Category: PR ETC

By Amith Prabhu

This past week I had the privilege of watching closely one of the most amazing Public Relations exercises. One which makes India the most vibrant and the largest democracies. One where one human being with their supporters going to fellow citizens asking for votes.

Yes – I was in a constituency that will see an interesting battle between three renowned individuals to spend 48 hours as a life-long student of political public relations. I was on Gul Panag’s campaign trail in Chandigarh. It was captivating to see this 35-year-old actor-activist go through a grueling schedule of 15 hours on an average juggling the urban and the rural areas of this union territory.

Thousands of candidates across 543 constituencies are doing the drill to make it to the Lok Sabha this summer which may see a change of government at the centre. But to see several individuals who have thrown their hat in the ring shows a new wave of politics that is gripping this country. And to see them embracing social media is as fascinating as the way this entire exercise is being managed by India’s independent election commission.

Few takeaways from my two days in Chandigarh: a) Social media and glamour take a back seat – people are looking for genuine leadership to lead them into better times. b) Politics is not as easy as it seems to be – one has to be ready for the long haul c) Public Relations is paramount in this game as there are multiple internal and external stakeholders to engage with d) A well-oiled machinery is vital to run a smart campaign e) Most campaigns are chaotic but there is a method in the madness e) Communications is the key to a successful candidacy and has to be multi-pronged f) Strategy takes a back seat as all politics ultimately is local and it is the small tactics of bringing multiple groups on board that matters

The gigantic exercise will come to an end on May 16 and over the next four weeks Public Relations will play out across the length and breadth of the country in myriad ways. Don’t miss the action on social media and main stream media. But if you get a chance join a campaign trail for a day as there is no better PR lesson than watching one from close quarters.

By Amith Prabhu

The Indian Public Relations business has evolved over the last two decades with the opening up of the markets. The LPG era of Liberalisation, Privatisation and Gobalisation has led to hundreds of brands setting up shop in the country and with their entry began the advent of advertising and PR firms. Today, India has almost all the leading PR firms that have begun operations organically or inorganically.

The leading firms are as follows:

Adfactors (the largest in revenues and a firm that is locally owned), Edelman (which acquired R&P Associates and has two other brands – Zeno Group & Rediffusion Edelman which manages the Tata mandate), Genesis Burson Marsteller, Weber Shandwick, MSL Group (which consists of 2020 MSL and Hanmer & Partners) followed by Sampark Ketchum, Linopinion Golin Harris, and IPAN H&K Strategies.

There are several international companies that have started out on their own without acquisitions and these include Fleishman Hillard, APCO Worldwide, Waggener Edstrom, RuderFinn, Cohn & Wolfe. There are several other mid-size brands that do not have foreign ownership. Prominent among them are Perfect Relations, Integral, Madison, Avian and The Practice.

Most PR firms operate in the key metros cities and have a direct presence or affiliation in the mini metros and smaller cities. Typical PR professionals are graduates or postgraduates who start at with a monthly salary that ranges from Rs 12,000 ($200) and goes up to Rs 24,000 ($400). Attrition rates are high at all levels and more often the reason for moving on is because of a corporate opportunity.

Most PR firms are members of the Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI) which in turn is affiliated to ICCO. The PRomise Foundation was created in 2012 as a nonprofit to help enhance the reputation of the profession which was suffering from a credibility issue. There are few other associations serving varied interests as well.

The Promise Foundation is an initiative by well-meaning and like-minded young professionals who came together to create an annual weekend offsite summit for the community. The first two editions were successful and the event which is called Praxis is now a must-attend in the calendar of professionals.

There is a thriving Corporate Communications community with over 500 professionals at all levels in the three major metros alone. This number is growing at a rapid pace as more and more organisations hire in-house communications professionals. Indian PR still revolves around media relations though that is changing.

The PR business in India has been growing steadily. There is no authentic estimate of the size and there are varying figures. But one thing is clear – the  business of Public Relations will keep growing and one proof of that is the number of expats who are choosing to work in Indian cities in Public Relations firms.

By Amith Prabhu

The second half of 2014 seems like an action packed time for the PR fraternity in India with a variety of events happening one after another. At least three of these four are taking place in and around NCR. Practitioners will need to block their diaries well in advance if they want to attend any of these.

The first in the series kicks off in July. Towards the last week, India will witness the second edition of the Sabre Awards. This global award organized by The Holmes Group allows Indian practitioners to showcase their work and vie for several categories of awards.

Then in August or thereabouts a leading Indian trade portal will organize its annual PR and Corp Comm conference and awards. This usually happens in the national capital region. Let’s hope they will consider the suggestion from yours truly to hold it in Mumbai. That being said Mumbai and Bengaluru generally get neglected over Delhi when it comes to national events.

Third in the list but certainly now a keenly sought after event after two successful editions is Praxis 2014 which will take place in a historical city couple of hours away from Delhi. Keeping in tune with the promise of moving this event to the three important regions this edition will be in the North after the debut in the beach town of Pondicherry and the second summit in the hill city of Lavasa. Registrations open this week for some fantastic early bird discounts.

Finally, the ICCO Summit is back in India in early October, again in the capital city and this will have numerous international delegates. The last ICCO Summit that India hosted was in 2006. This edition hopes to bring old friends and new from across the world together one more time.

With a series of events following one after another it sure seems to be a power packed 2014 with several opportunities to learn from and meet fellow practitioners. This column is a call to action to the younger folks in the fraternity to set aside some savings right away to attend at least one of these. It certainly is worth it if you can attend more than one and if you do, thank yourself for it.

Editor’s aside: We didn’t ask Amith Prabhu to not name exchange4media and identify it as the Indian trade portal that organizes its annual PR and Corp Comm conference and awards. MxMIndia is media neutral and we have no issues reporting on events organized by publications which perceive us as competition, provided they invite us for coverage.

By Amith Prabhu

The most fascinating sight at a big city press conference for a big brand is the way some of the attendees behave at the end of the press conference. This is a sensitive topic and has never been discussed in public. And this pertains to a tiny minority who sometimes let human nature take a lead over human dignity.

The bottomline is to get brand marketers, media houses and PR firms to come together to prevent obnoxious gifts being doled out at the end of a press conference. While some may argue that each one is free to accept or reject a gift, the basic premise is if a gift should be offered in the first place. It has become a best practice for some brands but does anyone care to understand if a gift is an ethical thing to do.

Let’s look at key elements of organizing a press conference. From the time the invitation is sent out until the day of the event the following happens – follow ups, an offer to pick up and drop a journalist, the actual presence of the journalist, usually followed by a meal and then the exit from the venue which in most instances includes a gift. While offering transport to a far off venue may end up being courtesy and having a five star lunch is par for the course, these are shunned by journalists from media houses who have a strongly enforced code.

However, there are few who are only there for the good time and for the gift and there is a motley group in each city who have had lunches at press conferences on almost all weekdays of the year. If an audit was done to see if these journalists actually carried a news item on their outlet one would find it hard to see anything leave alone anything of substance. While PR firms get a pat on their back for bringing in a huge number which boosts the ego of the corporate communications person and the spokesperson, the fallout is seen on the following day when there are 150 people who have dined but only 15 pieces of media output.

I know there are some cities which offer cash or gift vouchers to journalists to attend a press conference and an added incentive for coverage. This is a rampant practice in some other parts of Asia, especially China. But should India go that route? Can we the PR fraternity jointly take a resolution to stop gifts at press conferences?

Consumer companies offering samples are a grey area and if the value of what’s on offer is not greater than 10% or Rs 500, one can overlook it. But when a consumer durable company or an auto major offers a portable mobile charger or a portable hard disc costing Rs 3000 or $50 and then expects humongous amounts of coverage the question of ethics sets in. Can PRCAI take the lead in ensuring its members discourage clients from gifting media?

If gifts are not a bribe, then what is? It’s a different matter that media sales people gift media planners and buyers fancy items from time to time. The vicious cycle continues and it needs to stop somewhere.

By Amith Prabhu

This column is more personal than the others. As the weekend went by I completed 10 years as a Public Relations practitioner. While it feels just like the other day when I started my career a lot of water has flown over the past decade.

I feel proud and fortunate to have been part of the first batch of management trainees hired from campus by one of India’s leading PR firms to infuse young and smart blood into the profession. Ten years back, getting amateur PR professionals to sign a three-year bond was unheard of. Except in the IT sector where poaching was rampant, no other industry had bonds for fresh graduates.

Genesis Public Relations (now Genesis Burson Marsteller) took the bold step and managed to convince over a dozen young men and women to sign up. The intensive three-month training divided into three parts of 6, 4 and 2 weeks each helped create a new breed of true blue PR professionals for the fraternity. In between each training session, we were put on the shop floor, working on the firm’s key client relationships and building practice expertise.

I’m not sure if other firms have such a rigorous early intervention programme to bring freshers on board and set them up for success. I wish the PRCAI takes up this cause in the interest of the profession’s larger good and makes its members mandatorily bring in at least two graduates who are trained rigorously by the organisation that hires them. This will go a long way in offering the communications fraternity in India a great set of people who set themselves apart.

Ten years ago, I never thought I would be able to get myself a PR job in one of the pioneering firms of the profession. Ten years ago, I never thought I would get 10 likeminded professionals together to give India its first weekend summit for the community. Ten years, ago I never thought I would be writing India’s only weekly column for the profession.

I owe it in good measure to the Associate Learning Programme at Genesis. May other PR firms in India and abroad create similar offerings. May our tribe increase and make a positive difference to the discourse.

By Amith Prabhu

Indian PR firms are differentiated based on two factors – their ability to attract and retain high quality talent and the capacity this talent has to have good relationships with the media. A media list is still the harbinger of good Public Relations and for many a client nothing else matters. This column throws some light on the power of a good media list and the demerits of sharing it publicly.

India still does not have a service provider that maintains and manages media lists that can be efficiently used for media relations and by the PR fraternity. While Bhuvaneshwari Joshi pioneered the Media Movements page on Facebook with good intention, most often that and other related pages are abused with random requests. With all due respect, our clients (who may or may not be former consultancy staff) and their bosses will not be able to respect us until we get this act together.

Several PR firms because of the folly of some of their not-so-well-trained staff are the butt of jokes among journalist circles because of the haphazard way they engage with media. Several PR firms across the board still take the maintenance of a robust list as a very casual affair. Some professionals find short cuts to call their friends at a competitor firm asking for a media list.

Absence of updated media lists lead to several journalists receiving calls long after they have moved on from one media outlet to another showing the caller in poor light. Organising lists for the fraternity and then making the right use of them can go a long way in commanding respect. It is time to build an exchange that is the repository of journalist database (at least general information can be made available publicly) either accessible through a login or through a subscription.

Media lists are indeed a crucible for the fraternity – a crucible that makes or breaks reputation of the individual, of the firm and of the profession. If the community of professionals can come together to put this part of the house in order there is hope for the profession. If not, we will merely be a sophisticated courier service with a few add-ons thrown in.

By Amith Prabhu

Recent events at reputed publication houses wherein editors and management have had skirmishes leading to unpleasant separations have not gone down well with the fraternity in the media. But the might of the media owners being what it is, very few discussions have taken place on the topic. Most importantly it has set a wrong precedent about freedom of the press and shows how business and politics control journalism.

Journalists are an important stakeholder for most PR professionals. While there are several instances of hostile equations, the two professions thrive on interplay in more ways than one. PR professionals are involved with multiple client events of varying kinds and have the potential to organize an event that brings journalists together under one forum to debate, discuss and deepen their understanding of issues they face as a complex future unfolds.

While active Press Clubs exist in couple of the metros a new breed of young professionals is emerging from some of the leading media schools who are embracing the digital age. In addition to group thinking and collaborative guidance, the young journalists need a platform to voice their concerns as a community of professionals. A handful of international journalists of Indian origin are making it big in leading global publications and their ideas at such a forum can be inspiring.

More importantly. journalists do not have an offsite that they can call their own and a group of like-minded professionals who support their rights because they indeed are the fourth estate in a democracy. While PR professionals have found a space to call their own, the journalist fraternity needs theirs. There is no better time than now to stand up for upright journalism and no better way than through an annual conference.

By Amith Prabhu

Indian PR professionals are growing in large numbers.  There are easily a thousand in-house talent generally referred to as corporate communications managers and directors. And then there are at least three thousand people working in PR firms in the metros alone and this is a back of the cover calculation.

With 4000 professionals already and another couple of hundred coming in from other allied professions including fresh graduates from C-schools, the fraternity is growing. All skilled service professions have associations which one apply to be a member of and receive certain benefits. But in Indian PR, there is none such though it is the need of the hour.

Several young professionals have expressed the need to belong to a professional association. The question is what’s in it for a professional and who will bell the cat? How will it evolve and what can it learn from similar associations in the West?

To start with, it needs a few like-minded professionals to come together and put a framework of objectives that addresses member benefits clearly. It then needs commitment and investment to set up a secretariat that is supported by heads of homegrown as well as global firms. It then requires a membership drive that offers members clear benefits at an affordable fee.

The association should focus on three things at the least – skill upgradation, accreditation and benchmarking service. It should have a full-time professional manning the secretariat and provide something for everyone from the seasoned professional to the fresher. This is an idea whose time has come.

I’m hoping the leaders of the profession are reading and believing in the need for such a body. If not now, then when. If not by us then by whom.

By Amith Prabhu

The first one-on-one television interview of Rahul Gandhi took place on January 27 on Times Now. The reactions were mixed. More negative than positive. What can members of the corporate world who are or will be spokespersons learn from this episode?

First things first – the first interview addressing the English urban Indian should have not happened on television. Always, create an impact on a medium that is non-visual. Thereafter, a TV appearance makes sense. A step further would be to have had a series of off-the-record individual and group meetings over a three-month period before this full exposure.

Secondly, video training and multiple briefings may or may not have happened but they certainly did not happen with the best in the industry. When placing Rahul to be interviewed by Arnab Goswami, the organization would have done well in having someone like Karan Thapar to train him by doing a mock interview.

Thirdly, an over-reliance on key messages and question deflecting techniques without providing proper context. For those who have been briefed by a PR team or for PR professionals who have briefed a spokesperson, you would have noticed that Rahul tried deflecting questions by sticking to the briefing. However, his tone and body language gave it away.

Fourthly, preparation is the key. Rahul had the right intent but did not have the right content. There were several ways in which he could have conveyed the difference between 1984 and 2002 but he was unable to. All he needed to ask Arnab was who are Maya Kodnani and Babu Bajrangi and 2002 would have been settled.

Fifthly, humility is not difficult actually. As the future leader of the party what would have Rahul lost if he would have reiterated what his mother and the Prime Minister did a few years ago by apologizing for 1984. A one line – “I was 13 when 1984 happened and was reeling out of a shock that my grandmother was killed gruesomely but what happened after that was not good. If there were Congressmen involved, I apologise profusely on behalf of the party that my father, grandfather and great grandfather have served.” This would have disarmed the rival who refuses to apologise for a riot that happened under his watch.

Finally, sharing a smart key message that leaves audiences with a takeaway. This interview left most with nothing interesting and exciting. This interview impacts only the urban, English-speaking voters and that demographic clearly has an anti-Congress sentiment. But if this interview was to be in Hindi on Aaj Tak or Doordarshan, the impact could be worse.

So what’s in it as learning for all of us PR professionals – To build a base in media interactions over a period of time and climb the ladder of media outlets slowly and steadily. Bridge-building meetings are an important factor here. Video training that involves playback is critical to presenting oneself up for an interaction of this nature. Nothing beats preparation harder than more preparation. Humility has to be demonstrated in what we do and say. Hoping the forthcoming interviews make up for the deficiencies in the first.

Amith Prabhu is a primarily a Public Relations specialist and currently an independent political communications consultant and a specialised events curator. He can be reached via Twitter at @amithpr