By: Lucy Mayo
Meet Azamat Sultanaliev, a dynamic force reshaping the landscape of marketing and PR. With over ten years of experience, Azamat continues to inspire with his innovative approaches and fresh ideas. Join him as he shares his wealth of experience and insights into the ever-evolving world of communications.
Azamat, what specifically attracts you to your profession?
My profession captivates me with its liveliness, originality, and the significance it carries. After all, the main goal of marketing and Public Relations is to make people’s lives better while making them visible to the public.
Can you share how your background in business management led you to specialize in public relations and why you identify yourself with this profession?
Despite my educational background in business management, my professional journey began in the field of Public Relations while I was still in school. Since then, I have been passionately involved in this field. I believe that public relations is an essential tool of marketing, and therefore, I proudly identify myself with this profession.
How did your professional career start?
My professional career started at university. Participation in festivals and events like the youth forum Jashtar Camp was my first experience. This forum brought together over 700 active, creative youth from all over Central Asia. I began working there as an assistant to the chief PR specialist responsible for promoting the event. This experience was full of new and unexplored aspects, but I successfully handled it and have been in this field ever since. Later, I worked as a media specialist in a large international USAID-funded project in Kyrgyzstan implemented by the American organization East-West Management Institute. I even tried my hand at advertising in the country’s largest retail chain, although I did not consider myself a professional advertiser.Â
Over time, I rose to the position of PR coordinator in the regional organization Fair and Sustainable Development Solutions. For the past four years, I have been coordinating communications work in Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Gradually, I also delved into marketing and started consulting others in the last year.
What quality actively helps you in your work?
In my work as a communications specialist, it is always important to stay at the forefront of events. In today’s world, where social media has become an integral part of our lives and constantly creates new trends and events, this is especially relevant. My broad education and knowledge enable me to communicate easily with colleagues and partners, although I may not always have the depth of knowledge. I consider the knowledge of not only modern tools but also classical marketing methods to be an important professional quality. Ultimately, marketing is about interacting with customers and conducting relevant research. Therefore, at a time when many are returning to classical marketing tools, I see this as one of my strengths.
What challenges can a novice specialist face?
A novice specialist will undoubtedly face challenges and difficulties in their work. However, working in the field of communications also has many advantages, such as project diversity and the absence of routine. Each project is unique and unlike the previous one. Additionally, constant communication with people is an important part of our work. It is essential to understand that to have a successful impact on the audience, you need to know what people are interested in and passionate about. However, behind beautiful advertising always lies meticulous and carefully thought-out work, sometimes requiring hours of effort, and the results may not always be immediately visible. A newcomer in this field should be prepared to process a large amount of information and learn how to create the right and targeted content for the audience.
Tell us about your fear of new projects despite your extensive experience and knowledge.
Fear is a normal feeling, even for experienced professionals. Even with a rich experience, I always feel excitement when taking on a new project or starting to work with new partners. I believe that fear is a natural human reaction. Since starting my career in 2015, every time I take on a new project, I experience manageable excitement. For example, when working on a national media campaign for the East-West Management Institute involving the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice of Kyrgyzstan, the first few days were particularly challenging. But as I immersed myself in the project, the work became clearer and more confident. I always explain to my assistants that the first few days of a new job can be tough, and that’s normal. The key is to cope with this stress, pull yourself together, and start working, relying on your knowledge and skills.
What motivates you to continue working in the field of communications?
For me, the main source of motivation is the opportunity to convey my ideas and thoughts to millions of people. I always choose projects that align with my interests and values, and through them, I can fully express myself and my beliefs. Being a part of the process of creating and implementing new ideas and seeing their impact on society is what makes my professional work so inspiring and meaningful for me.
Today, artificial intelligence is gaining momentum and sparking many discussions. It is believed that it can potentially replace public relations and marketing professionals. What is your opinion on this matter?
This is an exciting and undoubtedly relevant topic. Recently, I participated in the large-scale “Strategic Marketing” forum in New York organized by the international agency Reuters, and one of the central topics for discussion was the integration of artificial intelligence into the field of marketing.
According to current trends, artificial intelligence can indeed reshape the job landscape, including the fields of communications and marketing. However, the key question revolves around the degree of artificiality in this context. Communications and marketing are not just about numbers and data; they also involve art, creativity, and, most importantly, the ability to interact with other people. Emotions, intuition, and empathy are all areas where the human factor remains unparalleled.Â
Technologies and artificial intelligence can be powerful tools, but they cannot replicate the depth of human experience, which plays a critical role in the fields of communications and marketing.Â
Published by: Martin De Juan
