Global PR agencies ‘unable to go much beyond media relations’ in India

Vasudha Jha, General Manager, Corporate Communications, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd, says in an interview:

“Multi-national PR firms also have to operate in our current communications environment, and though they have plenty of ideas and the necessary expertise, they are really unable to go much beyond media relations. I really do not think that they have been able to develop the industry; or even bring it on a common platform and make the necessary effort to help it evolve to the next stage…

“In the earlier days, corporate communicators played a one-sided role of external communicators, and primarily one of media relations. Today, as Indian companies are becoming bigger and global, cultural integration of diverse teams has become the critical factor in a company's success. Internal communications is as strong a driving force in managing perception of a company as is communication with external stakeholders, industry and the media.

“It is the responsibility of the corporate communicator to keep various teams together and ensure that the vision of the leadership team is imbibed throughout the organization, making it imperative for the whole organization to pull together in the same direction. Hence, in the new paradigm of business, the corporate communicator becomes a means for a company to manage perceptions and relationships, with internal as well as external audiences.”