As a kid, I’d ardently believe in horoscopes and tarot cards. By the time I was a teen, it was a religious habit to refer to magazines and newspapers – mostly to find the luck of the day. Two beautiful things happened from this practice. One, I was disappointed at how futile the logic of believing solely in luck was. And two, when my former boss popped the question of how many newspapers I read daily – I had an unbelievable answer. Fast forward to 2008 (16 years or more than 8 million minutes spent in the PR industry), many things seem to have changed. Technology, processes, and strategies have undergone major transformation. But, despite the evolution, some things persist – for instance…. World is evolving by the minute, yet the credibility of communication as a first line of persuasion method persists. In simple words – we are the people who deliver communication be it a strategic decision or a brand’s perception. We are the people who relay the minutest of information and who take care of not just the seen but the unseen as well.
As a newbie, I’d often find questions around the purpose of PR (Public Relations) and the anticipated / received perception from other stakeholders perplexing. Thankfully the city that I grew up in taught me that the show must go on. That our banal thoughts can wait, life doesn’t. Life is a marathon and not just a sprint. And you need to constantly keep running – Chal Bhaag! If you don’t believe it, try getting into a Church gate Ladies Special from Virar.
My current organisation gave me the biggest opportunity to test the theory of running. When we started with the Tata Mumbai Marathon, the communications team was aware of the initial hurdles and roadblocks. Primarily, metropolitan cities were aware of the health benefits of an active lifestyle. We loved our sport, however, that did not guarantee we would get up and play, train, work hard, or even change our lifestyle to participate in a marathon!
In such situations, it is generally recommended to invest in an awareness campaign. But if the strategy is just to invest would it be a sure success? Surely, not. It was important for people to connect with this new sport and we decided to showcase how in a participative sport like running – Each individual is a Hero.. is a Winner! Everyone is cheering for you unlike when you are in a stadium watching a match as a spectator. Mi Mumbaikar… Mi Marathoner was the tone.
Usually, campaigns focus on one central thought. However, in a marathon, sport is only one of the aspects. It has a larger social, health, and economic impact. Registrations for the Tata Mumbai Marathon begin six months in advance, hence the communication campaign is eight months out with a focus on various facets of the event and larger messaging curated to be tactical and information-led. Ahead of D-day, the team would still be skeptical and fine-tune nitty-gritties such as – will a route get busy at a specific time? Would participants be provided with everything that they need? Is some NGO looking for some additional support? Are our stakeholders on the same page with us? Are we as a brand amidst the right and positive social chatter? How do we manage unexpected and unseen aspects? Initially, our discussions may seem tactical and strategic on topics such as logistics, participation, community impact, and digital engagement. But the job of the PR person or communications team does not have an expiry date. In fact, once the D-Day tides over, we would be engrossed in finding and delivering additional value – what are people talking online post the event ,what has the event culminated to? What’s the post-event sentiment amongst the masses? How do we inspire the community to continue walking for a better life through the year and drive retention? How do we remind them of their health goals? We not only have to constantly measure and provide additional insights to the top management but also deliver it in a meaningful and engaging manner to other stakeholders. These stakeholders are not just the board teams but often end-users and individuals. These inspired individuals are what makes something like a marathon come together into a lively cultural revolution. A year ago a gift of this cultural-revolution was a conversation I had with a 36-year old woman I met at the 2024 Tata Mumbai marathon. A mother of two, this participant ran the marathon inspired by a Facebook community post. She ran not only for her own better health but also donated generously to a philanthropic cause of her choice. Perhaps, a gift that reminds of a gracious outcome from a communication exercise done rightly!
Effective communication has amplified the perception of marathons, sporting events, and so many cultural festivals. Today, there are 800+ running events in our country, 2.6 million registered runners and an entire ecosystem around the sport that did not exist two decades ago. Tata Mumbai Marathon is the largest sporting platform for philanthropy in India, even cricket does not come close – nearly INR 430 crores raised since the inception of the event for numerous cases. Such communication not only adds to the economy but also creates much-desired social context. In the age of AI, the industry may be rightly worried about the prospects of automation killing creativity. But a creative industry like ours has a huge leverage with things such as strategic storytelling and evaluating societal impact. We are still in the business of spinning stories and communicating with people. The ways and means may have changed. The dilemma of choosing between chasing volume and focusing on value is an eternal one, especially in today’s world where the pace of everything demands instant results. In this relentless race against time, the temptation to sprint is strong, but true relevance is rarely found in chasing victories with a purpose. It lies in the steadiness of the marathon; where persistence, purpose, and the ability to endure define success. In the larger scheme of things, it is not speed but the depth, longevity and meaning of the journey that leaves a lasting impact. Just like the quest towards an authentic story.. chal bhaag.. because life is a marathon, not just a sprint.
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