17 April,2023 04:10 PM IST | Mumbai | BrandMedia
From the world of films and entertainment to food and beverages, everyone was affected. Movies and Celebrities did suffer, as did the entire worldwide film industry with the closure of cinemas. However, whilst movies were affected, it gave rise to an all new form of entertainment namely OTT. The webseries world took off by storm and as a result, Public Relations perceptions and strategic methods were still relevant. If Print media took a back seat, it opened doors for digital marketing and online media thereby PR Agencies had to change their way of working in order to stay in the game.
In India, we take a look at Communique Film PR and their founders, Sharlene Batlivala and Alpua Turakhiaa on what they have to say on staying relevant in changing times. The agency has been around since 2006, and has specialised in the world of media and communications with a focus on crisis management and public image building. Sharlene affirms that, "2020 was a tough year but it was a year of learning, change, and adapting to the new normal that was then known as lockdown. Films and Celebrities needed to be relevant without being seen which was a challenge but could be done due to the rise of Social Media mainly Instagram and publications taking to the online way of working. From in house zoom cover shoots to online strategy meets to releasing films on OTT via virtual screenings, one learned how to not only survive but thrive." Co founder and partner in Communique Film PR, Alpua Turakhiaa who has over 15 years of experience in PR and Marketing adds that, "The ways of working and the world was changing but what remaining constant is the public need to know information about their favorite stars, even if they all were locked in their own houses. From coordinating with the media virtually to shooting content with limited resources, to releasing movies on platforms, it was exciting and also humbling, as PR as an industry, we still had work to do and that was not the case for many other fields. From raising funds through production houses to even asking stars to post about hospital resources on their social media, PR was one of the most effective tools in 2020-21."
An industry that is here to stay for a while, PR is more than just building your brand image and agencies like Communique Film PR deserve to be mentioned about their credible efforts during trying times!
