MxMIndia

Tag: PR

  • In recent times, PR in the UK has had a detrimental impact on the public’s access to objective information, writes Anne M Cronin

    Data bombing & Dead Cats – how PR uses practices of secrecy to influence Media & Society

     

    Although this article deals with PR and the media in general in the UK, it has lessons for India as well.

     

     

    By Anne M Cronin

     

    More than 100 years ago, sociologist Georg Simmel wrote that secrecy is a core part of all human relationships. The ratio of secrecy to openness in a society, he argued, can tell us much about that society. I explore this in my new book, examining how public relations secrecy techniques interact (and clash) with the transparency and openness of media.

    The public relations (PR) industry is made up of professionals in public affairs, lobbying and events management, among others. Their role is to manage a client’s relationship (and reputation) with the general public, investors and regulators. Media relations is the sub-field of PR that attempts to secure positive coverage and suppress negative issues in the media. This includes newspapers and television news, but also social media.

    In recent decades, PR in the UK has had a detrimental impact on the public’s access to objective information, skewing media reporting and attempting to conceal important issues. This is compounded by the financial pressures facing journalism, which are hampering investigative reporting.

    It’s generally understood that what appears in the media has been selected and shaped by various interests, reflecting corporate goals or governmental priorities. But just as important is what we don’t see in the headlines – and how those issues are obscured.

    In my research, I look at both sides of these secrecy operations. I interviewed PR professionals who work to influence media content and conceal certain issues. I also spoke with journalists, news editors and transparency campaigners. These groups are interested in investigating and revealing the very issues that PR hopes to obscure.

    The PR industry is particularly adept at orchestrating this range of “shadowy practices” of secrecy, but these practices are not well-understood by the public. Everyday PR practice tends to be mundane, focusing on securing positive coverage for clients and downplaying or obscuring negative coverage. But there are a number of subtle techniques that PR practitioners use to manipulate information.

     

    Data bombing or snowing

    One striking technique is the practice of hiding significant information in a vast release of unimportant material. Journalists using Freedom of Information requests told me how organisations would use this technique to appear to align with principles of transparency, but in reality were hiding potentially damaging information in plain sight.

    For example, the requested information may be released in thousands of pages of documents that journalists do not have adequate time to analyse. Important information may be couched in highly technical language that obscures key elements, or may released in a format that is not easy to electronically search (such as scanned documents).

     

    Dead catting and distraction

    PR can use distraction techniques, misdirecting public attention by releasing alternative, eye-catching stories to the media. One recent example was Boris Johnson’s claim that he relaxed by making model buses out of old crates. This drew much amused media coverage but also affected Johnson’s reputation online.

    Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a media management technique of strategically using keywords to push certain stories to the top of search engine results. Whether it was intentional or not, the bus story had the opposite effect, hiding a different, damaging story. Searches for “Johnson” and “bus” would previously have led users to read about the discredited claims that the NHS would receive £350 million a day if the UK left the EU, which appeared on the sides of the Brexit buses. Now, they would direct to reports about Johnson’s crafting hobby.

    When an announcement is particularly shocking or sensational, it can be known as a “dead cat” strategy. For example, as Johnson was being investigated over the Partygate scandal, he accused Labour leader Keir Starmer of failing to prosecute sex offender Jimmy Savile when Starmer was head of the Crown Prosecution Service. These rumours were false, but (briefly) drew attention away from Partygate.

     

    Astroturfing

    PR can also create fake public opinion in order to exert influence. A media editor of a national paper explained to me in my research:

    Say a billionaire wanted to stop houses being developed next to his country retreat … He’d set up [a] “Friends of the Chiltern Hills” pressure group and basically pay some PR [firm] to run it.

    In early 2021, gambling company Ladbrokes’ owner was accused of this tactic after launching the Players’ Panel, an online group where customers wrote pro-betting articles. This group appeared to be a grassroots effort, but was being operated with the help of a political consultancy. Such a technique conceals both the vested interests involved and the power that they can deploy. This example shows the impact of PR, but also how journalism can push back and reveal these practices.

     

    Secrecy and society

    Put together, these PR secrecy efforts can impact how the public understands power dynamics and social change. By offering disconnected units of information in press releases or on client websites, PR can impede joined-up thinking – a collective understanding, putting together many bits of information into one full picture – about society.

    The dynamic between secrecy and transparency is also shifting on a wider level. Secrecy practices are becoming more widespread and legally sanctioned. For example, the corporate sphere’s use of non-disclosure agreements which PR practitioners themselves are often required to sign.

    The government is also pushing for more legal powers that enhance government secrecy and restrict transparency. The national security bill working its way through parliament may criminalise certain aspects of investigative reporting and reform the Official Secrets Act. This could further impede public access to information through the media.

    But understanding these practices can help average media consumers and members of the public think more critically about the power dynamics and interests that may be obscured by the headlines.The Conversation

     

    Anne M. Cronin is Professor of Cultural Sociology, Lancaster University.  This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

     

  • Both brands and agencies have to go beyond traditional media and embrace a more integrated omnichannel strategy, writes Bhaskar Majumdar

    By Invitation: Challenges for PR given post-lockdown disruption in Indian media: Bhaskar Majumdar

    Bhaskar MajumdarBy Bhaskar Majumdar

     

    We have all heard the popular adage, “Change is the only constant!” Nothing can be truer than this and it is relevant across everything we can think of, and the business of communication, of which, public relations is an integral part, is no exception. What it also means that, whoever fails to keep pace with the changing times, will be rendered redundant, sooner or later. Of late, as the global pandemic accelerated the pace of digital transformation, we began to hear terms like ‘reskilling’, ‘upskilling’, ‘relearning’, all the more than ever before. The answer to the ‘why’ is encapsulated in the adage I quoted above.

    The public relations industry, since the very beginning, embraced ‘relationships’ or ‘media relations’ as the be-all and end-all of success. Professionals who had robust relations or can get client’s stories, not only landed better job offers but were also revered by bosses and colleagues alike. Reputed and large PR firms harnessed this skill set and recruited the conversationalists who had good understanding of the media environment as well as equally good media relations. Although there is nothing wrong in that, but, what was once held as a ‘must have’ skill amongst PR professionals, is now just a ‘good to have skill’.

    The reason for this can be attributed to the fact that, apart from rapid digitisation that was already underway; since March last year, the Covid-19 pandemic had an adverse impact on traditional or print media’s advertising revenues and marketing budgets. On the other hand, simultaneously, content consumption behaviour underwent a seismic shift, as more and more individuals started preferring bite-sized snackable content that they can consume on the move, over any device of their choice.

    This, if we reckon, also pushed several traditional print publications to branch out into the digital domain – experimenting with AR-based content, interactive videos, and more. Many newspapers have started their own digital counterpart, along with their print editions, and are delving into newer digital content formats, such as apps, podcasts, videos and webinars, beyond just articles, to keep the audience engaged and immersed. And this worked out just fine, as amidst the nationwide lockdown last year, we witnessed a staggering 453% rise in news app usage. Apart from that, many print publications went completely online during the lockdown, seeking better ROI and staying relevant with the changing times.

    Therefore, with digital, #digitalMedia and #socialmedia increasingly becoming a de facto choice for content consumers, there has been a paradigm shift in the role of PR professionals and corporate communications experts too, a move away from relying only on media relations to a more strategy-centric approach – an Omni channel integrated one. This trend has even altered what was once thought to be outside of the ambit of public relations discipline, such as internal communication, efficient employee engagement, digital/social outreach (creatives, video’s), CSR (conceptualisation, planning and execution), investor relations, public affairs and policy, secondary research, brand audit, media dipstick to many newer things.

    Given this dominant scenario, the roles and responsibilities of public relations and communications agencies and consultants are also undergoing sea-changes. More and more agencies are now offering strategic services and are building competencies for new age story telling. The need for building adequate capacities and offering services which are more suited to the current times, will be critical for agencies going forward. Whoever misses the gun and fail to reinvent themselves will fall behind and eventually become comparatively irrelevant. The firms which earlier solely relied on traditional media, especially print, will now have to realign their strategies to survive in what we call the ‘new normal’.

    Buoyed by the digital transformation that is currently happening, the growing need of the market has put integrated strategic approach to PR, at the very top of the pyramid. Now, public relations are an eclectic blend of earned, paid, owned and shared media and Digital Outreach and Social Media Outreach will be now being an integral part of all Communication campaign planning. Well, traditional media have not lost its ground and never will, however, digital and social will occupy the larger share of the media mix pie in the coming times. It also largely depends on one brand to the other. For instance, a consumer facing brand will fare better to rely on digital platforms, where their consumers are, whereas, a B2B brand can rely on traditional channels.

    Many brands today are heavily relying on YouTubers, bloggers, influencers and micro-influencers to narrow down on their target audience and reach out to those who are relevant in a more effective, efficient and impactful manner. This can be corroborated by the fact that, as per a report by ClanConnect.ai, over 50% of marketers are ready to increase their influencer marketing spends in 2021. In fact, 78% of marketing leaders leveraged influencer marketing in 2020, while a little over 13% of them initiated influencer activity for the first time in 2020. What is also very interesting to note is that fact that, 87% of CMOs prefer to conduct up to 25% of their influencer campaigns with micro-influencers. This corroborates the fact that brands prefer to engage with influencers who have a dedicated, loyal following even if the number of followers does not go into lacs.

    To conclude, both brands and agencies who are looking for holistic success in their outreach strategies have to go beyond traditional media and embrace a more integrated omnichannel strategy and pull in all efforts to devise content and plan campaigns that are customized as per each consumer touchpoints.

     

    Bhaskar Majumdar is Head of Corporate Affairs, Comms & Digital, Egis India. His views here are personal

     

     

  • The quantity and quality of what individual stakeholders express is an information goldmine, writes Siddhartha Mukherjee

    Siddhartha Mukherjee: Why Listening is a Must in the New Business Environment

    By Siddhartha Mukherjee

     

    Every disruption, like the one we are currently in, leads to a ‘New’! The existing definitions of Life As Usual or Not As Usual and therefore, Business As Usual & Not As Usual (BAU/BNAU) transform into something new in shape, size and meaning. For example, one of the dynamics that is undergoing change is “how much”. How much do I need, how much time and money do I spend, etc.

     

    During this phase, stakeholder sentiments – human sentiments after all – go through peaks and troughs. The Quantity and Quality of what individual stakeholders express is not only NEW but very importantly, an Information Goldmine!

     

    Hence, for businesses or corporate and product brands, it’s a great time to intensify their Listening capabilities. It is not just about listening to consumer (revenue generators) mood alone but across stakeholders, both internal and external! Only when you listen more, listen better, your brand will empathise more, empathise better to the New future! After all, brand engagement and conversion pivot on Empathy!

     

    Listening, in simple words, means understanding the current and estimating the future Mood of your ecosystem! A stakeholder-wise analysis of their sentiments – happiness, concerns, memories, aspirations, and so on. Such studies can be Brand Specific and/or Agnostic!

     

    In fact, if executed and sustained well, insights from Scientific Stakeholder Listening can lend to a healthy balance sheet!

     

    With timespent being majorly high online currently, it makes Listening Analytics focused and logistically easier to execute. Currently, all stakeholders (humans after all), are proacting and reacting, expressing in other words – primarily online (digital and social)!.

     

    Hence, for both brand owners and communication consultancies, this is a great time to put its Online ‘Listening’ Analytics desk to full use! Every CxO would love to learn and act on the New future! Listening for a brand is a science! Nothing tactical or superficial about it!

     

    BENEFITS OF LISTENING: 

    1. Reconciles Future Business Plans: The insights from listening analytics will lead to a reconciliation dashboard for CXOs and Board of Directors in terms of the required business direction and KRAs for each business function.

    2. Prepares the Brand/Organisation to Empathise– If the two of the key constituents of brand empathy are messaging and action, the Listening Analysis prepares the organisation CXOs for it.

    3. Mitigate Brand Reputation Loss: The exercise helps understand current crisis chain and future time bombs ticking away towards disaster. Listening to human expressions and analysing them lead to better mitigation preparedness.

    4. Create New Product/Services: Very often, Listening Analysis leads to new Product/Service ideas. Online data offers huge information across what went wrong, what Target Audiences want, what they want to be, and so on.

    5. Re-Orient Stakeholder Profile: Listening to Insights lead to business organisations being able to decide the weightage and the profile of each stakeholder that would be needed to tackle the ‘NEW’!

    6. Assess effectiveness of Brand Building thus far: A key outcome of Listening during disruption phases is that it acts as a reality check of how robust the brand building and business delivery mechanism have been so far.

    7. Fortifies Client-Agency relationship: Listening cannot be a one-way street! The understanding of the current and future ecosystem creates opportunities for even the clients to understand their service providers’ adjustment areas and creates opportunities for working together even longer.

     

    In a sales-obsessed business environment, giving low or no priority to scientific, healthy and regular ‘Listening’ is still understandable. However, in situations like we are currently in, a pandemic or disruption, businesses and brands should re-optimise their time towards Listening and gear up to strengthen its future balance sheet during the ‘New’.

     

  • A listing of 16 things one hopes to see happen in the Indian PR world this year from Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: 16 things we hope to see in Indian PR this year

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Here is a list of 16 things one hopes to see happen in the Indian PR world this year… the concluding part of the series of
    1. A united communications fraternity – There are several groups online and offline. There is PRCAI, PRSI, PRCI, ABCI. They all need to come together under a Federation for the greater good.

     

    2. A book or two by PR veterans – We hope Prema Sagar and Madan Bahal or Dilip Cherian and Sunil Gautam bring out a book on Public Relations in India this year. It will be a good for future generations to gain inspiration from.

     

    3. An Indian PR campaign from a PR firm winning at Cannes – Indian PR firms have never won a Lion at Cannes and we hope this June changes that once and for all. Some great work does happen, some great packaging needs to happen.

     

    4. A PR professional becoming a corporate CEO – A career PR professional has rarely become a CEO of a corporate organisation.  John Fallon of Pearson, Dave D’Alessandro of John Hancock, and Richard Plepler of HBO have done it in the US. India’s turn now.

     

    5. The next 100 crore PR firm in India – This can only happen if the second largest Indian firm merges with another global firm, which maybe a difficult proposition but it is still possible. I’m referring to Perfect Relations becoming part of the Edelman or MSLGroup network.

     

    6. A Deputy Secretary General at PRCAI – PRCAI has great potential but needs more hands and feet. While Jayoti is doing a great job, time for her to have a full-time assistant and potential successor.

     

    7. A really solid awards system – There are couple of awards systems but these have the same companies on the jury, on the sponsor table and on the winners’ list. The three need to be separated with no further comment.

     

    8. A PR magazine in print – Print is not dying anytime soon. The profession needs to have its own print magazine so that the profession gets its due with a variety of stakeholders. High time this cat was belled.

     

    9. A few more women leaders in the top 10 firms – I shared a list of the 16 leading ladies in Indian PR consulting but majority of them are not in the Top 10 firms. We need more women in senior leadership (Top 3) at the larger firms.

     

    10. An Indian in the global leadership of a Top 20 international PR firm – Very few Indians have gone beyond regional roles. It is time for an Indian to make it to the global leadership of a leading firm beyond tokenism.

     

    11. Indian consultancies hiring from the top IIMs and from ISB – I hope 2016 is the year when IIMs and ISBs see a beeline for placements on Day Zero from at least five PR firms in India. This will be the day when the profession has truly arrived.

     

    12. A repository of Indian PR case studies – There is no online or offline repository of great case studies of work done in Indian Public Relations for reference. I hope this year that changes in some form.

     

    13. An Indian solution to the measurement problem – We have heard the Barcelona Principles for the last several years

     

    14. A PR professional being appointed by the government as communications advisor – This government may never hire a formal communications advisor like most previous Prime Ministers did. If they do, I wish it will be someone from the PR fraternity.

     

    15. A better work-life balance for PR professionals – PR often features in the most stressful jobs list. PR people are part of a vicious cycle. Maybe, it’s time to get that act together and focus on better health and less stressful times.

     

    16. A structured association of corporate communicators – There is no single association that brings together corporate communications professionals. There are WhatsApp groups and Facebook groups. But a registered association could do wonders.

     

  • Why 2015 Dassera marks a new beginning for PR industry professionals

    Siddhartha Mukherjee: Humility & Quality wins over ‘Dude’ Culture

    By Siddhartha Mukherjee

     

    “Why do you want to take up a job in PR Industry?’, a common question a lot of us ask while interviewing candidates. Pronto comes a common answer:  “ …because I like meeting people.” For those who find this response completely normal and healthy, I don’t want to comment any further. This particular column is not for them. However, for those who find this to be a wrong signal or symptom, my response will be – Let’s Talk!

     

    Till recent times, interviewing candidates used to be a harrowing experience. The various audio and visual symptoms/ signals candidates from PR Agencies, Corporate Communications etc would display have often made me wonder if our Industry’s so called talent pool will be spelling its doomsday.

     

    While ‘Jugaad/Fixing’, unfortunately though, still continues to be the core ideology behind certain clients hiring PR services, the good news, however, is that a large part of the client set have started gathering around he the need to build brands, nothing short of it. To meet such expectations, PR firms have started attracting “Quality, Well qualified and Humble” talent pool – specifically those who understand brands. Those who do not believe that meeting people or journalists is the mainstay of this business. Those who understand that Public Relations is all about Input, Output and a final Outcome. And that this business requires research and a very systematic measurement/ appraisal system.

     

    Our PR firms are trying their best to take a positive U-turn, as fast as possible. They are doing everything possible to attract and sustain them with rigorous training processes. They are making it clear to their teams that client servicing is no longer meeting, fixing or just a press release exercise. In short, life is not going to be the same!

     

    Dassera 2015 marks our Industry’s beginning of the victory march over the following ten evils or hurdles that was stopping our professionals transform from jugaadus/ fixers to brand-building partners:

     

    1. Agency Professionals have started Reaching Client Meetings on Time: There was a time when the Client Servicing teams of PR Firms were (ill) reputed to never reach on time. Despite pre-decided meeting schedule, clients (corporate communications and its internal customers) have been kept waiting for the (grand) agency team to reach the meeting venue at their own leisure and convenient time. Today, amazing examples of punctuality are being displayed by teams across Agencies.

    2. Agency team is well-prepared for the meeting: For most of the agencies and their team members, the answer to the core question of why the client is doing PR remained a grey area. More so, no one wanted to know the answer. Attendance in meetings was a customary formality. Preparations through research, Asking the right questions, Presenting a scientific plan, etc was a rarity. Today, however, client servicing teams are coming well-prepared. They are asking the right questions, working out a crisp brief, and clearly working out the blocks of Input, Output and Outcome. They know that they have to move the cheese and that they are accountable towards an objective!

    3. Agency team is geared up to meet CXOs: As a continuation from the above, PR firms are getting more reasons and opportunities to meet the CXOs. Earlier, owing to their typical traits of punctuality and (lack of) preparedness, the corporate communications team wasn’t so sure of introducing the agency to his/ her internal CXO customers. Today, that hesitation is slowly fading away.

    4. Agencies are opening up to working with External & Neutral PR Research & Measurement firms: There was a time, when external and neutral PR research and measurement firms were considered as Roman agents by many PR firms. Today, that thought process is drastically fading away. They are opening up to working with such firms not only towards various possibilities of research but also in terms of getting their client work measured and audited.

    5. Clients allocating higher budgets to PR Tool: That paid media (ads and sponsorships) have started delivering declining ROIs is becoming an increasingly known fact. No wonder then, CXOs are being forced to depend equally (if not more) on Earned Media/PR initiatives. Monies are being allocated accordingly. A down-the-line beneficiary of this should be the PR Agency talent pool.

    6. Corp Comm gaining importance over Marcom: Generally speaking, at one point of time, PR industry was known as the product launch machinery. Marcom used to rule the roost. In today’s Reputation Economy, CorpComm and corporate brand is taking centre stage. PR Firms and their talent pool are having to transition accordingly.

    7. Clients are preparing detailed, scientific briefs for PR Agency Teams: Yes, the flipside of all this is that CorpComm teams are getting better and timely briefs from internal CXOs. This, relatively better, brief is bring passed on to their agencies for better ideation and implementation.

    8. Clients hiring and firing of Agencies becoming more stringent: Gone are the days when PR agencies would cakewalk into a new client business with just a credentials presentation. So is the case with clients firing agencies. Recruitment of an agency and firing it is no longer that easy. Stringent metrics are being worked out for entry and exit into a client’s life.

    9. Industry Events and Awards cropping up slowly to acknowledge talent: An average of two-three PR/Corporate Communication award functions are being held each year to highlight work done by Agencies and specific team members.

    10. Course Curriculum & Recruitment process being revamped across Institutes: That a fresher will have spent making news clippings dockets during the first six months (to a year) of his/ her career in a PR agency or CorpComm department is breaking down, though slowly. No wonder, course curriculums, quality of faculty and guest lectures are seeing a drastic change.

     

    The march towards victory has started. The army of PR professionals are proactively carrying the torch of doing PR for PR. Their audio and visual touchpoints of PR professionals are reflecting thought, sophistication, poise and above all, humility.

     

    The industry has realised there was a Ravana with sins. Now, they themselves are out there to destroy it.

     

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

  • Rather than listening to repetition and future versions labeled as 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 et al, industry professionals would much rather be happy discussing the present and how to tackle pressing issues, writes Siddhartha Mukherjee

    Siddhartha Mukherjee: PR Industry Seminars: Beyond Networking…Time for Action Points

    By Siddhartha Mukherjee

     

    With an average of at least two PR Industry events (seminars/conferences/award shows) every year, over the last decade, our industry professionals must have attended a minimum of 20-30 such events by now. However, the interesting part is that, in almost every second one, the topics/ discussion points have not seen any real change. Of course, to maintain newness, ways of discussion did change with the use of active or passive voice, direct or indirect speech, or through the standard conundrum of could, would and should.

     

    Events and seminars, apart from the default benefit of acting as a business networking ground, will give our industry a leap of faith if they start acting as platforms to trigger and formally document action points and charters.

     

    I personally believe that our Indian brand communication industry comprises some of the most brilliant, well-aware, effective and humble thought leaders and professionals. I also believe that they are fully aware of what the future has in store for them. They do not need to be told that… repeatedly, unless there is really something new.

     

    The industry professionals, rather than listening to the repetition and future versions labelled as 2.0, 3.0, 4.0 et al…which, by the way, is a new fad off late – they would much rather be happy discussing the present and how to tackle the pressing issues. They want simple and effective action points:

     

    Industry events or seminars should trigger specific action points such as:

    # First and foremost, how do we go about getting our industry recognised to the external world: Yes, our Industry does exist! The question, however, is that whether we are acknowledged as Singular, Separate and an Official Entity. For industries and professionals outside that of ours, do we exist as some shapeless, by the way, BTL entity or are we known as an Industry to be reckoned with. As an after- thought, is there even a need to re-brand PR? How do we set the vision and mission charter for ourselves? Who does it?

    #PR Industry size, Targets & Confidence Index: Are we ready to set an industry size target for ourselves? Do we know the exact size of our industry today? How do we ensure that the Industry grows at a specific rate? How do we build a Confidence Index for our industry that ensures growth both in terms of width and depth of investments by clients?

    # Measurement Charter: PR measurement can play the central role in PR industry size growth. The basic question is that should PR be allowed to get measured, at all? I still believe that given an option, for majority of the PR Industry, they would not even touch measurement and audit with a barge poll. Whatever systems, if at all, they follow or are being made to follow are cosmetic or simply for self gratification. Till the answer or the intent is not a firm Yes, we can never move on to solutions for subsequent questions such as: How can PR be measured? How can PR Measurement benefit both the Client and the Agency? How can PR measurement help in achieving industry growth targets, sustain Confidence Index, upgrade Talent Quality and so on!

    #Talent Management: The first challenge is that of really evaluating the kind of talent we really want! That by itself will need specific charters on exactly what the PR industry wants to claim as its specialisation areas. Only after one is clear on that, the next blocks come up as: a) Attracting talent – right sources of institutes, right course curriculum, right job entry or selection processes etc. b) Sustaining Talent – the kind of training we want to impart for each professional continuously through their career curve, formal accreditation policies, if any, etc.

    # Client Servicing…but who is the Client really?: Depending on what PR Industry will and should claim as its specialisation, the actual client within an organization can be the corp comm head, marketing head, other CXOs or even the CEO! With their unique KRAs and KPIs, expectations from PR Agency will not only change but be diverse.

    # Industry Acknowledgement Event Charters: Too many number of (scattered) industry events is a sign of industry fragmentation…and that the industry is not cohesive! It is time that our industry gets lesser but bigger and fortified version of Abbies, Emvies, Goafest etc. These are not event management and merry-making exercises but have a thought process behind getting the industry thinking hats together, review what was missed, what are the plans to achieve the targets and create the blue print for the coming years.

    # Educate on Digital…along with Offline: For certain product categories of the Indian economy, Digital PR Communication is God sent. However, the real crux still stays with Offline mediums – Print, TV and Radio. The future is not just about understanding Digital PR. In fact, the key is to understand the amalgamation of cross mediums – Print, TV, Radio and Online. Experts, whether from Western markets, or India, need to tell professionals about not just Online/Digital PR but how to manage them in sync with Offline PR. One of the key traits of the Communication Professional 3.0 is that he/she should be able to understand cross media, build and sustain brands for clients.

     

    Without any effective backing or real encouragement from the outside world, the Indian PR Industry has come a long way. Kudos! It has been a great case study of self growth – albeit through a trial and error method. This growth story shows gives a glimpse of what we as an Industry can actually do if we get formal backing, guidance, clear Industry charters, deliverables and very importantly, scientific growth mechanisms.

     

    Industry seminars/events bring the advantage of getting the industry well-wishers, visionaries and learned experts together. Why not utilise their presence to trigger and document action points? A good starting point towards that can be to build it on a theme that is specific, relatable and not abstract. A theme where industry experts can bring their thought points ready for immediate reference and use. This will go a long way in changing the perception of prprofessionals about attending a PR Industry event. It will no longer be just a refreshment/ relaxation job perk for them but a parallel learning ground as well.

     

     

  • A ready reckoner for any PR professional who wishes to get a grip on event management and all that goes into it

    Amith Prabhu: 21 steps to a bloody good event

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    A PR professional spends a large chunk of his or her time planning, ideating, strategizing experiences which are usually in the form of stunts, events and gatherings. One of the most fascinating facets of Public Relations to me is the ability to bring an experience to life. I have had the privilege of creating many an event in my decade long career. The annual gathering of communications professionals which is round the corner is closest to my heart because it touches all the four elements of a PR exercise – Building Credibility (of the profession), Strengthening Relationships (with various stakeholders), Offering Experiences (to delegates) and the option of Creating Advocacy (for the profession). This column is a ready reckoner for any PR professional who wishes to get a grip on event management and all that goes into it.

     

    1.     Finalise date and venue including the reconnaissance (recce)

    2.     Draw up list of speakers/performers/presenters/panelists/moderators

    3.     Reach out to event partners, essentially the sponsors

    4.     Form a dream team. This has to be cherry-picked and should be a core group

    5.     Make announcements and launch an event website, so potential attendees make plans

    6.     Open registration, so people set aside monies

    7.     Plan sub-events that create ‘talk-ability’ and buzz for the main event

    8.     Follow up like crazy with everyone from point 2 and 3 (speakers and sponsors)

    9.     Prepare for any eventuality – a crisis can hit anytime

    10. Negotiate with various vendors – event technicians, swag makers, band etc

    11. Start designing collaterals – emailers, backdrops, standees, handbooks and the like

    12. Close on the event producers

    13. Decide kits and lanyards styles – attendees take these home so they better be good

    14. Connect panelists and moderators with each other

    15. Get all payments in and organise advances

    16. Registrations need to close so people look forward to a packed house

    17. Communicate with attendees on email, social media

    18. Draft emcee script

    19. Prepare a final checklist

    20. Ensure good food and punctuality – these two can be bummers at an event

    21. Offer great experience and good memories so people come back

     

    These elements are critical for a good event. Each one can be elaborated but they are self-explanatory. I call them the 21 steps to a bloody good event.

     

  • India now has three to four signature events and globally there are a handful of global events that one should consider attending, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: The season of PR events is here!

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    It is that time of the year when announcements for various PR conferences take place. India now has three to four signature events. Similarly, globally there are a handful of global events that one should consider attending if a plan has been put in place.

     

    In India, the first event is slated for mid-August which is PR Moment’s conference. Next up in September is the South Asia leg of the SABRE Awards in Mumbai. That is followed by Praxis in the fourth weekend of September in Mysore. Then in October comes the e4m conference and awards.

     

    Internationally, there are several but the focus is on six that are becoming bigger and better year on year. The Arthur W Page Conference end of September in Chicago is where the Who’s Who of Corporate America assemble. Then in end October is the Holmes Report Global Summit in Miami. Outside of the Americas there are two major conferences taking place in Africa. The IPRA summit around the fourth week of September in Johannesburg and the World PR Conference on Emerging Economies in Nairobi in mid-November. November third week also has the Asia Pacific Communications Directors Summit in Hong Kong. The Nairobi event by Global PR Forum which organizes the World PR Forum every alternate year and the Hong Kong event organized by Communications Director are taking place for the first time. Besides these, the Spikes Asia Festival in Singapore in mid-September is a good event to attend.

     

    Three other signature events just went by in June and are good to consider in 2016. The PR Week Asia conference and awards in Hong Kong took place two weeks ago. This happened at the same time the Cannes Lions took place in France. A few weeks prior, the IABC World Conference took place in San Francisco.

     

    Four other gigantic events that one should aim to attend as they offer so much learn from. Several top guns also attend these which makes it a great opportunity for high level interactions. These depend on the interest area one has. South by South West in Austin Texas every March, The International Auto Shows in Europe and Detroit, The World Economic Forum in Davos and the Consumer Entertainment Show in Las Vegas are must attends during one’s professional career to get amazing exposure.

     

    Which one have you budgeted for and which one is in your bucket list? If you put them in writing, attending several of these over the next few years will not be hard. It all starts with an intent.

     

  • The conclave discussed the rising importance of PR and social media in marketing communications and how aspirants should be equipped with the right skills for the changing dynamics of the industry

    SIMC, Pune hosts its annual PR Conclave to discuss the reinvention of PR

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication (PG), Pune, hosted its annual Public Relations Conclave on August 2 with the theme ‘Reinventing PR.’ The conclave discussed the rising importance of PR and social media in marketing communications and how aspirants should be equipped with the right skills for the changing dynamics of the industry.

     

    The speakers comprised eminent industry experts such as Madan Bahal, Founder and Managing Director, Adfactors, Senjam Raj Sekhar, Head of Corporate Communications at Flipkart, Sanjay Tripathy, Senior EVP, HDFC Life, Valerie Pinto, CEO, Weber Shandwick India, Hareesh Tibrewala, Founder and Joint CEO, Social Wavelength, Chetan Mahajan, Joint CEO of MSLGroup, Paresh Chaudhry, CEO, Madison PR, Nitin Mantri, Director, Avian Media, Deepshikha Dharmaraj, Chief Marketing & Growth Officer at Genesis Burson Marsteller and Bhairavi Jhaveri, Communication Manager, Twitter India

     

    The event kick started with a keynote speech by Mr Bahal, who emphasised the need to discuss the theme afresh and spoke about adding dimensions to the worldwide PR discourse. Dwelling upon the current trend in the industry, he said: “The empowerment of the common man has created many citizen journalists.”  He further delved into the theme of the event by talking about the growth of digital, and the crucial role it plays in the reinvention of PR.

     

    He explored key issues in the industry and how they need to be addressed to even out the process of adaptation. “Robust theoretical knowledge is missing in PR professionals. Many of us have become templates. Process is a structure that is against creativity.”

     

    Mr Bahal concluded his speech by talking about the role of academia and students in defining PR in the Indian context. Building further on this he said, “After going through the syllabi of several top media institutes, I must say that the syllabus of SIMC is highly robust.”

     

    The first panel, comprising distinguished personalities such as Sanjay Tripathy, Valerie Pinto and Senjam Raj Sekhar, witnessed an interesting exchange of opinions and insights from agencies and corporate alike. The topic of discussion was ‘PR: Climbing the value chain in marketing communication ladder’. Shedding light on it, Senjam Raj Sekhar said, “Marketing campaigns are becoming a lot like PR campaigns. Public Relations is about engagements, conversations and influences, and marketing is now talking that language. The recent marketing campaigns that you have seen are essentially Public Relations campaigns”.

     

    The panel drew parallels between marketing and PR. They emphasized the importance of PR in bringing credibility to a campaign vis-a-vis marketing. “The marketers know how to spend money and get ROI. What PR essentially does is drive and shape the conversations with a lot of credibility,” opined Valerie Pinto.

     

    Steering the discussion to one of the most important phenomena in the industry today, the second panel brought together experts such as Hareesh Tibrewala, Deepshikha Dharmaraj and Bhairavi Jhaveri to discuss the topic ‘Social Media- The Belle of the PR Ball’. They deliberated upon how social media has triggered the democratization of communication.  “Agencies need to understand the power of digital as a medium, rather than developing ventures around digital,” said Harish Tibrewala. Identifying the problem of traditional PR professionals trying to operate in digital, Deepshikha Dharmaraj expounded on the need for working in specialized units of domain experts, “We have a dedicated team that works on social. We have a live newsroom which actively monitors and listens to conversations online.”

     

    In an age when talent is the key driver to any industry, the third panel discussion deep-dived into the issue, ‘Talent Acquisition- Industry Expectation versus Trained and Untrained Talent’. The panelists included Nitin Mantri, Chetan Mahajan, Joint CEO of MSLGroup and Paresh Chaudhry, CEO, Madison PR. Highlighting the importance of dabbling with multiple skills, Chetan Mahajan said, “You can’t have one specialisation. Each one of us is a journalist here. Any person with a smart device, who is socially connected, is a journalist.”

     

    Building further on this theme, Chetan Mahajan, noted that the industry must invest in people from the perspective of growth. “Once you have achieved that, there are structured training programs for everyone. These resources need to think in terms of India, of regional as well as of global.”

     

  • Some PR firms make that claim of being a consultancy for the style quotient… some to momentarily hide their insecurities, but to be fair to some, they have no qualms or inhibitions about who they are, writes Siddhartha Mukherjee

    Siddhartha Mukherjee: PR Agency v/s Consultancy…. Any difference?

    By Siddhartha Mukherjee

     

    I have always believed that the PR service providers will be the catalysts of PR’s growth story in India. Towards this, while the initiative to transform a PR Agency to a Consultancy started many years ago, not sure the conversion has been a 100 percent success story. In fact, the claim of “We are a PR Consultancy and not an Agency” all the more confuses me.

     

    The advertising industry is what it is today – size- and quality-wise – largely because of its agencies. They have shaped themselves and positioned the tool of advertising on a platform that has made it so intrinsic to every brand-building story for every client.

     

    Somehow, I have found very few PR firms who are genuinely taking efforts to create that differentiator both in their thinking and action. Some PR firms make that claim of being a consultancy for the style quotient… some to momentarily hide their insecurities… but to be fair to some, they have no qualms or inhibitions about who they are. They think and act exactly like a PR Agency and not a Consultancy. They are the implementers, the coordinators, event managers… the jugaad guys. Mind you, our market, currently and for the next few years, will have more potential for PR Agency work than Consultancies.

     

    Without generalising, I have seen cases where multinational, large PR firms continue to act and think like agencies. At the same time, there have been very humble and quiet Indian PR Firms who are doing amazing consultancy work.

     

    For the moment, I am intrigued to visualize what possibly could be some of the key differentiators between a PR Agency and PR Consultancy:

    a. Quantity Vs Quality of Clients: I do not believe that a PR service provider’s turnover or its number of clients qualifies it to be called as a Consultancy. I would much rather give weightage to the quality of clients or the kind of work the service provider is rendering for the clients on an ongoing basis. Imagine a scenario where any and every form of media relations services is no longer the mainstay but becomes the default backend output of the service provider and for the client. Noticeably, the focus of work shifts from media coverage to brand building – Recall, Disposition and Conversion!

     

    b. Quality Vs Quantity of Team Members: Many clients, many people to service, many offices! Great story! For me, size does not matter. Quality matters. I see a stark difference between an average team member of a PR Agency vs that of a Consultancy. Well, to summarise it quickly, it is all about their Audio & Visual. I do not want to spend time on the visual part. On the audio part, well, let me go straight to the PR Consultancy person. This person is humble with a constructive energy. He/she is all the good permutations and combinations of a Learner, Manager, Thinker, Researcher, Statistician, Strategist, Sociologist, Anthropologist, Soothsayer, Journalist, Economist, Brand-builder, Writer,…culminating into a wonderful storywriter and narrator.

     

    c. Services being offered: Well, a Consultancy becomes one when it talks and only talks brands… not media coverage! Media relations or media coverage services become the default, as and when needed, backend output for the PR Consultancy. A Consultancy is only working on and for a client’s brand reputation. This means, every single service associated with the client’s corporate and marketing communication requirements, across stakeholders, are taken care of. This also shapes the type of people/desks within client organisations you are interacting with. Let’s do a check – do we interact/discuss/debate with CXOs on Brands? If so, how often? Or is our interaction largely restricted to Corporate Communications and media coverage volumes?

     

    d. Simple Client Servicing Etiquettes: A quality Consultancy or brand-builder will have some of the basic traits:

    :: Client Servicing Executives believe in punctuality – arrive at meetings before time. Not on time…forget about being late! Punctual on calls, sending documents and other logistics.
    :: The kind of the questions they will ask the clients will not only charm them but force them to think.
    :: They know more about client’s competition than the client himself/herself.
    :: They work towards Possible “Business As Usual” or “Business Not As Usual” scenarios for their Clients and the required Fall Back solutions.
    :: They will base their arguments basis research and numbers!
    :: They will be the document creators for clients for every situation.
    :: Their plans/proposals will focus on input, output and outcome

     

    e. Evaluation Parameters: A PR Consultancy will never agree to be evaluated on the count of media coverage or advertising equivalent. The Consultancy will talk on the lines of output and outcome for the client’s business.

     

    f. Presence of a Holistic Research Desk:  Like I said, there are genuine attempts being made by a few to transition into a Consultancy. One such genuine effort is by setting up a dedicated research desk/team. This team is responsible towards answering or creating information for all corporate and marketing communication needs. It is a desk that works not towards the end output of media coverage but towards a practical and effective outcome of brand exposure, engagement and the final conversion for every stakeholder. It is a specialist in generating data, collating and fusing multiple data sets and analytics – all of which go towards new business wins and client sustenance.

     

    Does not matter which side of the bridge the PR service provider is in. To cross over to the Consultancy side, some habits, traits and behaviour have to change. This change is for the PR industry’s growth. Moolah, image and added longevity are some immediate benefits.

     

  • A few pointers that can help the good to become better in the professional environment, from Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: 10 steps to being better PR professionals

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    I am asked this question time and again as to what it takes to be good PR professionals. There is no one answer and it is subjective but broadly there are a few pointers that can help the good to become better in the professional environment.

     

    Request for or draft written briefs: A good PR professional should request for briefs from the client and if working in-house should practise the habit of giving clear-cut written briefs. This is the harbinger of campaign planning.

     

    Organise campaigns: A career in PR is incomplete unless one works from campaign to campaign. I still recall working on over two dozen campaigns in my first job over 42 months. They ranged from a variety of launches to fashion weeks, they included a campaign to manage a crisis and a campaign to organize a golf tour for a leading liquor brand.

     

    Read a lot: This is a no-brainer. PR professionals I have met in the last three month do not buy PR books. Even worse most do not buy any books. And I have met over 300 professionals in the last three months whom I asked for a show of hands if they had purchased books and 290 out of over 300 had not bought a book.

     

    Write for joy: The same set of 300 was asked if they wrote a blog and the answer was no different. 97% had not written a blog or atleast had not written one in the previous 12 months. When will we make writing for joy a habit?

     

    Travel plenty: One of the best life’s lessons are learnt during journeys. PR professionals should travel to explore, to learn and to experience new places, new people, new cultures, new cuisines and get a taste of life that is unique every now and then. At least one holiday for a week annually should be undertaken for the sole purpose of experiencing and exploring.

     

    Attend learning events: Set aside a budget to attend conferences, seminars and training programmes. Several of them are affordable or even free. But making the time to benefit from them needs a plan.

     

    Get involved with new things: More often than not we are stuck within a box we create for ourselves. Sometimes, getting out of the shell and seeking new opportunities within the organisation is a fun way to embrace new ideas. Ask another team leader to involve you on a project just for a different kind of exposure.

     

    Go above and beyond: Help someone in need. Support a cause. Give back. These are not easy but they certainly open new horizons and offer new perspectives.

     

    Ask periodic feedback: Never miss a chance to ask your supervisor for feedback on an ongoing basis. That way there is constant scope for improvement and amends can be made then and there.

     

    Find a mentor: Most importantly, find a mentor early on during the professional journey. This is one aspect that goes a long way. And at some point ensure you pay it forward by being a mentor.

     

    What are the other ways to be outstanding, street smart and restless to do more and be more? Please share your thoughts and add to the list.

     

  • Holding group by a PR professional, cancelled media conferences, a client's blog welcoming a new PR firm… Amith Prabhu puts together six observations from the first six months of 2015

    Amith Prabhu: Pot Pourri from the world of Public Relations

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    This column is unlike any other of the past two years. It is a collection of observations from the past few weeks that are relevant to the Public Relations profession. As we have completed six months of 2015 I have jotted down six thoughts:

     

    Holding group by a PR professional – The only holding group centred on Public Relations is the Daniel J Edelman Inc, the parent of companies such as Edelman and Zeno. However, last month former CEO of BM, Mark Penn announced the creation of Stagwell Group, which is likely to become the first holding company that is focused on Public Relations and built around smart, new age reputation management companies.

     

    Cancelled Media Conferences – I was chatting with a senior journalist who shared with me a peculiar problem. He mentioned a specific company that has made cancelling media conferences a habit. But the interesting part is that the mode of communication to invite journalists is not the same mode used to inform the invitees of the cancellation. This journalist was invited on email followed by a phone call but the cancellation message came from a mobile number which was previously blocked because of spam messages from that number.This led to the journalist travelling from one end of town to another to realise the media conference was cancelled.

     

    Unethical Poaching – We are a free economy but certain decorum would go a long way. In the recent past, several veterans at leading firms have moved on to other companies and broken the rule of non-poaching for a certain period of time leading to a lot of bad blood.

     

    A client blog welcoming the new PR firm – Coca-Cola India recently ended a long relationship with a PR firm and signed up another firm. But the interesting gesture was the substantial blog written by the Director of Corporate Communications on the company website about why they chose a new firm and how they will miss the firm that worked on the business for a long period of time.

     

    Global Power Lists – There are now two global lists of the movers and shakers. The Holmes Report has been publishing an annual list of the Top 100 in house communicators which has always had atleast three India based communicators of large conglomerates featured there. Now, PR Week has created a laundry list focusing on the three global regions which has over a dozen Indians featured in it including those based in the APAC region.

     

    The highest ranking Indian – In a recent management rejig, BM promoted Prema Sagar as vice Chairperson of the APAC region. This is the first time the Founder and Principal of GBM has had a designation enhancement and reports directly to the global CEO. This is arguably the first time  an Indian professional based in India is reporting directly to the global CEO of a Top 10 PR firm.