Author: Dr Bhaskar Das

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Q: With the creation of large, monster-sized companies, is there a room for an independent electronic media entity?

A: Exercising independence is generally a matter of choice, especially in a proclaimed democratic set-up. In a democracy, an organisation might experience pressures from various stakeholders for alleged compliance, but unlike under a dictatorship, such pressures would never come in the form of a fiat.

Secondly, I need to be clear what do you mean by electronic media. To me every media is electronic in some form or the other from ground level up. From this definition, X itself is a content generator where acrobatic exchanges take place in a free-for-all polemical or agendised exchanges. The commentators have their own set of followers. This is also true for other social media platforms. From this POV, why should you look for emancipation through an independent electronic media?!

If you mean only TV news channels, I think you might get a jaundiced view of independent entity. And even if there is pressure, why can’t they be independent, unless they have compromised their governance/ ethical standards of managing business.

One might, otherwise, conclude that what you perceived in the current news space (assuming you haven’t meant GECs or movie channels) is how Independence is interpreted these days.

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Q: Last week, a senior journalist passed away reported due to undue stress in the newsroom. The boss gets very toxic, we are told. A few years back, there were the me-too charges being levelled against many media bosses. Now, it’s this one, thought only with one such editor. But does it speak for the leadership scene in news media offices?

A: A disclaimer : My answer to your question doesn’t purport to a specific empirical case.  It’s a generic answer to a global concern to stress in the workplace.

Stress is now a sector-neutral ailment that is plaguing organisations across the globe. It emanates from individual (boss or a colleague), from lifestyle of an individual, from the nature of competitiveness in an industry, etc. Toxicity from a boss, as part of an internal culture (established over a period of time through conscious non-cognisance of a widespread corporate culture) is now a given,  though it might differ by sector or specific organisation (not confined to media organisations or to a function only). Sometimes, the ego trip of a boss/ functional head can lead to severance of services or stagnancy in the function. Then there is gender-based exploitation. The dominant culture in such situations is “my way or highway”. No agreement with “my way” could have unpleasant repercussions. Come to think of it, any profession, where recognition of one’s commitment is equated with bestowing personal favour, and making the recipient feel obligated, becomes a fertile ground for sowing the seeds of toxicity in an organisation.

There is no panacea for this ailment unless the head of the organisation takes specific steps to amplify by meaningful action to discourage any toxicity in the organisation. Of course, one should leave such a workplace to restore mental sanity.

Some of the possible steps can be:

* proactive engagement with employees in positive ways that show tangible results

* create a safe space for healthy discussions with a cross-functional team

* leaders to lead from front and by example

* acknowledge contributions of staff members in the organisational functioning

* tap into the unique strengths of team members

* a gender-sensitive inclusive culture can ensure amelioration of toxic environment

* reprimand/ punish the offender to showcase no tolerance to a deviant behaviour that perpetuates toxicity in the workplace.

To implement the above is easier said than done, as it would involve mindful leadership and ethical governance. Somewhere the beginning has to happen. And that’s where mindful leadership has to play a significant role.

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Q: Purely from the lens of a marketing and media veteran, how do you view the recently pre-wedding celebrations of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant?

A: I loved it as the engine of the economy has received a high octane boost for the celebration. Secondly, it’s one’s beloved child’s marriage (actually pre-wedding ceremony). So why not celebrate in a memorable fashion? Thirdly, it’s great content if one goes by reportage of the event across platforms. The buzz has been huge. I think that it would be a great content for a multi-episode series in an OTT platform. In that case, all of us could get a glimpse of one of the most memorable celebrations of an Indian wedding. All in all, it was great event and Jamnagar has got a place in the world map… good for India.

Now, please don’t give me any lecture on a socialistic philosophy of celebration.

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Q: Your thoughts on International Women’s Day, and how women are depicted in our news, ads and entertainment?

A: Women’s Day needs to be celebrated every day for the contribution of women to society. And that too when they are not given the opportunity to be in the mainstream fully due to suboptimal implementation of principles of DEI.

The moot point of my comment is that while a day is specially celebrated for women, it’s good as they deserve it, but it should be done every day of the year.

The way women are depicted in film, TV and media leaves much to be desired. More often than not, they are depicted through the prism of societal prism of stereotypes. There are some exceptions for sure, but they are few and far between and can’t act as a harbinger of complete transformation of the current attitude.

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Q: Your sentiments as an A&M leader as the dates for the great-grandparent of all elections are set to be announced?

A: General Elections evoke multiple emotions: as a citizen, as a professional and as a consumer. Even if I have mentioned them separately, they are interconnected. What affects me as a citizen could actually affect me as a stakeholder of the others and vice versa.

General elections, this year or for that matter every time ( since it comes every five years) is of significant importance for the country and every aspect of society, economy and culture get impacted by it. For a huge country like India with a variety of issues, general elections hold huge implications for government policies, economic functioning, and prosperity of the citizens. This year, it is all the more significant as choice-making by the voters have become extremely complex due to conflicting facts, figures thanks to all-pervading social media and deep fakes. One can’t differentiate between fact and fiction. The prevalent political culture is comparable to livestock trading and for a layman it can be very confusing. These pose both challenges and opportunities for the polity in general as voter apathy take a back seat because they (the voters) realise that this is the opportunity to revisit the performance of the present government and contribute to a vibrant democracy as in India.

I am excited to observe, participate in the Mahayudh – Dance of Democracy – and contribute to the forward march of the country. The A&M industry would also get positively benefited by the buoyancy caused by the overall surge in the optimism.

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Q: What should be more important for a person in the business of news media: Earn all-important revenues at any cost even if it dilutes credibility or protect credibility and core values even at the cost of revenues?

A: Worshipping Laxmi is a noble activity and must be practised. But to ignore Saraswati is a sure recipe for business disaster.

Going beyond the metaphor, I would emphasise that when it comes to business, it is prudent to balance both. Revenue at any cost can backfire as the relevant stakeholders would decode it. One can’t short-circuit the path to success. I am excited to observe, participate in the Mahayudh – Dance of Democracy – and contribute to the forward march of the country. The A&M industry would also get positively benefited by the buoyancy caused by the overall surge in the optimism.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

Q: Hypothetically, if a certain political party were to advertise on my platform, will I be required to be soft towards it and not be critical…?

A: Pretty Hobson’s Choice in the prevailing context, to say the least. But knowing you as a bootstrap entrepreneur (read courageous and principled), you have nothing to lose beyond a few dollars. Besides, your passion for No time to Die gets you Bonded to the freedom of Licence to Kill the craze for a Goldfinger.

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Q: The Hindu’s head of digital recently spoke at a WAN-IFRA event that for digital, media companies need to invest on editorial in a big way to stay ahead. What’s your view?

A: You may recall my conviction of investment in content over commerce, in terms of sequence, is still relevant. Saraswati has to be worshipped along with Laxmi. They needn’t be mutually exclusive. This is true for any enterprise of any sector including so-called ‘digital’. For an established legacy media format, one may alter the sequence for some time. In one-to-many format of delivery, the passive nature of consumption might delude an entrepreneur in believing that a change in the sequence would have no backlash from the audience. In case of interactive one-to-one medium like digital, fortune can change overnight as a digital audience could be unforgiving.  One could ignore the sequence, as mentioned before at one’s peril.

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Q: How much ∂o you think can advertising campaigns influence voting decisions?

A: I can’t predict the efficacy of an advertising campaign during an election as India as a Nation has multitude of diversity by language, by regional uniqueness, by religion, by caste, etc. In other words, there are many imponderables and for one unique proposition across the country and across media platforms is a challenging task for any creative person.

Having said that, a campaign can at best be a claim by a party, but it’s the ground-level actual work which would make the real difference. A party in power would have an edge over competitors as they would have empirical evidence to support their claims. A voter can’t check all facts claimed by each party and the complexity for voters to decide get compounded due to manufactured facts. In today’s pervasive media noise (including deepfakes), it’s difficult to sift facts from fiction. And to that extent, I feel an advertising campaign would have minimal impact, given the challenges in India. So kya mumkin hai or not, can’t be easy to predict. No advertising can deterministically influence voters’ behaviour.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

Q: The general elections have been announced. On June 4, we will know who will helm the country for the next five years. Your view on the event as a marketer? How does the advertising strategy differ for political parties during Indian general elections compared to other types of marketing campaigns, considering the diverse demographics and regional nuances of the country?

A: Yes, the general elections in India, held every five years, is like a festival. We (the citizens/ voters) will have the next two months available for evaluating from a cacophony of claims and counter-claims of each brand’s (read candidate’s) competitive advantage over others across various media platforms and individual interactions. As voters, we would exert enormous power, supposedly, due to our right to vote. Very important for a democratic nation.

During this time, every communication is purported to be part of a communication drive— that’s what advertising is all about. Those parties who can bond better than others electorally would have an edge over other candidates/ parties. Obviously, the competitive claims would be different/ unique (unique value proposition), yet no one knows who would be ultimately win the race. All parties would be at their creative best to persuade the voters and that would be a fun to watch.

Of course every party claims that ‘Ab ki baar’, they would win, but any prediction would be a hazardous guess. Let’s enjoy the dance of democracy and enjoy the tune 🎵 once in five years.

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Q: There are fears of increase of misinformation and fake news during election period. But are we in the media fussing too much about it, and do the masses really care?

A: I agree with your observation that disinformation/ misinformation mixing with claims and counter-claims of various competing political parties. Besides, active citizens are also content creators now, thanks to technology and more often than not, they give vent to their opinions on the basis of their polarised perspective. WhatsApp University is a great institution to add to the cacophony. Even passive consumers of such content act trigger-happy (read ‘forward’) such misinformation to their group adding to the prevailing ‘Noise’.

The challenge of media is that they have surfeit of information and in their keenness to break stories, as part of so-called strategy of competitive edge, have no time to sift out facts from fiction. Besides, each media format has its ideological preferences, perhaps, apart from generating content.

Do the masses really care? I think they care, though they might be in a minority when compared with the teeming masses. But the cumulative noise level drowns the rational/ silent masses to subconsciously align one way or the other. There are voter apathies also which affect participation in the voting process but they are inconsequential in the context of noise generation.