RAKKI PR’s H.E.L.L. Week

Source: Shiksha

Adrenaline fueled, energy drink infused, managing four deadlines in a day is how I would describe H.E.L.L week if somebody asked. Quite synchronous with its acronym, it was the shortest yet the slowest week I’ve experienced in my adult academic life. The goal was to make us, that is, the students to act like employees in an actual Public Relations (PR) firm with real projects, deadlines, clients, as well as real pressure. “We ask, you do,” was what filled the then gauche air after every client brief. We had to turn that brief into actual campaigns, real stories, articles, ideas, any, and everything that could be executed. Yet the clock ran on.

It ran hard, without stopping, dissolving every hour into what seemed like mere minutes. So, we worked; hard and tirelessly. We worked on two consumer brands: Lay’s, PepsiCo (Potato Chips) and Bira 91 (Alcoholic beverages). Both clients had new product launches, media outreach expectations, as well as crises (more on that later). We were expected to prepare campaigns that aligned with their brand objectives and which highlighted their messages across to the consumers.

It was surprising when Bira 91 a famous Indian alcohol brand came out it with its non-alcoholic line. However, every question we had was met with an equally researched and logic-backed answer by the client. They expected us to create hype about the new product line, well before the launch, without revealing the brand at all. They also expected us to drive the audience speculation to the point where everyone wanted to know, ‘Who’s behind this new drink?’. Another shock came when we were asked to make the launch of the product a celebratory occasion that brought people of the country closer together.

“Make it like the IPL (Indian Premiere League).” The client’s words rang hard in my head, way after the brief was done. “And your budget is Rs. 10 lakhs”. How could we, a mere PR firm of five, formed twenty minutes ago, could have the planning abilities or even the ideas to make a launch so grand? But an ask is an ask, right? We were tested. Time, the Wi-Fi, and what felt like God were against us. We held brainstorming sessions back-to-back while juggling presentations and media calls all at the same time. Our first plan was disastrous and the client was detested.

So, we revised it again, and then once more and were successful in delivering what was asked. My teammates stayed later than me at the campus (or should I call it the office?), the day of the deadline, and worked their brains hard. I was told that they left for home at 10 PM. Nevertheless, the ideas which we came up with regarding the campaign whether it was ‘Mystery drink wheel: Collaboration with pubs” or leveraging our brand ambassador, won the client’s heart. Moreover, the newly calculated budget which we presented them with (including hoardings, the savvy venue, or the theatre ads) was accepted by the client in the end.

This brings me to the second brand: Lay’s. The Marketing Director spoke to us through Zoom calls yet their expectations filled the room. Lay’s was coming out with a new chips option for health-conscious people and the client wanted us to prepare the campaign around the same. They asked us to leverage the ‘World Environment Day’ for the launch. However, after the call ended, I deemed it fit to use the ‘World Health Day’ instead. This notion was accepted by the client; however we were asked to turn the whole month of April into a “World Health Month” instead. ‘From a day to a month, seems good enough’- was what our mouths said. Conversely, bells rang in our heads.

So, we set to work; again. The task was to finish the campaign before 6 PM and after our brainstorming session it was already three o’clock. We were required to come up with new brand ambassadors, plan the media outreach as well as the product launch, shortlist speaking opportunities for the spokesperson, prepare the campaign timeline, look for interview prospects with journalists, leverage the upcoming Indian Premiere League for the product, and lastly plan weekend activities for the whole month. It was an ordeal, but truthfully, I liked how fast-paced things got and a part of me enjoyed the persistent pressure.

The presentations which usually take me a minimum of two days to prepare, I completed the same in one and a half hours. Our team ran like a well-oiled machine during some tasks. We would ideate, I’d crunch the content, and then put them neatly in PPTs. During lunches as well, the team would keep brainstorming, and it seemed like nobody could get enough of how creative we could get with the campaigns. The work kept coming, but we were still on the surface. What we forgot was: the same boat that floats, can sink quickly too. Similarly, in all the mayhem of the tasks, we forgot the most pertinent thing: communication.

It was only after the week was over that we realised we did not communicate efficiently or even enough. Be it about the work division or our personal feelings. Consequently, our machine malfunctioned. The cooperation which was felt by the members turned soon into silent hostility. This was also aided by the constant pressure and addition in tasks. One moment we’d feel the situation is under our control, and the next someone would pull the rug right from under our feet. The feeling became stronger when the crises were introduced.

We were informed by Bira that our beverages caused fifty people food poisoning and with Lay’s, worms were found in the chips packet. Both situations had caused an upheaval amongst the consumers and we had to do everything in our power to save their respective reputations. What was amusing was that these crises did not come together. They were timed strategically, so that when we were working on one plan; the other brand simply popped over and revealed how alarming the situation was turning for them. Truly our sanity was tested while making media calls and talking to the journalists (who were our alumni with important parts to play).

Media calling was one of the most realistic activities because the journalists acted rudely, with disinterest, and as if they’d rather be doing anything else in the world than talking to us. I am grateful to our alums for painting such an accurate picture of the industry. We were expected to get the correct information across to them during the crisis whilst having no facts or data on our plates. Cross questioning from them turned more daunting because literally we had ran out of answers. Nevertheless, I was able to respond to these questions without an impulse and maintaining my cool even when the journalists snapped at my every sentence. (Again, kudos to the alums).

Towards the end, I could understand my strengths: I worked well under pressure, my enthusiasm for learning gave me an advantage over my teammates, and my professionalism made me turn my work into my religion. However, I also lacked at several places: I was too impatient at times, my inability to let go of control over situations, and lastly my seriousness towards tasks made me unapproachable by my teammates at times. It was truly a week of deep introspection and a lot of learning. I was able to absorb every task’s purpose so meticulously that I feel I have come out of this week a better professional and a stronger person.

Some suggestions that I have for this simulation are: We would have soared even higher if more people were involved in the process, either on the client side or on the firm side. If that had been the case then our accountability would have increased and we’d take to tasks with more dedication. Lastly, if the crises, which I enjoyed the most, could have been planned with more realism: like the client calling us several times, us getting calls from media for quotes, or constant buzzing of our phones: things would’ve gotten more intense and we would have felt more pressure.

Despite all this, I certainly think the faculty were successful in creating this simulation of a PR firm, as we lived every day of this week not as a SCoRe student but as an employee of RAKKI PR, which is an acronym for Rudra, Apra, Kalpana, Ketan, and Isha.