MxMIndia

Tag: Ketchum

  • At the time of writing, there has been no communication from Ketchum Sampark, Ketchum or Omnicom. So we don’t really know how the developments are going to be projected and/or dressed up

    Curtains for Ketchum Sampark?

    On April 30, we received a communique from an executive at Ketchum Sampark for a financial services major. The signature in the email said that agency was the winner of PRWeek’s Best Places to Work survey in 2022. For, since then it appears to be a downward slide for the agency that Bela Rajan founded in 1994 and husband N S Rajan joined her to take it to dizzying heights.

    Earlier this week, the teams were told that the agency will shut shop, a majority of the team would need to leave, and a few key folks will service clients as they merge with the network’s PR agency FleishmanHillard (FH). FH doesn’t really have much of a footprint in India, and when last heard some of the staff and clients of Ketchum Sampark were looking elsewhere.

    In its heydays, Sampark was counted among the Top 5 communication consultancies in the country, and in the Top 2/3 in financial and crisis communications. Some of the biggest names in the financial sector were clients of the Rajans. Even corporates like Bajaj Auto swore by Sampark and the Rajans.

    Little wonder that when Omnicom’s Ketchum was looking for a partner in India, the obvious choice was Sampark. In an interview with MxMIndia in December 2011, a few months after acquisition, Rajan told MxMIndia: “We have been working with Ketchum for more than three years now so this tie-up is actually a formalisation of our relationship. We have been very comfortable with the cultural match. I think philosophically, Ketchum and Sampark have always had the same focus in terms of client deliveries, choice of clients, etc so there were a lot of similarities between us.”

    The Rajans quit the agency in 2021, after 27 years of spearheading it. In August, a month-odd before their final goodbye, NS Rajan addressed his teams in a mail: ““Bela and I will surely watch from far and cheer the success of Ketchum Sampark and each one of you.” On Tuesday, when many of his team members were shocked to learn of the inevitable, Bela and NS were on a holiday in distant Scotland. We are sure the evening would’ve ended in a stiff drink to rue the state of their loved one.

    At the time of publication, there has been no communication from Ketchum Sampark, Ketchum or Omnicom. So we don’t really know how the developments are going to be projected and/or dressed up.

    Staff, we hear, have been asked to report to work, and that it will be business as usual for another two months.

  • We spoke to the global CEOs of Ketchum and Golin respectively on the sidelines of Praxis 2017

    Interviews with Rob Flaherty & Fred Cook

     

     

    Social media is god’s gift to the corp comm function: Rob Flaherty

    Rob Flaherty is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ketchum, one of the world’s top communications firms, with offices and affiliates in 130 markets in more than 70 countries. Flaherty was named Global PR Leader of the Year in 2016 by the International Communications Consultancy Organization (ICCO). Flaherty leads Ketchum’s 19-member Global Leadership Council to guide the strategy, client service and performance of the agency. Ketchum was named Agency of the Year in 2012 by PR WEEK and is a finalist for 2017 Global Agency of the Year.

    Since joining Ketchum in 1989, Flaherty has been involved in all aspects of the firm’s business, including having successfully led its largest office, one of its global practices and several of its largest client engagements. As a client counsellor, Rob specializes in corporate positioning and issues management. He has helped companies prepare for and respond to challenging situations ranging from product liability and airline accidents to data breaches and antitrust litigation. He also has played a lead role in growing the firm’s client base. Flaherty became President of the agency in 2008, CEO in 2012 and today is one of the industry’s most sought-after client counsellors.

    In an exclusive interview with MxMIndia on the sidelines of Praxis 2017, Flaherty tells Rahul Chandawarkar on how social media has changed the communication paradigm completely.

     

    How has social media impacted the functioning of PR companies worldwide?

    Social media is god’s gift to the corporate communication function.  It has quickly expanded the methods of communication and simultaneously created challenges for our clients to break through. It has changed our linear way of functioning.

    PR companies have to relook at their talent pools. For a long time, we have had journalists in our team guide our communication strategies with traditional mediums like newspapers and print media. Today, social media is reaching out to consumers directly. We now need PR people who can employ more creativity, analytical skills and also understand the different fragmented channels. PR companies have a training challenge on their hands.

     

    And how would you say has Ketchum Sampark accepted this challenge in India?

    KetchumSampark has accepted this challenge positively. Sampark has always been a strong, entrepreneurial company. They have huge respect for journalists, mass media and emerging trends.

     

    Does crisis management still remain the main strength of top-line PR companies?

    My entire career has revolved around crisis management. I have spent  30 years doing just this. Crisis management has aspects of speed, severity and risk in a very short period of time.  However, longer term marketing communication challenges are equally interesting and intellectually challenging. PR firms around the world tend to super specialise in either corporate communications or marketing communications. I am proud that Ketchum is a  combination of both.

     

    In a social media scenario, PR firms have several specialists working on an account. How does one convert all this energy into one unified strategy?

    Flaherty: This is an on-going challenge. It is not easy. There is constant tension when specialists work in silos. Everybody gets possessive about their own ideas. We almost become like a team of rivals fighting on our own turf.

    However, there are lessons to learn from film companies like  Pixar and leading advertising agencies who seem to have devised methods to channelise the collective creative energies of their teams. We need to learn from them.

    Creative teams in advertising even fight about their creative ideas with their own clients. We need to reach that level of maturity.

     

    		  

    Brands worldwide are losing their trust quotient: Fred Cook

    Fred Cook is Chairman of Golin, one of the world’s largest public relations firms, with 50 offices around the globe. For the last thirty years, he has been providing marketing advice and crisis counsel to blue-chip companies like Nintendo, McDonald’s and Toyota. He has also worked personally with Jeff Bezos, Herb Kelleher and Steve Jobs. 

    Under his leadership, Golin has been voted agency of the year more than a dozen times and Cook has been named one of the most powerful people in PR. Four years ago, he replaced Golin’s traditional hierarchical structure with a radical new model called g4, where communities of specialists deliver insights, ideas, engagement and integration to their clients.

    In an exclusive interview with MxMIndia on the sidelines of PRAXIS 2017 in Jaipur, Cook tells Rahul Chandawarkar why brands worldwide are losing their trust quotient.

     

    Why do you think brands worldwide are losing their trust quotient? What has gone wrong?

    People worldwide have become sceptical about brands. This is because brands  have acted in self-interest.

    Social media has made everything so transparent. People have become more aware and brands are open to more scrutiny nowadays. It is a fact that brands have been behaving badly with the environment and with their customers.

    Take the example of United Airlines in the US recently. When they took a customer off the plane, it created outrage on social media. Something like this would have probably gone unnoticed 20 years ago.

     

    You used the term: ‘Talkability Trumps Trust’ in your presentation. Would you like to explain this please?

    Basically, there is a lot of information out there. In a social media driven environment, brands are keen to achieve high levels of buzz. They want people to share news and they want everybody to talk about their brands. However, though brands might achieve talkability, they could lose out on trust.

     

    Real news versus paid news. Why are the lines getting so blurred?

    Lack of advertising revenues has prompted many media brands to introduce paid advertorials. You therefore have branded content. You can buy your way into any media outlet because of this media business model. Today, there is very little difference between advertising and public relations. Over a period of time, consumers will not be able to make out the difference between the two and the lines will disappear completely.

     

    It is clear that you were inspired by your mentor, the Late Ed Golin. What has been your biggest learning from him?

    Ed and I were a lot like each other. We were both from the mid-west USA. I  grew up in Indiana and he in Chicago. Ed had many great qualities. But humility was his greatest virtue. It made him stand out. He helped start McDonalds. He had a million achievements and a million awards, but this never affected his judgement. There is a singular lack of humility in society today. We are not kind to each other anymore. Everybody has become so competitive. Everybody is out to outdo the other. Ed was a good guy. We need more good people, both men and women in our industry.

     

    What is the way forward for PR professionals?

    Very simply, we need to become more courageous. We need more balls. We are in a very competitive environment. We have talented and creative people in every agency. Our people have the ability to lead and we need to seize the moment. There are great opportunities for the PR industry, but we need to make it happen. It is not going to happen automatically.
  • Ketchum will commemorate the milestone with a series of global philanthropic initiatives, including donating 90 creative brainstorm sessions to nonprofit organizations over a period of 90 days

    Ketchum celebrates 90 years

    By A Correspondent

     

    Communications firm Ketchum was incorporated in Pittsburgh, USA in 1923 with three employees. Ketchum’s nearly 3,000 colleagues around the world in 130 locations are celebrating the firm’s 90th anniversary, making it the longest-tenured public relations firm in the world. It will commemorate the milestone with a series of global philanthropic initiatives, including donating 90 creative brainstorm sessions to nonprofit organizations over a period of 90 days. Ketchum’s Mumbai office will be supporting Give Some Space, dedicated to reducing the barriers – both, physical and social; those prevent the differently abled from coming to the mainstream and eventually create a space for them in society.

     

    “As we celebrate our 90th anniversary, we are looking ahead at how we can continually increase the value we deliver to our clients, colleagues and the communities in which we live and work. To keep our focus on the future, we will be celebrating our anniversary by improving the lives of those less fortunate,” said Rob Flaherty, senior partner and chief executive officer of Ketchum. “Ketchum has a rich history and culture that we draw upon to help guide the decisions we make for the firm every day. I am extremely proud of the enormous success Ketchum has achieved to date, and with that success comes the responsibility to propel our business and the industry forward during this time of opportunity.”

     

    For the next 90 days, Ketchum colleagues will lead and participate in creative brainstorms to assist a local nonprofit in overcoming a challenge the organization is currently facing. Mumbai will be supporting Give Some Sapce. Additional organizations can be found at www.ketchum.com/90-brainstorms.

     

    N S Rajan

    N S Rajan, Managing Director, Ketchum Sampark, said, “Several years ago, the agency set a goal to lead in the area of corporate citizenship and established the award-winning Ketchum Social Responsibility programme as a platform for a wide range of partnerships, initiatives and pro bono projects that we are undertaking. As we mark our anniversary, we believe that one of the most meaningful ways to engage our global network and celebrate our success is by continuing this commitment to giving back to others.”

     

    This year also marks Ketchum’s fifth anniversary with Room to Read, a global organization focused on transforming children’s lives through literacy and gender equality in education. Underscoring the importance of Room to Read’s mission, Ketchum and its employees have committed to donating the money needed to empower 90 girls who are enrolled in the nonprofit’s Girls’ Education programme to graduate from secondary school and develop the skills needed to succeed beyond the classroom. The money raised will be a combination of agency and employee contributions.

     

    “So many girls are forced to drop out of school due to economic, social or safety factors, which leaves them at a disadvantage for the rest of their lives,” said Erin Ganju, co-founder and CEO of Room to Read. “It is our goal to provide girls around the world with equal access to a quality education, allowing them to gain literacy skills and become active members of society, lifting themselves, their families and society out of poverty. Ketchum’s commitment to support 90 young women in the Morogoro Region of Tanzania and a region in India through financial support, mentorship and life skills training will provoke a wave of empowerment that will cascade to future generations.”

     

    Mr Flaherty further said, “Looking forward, we aim to be the most valued communications consultancy in the world. We will do this by ensuring our teams are working seamlessly across any geography where our clients need us, increasingly integrating paid, earned, shared and owned media, and providing detailed marketing analytics that allow companies to evaluate effectiveness and optimize their budgets.”

     

  • Ketchum's 2013 Leadership Communication Monitor reveals interesting findings

    Leadership tables rank business leaders at the top in the year 2013

    By a Correspondent

     

    In the year 2013, Indian business leaders are the most effective leaders in the country across categories covering political, business, non-profit organisations, local community, and union leaders/leaders of labour organizations as per the Ketchum’s 2013 Leadership Communication Monitor study.

     

    As per the findings of Ketchum’s 2013 Leadership Communication Monitor for India:

    • Business leaders are seen as the most effective with 49 % (8% increase since 2012) of Indians rating business leadership as excellent. This is in line with global trends which rank business people as the most effective leaders.

     

    • Leaders of non-profit organizations rank high at no. 2 with 33%, followed by local community leaders at 28%, political leaders & Union leaders / leaders of labour organizations at 27%.

     

    • As compared to 21% of global citizens, Indian consumers (52%) have more confidence in business leaders moving into 2013. Indian business leaders are nearly on par with expectations, as their performance often matches consumer expectations as compared to other global counterparts.

     

    According to Ajay Sharma, Managing Partner, Ketchum Sampark Pvt Ltd, “The Ketchum Sampark Leadership Communication Monitor was launched last year, to study trends in effective leadership across various spheres – political, corporate, religious or community-based. We have received an encouraging response to our annual study that examines attitudes to today’s leadership in India, and explores the fundamental role of communication in informing and delivering the same.”

     

    He further added, “The current year’s findings are similar to last year, as people continue to show more confidence in Business leaders Vs Policy makers, as effective leaders who help the country steer through economic uncertainty.”

     

    Other findings of the study include:

    • India, more than any other country, thinks that the technology industry demonstrates effective leadership (62%, compared to 43% globally).They are also much more likely than others to feel that banks (54%) demonstrate effective leadership (28% globally).

     

    • Unlike many other nations, Indians are just as likely to be influenced positively by company’s leadership as they are to be influenced negatively. In the past year, 56% of Indians have purchased less of a company’s products and services and 57% have purchased a company’s products and services for the first time based on the behavior of a company’s leadership.

     

    • The majority of Indians (66%) feel that leaders aged 35 to 50 are most likely to navigate through challenging and rapidly changing times over the coming three to five years. However, 22% of Indians (more than any other country), feel that Millennial leaders aged 18 to 34 are most likely to navigate through the upcoming years (10% globally).

     

    • Within the business community, knowledge-based industries were perceived as communicating more effectively. Ranked highest on leadership effectiveness was technology, with a 65 % approval rating, followed by Entertainment (62%) and Telecom (58%). Banks rank fourth in the poll with 57%. Media ranks fifth with 55% and Hospitality ranks sixth with 54%. Mining is at the bottom of the rankings with 38%.

     

    • Print media ranks the highest on credible media to build leadership with score of 42% followed by TV media at 39%. Globally, though TV and print media have slid in rankings to 3rd and 4th respectively with press releases and televised speeches ranking higher as credible media. Although it decreased by 7 percentage points from 2012 to 2013, In-person contact continues to be the most credible source at 43% when forming opinions about leaders.

     

    • Facebook continues to be a pleasant surprise. Facebook with a score of 38 % is marginally behind print (42%) and broadcast media 39%). This is in sharp contrast to global rankings where Facebook scores low at 17 % and no 10 in the rankings.

     

     

  • This shift follows a multi-year plan designed to ensure a seamless management transition at the highly successful agency

    Ketchum appoints Rob Flaherty CEO, Ray Kotcher becomes Chairman

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ketchum has announced that Rob Flaherty, senior partner and president, will also assume the role of chief executive officer, effective July 1. Raymond L Kotcher, senior partner and CEO, will become the chairman. This shift follows a multi-year plan designed to ensure a seamless management transition at the highly successful agency, which PRWeek recently named as its 2012 agency of the year.

     

    Mr Flaherty joined Ketchum in 1989 and was named president in 2008. He will continue to report to Mr Kotcher. Over the course of his tenure Mr Flaherty has been involved in all aspects of the firm including having successfully led its largest office (New York), one of its global practices (Corporate) and several of its largest client engagements. He has counseled client organizations and brands including IBM, FedEx, Philips and Pfizer.

     

    According to Dale Adams, President and CEO of Omnicom’s Diversified Agency Services group (DAS): “As CEO, Ray developed the Ketchum brand into one of the most successful in the DAS group of companies and in the public relations sector. I have great respect for Ray’s leadership and many accomplishments and am pleased to have his continued commitment and involvement as chairman. His ability to lead and plan with this group will ensure the transition to Rob will be seamless.”

     

    Mr Kotcher, started at Ketchum in 1983, was appointed president of the agency in 1992, and in June 2000 was named CEO. As CEO, he transformed and grew the firm. In 2009 Kotcher led one of the public relations industry’s largest-ever mergers when Ketchum and Pleon combined operations to create the leading communications consultancy in Europe.

     

    Under his leadership, Ketchum’s geographic client-service footprint also grew in developing markets through acquisitions in China, India and Russia and a joint venture in the Middle East. As CEO, Kotcher also led the development of a range of offerings in areas such as change management, sports and entertainment, and word-of-mouth marketing.

     

    “I am privileged to have served as Ketchum’s CEO through more than a decade of extraordinary change and opportunity in the communications industry,” said Mr Kotcher.

     

    “The appointment of Rob to CEO has been long planned for and he is distinctly qualified for this role,” he continued.

     

    As chief executive, Mr Flaherty will work with Mr Kotcher and other leaders of the firm to guide agency strategy. He also will remain focused on providing clients with breakthrough ideas and the agency’s talent with clear opportunities for growth.

     

    “Having called Ketchum my home for 23 years, I am deeply honored to assume the role of CEO from Ray. Ray has been an outstanding leader, mentor and friend. I tremendously value our partnership and am looking forward to it continuing,” said Mr Flaherty.

     

     

  • The growth of Social in India is going to be upward for a considerable period of time, opines Jonathan Kopp of Ketchum Digital.

    Social Media is here to stay: Jonathan Kopp

    Mr Jonathan Kopp, Partner & Global Director, Ketchum Digital was in India recently to launch its India division with Sampark. The company is betting big on Social Media. On the onset, Ketchum Sampark Digital (Sampark is the Indian affiliate of global communications network Ketchum Inc) will service its existing clients in India, offering digital media services of which social will be a big part.

     

    MxM India’s Rishi Vora spoke to Mr Kopp on the Social Media scene in India. Excerpts:

     

    Q: What was the thought process behind launching a digital agency in India now? Have you entered the Indian marketplace a little late?

    I think the timing is perfect. Right now we’re in the era of the social web. There used to be a distinction between digital media and social networks, and now we are in a period where everything on the web is social. So if you have a web plan, or a digital plan, you’ve got to have a social plan as well. Pure play digital agencies are good in creating destinations, but that is not very relevant any more today. What matters the most is how you drive the conversations, what sort of content you require to drive conversations. These are areas which we specialize in. As for the timing of the launch, I think it’s just the right time to be here. Companies and brands are more than willing to go social.

     

    Q: Do you think Social Media has enough money to sustain itself as a profitable, longterm business?

    I think the growth of Social in India is going to be upward for a considerable period of time. If you think about the penetration of Digital – the numbers are good but percentages are small. So the opportunity is very much there. Whether you succeed as a brand in the social media space is a matter of how you present yourself in that space. Mobile is a potent medium in India. Combining that with video and social, it becomes so much more exciting for users; yet another reason why content should be taken so very seriously – how can you be more creative, more compelling and interesting enough to engage many users online, on to the social networks.

     

    Q: Is it a big challenge to sell social media to clients?

    There is not a single company in any industry that can afford not to be on the social web right now. So I’m a big believer in the power of social media. If you’re not on it, then you’re losing out a fantastic opportunity to speak with your customers. As a brand, it’s mighty important to be in the social environment because the consumers are out there.

     

    Q: But they’re not necessarily there to speak to brands.

    Yes, people are not interested in becoming friends or having a relationship with a brand. What they really want is to connect with the people behind the brand and so the personalisation of the brand, bringing forward the humanity – the faces, the voice, the personality – this is critical in the brand’s success in the social space. Authentic and transparent voices. Immediate response to consumers’ queries – things like these can only happen in social media.

     

    Q: What are the learnings from other markets that you bring to the table for Ketchum Sampark Digital?

    It’s an important question. We have invested an awful amount of lot of time and resources to build the Ketchum Global Digital Network of about 180 digital and social media experts around the world; expertise and case studies working together to really create a global perspective. One of the first things we need to do with our clients is help them understand the power of social media. So social media training is important for us to start, our clients need to understand it. It requires a lot of change – mindset change and structural change. Digital is blurring the lines across traditional communications disciplines. Digital and social media is also creating a potential clash of messages from the organisation to the public. So marketing, advertising and public relations, sales, customer service – are all entering the social space at the same time without coordinating with each other. So it’s a mess in a way. As a company, you may want to hire expertise on HR, Operations etc. Similarly, the time has come for companies to look for social media experts. I don’t think there is enough expertise on things like managing work flows in social media, guidelines, the right approach etc. These are things we have learnt by being in the business for several years internationally, and in India, it is time that we bring our expertise in the marketplace.

     

    Q: How do you, as a social media professional, handle negative publicity on brands?

    It’s a very good question. One of the ways to try and prevent damage in social space is be there first. You first need to be in the social media space, because when you’re in crisis, it’s not the time to be going around and looking for friends. So we have a base of constituents, a base of supporters going into the crisis and you already have an established network to tell your story. So it is important to be there first. Second, things happen. They happen in traditional media, they happen in the interactive space, they happen offline, events; so you need to respond to them. Where companies go wrong is when they are not direct and as transparent. And if the consumer figures that out quickly, the problem gets worse. So if you make a mistake, apologise and explain the situation, and do it quickly.

     

    Q: Do you agree that a social media campaign will have minimal impact on a brand’s profitability?

    No, I don’t agree with that. I think social media can be proven to drive revenues. Very tactical small example: Dell has sold laptops through Twitter. When there were discounts being offered, Dell tweeted about them and sold huge numbers of laptops. Social transaction as a trend is only going to grow in the coming years.

     

    Q: Most of what we’re seeing in social media in India is Facebook marketing. Do you see that changing?

    Facebook is an amazing company and a great platform. Over 800 million users worldwide. Those who use the mobile phone to access Facebook – there are as active as their desktop counterparts are. Facebook is a force to reckon with and it’s admirable and enviable in every regard. At the same time I also believe that it’s never been about the channel. It has always been about the conversation and the content. So yes, today it’s Facebook but it wasn’t that long ago that it was MySpace, and before that, it want too long that it was AOL.

     

    Q: Social media picked up when Facebook picked up.

    Absolutely. But the first mover is not always the last. So will Facebook continue to dominate? Maybe. But, my concern more as a social media professional is not to be too invested in any one channel; rather it should be driven by where the consumer is. Right now, conversation is being held on Facebook, so it would be absurd to ignore Facebook. We’re going to use Facebook, but there are many other channels that we need to watch and learn from. For example, if you’re looking at corporate communications and executive positioning, Facebook might be important but I would want to look at Slideshare because that’s a perfect platform for you to share thought leadership. Similarly, if your concern is employee recruitment or professional networking, LinkedIn is the place to be on. So it really depends on what the purpose is.

     

    Q: What do you think about Google Plus?

    Google Plus is a new entrant. It is directly connected to YouTube. If you’ve got video and video is the way you’re telling your stories, then you need to consider Google Plus and YouTube. Just like the numbers tell us India is an important market to be in, the numbers tell you that Facebook is an important platform to be on. But, our job is to look at all of the platforms and all of the technologies that’ll help our clients tell their stories on the social web.

     

    Q: Do you see Google Plus catching up with Facebook?

    Google takes a very different philosophical approach to social web than Facebook does. It’s just got launched and Facebook has been around for some time now. But I don’t think Google Plus is as important as a standalone social network as it is for its ability to connect content and people across the entire social web. Facebook is about the Facebook platform and selling advertisements on that platform and creating social commerce on Facebook. So I don’t see them competing with each other – they both have a different role to play in the social web.

     

    Q: Can Social Media be a primary medium of communication for brands?

    I think the way we are going to be moving forward is really about integrating communications. It’s not about social over others. It’s about a consistent message and consistent requirement of content across all the channels where we need to reach the audiences. Broadcasting, print – newspapers and magazines are doing social media but some campaigns are starting in the social space and moving out to traditional. Some are moving from traditional to social. We really need to be everywhere.

     

    Q: There is a feeling that the medium is not taken seriously. Marketers and advertising professionals are talking about it, but in a way, they are the ones who are not really putting in the time, money and effort vis-à-vis traditional modes of advertising. Is there anything that social media experts need to look into?

    Metrics and evaluation is going to play a big role. The way we evaluate social media today – there is no single measure. TV, there’s GRPs; in traditional PR, it’s impressions. What we are trying to measure in the social space is engagement, and it’s a fuzzy concept right now. Facebook, with its analytics has gone much closer to measuring engagement in a very important way… The analytics behind a Facebook page drives you to not just the number of fans or friends but really the active user and the talked-about and how content is moving and who are the people that are moving it. As that science continues to move forward, I think people are going to be able to put a specific value on social media. You can certainly measure direct ROI if you’re seeing sales through social commerce.