Sail through COVID times with compassion: Mukesh Kharbanda, Fuzion PR

COVID-19 has shaken the businesses including communication Industry. On one end we see salaries being restructured & layoffs happening and on the other, there is huge pressure on mental health. We engaged with someone whose mantra to run his consultancy firm has always been ‘compassion’.

Mukesh Kharbanda, Managing Director, Fuzion PR Pvt. Ltd., is considered a synonym to Regional PR in India and has been at the forefront to increase the role and scope of regional communications. His belief in the potential of regional India and vision to explore dimensions of PR beyond metros in India, has to lead his regional communication firm Fuzion PR Pvt. Ltd. to be one of the strongest and most trusted regional PR firms in the country. He still swears by the word and says sailing through COVID would be much easier if we all could follow it in the true sense of the word.

An interaction with Mukesh Kharbanda on his journey, how COVID has impacted the communications industry, tackling the corona crisis and more.

Edited Excerpts:-

When did you start your organization and how has the journey been so far? 

While I was interning with a national PR firm in Delhi after my post-graduation, I observed a gap in the requirement of strategic PR services beyond metros and an un-organized communication industry in regional India. In 2009, that was the time when brands had also started realizing the importance of regional geography of our diverse country. That is when the inception of this idea of having a PR firm focussed on regional communication came into being and 'Fuzion PR Pvt. Ltd.' was formed. It has been a decade and we have seen an unbelievable transition in the role and scope of regional PR in India. What started with just a team of 3, today stands at 70+ team members across the country and 14 company-owned offices.

 How do you think COVID has impacted the communications industry and what lies ahead?

All businesses are impacted, irrespective of their size and stature. There has been uncertainty around the economy and it is not going away anytime soon. Industries, where physical presence is not needed(like ours), are impacted less, but the ones that can’t function without physical presence/contact have suffered a drastic hit. Health has suddenly become the topmost priority for those who can survive with impacted earnings but sadly they are at max 10-15% of our population. For others, the struggle to make both ends meet remains the foremost consideration.

For the communication industry, there are two things we really need to understand.

1. Brands we work for are going through a much bigger crisis and all communication consultants (Employees and Employers alike) need to let that sink in. This is the time for us to show our relationships hold substance and stand by our clients, irrespective of the financial transactional relationship. I am sure if the relationship has been mutually beneficial and genuine at both ends, brands would also understand the pressures their agencies/consultants are going through and they will hold your ground for you.
2. Impact on our Industry has probably been a fraction of what it has been to travel, tourism, event management, hospitality and many more. We can still try to sail through in much better shape. It is time for employees to question their loyalty and for employers to question their purpose. True relationships always outlast testing times and I am sure that will be the case here too. We will have a couple of bad quarters, maybe a little more but eventually things will be back on track and we would be discussion growth and prosperity.

What is your strategy to tackle the crisis all businesses are going through in these troubled times?

Compassion and adaptability. Being able to adapt to unforeseen and constantly changing environment is the most essential element of sailing through these times with minimal impact, but compassion is what will help us sail through with a smile. More than ever, we need to be compassionate towards our team members, clients and other external partners & stakeholders. Understanding what others are going through in their personal lives amidst this professional uncertainty is what we all need to be cognizant of. Being compassionate towards each other will not only help us support each other but also help in keeping our own sanity in these troubled times.

We will discuss scenarios as pre-COVID and post-COVID in the times to come. Organizations will be known by the way they behave during COVID crisis with internal and external stakeholders and it will define the future journey to a great extent.

What one business philosophy you swear by always and continues to be the case in crisis times?

Let the relationships grow: Nothing else matters in the long run. If you have people you can bank on and if those people can bank on you, as your clients/team members/associates, you are home. Has been the case always and will continue to be, irrespective of challenges and times we are in.

Any advice to young professionals who were about to enter the PR/Communications field or the ones who are fairly new?

Leaders and mentors need to reassure them constantly. Communication is the most vital function in brand building and it will sustain forever. Tools and domains can change but the industry will continue to grow irrespective of these challenges. At the same time, we all would need to move from painting a rosy picture to holding a mirror in our hands. It is sad that some of these professionals are starting their career in a time when there is uncertainty around. Some might have to wait for their much-awaited appraisals and some even might have to wait a little longer to celebrate their first day at work. They would need to be optimistic despite the negative news around. As the saying goes, ‘change is the only constant’. This too will change and soon we will celebrate numerous industry success stories with these future leaders.