Over the past decade, the scope and impact of the field of Public Relations (PR) within the Indian business sphere has been astronomical. Aside from multi-nationals and prominent Indian business houses, traditional family-owned firms are proactively engaging with PR firms as well as setting up their corporate communication teams. 

Going beyond the traditional approach of media relations, social media and events, many firms and institutions are recognizing the need to have a solid internal and external channel structure, which could effectively enhance their communication engagement and outreach. 

But while many notable campaigns have greatly benefited brands across the tier 1 and tier 2 spectrums, concerns have at times arisen as to the limitations of the overall focus and direction. While campaigns and publicity activities are essential, they need to be guided by a higher sense of purpose and clarity.

A strategic frame of mind

It has been observed from time to time that while board rooms, senior management and the like can grasp the tactical approach of a campaign, it is equally important to ensure a greater sense of understanding of the overarching direction and endgame that all the campaigns together facilitate in the achievement of. Hence, greater comprehension of a brand strategy and what it entails is critical. 

According to Dennis L. Wilcox and Glen T. Cameron in their stellar work entitled Public Relations: Strategies and Tactics, they refer to strategy as a statement that best describes a firm’s or institution’s desired position in a specified market. This is facilitated with highlighting the set of objectives to be achieved, the tools and platforms that will be utilized, the overall themes and direction in which, the program is meant to go in as well as the rationale for the proposed actions to be taken. All of this is constructed keeping in mind the various audiences to be engaged with and what type of response is expected from each. In short, it can be thought of as how a war plan is created – what is our objective, what resources do we have, where do we need to get to and why, as well as what challenges lie along the way. To add, within a typical plan or pitch presentation a strategy map is often depicted as a graphic with clear sections showcasing the flow or at times a hierarchy of detailed text boxes that provide a greater deep dive for the clients own understanding.

While the above points may be simple enough to grasp, at times it has been the experience of many PR professionals where a client may be missing the forest for the trees. The appeal of a specific activity and its direct impact often sways many to solely focus on it rather than take a step back and question just how the said tactic or campaign would enhance brand visibility over the long term. Further, having a sound strategy in place is essential to guide thinking and whittle ideas related to the supportive activities and provide greater clarity on their intended purpose, which may include short-term publicity, influencing buyer behavior, new talent recruitment etc. All these pieces when thought about in a wider context would allow for a long-term view as well as the effective anticipation of potential pitfalls, brand backlash or crises. To add, even in the case of crisis management, critically evaluating proposed tactics and campaigns could help avoid activities that could inflict damage to one’s brand and have the opposite effect than of what was intended.

The nuts and bolts

The following diagram provides a simple template, which helps to depict how a strategy may be depicted in a pitch presentation and what elements are included in it.

The two levels of awareness

At this stage, it is equally important to understand the key difference between planning and strategy. The former focuses on a set of activities a company or institution plans to undertake with the thinking of how best to optimize their efficiency and output. The same applies to the field of communications. Brands may feel that planning a set of activities constitutes a good use of resources for internal and external engagement but it needs to be more than that.

In reference to a Harvard Business Review article by Michael E. Porter (What is Strategy?) from the mid-nineties, strategic positions should have a horizon of a sizable time-period (which could range anywhere between several months to a year or even to a decade) and not be limited to a single planning cycle. Further, in a podcast by the same media title one of the guests, Roger Martin, former dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, eloquently stated that a strategy is an integrative set of choices that positions a brand in a given playing field with the best possibility to stand apart and get an edge over their nearest competitors.

Brand legacy versus brand start-up

A key part in formulating a strategy for a client is to first understand what type of brand they have. For instance, firms or institutions that have been in existence for several decades would require a different approach than brands that have emerged in the past decade or year or are just starting off. Simple enough but it should also be kept in mind that what works for a competitor, internal department or industry practice in the same sector or space or within the same company may not be applicable or worth emulating for the client or task at hand. Similarly, start-ups must be clear about what they what want to achieve and formulate their strategy accordingly. Unlike legacy entities, where many are pull brands (those where relevant audiences want to know more about, buy from, or engage with) the latter are push brands (those where relevant audiences should know more about) and accordingly, they must figure out how best to gain the right attention and engagement with the wider world.

The long of it

Keeping the aforementioned points in mind, brands and their PR partners should always adopt a long-term view of where a brand is and where it needs to go (whether it be for a short project or a year-long retainer). Further, crafting a sound strategy with the correct supporting activity drivers would ensure that a brand has smooth forward and positive momentum. That said, at various points along the decided journey there may be a need to rethink and recalibrate the current strategy. Though, transformation with the changing times is essential, the essence of what made a strategy so effective in the first place shouldn’t be lost or cast aside. By being strategic in that way of thinking and acting brands and their PR partners can win both the short-term and long-term game.

Rohan Moorthy is a communications professional and serves as a course head at the Xavier Institute of Communications (XIC) and as an Adjunct Professor at the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication (SIMC).