Internship Report

1.1 Introduction
The internship was completed at Adfactors PR Pvt. Ltd, to give a firsthand experience of client servicing in a Public Relations firm and thereby enhancing my professional skills. Adfactors PR is one of the world’s top public relations firms with more than 20 years of experience in the Indian marketplace.

1.2 Objective of the internship
To provide a firsthand experience at a Public Relations firm. To know about the young and developing PR market in India. To be trained on gaining the understanding on the client and the sector the client operates in. To learn various research methodologies involved in client-servicing. To know the media, the journalists, before starting to pitch for a client. To have a basic knowledge on identifying accurate target audience; understand the demographics of the diversified Indian market, and different consumer behaviour across states. To facilitate a quick learning curve because of the exposure to different responsibilities that is given. To make contacts through interaction with a diverse range of businesses, issues and people. To work with a variety of clients and in a diversity of industries, and gain a great insight into the sorts of PR areas and industries we’d like to work in. To immerse oneself in that company’s marketing strategy and its day-to-day workings.

Chapter Two
Adfactors PR Pvt. Ltd
2.1 Adfactors PR
Founded in 1997, Adfactors PR is India’s largest PR consultancy. The Holmes Report 2011 ranks Adfactors PR amongst the top ten Asian PR firms. The principal practice areas are corporate, financial, consumer and crisis communication. The key sectors that they serve include Banking & Financial Services, Energy & Infrastructure, Realty & Construction, Auto, IT & ITeS, Healthcare, Education and Sports. They have recently launched Travel Hospitality & Leisure, Consumer & Lifestyle and Media & Entertainment as new practices. While Adfactors PR is number one in Corporate, Financial and Crisis Practices, it is among the top three in most sector verticals. The key differentiators include sound domain knowledge of each vertical they serve, strong media relations, deep understanding of the socio-cultural-political complexities of the Indian market.

The Adfactors PR team includes 330 people. In the domestic market, they have 14 offices and resident representatives in 26 additional locations. Their physical presence in these 40 markets covers every single state capital, all major media centres and each and every capital market. The clients include some of the largest and most reputed companies and financial institutions, both Indian and multinational. Adfactors PR currently serves over 250 clients on a retainer basis. They represent the industry leaders in over 25 categories. A set of values and principles guides their business decisions. One of the implications of this set is that they do not work for businesses engaged in alcohol, tobacco, meat processing and gambling.

5.2 Experience at the agency
I’ll admit, when asked why I wanted to work here, I answered, “Because it’s a global company.” But truthfully, I don’t think I really understood the invaluable learning opportunities one can derive from interning at a global PR agency like Ketchum Sampark. That has all changed very quickly. Over the past two months, I’ve had an intense firsthand experience working on accounts that have global reach. To give you a glimpse of what I’ve taken away since starting my internship, I’d like to share with you my top four reasons why it’s great to be a PR intern at a global agency! 1.Amazing human resources available at your fingertips – With offices around the globe, from USA to New Delhi, a global agency like Ketchum Sampark has an incredible workforce advantage. When there are people all over the world who are helping to reach the same goal – it creates some exceptional results. Worldwide, Ketchum Sampark team members have wonderfully diverse backgrounds. This makes the brainstorming, planning and execution processes highly creative and allows for excellent ideas to surface. Seeing this firsthand has allowed me to develop my team collaboration skills tremendously.

2.Endless possibilities to learn from colleagues’ travels – Global companies have opportunities to open new offices and send employees all over the world for business. These types of opportunities give employees a chance to use their skills and learn new things from people in different offices around the world. While based in the Pune office, I have learned a great deal from these global experiences by soaking in knowledge brought back by colleagues and using it to develop my own diversified skill set. Currently, a Pune co-worker is working in South Africa to help grow our presence in that continent. How amazing is that? 3.Clients that are attracted by the agency’s international reach – Big-name companies, industry game-changers and some of the most exciting start-ups and non-profits look to partner with global agencies like Ketchum Sampark in order to leverage our agency’s global reach.

Interning at a global agency enables you to work on accounts with some of the top companies in the world. Because of this, you gain invaluable experience working amongst absolutely brilliant people. 4.Rounding out your communication skills for a more global audience – For me, one of the more difficult hurdles interning at Ketchum Sampark was learning how to communicate ideas to a broader audience. Communication simply doesn’t work the same in every part of the world, so adapting to new styles is vital. By watching my peers and learning from the various communications styles, I am learning how to articulate my ideas to influencers around the world. This type of skill is invaluable to any future career. Everyone who interns or works at a global agency has different takeaways from their experiences.