Radhika Nihalani – Think Ink Communications
Think Ink Communications is a young and dynamic PR firm with media, entertainment, and lifestyle as its domain expertise. Their approach is to present thoughts that are fresh & unique, that build credibility, acquire trust and retain the market position of its clientele. In a short span of fewer than four years, they have partnered with over 40 brands.
The company’s key clientele includes ALT Balaji, Saavn, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Star India’s Hindi Movie Cluster (Star Gold, Star GoldHD, Movies OK), Ronnie Screwvala (founder of the erstwhile UTV Group), Neerja Birla, Terence Lewis, Culture Machine (South East Asia’s leading digital content company), One Digital Entertainment, Indus Vox Media, Spectra VR amongst a host of others Co-founded by Radhika & Chirag Nihalani, Think Ink Communications devises and executes communication strategies that create visibility campaigns that deliver value and produce results. Think Ink Communications’ deep understanding of the media gives it an edge to advise on ideas that will work best with the press and get its clients maximum visibility.
In a talk with Radhika Nihalani, we discussed the current industry scenario and how Think Ink is transforming the sector.
Brief us about your journey till now.
Born and brought up in Delhi, I moved to Bombay to find myself a career in public relations. I started in the Corporate Communications team at Blue Dart. While the job taught me so much and in hindsight, I couldn’t have asked for a better training ground, I was inclined towards the madness that comes with entertainment … I switched gears and joined Wizcraft to be a part of the PR team for IIFA and the Unforgettable World Tour. From then, I was hooked to entertainment PR and there was no looking back! I worked at various places before I took the big leap to start my entrepreneurial journey with Think Ink
What were the initial challenges you faced?
The initial challenge we faced as a company at Think Ink was fighting the grey hair syndrome. Every time we went for a pitch, there was a silence in the room when they realized that the company was headed by a young woman! Radhika Nihalani is now seven years into the business, I am not so young anymore.. we still do feel it sometimes .. but we don’t let it come in our way. Radhika Nihalani believes being young and dynamic is our USP and we wear it with pride.
Which was that point that triggered the growth of your company?
Like I said; initially, some big brands were worried about trusting their PR with a young team like Think Ink. At this time three brands showed faith in us – Reliance, Star Gold, and Zindagi Channel..that was an important turning point for us. With such illustrious names in our roster early on, our confidence grew manifold and we knew we were on the right track.
Failure is a comma, not a full stop.
What is the reason behind the company’s long-standing success?
Ideate and innovate have been at the core of everything we do, since the start. I wish to believe they have held us in good stead. Being in the service industry, Radhika Nihalani has set high standards for ourselves and we work towards achieving them constantly.
What are the products/services the company focuses on? How are your services different from those in the market?
Radhika Nihalani provides media relations and positioning strategies to the clients we work with. Our key differentiators would be able our ability to come up with ideas that not just garner visibility but help build long-term brand value and our commitment to service excellence.
How do you decide to take Think Ink Communications a step further in terms of your products/services?
The effort is to keep upping the benchmarks set for ourselves – consistently delivering value.
What are the key achievements of your entrepreneurial journey?
I would say the key achievement has been to build a culture in the company that lets people thrive..one that’s open to mistakes and learnings, one that allows growth.
How do you look after your employees? What makes your team unique?
I think the culture of a company is very important and since its inception, Radhika Nihalani has paid a lot of attention to it. Culture is not about organizing fancy dinners or off-sites – it’s about the love and attention that goes into every detail of your employee engagement. An employee must feel that the company is as much his / her as it is the owners..and if you think of it, that is the case. It’s the people that make the place.
According to you, what are the main factors that businesses should focus on to be relevant in the market after the COVID 19 outbreak?
Innovate, innovate and innovate. Never stop finding opportunities – they exist everywhere.
According to you, what needs to be done to promote woman entrepreneurship across the country?
I don’t think one should categorize or promote entrepreneurship basis gender. Radhika Nihalani should promote entrepreneurship for all, and in my opinion, one of the better ways to do it is to speak freely and openly about failure. Radhika Nihalani fears failing way too much which massively impacts our risk-taking capabilities. The more we talk about failure, the more accepting we will be of it, the more we will be willing to take risks. Entrepreneurship is a journey full of ups and downs and one mustn’t be afraid to fall.
It’s a rat race out there. How do you cope with that?
Set yourself a different path, Radhika Nihalani.
