Minnows hone the art of image management

Chakraborty started out with a staff of four people, one fax machine, two computers, and one client — an event management firm. He explains, “We did not know if there would be sufficient business for a small outfit.” But there was. Big League has managed to bag some more clients.

Vineeta, another young PR practitioner, teamed up with husband Shyam Grover to set up Positive Communications. She had put in two years with Aadi Media. During her stint there, she learnt the nuances of the art of public relations. “Being the first person to be hired by Aadi, I was doing most of the work there — client servicing, interaction with the media and even handling accounts,” she recollects. They pocketed their first client, a Japanese company, even before they could get their stationery printed. Since then, there has been no looking back.

The Grovers have rented a small office on Bahadurshah Zafar Marg, which is managed by a staff of five, including the Grovers. “The initial capital required for the basic infrastructure was Rs 1 lakh plus the office space,” reveals Grover.

But Dharam Chand, proprietor of D C Advertising and Communications, started with just Rs 20,000, a telephone, a computer and a staff of six in Delhi, with representatives in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chandigarh. He benefited immensely from the contacts he had developed during his stint of more than 30 years with J Walter Thomson (JWT). His first two clients were also the accounts of JWT.

But none can match the spirit of the one-woman bureau of Rachna Chopra. Chopra, having worked with Perfect Relations and Enterprise PR for short stints, joined the Bijli group as an independent PR consultant. This charted the way to forming Rejoice, where she put in an initial capital of Rs 40,000 for a computer, Rs 15,000 for a printer and Rs 20,000 for office furniture. “Office space was never a problem since I operate from home,” she says. Starting in November 1995, she today handles PR for a few fashion designers, among others. “Being the only person in Rejoice, I undertake the functions of writing and concept selling, event creation and management and synergised advertising support.”

Most of these entrepreneurs have a healthy respect for the companies where they honed their skills and acknowledge their contribution towards helping them reach where they are. “When I came to JWT in 1963, I did not have a clue about advertising or PR. There, I learnt all I know about the profession today and, more importantly, the ethics of working in a professional outfit,” admits Dharam Chand.

“We have refused to take any client from Aadi since it would have been very unethical on our part,” says Shyam Grover.

Sunil Khosla, who was CEO (business development) with Perfect Relations, left it last month to form The Fourth Estate. “After reaching the top rung in Perfect Relations, I realised that I had been confined to the CEO mode,” he says. “I thought it was time to set up my own venture and do justice to the profession,” he adds. He started with a team of seven, and two accounts.

Not that the going has always been easy. This is because the profession is still in its infancy and most Indian companies are unaware of the value addition that PR provides. “The trickiest part is explaining to the prospective client what PR is. The clients should realise that we are not space sellers. We can’t promise wide media coverage for a product that is not competitive, or a lethargic client who does not respond to media queries on time,” says Vineeta Grover.

“Indian companies want that there should be some news about them every day of the week in the papers, whereas 50-60 per cent is a very good success rate,” feels Dharam Chand.

“But at the end of the day, PR is a profession where its practitioners have to be very honest. Since you keep on meeting the same people every day, your information should be genuine, straight and correct. You can’t promise a castle and deliver a hut,” concludes Khosla.