Jesicaa Singh, Founder of Stanley Communications, on Building Cultural Relevance, Shaping Luxury Narratives, and the Evolution of PR in India

For me, visibility is about being seen, but cultural relevance is about being remembered and talked about long after the moment has passed. In luxury and lifestyle, it’s not enough to just generate headlines or paparazzi flashes; the launch has to feel like it belongs to a larger cultural conversation. That’s what we focused on with the Galeries Lafayette India launch: it wasn’t a single night or a loud announcement, but a carefully layered, three-phase journey that built anticipation, credibility, and emotional connection with the city. When people feel that a brand understands where it’s arriving, who it’s speaking to, and why this moment matters now, it stops feeling like a PR exercise and starts feeling like a milestone. That’s when visibility turns into cultural relevance.

2. You’ve led some of the most iconic international brand entries into India, from Chanel No. 5 to Galeries Lafayette and AMIRI. What do global brands most underestimate about the Indian consumer when they first enter the market?

What global brands often underestimate about the Indian consumer is just how informed, discerning, and emotionally aware they are. Indian audiences don’t buy into logos alone; they look for context, credibility, and a sense of belonging. When we launched AMIRI in India, the focus wasn’t just on opening a flagship, but on introducing the brand’s attitude, its cultural codes, and why it made sense for India right now. Today’s Indian consumer has travelled, consumed global fashion digitally for years, and can instantly tell when a brand is simply importing a template versus genuinely engaging with the market. When brands take the time to listen, localise thoughtfully, and respect the pace and nuance of India, the response is incredibly powerful.

3. As a women-led agency of over 100 professionals, Stanley has grown alongside a rapidly changing PR landscape. How has your leadership style evolved as the agency scaled from a focused venture to an industry powerhouse?

As Stanley Communications evolved, my leadership naturally shifted from being deeply hands-on to being far more intentional and considered. In the early years, building credibility meant being present in every detail, but as the agency scaled, it became about setting a strong point of view, trusting excellence, and allowing the team to lead with confidence. Today, I focus on shaping vision, maintaining a certain standard, and nurturing an environment where talent feels empowered to think independently and deliver with finesse. You see this clearly in complex, multi-layered projects like the Galeries Lafayette India launch, where the team operated with precision and ownership across every phase. To me, authentic leadership in luxury is about restraint, clarity, and consistency, creating something enduring rather than simply growing fast.

4. Luxury PR today sits at the intersection of aspiration, access, and authenticity. In an age where everything is instantly visible online, how do you protect exclusivity without alienating a new generation of consumers?

Exclusivity today is really about curation rather than distance. In a world where everything is instantly visible, luxury brands have to be thoughtful about how much they reveal and to whom. When we worked on the AMIRI launch in India, the focus wasn’t on mass exposure but on introducing the brand through the right cultural voices, moments, and conversations that reflected its spirit. The experience felt intimate, yet the storytelling travelled far beyond the room. Younger consumers don’t want access for access’s sake; they want to understand the brand’s point of view and feel aligned with it. When you balance selective access with honest storytelling, exclusivity doesn’t feel restrictive; it feels desirable.

5. You’ve worked across fashion, beauty, hospitality, culture, and tech-driven platforms like The League. What stays constant in your storytelling approach across such diverse industries, and what must change every time?

What stays constant in my storytelling approach is starting with intent, understanding why a brand exists and what emotional space it wants to occupy, regardless of category. What changes every time is how that story is translated for the audience and platform. When we worked on Diptyque’s India launch, the narrative was slow, sensory, and editorial, designed to be discovered rather than announced. In contrast, for a tech-driven platform like The League, the storytelling had to be sharper, more direct, and rooted in relevance and access, while still feeling aspirational. Fashion, beauty, hospitality, or tech - the medium, tone, and tempo constantly evolve, but the constant is creating narratives that feel considered, culturally aware, and true to the brand’s identity.

6. Large-scale IPs like Front Row Weekend and GlobalSpa Fit & Fab go beyond brand promotion into ecosystem building. What role do platforms and IPs play in shaping long-term brand equity versus short-term buzz?

Platforms and IPs play a very different role from one-off campaigns because they’re designed to create continuity, not just attention. Short-term buzz is essential, but it fades quickly; a strong IP builds community, credibility, and a shared cultural language over time. With large-scale platforms like Front Row Weekend, brands aren’t just showcased for a season; they become part of an ongoing ecosystem where designers, consumers, media, and tastemakers engage repeatedly. That consistency is what shapes long-term brand equity, because it allows brands to be experienced, discussed, and trusted over multiple touchpoints rather than a single moment. When an IP is curated thoughtfully, it stops being about promotion and starts becoming a platform for influence and longevity.

7. Your early exposure to global fashion ecosystems, from Milan Fashion Week to London PR firms, came well before India’s luxury boom. How has India’s position on the global fashion and luxury map shifted over the last decade?

When I first experienced global fashion ecosystems like Milan Fashion Week and worked with London PR firms, India was often seen as a future market - necessary, but not yet central to the global luxury conversation. Over the last decade, that perception has shifted dramatically. India is no longer just being introduced to luxury; it’s influencing how global brands think about scale, storytelling, and cultural relevance. You see this clearly with milestones like the arrival of Galeries Lafayette in India, which signalled confidence in the market’s maturity and sophistication. Today, India sits on the global luxury map as a market with depth, discernment, and a strong point of view, and brands now come here not just to sell, but to build long-term cultural presence.

8. PR today is no longer just about media relations; it’s about influence, community, and credibility. What do you think modern PR professionals need to unlearn to stay relevant?

I think modern PR professionals need to unlearn the idea that success is defined purely by volume - more coverage, more influencers, more noise. Today, influence is built through relevance and trust, not saturation. We’ve seen this shift clearly while working on brands like Diptyque, where a few well-placed, thoughtful stories created far more impact than widespread but shallow visibility. PR today is about understanding culture, building communities, and protecting credibility over time, not just chasing immediate results. When professionals move away from transactional thinking and focus on long-term relationships and meaningful storytelling, they not only stay relevant but are also respected.

9. Through Talent Lab, you’re actively investing in the next generation of communicators. What gaps do you see between classroom learning and real-world PR, and how can young professionals better prepare themselves?

The gap between classroom PR and real-world campaigns is huge. In theory, you learn frameworks and case studies, but in practice, everything moves faster, the stakes are higher, and culture changes by the hour. When we launched Huda Beauty’s Diwali campaign across Delhi and Mumbai or executed multi-creator campaigns, success depended on reading the room, improvising, and making decisions in the moment, skills no textbook can teach. Young professionals can prepare by seeking hands-on experience, observing seasoned teams, and learning to navigate ambiguity with curiosity and confidence. It’s about stepping into the story as it’s happening and shaping it with both instinct and insight.

10. Looking ahead, what excites you most about the future of PR in India and what worries you? Where do you see the next big shift coming from?

What excites me most about PR in India is the chance to turn brand moments into experiences that linger, like a Valentino soirée where every detail, from guest selection to media engagement, shapes perception beyond the event itself. I worry that in the chase for quick visibility, brands may overlook the more profound narrative and consistency that truly build long-term equity. I see the next significant shift coming from PR that blends influence, community, and immersive experiences, where campaigns evolve into platforms that allow brands to connect meaningfully with audiences over time, rather than relying solely on instant buzz. 

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