Ad land’s Young Guns: Tanya Chaudhary, Madison Public Relations

Tanya Chaudhary is Manager - Brand Communications at Madison PR by profession and a poet by passion. At Madison PR, New Delhi, she looks after the FMCG and Lifestyle portfolio with key accounts like Hamdard and Cargill, to name a few. With over six years of in-depth subject experience, Chaudhary drives brand communications and insight based strategies for brands as well as corporate.  

She pursued her PGD from IIMC after graduating from SRCC, Delhi University. She considers herself to be an effective team player with strong communication and leadership skills. Following her passion, Chaudhary writes for online forums such as Thought Catalog and the likes and maintains a Facebook/ Instagram page under the username – TanyaC Poetry. 

What does it takes to climb up the ladder in Public Relations? Here’s Tanya Chaudhary in her own words... 

How did you get into the role you are serving?
I was in my second year of college when I majored in Marketing (Public Relations & Advertising) and fell in love with this field. Post that, there has been no looking back. I did my post-graduation from IIMC, New Delhi and now have spent 6+ years in this industry that I just adore. I joined Madison in January 2016. 

What particular skill sets do you think you bring to the table?
On introspection and from what I hear, my skills lie primarily in strategic communications. I give research and language (both written and verbal) a lot of importance in my day-to-day working. I really like conversations and this has helped me better at my media relations. Multi-tasking is an art that over time I have mastered. 

How did Madison PR come about?
I became a part of Madison Public Relations in 2016, when I was hired as an Associate Manager. I completed three successful years this year in January as a Manager – Brand Communications. 

Icons in this field that you look up to and how they have influenced you and your work?
I look up to Archana Jain from PR Pundit; Rohini Iyer is also someone whose journey motivates me and influences me to do better. 

What are the five most productive things that you do in your everyday routine?
Well, I am an early-to-rise kind of person, so the first thing that I do is walk/ jog to keep my day energetic. Apart from an overarching goal, I always set daily goals for myself. I introspect and since the quest for knowledge never ends, I make it a point to read about world, science, literature and anything unique out there. I like collecting thoughts which I immediately jot down in my pocket-sized journal to reflect on later. I can be qualified as an ambivert – thus, socialising as important to me as my “me” time every day. 

Do you think a career in this field is a viable one in the long term?
Yes, most definitely. If you have the zeal, the knowledge and the quest to keep competing against yourself every single day, the sky is the limit for you. 

What does it take to succeed in a career like Public Relations?
One needs to constantly acclimatise to the changes and evolve. Working on yourself whilst the transformations around is imperial to one’s success. Your competition should be you; you from yesterday. It is a daily process. Be open and fully dedicated to learning. You’re guaranteed to excel in one area over the others (such as media, strategy or client relations), but commit to developing the entire PR skill set, and success will trail. The quest to learn more should never ever die. 

What would be your advice to youngsters planning to enter this industry?
The three basics:

• Believe in yourself: One needs to swift, responsive, receptive and definitely adaptive in public relations. There may be times when you just enter the industry and feel like your suggestions don’t matter. However, vocalising them nevertheless in a crisp manner will allow you access to constructive feedback which will one day help you to make decisions and take charge without any guidance.
• Understand your role: Know your KRA and beyond. Your role within the organisation, team and client’s work. Understand what their needs are by listening to understand rather than just listening to respond.
• Be Vigilant: Keep your eyes, ears and mind open. Stay curious. There’s a new section in a daily that may be useful for your colleague’s client – tell them! Is there something that happened in the news nationally that pertains to your client’s sector? Find ways to localize it. Be a value addition to yourself and everyone around.

Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
A little higher in the hierarchy ladder and definitely doing some great work, apart from being an asset to my co-workers, organisation and clients. 

Is there any organisation that you would like to work with in the future?
An organisation where the inflow of knowledge is constant, where the work culture, ethics and beliefs flourish my growth, where every day is a value-add to your existing skill set. In terms of categories, lifestyle and entertainment is something I see myself in. However, if I have to name, Viacom18, Netflix and other OTT application companies are really lucrative.