'Omnichannel communications and multimedia content are the way to your audience’s heart’

Today, data has become vital for communication. A good communicator should have the potential to understand, grasp and translate data into strategic actions. Although the industry veteran and emerging potential leaders have been successful in implementing the same, there are some challenges that have become unavoidable.

In a conversation with e4m, Valerie Pinto, CEO, Weber Shandwick, emphasises the significance of data and virtual reality in the field of communications.

Excerpts:

Today, where every professional is inclined towards the virtual world, how important it is to maintain face-to-face relationships/communication with clients?

The future is a hybrid, from work to client relationships, everything has evolved to become a balance of virtual & personal. It is the same balance that is key to successful relationships with clients and partners.

Virtual interactions have boomed, triggered by the pandemic setting pace for digitalisation. Facebook’s rebrand to Meta also shows the pull of the metaverse, which seems to be a medium gaining widespread acceptance. Far from being the preserve of games and communication, virtual reality (VR) is also proving its chops in all fields. The future will definitely be an evolved one, that encompasses all of this.

That being said the human quotient of a relationship cannot be overlooked or replaced by anything in the virtual world. Face-to-face meetings are not mere interactions, but a way of understanding nuances of how a business and its individuals function and deciphering how that translates into servicing clients better. Such engagement is key to building trust between the client and the servicing teams, and the bond goes a long way on difficult days.

After using the amalgamation of digital and traditional practices, what has been the success ratio for agencies?

I think omnichannel communications and multimedia content are the way to your audience’s heart. Modern customers prefer to interact and communicate through multiple channels and the advent of the pandemic has only strengthened that need. People are now clamouring for convenience and want everything accessible in one go. A successful communications plan is all about meeting your customers where they are on the customer journey.

At the rate at which the world is evolving, it is only understandable that communications professionals also need to seize the moment & the platform to ensure their message reaches their audience. While traditional media stays, it is key to tap into newer spaces to ensure the success of a strategy, align it with the perfect medium and what Weber Shandwick calls creating a “media choreography”.

With the idea of building immersive campaigns, AR is also taking centre stage in communications strategy. The experiential element that AR adds to communication imprints the minds of consumers and leaves them with a long-lasting impression of a brand. As the potential of social media continues to expand and immersive tech becomes a trend of the present, rather than the future. The work done for many of our clients in the recent past is a testament to the same, where VR has been the driving force for us.

What initiatives do you have in place to ensure and strengthen regional reach?

Think, act and react hyperlocal needs to be our motto right now. With the growing consumption likely to come from the next-gen in India, the goal should be to work on strategies that can connect the next billion. Our audience today are digital natives who interact with brands directly. Influencers are their sources of inspiration and define their preference for brands. Therefore, as communicators, we will need to rethink our strategy and outreach campaigns. We will need to think, act and react in a hyperlocal manner.

Regional media is also going digital and hence creating connections that can enable that shift will be critical. These markets have seen a strong rise of hyperlocal and nano influencers who cut through the noise with their advocacy and authenticity. Their voice is targeted to local demographics and audiences.  These influencers act as valuable information providers, who can directly impact buying patterns, thus a major method we have adopted would be to drive narratives through nano influencers. Tracking these influencers, driving a strong content strategy, and enabling engagement to increase brand awareness and connection are in my opinion, critical to cracking regional audiences.

How have new tools like data mining and data management helped professionals in data mitigation?

I feel data has exponentially become integral to communications. My key outlook right now is to ensure that as communicators we must have the ability to understand and absorb data and translate it into strategic actions. But that’s not all. I think it's crucial to communicate data correctly, to bridge the gap between those who work with data and the hardcore communicators of the world like you and me who sometimes struggle to make sense of the vast expanse of data presented to us.

One thing we need to start doing is to bring in data early in the planning process and learn to get rid of confirmation bias. Go from descriptive to prescriptive, from backward to forward facing with data as a planning tool. The intention is to use data to predict future challenges. The key is to change the planning process and bring in the data team right at the start to understand where the focus of the campaign should lie. Data can tell you who the audience is, and where the intersection between company and culture is.
 
Finally, it is about using the available tools and making them serve the purpose. With the help of tools, one must look at what is causing a positive sentiment and what is causing a negative sentiment - understand the extremes and then understand what will bring out these sentiments from the audiences, and curate your narrative accordingly.

As we deliver strong pitches backed up by data and information, leading organisations in India turn to Weber Shandwick to deliver a deeper impact. As client business models and communications methods adapt to new realities, we are uniquely suited to bring diverse talents, global insights, and pioneering instincts to deliver industry-defining work. 

How have PR agencies been successful in expanding their territorial reach in the advertising and marketing space? 

In the past, while PR would be integral to the success of marketing and advertising as it was isolated from the space. The present and the future are all about integration and collaboration. Which makes PR not only a part of the space but also closely knit to the process of strategising and ideating.

A huge part of being a communicator is also offering insights that are forward-looking. It is the amalgamation of the three verticals that truly bring a message to life. 

This year was a realisation for us to transform our approach to ensure successful communications which led us to say 'we are the in-culture communications agency'. What does that mean?

It means that we are designed to help brands and businesses create brave ideas that connect with people and shape culture. How do we do that? Using 4 practices that are our gospel:

Cultural intelligence – Shaping culture and knowing when culture enters the scenario. Not being bystanders but drivers of cultural conversations. The world has undergone an archetypal shift that has overhauled the way brands look at culture and attach themselves to it. We realize that everyone is talking and thinking about culture right now – that is why we believe fervently – that in-culture communications are the right approach to help clients meet this moment.

Brave ideas – Doing the unconventional but the needful. We are driven by courage & curiosity. Our focus is to build an inclusive firm and inhabit a culture of collaboration & adaptation to new technology & data insights.

Platform fluency – Knowing when and what platform is key to cracking & getting the narrative going.

Flawless media choreography –Expanding beyond media and leading the narrative. From geopolitical advisory, policy advocacy, social impact, investor communications, and employee communications to CXO strategy, we have expanded our current solutions for clients beyond just basic requirements.