MxMIndia

Tag: PR

  • The friction between PR executives and journalists – both reporters and editors will continue as long as the PR fraternity does not invest in immersions and training. But the question that hovers in my mind is how often we see PR pros tweeting about a typo by a journalist or some reporter not keeping an appointment they made, asks Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: What’s with the friction between Journalists and PR professionals?

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    This column is about one of the biggest problem PR firms and executives face – about being publicly criticized by journalists. This phenomenon is especially common in India. And with the advent of Twitter the magnitude of the trend has increased many fold. One of the motivations to create an annual event for PR professionals was to bring the community together to eventually stand up for each other. And this will happen slowly and steadily. But before that happens there is a long way to go. We need to understand where the journalist is coming from.

     

    Most journalists I have interacted with in the past decade are fair people who are human beings first. But the one bad experience they have after every 9 good experiences is what makes them do what they do, at times.

     

    Two anecdotes will help put what I’m trying to say in the right perspective. First is a conversation I had 10 years ago when I was interning in Parliament House with a political party. An internship those days with the political establishment was rare. After seeing me for a few days this journalist comes to me and asks me what I was doing there with all other seasoned people. I was barely 23. When I explained that I was a student who had got myself an internship for the summer in the PR department of the party she was aghast. She said why PR professionals need to get into this territory when journalists did that job anyway. She told me PR professionals in the business space was understandable but definitely not on the political space. She said journalists needed direct access to the politicians and did not need a gatekeeper. It is unfortunate that a senior journalist whose name I will withhold had such a myopic view of the PR profession and it is possible that the PR professionals were to blame for not conveying their role correctly.

     

    The next incident is as recent as three weeks days old. A senior journalist tweeted about an unpleasant experience he had with a young professional on the phone. The young PR executive called him regarding a news release that was not relevant to his portal. In order to correct her he requested that she sends an email to apology for this lapse by copying her senior. But this did not happen either and he took on to Twitter. She could have better prepared herself by researching more. He could have sent an email to her seniors to share his displeasure instead of tweeting. They made choices they thought that were right. The moot point has there is something seriously going wrong and we need to fix it before it gets out of control.

     

    These two incidents speak of a trend of friction between the two sides, which in my opinion can be completely avoided. This problem will increase until both sides of the same coin decide to get their act together. How many media outlets today display names, designations and contact details of all their reporters? How many PR firms have a well-benchmarked training programme for media relations?

     

    The friction between PR executives and journalists – both reporters and editors will continue as long as the PR fraternity does not invest in immersions and training. But the question that hovers in my mind is how often we see PR pros tweeting about a typo by a journalist or some reporter not keeping an appointment they made. Time to create a joint forum with representatives from small and large media houses and small and large PR firms which meets at least once a year in the key metros. In the end we all need each other.

     

    Amith Prabhu is the founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises Praxis. During the day he is a full-time employee at a leading PR firm in its Chicago office. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present, future employer or of MxMIndia. You can connect with him on Twitter @amithpr

     

  • Educating clients that PR is about Return on Objectives and not Return on Investment the profession can bring win back the respect it deserves, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: How Public Relations can win back the respect it deserves!

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Exactly a year ago I read an article http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/15/why-public-relations-gets-no-respect/ and realized that PR has to work harder to keep a strong reputation in order to make those who invest in it realize its value, those who choose to study it and make a career out of it realize its potential and to those who know of it and read about it realize its significance.

     

    Several people have written blogs and columns on this topic and most often the issue gets brushed aside or pushed under the carpet. I am writing this column purely in the Indian context having spent the large part of the last decade in India. I will also touch upon this next week with specific reference to how a key stakeholder in our business – the journalist thinks of the PR professional. This column is with reference to clients – both those who understand and those who do not understand the concept of Public Relations.

     

    Most in-house professionals who engage with their consultancy counterparts have worked with a consultancy in the early days of their career and understand its inner working. Quite often, the in-house professional not only knows more about Public Relations but definitely knows more about the business they operate in. This is the first level of where superiority develops.

     

    Next comes the two most essential traits that consultants fail to develop – an undying commitment to the client’s cause because he or she works on multiple clients and cannot dedicate time and effort in entirety and because several of us fail to develop a thorough understanding of the sector our client operates in, quickly. In addition to this time for industry knowledge enhancement and time to focus on creative thinking and strategic planning is limited. This leads to a fractured relationship in many cases thus lowering the respect that comes from the client in many instances.

     

    The third aspect which leads to Public Relations getting no respect is where the client thinks that the only job of PR is to get press coverage for any and everything that the client considers news and this mentality has to change on both sides. The PR consultancy needs to push back and educate the client (this generally happens when the client is from marketing and has not had prior PR consultancy experience) that PR is not at all about media coverage but is much more than that. Media coverage is just a byproduct of a number of other things that are done to enhance the reputation of the client’s brand.

     

    Lastly, clients confuse PR with advertising and expect a Return on Investment (ROI). I do not think PR efforts can ever have an ROI. What PR efforts can have is an ROO or a Return on Objective. Where a set of objectives set up at the beginning of a campaign can be evaluated to see if they were met. And media coverage or clips can never be an objective.

     

    If these four are sorted from Day One of a relationship – treating each other as equal partners and not as vendor or supplier; following the FCUK principle of Focus, Commitment, Understanding and Knowledge; Educating client that PR is not about media coverage and that PR is about ROO and not ROI – the profession can bring win back the respect it deserves. It is in our hands to make it or break it and the chances are higher that we will make it.

     

  • Upgrading skills – by attending training programmes/webinars, reading, attending a global PR conference or personal study trips – entails making the right investments in one’s career, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: How PR professionals can upgrade their skills

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    I recently got to know that to continue practising as a medical doctor in the US, one needs to take board exams and clear them every 10 years whatever the age of the physician. I have never heard of such a thing in India. Upon graduation a doctor can practise for life and choose to upgrade his or her skills only if they wish to.

     

    Another fascinating thing I discovered couple of years ago is that for business communicators and PR professionals, two trade associations – IABC and PRSA offer a certification called the ABC and APR respectively. The day is not far when this will see a light of day. Just as the medical profession sees quacks emerging from time to time, the PR profession has seen such elements emerge who in their greed for money and power have tried to tarnish the reputation of the profession but have not succeeded quite well.

     

    In this column, I hope to address a constant question I get asked by several people as to how does one upgrade skills periodically. My constant response is that one needs to budget for the same in terms of time and money and do it at one or both levels. Basic and Advanced. The basic level involves investing in good printed and online literature. This includes accessing case studies through pay walls especially from festivals like Cannes and also buying books on the profession whenever one gets a chance. Even buying and reading three books a year can set you up for success. If that is impossible, invest in four or five webinars annually and these are easy to attend.

     

    I asked eight young professionals I met at Lavasa recently two random questions – a) Which was the last book on Public Relations they had read and b) How many books on Public Relations they had read in the last one or two years. The answer from all of them was negative. And I ensured they belonged to eight different organisations. While this takes care of the basic need taking time to read the print or online versions of at least two Indian and two international general interest magazines like Time, The Economist, Outlook, India Today will just add value. (By reading, I mean reading ten articles from these four in total). This is in addition to the business magazines and business dailies one reads anyway as part of work.

     

    Moving to the advanced level of upgrading skills, there are two ways of doing this and these certainly need a lot of preparation and patience. The first is to do an international course online when one has completed 10 to 12 years in the business and has saved some money to make that investment. These courses do not come cheap. I have hyperlinked some of them for your benefit at the end of the column. But these are definitely worthwhile investments. Another option is to attend a global PR conference once every 4-5 years. While these do not offer certificates, the potent mix of knowledge and networking certainly makes a difference. One such conference I would strongly recommend is the Global PR Summit form Holmes Report in Miami which will see its second edition rolling out exactly a month from now. I was fortunate to be at the first edition and will hopefully be at the second. It is time and money well spent. Flight, stay and registration from India will cost about Rs 3 lakh if you already have a visa. But in three days, the exposure one gets is a big deal.

     

    Travelling also impact one’s worldview in a big way and one should plan personal study trips within and outside India every 3-4 years. These are not holidays but educative excursions. Ultimately, an important aspect of Public Relations is about advising the organisation on how to best leverage existing and potential equations.

     

    All these may seem expensive but with the right planning it certainly is possible. Here are seven links to explore investments that will make sense from a long term. In addition to these there are several universities in the USA and Europe which offer online programmes at the masters level.

     

    CIPR

    PRSA

    Mediabistro

    IABC

    PRCA

    PR Moment

     

     

  • The mood at the recently held Praxis 2013 was clear: PR agencies need to relook at the way they do their business

    Do Indian Public Relations agencies need to reinvent to thrive?

     

    The writing may have been on the wall for a while, but with the strains of the slowdown, almost everyone the mood at the recently held PR and corporate communications conference Praxis 2013 was clear that Public Relations agencies need to reinvent to thrive. Some – though not necessarily on record – even said that in the form that it is practised in India, Public Relations needs to reinvent. Perhaps.

     

    MxMIndia asked a group of final year MBA (PR) students from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication (SIMC), Pune  – Deboshree Bhattacharjee, Nairita Ghosh, Karishma Khanna and Aditi Khare  to speak to a cross-section of industry professionals (in alphabetical order of their last names).

     

    Anne Costello – Regional Director – Asia Pacific, Text 100

    PR agencies need to look at an integrated picture, without segregating traditional and digital. It’s all about telling the story differently. We do this by creating personas for the buyer. We try to understand the buyer, the problem we are solving for him, the relevance of our story and finally, decide how we will reach him. In the coming times as well, storytelling will be key. Digital is but a medium.

     

    Ajay Kakar, CMO – Financial Services, Aditya Birla Group

    In recent years, the world has moved a distance. And the role that PR can play in the life of corporate India has changed dramatically. It is no longer only about media relations. The potential for PR agencies to influence CEOs, boardrooms and business has only heightened. But there is need for PR agencies to introspect: what is it that they can actually deliver – measurable and tangible deliveries. And are they staffed to deliver to this new world. They then need to educate the client world, hold their hand – and then deliver. More than ever before, there is an urgent need for PR agencies in India to do their own PR.

     

    Sconaid McGeachin, President & CEO (India, Middle East, Africa & Turkey) – Hill+Knowlton Strategies

    Digital certainly needs to be embraced. But as consultants in a changing industry, integration is important. PR agencies need to work on developing expertise based on sectors focus and engage in meaningful dialogue with their clients.”

     

    Sujit Patil, Vice President – Corporate Communications – Godrej

    It is absolutely essential for PR agencies to understand their client’s business better. This includes the context, the environment and the macro-economic picture. They need to stop being tactical and start being strategic. This also means that strategic measurement of PR is a must.

     

    David Rockland, Partner/CEO – Ketchum Change & Global Research and Chairman – AMEC

    There has to be marked movement towards research, analytics and insights. PR agencies often rush to the tactic, without engaging in the quest for insight creation. Big global companies work in an integrated manner, with a connection between the fun tactic and the reason behind. This can come through a clear understanding of the client, the business and the context.

     

    Radhika Shapoorjee – ‎President, South Asia, IPAN Hill+Knowlton Strategies

    Geography is now history. In this interconnected world, the terms local and global are dissolving – we live in an emotional economy. The role of public relations, ultimately, is to tap into emotions and bring confidence, thus ensuring that people have trust in your client’s business. While several things change, there are a few that don’t. The strings of the heart, for instance. PR agencies need to remember that and maintain clarity of thought to thrive.

     

    Jaideep Shergill, CEO, MSLgroup

    Yes, agencies must reinvent and fast if we need to thrive. In fact in some cases, we must change right away before it’s too late. The business is changing and we aren’t keeping up.

     

  • PR firm Edelman's inaugural consumer study 'brandshare' proves it pays to share

    In India, 82% want brands to share, but only 25% do it effectively: Edelman study

    By A Correspondent

     

    PR firm Edelman has launched ‘Brandshare’, a new global study that explores the value and dimensions of inclusive brand marketing. The study was conducted with 11,000 people in eight countries to find out what happens when a brand shares in the truest sense of the word. Of these, the study connected with 2,125 consumers across 17 states in India, to evaluate 75 brands across 12 industry sectors.

     

    Brandshare measured six dimensions of sharing – shared dialog, shared experience, shared goals, shared values, shared product and shared history – and found a link between effective brand sharing and business value. The inaugural report found that 82 percent of Indian consumers want brands to share, but only 25 percent say brands are currently doing it in an effective manner.

     

    The study reveals that consumers desire deeper engagement than brands currently provide and that they don’t distinguish between the promise of a product’s brand and the reputation of its corporate owner. The study also states that people become emotionally connected with the brand as a result of more sharing.

     

    “Indian consumers reward brands that share by showing a strong intent to try, purchase or recommend them,” said Jennifer Cohan, global chair of the consumer marketing practice, Edelman. “That clearly highlights that sharing is strongly correlated to business outcomes. brandshare is an ethos and organizing principle that begins with putting people at the center of brand strategy and prioritizes activities based on people’s interests and needs.”

     

    Of the six dimensions for effectively sharing a brand, shared product is ranked as most important by consumers in India, with three quarters of respondents (75 percent) stating that openness about the quality of a brand was important to them, compared to just over half (54 percent) globally. In addition, nearly 7 in 10 (67 percent) stated that it is important for brands to value their input and participation in the creation and development of a product, and for brands to personalize to their tastes (65 percent).

     

    However, the most powerful predictor of an Indian consumer’s actions is shared history. While a majority of people don’t actively ask for more of it from brands, shared history correlated most strongly to people’s intent to recommend brands. Knowing the people, personalities, successes and failures behind a brand is important, according to the study.

     

    “India, and particularly its second and third tier cities, is a relatively young market for brand engagement. As such, enthusiasm remains very high for sharing and brands are appreciated for the sharing behaviors they are already doing. This study demonstrates that shared dialog and experiences lay a critical foundation, and evolved, transparent sharing around values, goals, participation and heritage are clearly correlated with brand growth,” said Cornelia Kunze, Edelman’s Vice Chairman for the APACMEA region who is based in the PR firm’s Mumbai office.

     

    People are looking for a more thoughtful dialog with brands, where their opinions are solicited and responses are acted upon. Four in 10 respondents globally say they want a more meaningful connection with brands, which is twice as many as desire simple branded content. Across age groups, 45-64 year olds are the most unsatisfied with brands’ current levels of listening and thoughtful response with 44 percent wanting brands to do more.

     

    Brand experiences also remain important to consumers, and are in higher demand among respondents in emerging markets who are relatively new to these types of interactions.

     

    “We now know more about how brands should be engaging with consumers and they must focus on a multi-disciplinary marketing approach,” said Alan VanderMolen, president and CEO, global practices, Edelman and vice chairman, DJE Holdings. “Marketers must evolve from a traditional linear model of focus groups that ends with the consumer to one that involves people at every stage. Brands must also synchronize their brand marketing and corporate communications narrative into one cohesive message, while redesigning current engagement channels to incorporate higher-value sharing.”

     

     

  • There are a bunch of those under 30 who are focused on executing the event. There are those in the 30- to 40-year age bracket who are planning various elements of the conference. And there are those over 40 who are supporting the event by way of their presence and sponsorship, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: Musings from India’s only weekend summit for Public Relations

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    What happens once may not happen twice but once happens twice can always happen thrice. These are my favourite lines from Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. I’m writing this column on the car as I travel from Lavasa to Mumbai. I feel humbled that I’m part of a group of 15 young men and women who have put together the second edition of what is arguably India’s only annual weekend summit for Public Relations and Corporate Communications professionals. The last two days at the hill city of Lavasa were intense and enriching. Over 250 professionals from around the country came together to celebrate the profession.

     

    While a report of the event will be found elsewhere I want to highlight how the movement of PR doing PR for itself has gotten off to a solid start. Praxis was created with the singular belief that the profession needed a forum to come together and the concept was born on a Twitter conversation. Ever since the first edition took place in Pondicherry in November 2012, a lot of traction both online and offline has happened leading to a natural build up to this event which makes it obvious that this completely volunteer led event is here to stay.

     

    What sets Praxix aside is the entire approach of the event organisers lend to engaging with speakers, sponsors and participants. A sense of community is paramount. Attention to detail and a high adherence to punctuality give the summit a uniqueness very few events in the similar space can talk of. Having established a reputation for being a serious event with a lot of fun goes a long way in getting people to look forward to the next edition. The excellent line-up of speakers with solid content to share add to the vibrancy of the flow.

     

    I am glad that the collaboration between multiple generations is a fine example that several other sectors can learn from and emulate. There are a bunch of those under 30 who are focused on executing the event. There are those in the 30- to 40-year age bracket who are planning various elements of the conference. And there are those over 40 who are supporting the event by way of their presence and sponsorship.

     

    All eyes are on the third edition which will happen somewhere in the North around a year from now. Because whatever happens once may not happen twice but whatever happens twice will certainly happen thrice and in this case go on to happen annually. I’m glad that this was an idea whose time had come. And some of us took it upon ourselves to make it happen.

     

    Amith Prabhu is the founder of The PRomise Foundation which organises Praxis. During the day he is a full-time employee at a leading PR firm in its Chicago office. Views expressed here are the author’s own and don’t represent those of his past, present, future employer or of MxMIndia. You can connect with him on Twitter @amithpr

     

  • While Promise Foundation's Amith Prabhu is still very actively involved with Praxis 2013, the nitty gritty of the organizing has been passed on to two young co-chairs – Liza Saha and Umesh Nair. A rapidfire Q&A with the duo

    Jaldi 5 with Liza Saha & Umesh Nair, co-chairs, Praxis2013: No old speakers… and the biggies aren’t upset

    Liza Saha
    Umesh Nair

    While Promise Foundation co-founder Amith Prabhu is still very actively involved with Praxis 2013, the nitty gritty of the organizing has been passed on to two young co-chairs – Liza Saha and Umesh Nair.

     

    Ms Saha is an Indian Insitute of Mass Communications graduate and has been with Text 100 for six years. And Umesh Nair, an MBA from the Indian Business Academy, has spent time with GBM in Mumbai and then Fleishman Hillard in Mumbai, Bangalore and now Kuala Lumpur.

     

    Given that they are not the grey-haired officebearers that one has come to associate associations and conferences with, our questions too had a slightly hat ke tone. And may we add, the dudes handled it well. Read on…

     

    01.   If I am a PR or corporate communications professional, is there any reason why I shouldn’t come to Praxis 2013?

    No, absolutely none. Fabulous line-up of speakers, grand second edition of the Summit, great location to spend a weekend indulging in knowledge and bonding – what more could a PR or Corporate Communication professional ask for.

     

    For those not able to make it to Praxis 2013, make sure you don’t miss next year’s summit.

     

    02.   We read somewhere (ah, well, on MxMIndia) that none of the speakers from the last year are being repeated this year. The holy cows must be upset, na?

    Yes, that was indeed a bold decision.  Our approach to the event design has been different in every possible way. We were very clear post the first edition that we will keep this Summit unique in terms of speakers, content and give preference to new faces.  Surprisingly, most of the speakers from last year have taken this in the right spirit and are supporting our decision wholeheartedly.

     

    03.   While it’s good to see you move venues – so from the south to west and next the north or east, but Summits across the world are known to prefer a fixed venue. Goa in the off-season isn’t too expensive?

    It has been a conscious decision to not restrict the Summit to a particular venue. There are three reasons for doing that. First, we want attendees to have equal opportunity in terms of proximity and attendance from the three metros. Second, we intend to make this Summit, the one that the entire fraternity looks forward to attend on a yearly basis purely for its rich content in an aspirational locale. New speakers and new locations is the mantra. And third, this aligns well with our approach to do things differently. We do not want to do what most Summits follow across the world.

    03a. Gosh, three metros only. So no Kolkata and around… why nothing in the East?

    We are open to going to zones from where there is enthusiasm about an event like this. We are looking for places closer to the hubs/major locations of the profession. Watch out for the next location till then and look forward to your recommendations.

    04.   Given that this is the fourth question, can you give us in four tweets – hence 4 x 140 characters – what the unmissables are at this year’s edition

    Two keynote speeches, one by Peter Chadlington, CEO – Huntsworth Group and Mukund Rajan, Chief Ethics Officer – Tata Group

     

    Watch out for the panel on Public Relations and Journalism: The Changing Equation on Day 1 with some leading editors and the panel on Indian PR’s place in Asia on Day 2 with three regional CEOs

     

    The three masterclasses on Public Affairs, Measurement and Employee engagement have been carefully designed for participants by experts

     

    Lastly, the Ambili Menon concert on Day 1 and music by BayBeat Collective on Day 2

     

    05.   Anything you are happy not doing at Praxis?

    There are two things we are happy not doing – one is on-the-spot registrations, which just complicates a lot of things and the other is live streaming because the idea is to get people together and we can always upload videos in the future.

     

  • The second edition of the Public Relations and Corporate Communications Summit – Praxis – will be held at Lavasa near Pune between September 27 and 29, 2013

    PR and corp comm frat all set for Praxis 2013

    By A Correspondent

     

    The second edition of the Public Relations and Corporate Communications Summit – PRAXIS will be held at Lavasa near Pune between September 27 and 29, 2013. The success of the first edition in Pondicherry in November last year has buoyed organizers PRomise Foundation to make it bigger and better. (*See Disclaimer)

     

    Five international PR leaders, an additional night and double the segments are the highlights of this years’ edition. The forthcoming summit will have two keynote addresses, three small BIG talks,  four panel discussions and three break-out Master Classes, notes a communiqué, adding: “The event will assemble an array of over 35 speakers including at least one each from the US and UK – pioneering markets for public relations. The uniqueness of the event is that not a single speaker is repeated from the first edition barring one Editor and no organisation gets more than one speaking slot.” What makes Praxis unique is that it is organized entirely 20 professionals with a full-time day job.

     

    The inaugural keynote will be delivered by Lord Chadlington, the CEO of the Huntsworth Group in the UK. The second keynote is by Dr Mukund Rajan who wears multiple hats at the Tata Group. He is the Tata brand custodian and chief ethics officer of Tata Sons. He is also the spokesperson of the group and the chairman of the Tata Council for Community Initiatives (TCCI). The keynotes will focus on Communicating in Changing Times with an impetus on Ethics. David Rockland, Chairman of AMEC – the International Association for Measurement and Evaluation of Communication is leading a masterclass and delivering a special address. He leads a division of Ketchum Public Relations and is travelling from New York on his debut India visit.

     

    There will be five panel discussions with specific themes with leaders in the respective fields discussing a topic. These will each be moderated by an editor, a senior communicator and three PR firm leaders. The inaugural panel consists of four Editors – R. Sukumar of Mint, Sachin Kalbag of Mid-Day, Shaili Chopra of Tehelka and Indrajit Gupta who is the Founding Editor of Forbes India. This panel will be moderated by Nandita Lakshmanan of The PRactice. The second day starts off with a panel on Asia where three PR firm leaders who are based in different parts of the Asia-Pacific region will discuss the Asia story and how India fits in. The three include Glenn Osaki, President – MSL Group Asia; Anne Costello, Regional Director – Asia Pacific at Text 100 Global Communications and Sconaid McGeachin, President & CEO India, Middle East, Africa & Turkey. This panel will be moderated by Shivnath Thukral, Group President – Corporate Branding & Strategic Initiatives, Essar. The third panel comprises Chief Marketing Officers of leading Indian companies in diverse sectors of technology, finance, retail and real estate. The panelists are Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Aditya Birla Group Financial Services; Suvodeep Das, Marketing Director, Reliance Brands; Anuradha Paraskar, Senior Vice President – Marketing, Lavasa Corp Ltd and Ashok Lalla, Global Head, Digital Marketing, Infosys. This session will be moderated by Max Hegerman, Managing Director – Edelman Digital. The fourth panel discussion has communications leaders from four Indian multinational companies discussing a wide variety of topics. The four communicators are Roma Balwani, Chief Group Communications Officer, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd; Chhavi Leekha, Group President – Brand & Corporate Communications at Spice Global, Seema Ahuja, Head-Corporate Communications, Biocon and Sujit Patil, Head – Corporate Communications, Godrej Industries.This session will be moderated by Nikhil Dey, President (Public Relations), Genesis Burson Marsteller. The final panel consists of younger consulting firm leaders which will be moderated by Ben Smith of PRMoment. The panel that will discuss the Future of Public Relations and will have  Rishi Seth of Six Degrees, Atul Takle of Adfactors PR, Sonali Madbhavi of Gutenberg Communications and Dilip Yadav of Weber Shandwick.

     

    Another highlight of this year’s edition is a break out session where participants will attend one of three masterclasses including one on Measurement. The Public Affairs master class will have presentations by Ashwani Singla, Chief Executive Officer, Asia, Penn Schoen Berland and Varsha Chainani, Director, Public Affairs at Abbott Laboratories. The Internal Communications Workshop will have presentations from Aniisu K Verghese, Internal Communications Lead, Sapient and Ranjana Sabu, Internal Communications Lead, ABB. The Measurement workshop will be presented by David Rockland. The main performance at this year’s gala is by singer Ambili Menon on the first evening and the BayBeat Collective will provide entertainment on the second evening.

     

    A breakfast discussion on the future of Public Relations Education is planned with leaders from PR firms discussing the relevancy of academia in preparing professionals for the future. Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication is the academic partner of the summit and will curate this discussion along with Pradyuman Maheshwari, Editor-in-Chief of MxMIndia.com This is a by-invitation event.

     

    The Media Partners are The Holmes Report, PR Moment, MxMIndia and Avignyata. The other event partners are – Platinum sponsor: Edelman India; Gold sponsors: MSL Group India and SIMC, Pune; Silver Sponsors: Text 100 India, Adfactors PR, IPAN H+K Strategies, Impact Research and Measurement, CARMA India, Eikona PR Measurement, Esha News Monitoring, Avian Media, Simulations India and The PRactice. Brand partners include amazon.in, Sab Miller, Pernod Ricard and Red Bull.

     

    The event is being held at the Mercure Hotel at Lavasa. More information is available at www.praxis2013.in or on email by contacting promisefoundationforpr at gmail or by following the organisation on Twitter at @PromiseFdn

     

    *Disclaimer: MxMIndia is a Trade Partner of the event

     

  • Social media is the becoming the new traditional media in PR the world over, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: Public Relations has a bigger stake in Social Media than any other stream

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    This one is special because it is the first one I’m writing sitting in India after I began this column in June. For the record, all the previous columns were written out of Chicago. This trip to India is special as I’m visiting to help organise the only weekend Public Relations summit that takes place later this week at Lavasa. What struck me about this week is that India will host its first Social Media Week in Mumbai. Having attended a few social media week events in Chicago earlier this year I know important the series of events that unfold are. A range of events take place at various venues giving people a chance to learn, network and share in the realm of social media.

     

    Why would one choose to write a PR column on the social media week? The answer is simple. Social media is the becoming the new traditional media in Public Relations the world over. The eternal debate of who owns social will never be answered but the common sense answer is that smart firms that recognise the potential and advances of social media will own this space. Ad agencies that offer earned media solutions. PR firms that offer media buying services and Media planning companies that offer creative ideas that can be smartly executed in the owned and eared space will lead the way.

     

    The overlaps are taking place and organisations are investing heavily in acquiring the right talent. Ad agencies and PR firms have created or are in the process of creating business units that cater to social media for existing clients or for new clients that want to be marketed only through this medium. Numerous social media shops are mushrooming offering tweeting, posting and blogging services. Where does all this lead to? To the point where the debate of who owns social media unravels. In my opinion, there will never be a clear answer but if there is one group who will have a greater stake in this business it is those who have traditionally worked in PR firms.

     

    Social media is about conversations that organisations and brands have online with stakeholders that can emerge from the stakeholder or from the organisation. But ultimately the external stakeholder – most often the client or customer has his or her way on this medium which can break or make reputations. Public Relations therefore plays a huge role in owning a large chunk of this space. This week two events are taking place in this space. One is the Mumbai chapter of the global Social Media Week and the other is the second edition of PRAXIS. While one has PR people in the list of speakers and advisory board, the other has social media champs playing a variety of roles.

     

    Three cheers to the growth of social and to the growth of social in the world of Public Relations. May the social media week go to many more Indian cities and may the Indian citizen continue to exploit all that social media has to offer. There is no quicker, cheaper and closer stakeholder outreach than that which takes place on social media.

     

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

     

  • Though storytelling is how PR as a business and a profession came to be, somewhere down the line the strategy got lost. But it is regaining its lusture, writes Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: How Storytelling has come to become the new buzzword in PR

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Stories have been told for as long as there has been life. A story was told through drawings, actions and verbally from time immemorial. The first things that little children start comprehending are simple stories. Storybooks and storytimes are how evenings would come to an end as little kids. The dining table at home is where stories got told as one grew up. Then there was the television around which a family gathered to view and listen to fiction and non-fiction stories.  But despite this word being so commonly used a new way of looking at it as emerged in the business of Public Relations in the last couple of years, if not longer.

     

    Storytelling does not need to be defined as everyone understands it. But does everyone get how intelligent storytelling can stand out? Is storytelling just an art or is there a science to it? Are storytellers people who acquire a skill over time or are born with a flair to tell stories in a compelling way? This column today, attempts to answer this and more in a basic way. No doubt storytelling is how PR as a business and  a profession came to be but somewhere down the line the strategy got lost and it became more a tactical activity. It is regaining its lusture.

     

    Storytelling is both an art and a science. It is an art because how it is told depends on who is telling it. It is a science because a good story has a beginning and an end that conveys a happening. If PR professionals practice writing good stories, mastery of this very important tool will emerge. Press releases can no longer be vanilla information notes with a quote or two. They need to be compelling enough for news outlets to even consider reading them beyond the headline. More important than that is how stories unfold in the new space of information consumption – the world of social media. While Twitter presents the challenge of presenting a story in 140 characters which people work around by tweeting links to larger stories, Facebook has to deal with limited attention span that its users have come to have.

     

    Stories are the new press releases and these are being told in different ways – social media posts, videos, podcasts, talks at events, op-eds in digital and print and through graphic art. People have stopped blindly believing in news media they way they did a few years ago thanks to the advent of paid content. Today, every story about a person, a commercial event or a brand is taken with a pinch of salt because the reader/viewer/listener is not sure if this was a genuine story that emanated from a third party or was paid for to be published. In this scenario telling a story in a way that is credible gains high importance.

     

    The three worlds of Paid, Owned and Earned media overlap time and again. The same story will be looked at differently in these three streams. The only way out is to constantly have one’s ear to the ground, keep narrating stories through the written word and verbally because good stories get better when the storyteller practices long and hard. Storytelling in the way we see it is here to stay. Smart PR practitioners of the future will be those who are good storytellers.

     

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

     

  • Narendra Modi has taken the lead in online outreach and politicians from his own party and those from others have a lot of catching up to do, writs Amith Prabhu

    Amith Prabhu: Modi’s online Public Relations campaign

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Want a master class in online public relations? Go no further than the last 50 handles of the 600 followed by Narendra Modi on Twitter. Despite all the controversy he rakes up by things he has done and things he says his inner circle of digital marketers are indeed doing an excellent job of creating the tools that help his outreach. Clues to this avalanche are found in the list of people followed on Twitter

     

    I belong to the group of people who are the harshest critics of a man who presided over one of the best man-made disasters of the last decade. I write this column purely for academic reasons and don’t wish to bring my ideology to the fore. Three to four things stand out and can be insightful to those who plan similar campaigns in the future and this is neither a blog of praise nor a blog to criticize.

     

    First things first – he must be the first and only politician to create dedicated Twitter handles in nine regional languages that target the large states where BJP has a presence. These include Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Assamese, Urdu, Oriya, Tamil, Bangla and Sanskrit. While most of these handles have less than a couple of thousand followers and some in the hundreds the fact that these exists and are active speaks volumes of the gameplan that he plans to unfold in the days ahead. Even the Pope does not have a presence in as many languages.

     

    The next initiative is the portal india272.com which describes itself as an online and on-ground volunteering platform to help the BJP in its Mission towards gaining a 272+ seat majority in the 545 seat Lok Sabha. In this sentence and elsewhere it is best to read BJP as Modi as these are all initiatives not necessarily by the party organization but by the individual and his supporters. Evidence is in the images used that focus on one person throughout.

     

    Of the 670 Twitter accounts that are followed there are three categories – organizations that are dominantly news outlets, BJP officebearers from across the country of different level and stature and sycophants who have Namo4Pm in their bio or display name. The Gandhi family finally has competition when it comes to people who swear blindly by them. This hero worship will reach its peak in the digital world as the election season gets closer.

     

    The personal website and blog: Very few Indian politicians have managed to copy the Obama style of internet presence the way Modi has and proof of this is in his personal website and blog. This single tool of owned media has neutralized all the negative earned media built up over the last decade. The debate on who writes these blogs is secondary. The fact that these exist is something for all other leaders to ponder on.

     

    The question that everyone asks is how many actual voters do all these outreach tools really reach? And in my opinion the numbers do not matter. Having a presence that enables young voters and the urban population that is well disposed to tablets, apps and the mobile internet is good enough. Modi has taken the lead and politicians from his own party and those from others have a lot of catching up to do.  A digital marketing plan so robust will be hard to match because real followers and likes cannot be bought like votes. In the end it is a perception game and the winner may take it all.

     

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

     

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

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

    By Amith Prabhu

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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