Masterstroke Interview with Ajay
Pawar, Head, Corporate Communication,
Godrej Properties, and recent
entrant to PR Hall of Fame
By Richa Seth
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Technology will play a massive role in revolutionizing PR
campaigns in the coming years and PR professionals will have to quickly adapt
and learn the required skills to stay relevant says Ajay Pawar, an industry
veteran with over two decades of experience in the marketing communications
space. Mr. Pawar is currently the Corporate Communications Head at Godrej
Properties, he was recently bestowed with the prestigious ‘The Hall of Fame’
Awards at PRCI Awards. In a tete-a-tete
with Richa Seth of Vickypedia, Mr.Pawar, talks about his enriched experience and vision for
the PR industry.
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1. You recently won The Hall of Fame Award at PRCI, tell us more about it, why was this award given?
This award recognizes people who have excelled in the PR domain on a consistent basis and made significant contribution and service in the profession of corporate communications. I feel extremely honored and humbled on being inducted in the Hall of Fame and thank PRCI and the jury members for it.
2. With an enriched experience of 22 years in marketing communications, could you share the top five qualities absolutely necessary for running successful campaigns for clients?
I would not like to make it an agency v/s client outlook and keep to the best 5 qualities,
- Be completely involved – Understand the objective, ask relevant questions, update, involve and motivate your team and listen to everything about the project.
- Plan every detail – even the smallest details should be thought through and have process owners.
- Think different – never let monotony set it. That’s the worst thing any project can have. Think of different ways to do things – use technology, weigh in and implement new suggestions and ideas. Make the project interesting for the team doing it and more importantly for the final customer.
- Visualize the outcome – and share this vision with the team. This brings in tremendous energy in any project and there is immense gratification when you achieve the results.
- Always have a backup plan – things can go tangential when multiple people and activities are involved. It’s important that you break a project in smaller units/ stages and have back up plans for each unit/ stage. Make it a point of getting it signed off by all stakeholders involved so there are no last minute surprises.
3. Please can you share your experience of a successful PR/Integrated communications campaign that has been one of the great achievements in your PR career?
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| Ajay Pawar receiving the PR Hall of Fame honours from Swami Jitatmananda, Vice President Ramkrishna Math, as PRCI Chairman Emeritus and Chief Mentor M B Jayaram and Governing Council Chairman R T Kumar look on. (Pic: BNK) |
There are several projects that hold a special place. One project that I would like to mention will be the IPO campaign of Godrej Properties. It was the first time I got an opportunity to work on something that had so many stakeholders – management, regulatory bodies, bankers, legal advisers, investors, media, agencies, the list just goes on. The financial market, then, was not conducive to investments and planning and executing the campaign was a little more than a challenge. It was an amazing moment when our stock was listed on BSE.
4. Could you share learning’s from your greatest failures in the PR experience?
Failures are a part of life & work and no one can be successful all the time. Accept the mistake, look at why, where, how or when it crept in and build processes to ensure it does not happen again. Don’t sulk over it. Every moment is new and you should do the best you can – let the person in front of you (could also be your own image in the mirror) feel a positive and bright vibe about you.
5. What are your Top 3 wishes from the consultancies that manage your account?
1. Excellent rapport with media
2. Excellent content creation capabilities
3. Energetic & focused team members.
6. What has been your success mantra and what is that you would like to recommend to youngsters who are planning to join corporate communications?
There is no one mantra. I have learnt so many unique things from the people that I have and continue to work with. A couple of things that I try to live by are,
Passionate teams almost always exceed expectations. Equip and align your team and keep them motivated. Extraordinary results are but a natural outcome.
Everyday brings in a new thing to learn and do, a new opportunity to meet people and a new opportunity to explore. So live in the present and make the best of it. Today is more important than yesterday. Never let your past baggage tire or hold you back. Be alert, be nimble and aim for the best.
For the youngsters wanting to make a career in corporate communications (or for that matter any chosen trade) a couple of suggestions,
– Join it only if you love it – not because you have to.
– Every aspect of work is important so get into the details while focusing on the bigger picture. There may be times when you may need to ask someone to show you the bigger picture. Go ahead and ask.
7. What is your vision for the PR industry in the next 5 years?
Gone are the days when people would read news in the next day’s papers. Today and in the days ahead, people will read news or get information when they want to – and it means minutes, if not seconds, after an event. Images will be made and broken in real time. This change in consumption presents a huge opportunity and a huge challenge for the PR fraternity. Technology will play a massive role and people will need to be not just aware but fluent in its usage. PR professionals and agencies who are ever learning and adept at change management will be in demand and hugely sought after. (By arrangement with Vikypedia)
