MxMIndia

Category: PR

  • How many of us work to leave a legacy and how many of us aim to create lasting legacies, asks Amith Prabhu

    Leaving a Legacy

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    After a series of lists – first in December and then in January I’m back to the listless columns. I have got a lot of feedback on the columns that has lists because people enjoy reading lists. May be in March or April I will resort to another series of lists.

     

    February is a special month for a variety of reasons. And over the next four weeks I will write about concepts dear to my heart both personally and professionally. This week, as the headline states is about leaving a legacy.

     

    How many of us work to leave a legacy? How many of us aim to create lasting legacies? What is it about legacies that make them difficult to create? I try and meet at least 3-4 CEOs of Indian PR firms and an equal number of chief communications officers every month for one-on-one interactions. Each of these meetings is a learning session for me. Several of these individuals I meet are institutions in their own right and some of them have built companies that are moulded to look and feel like institutions. In January, I had separate meetings with two of the most powerful individuals in Indian PR consulting and the one thing that stands out every time I meet them is that they have built a legacy for future generations by sheer hard work, ample amount of determination and a clear vision. The same goes for communications directors. There are two individuals in different age groups who stand out for what they do at the conglomerates they work for and have created legacies that give the organisations a unique stature.

     

    They made me ponder on what goes into building and leaving a legacy besides hard work, determination and vision. I think there is no magic sauce and to each his or her own. But there certainly are some ingredients that go into legacy building. I’m hopeful in the next five years before we reach 2020 we will see several men and women who leave behind a legacy in the world of communication consulting and corporate communications.

     

    I was reading a special coffee table book brought out by Madan Bahal’s colleagues to commemorate his 60th birthday. I’m hoping next year Prema Sagar will bring out a book as the company she founded turns 25. These are individuals who came up the hard way who have built institutions and will leave legacies.

     

    The purpose of this column is to send out a message to all professionals that while small battles have to be fought day in and day out the war is about creating something that you will be remembered for. And there are plenty of opportunities out there to work on. The question you will ask yourself on completing a milestone in your professional life is “What did I achieve that I will always be remembered for?” And the first step is to start today by asking yourself the question as to what do you want to do in the next 11 months that you want to be remembered for in 2016?

     

  • While legacies take a long time to be built, impressions are created every moment there is an interaction, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: Creating Lasting Impressions

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Do you remember your first day at your first job? Do you recall that first client meeting? Do you remember the first time you met that Editor who is became a friend for life? Do you remember your last job interview? What is the one common factor that played in all these scenarios? Well, in my humble opinion it is impressions. There is a saying that the first impression is the best impression.

     

    I spent the last weekend in Goa and the more I visit this state the more I’m inclined to believe India has a great potential to become a more tolerant country learning from this tiny state. The impressions Goa creates in the mind are manifold and it is the collective will of the Goan people that has led to the state being a liberal place for thoughts and ideas to converge. The citizens of Goa are the best brand ambassadors for the state and help a visitor take back lasting memories.

     

    Last week, I wrote about leaving a legacy. The first step to leaving legacies is creating the right impression that lasts. I began by asking questions that resonate and then wrote about the state I was in over the weekend to bring out the thought that we are what we make out of ourselves. Public Relations people have a role in creating lasting impressions for the brands and organisations they work on.

     

    While legacies take a long time to be built, impressions are created every moment there is an interaction. Many good impressions lead to a better legacy. Not too many professionals care about creating lasting impressions because they feel they are secure in a job and will only need to create an impression within the environment they work in.

     

    The reality is that, everyone is being noticed all the time and the collective impressions stands us in good stead when someone is hiring a team member or a consultancy. Therefore, it is our interest to continuously work towards building lasting impressions. How does one do that? It takes some effort but does not require overdoing. Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking are attributes that come from practice. Add to that a good body language, a smart sense of dressing and great style in grooming are critical. If we pay attention to these we are certainly on our way to creating a good impression. There on we need to focus on working on great campaigns and the work will speak for itself. Have you made plan to creating lasting impressions? There is never the perfect time. Start now. It is never too late.

     

  • The time to form one and create cohesion between service providers and takers, ensure standardisation and nurture organic growth for the Indian PR and Corporate Communications Industry, writes Siddhartha Mukherjee

    Siddhartha Mukherjee: India needs a Central Association of Corporate Communicators!

    By Siddhartha Mukherjee

     

    I would love to hear the reasons why our Indian PR and Corporate Communications Industry still does not have a central, neutral and well-epresented association/body of service takers – Corporate Communicators of India Inc.

     

    Notwithstanding whatever the reasons or excuses which did exist in the past, I feel, now is the right time to form one and create cohesion between service providers and takers, ensure standardisation and nurture organic growth for the Indian PR and Corporate Communications Industry.

     

    Here are some quick thoughts on how this would benefit the PR & CorpComm Industry:

    1. Gives a structure and shape to what the DEMAND is: For around the last three decades, the industry has largely seen the SUPPLY side. During this period, the PR agency firms have offered what they thought would be the right fit and mix of solutions India’s Corporate Communicators would need. However, I am not sure if the service takers would give a confident thumbs-up to all that they have been supplied with! Creating a central and neutral Corporate Communications Association (CCA) would converge and charter all the requirements of India’s Corporate Communications fraternity. Basis this, PR Agency Associations can decide on creating the blue print for their representatives.

     

    2. PR Agencies get to work on the SUPPLY Blue Print: The PR Agency Industry has often faced operational hurdles. However, if DEMAND charter becomes clear, courtesy the central CCA, a lot of operational hurdles should be ironed out:

    a. The types of service offerings a PR Agency firm should try and specialize in

    b. The Quality of Talent Pool the PR Agency needs to nurture

    c. What the yardsticks of a satisfactory service delivery should be

    d. The ethics, do’s and don’ts of service delivery

    e. If not a rate card, but some estimation of costs or fee structure that the Clients should be charged for specific service

    f. A centralised PR Evaluation, Measurement & Audit system

     

    3. Share, Learn, Raise the Benchmark!:  I do know that many Corporate Communicators across the client corridors are actually doing some amazing brand building work – both for their Internal and External stakeholders. It is not just media relations. Not only are their media relations being scientifically crafted, they are creating brands and also providing very scientific sustenance to it week on week, month on month, across markets. However, the learnings, if at all there are, are relegated to a very few. A central CCA type of initiative will enable a wider audience to educate, share and raise Industry’s benchmark.

     

    4. Current pattern of Industry Awards and Acknowledgements will see an Improvement: We have quite a few awards and acknowledgements. I guess more will get created. However, I feel the real authenticity of such Awards and Acknowledgements will come if it gets created and mentored by the Service takers – CCA! Self gratification has not helped the PR Agency Industry much!

     

    5. PR & Corporate Communications Profession will get a nudge in the HR Industry: Do people or the industry outside ours know that PR and Corporate Communications Industry is a very formal, recognised and attractive job sector to work for? Do campuses across India acknowledge this? Do faculties look at Corporate Communicators to interact with? Do Management and Communication Institutes consult our Industry on the type of course curriculum they should inculcate? India’s central Corporate Communication Association can help bring a method, identification and direction for all these questions?

     

    A central Corporate Communication Association (CCA) is a concept. What we call it is secondary. The important point is that it should be done fast. It should be inclusive and should follow the thumb rule of For the Industry, Of the Industry and By the Industry. It will work wonders for us. Many things will get ironed out ones the DEMAND side is taken care of and centralised. However the question is, which corridor of Corporate Communicators acknowledges this and makes the first move!

     

    Siddhartha Mukherjee is a senior PR industry professional and currently Senior Vice President, Eikona – Earned Media Planning, Audit and Advisory. The views expressed here are his own.

     

     

  • Love is in the air, and Amith Prabhu lists fourteen couples from various PR consultancies and corporate communications responsibilities

    Amith Prabhu: Couples in PR & Corp Comm

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Public Relations in India has seen over a several couples met each other at the work place. I have had the good fortune of working with some and knowing others. It’s a day after Valentine’s Day. A good enough  reason for another list. I’m listing fourteen couples in three categories. Because love is in the air.

     

    Those who run consultancies they have built:

    NS Rajan and Bela Rajan – They founded Sampark in the early 1990s which was acquired by Ketchum few years ago. Rajan is an angel investor in India’s first independent school of strategic communications.

     

    Kunal Sinha and Manisha Chaudhary – These were college sweethearts who later started Value 360 along with another partner. They are bullish on the future.

     

    Aman Gupta and Shivani Gupta – After a long stint with Perfect Relations they together created SPAG Asia couple of years ago. They are young and raring to go.

     

    Udit Pathak and Pooja Pathak – This is a couple to watch out for. They are steadily building Media Mantra together.

     

    Sachin Khurana and Shruti Khurana – Sachin is building on the 17-year-old legacy created by his father to take Quik Relations to the next level along with his wife. This is a leading regional communications firm.

    Those who have their better half working in-house while they are in senior positions in consultancies.

     

    Nikhil Dey and Deepa Dey – This is the power couple I have known the longest. While Nikhil is President at Genesis Burson Marsteller, Deepa runs communications at GSK Consumer Healthcare.

     

    Murali Sashidharan and Sarah Gideon – Murali ran his own firm for a while and is now with Adfactors, Bangalore. Sarah manages communications at Infosys.

     

    Vinod Moorthy and Snehhal Chitneni – Vinod is a Director at Rediffusion – Edelman, which has the Tata mandate. Snehhal is a senior executive at L’Oréal India

     

    Karan Punia and Garima Misra – Karan Punia is CEO at Cohn & Wolfe Six Degrees. Garima heads marketing and communications at iYogi.

    Those who have made the move to corporate communications after spending their early years either in a consultancy or another domain.

     

    Manish Kalghatgi and Rashmi Naik – This is my favourite couple of all and I have known them the shortest. Manish heads communications at Jet Airways and Rashmi does the same at Omidyar Networks.

     

    Vivaan Gideon and Archana Mohan – Vivaan and Archana work at VM Ware and Dell respectively. Disclaimer: This is the only pair that I have worked with in the past. Archana has been a batch mate too.

     

    Manish Mallick and Shveta Singh – Manish leads communications at Arvind. Shveta who was formerly a trainer is now at the helm of the communications department at Ambit Holdings.

     

    Pradeep Rajshekharan and Nitisha Agrawal – Pradeep is a globetrotter who heads communications at Franklin Templeton. Nitasha heads Public Relations at Volkswagen India.

     

    Raza Khan and Pooja Garg Khan – Raza leads group communications at Bharti. Pooja is a vice president of communications at PNB Metlife Insurance.

     

  • We need to change the game and tap into very bright talent that is hiding in Tier 3 cities because of lack of exposure and limited opportunity, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: Universal Service Obligation in Public Relations

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    We have all heard of the concept of USO or Universal Service Obligation where certain services are offered to all sections of society and at times by charging a higher fee in urban areas to offer the service to rural areas. Recently, we all witnessed one of the biggest crisis of 2016 when the government ruled in favour of Net Neutrality. Facebook which was trying to bulldoze Free Basics had to put it in the cold storage.

     

    This column is about a Walled Garden we are creating in the world of Public Relations. First, by offering services to the elite. Second, by only letting people from more affluent backgrounds to enter the profession. Both, by having a high fee at centres of learning and by expecting a level of sophistication in aspirants that only urban areas can offer.

     

    I went through to interesting events last week. On Thursday, I was in Ludhiana to address girls from Khalsa College on Careers in Communications and then on Friday I was on a panel to interview students aspiring to do their Masters in Communications. In both these cases, I came across students who came from Tier 3 cities like Jalandhar and Gorakhpur. They were smart, able to speak good English and were eager to make a career in the big cities. But coming from single income families had limited means to pursue higher studies. A student loan would be an option but having only one parent as a breadwinner would make it hard to have a guarantor for the bank.

     

    We need to change the game and tap into very bright talent that is hiding in these cities because of lack of exposure and limited opportunity. There are two ways to do it. One, is for Public Relations leaders to make a structured plan to visit a certain number of Tier 3 cities that has potential to offer some really outstanding talent and talk about the profession to undergraduates in the final year. Two, is to create internship programmes targeting these cities where every year a few dozen boys and girls get a chance to work in large companies during the summer where both parties benefit.

     

    If we do not start a Universal Service Obligation for Public Relations with baby steps, we are staring at an entry-level talent deficit in the foreseeable future. I would also appeal to the leading corporate communicators to join the bandwagon of evangelists who commit a day or two in a year to visit the hinterland and inspire a new generation of bright youngsters about embracing career choices that communications has to offer. If not now, when?

     

  • The reality remains that for the world outside, PR is still not a very friendly and constructive term with a a lot of negativity aligned to it, writes Siddhartha Mukherjee

    Siddhartha Mukherjee: Should PR be renamed?

    By Siddhartha Mukherjee

     

    he world outside our Public Relations and Corporate Communications ondustry is much larger, wider and deeper! Not only that, it is this industry outside that is the bread provider for us professionals. However, for this world outside, the term ‘PR’ is still a strange, funny and frivolous term. Even today, despite all the good brand-building work we have done for clients and the respectability we have tried to bring to this profession, for this external world, with every utterance of this term, it continues to bring words and feelings to the fore such as – wine and dine, fix, spin, hide, twist, jugaad, plug, etc.  Are there any more such words or connect that come to you mind? Try it out!

     

    Despite all the self-gratification initiatives we keep undertaking for ourselves within our PR & Corporate Communications industry, the reality remains that for the world outside, PR is still not a very friendly and constructive term. There is still a lot of negativity aligned to it. This was one of the basic things I had mentioned when I first coined and campaigned for “PR needs PR” (by the way, it’s good to see this tagline getting used and quoted by other individuals and industry forums).

     

    Is the current Industry to be blamed for this reality? Absolutely not! It is purely a matter of our past. It is a matter of legacy that we have inherited… what our erstwhile industry captains, corporate communication chiefs and PR agencies did in the past. In fact, the reality is that despite all the hard and good work done by this current generation of professionals, the Industry at large is still finding it difficult to erase the old, negative association of this word.

     

    The thought or idea of renaming PR came up because so far, we, as an Industry, have not really done anything substantial to recreate the imagery of PR Tool and the Industry for the outside world. The core industry requirement of PR needs PR has been an abysmal failure. Whatever little we have done has been very inward looking and myopic. That is precisely the reason why, for decades now, client investments have been slow, quality talent inflow has been slower.

     

    Is renaming PR a better alternative? Probably, probably not! The only advantage of renaming it is that we can shed off the historic baggage that the term PR has been carrying for decades on its shoulders! For our Industry’s engine to chug along smoothly, its elementary wherewithal has to be addressed and kept intact.

     

    While we are expected to preach image management to our clients, what are we doing to our own Brand’s image?

     

    Siddhartha Mukherjee is a senior PR industry professional and currently Senior Vice President, Eikona – Earned Media Planning, Audit and Advisory. The views expressed here are his own.

     

  • The Indian edition will focus on the latest trends and challenges in the ever changing global PR and marketing world

    Global PR Summit, PRCI tie up for unique knowledge platform

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Global PR Summit will be held in India in collaboration with PRCI). PRCI will be the Communication Partner for the two-day event beginning on April 21, 2016.

     

    The Global PR Summit has so far been held in 16 countries since its launch in 2010. Some of its previous venues were: Turkey, Russia, Qatar, Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Oman, etc. Over the years, 1,892 brands have sent delegates to the various summits with more than 6,100 attendees.

     

    The Indian edition will focus on the latest trends and challenges in the ever changing global PR and marketing world with a special focus on reputation management in the social media era. The event will feature a presentation on the new rules of reputation management by Mary Jo Jacobi, one of the world’s leading PR professionals and Former VP Communications at BP America.

     

    Speakers at this content-centric event include Thierry Nicolet, SVP (Global Press Relations), Schneider Electric, Aliza Knox, MD (Online Sales), Twitter APAC, Colleen Harris, Former Press Secretary To Princes Charles, William And Harry and Official Spokesperson for Wiliam and Kate’s Royal Wedding, Richard Stephenson, Communications Director, Civil Aviation Authority, Patricia Yates, Director of Strategy and Communications, Visit Britain, Jesse Ringham, Digital Communications Manager, Tate Museum and Patrick Jephson, Former Chief of Staff To Princess Diana, New York Times Bestselling Author, Shadows Of A Princess.

     

    Kosta Petrov, Chief Experience Officer, P World that owns the event brand, said: “We are very happy to bring the Global PR Summit to India as the nation has made giant strides in a cross-section of fields, including mass communication. We are equally happy to partner with PRCI which is focusing on creating knowledge platforms across the country. We eagerly look forward to meeting the great Indian PR professionals.”

     

    Acknowledging the association, B N Kumar – President, National Executive, PRCI – said: “As PRCI has begun to spread its wings globally, the Global PR Summit offers us all a great opportunity to work together to establish a World Communicators’ Forum, cutting across geographical boundaries. We all have a lot of insight to gain from each other’s experiences and work in the interest of societies around us. Let’s go beyond networking and contribute to the society in a meaningful way.”

     

    M B Jayaram, Chairman Emeritus and Chief Mentor of PRCI, said: “PRCI has emerged as a truly pan-India PR professionals body with close to 30 chapters in as many cities. We look forward to gaining from the knowledge that will flow from the Global PR Summit.”

     

    Deepak Menon, Business Strategist associated with the Summit said: “We are glad to note that PRCI has been holding its Conclaves. I am now excited to bring the Global PR Summit with its truly international perspective to India. Such a workshop offers the rare experience and insight into care-taking of top brands that directly influence consumer perception and in turn sales. This experience will be a win-win for all of us.”

     

  • How will new recruits get any better if we do not invest time and resources collectively to make them get better, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: Securing a better future

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    This is probably the only column I will write on February 29. Because the next time February has 29 days the last day will be Saturday and Thursday. Not sure I will change my day of writing. And definitely not sure I will be writing beyond 2024.

     

    Well, a once in a lifetime date calls for a once in a lifetime column. Today also marks the 12th anniversary of 12 others and I starting our formal career in Public Relations at one of the finest management trainee programmes that we were the first to sign up. The Associate Learning Programme at what was then Genesis Public Relations.

     

    Earlier this month, I wrote about Leaving a Legacy and Creating an Impression. And last week I penned my thoughts on the Universal Service Obligation in Public Relations. All these put together make for a potent mix of ideas that the veterans should run with for the future of the business.

     

    I still do not understand what stops the largest and most powerful association of practitioners from wanting to replicate an Associate Learning Programme community-wide. Just imagine if the 30 PRCAI members made an investment of Rs 1000 a day or Rs 3.5 lakh a year over five years to produce 150 talented business managers. This is what ‘made of great’ consists of.

     

    We hear whines of new recruits not being upto the mark. How will they get any better if we do not invest time and resources collectively to make them get better? It requires thinking beyond traditional ways with innovation and courage.

     

    If we look carefully at the services business in India, two or three players in the airline business got their act together and left Air India far behind. Similarly, two or three banks and a similar number of hotel chains got their act together. Unlike what it was five years ago, it is difficult to count a third consulting firm which has produced talent that is to swear by.

     

    When will we build a McKinsey among Indian PR firms? How will we secure the future of the business? What is the succession plan at the macro level that we have set up for ourselves?

     

    All of this needs taking a step back and immense amount of reflection. Every good plan requires swift execution. Opportunities do not keep coming back. Time is running out and great minds need to come together. If we believe that we are creating great talent as an individual firm, that talent will not stay forever. Great talent in consulting firms are usually offered more lucrative deals at in-house departments. The vicious cycle grows and mediocrity thrives.

     

    I wish we all wake up and smell the coffee and put on our thinking caps. We can only secure the future if we start now. For tomorrow will be too late.

     

  • Public Relations companies are not putting enough effort to raise the bar and make things better, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: How do we make things better?

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    In the last week I came across two incidents online where a content creator was peeved by a content catalyst. I’m coining these two words to refer to the journalist/ blogger on one side and the so-called Public Relations person on the other. As they say, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

     

    In the first incident there was an exchange of emails between Pratishta Khan of Breakfast Project and Nishant Patel of K Media which looked something like this: https://twitter.com/pratishthakhan/status/703883861978013697. In the second incident there was a blog shared by Tanmoy Goswami of Fortune India on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dear-pr-manager-how-you-make-enemies-less-than-2-minutes-goswami) that has an interesting tale of an interaction he had with a professional from a large Public Relations firm. These are glimpses of what the world of public relations is coming to. I’m not making a judgment call on this. All I can say is that Public Relations companies are not putting enough effort to raise the bar and make things better.

     

    It is also important to note that there are genuine public relation firms and there are the fakes. This happens in any profession. Even the medical profession has quacks and there are half-baked lawyers and engineers. But since they do not deal with media on a frequent basis, they seldom get exposed. This seems like a perennial problem with no solution in sight. One option is to introduce a code but who will ensure the code is adhered to? Another option is to launch an accreditation system on a war footing to standardise certain practices and increase the quality of the talent.

     

    In the coming days the four Cs of public relations – crisis counsel, content and community – will become more important than ever before. The professional of today needs to be a jack of all these four and a master of one. I’m not sure if the talent coming into the business is ready to embrace these changes. While the client hires from B-schools where there is a stringent focus on academics, the consultancies are compelled to hire from a mixed bag of institutions and this will lead to a quality deficit in the time ahead. The two examples I shared at the start are just few of the many mishaps that happen on a daily basis. All hope is not lost. I was fortunate to be on the jury to select the 30 under 30 in PR for a second time in a row. And some of the entries were definitely fascinating. It will be important to see how these 30 fare in time frames of five and ten years.

     

    In the meantime, we will need at least 400 under 40 who do the heavy lifting so that the reputation of the profession is taken a few notches higher. Please share your ideas in the comments section as to how can things be made better? It is better late than never.

     

  • The problem is that the time allocated towards teaching PR and the relevance of the course content being taught need to be examined on priority, writes Siddhartha Mukherjee

    Siddhartha Mukherjee: PR course curriculum needs an immediate revamp!

    By Siddhartha Mukherjee

     

    While PR needs PR has been my cry out to one and all in the industry for years now, “Catch them Young” could be a great fortification towards this movement. Budding campus students, our industry’s future, carry a phenomenal potential to change the face of what the Industry doles out to its service takers and how it is perceived by the external world. However, a basic problem continues to plague majority of the education institutes and universities. The problem is that the time allocated towards teaching PR and the relevance of the course content being taught need to be examined on priority!

     

    I am not sure what the satisfaction level of recruiters – across corporates and PR firms – are about the quality of candidates. For sure, it is not a 10 on 10 or even a 9 or 8 on 10. The reason for this is that the course curriculum needs to be revamped or overhauled.

     

    The reason for poor satisfaction levels of recruiters about candidates could be permutation of the following:

    a)       Weightage of Time allocated towards teaching PR in the overall curriculum is abysmal

    b)       Course content, topics and the books are either archaic or have no relevance to India

    c)       Getting on-ground feel of the industry through interactions with Industry seniors/professional is very rare or not holistic

    d)       While I have met amazing, very up to date faculty in some, but by and large, faculty in many of the campuses still need to wake up and smell the coffee. What they teach and how they teach will need an immediate revamp

     

    Some key/basic attributes a “Futuristic” Recruiter of the PR Industry will look forward to in a candidate:
    1. Has complete knowledge about Brands and its Communication Techniques
    2. Understands Media, its changing technologies and its influence on Publishers and Users
    3. Understands the dynamics of Content and Advertising Management
    4. Is comfortable with the world and the subject of Journalism
    5. Is a Numbers Person: Values the importance of Research, Measurement and Audit
    6. Understand PR’s role in the overall context of Integrated Marketing Communications, Media Planning and Buying
    7. Has basic soft skills like: Writing, Oratory and Presentation Skills
    8. Understands Business Management and its components
    9. Can evaluate Brands in context to Social, Cultural, Political and Economic matrix
    10. Has a great archive of examples and understanding of brands built and sustained through PR and other Tools

     

    What can be done for education institutes and universities to replace the existing course curriculum with that which is concurrent to today and the future:

    1. At this stage, Education Institutes and Universities are in their comfort zone, unaware of the harm they are inflicting on the student’s future and the industry at large. To pull them out, our PR Industry Body should conduct road shows orienting the Academia of the changes needed both in Time allocation and the course content.

     

    2. However, before that, our Industry Body will need to put together a certified template of prescribed course curriculum all Institutes and Universities need to transition to.

     

    Talent will make the industry grow. However, the content and importance we feed into the student during the campus days will decide on which direction our Industry will head to and at what speed.

     

    “PR needs PR” will get a major impetus if academia and ionstitutes are addressed with the need to change!

     

    Siddhartha Mukherjee is a senior PR industry professional and currently Senior Vice President, Eikona – Earned Media Planning, Audit and Advisory. The views expressed here are his own.

     

  • Of every five CVs I get, I know that four do not make the cut, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: Of uncomfortable situations and more

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Ever so often my inbox receives a CV of a former colleague or professional acquaintance. And it is hard to tell several of them I would never hire them if I had a vacant position. My personal rule of sharing a CV is that the person would have been hired by me if I had the power to do so. Of every five CVs I get, I know that four do not make the cut. But as a formality I send the CV to either a couple of companies of my choice or in certain cases companies they insist I must share the CV with. Thereafter begins my nightmare. The CEO to whom I typically send the CV will call and ask about the candidate in question.

     

    I would love to share CVs of people who spend time and effort in doing up their CV in a style that is unique and outstanding. I would love to share such CVs if the person has done something remarkable both within and outside his or her current organisation. I would prefer people who pass the Social Barometer test – have an active blog which gets populated 3-4 times a month, have an active Twitter presence – one or two sensible tweets per day and a well-managed LinkedIn profile. More importantly, people should learn to approach jobs in a more straight forward manner. Where they are able to send the CV directly to the intended recipient than through an emissary.

     

    The worst is when someone gets hired because the organisation is desperate to fill a vacancy and then the person ends up being either a dud or a non-performer. That is when making eye contact with the one the CV was sent to becomes hard for several weeks at a time. This year I have made a resolution that I will only send one CV a month and to people that the creator of the CV specifies as long as they much the criteria above. I’m sure you face the same dilemma so often. Another situation I find it hard to deal with is when acquaintances send request for recommendations on LinkedIn. I have made a rule that I will only endorse professionals who have directly worked with me.

     

    Another difficult situation arises when people raise their hand to speak at the two events I organise. What many don’t get is an event is like a magazine where the editor or curator decides based on internal inputs as to who speaks without any favoritism. Proposing oneself or nominating someone is fine. But when people hanker for an opportunity to stand behind the microphone it gets messy. Well, this column is not intended at anyone in particular but was written to share a common situation many of you face. I hope people realise on their own that their comfort should not come at the cost of someone else’s discomfort.

     

  • The CCO of today is at a critical inflection point, notes the Arthur W Page Society's 53-page report on the role of Chief Communications Officers, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: What are CCOs doing to transform enterprises?

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    I have avoided writing about the public relations of Sri Sri Ravishankar and Vijay Mallya. May be, we save it for another day. Today’s column is about the new Chief Communications Officer (CCO) that we will increasingly see in 2016.

     

    For those of you who are uninitiated, the  Arthur W Page Society is one of the most premium associations of communications leaders. Last week, it brought out a 53-page report on The New CCO – Transforming Enterprises in the Changing World. I want to focus on some aspects from the executive summary. The entire report is available on the website of the society. I’m sharing some excerpts:

     

    The CCO of today is at a critical inflection point. The environment in which enterprises operate is fraught with emergent challenges: new competitors reinventing traditional business models; changing demographic, regulatory, and sociopolitical conditions; new modes of work; and an ongoing paradigm shift in how individuals communicate with one another and engage more actively with organizations.

     

    In The New CCO, the Page Society proposes a contemporary framework of the CCO role based on three core dimensions:

     

    The Foundational CCO: The CCO is a strategic leader and counselor to the enterprise, capable of leading and advising with a broad stakeholder view in mind.

     

    The CCO as Integrator: CCOs are breaking silos and emerging as leaders of and participants in cross-functional collaboration, both within the enterprise and across the C-Suite.

     

    The CCO as Builder of Digital Engagement Systems: The CCO has an emerging opportunity to devise sophisticated enterprise-wide digital systems for managing engagement with stakeholders at all levels, internally and externally. This includes establishing an ability to engage constituents as individuals, primarily through the application of insights derived from data.

     

    The research revealed five patterns of how the communication function itself is changing. First, Resources are being directed to owned publishing platforms. Second, Integration is becoming key with a greater emphasis on coordinating with C suite contemporaries for better stakeholder engagement. Third, Employees with new skill sets and responsibilities are being added. Fourth, External partnerships are becoming the new normal to build on capabilities. Lastly, Metrics to measure are evolving to include customer loyalty, employee engagement among other things.

     

    The report concludes with a Page Model for the new CCO and proposes a call to action which every CCO and CCO aspirant should read and gain inspiration from.  These are indeed interesting times for custodians of reputation and leaders of communications. Go, read the report today!