It’s a relatively young industry and it’s maturing now. Increasingly, people are realising the value of PR and communication. The role of corporate communication needs to be developed and recognised more. It needs to trickle down to smaller companies as well. And the opportunities it provides are immense. Which other profile will give you the opportunity where you learn across all segments? It’s a very exciting and dynamic field.
Low profile and methodical, Ruchika Batra, is on the verge of completing a decade with Samsung India. Beginning her career in communications in 1991, Batra joined the PR firm, Good Relations in 1992. In September 1995, she joined the Corporate Communications department of Samsung. In June last year, she moved to Tata Motors in Mumbai, only to return to Samsung in March 2005 for her second stint with the Korean giant. Speaking with Sakshi Talwar of exchange4media, Batra talks about her journey over the years, the importance of corporate communications in today’s multi-faceted corporate scenario, and how awareness was created of brand Samsung in India. Excerpts: Q. How has the journey been different from a PR agency to a mega electronics brand?
The main difference is between external communications that you handle from an agency perspective and internal communication, which is within a corporate. The experience of packaging and controlling the content which goes out in terms of communication or designing the communication package according to the company’s needs comes from being within a corporate. From inside, gauging what my company would need and to actually design and market that package is very exciting. Internal and external communications are very different but are very essential to get both perspectives.
Q. Can you tell us about any specific tool or initiative to take the brand forward?
In terms of communication, we took technology as a platform and in terms of strategy, we strengthened our regional PR initiatives and not confining ourselves to only metros. The requirements for the brand changed with time. Initially it was pure awareness, trying to get more people to know what Samsung is all about. The portfolio was also small.
With time, the company grew and we had more commitments. We had global best practices to show to people and we delivered what we promised. We had school or college students visit our R&D plant to show them our manufacturing facilities at Noida. We undertook regional social initiatives where we were trying to bridge the digital divide by promoting IT literacy in the youth. Everything was tying in with the larger platform.
Q. In spite of having a corporate communications department, certain companies, even Samsung, have external PR agencies working for them. Why?
I am managing consumer electronics, home appliances, IT, telecom, etc. The market is so huge that one needs a team that is networked across the country. We have Integral PR working for us. Being posted in the head office, I can’t service the needs of media everywhere. Local agencies are channels for communicating with the main company and it helps streamline work much better and, sometimes, an external perspective helps in being more objective. A balanced mix of external and internal communication works very well. The agency cannot help me in internal communication but external communication is where their strength lies and we work together as a team.
Q. You have been with Samsung since its foray into the Indian market. Can you share with us how the brand image was built?
When we entered the Indian market, Samsung was an unknown brand. The advantage we had was that Samsung, as a global technology brand, had some inherent strengths. The basic platform that we took in terms of communication was projecting the strengths of brand Samsung to people. The commitments we gave around the brand and efforts in going to different parts of the country to reach out to consumers, whether through dealer, consumer or media events, all worked together to help build a cohesive image of the brand. Advertising had its own role to play and that combined with PR gave Samsung its image.
Q. Was it a major challenge for you to reach out to people considering there was no brand awareness for Samsung to start with?
Since nobody knew about Samsung, it worked as an advantage for us as we could shape the perception of the consumer as we wanted. As part of our corporate campaign, before we actually started advertising for our products, we talked about Samsung’s strengths worldwide. The products that we launched in the country were contemporary technology products. We brought in latest technology products to give to the Indian consumer something that met their expectations.
Q. Out of all electronic brands, Samsung is perceived by the media to have a friendlier face. What are the key reasons that account for this?
One is the accessibility and the other is transparency. An honest projection of facts and the fact that the company is approachable together give out a positive message. My job is not really to give a point of view but respect the media and give the correct information
Q. Coming to broader issues, where would you say the PR industry stands today?
It’s a relatively young industry and it’s maturing now. Increasingly, people are realising the value of PR and communication. The role of corporate communication needs to be developed and recognised more. It needs to trickle down to smaller companies as well. And the opportunities it provides are immense. Which other profile will give you the opportunity where you learn across all segments? It’s a very exciting and dynamic field.
Q. What has been your most exciting experience?
Tata Motors was a terrific opportunity as it was trying to promote an Indian brand in the overseas market. And in Samsung we are trying to promote a global brand within India. My most exciting moment was when we listed Tata Motors on the New York Stock Exchange. From the communication perspective it fitted in very well. An Indian company going international had a patriotic feeling to it.
Q. How do you measure the success of any communication for Samsung?
We have internal tools. For instance, within Samsung we have a MBO system - management by objective - where you set out targets you have to achieve. Then there is the rating parameter against fulfilling those criteria. It works very well as it is not a bias method. We measure our PR effectiveness in terms of quantitative and qualitative outputs. Of the messaging that we decide within, how much of that message comes through in the final coverage that we get is another parameter in terms of media programming that we use.
Q. What is the difference between PR and corporate communication? Or do you see them as being synonymous?
They are perceived to be synonymous but are actually not. Corporate communication is all about maintaining a two-way channel with your target group and the tools used vary depending on the audience. Communication is all about devising a programme that your company needs to enhance its image. PR on the other hand is a small part or a subset of corporate communication. We use PR in terms of media and opinion shaping, but overall, it’s about perception management or brand image enhancement, which is also the final objective.