Srimoyi Bhattacharya, Managing Director & Gayatri Hingorani, Managing Partner, Peepul PR, New York, USA

New York-based Peepul PR is a boutique agency dedicated to corporate consulting and lifestyle PR, with a passion for pushing the boundaries for typical public relations. The strength of Peepul PR is further enhanced by the local expertise of affiliate partners in India, Frane, UK and Hong Kong.

Srimoyi Bhattacharya, Managing Director, Peepul PR, brings over 14 years of experience and expertise in helping both start-ups and leading brands shape their image and support their growth, strategizing, creating and executing imaginative Public Relations programmes. She has experience working as both a PR agency executive and an in-house professional, focusing on corporate, lifestyle and public affairs. In her wide-ranging and international (Paris, New York, Mumbai) career, Srimoyi headed up PR for several brands in a broad spectrum of industries, from IT to lifestyle (hospitality, fashion, arts and culture). Prior to founding Peepul PR, she was Director of PR and Corporate Affairs for Hampshire Hotels & Resorts, where she was responsible for building the hospitality group’s worldwide communications programme. Handling Senator Hillary Clinton’s visit to India, and working with The William Jefferson Clinton Foundation was a highlight of her political affairs experience.

Gayatri Hingorani, Managing Partner, has over seven years of experience in the Indo-US corridor, heading editorial teams for international magazines. She was part of a core team that launched two magazines in India – L’Officiel India and Seventeen India. As Managing Editor for Rave*SQ, a South Asian glossy magazine in New York, she was responsible for all editorial content, and involved in all PR & marketing activities besides event management. Prior to her editorial experience, she shaped CommerceOne’s online marketing programme. Over the years, she has also built strong and productive relationships with top business, trade and news media. Hingorani is actively involved in day-to-day client and media interactions. Pallavi Goorha of exchange4media met both Srimoyi and Gayatri for a free-wheeling interview. Excerpts:

Q. When did Peepul PR start in India? For how many years have the International operations been for?

Srimoyi: Peepul PR was founded by three business partners, bringing together a unique fusion of over 30 years of cumulative experience in international PR, consulting and media. Founded in New York, we are a full service boutique PR agency dedicated to corporate consulting and lifestyle PR, with a passion for pushing the boundaries of typical public relations. With a well-tuned trend radar and a select collective of clients, we have built significant expertise in the corporate and lifestyle areas, spotlighting international companies looking at India and Indian brands going global. To meet the demands of the market, we opened the Mumbai office in November 2007: it services domestic clients, provides local back-up to current clients’ PR requirements, and market intelligence for brands looking at retailing or penetrating the Indian market.

Q. How would you differentiate the PR industry in India vis-a-vis global public relations?

Srimoyi: To our mind, the PR industry is coming of age in India with promise of high growth. Because it is still in many ways experimental, the Indian market is far more creative, and bolder than the international market, which tends to work within the box. However, there needs to be stronger strategic thinking, better tailored tools and tactics for each client, and enhanced training of new talent joining agencies. Since PR is a more experience-based field, it is essential for veterans to trickle down knowledge and maintain international standards. Our industry will have arrived the day an Indian PR agency goes global, like many Indian groups penetrating international markets. It would be a great achievement for our field to have an Indian PR group putting its flag on the global map! From a knowledge sharing standpoint, PR associations need to provide a more creative platform to build a stronger community between editors, publicists and companies. Beyond the usual informal luncheon, the only way to make this industry stronger is to create a forum for networking, dialogue and discussion to gain a better understanding of each other’s needs and requirements.

Q. What do you think the Indian PR industry lacks and what steps do we need to take to match up to our global counterparts?

Srimoyi: The “U.S.-India corridor” has changed the approach of PR from not just profiling Indian companies in mainstream or Indian media, but also acting as go-betweens and developing brand recognition through value-added partnerships and “soft” business development tactics: a bridge between awareness and sales. At Peepul PR, we bring our cross-cultural background and ability to work in multi-ethnic markets and international environments. Beyond relationship skills, what the industry needs now is to shape up tools to automate and enable both efficiency and knowledge sharing. For example, there needs to be a consolidated press database, accurately updated and made available to in-house PR divisions and PR agencies, as the Internet-based software, Cision, does in the US. In the same vein, we need automated media tracking systems to better monitor media coverage for companies looking at effectively monitoring and measuring their coverage. This is a completely untapped market in India for new ventures in PR.

Q. Who are your clients in India and how large is the work force?

Gayatri: Our past and present clients/projects in the US include ICICI Bank, the Mahindra Group’s CSR initiative, Jet Airways, Cobra Beer, Coca-Cola India, Hampshire Hotels & Resorts, Bodhi Art and Saffronart. India recently kicked off with Payal Singhal (fashion designer), Sir Alistair Rai (fashion designer), ZoomIn.com (online photo service site), Indo-American Arts Council and Iman Cosmetics, among our first local standalone partnerships.

Q. How has Peepul PR been performing?

Srimoyi: Peepul PR has been achieving over 200 per cent year over year growth, working with some of the best marquee names in the business. Over the past 20 months, Peepul PR has built a strong track record of acquiring clients from start-ups to multinational corporations, with accounts that range from arts & culture, fashion, lifestyle to corporate and consumer brands.

Q. Do you think PR plays a secondary role in the communication strategy of a client? What are the strategies you adopt while deciding on the communication plan for a client?

Srimoyi: Indian brands are now competing with international brands on their home turf to get similar voice share. More and more local brands are investing in PR as the preferred way to raise their profile. PR is a critical component in the overall corporate communications strategy, no longer considered a luxury item on the marketing communications budget line. A corporate communications strategy can thus be designed with a holistic approach integrating PR, marketing and advertising. Companies with successfully shaped brands are organizations who have invested in on-going PR awareness, and built long-term relationships with media. Press launches are a great kick-off milestone, but the secret lies in maintaining the momentum and building a brand reflex. As far as the intangible roles go, the PR agent can function as coach, advisor, and protocol support. The good news is that it is a booming business, more and more recognized as a compelling tool in the marketing/communications kit. Our strategies change from client to client. Beyond “boutique”, we think “haute couture” PR! Our programmes are high-caliber and custom-fitted with well defined standards. Peepul PR has carved out its own niche while leveraging diverse experiences to build a signature communications programme that ties in all the items of the branding cycle, of which media relations is just one aspect. In terms of our latest collaborations, we have been accompanying Indian global groups in building their PR structure internally and externally: helping them set up PR networks, PR guidelines, result-measuring tools, and laying down best practices among PR partners.

Q. How do you think the effectiveness of PR can be measured?

Srimoyi: The tangible measurement tools evaluate media coverage and offer clients an analysis of various types and profiles of press results. A lot of agencies provide ad equivalencies that give clients an idea of the “value” of an article. While these tools are great to effectively argue a good media campaign, we also believe in the intangible effects of a successful press campaign: the spontaneous phone call from a reporter, the reflex created to quote a company spokesperson, the ripple effect of an article, etc...

Q. What are the essential qualities one needs to become a successful PR professional?

Gayatri: In the world of Facebook and LinkedIn, everyone has a good rolodex, but what you do with it and how you use it is key. Building solid relationships regardless of coverage or of an immediate contract is important in the long run. From a message perspective, a good PR professional knows how to effectively build a pitch note from any length of brief or a product that could be challenging - while never compromising with integrity or quality. In terms of client management, we believe in preemptive as opposed to reactive: build a leadership position as opposed to a competitive. Be consistent rather than opportunistic. Convey a visionary or trend-setter message as opposed to sending out just a launch announcement. We like to see ourselves as an extension of a client’s team and work with them with the dedication and modus operandi of an in-house component. Finally, when faced with new leads and ascendant companies, it is critical to have a powerful radar to recognize media potential, and the know-how to take a start-up to the next level.

Q. What potential trends do you see in the PR domain? How do you see the future of your business?

Srimoyi: Peepul PR was inspired by the name of the peepul or banyan tree, known for its longevity and great size. The boutique agency was founded at a time when “Brand India” and “India Shining” were creating a buzz at conferences and among investors, global brands and startups around the world. Businesses based in the US, or of Indian origin or offering, began to realize how powerful the Indian-American audience had become as a target clientele. The business model responds to several needs in the market:
- Indian global brands looking for mainstream visibility as well as outreach within the South Asian diaspora: ICICI Bank, the Mahindra Group, Coca-Cola India, Jet Airways, Veria and Cobra Beer, among others.
- Indian independent brands looking to get heard within the mainstream market, whether of local or Indian origin: Bodhi Art, Saffronart. And
- Global brands looking at tapping into Indian markets: Sir Alistair Rai, the Gucci Group, Iman Cosmetics.
Peepul PR’s future expansion envisages servicing clients and accounts in other emerging markets, including Dubai, China, Brazil, Turkey and Argentina, by liaising with local partners in those countries.

Q. Is this problem of retaining talent a global phenomenon? How do you tackle this issue?

Gayatri: It is challenging to find high caliber talent with the right experience, cultural fit, and ability. We are long-term players and look for team players who believe in our vision, are passionate about our client mix, and looking for a home where they can spread their wings. We keep our staff excited about opportunity by working on client projects that we are passionate about; provide mentoring and extensive career challenges. At Peepul PR, we work as a close team and keep everyone involved in all aspects of a project.