Arati Mukerji, Head-Consumer Communications, India and South West Asia, Motorola Mobile Devices

As Head of Consumer Communications for India and South West Asia for Motorola Mobile Devices, Arati Mukerji is responsible for strategising; developing and implementing communications programmes to enable Motorola maintain high visibility across the region. She is a part of the core team that is currently affecting a brand turnaround for region.

Mukerji has a 15-year experience as communications expert. From late 1993 to 2000, she was with IPAN, and actively counselled Cisco Systems, Oracle Software, Nokia Mobile Phones, HCL Group, NIIT and Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT), among others. In July 2000, she joined the international public relations team of Lucent Technologies. In October 2001, she had joined Avaya GlobalConnect, the erstwhile Tata Telecom, where she headed corporate communications, and was responsible for brand positioning and evolving integrated marketing strategies. She also worked with industry analysts to assess emerging market trends and financial analyst communications programmes.

Prior to Motorola, Mukerji was Assistant Vice President-Corporate Affairs at STAR India where her primary focus was corporate marketing, media relations and industry relations.

In this conversation with exchange4media’s Pallavi Goorha, Mukerji talks about the importance of corporate communications, the nuances of public relations, and more. Excerpts:

Q. Essentially, what is the key communication plank for Motorola?

At Motorola, we follow a 360-degree approach to communications for great impact and brand resonance for consumer reaction. Each communication tool plays a pivotal role in the entire communications programme for the relevant output.

Q. Coming to broader issues, where would you say the PR industry stands today?

The PR industry has evolved phenomenally over the last two decades. We have come a long way and helped establish the profession as a core function. I think that is creditable for the stalwarts of this industry who have nurtured and helped it evolve to its current stature. But we have a long way to go. We are all ‘agents of change’ in the information age.

Q. How do you think has the PR industry evolved over the years?

Though fragmented, the PR industry has evolved steadily over the years. Today, senior managements across sectors are realising the impact and credibility that PR offers to the organisation. It is a very young, home grown and dynamic industry in India wherein the role of PR has evolved from being a very simple media relations function to an integral part of the communications programme, straddling across target audiences and business functions.

These are exciting times for the PR industry in India. The Internet offers new media opportunities; communication to audiences is becoming very specific and niche. In this scenario, organisations are relying more and more on the PR function to build credible brand perceptions. In fact, there are in-house PR departments today whereby PR professionals are engaged in advance during business strategy evolution, for making greater impact to an organisation’s 360-degree communications programme.

Additionally, with the arrival of multinational companies and international PR agencies in India, the PR industry here has moved a step forward towards imbibing international best practices, giving it its credence.

Interestingly, the PR industry in other parts of the world, like in the UK and the US, has evolved into a more organised fraternity. In fact, the UK’s PR industry brings out a study on the economic significance of the PR industry. These indices go a long way in highlighting the importance of the function. The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) has just completed its annual four-day conference debating on issues such as campaigning on YouTube; the ROI of one’s communication campaign; video blogging to build brand reputation; new media; how to survive in the new consumer-driven media world; and strategic blogging for successful marketing, among others. I think all these are challenges that the entire industry faces globally. The PR industry in India needs to proactively address these challenging issues for itself to take the industry to a higher plane.

Q. What, according to you, is the outlook of PR in India and globally? What are the new developments taking place in the field of PR? What about the future challenges?

PR in India is strong. Corporates are soon realising the true value of low cost and high impact that PR lends. However, there are a few key challenges that the industry needs to address to leapfrog into the next level. The Internet Age is ensuring a faster information flow. The managements are thus raising concerns about where the next issue will spring from. Digital technologies are fuelling a culture that values individual voices over institutional ones. The challenge is to find ways to connect with stakeholders that make an impact and are credible to build meaningful relationships.

Media is transforming into a multitude of channels. The new wave of ‘citizen journalism’ is catching up. Blogging is growing dramatically, and currently, an almost barren territory is available for communications.

Business is evolving into a ‘conversation’. With audiences coalescing in forums such as blogs, the PR industry could create a whole new form of communication. Connecting with these audiences on blogs such as Orkut, Facebook, YouTube will become absolutely imperative – an almost green pasture for exploration with may be just the right audiences the PR function will need to reach out to. An offshoot of this kind of social networking will be the evolution of the ‘social brand’ and niche communications for niche segments.

Although organisations are following the ‘global’ approach to communications, the local relevance will continue to play a crucial role in the success of any campaign. As more local flavour is visible, more people will connect with the brand.

Measurement also poses a big challenge for the PR industry today. In the absence of a clear measurement tool to see the benefit that the function lends to an organisation, the industry needs to answer many questions on return on investment. Even though there are several challenges, the PR industry is poised to grow and grow dramatically.

Q. Would you agree that PR is primarily considered as only media relations? How can the industry move away from this common belief?

An effective communication plan is developed with the objective of addressing an organisation’s business goals, utilising a varied range of communication tools. PR plays an integral role in the development of a company’s reputation or perceived brand value through a proactive approach.

I think today corporate communicators and PR professionals have demonstrated the value that they bring to the organisation. Hence, they are moving beyond just media relations. Even though the primary function encompasses media relations to a large extent, the function is expanding to other areas such as analyst relations, industry relations, crisis management, etc. Developing holistic plans are a necessity for your value to be perceived well by the organisation.

One of the earliest definitions of PR created by Edward Berneys says this very succinctly, ‘Public relations is a management function which tabulates public attitudes, defines policies, procedures and interests of an organisation followed by executing a programme of action to earn public understanding and acceptance.’

Q. What has been your most exciting experience?

One of the most exciting experiences has been working to effect a brand turnaround at Motorola, wherein one of the key challenges we had to address was to get the consumer to be excited enough to go to our stores. I think we have come a long way in this journey and transformed the brand today to one of the leading telecom brands in the country. Our ads have created excitement, the products have resonated the cool ‘Moto-experience’, and our Motostores take consumers to an all-new level of mobile purchase experience. And, for all this, PR has been integral.

In one of my earlier assignments, another instance was when we changed the brand identity of Tata Telecom to Avaya Global Connect. The challenge was to communicate the change while maintaining all relationships – internal and external. We had a lot of fun activities for the internal communications programme to highlight the ‘fun’ ahead, and used awe-inspiring creative concepts to reach out to external audiences through direct mail, advertisements, meetings, events, etc. Truly challenging and exciting!

Q. How important is corporate communications for a company like Motorola?

PR has demonstrably played, and continues to play a pivotal role at Motorola. It has helped transform a fundamentally technology brand into a strong consumer brand. One of the key challenges we faced when I joined the organisation’s mobile devices business in early 2006 was to use PR as a tool for buzz creation in the Indian market. And I am happy to share the fact that PR has effectively built the brand image of Motorola Mobile Devices. I think in these 18 months, we have effectively used PR as a tool to connect with our consumers and build a cool, youthful, spirited brand image.

We have used every opportunity to communicate to our stakeholders to ensure consistent visibility. We have portrayed a global brand with a strong Indian complexion. For instance, we have created tremendous buzz with our very own ‘Motostar’ Abhishek Bachchan. The launch event of the Motostar was a grand success, and then we had the ad with an angry-looking Abhishek for being beaten by the MotoSLVR, which got covered extensively by almost all electronic channels and print publications. We have also ensured that all our product launches offer a unique experience to create a ‘wow’ experience.

In fact, at the RAZR2 launch event, we specially flew in the traditional black light theatre troupe from Prague and coupled that with the unveiling of the handset by our senior leadership and Abhishek Bachchan. Then, we had Kareena Kapoor launching MotoPEBL; Soha Ali Khan launched the MotoRAZR V3i Dolce & Gabbana and the flagship Motostore, to name a few. We’ve interspersed all these big events with other announcements spanning distribution, etc., and continuing to be consumer friendly while maintaining business focus.

PR has played a crucial role for Motorola in this turnaround phase. Now that we have become a strong telecom brand, our next challenge is to take the PR programme to a higher level in generating excitement among audiences. We are working towards this end through exciting range of new products, coupled with unique features on our handsets, as well as bringing in useful and easy-to-use accessories for Indian consumers.

Q. As a communication person, would you say handling a consumer durable or lifestyle product, or brand is a simpler task and perhaps more exciting?

Each brand comes with its own challenges and excitements. The responsibility is the same with every brand and the industry that it operates in. But, yes, excitement is higher in a telecom or technology brand as the industry is in fast track mode.