Managing relations

Sunil K Poolani
26 June 2003

Mumbai: Kapil Rampal has been heading Creative Crest (www.creativecrest.com) for the past two years. In his leadership, Creative Crest has emerged as one of the leading PR agencies in India.

He was a consultant for LiveWorld for over four years. At LiveWorld, he managed PR activities for many Fortune 500 companies in the US. He has also contributed and developed content for many leading media houses in the country.

Rampal is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. He holds a post-graduation diploma in computer science and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America.

Rampal, in this interview, talks about the challenges the PR industry in India today faces. Excerpts:

How has the business environment for PR companies been affected by the economic slowdown?
The business environment for PR companies has changed quite a bit after the slowdown in the world economy. Many PR companies have shed the earlier dotcoms / tech-focus and have moved to more traditional businesses. A lot of clients have become a lot more conscious in terms of their spending in PR. Many companies negotiated for lower retainers or have switched on working at project basis.