There are over a thousand companies in India that have a communications leader. This is a back-of-the-envelope estimate. Even if the Top 25 firms had an average of 40 clients, we would reach a four-digit figure. These companies include listed companies, private limited companies and multinational companies. There are at least 300 companies that have a communications team, which means two or more people managing this function on their own or with the help of a PR firm. Around a dozen teams have gained prominence in the last couple of years for the great work they do, the amazing campaigns they run, the sheer number of awards they win and the magnitude of the mandate they have. It was time to recognise some of these teams and we chose to zero in on 30 of these and make this an annual list. This will also help achieve the following objectives –
- Recognise great teams who are working to build brands using the power of Public Relations
- Put the spotlight on men and women who work behind the scenes so that more and more companies hire communication teams
- Offer inspiration to teams that did not make it to the list this year
How was the list arrived at?
We invited nominations from teams on social media and on the portal in the month of April. Over 50 teams submitted information that was collected and sorted by the content team. Based on the data that the teams shared, they were scored on various parameters out of 15. Thereafter a four-member jury independently evaluated the Top 30 teams and gave a score out of 10 each. The total was tabulated to arrive at the ranking of the Top 30 teams. There were several teams that tied at similar scores.
We thank the jury that consisted of senior corporate communication and marketing professionals Farheen Akhtar, Moushumi Dutt, K S Narahari and Lloyd Mathias. Our gratitude to Kaizzen Communications and its leader Vineet Handa for supporting research on this list by a generous grant.
What we looked for in the teams?
Size did not matter as long as it was a team, which meant two or more members. We looked for award winning work in the previous year, who the team lead reported to, what budgets the team had to carry out its campaigns, what aspects the team managed other than media relations, including CSR, digital, internal communications and general perception of the organisation. Only teams that submitted a nomination by filling out the questionnaire were considered. So, there could be teams that deserve to be there but did not feature only because they did not participate. There is always the next year.
What’s next?
In addition to the honour of being listed and celebrated on social media, teams that feature here may get rewarded by the management of their respective companies. Teams may look forward to two other key initiatives in the year, including 40 under Forty and the Fulcrum Awards. We will also run a series of articles contributed by members of the 30 Top Teams. We will offer special deals for members of the Top 30 teams to PRAXIS during July for online registrations, and to the Super Night in December.
To those who made the cut, our heartiest congratulations. To those who did not, there’s always a next time.
India’s 30 Top Corporate Communication Teams – 2018
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