Parekhit Bhattacharjee

Head of Product Communications, Core Products Group, EMEA & APAC 

Logitech
Shanghai 

 

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“Music has always been the answer for me.”

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In a short year and a half, Parekhit Bhattacharjee has created, honed and executed a full-blown communications strategy for Logitech across the brands’ two largest markets — Europe and Asia-Pacific. In doing so, Bhattacharjee crafted narratives used consistently to support the American-Swiss consumer electronics manufacturer and its products through consumers’ purchasing journeys, start to finish. But it was the way in which Bhattacharjee went about doing it that made his early comms efforts so effective, which included working closely with marketing teams to identify the brand’s best stories and implement a digital-first approach to reaching customers with them. He banded together Logitech storytellers - users, opinion leaders and influencers — to demonstrate with authenticity and conviction the role Logitech products such as keyboards, mice and webcams play in boosting users’ productivity. And when the Covid pandemic hit, Bhattacharjee launched initiatives aimed at helping people adapt to working from home. His efforts to elevate Logitech as the leading voice of consumer technology has worked; the company’s revenue for the first quarter of fiscal year 2021 was up 23%.

How do you define innovation? 
For me, innovation is finding solutions to human problems effectively & efficiently. It could be anything big or small that helps to improve something and create significant value.

What is the most innovative comms/marketing initiative you've seen in the last 12 months?
One of the initiatives/campaigns that I enjoyed watching was the pasta brand Barilla’s partnership with Roger Federer. In April, Italian teenagers 13-year-old Vittoria Oliveri, and 11-year-old Carola Pessina became viral sensations when they played a tennis match across rooftops during the lockdown. An even bigger surprise was in store for them when Roger Federer dropped by unannounced at their home. You can see this play out in an adorable video (created by Barilla) as the girls play a rooftop game against their idol, take selfies and sit down for lunch together.

In your opinion, what brands and/or agencies are most innovative around PR and marketing? 
I've lately been enjoying the work done by Apple, Airbnb, Nike and Google amongst others

Describe a moment in your career that you would consider 'innovative.' 
Managing communications for computer peripherals category is not the easiest - a consumer purchases a mouse, webcam, or keyboard when their previous one stops working. So how do you de-commoditize a product category like computer peripherals? I'd consider this moment innovative when I helped transform the content approach from product-led narratives to benefit centric storytelling. It meant bringing alive how these products are solving a problem for everyday people. For this, we partnered with micro and mid-size influencers to create content across the purchase journey – long-form storytelling to educate people, shorter benefit centric narratives for driving consideration, and very short "Reasons to Believe" content for converting them into consumers. And in all this, keeping the messenger and the message consistent across platforms.

Who do you admire for his/her approach to innovation?  
Elon Musk | Hans Zimmer | A.R Rahman | Dean Kamen

How do you get out of a creativity rut? 
I produce electronic music. Getting into the studio and creating something new always refreshes me. Whenever I've been stuck, music has always been the answer for me.

What advice would you give to the PR industry around embracing innovation? 
Understand your consumer/audience well, take more risks, integrate more to help make a difference to the business of the brands.

What would you be doing if you weren't doing your current job? 
I really enjoy my current role and am very passionate about my job. But if I weren't in it then I'd have started a communication firm to handhold early stage startups.

Which book/movie/TV show/podcast/playlist/other cultural source has helped you get through this year or provided inspiration? 
I've lately been watching series that bring me closer to nature - Our Planet, My Octopus teacher, etc. Nothing inspires me more than the beauty of this world we live in.

What's your favourite time of day and why? 
Sunsets. The golden sun setting at the endless horizon gives me a better sense of gratitude for the earth and inspires me more to be better, do better.