MxMIndia

Tag: Amith Prabhu

  • Visitors to a new city seek that communications, transportation, food and the local tourist attractions are in order to have a great experience, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: How PR at a gigantic event is pulled through together…

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Taking off from last week’s column on doing Public Relations the way Pope Francis does it I would like to highlight a few thoughts and observations from being present at World Youth Day – one of the largest global events held at a different venue every three years. The observations are in the realm of delegate outreach as many of us would have had or will have the opportunity to work on huge international events and these thoughts may resonate.

     

    The event held in Portugese-speaking Brazil had to cater to over two million people from five different language groups – English, Spanish, Italian, German, Polish, French and Portuguese.  The advent of smartphones enabled the organisers to be in touch with delegates throughout the event conveying venue changes, weather advisories and traffic disruptions.  Mass emailers in multiple languages played a lead role. Social media channels were well deployed with Twitter and Facebook used in full force.

     

    The local government put its act together as this was a rehearsal for two global events that Rio will host in 2014 (Soccer World Cup) and 2016 (Olympics). The limited public transportation (metro and buses) were running on extended hours and in higher frequency. All registered delegates got travel cards pre-loaded with eight rides per day which was sufficient for round trips including transfers. The staff at metro stations and conductors on buses were especially trained to deal with millions of visitors. I was lost on more than three occasions and lack of local language skills made matters worse but the friendly locals and bus drivers always were willing to help.

     

    Registered delegates were also given pre-loaded food cards to use at Ticket restaurants with a daily limit of $R40 which is good for two sumptuous meals. Every third restaurant in Rio accepts these cards and hence filing one’s stomach was not difficult. The trick to a successful event is to have good food made available easily to delegates. And this department was a fair success.

     

    The tourist attractions in the city were geared up for the additional inflow of people. The three key spots – Sugar Loaf, Christ the Redeemer and Copacabana is where all roads were leading to and these were kept clean with instructions in more than one language that made the experience of visiting them pleasant.

     

    I have written about communications, transportation, food and the local tourist attractions. One would ask how do these connect with Public Relations. The answer is simple. Visitors to a new city seek that the above four are in order to have a great experience.  I was not present in New Delhi when India hosted the Commonwealth Games in 2010 but the run up to the event was murky with numerous controversies of mismanagement. Similarly Rio witnessed numerous protests against the corrupt government a few months before this event. Those were aimed at the World Cup and Olympics that the locals feel are being organized with tax payers’ money and citizens believe they are getting no benefit from them.

     

    Well, some of us will be involved in organizing large events in the near future and if we can advise the organizers to focus on the external in addition to the internal that will be a good Public Relations job. I will always talk highly of the people of Rio and the city of Rio because they offered me a memorable experience without hassling me. And I will go back there someday.

     

    Amith Prabhu is the founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS – the annual summit for PR & Corp Comm professionals in India. During the day he is a full time employee at a leading Public Relations firm in their Chicago office. He spent the first eight years of his post graduation career in India and is in the US for two years of which he has completed 18 months. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present, future employer or of MxMIndia. You can connect with him on Twitter @amithpr

     

  • If business leaders, politicians and celebrities want to make a sincere difference in their outreach, there is a lot they can learn from Pope Francis, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: Learning Public Relations from the Pope

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    I was fortunate to be at the World Youth Day event in Rio de Janiero in July, which also marked the first international outing of a brand new Pope. The original estimation of the gathering was 2 million but with the change of guard in Vatican in March this number swelled up to 3 million. This figure has been disputed but the crux is despite all the odds the city of Rio was able to pull off the event without any major glitch. This column is about the Pope and his public relations outreach.

     

    The run up to the Pope’s visit, his week-long presence in Brazil and his journey back were well covered by world media. Almost every local general interest magazine in Brazil had the Pope on the front cover. Even Time magazine had the Pope on its cover in all but one edition. But Pope Francis’ little acts of genuine warmth and care have become a Public Relations case study. People who were present at the event and those who were watching the proceedings online or on television are still talking of the man of the moment who is a front-runner to become the newsmaker of the year. Here are some PR takeaways from the Pope’s trip to Brazil:

     

    a) Not using the bullet-proof pope mobile on his visit to Brazil to allow him more direct contact with crowds despite the security risks. While this is symbolic, it sends a strong message of being down-to-earth, simple and easy. These are attributes citizens of the world look for in a leader. The Pope gets it perfectly right.

    b) Pope Francis, who has said he wants to make concern for the poor a hallmark of his papacy, visited the Manguinhos slum in Rio de Janeiro which is an impoverished neighbourhood laden with crime.  This was not a gimmick but an honest concern from a man who has based his papacy of about 20 weeks focusing on the marginalized.

    c) Telling residents of the favela (shanty town) that their leaders must do a better job of helping them is a superb message to locals while being hosted by the government which is in the midst of a storm given the rampant corruption that is plaguing the country.

    d) His style changes the storyline. Proof of this is in the way he’d been in the global spotlight for five days by the time Friday night rolled around, and no one had even raised the Church’s child sexual abuse scandals until he did so himself.

    e) The Pope plays the dual role of being a spiritual leader and a politician. This second aspect was on display during his visit to the Rio slum, where he said that no “pacification” campaign can succeed without addressing the social conditions that breed misery – an indirect slap at recent crackdowns on violence in the slums by local police. At the same time, Francis didn’t embarrass his hosts. He was gracious with Brazil’s embattled president, Dilma Rousseff.

    f) Time for media – On the plane en route to Brazil, he stood for an hour to chat with each journalist covering the trip, then spent the rest of the flight talking to his Vatican aides and making notes. And on his return journey he presided over his first ever press conference where he made comments on sensitive topics including gays and atheists.

     

    As a CNN blog put it recently, polls around the world show approval ratings for the Pope that would be the envy of any politician or celebrity, while vast crowds show up in Rome for even his most routine activities.

     

    I keep telling clients and younger professionals that Public Relations is not only about media coverage and some few thousand dollars being given to build some parks and toilets. Public Relations runs deeper. It is little acts that go a long way in doing everything right and not just doing the right things. If business leaders, politicians and celebrities want to make a sincere difference in their outreach to customers, citizens and fans there is a lot they can learn from Pope Francis.

     

    Amith Prabhu is the founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS – the annual summit for PR & Corp Comm professionals in India. During the day he is a full time employee at a leading Public Relations firm in their Chicago office. He spent the first eight years of his post graduation career in India and is in the US for two years of which he has completed 18 months. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present, future employer or of MxMIndia. You can connect with him on Twitter @amithpr

     

  • Five trends that will change the way we look at Public Relations as a discipline, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: The next phase in the evolution of Public Relations

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Public Relations over the years has moved on to embrace several concepts. Newer practices and departments have emerged with the onset of a digital revolution. But more importantly a set of trends have begun to gain momentum that will change the way we look at Public Relations as a discipline. Five of those are mentioned below. One can read a lot about these in various media outlets. Hence I’m just highlighting what I see as the future:

     

    The rise of Tablets – India’s tablet PC market is expected to grow at 40 percent to 7.3 million units in 2015-16 from 0.95 million in 2011-12. This is a small number but this is an influential set of the population  who will define consumption patterns.

     

    The emphasis on Research and Analytics – In a date driven world a lot of credibility will depend on how well numbers are crunched and information is analysed to make it relevant to the product or media consumer. Research will play a major role in planning, executing and measuring programmes in order to achieve a return on objective.

     

    The focus on Storytelling – PR, at times is about telling stories that build reputation but until a couple of years ago no one looked at it that way. The rise of social media where peers exchange stories about people, events, places and brands has led to a great focus on Storytelling.

     

    The importance of Visuals – These can be in the form of photo captions, infographics and listicles and will require in-house graphic designers or knowledge of basic design software to churn them out. Videos will play a big role in making visuals a mainstay of Public Relations.

     

    The blurring lines between Paid, Owned and Earned Media – This has been happening for a while and we are seeing it ever so often. Ad agencies are trying to work with Editorial departments, PR firms are building digital properties and digital firm are buying media inventory that earlier was the prerogative of media buying companies leading to multiple overlaps.

     

    The above trends will change the way clients plan budgets and pay retainer fees. The traditional role of PR professional of being a media relations maven will cease to exist as media outlets downsize and the print industry shrinks. The super specialist and multi-tasking champ will flourish.

     

    Amith Prabhu is the founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS – the annual summit for PR & Corp Comm professionals in India. During the day he is a full time employee at a leading Public Relations firm in their Chicago office. He spent the first eight years of his post graduation career in India and is in the US for two years of which he has completed 18 months. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present, future employer or of MxMIndia. You can connect with him on Twitter @amithpr

     

  • Amith Prabhu lists the reasons one should events that afford an opportunity for professionals come together to share and learn from each other

    Amith Prabhu: Events that make our profession worth being part of

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Until three years ago the Indian PR fraternity did not have more than a couple of sporadic national events to look upto on an annual basis. Then came the IPRCCC that a leading trade media group put together. However, this was held in New Delhi and has since become a day-long annual feature. November of 2012 was a watershed year as two events emerged that hopefully will go onto becoming annual programmes.

     

    While I’m personally involved with one I am sure the other two are trying their best to add value to the profession. The question that crops up very often is why attend the same event, meet the same people and listen to the same speakers year on year? Is it worth the time, effort and money?

     

    I write this column to build a case for events that enhance us as individuals and our profession when we come together to share and learn from each other. I see the following reasons why one should attend:

    a) Meet fellow professionals from other organizations and exchange ideas

    b) Take a break of a different kind in an exciting destination

    c) Support the cause of the profession by coming together

    d) Create memories with friends in a relaxed yet professional setting

    e) Listen to world-class keynote speakers, panelists and workshop presenters

    f) Gain new knowledge and enhance learning in the process

    g) Be exposed to the greatness of the profession and take home inspiration

    h) Experience first-hand the future of the profession through meaningful interaction

    i) Discuss new approaches to Public Relations with professionals across the spectrum and lastly to

    j) Celebrate the profession of Public Relations.

     

    Amith Prabhu is the founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS – the annual summit for PR & Corp Comm professionals in India. During the day he is a full time employee at a leading Public Relations firm in their Chicago office. He spent the first eight years of his post graduation career in India and is in the US for two years of which he has completed 18 months. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present, future employer or of MxMIndia. You can connect with him on Twitter @amithpr
  • What are the most important attributes that a PR professional must have to succeed? Amith Prabhu lists these

    Amith Prabhu: The 6 Cs that are the currency of being successful PR professionals

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Public Relations is a unique profession to be in, for a number of reasons. But two that stand out are the fact that it offers access very early in the career to two categories of influential people. While one category is the senior leadership within the client’s organization, the other is top editors of media outlets one engages with on behalf of a client. The other reason this profession stands out for is the amount of high intensity and high profile events that one has to deal with ranging from launches to disasters and from CSR projects to government relations.

     

    It is that time of the year when students are in their first semesters and brand new employees are in their first few weeks in their first job. Keeping this in mind I thought of touching upon a topic I have an affinity towards – attributes of a PR professional.

     

    A question I have often got asked at campuses during a guest lecture or on Twitter from random young aspirants is what does a PR professional need to have as important attributes to succeed. Over the years I have assimilated these random responses into what I call the 6 Cs. Some of them evolved during conversations I had with my former boss Ravi Kiran. A Twitter chat last month with Shafi Saxena reignited these thoughts and here are the 6 Cs that are applicable to multiple professions and would help many 20- and 30-somethings make wise career decisions. Some of these are bundled in pairs but feel free to mix and match to soar to greater heights

    Critical & clear thinking: The first thing I would look for in someone with or without experience is to how well he or she can think about a given situation, both critically and clearly. This also brings out the passion that one has for a subject or area of interest.

     

    Curiosity & Creativity: The spirit of questioning is a virtue in a world that heavily depends on search engines to find answers. Asking smart questions also stems from having a creative mind that is always fertile with interesting ideas.

     

    Communicative & connectedness: Excellent written and verbal communications is imperative in a profession that thrives on being people-centric. In addition, the ability to reach out smartly and build on relationships is a plus

    Confidence that leads to collaboration & cross culturalism: Confidence is an amalgamation of multiple factors and its external appearance is in the way we dress and carry yourself.  But confidence comes from a zest to never stop learning. This can happen by conversations, travel and reading that occurs after our formal education stops.

     

    Commitment and compassion for a cause: This is multi-pronged.  Primarily, a CV that shows prior commitment that includes formal volunteering or prior experience that shows consistency goes a long way in building professional credibility. In addition, we often work on CSR programmes for clients. An understanding of this sector can only come from having been part of one in our student days. Working for a non-profit also hones leadership skills. So pick up a cause, go out and volunteer and the difference you make will certainly make a difference to your career success.

     

    This is not an exhaustive list. Feel free to add to this list and take cues from the words highlighted in italics. I look forward to your comments on the column and tweets to me. Please share this with young professionals if you are not one anymore.

     

    Amith Prabhu is the founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS – the annual summit for PR & Corp Comm professionals in India. During the day he is a full time employee at a leading Public Relations firm in their Chicago office. He spent the first eight years of his post graduation career in India and is in the US for two years of which he has completed 18 months. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present, future employer or of MxMIndia. You can connect with him on Twitter @amithpr

     

  • Compare the status of office punctuality, client interaction, quality talent, physical space and professional events and you'll know why PR in the United States is better than what we have in India, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: 5 reasons why PR in US is better than India

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Thanks for the encouraging feedback that has come from various readers. Prof Meenakshi Upadhyay in a tweet requested if I could share some comparison between functioning of the PR business between the world’s two diverse yet well-integrated PR consulting markets.  I have the privilege of having worked in India in the past and a clear plan of working in India in the future. I’m doing a two-year stint in Chicago of which three quarters is complete. While the basics remain the same, the approach to several aspects is different. Here, I will touch upon are Office punctuality, Client interaction, Quality talent, Physical space and Professional events.

     

    I would start off with a comparison of day in the life and this seems to be the norm across businesses in the United States. Thanks to a great marriage between discipline and superb public transportation, staff are in the office between 8.30am and 8.45am to start off at 9am. Come 5.15pm, the offices are deserted and by 5.30 pm there is no one in the office. This cycle percolates down to the clients as well. In India there is a vicious cycle of starting late and ending late. Last-minute client requests that lengthen the day and an attitude where one feels one can come in late because one left office late the previous day and this becomes a chain.

     

    Productivity is higher thanks to a high reliance on technology. Employees at every level are given smartphones so as to be accessible in real time. But, more importantly, this helps one stay connected with clients and other stakeholders without the need to meet face-to-face. So the number of physical client meetings is far lesser thus saving time and energy to focus on quality time strategizing and brainstorming to help the client succeed.

     

    The quality of Public Relations is far superior as course content is in keeping with the times and access to internships with large organizations is greater which in turn gives PR firms the ability to hire from the best universities and organizations. This translates when the PR firm executive makes the switch to becoming a client, who is then well-versed with his or her role and able to manage large budgets to add value to business objectives of the organization.

     

    The work environment also makes a big difference. Thanks to larger turnovers, companies can afford bigger office spaces where individuals get space they deserve unlike in India where thanks to our mindset the space is rationed to staff. I have had the fortune of visiting almost all the offices of the 10-12 leading PR firms across Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi as the placement coordinator of my batch way back in 2004 and therefore can state with confidence that the office space story is similar across organizations.

     

    Events for professionals are plenty. There are several associations that a PR professional can become a member of and benefit from. The IABC, the PRSA, the Publicity Club are some of the prominent ones and they all organize high quality events for learning and networking through the year. Unless this trend comes to India, a professional will have limited exposure and be like a frog in the well.

     

    There are other aspects like packaging content, presentations and the self that I will write about in a future column. These are some of the key differences and they truly stand out. But most important the humility and simplicity with which some leaders carry out their duties including travelling by public transport, not having an office despite being the head of the location and instead sitting with other employees in regular cubes are truly inspirational.

     

    Amith Prabhu is the founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS – the annual summit for PR & Corp Comm professionals in India. During the day he is a full time employee at a leading Public Relations firm in their Chicago office. He spent the first eight years of his post graduation career in India and is in the US for two years of which he has completed 18 months. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present, future employer or of MxMIndia. You can connect with him on Twitter @amithpr

     

  • Public Relations is definitely a lot more than what it is perceived to be and ironically suffers from a perception problem that it created for itself over the years, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: One size does not fit all!

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    This blog is for everyone but especially for Himanshu Agarwal who was the first to make a comment on my first blog with some vital questions.  I’m not an expert but I can do my best with a decade of experience to offer some thoughts on some important issues that have constantly come up in the business of PR consulting.

     

    On his first question of how Public Relations is measured there is no one straight answer. Public Relations is no longer about media relations where one issued a press release, organised a press conference or pitched a story and then waited for the output in order to measure the outcome. It’s important to understand the difference between output and outcome and critical to decide with internal stakeholders (the client for the PR firm or if it’s the corporate communications manager, then the CMO if it’s brand reputation management related or the CEO if it’s corporate reputation management related) how each programme is measured when completed. There is no one size that fits all. There are new metrics evolving for digital outreach programmes and these differ depending on the social network used.

     

    There is now an emergence of three to four compartments in media output that impact business outcomes. These compartments are referred to as Earned, Owned and Paid which make them self-explanatory. Traditionally, Public Relations-led activities that were in the realm of Earned media but the lines are blurring and all the three categories of organisations are doing what they always did in addition to dabbling seriously in the other compartments. So you have ad agencies hiring PR managers to offer clients earned media opportunities and PR firms hiring media buyers to let clients co-create properties with outlets.

     

    Public Relations is definitely a lot more than what it is perceived to be and ironically suffers from a perception problem that it created for itself over the years. However, this is changing with the emergence of the true-blue professionals. Those who started out in Public Relations after earning a qualification that had Public Relations theory as a subject. The leading PR firms of the world are evolving newer points of view and changing the course of direction by becoming Public Engagement companies in some instances, Public Communications companies in some cases among other things. There is no right or wrong answer as long as clients are convinced about what is being promised and what is being delivered and the leading firms of the world strive to create ethical outreach programmes. Because there is no one size that fits all.

     

    Amith Prabhu is the founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS – the annual summit for PR & Corp Comm professionals in India. During the day he is a full time employee at a leading Public Relations firm in their Chicago office. He spent the first eight years of his post graduation career in India and is in the US for two years of which he has completed 18 months. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present, future employer or of MxMIndia. You can connect with him on Twitter @amithpr

     

  • The ABC Award which will launch this year to award two young professionals – consultancy-based and in-house, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: It’s time to give ace communicators their due

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    I got a lot of interesting feedback on my blog of last week regarding the Cannes PR Lions including a thought that I had been toying with. A thought that is as simple as – should PR firms even bother about being part of one category in what is largely an advertising festival. The point is you can love it or hate it but one cannot ignore it. What we need to do is participate in our own national and regional awards and we have a handful of them. PR firms need to set aside budgets for submitting entries and sending employees to these events. For those who are unaware, the exchange4media group and The Holmes Report run two separate awards for work done on campaigns for brands and organizations.

     

    That being said the individual in the profession also longs for recognition and reward. To give this long felt need a fillip we now have The ABC Award which will launch this year to honour two young professionals – consultancy based and in-house. Another award you may think. But the award is unique in so many ways.  First, it is the only award of its kind for the profession in India where the winner takes home cash and access to mentorship from the best in the business. Secondly, the judging is based on a self-application that requires endorsement of the branch head or departmental head and a reference check of shortlisted candidates from individuals the nominee has worked with, who maybe a client or media professional. Thirdly, a peer dipstick is undertaken to select the winner that puts the focus on integrity and value system the person stands for. Lastly, the cash prize for young professionals is sponsored by practitioners who are passionate about Public Relations. An award for the young corporate communicator is being sponsored by ICG – the Indian Communicators Group.

     

    In the business of reputation management, having a great personal reputation is paramount. This award hopes to celebrate people with high reputation in what they best do – consult on credibility and influence. In the near future these awards will be extended to three more age categories across both sides of in-house and consultancy based.  Mid-level professionals, senior professionals and to veterans who will be inducted into a Hall of Fame. Besides this, a scholarship for postgraduate students of Public Relations was introduced last year.

     

    Now the question is remains if whether individuals will apply or just sit back, relax and enjoy and choose to be bystanders!

     

    Amith Prabhu is the founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS – the annual summit for PR & Corp Comm professionals in India. During the day he is a full time employee at a leading Public Relations firm in their Chicago office. He spent the first eight years of his post graduation career in India and is in the US for two years of which he has completed 18 months. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present, future employer or of MxMIndia. You can connect with him on Twitter @amithpr

     

  • In his weekly column, Chicago-based PR professional Amith Prabhu makes a case for award-winning PR campaigns.

    Amith Prabhu: Why can’t our PR firms win PR Lions at Cannes?

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    This year marked the fourth anniversary of the introduction of the PR Lion at the International Festival of Creativity in Cannes. By virtue of being the biggest gathering of marketing communications professionals from across the world these awards are sought after by the advertising fraternity for a long time and by the PR community for the last five years. The moot question is should PR firms participate in an advertising festival that is bound to be dominated by ad agencies? The rules are open so some do.

     

    Over the years PR firms have struggled to make headway in this space as advertising agencies have won the PR Lions left, right and centre. Even the largest PR firm in the world won its first Cannes Lions in 2013.  No PR firm has ever won the Grand Prix.  A few firms have managed to grabs some Gold and Silver.

     

    This column looks at some of the reasons as to why this category has been elusive to PR professionals. And the focus is on India. For a better appreciation one should look at the statistics of Indian entries for the category over the years here - http://is.gd/YM8yo5 and a snapshot in the table below,

    Year Total Entries from India Shortlists from PR firm Winners, always ad agencies
    2009 12 0 0
    2010 12 0 1
    2011 14 0 3
    2012 19 1 0
    2013 27 0 3

     

    Of the 27 entries from India in the PR category this year only two were submitted by PR firms. The other 25 went from ad agencies. The organizers of Cannes Lions have made it a point to invite the best from India to be on the jury year on year starting with Prema Sagar in 2009, Nandita Lakshmanan in 2010, Veena Gidwani in 2011, Sunil Gautam in 2012 and Dilip Cherian in 2013. The Practice, the firm that Ms Lakshmanan runs is the only Indian PR firm to have made it to a shortlist ever and that happened last year for a campaign for HP.

     

    What is the reason for this dismal showing? I put together five factors that contribute to this drought.

     

    Exorbitant entry fee – At Rs 35,000 or Euro 450 per entry most Indian firms are not even considering participation in these awards. Maybe the festival organizers should consider a discounted fee for emerging markets.

     

    Lack of award-winning worthy campaigns – Due to low budgets to execute great PR campaigns and a great focus on tactics rather than strategy it is possible that Indian PR firms don’t do campaigns worthy of participating in the Cannes Lions.

     

    Inability to package and produce smart submissions – Packaging and producing storyboards and videos takes a great amount of time and most ad agencies have dedicated teams that focus on this through the year. Imagine what wonders that a dedicated creative group focused on awards packaging can do to a firm!

     

    Absence of an awards culture – How many Indian PR firms have internal awards to reward the best work done for clients? I would think 2 or 3. That change needs to come about internally.

     

    PRCAI and the members of the jury should come together – The premier association of PR consultancies and the five stalwarts who have been to Cannes as jury members should come together and offer a workshop in the major metros to share insights with future generations of the profession.

     

    Until most of the above changes, an Indian PR firm winning a Lion at Cannes will be hard to come by.

     

    I still don’t see a reason why the top 10 PR firms in India can’t set aside Rs 1 lakh to send three entries every year. If PRCAI mandated all its members to do so Indian PR would be on the world map in no time by just beating the advertising counterparts two times over. Before that it would be great for PRCAI to host an annual workshop on Preparing for Cannes. If not the annual debate will just keep recurring.

     

    Amith Prabhu is the founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS – the annual summit for PR & Corp Comm professionals in India. During the day he is a full time employee at a leading Public Relations firm in their Chicago office. He spent the first eight years of his post graduation career in India and is in the US for two years of which he has completed 18 months. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present, future employer or of MxMIndia. You can connect with him on Twitter @amithpr

     

  • In his weekly column, Chicago-based PR professional Amith Prabhu says internal communications is the key to public outreach.

    Amith Prabhu: Do you know who your biggest ambassador is?

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Over the last two weeks one witnessed two interesting happenings that would make for good Public Relations case studies. One took place in Mumbai and the other in Goa. While the former had low intensity coverage and most of it on Twitter and a handful of portals, the latter was making waves both as a trending topic and headline news for days together with national ramifications and reactions of great proportions. The two cases I’m referring to are what I would like to call the Forbes India Fiasco and the Modi Advani Drama. While I don’t want to take a position on both these events in this column I think there is lot to learn for students of reputation management.

     

    For those who are unaware and can learn more here, the Forbes India parent company unceremoniously ousted its Founder Editor and along with him three other senior editorial leadership members. While who was right and who was wrong can be debated, on the face of it based on the facts publicly available it seemed another instance of management high handedness. But let’s move to the Public Relations handling of the episode. A reputed media organization like Network 18 could have handled the episode better by having an amicable settlement with transparent communications. There are several stakeholders involved. But key among these are viewers and readers of the various outlets that the group owns, fans of Forbes India and most importantly the employees at the magazine. One way of managing the situation would have been to use social media and the owned media to put out a statement that shared the facts of the case. The media outlets of the group have in the past commented on other conflicts especially among rival media houses. So this would have been a step in that direction. What is happening currently is stories trickling with periodic gaps that will certainly hamper the reputation of the Group brand in the short term. Though insiders may deny any brand damage since there may not be any metrics to prove that, the conversations on Twitter and Facebook as well as the three reports that have been doing the rounds puts the spotlight on unhealthy HR practices as well as corporate high handedness that are rarely spoken of. While both sides of the story will float someday some damage has been done.

     

    The second incident I mentioned is about how the elevation of a regional leader to a national role (based on the mood of the party members) was managed without prior internal buy-in leading to a messy situation in the principal opposition party’s management, less than year away from elections. The UPA government has literally thrown away its chance to win a third consecutive term but the current situation in the NDA and especially its main constituent make it seem like the race is wide open. The bottom-line is that internal communication is key to any change.

     

    It is time for organizations to realize that their biggest ambassadors are the employees or members and with them feeling negatively about the functioning there is no way the trickle-down effect of positivity will move to external stakeholders.

     

    We, as PR professionals are part of organizations (in-house and as consultants to clients) that go through similar situations. Public Relations is not only about what is written in newspapers but a great deal about what goes on at the water cooler. If there is one thing we can learn from these two happenings it is as basic as communicate well internally to build strong external reputation.

     

    Amith Prabhu is the founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS – the annual summit for PR & Corp Comm professionals in India. During the day he is a full time employee at a leading Public Relations firm in their Chicago office. He spent the first eight years of his post graduation career in India and is in the US for two years of which he has completed 18 months. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present, future employer or of MxMIndia. You can connect with him on Twitter @amithpr

     

  • In week 2 of the new weekly column 'PR, etc', Amith Prabhu on how and why a journalist can never do justice to the role of communications advisor.

    Amith Prabhu: The case for Public Relations in governance

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    The Indian Government’s Public Relations among its most important stakeholder – the citizen, is in doldrums. Public Relations is no more about plugging a story, dining with a journalist, preventing a negative article from being published or sending bland releases to media outlets expecting them to carry the news or information. All this used to be Public Relations in its early avatar. Today, Public Relations encompasses a variety of specialized tasks that include social responsibility, crisis communications, internal engagement, content creation and a lot more. Governments cannot ignore this important function and need to quickly embrace the modern digital offerings to connect, communicate and co-create. The Arab Spring is an example of how a new generation of digital enthusiasts deployed social media to bring about change in the regime.

     

    What should the present or future governments do in order to be in sync with the times? How will future tax payers – the youth of today view the government’s that run the nation? And who will take the lead in bringing about this change? These are some questions that do not have concrete answers as of now but a few thoughts exist on what can be done and all of these in the realm of Public Relations.

     

    Internal Communications – A government that does not communicate with citizens in an interactive manner will lose the right to govern.

     

    Social Responsibility – The government at the centre along with the states needs to go all out to make the five basic amenities available easily to every individual and without making it look like a favour is being done – Clean Air,  Affordable Housing, Motorable Roads, Uninterrupted Water and Power Supply & Quality Education. With these in order, the rest will fall in place.

     

    Crisis Management – The incumbent government has navigated crisis after crisis by being dwarfed because it not only did what was inappropriate but did not accept, admit and acknowledge wrongdoing with transparent communications. The imperative during a crisis, and every scam unearthed is a crisis, is to allow for a flow of information that is clear-cut.

     

    Citizen Outreach – A multi million rupee advertisement a year before elections will fall through as trust levels dwindle. The government needs to ensure it does some are all of the following: A monthly address by the Prime Minister on the state of the nation, an annual town hall by members of the cabinet in various Indian cities to connect with the masses and a clean administration that touches people’s lives meaningfully.

     

    Is this asking for too much? Do all of the above resonate in what we advise our clients or chief executives? Can businesses learn from governments and vice versa?

     

    I someday hope the leader of the government hires a professional Public Relations manager with a dedicated team to drive all of the above and more. A journalist can never do justice to the role of communications advisor.

     

    Amith Prabhu is the founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS – the annual summit for PR & Corp Comm professionals in India. During the day he is a full-time employee at a leading Public Relations firm in Chicago. He spent the first eight years of his career in India and is in the US for two years of which he has completed 18 months. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present or future employer. You can connect with him on Twitter at @amithpr

     

  • Introducing a new weekly column titled 'PR, etc' by Chicago, US-based public relations professional Amith Prabhu

    New weekly column ‘PR, etc’ by Amith Prabhu: To new beginnings!

    Introducing a new weekly column titled ‘PR, etc’ by Chicago-based public relations professional Amith Prabhu

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    It’s summer and it’s the season of awards. That’s when people can make travel plans, look at the year gone by and plan for new beginnings. It’s that time when I make the new beginning as a columnist on the invitation of the Editor of the media outlet you are reading. Public Relations as a profession is coming into its own in India with two awards for the business, with at least two credible conferences for the community and with two portals dedicated to Indian news and views that interests fellow professionals.

     

    Writing a weekly column should be fun but it won’t be easy. I took up the challenge because our profession needs these platforms to exchange ideas. You, as a reader can contribute in two ways – sharing ideas for forthcoming columns and commenting on the columns with a point of view. And yes, two words you will never see in these columns are ‘industry’ and ‘agency’, other than in this paragraph for the first and last time. Because in our profession these don’t exist as of now. For the first column I wanted to focus on how the last decade has witnessed three major milestones for the profession and how fortunate I have been to be part of these historic times.

     

    Firstly, a new group of individuals began to flow into the business in the form of natives that will eventually replace the immigrants. Given the advent of media institutes offering robust courses at the under graduate and post graduate level a new breed of professionals began to emerge at the dawn of the new millennium. Until then a large number of pioneers moved from into Public Relations from varied disciplines including but not limited to Publishing, Marketing, Advertising, Journalism and even Hoteliering. This is great for the cause of the profession as people get grounding in theory at these institutes that some smartly apply to the practical world.

     

    Secondly, almost all the major Public Relations firms headquartered in Europe and the United States have made inroads in one of the fastest growing economies either by starting up from scratch or by acquiring existing firms. This is great for professionals as it gives instant access to global knowledge and best practices, transfers across the world and opportunities to interact with colleagues from across the world thus changing the rules of the game entirely. I joined an Indian PR firm in 2004 after a rigorous campus recruitment process. When I moved on in 2007 the firm was international by virtue of being acquired.

     

    Third and lastly, several senior communications professionals have made their way into boards and found a seat at the table, thus giving the art and science of public relations its due. This to me is the hallmark of the last decade and something that needs to become a rule rather than an exception. That will happen only when we are able to show value we bring to a business in terms of strategic thinking and innovative tactics.

     

    I have set myself a target of writing about 500 words (not more) each week and will stick to it. Here’s to new beginnings as I await your suggestions for future columns and points of view on this one.

     

    Amith Prabhu is the founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS – the annual summit for PR & Corp Comm professionals in India. During the day he is a full-time employee at a leading Public Relations firm in their Chicago office. He spent the first eight years of his post-graduation career in India and is in the US for two years, of which he has completed 18 months. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present or future employer.