Surabhi Saxena, Marketing Coordinator, Reebok India
I fear that PR, which is an indispensable component of communication, is being treated with a very shallow perspective. At this rate, in a few years down the line, the PR industry will lose its credibility.
Young, enterprising and proud to be in an industry that fits her skills. Surabhi Saxena, Marketing Coordinator, Reebok India, a graduate of Delhi’s Lady Shri Ram College, has a post-graduate diploma in communications and marketing from the National Institute of Advertising. Having done a stint at a PR agency, Perfect Relations, where she handled leading multinational clients, Saxena has her task cut out today: to enhance Reebok’s cult image in India. She spoke to Ashish Singh at the Reebok headquarters in Signature Tower, Gurgaon. Excerpts from the interview: Q. What has been your career path in the communications sphere?
I started my career with Perfect Relations, where I handled brand
building and PR activities for Reebok, Electrolux,Perfetti & Cargill. From
there I moved onto join Reebok India Company as Marketing Coordinator ,
which also includes the role of corporate communications. So here I am!
Q. Why is there a lack of harmony between PR and Press?
There are no relationship building activities. The communication chain has to be built on a strong PR-journalist relationship to ensure professional harmony. It is important that you have a value-added relationship through constant interaction which does not evolve into a headache for either. The relationship has to evolve based on a clear understanding of roles to avoid unnecessary bitterness stemming from misconceptions.
Q. How does a PR executive deal with crisis management?
In my view…well, in crisis management, an important requirement is complete transparency. A tight situation is best resolved only through face-to-face dialogue rather than over the telephone. And it is preferable that those at the seniormost levels in the company talk directly with the media rather than leaving it young executives to handle things.
Q. Journalists often consider PR persons as pests. Why has this impression grown?
See, at times a story is not news driven. Yet a PR executive may be compelled to push its case with the journalists. PR people don’t have much say in the client strategy related to media. I strongly feel that this practice should change. I fear that PR, which is an indispensable component of communication, is being treated with a very shallow perspective. At this rate, in a few years down the line, the PR industry will lose its credibility.
But the media should also understand that PR is a regular communication exercise and an integral part of a journalist’s domain.
Q. How different are the roles of a corporate communications person from that of a PR executive in an agency?
Both, the PR agency executive as well a corporate communications
manager work towards a single cause: to build the brand in the minds of the
consumer. However, the course of action that the PR executive takes is
directly related to media interaction and liaison, whereas a corporate
communication manager has to take things forward keeping a holistic
perspective in view. You live and breath the brand you represent, full
-time. PR activities at all times have to dovetail with any marketing or
corporate initiatives of the brand.
Corporate communications as a profession entails external communication as
much as internal for the company. It is about creating the right
environment for projecting the brand to both the inside and the outside public.
Q. What do you feel can be done to overcome these shortcomings?
The PR industry lacks the concept of ‘briefing note’. When the executive is not adequately briefed about the client and the media, she could land up in a soup. We are in knowledge-driven society and so we have to be equipped with the latest information. Research and training are equally important as building blocks of a sound career. It is very important for the client and the PR agency to be crystal clear over the communications strategy.
Q. Professionally, how do you find working for an international brand like Reebok?
Reebok as a company is young and dynamic, an environment conducive enough to help one grow professionally as it is a great platform to explore better areas of communication strategy. It is the sheer freshness of ideas, perceptions and an innate sense of determination with which we pursue the image building exercise, that makes it very challenging experience to be at Reebok. The work environment is proactive and dynamic at all given time.
