'If you have a meaningful story to tell, it will find its way to your audience'

Aanchal Jain has been elected to the list of achievers under ‘e4m PR & Corporate Communications 40 under 40' second list. Jain has over 13 years of rich and prolific exposure in the realm of strategic communication, internal and external communications, and media relations. She had been serving as General Manager & Head - Corporate Communications at Max Bupa Connect Message when the recognition came calling.  

In the latest edition of ‘e4m Next Gen Series’, Jain speaks to us about her inclusion in the 40 under 40 list, future trends, qualities of a good leader, her future plans, and more.

Edited Excerpts:-

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

It is an absolute honour to be a part of the coveted list and at the same time serves as an urge to do more for the industry that we are all a part of. I extend my whole-hearted gratitude to the entire e4m family for the felicitation.

What are the key skills required in the prevailing market?

PR is evolving really fast as an industry. PR cannot be pursued in silos and depends on an ecosystem- a pool that you create with the brand, journalists, influencers, and the public or consumers. Digital has taken off in a really big way due to the lockdown, so consumers are hooked onto the internet for even longer. Hence, as a PR professional you need to be agile, aware, adaptable, and be aware of the ecosystem you operate in. What is your story and how will you take it to your audience who is also being targeted by so many other brands, is something one should always think about. 

What are the qualities that a leader should possess?

A leader, irrespective of the industry, should be people oriented. If those who you lead, are the ones who connect well with you, you will always find success as a team. A leader should recognise the unique strengths of his or her team and optimize them. When I started out in the industry, I met a few leaders who helped me learn to identify and hone my individual skill sets which have held me in good stead. Also, a good leader shouldn’t be intimidated by a talented team, but only be further motivated by it to evolve, learn, and unlearn.

What trends have you witnessed in the past 10 months in the PR and Corp Comm domain?

The one thing that remains unchanged is the fact that if you have a meaningful story to tell, it will find its way to your audience. So it’s extremely important to get your narrative right. Understand your industry and invest time in shaping the right PR messaging, before you approach the press. I believe good PR professionals always do that and this helps you foster meaningful relationships with the media. 

So, while digital is where all attention is and the tools of storytelling evolve, getting the right messaging is sacrosanct. Now brands do understand the demarcation between advertising and PR and also the purpose that each of them serves. At the same time, you cannot always make that distinction basis paid or unpaid media as the lines are slowly blurring. Branded content across many companies is a joint effort by PR and marketing teams. It continues to be a challenge to clear metrics for PR linked to business outcomes. While there are measures to evaluate outcomes, clear linkage to sales and business is still not there which at times hinders the decision making when it comes to big PR spends. 

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

It is an ongoing process and a lot of people are building their expertise in digital marketing. But when it comes to digital PR, you need to ensure how to get the message right, know your influencers and the tool. It is a hybrid integrated model that will exist as we go along and hence all PR professionals need to embrace digital tools and platforms. 

According to you, what innovations will reshape the PR and Corp Comm industry?

Tailor-made PR approach will work better in the future vis a vis a cookie-cutter approach where one can just promise a press briefing or a release to get the right outcome. Maybe both of these are not needed, it might just be that you need to organise a tweet chat or a podcast to get your point across. 

The second will be that media is not your only influencer - they are a host of them and once you know who they are, you can win the battle of perception. 

How will this recognition by e4m add value to your profile and the communications industry at large?

This recognition made me also get a chance to connect with so many industry peers who have done some outstanding work in recent times. So it has really helped me see and appreciate good work that is happening in the industry, besides encouraging me enormously to stretch my boundaries and do new and different things. The industry needs to be celebrated for its contribution to brands, marketing efforts. Platforms like E4M are a great way to showcase the efforts of the industry. 

What are your future plans?

I plan to always be a part of the industry that has given me so much and helped me evolved as a professional. I plan to now get into the Policy Communications space and explore working with new sectors to further hone my skills as a corporate communications professional.