DEEPAK JOLLY2, Director, Corporate Communications, Bharti

A good corporate PR person is an integrated personnel in the company, who is involved in understanding the decisions taken by the company and the repercussions it could have.

Deepak Jolly, Director - Corporate Communications, Bharti Tele-Ventures Ltd. joined Bharti on 1 January 2003. He brings with him twenty years of experience in the FMCG and Service Industry and has worked in various senior management positions in Corporate Affairs, Corporate Communications, Sales and Operations. Prior to joining Bharti, Deepak has worked as Director - Corporate Affairs with Godfrey Phillips India Ltd., with Pepsi as Executive Vice President - Corporate Communications and with Hindustan Lever Limited Corporate Affairs and Corporate Communications for over seven years.

In conversation with Jasmeen Dugal, Deepak Jolly, Director - Corporate Communications, Bharti talks about his PR philosophy, the power of PR to change mass mindset and the role of PR in strengthening Bharti's image in the face of competition from WLL operators.

Q. Does PR have the power to change mass mindset? Yes, PR definitely has the power to change mass mindset. PR is no more wall painting; if the structure of the house is not strong and not in the correct shape, the paint will crumble after a while. It's extremely important that a PR person participates in the growth of his corporation.

Q. What is your PR philosophy? My mantra in relation to PR is the 3 C's - Creativity, Credibility and Commitment.

A PR personnel has to be creative. What this job faces all the time is doing the same thing over and over again. You have to be extremely creative, and keep on putting your ideas across in different styles.

Credibility is the next commandment. There are good times; there are trying times. PR is never hunky-dory; it has its seasonings. You meet different kinds of people you meet. However, what is essential is that you have to be forceful on your thoughts and build your credibility; then, the company recognizes that you're a winner.

Commitment is the most important factor. Success in PR doesn't come only when you show your product or manage your finances well; you have to give your point of view to the environment also. The management may or may not accept it. So the challenge becomes extremely tough. I'm talking from individual experience. What I've always felt is that if you're completely committed and you have the job knowledge i.e. you know about the company, the profile, the category; if you know all this pretty well and how it impacts the environment, your job is not only to respond to the environment but your job is equally to make sure that the company is taking the right steps. Both ends are there. One end is the environment, and on the other end, you are making sure that your company is doing the right thing at the right time. Commitment is basically passion; passion is just one step ahead of commitment. Passion is something you have to have; it gives me a great pleasure. In 1993, as part of the communications team, I was asked to produce an in-house magazine in forty-eight hours, which was to be given to the winners of the National Sales Conference we were hosting. Those days when the technology wasn't so good to produce it so fast easily, I had 1000 copies published and ready for distribution at the conference. So basically it was something you had to do.

Q. Has PR in India come a long way since the time you joined the industry? I think PR in India has come a long way, and down a difficult way. PR was looked at very differently when I joined the profession. Today, it has gone beyond media relations. A good corporate PR person is an integrated personnel of the company, who is involved in understanding the decisions of the company and the repercussions it could have. And in many companies, they are also party to the decision-making. In companies like Pepsi, which promote a lifestyle, perception becomes extremely important. Similarly, in the mobile industry, perception makes a profound difference to the industry. The industry today can grow to 100 million in the next couple of years, but it is a perception. The industry has so many issues but we have to overcome those perceptions. It's a very challenging job; whether you link it an event or a normal communications process, there has to be a meaningful way of communicating and understanding. And a PR person has to have the craving for more. If you don't have this craving, in this particular profession you may not be able to value-add. In terms of process, a PR person is someone who has good communication skills - written and oral, good relationship management, who is able to take key decisions at certain times. What really happens is in a cluttered mindset, if I want a certain person to hear what I'm saying, I have to do so in a way, which is forceful. So the job becomes very easily linked to marketing. At the same time, this is a job with a human touch so the HR expertise comes in. The PR person then becomes an HR specialist, a marketing expert and because of his knowledge of the technical areas, the person becomes a complete management individual.

Sixteen-eighteen years back, it was just managing environment; today, with all these things put together, the PR person has to make sure he articulates a lot of information about what the company is facing in the environment to the outside world.

Q. Does PR have the power to change mass mindset? Yes, PR definitely has the power to change mass mindset. PR is no more wall painting; if the structure of the house is not strong and not in the correct shape, the paint will crumble after a while. It's extremely important that a PR person participates in the growth of his corporation.

Q. How did Bharti face the challenges posed by WLL operators? A lot of work went on the technology front by cellular operators. The industry has done pretty well. Bharti has added 2.5 lac customers just last month.

Q. What is your PR philosophy? My mantra in relation to PR is the 3 C's - Creativity, Credibility and Commitment.

A PR personnel has to be creative. What this job faces all the time is doing the same thing over and over again. You have to be extremely creative, and keep on putting your ideas across in different styles.

Credibility is the next commandment. There are good times; there are trying times. PR is never hunky-dory; it has its seasonings. You meet different kinds of people you meet. However, what is essential is that you have to be forceful on your thoughts and build your credibility; then, the company recognizes that you're a winner.

Commitment is the most important factor. Success in PR doesn't come only when you show your product or manage your finances well; you have to give your point of view to the environment also. The management may or may not accept it. So the challenge becomes extremely tough. I'm talking from individual experience. What I've always felt is that if you're completely committed and you have the job knowledge i.e. you know about the company, the profile, the category; if you know all this pretty well and how it impacts the environment, your job is not only to respond to the environment but your job is equally to make sure that the company is taking the right steps. Both ends are there. One end is the environment, and on the other end, you are making sure that your company is doing the right thing at the right time. Commitment is basically passion; passion is just one step ahead of commitment. Passion is something you have to have; it gives me a great pleasure. In 1993, as part of the communications team, I was asked to produce an in-house magazine in forty-eight hours, which was to be given to the winners of the National Sales Conference we were hosting. Those days when the technology wasn't so good to produce it so fast easily, I had 1000 copies published and ready for distribution at the conference. So basically it was something you had to do.

Q. How is handling corporate communications or PR for a small and mid-sized client different from handling a large client? The objectives tend to differ. With large clients, esp. in Corporate PR, the audiences that a company needs to communicate are larger. Investor relations, internal communication, crisis communication, change management, channel communications, industry relations are critical for a large client along of course with brand and marketing communications, whereas in small and midsize clients, the focus is on marketing communications.

For a large client, we look into many aspects which need to be communicated to develop a truly multifaceted image of the company, such as the company's HR, its corporate governance, its R&D, its IT, its customer programs, its partners, acquisition and mergers, new products, brands, etc. This needs not only a very good strategy but also a very effective implementation plan in place. For large clients, there are many regulatory issues we are very carefully to take into account while planning communications. Corporate PR for small and midsize companies is a wonderful challenge, for we are intrinsically involved in the process of actually creating an image. You may be competing with large brands, with lesser resources available. It really stretches you creatively.

Q. How do you differentiate yourselves when you go out to pitch for the clients? Our approach - we have always taken a very holistic approach of PR. We help our clients in using communication as a strategic tool for achieving their corporate objectives. This means that we work very closely with our clients in ensuring that communications is working strategically and effectively at the various communication points of a corporate.

Industry knowledge - we have built strengths in areas that we operate. Knowledge management is a key differentiator. It is mind you, not about large databases, or books in your library - it is about understanding the nuances of the industry.

Our relations with our clients - we take great pride in this. We have always worked very closely with our clients. We are always a part of their organization, sharing their dreams. We have been with our clients through their good times and their tough times. At all times we have been honest in giving advice; in bringing to the table issues we feel are important. Ethics and honesty with our clients is what differentiates us. This is very critical in Corporate PR.

Our focus on implementation - we bring strategy into play in the implementation process. We are very transparent about our process, and are paranoid about being creative and professional in the process of implementation, be it writing a press release or organizing an analyst meet.

We offer marketing communications, investor relations, internal communications, change management, channel communications, analyst relations, media relations and community relations. This enables our clients to have an integrated solution.

Q. How is handling corporate communications or PR for a small and mid-sized client different from handling a large client? The objectives tend to differ. With large clients, esp. in Corporate PR, the audiences that a company needs to communicate are larger. Investor relations, internal communication, crisis communication, change management, channel communications, industry relations are critical for a large client along of course with brand and marketing communications, whereas in small and midsize clients, the focus is on marketing communications.

For a large client, we look into many aspects which need to be communicated to develop a truly multifaceted image of the company, such as the company's HR, its corporate governance, its R&D, its IT, its customer programs, its partners, acquisition and mergers, new products, brands, etc. This needs not only a very good strategy but also a very effective implementation plan in place. For large clients, there are many regulatory issues we are very carefully to take into account while planning communications. Corporate PR for small and midsize companies is a wonderful challenge, for we are intrinsically involved in the process of actually creating an image. You may be competing with large brands, with lesser resources available. It really stretches you creatively.

Q. Has PR in India come a long way since the time you joined the industry? I think PR in India has come a long way, and down a difficult way. PR was looked at very differently when I joined the profession. Today, it has gone beyond media relations. A good corporate PR person is an integrated personnel of the company, who is involved in understanding the decisions of the company and the repercussions it could have. And in many companies, they are also party to the decision-making. In companies like Pepsi, which promote a lifestyle, perception becomes extremely important. Similarly, in the mobile industry, perception makes a profound difference to the industry. The industry today can grow to 100 million in the next couple of years, but it is a perception. The industry has so many issues but we have to overcome those perceptions. It's a very challenging job; whether you link it an event or a normal communications process, there has to be a meaningful way of communicating and understanding. And a PR person has to have the craving for more. If you don't have this craving, in this particular profession you may not be able to value-add. In terms of process, a PR person is someone who has good communication skills - written and oral, good relationship management, who is able to take key decisions at certain times. What really happens is in a cluttered mindset, if I want a certain person to hear what I'm saying, I have to do so in a way, which is forceful. So the job becomes very easily linked to marketing. At the same time, this is a job with a human touch so the HR expertise comes in. The PR person then becomes an HR specialist, a marketing expert and because of his knowledge of the technical areas, the person becomes a complete management individual.

Sixteen-eighteen years back, it was just managing environment; today, with all these things put together, the PR person has to make sure he articulates a lot of information about what the company is facing in the environment to the outside world.

Q. How do you differentiate yourselves when you go out to pitch for the clients? Our approach - we have always taken a very holistic approach of PR. We help our clients in using communication as a strategic tool for achieving their corporate objectives. This means that we work very closely with our clients in ensuring that communications is working strategically and effectively at the various communication points of a corporate.

Industry knowledge - we have built strengths in areas that we operate. Knowledge management is a key differentiator. It is mind you, not about large databases, or books in your library - it is about understanding the nuances of the industry.

Our relations with our clients - we take great pride in this. We have always worked very closely with our clients. We are always a part of their organization, sharing their dreams. We have been with our clients through their good times and their tough times. At all times we have been honest in giving advice; in bringing to the table issues we feel are important. Ethics and honesty with our clients is what differentiates us. This is very critical in Corporate PR.

Our focus on implementation - we bring strategy into play in the implementation process. We are very transparent about our process, and are paranoid about being creative and professional in the process of implementation, be it writing a press release or organizing an analyst meet.

We offer marketing communications, investor relations, internal communications, change management, channel communications, analyst relations, media relations and community relations. This enables our clients to have an integrated solution.

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