Today, women in the business world wear different hats that display their talent and capability. Shaina Mehra Wij (Founder of “Bandwagon Communications”) wears numerous hats with grace and a unique style that can influence other people. With her skilled team, she uses the power of (public relations) PR to help clients build, enhance, and maintain their brand reputation.
Shaina began her educational journey at Cardiff University (United Kingdom), where she obtained her master’s degree in international public relations & global communications management. She then went on to gain exposure and practical knowledge by working at Boutique PR Agency in London. Following this, the well-versed leader free-lanced for a couple of brands and working in an MNC PR Firm in India. Soon after gaining adequate experience in PR in India, Shaina realized that a gap existed in the market where newly sprouting startups with promising ideas would struggle to make their presence due to a lack of affordable PR and social media marketing services. To bridge this gap, she decided to establish Bandwagon Communications, a company offering startups in India 360-degree communication services. Shaina’s superpower can be seen in her ability to accelerate profitable results by offering creative PR and marketing services to the clients.
“
We stand true to our tagline – ‘Envision. Create. Communicate’ across every service we deliver.
Performing Multi-faceted Operations
Shaina believes her role sways between consulting startups on leveraging their USP in media to effectively reach out to their target audience and acting as a mentor for her team and channelizing their ideas to meet the clients’ expectations. She is also proactive in expanding the operations of the brand beyond India. This year, the successful businesswoman aims to enhance the team’s expertise and expand its operations. Shaina also envisions working with bigger startups and thus, soaring high as a holistic communication agency. Currently, the company serves a few international clients in the US and Canada and hopes to expand it further to other nations as well.
One-Stop-Shop For All The PR And Digital Marketing Needs
Incepted in 2017, Bandwagon Communications is a full-fledged agency with unmatched expertise in offering PR Consultation for startups. The company offers a wide range of PR services ranging from PR strategy & consulting, brand positioning & message development, identifying target media & influencers, creative, thought-provoking proactive storyline development, media training to rapid reaction news pitching, and a lot more. Along with this, the company also provides branding concepts and strategies, including digital marketing, social media management services, photography, videography, copywriting & creative services. Shaina proudly asserts, “On the whole, we outshine as a one-stop-shop for all the PR and Digital Marketing needs of startups. With a strong motive of bagging utmost client satisfaction, we provide doable solutions that neutralize the effect of their crises.”
Combination of Novice and Experienced
Bandwagon Communications comprises a team of dynamic and committed PR and social media experts, including fresh graduates. These graduates bring in fresh ideas to the table with a better understanding of newfangled technologies, whereas experienced professionals offer the company greater knowledge and stability. Shaina takes pride in her team members as the creative professionals who take care of social media campaigns, videography, photography, copywriting, and other aspects. She asserts, “Our main motto is that we consider the client’s business as our own and deliver them the results they deserve. We stay abreast through constant reading and networking. We also love to connect with the industry stakeholders and learn about their consumers, case studies, and other nuances about that particular industry.”
Pandemic Impact on Organization
To tackle the pandemic, Bandwagon Communications is taking precautionary steps to ensure everyone’s safety. The company takes pride in maintaining a 100% retention rate with no cut in our employees’ remunerations during the pandemic. Work from the home policy has been extended until complete health programs are restored in the public transport sector. Shaina believes that despite the difficult times, technology has helped them to better communicate with internal teams as well as customers through video conferencing, live worksheets, and WhatsApp chats to continue work seamlessly.
Shaina’s ViewPoint On Pandemic Challenges
According to Shaina, the pandemic and the lockdown have made it very difficult for businesses to re-examine how they manage and operate their business, including re-evaluating their marketing budget allocation. For her, the present situation demands staying afloat in terms of operations. She believes that for now, sustenance is the key. She plans to assess the situation monthly and tracking expenses against the revenue status.
The current pandemic has had a two-fold effect on the PR Industry in India. On the one hand, she has experienced many traditional businesses realizing the power of social media marketing. On the other hand, there has been a crunch in ad spend by brands that have forced media houses to shut a few editions or cut down their pages, limiting the news space. As a result, PR professionals encounter a stalling scenario to generate desired coverage. Along with this, the lockdown also meant working from home that was having its own challenges. Technology has helped cruise through difficult times, though. Shaina says, “In the long run, brands will realize that allocating a decent marketing budget towards PR will fetch them better mileage than investing in any form of paid media. Brand presence on social media will also witness a spur along with higher spendings on digital ads.”
