‘Recognitions like these, especially early on in my career nudge me to keep going’

The exchange4media PR and Corp Comm’s 30 Under 30 Awards identifies next-generation leaders in the PR and corporate communications industry. It honours some of the brightest professionals, entrepreneurs, game changers and achievers of the industry under the age of 30.  

The ‘30 Under 30 series’ features the winners who share their experiences, trends they have observed in the domain and where they see themselves in the next five years.

In today’s series, we speak to Aastha Anand, Senior Account Executive, On Purpose.

Excerpts:

How does it feel to be recognised and honoured for your contribution to the industry?

It always feels great to be appreciated. The last two years have been overwhelming (for all of us). Sailing through different waves of a global pandemic, standing at the cusp of a climate emergency, and adjusting to working from home, there have been moments where one doubts their career choices and the bigger purpose of everything. Recognitions like these, especially early on in my career nudge me to keep going and reinstills the faith “kuch toh theek kar rahi hu”.

What are the key trends that you have noticed in the past year in the PR and Corp Comm domain?

The audience connects with brands that stand for something, and can see through purpose washing. The audience today is smarter, more aware, more woke, more vocal, and more sensitive. It’s the most fun and the riskiest time for digital PR. In today’s digital age, a small tweet can snowball into a boycott trend and a bad PR move can cause a company’s stocks to plummet drastically or lead to a huge strata of audience permanently boycotting a brand. There is no rule book to follow and no one-size-fits-all strategy. For brands to be relevant, they need to have a personality of their own and be vocal about the causes they support.

What is that one industry lesson/ experience that you will carry with you throughout your career?

Deliver with numbers: Learning from my experience in this industry (a little over 3 years now), documentation and measurement of impact are a necessity. In my opinion, a good campaign is incomplete without quantifying the impact created. Not only the results, but data-driven insights also make a solid foundation for building a new campaign.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

Professionally, I see myself growing into a happier, more confident version of myself in the next 5 years who takes guest lectures in colleges on communications for social change. I’d love to showcase the case study of my work which would have won a Cannes Lion.

On the personal front, Aastha in 2027:

• Has published her first fiction novel and is writing the second one 

• Has managed to go on all trips she planned and has now seen all states in India (now throws darts at the map and goes on international trips) 

• Has learnt how to make NFTs of the zen doodles she was creating in 2022 and made it a side hustle