'The new decade marks the new age of communication, led by disruption and innovation'

A traveller at heart with a deep love for the mountains, Nairita Ghosh, Corporate Communications Manager, Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) is among the professionals to be felicitated under the elite ‘e4m PR and Corporate Communications 40 under 40’. Ghosh is an enthusiastic communications professional with more than a decade of experience in creative content, design and strategy, and driving business goals.

In our latest episode of ‘e4m Next Gen Series’, we talk to Nairita Ghosh on her win, trends that kept the industry rolling, technological adaptations, future plans, and more.

Edited Excerpts:-

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

It is an absolute honour to be given this opportunity and to be a part of this elite list alongside so many talented industry stalwarts. It is a ray of sunshine and inspiration in an unprecedented year that has been tough on everyone. I truly believe that success is not a solo journey, and this award is a testament to my amazing mentors, colleagues, teams, and organization that is Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), who support and encourage me to put my best foot forward every single day.

I also want to extend a big thank you to the entire e4m team for organizing this prestigious award that not only recognizes the immense talent and hard work that makes our PR and communications industry but also inspires us to raise the bar further.

What are the key skills required in the prevailing market?

We reside in a dynamic world, where trends and consumer behavior change. Microtrends often rule the roost, and with digital and social media engagement on the rapid rise, one needs to be agile and innovative to create integrated communication strategies that are relevant for target audiences in real time.

Being constantly curious, up to date and aware of changing public sentiment and market dynamics while flexibly crafting one’s communication and marketing strategy across different platforms, all the while staying true to one’s core messaging and brand objective, are skills that are invaluable in today’s times.

What are the qualities that a leader should possess?

A leader should be many things – intelligent, strategic, visionary, innovative, collaborative, and adaptive to new trends among others. And while all leaders possess these attributes and more, all who possess them are not leaders.

Because, a leader, above and over everything else is empathetic and flexible. One who recognizes people’s strengths encourages them to utilize these strengths and inspires people to further enhance and improve their capabilities. One who effortlessly balances being a leader versus working with leaders while keeping the organization’s goals in mind at all times.

And most importantly, a leader not only leads from the front but is the solid foundation on which a team or organization’s success is built, through continued trust, loyalty and a sense of united oneness. Because a leader is only as strong as the team they lead.

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

2020 was a year that will go down in history as one that has altered life as we know it. Not only did it impact lives across the globe but also changed the way in which businesses operated and communicated with their stakeholders. It has been a year that has laid bare the importance of good, consistent, and emotional quotient-led (EQ) communication yet again – where brands and organizations connected with their audiences via conversations that were relatable and emotive, and reflected the ongoing tumultuous times with a hint of hope.

Digital and social media platforms overtook their traditional counterparts to become the sources of real-time global updates, a melting pot of socio-economic and political movements, and many times, the point of origin for the harbingers of change in 2020. Content across these platforms varied more widely, with people often turning to digital and social media platforms to connect and engage with others during these long months of isolation.

With trends indicating that people were increasingly spending more time on their devices to access digital, social media, and e-commerce platforms while confined at home, artificial intelligence and big data have played a significant role in the way brands and organizations crafted their campaigns. From niche targeting, developing targeted content for varied platforms to search engine optimization, data-driven insights have gained larger credence in the past months.

And most importantly, this has been a year that has marked the significance of crisis and reputation management for brands. It has been imperative for brands to not only retain their audiences’ trust but also manage their reputation and position as socially responsible organizations in these trying times.

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

As PR and communications professionals, understanding and being aware of the pulse of the communications landscape and ongoing trends is the key. While digitization has been expanding its scope rapidly in the past couple of years, 2020 was a year of reckoning, with digital platforms far overtaking traditional mediums to become the leading sources of content, information, and engagement.

And while PR and communications professionals will need to constantly keep learning and adapting, given the dynamic world we live in today, I believe that we have constantly matched steps with ongoing developments quite adeptly.

From seamlessly working from home, engaging with teams remotely to harnessing the power of influencer marketing and creating innovative insight and data-driven digital-first campaigns, digitization has led the communications industry this past year.

And as experts and professionals in this field, I believe that we are gunning to embrace the next wave of digitization and creativity with open arms.

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

The new decade marks the new age of communication, led by disruption and innovation. While the power of good storytelling will never lose its magic touch, it will increasingly be based on digitization.

From brand messaging led content to brand messaging shaped by artificial intelligence and data analytics, the next chapter of PR and communications will force organizations to relook at how they communicate, launch and market their products and services. From truly integrated marketing, digital, and communication strategies to hyper-focused campaigns designed to engage with a niche audience, insights based communication is here to lead the way.

The types of content one can create will explode further with live streaming, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) bridging the gap and creating a truly borderless world.

And weaving all of it together will be emotive, powerful storytelling – the crux of any and all good communication, today, tomorrow, and always.

What are your future plans?

A traveler at heart with a deep love for the mountains, a quote by author Hugh Thomson describing his journey to conquer the mighty Himalayas resonates with me deeply – “If mountains were just lumps of rocks there would be no point in climbing them, but they are the repository of dreams.”

This quote not only applies to my annual travels to the mountains to satiate my soul but is also pertinent to my professional life. I believe that success is a result of hard work and continuous efforts, and meeting one’s ambitions is an uphill journey – you have to keep climbing higher to achieve your dreams and reach new peaks of success.

I look forward to many more years of collaborating with teams across IHCL to continue elevating the communications strategy for the brand to help achieve the Company’s objectives successfully, in addition to strengthening the integrated marketing communications and digital communications strategy; thereby taking its iconic status to greater heights of visibility and recognition across the globe.

A life full of travel and new adventures - be it across the globe or in my career, is what I eagerly seek in the years to come.