MxMIndia

Tag: N S Rajan

  • "Bela and I will surely watch from far and cheer the success of Ketchum Sampark and each one of you," said Rajan in a mail to his team on Thursday

    Bela & NS Rajan to say Sayonara to Ketchum-Sampark on September 15

    By Our Staff

     

    Bela & NS Rajan
    Bela & NS Rajan

    Public Relations agencies veterans Bela and N S Rajan have announced their retirement and exit from Ketchum Sampark, an agency they founded in 1994. After a hook-up around 2003 where both agencies chose to work with each other in India, in 2011, Omnicom-owned Ketchum bought majority stake in Sampark.

     

    Post that, the Rajans continued running the agency, as they did before. With this announcement, the Rajans will exit Ketchum Sampark completely. Both Bela and NS Rajan declined to comment, but Ketchum issued a statement, which said:

     

    “After more than 27 years building and leading one of the biggest public relations brands in India, Ketchum Sampark founders NS and Bela Rajan will retire in mid-September.

     

    “As Rajan and Bela transition to retirement, Ketchum Sampark and Fleishman Hillard are establishing a collaborative services model in India that leverages the agencies’ individual strengths to provide clients with broader access to talent and expertise in India’s fast-changing environment.

     

    “While the two agencies will continue to distinctly operate under their individual brands and will continue to service their clients and the marketplace through their respective core services, FleishmanHillard and Ketchum Sampark have created a combined India management committee comprised of seasoned leaders from both brands who will work together in concert to design the next chapter of growth ahead.”

     

    Sampark was set up in 1994 by Bela Rajan, after a successful career in PR where she worked with Consilium, one of the country’s first communications consultancy firms. N S Rajan, on the other hand, moved out as Head of Communications at the Essar Group to join his wife in Sampark as Co-founder and Managing Director. Over the  years, Sampark had built an enviable reputation in financial, corporate and crisis communications. Other areas have also grown in the decade and a half, but Rajan is clearly the go-to person for an understanding of how a crisis can be handled.

     

    Rajan is on the Board of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) and is an active participant in their CCC and also the  founder and majority stakeholder in SCoRe, the communications school.

     

    What next for the Rajans? A close friend told us that they first plan to spend time with their children and their respective families in North America. There are plans to invest and associate with social sectors and mentor young talent.

     

     

  • Ujjivan also undertakes robust financial literacy program and community development & disaster relief programs for customers

    Ujjivan Financial Services appoints Ketchum Sampark

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ujjivan Financial Services, amongst India’s leading microfinance institutions has appointed Ketchum Sampark as their strategic PR partner to champion corporate and media communications for their small finance bank transformation.

     

    Speaking on the development, Vijay Balakrishnan, Chief Marketing Officer, Ujjivan Financial Services said: “We are delighted to announce that Ketchum Sampark, one of India’s leading Public Relations firms is on board as our strategic PR partner after a very careful consideration of their impeccable credentials, enormous experience & in-depth understanding of the Microfinance and BFSI domains.”

     

    “We are equally excited  & confident that Ketchum Sampark will help us build impactful Public Relations & Customer Outreach Programs given, their years of inspirational PR work in the MFI & Financial Institutions spaces, as we begin our interesting & challenging journey of transforming into  a best in class small finance bank,”  Balakrishnan added.

     

    Ujjivan started operations in Bengaluru in 2005 and serves over 32.79 lakh active customers through 469 branches and 8,258 employees spread across 209 districts and 24 states in India. Ujjivan also undertakes robust financial literacy program and community development & disaster relief programs for customers in collaboration with Parinaam Foundation which is a non-profit organization.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, N. S. Rajan, Managing Director, Ketchum Sampark said, “We are very excited to partner with Ujjivan Financial Services in their mission towards transforming the lives of the economically active poor segments of our society further through a Small. Finance Bank institution We thank Ujjivan for their trust reposed in us, and with our extensive experience in the BFSI sector, including being associated with microfinance companies; we look forward to making a success of Ujjivan’s transformation into a Small Finance Bank.”

     

  • … and presents the annual Eureka awards for this year

    Hum Saath-Saath Hain! Aditya Birla Finance felicitates marketing services vendors

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    Marketing campaigns define a brand, to an extent. To create effective campaign, every agency needs to be innovative and come up with new ideas. The success of these agencies is determined through encouragement and motivation.

     

    Taking a cue from the same, Aditya Birla Financial Services Group (ABFSG) launched Eureka Awards four years ago wherein the group honours its agencies and their hard work. This year too, ABFSG held its Eureka Awards with all of its agencies attending and celebrating the success of their hard work.

     

    Speaking to MxM India, Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Aditya Birla Financial Services Group, said, “This is our way of thanking our agency partners. All year round they work very hard for us, they are thinking of us, they are slogging for us. So, this is our way of thanking them, giving them a fun time but also rewarding the agency for the award and the agency colleagues for hardwork.”

     

    The agencies that participated were Mindshare, DDB Mudra Max, Eikona, HansaCequity, Ketchum Sampark, TrackDDB, The Social Street, Taproot India, 9 Point Design, Pi Communications and Resultrix. There were 40 entries comprising the campaigns and work done by the above mentioned agencies.

     

    This year the awards categories were compressed into two categories: Agency Eureka and People Eureka. The former category awards the work of an agency and the latter is to recognise individual effort.  Out of the 40 entries, 23 were for Agency Eureka and 17 were for individual Eureka. But there were only 15 winners, eight in Agency and seven in People Eureka.

     

    This unique concept of recognising hard work not only encourages the agencies and individuals, it takes the agency-client partnership to another level.  “I think it is a very innovative thing which motivates people to work harder. It is a good way to recognise contribution. It is a very nice gesture on part of the company,” said N. S. Rajan, Global Partner and Managing Director of Ketchum Sampark, who was also a jury member. Added Rakhshin Patel, Managing Director of Pi Communications: “I have been in the business for 30 years, I have not seen any client appreciate the agency this much. Relish your love and affection and appreciation for what teams do.”

     

    Indeed.

     

  • In his new role, Surajeet will be responsible for building firm's franchise in India along with fostering key client relationships

    Ketchum Sampark appoints Surajeet Das Gupta as COO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ketchum Sampark has announced the appointment of Surajeet Das Gupta as the Chief Operating Officer. Das Gupta brings a rich experience of over 30 years as a journalist, having worked with the country’s reputed media houses including India Today, Business Today and Business Standard.

     

    In his new role, Surajeet will be responsible for building firm’s franchise in India along with fostering key client relationships. His appointment is a part of a broader strategy to build on the agency’s best-in-class India team. Surajeet will be based out of Delhi and will offer strategic counselling to clients and further expand the firm’s creative offering, with his expertise and knowledge.

     

    Commenting on his appointment, N S Rajan, Global Partner & Managing Director, Ketchum Sampark said, “I am excited to have an experienced professional like Surajeet join our leadership team that will build on the momentum the firm has created with strong franchise and a robust  past performance. Surajeet’s extensive value-added experience and  deep relationships will help  us build new areas of expertise and offerings.”

     

    Surajeet Das Gupta, Chief Operating Officer, Ketchum Sampark added, “I am looking forward to work with the expert team of Ketchum Sampark. I am particularly excited to channel my expertise and knowledge in a way that brings innovation and new direction, contributing to the growth of the organization. “

     

    Prior to joining Ketchum Sampark, Surajeet has been the National Corporate Editor with Business Standard, responsible for the newspapers pan India operations, covering corporate news and policy matters for more than two decades. During his stint as a journalist with varied media houses, Surajeet has extensively covered the country’s top brass corporates, specializing in key business areas including telecom, consumer durables and electronics, IT, media and entertainment, FMCG, aviation, automobiles, foreign investment policies, etc.

     

  • Q&A with Ketchum Sampark founder & MD N S Rajan and columnist & Praxis founder Amith Prabhu who have announced a PG school for strategic communications

    SCORE high with PR!

     

     

    For people who have spent all of their professional lives building the reputations of organizations and professionals, this duo just doesn’t believe in their faces doing the talking. Just use the logo, we were told. Thankfully, our phone was out of bounds so we couldn’t be reached, else we would have been persuaded to drop the pictures.

     

    Over the last few weeks, over phone calls, text messages and meetings, N S Rajan, Global Partner and Managing Director of Ketchum Sampark and Amith Prabhu, PR professional, MxMIndia columnist and founder of PR conference Praxis have been stitching together plans to set the Indian School of Communications and Reputation (SCoRe). Messrs Rajan and Prabhu were in Mumbai on Tuesday to announce the plans for the institute and meet select media to address questions.

     

    SCORE has been set up by a limited liability firm promoted by Messrs Rajan and Prabhu. Although there’s no direct monetary investment made by either of them, the broad arrangement is that while Mr Prabhu will run the institute, Mr Rajan will play the role of a Mentor and also bring in the monies if there is a need. The business plan expects the institute to be in the black from Year 1.

     

    The institute is is being established in Gurgaon and while admissions process will start soon, the classes will commence in July. SCORE, according to a communiqu̩, aims to be a centre of education and research focused on Public Relations, Corporate Communications and Political Communications. The vision is to be the best school for those who want to make a mark in the field of strategic communications. SCoRe will offer a Post-Graduate Diploma in Strategic Communications with two specialisations РPolitical and Corporate.

     

    Details of the programmes offered are at www.scoredindia.org

     
     

    Students will experience life of being in a workplace at SCORE

     

    Q&A with SCORE Chief Mentor N S Rajan and Founding Dean Amith Prabhu

     

    Congratulations on the announcement. But having heard more about it, and given that there are various media and management schools offering PR training programmes, one was wondering that since why set up another?

    The industry still doesn’t have good number of trained freshers who are pinning their hopes on a career in Public Relations. That explains the overwhelming support of all members of the profession. Moreover, there is a lot that a postgraduate programme in strategic communications can offer, both students and organisations that has been untapped so far.

     

    Don’t you think it would’ve been better if you had tied up with an existing player and offered your services to them? Some – if not all – of the institutes do boast of excellent faculty and have been producing quality PR professionals. So why reinvent the wheel?

    There is no institute that has been set up by practising professionals. And there is no institute dedicated to Public Relations. If PR has to get its due, it needs an academic management that is focussed on offering various specialisations within the craft without being attached to a larger educational set-up where it remains one of many specialisations. For example, SCORE will offer specialisations in Corporate, Political and Developmental Public Relations. Sometimes a new way of doing things is the best solution. More importantly, the school will aim to be the fountain of talent in the years to come.

     

    How is SCORE going to be different from the others?

    SCORE will be the only school of its kind dedicated to Public Relations. Something we have broken down into what we do and what we say – Communications and Reputation. Five things will stand out a) The school will be affordable by offering a well thought out programme at a price point that students can pay easily as they start out a career. b) By being located in Gurgaon the school will tap into a wide talent pool of professionals who will teach c) The accessibility of large organisations and PR consulting firms will enable students to work on live projects and real-time assignments d) This will be the first independent school that has the leadership of most of the Top 10 firms supporting it with guarantees of internships that will translate into jobs. E) And lastly, the curriculum is inspired by the leading communications schools of the world offering an intense programme with extensive in-classroom training

     

    So, why should students apply?

    The programme being offered is like no other. It is carefully planned with the work-life in mind. Students will experience life of being in a workplace at SCORE. They will learn from the best in the profession. Work on live projects. Solve case studies. Make campaign plans. Track news. Consult on projects. Plan events. Meet business leaders. Be equipped to tackle reputational problems. Trained in elements of brand communications, business management and strategic communications in small batches

     

    Rajan, when you are recruiting talent, would you prefer to hire talent that’s from a communications/PR school or someone with a general MBA. For, after all, the people at the other end of the table in the form of clients are pedigreed B-schoolers and hence it makes sense to hire people who can match up to them?

    As is the case with most graduates coming from school, the industry including the PR fraternity and the firm I have been associated with has had to invest substantially in their training and in many cases retraining to make them unlearn some of the concepts. So in the past we have recruited quite many Management graduates.  Hopefully, the curriculum of SCORE with its emphasis on practical training and case-study based learning along with a holistic learning approach would fill the current void and make the students ‘industry ready’.

     

    Or is the hiring of IIM/ISB/etc Tier-1 something that PR firms can never dream of given the price tag?

    There are several considerations in the minds of an IIM or an ISB graduate and salary is only one of them. For instance, my own son would prefer to join a start-up.

     

    Yes. I do agree as an industry, we have not actively tapped talent with a general management background. The Top management schools better prepare students to work specially in areas like FMCG . We hope the SCORE curriculum and the rigour of the programme places  those choosing a career in Strategic Communications  on par with their peers from general management in terms of being industry ready.

     

    Rajan, could you for the benefit of our readers and the fraternity, explain your exact association with SCORE? How did you think of mentoring SCORE? Post-Ketchum Sampark retirement planningJ ?

    I have been part of several discussions with industry leaders over time on the need for a practical curriculum for entrants as also training to current young professionals to raise the overall standing of the Industry. This project is to me in a waygiving back to the profession in a small measure the great joy and fulfilment it has given me. SoI am not looking at this as a business venture.

     

    Amith has done a yeoman service to all of us in PR by bringing us under one roof with PRAXIS and I felt if the School project was to be truly neutral and independent and stand for the PR industry in India, Amith is best equipped to anchor and run it.  I am gratified that the Industry as a whole and many of my fellow professionals have graciously accepted to participate actively in this venture and I thank them sincerely.

     

    At 55, I’m far from retired and I’m looking to build my firm in India. While I initiated the idea it was Amith who, having worked for the fraternity at large, immediately saw the opportunity and agreed to anchor it. I will not be actively involved in the day to day operations other than mentoring the young team that will run the school.

     

    Amith, given Rajan’s active association with SCORE and the fact that he’s a veteran PR professional but associated with a large PR firm, did the thought that some PR consultancy professionals/agencies who are rivals of Ketchum Sampark could possibly not encourage your institute?

    This institute is being created with a clear purpose. To offer a world-class education at an affordable price to the future managers and leaders of the profession. My biggest strength has been to work on challenging projects without letting biases creep in. Be it the weekly column I write or the annual event I organise, I never take sides. The school offers every PR firm CEO and corporate communications head the option to nominate an individual for the rigorous training programme on the condition that they will hire the student on successful completion of the programme As mentioned by Mr Rajan , I have the mandate to run the school independently and it will be company agnostic .The fact that a large number of leaders from across agencies and companies have agreed to participate whole heartedly is perhaps an indication of the need for such a school as also its neutrality.  I look forward to their continued guidance and counsel in my new avatar as they supported PRAXIS

     

    PR firms like having journalists on their fold?  Does the setting up of SCORE imply that trained PR professionals is possibly the way to go rather than getting bored-of-their-journalism-jobs editors?

    There is room for everyone. While journalists join PR firm at middle and senior levels bringing in the strength of content creation and media relations. There is always a need for good talent at the entry level as generalists and at other levels as strategists and planners. Some institutes offer PR as a specialisation but do not deep dive to train students in emerging areas where PR is in great demand like the developmental sector or the political arena. Besides, the institutes offer a programme that is expensive thus preventing good talent from embracing it because of price barrier and those that graduate want to work in jobs that have higher starting salaries compared to PR which leads to a brain drain of sorts.

     

    Amith, at 34, you would obviously be among the youngest professionals to get into education. Does the fact that you are not been an educator or have too many years into the profession, do you think SCORE wouldn’t be taken too seriously as an educational institute?

    I turned 35 this monthJ. Well, I was expecting this question from the media but this question has not come from parents of potential students I have spoken to or from fellow ‘senior’ professionals who have signed up to be on the Academic Council and to teach. Age is no barrier to the success when there is an idea whose time has come. That is why Rajan and I chose to collaborate in creating this programme. A good mix of youth and experience can always create wonders. When I floated the idea of PRAXIS in early 2012 I was 31, and many dissuaded me saying it would have no takers but when people saw the product which was of high calibre and independently done there was overwhelming support. My role is three-fold. To attract the best students and faculty. To be the custodian of something that the professional community has been yearning for. And lastly, to let the programme do the talking. 

     

     

  • 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.”

     

  • PR also lacks enough qualified people, says Ketchum Sampark's N S Rajan in a refreshingly frank interview with MXM, on life post-acquisition and mid-slowdown.

    PR must look up to advertising: N S Rajan

    By Johnson Napier

     

    With foreign players taking a keen liking to India, the PR industry is poised for a quantum leap. Not the one to miss out on the race, Ketchum Sampark is doing everything right to stay on track and be counted as a contender worth the deal. In conversation with Johnson Napier of MxM India, N S Rajan, Managing Director of Ketchum Sampark outlines his agency’s plans to be counted amongst the best and why quality, and not numbers, will be the differentiator in the race to win and retain more clients. Excerpts:

     

    Q: It’s been some 7-8 months since the much-hyped tie-up with Ketchum. How would you analyze your journey post the acquisition?

    There has been no change as such at the ground level but yes, processes have changed, reporting has changed – it is now more in terms of financial and MIS reporting and not so much in operations. Also, what probably has changed and helped us is the access to information, access to best practices, access to case studies… so it is a win-win situation for us while we continue to work the way we are.

     

    Q: Could you elaborate on your choice of shortlisting Ketchum as your foreign partner?

    We have been working with Ketchum for more than three years now so this tie-up is actually a formalization 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.

     

    Q: Come to think of it, the venture looks like Omnicom’s reply to making its presence felt in India – just the way Publicis did with Hanmer. Your thoughts?

    I think this is something like a process of evolution. We have been working with them for 3-4 years, and it just happened that the timing is now. It did take time for us to tie the knot as there had to be a comfort level on both sides. We probably got into a JV at the opportune time as the media is opening up and India remains a good market for bringing a foreign partner where we are able to service global clients in India and also open up our offices and network for Indian clients wanting to go abroad.

     

    Q: On the growth perspective, how would you analyse the year 2011 for your agency?

    I think we have done well. We have grown by 25 per cent and this has come on the back of 30 per cent growth that we recorded last year. Also, we signed on a lot of good clients. This apart, we just recently announced Ketchum Sampark Digital and also set up specialised verticals in healthcare and infrastructure. We believe this tie-up will take us to the next orbit in terms of skill-sets, information flow, etc. More importantly, what we have learnt from this venture is best practices. We have to understand that the market dynamics are changing and people are looking for specialised services in each of the areas. I think there is a lot of comfort at the client level if you are able to bring in value in each of the domains. That’s because clients are also looking at core focus, specialisation, skill levels, agency background, etc. So to that extent healthcare and infrastructure remains our focus areas because a huge growth is predicted in these areas. Another important area for us is crisis communications; we believe a separate vertical would be good to go with for crisis.

     

    As for our agency, we are divided into four verticals – brand, corporate, technology and financial services. Healthcare and infrastructure would continue to be separate verticals but could probably be clubbed under corporate. This apart, sports is another area that is huge for us. We have handled some very big marquee properties across India ranging from cricket, golf, football, etc. So that would continue to remain a focus area for us. We also engage in organising festivals like the Jaipur Literary Festival which witnessed the gathering of more than 400 authors and many media professionals from around the world.

     

    Q: How according to you will digital change the way PR functions, say, in a few months from now?

    According to me, the game changer in 2012 for the PR industry will be digital, as its significance and importance will be largely felt. The traditional way of communicating today will probably go direct-to-consumer with the help of digital. Also, with digital, there is a lot of opportunity for content, for social media, for gathering traffic to your site, to build conversations around content and also monitor them, etc. With Ketchum being one of the global leaders in digital I think we have a huge advantage in terms of assimilating knowledge much faster, so we will be able to scale up very quickly.

     

    Q: You’ve mentioned a growth rate of 25 percent plus; does that translate to occupying a fair market share as well?

    While we figure amongst the top 5-6 agencies in India, our emphasis has always been on quality. We would probably be happy if we were perceived as an agency known for its quality. I may not be the No 1 in terms of size, but I certainly will be No 1 in terms of quality. We would love to earn the respect, trust and long-term partnership from our clients. Also, we would like our employees to be happy. If in the process of doing all this we improve our ranking, we’ll be happy with that.

     

    Q: Despite the low-warning signs, how are you warming up to the current economic situation being tagged as ‘tough’?

    While on the slowdown, let me tell you that during the 2008-09 recession, when most agencies lost business, we were the only agency that grew that year – even if the growth was single digit. So there will always be some amount of hardship so long as clients believe that you will be able to deliver value to them. In our experience, our clients have retained us during the tough times as well. The challenge for any business is to see through the bad phase and that is possible when you are focused on quality, people and such attributes. But if you are chasing to be the No 1 player then there are chances of you losing out.

     

    Q: Do you plan to scale up operations across other centres in India?

    We are currently present in seven cities and we do have aspirations to roll each of the practices in each of the regions. We just hired a senior person to handle our office in the South so we are taking all steps necessary to grow all our offices. Also, we have an SBU concept where we encourage and handhold all our businesses to be profitable and contribute to the growth. So that process is happening. Finally at the end of the day, it is important for each SBU to contribute to the overall growth of the agency.

     

    Q: Where the industry is concerned, what can be done to make it more organised than the state it is in now?

    I think it should begin with individual agencies taking the onus and coming on a common platform to address the woes of the industry. It is important for the PR industry to look up to the advertising industry which, despite having its share of problems, is much more organised. Today, one is not even sure what is the exact size of the industry. If you put the top 10 PR agencies together I think they would be estimated to be around Rs 300-400 crore whereas the unorganised industry would be around Rs 150-200 crore. So the total industry size could be anywhere between Rs 500-600 crore. Also, the problem is compounded by the fact that compared to other markets, our fees are a little lower. Our fees are 30-40 percent lower than even that of China. There are too many players in India leading to the fees being compromised. But having said that there are clients who are willing to pay a premium if they are convinced about the quality of the service being offered.

     

    Q: What is the way forward then?

    I think in the long term a lot of agencies would opt for the consolidation route. What is happening is that companies here are also realising that they need networks that will lead them to get more organised, have access to better offices, skill sets, etc. All this is possible with a larger network. While pop-and-mom stores will continue to exist they too will increasingly take the consolidation route.

     

    Q: Any other attributes that need to be paid greater attention to?

    One attribute I think needs more attention is people. I think we don’t have too many qualified people. Also, the good PR professionals are not adept at running a business – a lacuna that needs to be bridged. This is possible with effective training programmes. We have our own in-house training programmes and we hope to train our colleagues on this front as well. Also, we plan to have a fixed number of hours for training our staff. At the end of the day, being in the services industry skills and people are important attributes that one needs to pay adequate heed to.

  • Ketchum Sampark announces entry into Digital Media with the launch of Ketchum Sampark Digital.

    Ketchum Sampark goes Digital

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ketchum Sampark, the Indian Affiliate of global communications network Ketchum Inc, has announced the launch of its digital media business Ketchum Sampark Digital. Aimed at garnering substantial market share in the emerging digital media business, Ketchum Sampark Digital will offer full-service interactive strategy, web design, video production and multimedia development to help companies tell their stories and build engagement with their audiences on digital media (internet and mobile).

     

    Commenting on the launch of Ketchum Sampark Digital, N S Rajan, Managing Director, Ketchum Sampark said, “The launch of Ketchum Sampark Digital reflects the emerging significance of engaging with consumers through prolific use of digital domains. There has been a distinct shift in usage patterns wherein consumers look beyond email and casual surfing to complete engagement and internet as the media of choice for information. We are initially launching our Digital business with a team of young social media experts and progressively build a bandwidth of skills and digital capabilities including a team of interactive strategists, digital designers and producers.”

     

    According to Jonathan Kopp, Partner & Global Director, Ketchum Digital, “Globally, Ketchum Digital has created innovative digital media solutions for clients including FedEx, Kodak, ConAgra, Absolut amongst many other industry-leading companies. With the launch of Ketchum Sampark Digital India joins other Ketchum Offices and digital experts around the globe in the Ketchum Global Digital Network bringing digital social media solutions from around the world for our clients everywhere.”

     

    As part of its foray into the digital media business, Ketchum Sampark is concluding a detailed study of 200 Indian corporates and nearly 150 brands in the Indian marketplace to track their digital footprint as well as user engagements. The study covers Corporates from across 20 different industries including Aviation, BFSI, Consulting, Diversified Large Indian Corporates, Healthcare & Pharmaceutical, Oil & energy, Software Services and FMCG. The Brands covered in the survey are from across 14 categories including Apparel, Automobile, Media & Entertainment, Personal Care and Retail.

     

    “Our study has tracked engagement of these corporations & brands with their target audiences using social media channels like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn,” said Ajay Sharma, Managing Partner, Ketchum Sampark.


    Key Findings of Ketchum Sampark Digital’s Indian Social Media Engagement Study 2011

     

    > Initial findings indicate that while most Indian companies (82 %) have registered a presence on at least one of the four social media channels that were surveyed, the activity is largely focused around consumer communication for their products and services.

    > LinkedIn seems to be the most preferred channel on social media with 72 % of the companies surveyed having a dedicated page on LinkedIn.
    Though Facebook is the largest social media platform in India with over 38 million followers, it lags behind LinkedIn with only 55% of Indian corporates registering a presence on it.

    > Using video and multimedia to create engagement with consumers, investors, potential employees and other audiences is still not an avenue explored by Indian corporates with barely 6% being Very Active on YouTube.

    > More than 50% of corporates despite opening up a channel or registering a page on social media are Inactive. Some Inactive corporates also tend to use the presence on a channel opportunistically during launches and other significant company initiatives.

    > We feel that with the explosion in social media users this will change in 2012.

    > Out of the 150 brands surveyed, 23% did not have any presence on social media platforms while 30% had a presence on only one channel. Only 22% of brands were present on all three social media platforms.

    > Unlike corporates, Facebook is the clear favourite for brands with 75% of these brands registering a presence on it. YouTube and Twitter followed with 42% and 28% respectively.

     

    79% of brands with a presence on Twitter were Very Active / Active on the platform as compared to 69% on YouTube and 63% on Facebook.