With multiple collaborations, partnerships, a new vertical and expansions, Bangladesh’s specialised PR firm, Turn Up PR has come a long way since its humble beginnings. We speak to Founder and CEO, Umaila Akhter and newly appointed Managing Partner and COO, Zafir Huq on their journey to success.
Congratulations on completing two successful years as a PR firm that does not shy away from doing things differently. How has the journey been so far?
Umaila Akhter Turn Up PR is a special place that celebrates people wholeheartedly. In the past two years of small and big milestones, the one thing that we are most grateful for and proudest of is the collective community that we have built – our beloved team, our clients and well-wishers. We are grateful to our partners and a host of media platforms who we work with.
We started off as a boutique PR firm, where we served clients in limited capacity. Soon enough, the firm has amassed such a significant customer base that we are having to move to more mainstream projects. We noticed that traditional brands are now open to adopt new PR techniques and take the more integrated and personalised route. We have a growth mind-set and our mission is often fuelled by our client’s mission. We treat our clients’ business like our own, and will never stop being their biggest cheerleaders – always here to support them during all stages of their personal and professional growth.
As Turn Up PR steps into the third year of its journey, how is it evolving to make PR accessible to everyone? Could you please tell us a bit about your new vertical -Turn Up Studio?
Zafir Huq – Our new vertical Turn Up Studio has presented an opportunity for us to explore how we can more meaningfully connect people with the community. Beyond the traditional and digital PR platforms, we are also rolling out services like strategic collaborations in production which will bring various talents under one roof. The aim is to curate content by promoting talents, mobilising partnerships and galvanising efforts of unique collaborations.
Over the past decade, I have been blessed to be able to work with the art and entertainment industry. Music is an integral part of my life. The various labels, rise of new artists and new opportunities in entertainment is an impressive feat and testament to music & tech. Fundamentally for me, the lifeblood of a lot of artists is giving people a place to create art and learn from each other.
Social media usage is soaring which has presented new opportunities to industries, like music, who’ve come to rely on digital platforms. Greater emphasis is being placed on social media amplification across sectors. And this change in mindset couldn’t have come at a better juncture – because a new breed of platform is changing the face of the digital world, and the way we market across it.
This led us to leverage our expertise in the market after being in business for two years. We launched Turn Up Studio where we connect our talent community with our brand network – facilitating effective, powerful and meaningful campaigns. Our aim is to enable the new generation of talent to meet their full potential, while simultaneously helping brands reach their goals. While our PR vertical provides the long term PR strategy of the brand, the creative studio produces content specifically designed for the digital world. Our multidisciplinary production team delivers content in the form of digitalisation, film production, photography, visuals, animation and behind the scenes.
The prime focus of our studio is to disrupt and develop different marketing and creative disciplines during this increasingly fast-paced transition from traditional media onto social, digital and streaming platforms. We aim to record, produce content, work in a consortium with content creators, directors and production companies to utilise the new opportunities available and continue to challenge and innovate wherever possible.
So at the heart of the studio is a new and versatile space of community engagement. We have already kickstarted a rejuvenated calendar of events spanning the core pillars of PR and storytelling, extending into areas of art, music and entertainment business.
Managing Partner and COO
Turn Up PR
You have been at the forefront of Bangladesh’s PR and advertising industry for over a decade. How do you see it evolving in the post-pandemic world?
Umaila Akhter The PR industry is growing and expanding to include new structures for both start-up and big corporations. It is also becoming more diverse. Since it is dynamic, it should adapt to meet new circumstances and demands. PR depends on delivery channels, and as these channels change, so will the industry. Business history has shown that an industry that does not adapt, does not survive. For many in the world of PR, the last year has been an opportunity to recalibrate and rethink the business model by harnessing digital capabilities.
The pandemic has further accelerated the need for agencies and communication consultancies to adapt to incorporate digital PR strategies. What has remained consistent is the need for unique quality content, which is still the vital component of any successful PR campaign – online or offline.
Social media has been a massive factor in the modern evolution of PR, with many businesses not knowing how to take it on. PR professionals have adapted, learning to navigate these new platforms by strategizing how to manage, create and post content. It’s arguably more important today as our messages have to stand out in a sea of content, with audiences worldwide consuming mass amounts of instantaneous content no matter where they are. As PR professionals, we are responsible for making sure the content we share for clients is accurate, equitable and innovative.
Founder and CEO
Turn Up PR
We have seen some fantastic collaborations between Turn Up and a diverse range of brands/organisations over the past two years. What have been the projects you are most proud of? What are you currently working on?
Umaila Akhter We have been lucky to be part of projects that really helped us see the power of organic outreach campaigns in our community. We worked as PR partners with SAJIDA Foundation where certified counsellors, doctors and psychiatrists came together to share their knowledge on issues of depression, psychological and mental health, organisational mental health. Turn Up PR and Cats Eye also collaborated with renowned artist Morshed Mishu on World Mental Health Day to raise awareness about mental health and the inequalities around it. We also partnered with Truce Beauty, where we opened a conversation to shift the narrative around South Asian cultures promoting fair and whitening products and discrimination based on the color of one’s skin tone.
We are also overjoyed to join forces with Khulshi Mart, Chittagong and work on the “Road to Sustainability 2025 campaign. In the coming years we will be building platforms and campaigns, to ensure that we are giving back to the community. We are taking new steps to match the needs of a newer world : a world in need of better sustenance and care. We are also working on the launch of Turaag Active, and helping to promote their active wear by starting a movement to empower people to live better by staying active.
We are eternally grateful to be able to be a part of such meaningful campaigns which has allowed us to truly live up to our brand mission – of being smack at the centre of the transformation, but socially conscious at our core.