1.Can you walk us through your approach to online reputation management, from assessment to execution?
It’s an interesting thing to note brands often spend crores on crafting ads and building communication. But the moment that same customer talks back, be it a conversation or a complaint, we shut our doors. Isn’t communication supposed to be a two-way street? That void, that blatant disregard for the customer’s voice is exactly what HAWK was built to fill.
At HAWK, everything begins with the customer. Not with dashboards. Not with the first response. But with a simple belief: if someone has taken the effort to speak about you, you owe them more than a templated reply.That belief comes from our roots. We are Indians, a country steeped in the ethos of Seva Bhav, the spirit of selfless service. For us, it isn’t jargon. It’s a way of life. And that’s why our ORM model is built not just around reputation, but around relationships.
And in doing so, we create a moat one that’s not just built on process or tech, but on empathy. Our approach is simple: listen like a human, respond like a brand that cares.
We blend technology, strategy, and service values to not just manage reputation but to earn trust. The kind of trust that lasts longer than any trending hashtag. At HAWK, ORM isn’t just about responding fast. It’s about watching over the people who’ve trusted your brand and showing up for them, every single time.
2.How has HAWK expanded its brand mandates over the years, and what leadership shifts have driven this growth?
We run HAWK like a startup, something with its own heartbeat, its own rhythm. It’s a sub-culture within the Gozoop Group, operating with frameworks and policies that are tailored to the kind of agility, responsiveness, and depth our work demands.
In the last two years alone, we’ve added 24+ brands to our portfolio, including several unicorns and category leaders. We’ve clocked an average growth rate of 45%, which hasn’t just come from scaling revenue it’s come from expanding trust.
To support that scale, we made some key leadership shifts:
- Premkumar was elevated to COO, bringing strategic alignment and operational maturity to the HAWK vision.
- We built a dedicated sales function under him to drive sharper GTM execution.
- We onboarded a senior lead to head our Delhi operations.
And we internally realigned a senior analytics resource to deepen our data and intelligence capabilities, because ORM today is as much about insight as it is about intervention.
Each of these moves was intentional not just to grow the business, but to future-proof HAWK.
3.How did you come up with the name “HAWK,”?
The name HAWK wasn’t just a branding choice, it was a reflection of what we wanted to build. We weren’t looking for a fancy agency name. We wanted something that spoke to the spirit of how we work.
In many cultures, the hawk as a spirit animal represents vision, focus, intuition, and protection, and that aligns perfectly with our approach to online reputation.
We don’t just scan feeds or track keywords. Like the hawk, we observe patterns, connect dots others miss, and see beyond the obvious.
But it’s not all calm observation either. When a brand is in a reputation battle, you don’t want someone passive on your side. You want someone who knows how to strike swiftly, aggressively, and effectively. That’s HAWK.
It stands for our ability to stay watchful, move decisively, and protect what matters with speed, accuracy, and strength.
So yes, HAWK is more than a name. It’s a reminder of how we show up, for our clients, and for the people who trust their brands.
4.What sets Gozoop HAWK apart in terms of strategy and execution?
What sets HAWK apart is that we don’t just solve for today, we design for trust that lasts.
And to do that, our strategy and execution rest on the following core pillars:
Thoda Data, Thoda Dil
We’ve built ourselves to be tool-agnostic. But our real edge? It’s not just in the tools, it’s in how we interpret them. Our people are trained to pick up shifts in tone, cultural undercurrents, and patterns others overlook. That’s how we go from listening to understanding something no dashboard can teach.
We don’t shy away from Kombat.
We genuinely care. Every reply we draft, every insight we mine, every SOP we build it all comes from a place of service.
But if there’s a crisis or a bad-faith attack? We act fast and firm. Our Kombat layer with legal support, IP protection, cyber forensics, scam investigation, and trace-to-FIR capabilities is something no one else in India offers at this scale.
5.What role does SEO play in ORM, and how do you suppress negative search results while boosting positive content?
There was a time when ORM teams could push down negative links just by publishing a few keyword-rich blogs or press releases. But in today’s landscape, that’s no longer enough. Google’s algorithm is smarter, more persistent, and prioritizes credibility over frequency. Which means traditional suppression tactics don’t hold up the way they once did.
That’s why, under our Reputation Risk Management suite, we’ve moved beyond basic SEO.
We’ve built more reliable, multi-pronged systems to handle damaging search results especially when the content is unfair, outdated, or misleading.
Instead of only pushing content down, we now focus on pulling it out from search visibility through legal content takedowns, compliance-based removals, and IP-led enforcement mechanisms.
6.You emphasize ‘24/7 online response management.’ How do you maintain efficiency while ensuring a healthy work culture?
If your customers are using your product or service round the clock, then your brand needs to be available round the clock too, because that’s exactly what today’s consumers expect. They’re more aware, more vocal, and they demand nothing less than the best, in the shortest possible time. They don’t differentiate between weekdays or weekends, 2 PM or 2 AM. And when they reach out, they expect to be heard. That’s why 24/7 online response management isn’t optional anymore; it’s foundational for large scale brands. At HAWK, we’ve built this capability not just to meet SLAs, but to match the real-life demands of modern consumers.
Being 24/7 doesn’t mean being online all the time; it means being available, aware, and ready when your customers need you the most. We don’t make our team work more than 9 hours per shift (there are days when stretching happens, but it has never been unhealthy in nature) . Internally, we run a rotational staffing model where teams work in shifts that respect their natural body cycles so we can stay always-on without draining anyone.
7.What KPIs do you use to measure the success of an ORM campaign, and how do you quantify its ROI?
We measure success by what the world sees and sometimes, by what it doesn’t. A faster first response, a resolved conversation, a shift from anger to advocacy. We track how quickly we show up, how effectively we close, and how often silence turns into brand trust. Negative to positive if that ratio improves, the reputation is healing.The real ROI? Its sentiment turned steady, perception turned purposeful, and moments that never became headlines.
8.What are some emerging trends in ORM, and how do you see the future of online brand management evolving?
ORM is shifting from reaction to relationship. Customers today expect more than quick replies they want to feel understood. The future lies in hyper-personalized interactions, where data helps brands respond with relevance and care.
We’re also seeing user-generated content becoming the new reputation gold. Real stories from real people beat polished ads every time and brands that know how to amplify these voices will build deeper trust.
Customers now want on-demand solutions, not long wait times. So, AI-powered self-service tools and intuitive help centers are becoming ORM essentials, not just supporting add-ons.
On the risk front, misinformation is evolving fast. Deepfakes, fake reviews, and manipulated content are very real threats. ORM teams now need real-time detection and the ability to act before false narratives spiral.
Lastly, ORM is no longer just about managing crises, it’s becoming reputation marketing. Smart brands are using CX moments and feedback as fuel for brand growth.
In short, ORM is getting integrated, smarter, more personal and the brands that treat it as a growth function, not just damage control, will lead the way.
9.Your journey from intern at Gozoop to COO of HAWK is inspiring. What leadership lessons can be drawn from his growth?
Thank you, it’s been a journey full of detours, productive failures, and a lot of learning. I didn’t start out aiming to be COO. I just showed up every day trying to do the right thing for the client, for the team, and for my work. Over time, that consistency mattered more than any title.
If there’s one lesson I’ve held onto, it’s this: leadership isn’t about being the loudest voice in the room. It’s about listening, staying grounded, and showing up when it counts.
I’ve also learned that you don’t need to know everything, you just need to care enough to figure it out. Early on, I often felt under-skilled. So I over-prepared, over-delivered, and asked for help without ego. That mindset shaped the way I lead even today.
And finally, I’ve seen that the best leaders aren’t the ones who shine the brightest. They’re the ones who create space for others to shine. Watching people I’ve worked with grow into managers, leaders, and voices of their own that’s been the most fulfilling part of this journey.
So if there’s anything my story reflects, it’s this: you don’t have to start big, you just have to start with intent, stay with integrity, and keep moving with purpose.
10.What ethical principles guide HAWK in ORM, and what’s your vision for its future?
Let’s be honest, ORM has become a buzzword. Everyone claims to do it, but not everyone’s doing it right. We see agencies ghostwrite apologies, fabricate reviews, bury facts under fake content and call it “management.” That’s not reputation management. That’s digital damage.
At HAWK, our approach is very clear: we don’t clean up lies, we build truth. No shortcuts. No manipulation. No playing dirty.
When we take on a brand’s reputation, we take on a responsibility to the truth, to the customer, and to the long game and we don’t chase virality, we build credibility that sticks, even when things go wrong.
That’s what sets us apart in a market full of quick fixes. We play the long game with our gloves on.
Talking about vision.
We’re not here to be another ORM agency ticking off replies on a dashboard. We’re building HAWK to be the undisputed in the customer service domain today it’s online tomorrow it could be anything. We will be present where customers talk with brands.
We’re not here to be a support function. We’re here to become a brand’s first line of defence and its last layer of credibility. Our vision is to evolve ORM from being considered as a niche vertical into a business-critical discipline, one that has a seat at the table next to PR, Legal, Risk, and CX.
And we’re not just aiming to be India’s best ORM partner, we’re building the model the world will benchmark. That’s where we’re headed. And anyone still playing at vanity metrics and templated replies? They’re already behind.