First Companions is a communications company specialising in company communications and public affairs. The consumer base features a numerous vary of sectors, encompassing MNCs, authorities entities, startups, and extra.
The company has not too long ago celebrated its eighth anniversary within the business. Atul Ahluwalia, founding associate of First Companions, reveals that the company was established in July 2016 by three people — himself, Dilip Yadav, and Santanu Gogoi (the opposite founding members) — all of whom beforehand occupied senior roles at Weber Shandwick earlier than embarking on the journey to create their very own agency.
He says that he and his crew aimed to introduce a twin focus to the PR business. Whereas managing repute holds significance, there may be additionally a perception that PR companies should immediately contribute to enterprise outcomes.
“Whether or not it is serving to improve market share, attracting expertise, or attaining monetary targets, PR should ship tangible outcomes for the consumer’s enterprise alongside constructing a long-term repute,” provides Ahluwalia.
He additionally highlights the company’s strategic emphasis on harmonising creativity with enterprise outcomes. In contemplating the company’s technique, he emphasises that creativity has constantly been a big asset for him, even all through his tenure at Weber Shandwick.
Underscoring the crew’s enduring dedication to artistic excellence he says that it’s not merely about producing progressive concepts for the sake of it. “We imagine that creativity, when married with enterprise outcomes, is a robust instrument. It’s not creativity for its personal sake, it’s creativity that helps drive the consumer’s enterprise targets,” he says.
Editors’ Road and World South Advisory
The company has launched two new group firms—Editors’ Road, which specialises in strategic content material, and World South Advisory, a agency devoted to public affairs. These firms are poised to satisfy the evolving calls for out there, particularly as India more and more asserts its presence on the worldwide stage.
Discussing Editors’ Road, he explains the significance of strategic content material in immediately’s AI-dominated world. In accordance with him, Editors’ Road focusses on producing high-quality, strategic content material, notably in a world influenced by AI. He emphasises that though AI can improve effectivity in routine duties, the creation of advanced content material supposed for senior executives nonetheless necessitates human experience.
“The platform’s position is to assist purchasers handle their very own media presence. We create 24/7 newsrooms for our purchasers, serving to them turn out to be publishers of their media, particularly as legacy media shrinks,” provides Ahluwalia.
Then again, World South Advisory serves as a public affairs agency aimed toward serving to multinational firms in manoeuvring by the intricacies of the Indian market.
“As India rises on the worldwide stage, we see a necessity for corporations that may assist multinationals navigate the Indian market. We’re ready to help companies trying to set up or increase their presence within the nation,” he says.
Addressing disaster in 2024
Disaster administration in public relations has developed significantly in recent times, notably in 2024, as social media more and more influences public notion.
Ahluwalia highlights the necessity for companies to adapt to this fast-paced atmosphere with a powerful give attention to transparency. “Disaster conditions immediately usually break on social media, and we’ve developed superior fashions for dealing with them. The golden rule is transparency. If there’s a difficulty, admit it and present the way you’re addressing it. Making an attempt to cover issues solely escalates the state of affairs,” he says.
Addressing a typical misunderstanding in disaster administration—that damaging information can merely be suppressed, Ahluwalia additionally factors out {that a} vital fallacy is the idea that one can merely “smother” damaging information.
“Even the most important firms and politicians have been unsuccessful at doing this. Damaging information will come out, so it’s higher to be clear and show that you’re taking accountable motion. I imagine that honesty and swift motion are vital to sustaining belief and managing reputational danger successfully,” he notes.
On journalists becoming a member of the PR world
Many journalists have made the transition into the general public relations business after spending time within the newsroom. This shift is commonly pushed by the demand for sturdy storytelling and content material creation expertise in PR, in addition to the relationships journalists construct with media retailers throughout their careers.
Ahluwalia attributes this shift to the demand for expert expertise in PR and highlights how journalistic expertise interprets properly into the sphere. “There’s a scarcity of fine expertise in PR, and journalists usually deliver sturdy writing expertise and media relationships,” he explains.
Nonetheless, he additionally acknowledges that the transition isn’t with out challenges. “Transitioning to PR requires adapting to the service-oriented nature of the business, the place assembly tight deadlines and managing a number of purchasers may be difficult,” he shares.
Written with the View : afaqs