CONSOCIA ADVISORY: Providing integrated solutions with Reputation Management, Public Affairs and Advocacy
Consocia Advisory has fast emerged as the consultancy of choice for several firms in India. When Deepak Jolly, Dr. Praveen Aggarwal, and Dr. M. Murthy co-founded the Consultancy on 20th April 2017, the calling was a body of work that will be powered by knowledge, insights, work ethic, passion, humility and respect, complemented by a vibrant dream where transparency and candor are the cornerstones of doing business. Consequently, the master thesis was born. An Advisory that practices a higher form of building and protecting brands through dialogue with the consumers, stakeholders, and opinion leaders.
Our thesis is manifested through 3 converging practice areas namely – Reputation Management, Public Affairs, and Advocacy which includes GR and Public Policy and Responsible Business that is sustainability and community Development says Dr. Murthy. The vision is further expressed through the brand logo representing a source of energy for its clients to help them drive to a higher purpose and impact for their business. The disjointed lines of various lengths in their logo represent scattered ideas in a VUCA world. Consocia Advisory takes pride in being able to join these lines which stand for holistic strategic solutions to the clients. The red dot at the center of the logo symbolizes the energy and passion of Consocia, as well as the 360-degree engagement of the firm. In words of Dr. Aggarwal – the co-founder & director “The story of Consocia is in many ways the story of the future of Brand Reputation and we take a lot of pride in being different from the current cohort of PR and Reputation Management advisory firms. What fuels our vision are value-creation, ethics, co-creation, passion, innovation, and breakthrough ideas that result in measurable top-line and bottom-line impact for clients.”
The clientele includes Startups and VCs, small & medium enterprises, large Indian enterprises, global companies, and firms from the development sector, industry associations, foundations & NGOs. The sectoral spread includes the Food & Beverage sector, Retails, Consumer, Industrial, Venture Capitalists, Artificial Intelligence & IoT, FinTech, FoodTech, SportsTech, DefenceTech, Electronics & IT, Media, Development sector, Drugs & Pharmaceuticals, and many others. Mr. Jolly says
“Our Passion and ability to provide clients with an integrated solution keeping their business bottom-line in sharp focus are the two most powerful assets we bring to the table. Having been on the client-side for most of our lives, we not only comprehend what a client means when he/she asks for something; we are also able to provide them with workable, outcome-based solutions, something that we found to be missing in many of the agencies we have worked in the past. Those learnings of over three decades are coming quite handy now.”
Speaking on that front, Dr. Aggarwal opines “We believe that building deep relationships, insightful research and top-level engagement are more essential than paid investments. This requires a deep understanding of several sectors, the ability to create purposeful engagements and conversations with clients and deliver results consistently. A passionate team with strategic thinking and deep regard for processes are our fundamental building blocks and clients do not hesitate to endorse our capabilities at every opportunity.”
Consocia’s proprietary approach integrates strategies and solutions from the realms of reputation management, public affairs, and sustainability / CSR for core building and social license strengthening as per the needs of the clients. Talking about a proactive approach Mr. Bhattacharya, Chief Partner Officer of the firm believes, “The company is far ahead in identifying issues and preparing our clients well in advance, preventing a crisis from occurring and if they do happen, mitigate the negative consequences to every possible extent. At the same time, our ability to create a confluence of earned, shared, paid, and owned media across traditional engagement channels makes our campaigns wide-spread resulting in an amplified outreach. We also demonstrate value creation through measurement tools and analytics to help clients realize their business goals.”
Consocia’s Research and Knowledge Insights play a pivotal role in complementing the project management team. Within Public Advocacy, research helps in mining data and information to support a case in point and create intensity around advocacy of a clients’ project. The Research and Knowledge Insights team develops in-house research data and information for purposes spanning data analysis, information gathering, and background intelligence. This enables informed business development support and robust decision making.
“Illustrations of deep data mining for developing a database to provide solid and verified data-driven narratives to enhance case building and ensuring registration of gravity among stakeholders on a prevalent issue in a Central and State Government liaison project is testimony to the impact of research in project success,” says Mr. Jolly. In three years Consocia has also earned the distinction of being a specialist in handling sectoral issues and business continuity issues for industry associations – be it the shopping centers (malls), solar manufacturers, multiplexes, hotel industry, or even waste management and recycling of beverage cartons. Within this short period, the company has also won several accolades; the most recent one being recognized as the Emerging Agency of the Year in ET Brand Equity Kaleido Awards 2020 for exemplary work in Reputation Advisory, Reputational Risk and Crisis Management, Public Affairs, Public Policy and Responsible Business (encompassing Sustainability and Community Development). Mr. Jolly believes, “In the time to come, our only aim is to be recognized among the top 5 reputed advisories
in India and we are working relentlessly to achieve that aim. As a start-up, our biggest achievement has been to serve some of the most distinguished MNCs, Indian Companies, and the largest NGOs. Therefore, we have achieved quite a few milestones already (and counting) and at this run rate, we will be able to achieve our goal within the timelines we have set for ourselves, clocking a CAPGR of 50% year-on-year.” When we asked the Leadership Team if they still come back to work with the same zeal, like they did when they started, Mr. Bhattacharya smiled and replied “Oh! More than we ever. The excitement is just the same as it was when we first started our careers. We are a start-up and if there is something that keeps us going – it is the never say never attitude and the constant hunger to deliver one successful campaign after another.”
Consocia Advisory also strives to give back to society. Some of the campaigns that Consocia has supported are to create a more responsible society including large mass media campaigns on responsible road behavior and responsible drinking. With over 10% of Indians suffering from respiratory diseases, the team has taken on a very important mandate to foster dialogue and interventions for Asthma and COPD across several States in the country.
They worked to determine how to bring a shift in government policies to help those patients. Currently, the company is working in aiding the burden of disease on hearing impairment, which affects over 21% of Indians. The team is also supporting a national campaign to safeguard senior citizens from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have also contributed towards digitization of India through a campaign which was specifically aimed at promoting inclusive growth as a part of the Government’s “Digital India” program and it was extremely well-received by all stakeholders,” says Mr. Jolly.
