skills required in the prevailing market?

Communications professionals have to be extremely adaptive to changes. Along with exceptional storytelling, they should be well versed with their clients’ businesses and updated with everyday news. Digital transformation has created a need to be technologically sound and good with data and analytics as well.

What trends have you witnessed in the past 10 months in the PR and corp comm domain?

The last few months have been very interesting for the communications industry as we saw a lot of changes happening. With lots of new mediums arising and changing economic conditions have shifted the focus from traditional PR to more strategic one!

1. Digital PR – with multiple media shutting down and a lot of them shifting to digital-only medium, we saw an incredible focus on digital PR. This is definitely the future as we will see many mainstream publications also shifting to digital medium.
2. Influencers marketing – this has been growing and becoming more organised. We have been witnessing positive upsurge in influencer marketing and it is here to stay and grow.

What are the qualities that you see in a leader?

Well, according to me, a good leader is someone who is always ready to learn, is a good listener, is down to earth, be approachable and work as a team member. Giving that benefit of doubt to your team members is necessary.

How technologically ready and skilled are the PR and Corp Comm professionals to move to the next level of digitisation?

I believe that we are technologically ready to go fully virtual in the prevailing landscape. Being data strong and technologically adept is the need of the hour.

According to you, what innovations will reshape the PR and corp comm industry?

Biggest innovation is Collaborations. Digital collaborations will further be amplified in the times to come.

How has the sentiment of the industry changed over 10 years? Where will the industry head the future?

The PR Industry has changed drastically over the past 10 years, right from Media Space to pitching to the journalist. While the love for traditional media is still strong among some sectors, future media outreach plans will see a drastic reduction in dependence on this medium. For the last decade or so, PR professionals have been encouraging clients to go digital because we all agreed that was the future. The evolution of media trends all over the world also confirmed this theory. 

Be calm and practice patience, be consistent, read newspapers, be informed, be ready for upskilling.