“More than ever before reputation is taking center stage for the C Suite. Reputation risk today ranks amongst the highest of risks and it is getting all the attention of the C Suite. So, PR today has the perfect opportunity to be in the board room. I like the opportunities that a PR professional has today. However, PR today is more than just about controlling negative media coverage and propagating the positives.” Said Ashwani Singla, MD & Chief Executive of Penn Schoen Berland, Asia.
In an interaction with MediAvataar India, Ashwani divulged few facts about the new era’s brand positioning and how marketing professionals today have a greater challenge of grooming and showcasing their brands in a right manner. Here is the Q&A…..
MediAvataar: How important is right positioning for any brand?
Ashwani: At PSB, we believe that the right positioning is the difference between winning and losing. A clear position is being persuasive. I believe that a brands’ position is reflected in its cumulative perception in relation to its competitors. If that cumulative perception is differentiated and compelling, it will be very persuasive and the brand will win in the market. This is what we at PSB do for our clients.
MediAvataar: Could you share any one brand that has been brilliantly positioned and one which is not?
Ashwani: Rather than talk of poor positioning, let’s focus on a brand that has done a great job of it. A good example is Fogg, the deodorant brand. In a competitive market, it came up with a simple proposition, ‘why pay for gas; I offer you 800 sprays’. Spend your money wisely and get better results by using Fogg. Today it is a market leader and has taken a march over the leader – Axe.
Fogg communicated its strength clearly, simply and was different from its competitors. It beat the competition.
MediAvataar: How marketing today has taken a different form?
Ashwani: I will not talk about the usual, which is the role of internet and mobile and how social media has changed everything. That is known. But let’s dwell on its impact, which I believe is centered around Trust, Experience & Engagement, in other words the new avatar of Brand Equity. So what drives this Equity? I believe Capacity, Character and Communication, what we call the C Cube ™ , are the dimensions of Brand Equity today. What does C Cube ™ stand for?
•The Capacity to deliver to the expectations of your stakeholders;
•Displaying an impeccable Character to earn their trust and respect; &
•To develop and deliver Communication that is rooted in authenticity.
MediAvataar: Is PR what it used to be 10 years back? What do like and dislike about the change?
Ashwani: More than ever before reputation is taking center stage for the C Suite. Reputation risk today ranks amongst the highest of risks and it is getting all the attention of the C Suite. So, PR today has the perfect opportunity to be in the board room. I like the opportunities that a PR professional has today. However, PR today is more than just about controlling negative media coverage and propagating the positives. It continues to be devoid of the science of understanding the very behavior that PR seeks to influence. At PSB we use the ‘science of persuasion’. This is about using research and science to create a deep understanding of the company’s stakeholders to develop an action and a communication agenda that leads to mutual respect, trust and admiration. More of our clients value this approach and this is really what I believe is the future of great public relations.
MediAvataar: What are you suggestions to the brands out there in order to win the rat race?
Ashwani: I have THREE simple mantras that I follow:
1.Know your consumers and their eco-system of information and influence well. Don’t just focus on today, look into the future and bring it to today.
2.Keep your promise simple and clear. Be relevant & compelling.
3.Deliver what you promise and when things do go wrong. Apologise, Acknowledge & Act to fix the problem.
MediAvataar: How important is understanding of the consumer? Which brand in today’s time completely has that?
Ashwani: That’s my mantra number 1. Today marketers have generally lost an understanding of their consumers, whilst the research investments they make have gone up! We need to revive that and smart companies who have done so, are winning. PSB gave the world ‘the soccer mom’ and look what a simple understanding of the soccer mom changed the way, marketers marketed to Moms. We help clients unearth what we call microtrends: the small changes that are taking place which will cause major shifts. These help clients understand their consumers better and enable them to develop products and services ahead of their competitors.
I greatly admire the work that TATA SKY has done and it shows that they have an astute understanding of their consumers.
MediAvataar: How research and data has become the most important weapon in any marketer’s arsenal?
Ashwani: Successful marketers need proprietary insights to stand apart from their competitors. The research and data enables that. Marketers need to leverage the science to their advantage.
MediAvataar: How difficult is it today to handle corporate image management considering the digital intervention?
Ashwani: Same question was asked when Radio came into existence and again when TV became a reality. Each communication platform brings with it different set of opportunities and challenges. We need to learn about them and adapt ourselves quickly.
MediAvataar: What is your idea of a best conversation between a brand and a consumer?
Ashwani: One which is rooted in the principle of ‘mutuality of interest’ and is respectful of the other.
MediAvataar: Please tell us more about your company and the sort of clients you handle and would want to help?
Ashwani: PSB is a strategic communication advisory firm that uses research to help clients understand & shape public opinion to stay ahead of their competitors. I set up the South Asia office in India in April 2011. Since then, we have served Indian Blue Chip companies as well as MNCs in India and have also worked across a spectrum of political campaigns. We are delighted with the response we have got from our clients and thank them for the faith they have shown in us. I am quite happy with our client roster is developing and could not ask for more. Our work is in shaping the talent needed for our kind of work we do here. Our key focus is to deliver to our clients a quality of expertise they have not experienced before.