The communications industry is one of the most dynamic and ever-evolving industries. Over 20 years, I have also seen its relevance and importance in the world amplify beyond general conception. Public Relations, especially interlaced with Advocacy, holds the scope to shape narratives for a world that you envision to be better. This dynamism of the industry helps us push the needle at every step and is what allowed me the opportunity to embark upon this journey of entrepreneurship.
SPAG’s win at IPRCCA 2020 as the Large Consultancy of the Year recently felt surreal… but it’s only one of the milestones we touch as we move along.
When you start something new, there’s always a vision driving it. The same vision evolves with time. However, this win recognises the work we are doing and holds testimony to the vision leading us on the right track.
So, what’s been our journey so far?
Courage. Collaboration. Consistency.
SPAG started with a very simple vision — to BE REAL. The idea focused deeply upon telling stories that compelled change. We stepped into a highly inter-connected region to create impactful campaigns that strengthen brands by exploring missing links, ripples and implications and work towards establishing a strong narrative that the local audience understands.
Since inception, SPAG has bucked the trend and looked beyond the obvious. This approach reflects deeply in our objective that drives us; our reiterative need to be conversation starters for real issues at the grassroot level and to partner with those that walk along with us towards a better world.
We started as an Indian single speciality communications firm with healthcare as its niche and have step-by-step evolved into a multi-speciality firm with full-fledged operations in key Asian markets.
Globally aligned, regionally cohesive, locally unique
It isn’t spreading your roots in the region that is the daunting task. The real challenge lies in establishing yourself and sustaining that through effective collaboration and partnership. Communications requires you to be able to effectively cater to the audience you’re interacting with. We lay emphasis on grasping the pulse of the region — country by country, city by city. The purpose remains to expand with a global approach, robust knowledge of the region while creating a local connect with the people. Thus, we hold offices in eight countries, but have a global network that is primed to work around the world to address the local needs of our clients.
Fighting the odds and beating 2020
The 2020 pandemic brought unforeseen challenges. The communications industry, too, faced the brunt of the business fallout the pandemic led to. However, we at SPAG chose to head in a direction that came with its risks and trials. The main goal was to maintain business continuity while expanding in the region. Like most of our industry colleagues, we transitioned to the virtual workspace and redefined our modus operandi. We also reworked our business approach, recalibrated our service profile and built a portfolio that catered the current demands of clients in the digital multiverse. During the pandemic, SPAG expanded into new sectors, markets, services, programmes and launched a path-breaking report on start-up communications.
We’re just getting started
No business journey is only the entrepreneur’s alone. There is a team that drives a company’s core vision. The SPAG family today is built with the strong belief of consistently contributing to the industry through effective partnerships. Thus, our vision for SPAG doesn’t end here. The world today is changing at a pace that’s 10x accelerated due to the pandemic. Hence, we move ahead with a specialist approach that looks beyond the obvious.
Yet… this is only the beginning!