MxMIndia

Tag: PR

  • Meridian Communication Mumbai has added the Hockey India League to its existing client portfolio, following a multi-agency pitch in Delhi a couple of months ago

    Hockey India wins for Meridian, OgilvyOne

    By A Correspondent

     

    Meridian Communication Mumbai has added the Hockey India League to its existing client portfolio, following a multi-agency pitch in Delhi a couple of months ago.

     

    Samrat Bedi, Head of Office, Meridian Communication, said, “Giving hockey its rightful place in India is something that we all talk about. The League is a superb opportunity for us to be a part of the team that will re-position the game in a manner that appeals to newer and larger audiences.”

     

    Hockey India Secretary-General and Hockey India League Chairman Dr. Narinder Batra said, “Meridian & Ogilvy One’s passion came through during the pitch. The league is going to showcase the world’s best talent and boundless energy. Meridian and Ogilvy One brought such energy to the table and we are happy to choose it as our communication partner.”

     

    Kunal Jeswani, President, OgilvyOne Worldwide, India said, “It is very exciting to have the opportunity to launch the Hockey India League and rekindle the country’s passion for the sport. It is a great challenge and we look forward to it.”

     

    Shashank Lanjekar, VP Planning, Meridian Communication, said, “Sport in India is uni-dimensional and that’s just so unfortunate. It’s easy to blame and complain about the lack of other sports facilities but it’s not easy to initiate a change. And that’s exactly what Hockey India has done. A spark that we hope slowly takes the shape of a flame and soon rages into a forest fire like the IPL. We hope to make this ambition our communication effort as well.”

     

  • Is the ground fertile in India, just as it is in the US where a PR chief was given charge of an ad network?

    MxM Mondays: Is India ready for cross-pollination between varying media functions?

     

    By Ananya Saha

     

    Harris Diamond, a true-blue PR professional, has taken charge of McCann Erickson – a creative advertising network. We spoke to a cross-section of professionals who have been through this transition and have helped facilitate it, to ask: “Is India ready for cross-pollination between various media functions?”

     

    Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Aditya Birla Group – Financial Services

    Let me just pull back in history, and say that cross-pollination has been a way of life for many years. I say so as a person who has been through this journey himself. In 1991, I joined O&M. I had first started in Direct Marketing and was then into advertising. When I left in 2003, I was an Executive Director of financial advertising corporate relations at O&M. In 1991, there was a shift from direct marketing to advertising and in 2003, a shift again from advertising plus public relations and I was a Country Head for that. If you look back in time, there have been opportunities for people to cross-pollinate at middle-and-senior-levels.

     

    What you are today seeing is happening at the senior-most level, which is a great endorsement of a need for a brand perspective rather than a mere advertising or public relations or digital or direct marketing perspective. In normal talking, we equate brand to advertising and advertising to brand. If you ask a marketer, advertising is one cog in the wheel. In the communication mix, you have to take a holistic perspective. And to take a holistic perspective, it is ideal if you have a holistic experience. Otherwise, typically, if you have an advertising mindset, it will never be able to think out of the ’30-sec’ mould. I think it is very important to have and support cross-pollination and I think this is a great move.

     

    Secondly, advertising has always been the sexier, the more glamorous, and more attractive profession to be in. As I said, very often advertising is synonymous to its brands. But having been there, public relations is far higher in the strategic evolution order. If you are an advertising person, you get to engage with the brand manager or on a good day, with the marketing head who only talk to you about the brand. But if you are in PR, you have the power to partner CEOs and boardroom. And therefore, get a perspective on not only the brand but also on the business. And therefore, I feel that that recognition of strategic contribution that an agency can play a role in the brand or company.

     

    It has happened for decades, but rarely and not regularly. If you ask me top-of-mind, I cannot think of a second name. Anyone else who might have cross-pollinated like I did, I cannot think of a name instantly.

     

    As far as challenge is concerned, there is a perception barrier at both ends. An employee thinks that advertising is front-end, advertising is sexy, advertising is glamorous, and as perception other functions are not considered sexy or appealing – it is seen as not a move forward in one’s professional career. On the other hand, from the company’s perspective, you need a manager for business but you also need a leader. There is two-way of thinking. One perception is if I have managed one function with people, I can manage advertising, I can manage PR, I can manage direct marketing. The people have to know the discipline, and I do not necessarily have to know the discipline.

     

    People who have shifted from advertising in O&M to direct marketing included Prita Singh and Harish Vasudevan. They did not know direct marketing but their perception was “we do not need to know and we have to manage people, clients, business, and we have to manage people who know direct marketing”. On the other hand, there is a perception by the company that you have to be a leader and not only a manager. As a leader you have to talk to the client in the language he has come to me. If he comes to me to talk about PR and I talk to him about commercials, he is not going to be very excited with me. And therefore, why cross-pollinate.

     

    From an employee’s perspective, most people think it is not a move up in life and is not glamorous and for a company, moving people is seen as leader or not a leader. There is perceptional barrier to such moves.

     

    A person who actually cross-pollinates, benefits as they take the holistic picture of a brand and business. And therefore, agencies should encourage it at mid-levels so that by the time a person becomes senior, he has already had a 360-degree perspective.

     

    O&M used to have a mantra called 360-degree brand perception. Now that normally happens with an agency that has disciplines beyond advertising. O&M has many disciplines. They used to think that instead of going to clients as an individual discipline, why don’t they combine and approach a brand rather than just advertising or PR or direct marketing. They wanted to create a cadre of Brand Team Leaders (BTL concept). The leader was supposed to be discipline-neutral and he would lead a team of people who were specialists. That did not too well because of this hierarchical brahminical order, they filled up the roles with advertising people. They could not thus get out the best benefits out of other disciplines.

     

    A true brand leader is a member who has actually experienced, learnt and benefited from all disciplines. And therefore, if it happens at middle level, by the time he reaches senior level he can command leadership and lead the thinking. According to me, BTL concept could have worked very well and much better if it was a person who had experience of two-three disciplines and was then made a BTL.

     

    Cross-pollination is very good for businesses and brands if initiated at a relatively middle level so that real benefit comes at the senior level.

     

    Abha Kapoor, Executive Director, K&J Search Consultants

    K&J is known to place seniormost professionals from outside the media industry in a media company. Forget the cross-pollination among media affiliates, we have placed FMCG and Telecom person in to media: from heading radio stations, broadcast channels and entire media conglomerate. A recent example being Amit Jain from Coke who went on to head MTV, Sudhanshu Vats from Unilever who went on to become Group CEO of ss-Viacom 18. We believe in and encourage cross-pollination because talent gets jaded and you need fresh thought, fresh blood. Anybody who has that experience at scale and understanding of business as a whole and has maturity and leadership skills, can transition into a new industry.

     

    Forget the cross-pollination within media or media vertical, we believe that someone who ideally has the intelligence and education can easily transition into a senior management role from an unrelated industry. We are very happy when we see this cross-pollination because a completely different perspective comes into play. People who have come into media have handled people at much larger scale.

     

    The intrinsic challenge is to understand the business and the sector for a person who comes into media from having good experience in handling another industry or some other media vertical. This is an obvious challenge given that they have not been exposed to a different industry earlier. Somebody from FMCG would have come from a structured set-up, and would have worked with certain processes and systems while some of our media verticals might be chaotic. Someone who is structured in their thinking might not be able to transition so easily, whereas someone more dynamic can learn and run with the ball in a couple of months. They need to understand the dynamics of media. Creative people are obviously a bit different to handle, which is not so difficult when one has the capability and track record of running a successful business and has the capability to learn and bring a new perspective to a new challenge.

     

    Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media India & South Asia

    Typically at the CXO level, roles are industry agnostic. There are the challenges of industry norms, processes, core domain knowledge, nuances and network but a whole supporting team exists and CXO’s are trained to manage and navigate these.

     

    On the positive side, cross-pollination can bring innovative business ideas. This is also not the first instance in Indian industry which does see its benefits but it is far from becoming a policy anytime soon, a trend yes. A lot here will depend on the mind-set, culture, objective and present need of a company. Also an existing group with multi-dimensional media arms will be more ready to work the shift as in this case as the candidate is experienced in the group’s culture and business ecosystem.

     

    Here Harris Diamond is not from the industry yet he is of it; understands business needs across industry, knows how to bring in the revenue and handle a group of agencies. He will bring in alternate views, positively contribute and revel in the creativity. Clearly McCann believed he would provide the edge.

     

    Vikram Chhachhi, Executive Vice President at DHR International

    Yes, it has been happening in India. I do not know of the names offhand. The cross-pollination is actually health for not only media, but for any kind of industry. It brings in new ideas, thoughts and concepts. It brings in fresh insights or styles with how people see, do or approach things. The entire media and consumer space is seeing a lot of conversion that is happening. And it will continue to happen for a long time to come.

     

    The challenges are based on how people accept or reject change and how people re-align themselves. The challenges are all around the acceptance of people to the changes happening around the marketplace: are they active, reactive, and responsive to these.

     

  • PR is coming into its own in India, and as the industry evolves, PR practitioners are faced with a number of issues. Vivek Rana takes a look

    The Anchor: 5 challenges that PR in India still grapples with

    By Vivek Rana

     

    PR is coming into its own in India, with more and more companies recognizing that strategic communication can help build brand equity and support a company’s marketing goals more effectively than other disciplines. As the industry evolves, and principles of human behavioral change become core to spirit of communication, there are a number of dilemmas its members have to ponder over, to move the needle forward. Here are a few of these challenges:

     

    #1 Identifying the target market: When they are up against the wire, many PR professionals reach for a generic set of tactics that ignore target market demographics or preferences. Since success depends on correctly defining the audience, practitioners must have a firm handle on this aspect before they roll out a PR campaign or initiative. Studying customer profiles, consumption patterns, market research reports or other relevant data will help in this direction. Relevancy of stakeholders is key to a successful program.

     

    #2 Looking beyond print: The Indian PR industry continues to be fixated with print coverage with results often measured in column centimeters or some variant of this. In today’s world, people get their news from many different sources, spanning traditional and new media. So, PR professionals must encourage both themselves and their clients to invest to measurements tools that look at direct impact on behavior. After all Public Relations is not just media relations. This approach will also help identify the most relevant channels that resonate best with the target audience.

     

    #3 Do not compromise on creativity for ‘paid editorial’: We have heard enough on the debate around paid editorial v. earned editorial. While this trend becomes an increasingly mainstream practice, the concerning factor is that many PR professionals are willing to compromise on being creative, on walking that extra mile, because yes its easy to pay and get written about! And when you have a willing client, voila! To be sustainable and maintain credibility innovation and good ideas will continue to hold you valuable and in business.

     

    #4 Ethics and Integrity: The challenge today is not that we do not communicate enough; we just do not communicate in a manner that displays integrity and ethics. Everyone seems to be in the race to “kill stories”, influence the media through relationships and not by providing accurate, unambiguous messages.  Often I meet candidates at an interview to gloat about how they are skilled to “STOP PRESS” and I start wondering what drug is he on! Respect the intelligence of the media, and partner with them to ensure they have access to clear and genuine information.

     

    #5 A need to raise the bar: Mediocrity can crop up in many forms in the PR industry’s output: a poorly written press release, an uninspired campaign, a campaign strategy that is not based on research, a lack of attention to detail… the list goes on. On the flip side, when substandard quality is accepted and condoned by clients, it gives PR professionals little reason to up their game.

     

    The good news is that these are problems that are now acknowledged by many in the industry.

     

    Let’s not remain armchair reformists. Let’s lead the change.

     

    Vivek Rana is Principal at The PRactice

     

  • It's passion for the profession and a desire to grow it that will see two PR conferences happen in the next quarter

    For PR, with love… in Jaipur & Pondicherry

     

    By Johnson Napier

     

    For all the publicity and attention that follows a product launch or an event or any image-enhancing exercise, experts would tell you that behind all the glam and glory is the hard work and toil put in by a team whose only aim is a good result.

     

    But those that run the show also know that it is not just about satisfying the client or ensuring profitable ROI. In fact there is a larger agenda that confronts agencies like being prepared to face unforeseen challenges or being ready with a vision to convert unrealistic dreams into reality… more importantly, it is about the team being ready to be able to put up with everything and anything that gets thrown across at them. Public Relations (PR) agencies realize the need to fulfill this aspect of the business and that’s why the enhanced emphasis on providing adequate training and exposure on a constant basis.

     

    This November, the “training”, “exposure” and “upcoming trends” facets concerning the PR and Communications space may well be fulfilled what with a plethora of initiatives being planned.

     

    First up is the all-encompassing PRestival 2012 that’s being planned on a grand scale at Jaipur. Being put together by the team at PR website Image Management, the festival emphasizes the need for a common platform to bring Asia’s communications community together for a constructive and productive purpose. Touted to be the biggest such initiative in Asia, the event will witness PR and communications professionals from across 12 countries in South and South East Asia, including India, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Philippines etc troop down to be a part of the conclave. What makes it appealing is that the event has partnered with a number of key industry bodies, including the Asia Business Communication Association (ABCA) – one of China’s biggest PR associations, the Public Relations Consultants Associations of India (PRCAI), the Association of Business Consultants of India (ABCI), the Public Relations Global Network (PRGN) and the Public Relations Organisation International (PROI).

     

    Following PRestival 2012 would be PRAXIS 2012 that’s being put together by The PRomise Foundation for Public Relations. Being promoted as ‘India’s first weekend summit for Public Relations and Corporate Communications professionals’, the event will be held at Le Pondy in Pondicherry on November 23 and 24. The summit aims to bring together students, professionals: young & mid-level and veterans of the PR business under one roof to discuss various aspects that impact the profession. (Disclosure: MxMIndia is a media partner of PRAXIS 2012)

     

    Elaborating on the need for hosting PRestival 2012 at Jaipur, Kunal Pal of Image Management & Project Manager of PRestival 2012 said: “In my many interactions with PR industry leaders, something that has repeatedly come up is the need for an industry event which can balance learning and fun. Backed by this encouragement, PRestival was conceptualized and the idea is to celebrate the PR/Communications industry while bringing together professionals and students from across Asia in a collaborative, festive environment. Like most conferences, PRestival will showcase industry leaders in interactive panel discussions and speeches, but the core emphasis remains promoting learning, networking, and fun for all our delegates – from CEOs to students.”

     

    A somewhat similar effort is being put in by founders of PRAXIS 2012. Amith Prabhu, a public relations professional and part of a group of young Indian professionals who  have created The PRomise Foundation elaborated agreeing that “there is definite need to have a forum where individual practitioners working in PR firms or corporate communications departments can become members and come together to exchange ideas and share experiences. The Indian PR community has grown rapidly and with almost every Top 10 global PR consultancy having an India presence the need for events that bring professionals together is a much needed one. A start needs to be made and we have made a small start.”

     

    Amith Prabhu

    On the differentiation being taken in terms of PRAXIS being a weekend event, Amith Prabhu had the following rationale to share: “I worked in India for eight years and have never seen a single weekend event where PR professionals come together as a community to celebrate the profession, break bread together and learn from each other. There have been attempts by some organisations to offer such events but not in the form of an offsite where busy people can leave their work behind for a day or two, which is what we are offering. We need at least 2-3 such events annually as the PR consultancy business is growing.”

     

    And it’s not just the organizers who are excited about partaking in these events. The industry too is excited to be throwing its weight behind such initiatives. Highlighting the role that such events play in pushing forward the cause of the industry, Nikhil Dey, President – Public Relations, Genesis Burson-Marsteller said: “We can all benefit from forums that integrate thoughts and ideas from all ages and experience levels. While there may have been a void in past years, that is changing as we speak with the launch of two fantastic events dedicated to bringing students and youth together with industry experts for an exchange of ideas, knowledge and experiences. Both promise to be extraordinary events that can serve as a launch for the continued exchange of ideas and best practices between the leaders of today and tomorrow.”

     

    Sharif Rangnekar

    Sharif Rangnekar, CEO and Director of Integral PR & President of PRCAI said: “There are far more platforms, conferences, workshops happening focused on our industry than ever before. The last quarter of this year will in fact see a PR Festival in Jaipur and a youth-focused event in Pondicherry being staged. In both cases, the PRCAI is extending as much support as it can as an industry body and is working closely with the organizers in the area of content.”

     

    Nitin Mantri, CEO of Avian Media shared that it was important for PR professionals to engage with and participate in forums held by industry bodies. “I strongly feel PRCAI is one such body that can become a unifying force for the industry if everyone contributes to it. In fact, the PRCAI was formed as an initiative by a group of individuals and is currently the leading industry association. However, any initiative by individuals is also welcome and should be encouraged by all.”

     

    Nikhil Dey

    Addressing shortcomings

    While hobnobbing and exchanging ideas and mantras would be the order of the day, these events would also focus on getting the youth acclimatized and set to face the challenges of tomorrow. This would be achieved by way of lending out training exercises and modules for all, especially the youth, to emulate. Emphasizing on the need for more training programmes, Mr Mantri said that “there was a need for training modules to be undertaken by professional bodies on a periodic basis that will enhance and upgrade the skills of available talent and make them more consistent in quality.” Adding further, Mantri opined that some of the institutes were still focused on providing theory-based curriculum. “While fundamentals are important, the emphasis on real time and on-ground learning should be equal or greater. This will help us hone better PR professionals and get them more excited about their careers,” he reasoned.

     

    Adding his POV, Mr Dey highlighted how talent at both at the entry level and middle management was bright, young and energetic, and how they were able to multi-task and take on additional responsibilities with pride. “But they still need proper knowledge and experience to grow and improve, and this is why regular training is so important,” he added. Lending the formula practised at his own agency, Mr Dey shared, “At Genesis Burson-Marsteller, we have always fostered a robust learning and development (L&D) environment and recognize that today’s youth are tomorrow’s leaders. We created an L&D programme over ten years ago designed to address performance gaps and improvement opportunities at different levels. Also, one of our most successful programmes, aimed at entry-level team members, is called the Associate Learning Programme (ALP). After an intensive selection process, the chosen associates are put into a one-year programme which combines all three forms of learning: classroom sessions on professional and behavioral skills; coaching by the mentor while on-the-job; and self-development through reading, sharing and counseling. Associates graduate from this programme as well-rounded professionals who are ready to deliver in a knowledge-based environment.”

     

    Sharing his thoughts, Mr Rangnekar said that while training and a re-alignment of courses held by various institutions with market requirements, is a necessity, “PR does call for individuals to have that spirit and instinct to enjoy people not just to get along with but also their behaviour, characteristics, consumption patterns and the variety of emotions that everyone goes through.”

     

    For Mr Prabhu, the three key areas essential for training the youth of today include a) Writing and storytelling skills which comes from practice b) Social media skills that come from embracing the medium fully c) And the last one is a combination of discipline and honesty which boils down to ethics which one needs to imbibe at an individual level. However, according to him, organizations need to instill that culture at all levels with ethics focused training and through leading by example.

     

    Kunal Pal expressed, “As the role of a PR practitioner evolves, it is essential that the industry place a greater emphasis on training and supporting talent. Gone are the days when all it took to be a successful PR person were strong verbal and written communication skills. Today’s professionals need a wide range of skills and that is why, in part, talent scouting has become a much more evolved process in the industry and even universities are relooking at the kind of talent they produce. While we are making progress in this regard, there is still some way to go.”

     

    So while the industry seems gung-ho about playing an integral part and supporting such conclaves, what it also needs is for all to show unity in the cause. Rather than have an individualistic or divided approach it would be great if the entire fraternity worked together in achieving a common goal: that of uplifting its own survival for the future. Going by the response that these two conclaves have managed to elicit so far it’s not hard to imagine why the above would not be a reality.

     

  • Has the role of the public relations firm diminished and can media do without it? MxMIndia asked industry captains for their take

    MxM Monday: Has the role of PR diminished?

     

    By Ananya Saha

    It’s a trend that’s not going unnoticed. Increasingly, companies prefer to be socially more active than depend on good PR. Journalists prefer to reach out directly to the spokesperson, bypassing the PR altogether. And given that every company, well almost, has a corporate communication department, the PR agency role appears to have  diminished. But has it really? Has the PR role limited itself to preparing documents and slot meetings? Or is it that the PR role has now evolved and moved beyond just that of a ‘postman’, thanks to the way media itself is changing? The issue that we are discussing on MxM Mondays today is:  has the role of PR diminished?

    We spoke to a cross-section of industrypersons for their (in alphabetical order of their last names) and added our own:

     

    Hemant Kenkre

    Hemant Kenkre, VP, LinOpinion

    PR has evolved tremendously social media. Both the sectors are increasingly cross-pollinating, which has grown beyond the traditional media relationship. The brand uses both the mediums: PR and media, to amplify the message. Media is the biggest tool that PR uses since the messaging has to go out. And hence, PR and media share a symbiotic relationship. PR needs to work with the media, and media need to work with PR to get across to the information they need.

     

    The most well-known brands rely solely on PR to get their message across. PR played the biggest role if you look at the brands that have been built over time. PR is not only the biggest tool, it is the most critical tool too.

     

    Prema Sagar

    Prema Sagar, Principal and Founder, Genesis Burson-Marsteller

    Society, Government, Corporations, Consultants, Media – all, need and depend on each other. So therefore, in this case too, Media, Corporations and other Stakeholders have to necessarily work together.

     

    Companies have small teams to manage external communications as a function. They need national reach – including new markets that go beyond metros. The mediascape is complex with different languages, sensitivities and expectations. Therefore the Public Relations industry is thriving.

     

    Genesis Burson-Marsteller and some other firms are known for developing the Message and the Campaign Plans that they create for the client. This is critical to building the Reputation of a client. The experience of working with several organisations, gives the public relations professionals the width and depth to develop a strategy that has insights and expertise. Public Relations firms today have domain expertise and multiple services that go beyond public relations – public affairs, advocacy, corporate responsibility, financial communication, digital and content creation – while others are a pure play media relations.

     

    Journalists reach out to us and a great relationship develops while managing communications during issues and crisis for our clients. In fact, most often, one develops a great working relationship between the journalist and ourselves during such a time.

     

    We have no issues about relevant journalists and CXOs from client organisations engaging directly. For us, the larger role of discussing and developing Thought Leadership platforms with publications, co-creating story ideas and participating in significant events – is the value we bring to clients. Innumerable journalists reach out to us for interviews, story ideas and industry issue-led discussions with clients. This is our role.

     

    If your question was the reverse – ‘Can PR function without Media?’ – No! Even though online and social media is taking over. So we have to stay focused on providing value to our clients and the media.

     

    Deeptie Sethi

    Deeptie Sethi, Head of Corporate Communications at Ford India

    No. Media cannot function without well informed PR. To build brands more and more companies are relaying increasingly on public relations and the function is critical to contribute and be part of the success of the business. The PR industry has significantly evolved and people who are serious about the business of PR understand the value this can bring to a brand. PR companies are no longer considered a ‘post-office’ service to disseminate company information. They have to be engaged deeply with the brand and its philosophy to define how, when and where to communicate with consumers with the power of relationships, understanding of media platform that are measurable. In today’s evolved environment, PR has a more conclusive role to perform.

     

    At Ford India, the Communications plans are integrated with the marketing plans to create a holistic approach to deliver a more compelling and consistent story telling. We truly understand the power of one plan and a good example of that is Ford Figo’s exemplary launch in India. Much before the car was launched, our PR strategies kicked in to create brand awareness and essentially single-handedly drove the buzz for close to two years in the pre launch phase and marketing complemented when the product was available for retail – our booking were in tune of 10,000 units in the first month of launch itself.

     

    When it comes to social media, it’s a platform for engagement and listening – and more importantly to get feedback real time! The conversations are already happening and it’s up to a company if they want to participate in them or not. Both social and PR mediums have their own identities and have a role to play in shaping communication strategies. One has to define what each of them will achieve for the company and tread carefully to keep the distinction.

     

     

    Jaideep Shergill

    Jaideep Shergill, CEO, Hanmer MSL

    The media and public relations (PR) enjoy a strange relationship – deeply symbiotic, yet edgy. Depending on which side you stand, you would think that PR is an invaluable source of information and access or that it’s little more than a mouthpiece for brands.

     

    The digital age is changing the way consumers interact with the media and brands. Round-the-clock news, the internet and social media have created an aware and empowered consumer. This has, in turn, changed the relationship between the media and PR professionals.

     

    When you analyse the relationship, it’s important to remember that media relations is only a subset, not PR as a whole. Hence, while connecting with the media is important, establishing a solid relationship with the consumer is vital. In so many cases, traditional media do not figure in a PR plan at all.

     

    PR is about understanding and shaping your stakeholders’ perception of the brand. These stakeholders include consumers, employees, vendors, government and the community, not just the media.

     

    In the past, a well-thought-out media relations campaign was considered the best way to achieve the PR objective. However, the internet has changed the rules. We can now reach out across borders to spark the connections a brand needs, bypassing traditional media altogether. Now, when we think of media, we include social media influencers, bloggers, YouTube, podcasters, etc.

     

    All this means that PR is getting less dependent on the media, but it also means that the media doesn’t always need PR to get information or for access to the relevant people for their stories.

     

    However, it would be a mistake to think that the relationship is dying or is being scaled down. PR firms are managing the information flow from businesses to the outside world, which in turn is being tapped by the media. Also, strong big-picture PR campaigns are often the first level of engagement for the media. Websites, blogs, electronic newsletters, etc, are becoming important media touchpoints, and they’re being managed by PR professionals. All this is vital to the media looking for news, resources and data.

     

    So, can the media do without PR? In my opinion, no!

     

     

    Pradyuman Maheshwari

    Pradyuman Maheshwari, Editor-in-Chief, MxMIndia

    Can PR function without the media? And can the media function without PR? The answer to this question could’ve been in the negative, but for the various things technology has facilitated in the last decade, and especially in the last 18-odd months.

     

    By PR, my reference is to an organized public relations activity in an organization or outside of it, via a specialized consulting firm. There are several individuals and organizations continuing to reach out to the media without a designated PR manager or agency. Some of these have been doing fantastically well, but my sense is that it’s the scale of operations which eventually decides whether there is a need of a specialized resource, or if it can be managed without one.

     

    Mind you ,there are enough on people on both sides of the fence who would rather not do with each other. For, the fact is that there is enough disdain for the PR-persons from journalists and vice versa. So while the relationship ought to be that of an ally, it’s often of an adversary. Sad.

     

    I must confess that there are enough rotten apples out there. Journalists who just don’t take calls or play too hard to get.  And PR honchos and executives who don’t really do their homework well (on the journalist or the client/industry s/he is dealing with) or, like journalists, are just not available when they are needed the most. Adding to these issues are assorted forms of corruption, dishonesty and inefficiency.

     

    Thankfully, technology has been an equalizer. PR newswires aren’t as ‘hot’ in India as they are elsewhere in the world, but it’s possible to bypass a PR official to get information. And, yes, journalists are not necessarily the only people who are sought after PR professionals. Bloggers, regular tweeters and even regular Facebookers are aggressively sought after by corporates, celebrities and PR agencies.

     

    In fact, there are many organizations – especially in the technology and lifestyle space – who reach out to bloggers (and now even ‘tweeters’) ahead of traditional media in the PR exercise. So while the process has gotten more complex in the sense there are more people to reach out to in multiple media, the mainstream print, electronic and digital media entities aren’t the only vehicles available for publicity. In fact I have often heard murmurs of discontent amongst some journalists on how the social media and blogs were being given preferential treatment by tech biggies for sneak peeks to products and access to top management.

     

    However, even though there is simmering between the two sides of the fence, I don’t see either side doing without the other.  Not in the near future in India at least. The human interface of a specialist will not fade away in a hurry.

     

  • Journalism is indeed in need of serious review. Internally. And externally too, says Shishir Joshi.

    Shishir Joshi: Journalism needs PR, desperately

    By Shishir Joshi

     

    “You guys have changed the way we watch news,” I remember an elderly businessman’s rather appreciative remark, when I had told him I work for a news network. This was a little over fifteen years ago. What he was referring to was his experience as a viewer of the earliest versions of the English Star News (then produced by NDTV) as opposed to years and years of watching state-owned Doordarshan.

     

    The world has come full circle. “You guys have changed the way we watch news,” is what a lot of people have begun saying to me, once again. However, this time, the appreciation of the previous decade has been replaced by a look otherwise reserved for skunks. Why have we become the favourite punching bags? How fair is the criticism? Are we, media or journalists, being singled out? Truth be told, journalism has invaded our lives to an extent second only to cell phones. And while one can debate on the boons and banes of a cell phone in our life, increasingly, people are finding nothing but faults in the journalism that they see or read. While there can be many a reason for journalism reaching such lows, there surely has been one defining image and line which has made us the butt of many a joke, and ridicule. And that is of a young, always-in-doubt-but-never-wrong journalist, clutching a ‘boom’ mike and seeking an answer for the priceless “aapko kaisa lag raha hai” question. This one line has been the unifying link between the umpteen reportages on rapes, molestations, thefts, murders, victories, losses, triumphs and earthquakes that we have seen on news television through interviews of people, common or uncommon. But the problem is larger.

     

    Increasingly, media practices and media men have become a subject of greater scrutiny. And for a profession which had been regarded so highly, gossip about A, B or She journalist’s fall is consumed with great sadistic pleasure. And to top it, there hasn’t been one big story in recent times where the credibility of some or the other mighty hasn’t been questioned. Be it Aroon Purie and his jet-lagged editorial, portions of which were picked up from Slate.com, or the ‘Radiagate’ tapes where the mightiest in television seemed to be breaking bread with bed-switchers, or down south, where the Hindu’s honcho N Ram conveniently edited colleague Chitra Subramaniam’s name from the Bofors’ expose’ credit lines, we seem to have been there and done that. It has been summed up scathingly by BV Venkat Rao in http://www.firstpost.com/india/why-the-fall-of-xerox-zakaria-is-unthinkable-in-indian-media-430088.html.

     

    The list seems unending. Every state seems to have a case too many of such violations. If Guwahati saw journalists accused of provoking molesters for a video story, Mumbai saw the arrest of a journalist on charges of conspiring to eliminate a former colleague. The latest is from Karnataka where journalists have been arrested as part of an ISI plot. The book threatens to get only thicker. There was a time when we had politicians, parliamentarians, businessmen, gangsters, extortionists, showmen and lobbyists, and social workers. Categories of businesses, vocations and professions. And then you had journalists, the ‘clean’ guys. Today, that line appears tampered with. It is either people from the ‘other’ categories doubling as journalists (and media owners) or worse, journalists wearing multiple hats. But this is not about where we have gone wrong. Or why.Or the ‘sensational’ and ‘breaking news’ which have become eyesores. It is about the numerous stories, the game changers, which miss our attention. For every 26/11 reportage where we have been accused of crossing the ethical line, there has been a December 3, when lakhs converged at the Gateway of India to express anger against the political spineless, resulting in ministers losing their jobs.

     

    For every free housing scheme that journalists have grabbed from Chief Ministers through the so called “press quota”, there has been the unearthing of the Adarsh scam, the CWG or the 2G scam. And for every Radiagate which saw journalists cross an ethical line, there has been a Coalgate expose. Relentless. Unending. Cases of exemplary journalism abound in non-urban, non-English media too. What I have pointed out are less than a handful of the hundreds of fabulous stories and efforts which journalists are working on, day in and out. For every Rakhi Sawant who gets some airtime on a news network, there are countless unsung heroes who are encouraged to become citizen journalists too, thanks to inspiring journalism. For every saanp-bicchoo story which makes it to some crime show of a news channel, there is also the story of a braveheart hospital attendant who saved lives in operation theatres when trained medical help was not within reach. For every case of public humiliation or molestation that gets played up for alleged TRP gains, there are stories of faces-in-the-crowd standing up against a road-rage bully. The 48-hour rescue operation of little Prince from a borewell in north India is now an oft repeated case study of the levels to which news networks have stooped for TRPs. But, was it only TV channels which gained or did the village also get transformed thanks to the media and political attention? Yes the latter did take place. But nobody seems to be talking about it. Or is it that people are no longer watching?

     

    Yes, journalism is indeed in need of serious review. Internally. And externally too. External autopsies have been done time and again. In these challenging times, under the guise of upholding free speech and democracy, every Narendra, Raj or Abu has tried surgical procedures to silence the media. For masses, it is vicarious pleasure over a cuppa chai. There is no doubt that for a vibrant democracy to thrive, it can’t be a more welcome change. Having said that, what journalism now needs is a desperate makeover. If to woo a Marathi manoos, an Uddhav can praise an estranged Raj’s political stunt, surely journalism can do with some PR.

     

    Networks need to play up some game-changer stories that talk of good journalism. Newspapers and social media could follow suit. Prime time can also have some promotions of non-‘sensational’ but ‘real ‘stories. People, viewers, on the other hand need to get out of their drawing-room gossip mode and start writing in to networks on what they need more, rather than stuff themselves with pap. A bit of PR on image building and reputation management could do wonders to a sagging morale. Don’t get me wrong. We aren’t talking of hiring a PR agency here. But well, in the world of paid and private treaty journalism, a bit of philanthropy from journalism’s first cousin, PR, at least in spirit, can work wonders. Applications are invited. In confidence. Beep beep, pings the inbox. Applications have already begun pouring in. Uh oh. …Anybody other than Nira Radia please…?

     

    For those away from ground reality, journalism and PR have always shared a love-hate relationship. Journalists are accused of being egoistic, badly behaved (on the phone) and always ones to take a short cut. PR people on the other hand are seen to be clueless at their jobs, too busy ‘selling’ a story rather than defining it on merit, and flaky. Can the twain, then, meet?

     

    Shishir Joshi is the co-founder of Journalism Mentor, and till recently was Group Editorial Director of the Mid-Day group of publications.

     

  • The seminar will be packed with powerful speakers, giving the participants an opportunity to interact with the 'Thought Gurus' of the industry

    APREE 2012 to focus on social media marketing

    By A Correspondent

     

    Spotlight Event & Entertainment announced the fifth edition of APREE, which is an annual interactive knowledge exchange platform aimed at bringing Advertising, PR, Entertainment & Event Management companies come together for networking and to discuss the way forward.

     

    “We are pleased to announce the fifth edition of APREE and I am grateful to the industry experts who have contributed in making this a huge platform and trusting the benefits it can bring to the communications industry by way of networking, sharing and evolving through each other’s experience,” said Salama Yamini, Operation Head, APREE Organizing committee.

     

    The seminar will be packed with powerful speakers, giving the participants an opportunity to interact with the ‘Thought Gurus’ of the industry. It will also provide an insight into relevant data explaining where the communications industry is heading. The event is catalogued to provide one with better networking with competitors, brands and industry professionals from all aspects of communication business.

     

    Speaking about the event, Gagan Myne, Director, Spotlight Event & Entertainment said: “This year the focus of APREE 2012 is to concentrate on “How to make most out of Social Media Marketing.”

     

    Some of the prominent speakers this year are: Santosh Desai, MD & CEO Future Brand; Ekalavya Bhattacharya, Head of Digital MTV India; Ryan Valles, CEO Deal & You; Kunal Kishore, Founder & CEO, Value 360 Communications; Moksh Juneja, Founder of Avignyata Inc.; Snigdha Manchanda, Storyteller; Xavier Prabhu, Consultant on branding and Communication

     

    The event will be held from August 23-26th 2012 in Goa.

     

     

  • The primary role of marketing is to drive sales and bring in revenues, writes Lloyd Mathias, as he lists the six vital lessons marketers learn on the job

    The Anchor: Lloyd Mathias on the 6 things every marketer learns on the job

    By Lloyd Mathias

     

    1. No matter how good your campaign is, it won’t work till you have your team fully aligned with it. So, as much as you spend time on zeroing on the consumer insight, researching the proposition, fine tuning the communication – it is important to “sell” the campaign to your internal constituents.  Hence the need for internal communication – point-of-sale material for trade, detailers for the sales force.  It is also critical to align campaign breaks with availability of field materials and widespread distribution.  The best campaigns don’t succeed without product in the shelves.

     

    2. The past is no guarantee to the future. Most marketers believe if it’s worked well in the past, it will work again. The fact is consumer tastes change over time. Even more importantly, the market dynamics change. Also, most consumers need fresh stimulation.

     

    3. Treat your agency as an integral part of your marketing team.  It is amazing how many marketers have near adversarial relationships with their agencies (creative, media, digital PR).  Your agency is the co-custodian of your brand – the more they know about your business and the issues facing it – the richer will be their input. Treat them as co-owners. Give them the freedom to do the occasional over the tip creative.  Long term they won’t let you down.

     

    4. Marketers tire of their campaigns much faster than consumer do. Remember most consumers see a whole lot less of your brand than you do.  Refresh if you need to, don’t revamp.

     

    5. Meet real consumers as often as you can. An hour with consumers is worth many hours of pouring over research data. Consumers today – more than ever – have a strong point of view and want to be heard. Some of the finest ideas come from immersing with your consumers. And remember – don’t confuse your sales force or trade partners with REAL consumers. No, not even analyzing the brands’ Facebook page responses or looking up the Twitter handle can beat real consumer face time!

     

    6. Always keep the larger business objective in mind. Remember the primary role of marketing is to drive sales & bring in revenues. Everything else comes next. So try not to be overly protective about the marketing budget – especially if the business needs cuts.  In the long run if business wins – marketing wins.

     

    Lloyd Mathias is Director, GreenBean Ventures. He was President & CMO, Tata Teleservices until late last year and was Sales & Marketing Director of Motorola India prior to that.

     

  • PR is not a quick fix and helps achieve goodwill – which cannot be earned overnight and has to be nurtured and sustained through long-term PR activity for the company or brand says Toral Sanghavi

    The Anchor: 6 things that ail the PR industry

    By Toral Sanghavi

     

    1. Lack of awareness or poor knowledge on what PR can do for a company or a brand, leads to ineffective use of this marketing tool. Clients who have a different perspective of the role leads to a huge void in meeting the PR objective.

     

    2. PR is also looked upon as a short-term activity and expectations are far higher vis-a-vis advertising. Here it is to be appreciated that PR is not a quick fix and helps achieve goodwill – which cannot be earned overnight and has to be nurtured and sustained through long-term PR activity for the company or brand.

     

    3. There is no true value placed for PR activity and hence it cannot be truly measured by any accounts, which at times, leaves the client wanting for more and dissatisfied inspite of good media reportage.

     

    4. Lack of the right talent in this industry. Average time spent in the industry by professionals is not more than 5 years and then the general growth chart of a PR professional is to move to the corporate side of the business. This can leave a void for seasoned PR professionals in the business.

     

    5. Public Relations is an unpaid form of communication and hence dependent on an outside agency’s opinion and bias on the topic.  It is totally dependent on an individual’s rapport with the target media and hence media reportage and coverage can get unpredictable.

     

    6. The media universe is getting larger, in-depth and niche to a variety of target audience and industry. In such case, PR activities can get challenged and restricted in nature.  Also timeliness can affect coverage.

     

    Toral Sanghavi is Director – Clea Public Relations, India

     

  • There should be a PR award that enables entries to compete in the global arena. There is a major vacuum that needs to be filled and no one can help us on this but ourselves

    Amith Prabhu: PR frat needs a Goafest-like event

    By Amith Prabhu

     

    Goafest has become the annual jamboree for the advertising folks in India. And nothing wrong with that if it serves the purpose of those organizing and those attending. It is an expensive programme, especially for younger people. The cost to attend Goafest for a person varies from as low as Rs12,000 (if a person under 30 from Mumbai travels by road or rail and lives in very simple accommodation for 2 nights) to Rs40,000 (if a person over 30 from Delhi flies low-cost and lives in decent three-star accommodation).

     

    The point is that in all this effort and investment or spending (depends who pays the bill) very little is achieved for the industry in terms of learning. Most high profile speakers either use the opportunity to make a sales pitch or are not effective enough to make an impact (I have been to two events and seen for myself).

     

    The few who are impactful and are not making a sales pitch have few takers because they are either not well known, haven’t got the right publicity in advance and therefore those who should be listening to them are either on the beach or in their luxury rooms or sightseeing.

     

    The real achievement is for those who want a break and get it (most often fully or partially company sponsored), great work done in the year gone by gets rewarded (sometimes with controversy), people seeking a job change get to meet their potential employers and those who want to catch up in a non-work environment with former colleagues and buddies get to do that.

     

    Some PR professionals attend because they are involved in some way with the organizing and some others are connected with the ad agency that has a big role to play.

     

    But most inspiring of all the achievements is that all the big boys and girls in creative and media agencies who fight it out like bitter rivals in new business pitches and industry awards between May and March come together in April to celebrate the profession. And this to me is remarkable. No doubt there are a handful of boycotts that happen each year, but those are bound to happen and frenemies come and go.

     

    Cannes, around which part of Goafest is modelled, embraced PR a couple of years ago by including a separate category for PR and having a full-fledged PR jury. I’m not saying Goafest should do that. I’m here to seed the idea of a gathering of PR professionals from around the country. Head honchos of PR firms can collectively do a lot for the industry and the young and mid-level professionals. The three things they should do at break neck speed is put together a forum for PR professionals modelled on PRSA, create an industry award that is transparent, world-class and the gold standard for younger professionals to gain inspiration from and plan a gathering of PR professionals over a weekend to learn from each other. Networking is no longer a major need in the age of Facebook, Twitter and frequent after hours parties in the metros.

     

    There are several forums that function formally and informally in the PR space. But none that brings together corporate communication executives and public relations professionals, at all levels and of all ages, under one umbrella. It is time for a body that works closely and learns from PRSA. There is so much it does through several chapters for the betterment of the practitioner. With almost 15 of the Top 20 global PR firms present in India there is scope to even be handheld by one of the well-established forums.

     

    Thereafter, this organization should establish a PR award that enables entries to compete in the global arena. There is a major vacuum that needs to be filled and no one can help us on this but ourselves.

     

    Finally, the PR fraternity of India needs an annual event where PR professionals get together, listen to experts fromIndiaand around the world and celebrate the profession keeping aside differences for 48 hours at least, if not more. Maybe this could be called PondyPoweR and be held at Pondicherry on the east coast ofIndia. Symbolically, a quaint town with a rich heritage, near the beach for those who want to mix learning with fun.

     

    Hope this happens sooner than later, so public relations people can ponder on how to do some Public Relations for themselves, their firms and most importantly for the profession.

     

    Amith Prabhu is a public relations professional who spent a large part of his career in India and is now based in Chicago working for a PR major. Views are personal and do not reflect that of the writer’s employer. 

     

  • Also Atul Ahluwalia, president, CVWS was named PR Professional of the Year (Agency)

    Corporate Voice|Weber Shandwick wins highest number of accolades at e4m PR awards

    By A Correspondent

     

    Corporate Voice | Weber Shandwick (CVWS), India’s most awarded PR consultancy, took home more awards than any other consultancy or corporation at the exchange4media group’s Indian PR and Corporate Communications Awards again this year.

     

    The awards, organised by exchange4media, are the most extensive awards to recognise the contribution and success of the PR industry inIndia. CVWS shared recognition with clients for the following campaigns:

     

    • Hero MotoCorp Launch – Hum Main Hai Hero, Best Use of Public Relations by Private Sector Entity (Agency)
    • Gillette ShaveIndiaMovement, Best Continuous PR Campaign
    • Honda Brio Launch ‘Made forIndia,’ Best Use of Media/Marketing/Consumer Data for PR Planning/Strategy

     

    Additionally, Atul Ahluwalia, president, CVWS was named PR Professional of the Year (Agency). Tim Sutton, chairman, Weber Shandwick, Asia Pacific, delivered the keynote address to a large audience representing leading corporates and public relations consultancies in India.

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Shiv Reddy, CEO, CVWS, said: “Another year of recognition and accolades from our peers and clients in the industry leaves us proud, humbled and determined to innovate and succeed. We are grateful to the jury, our clients and the CVWS team.”

     

    Atul Ahluwalia, president, CVWS, added: “For seven consecutive years now, CVWS has established itself as the most awarded consultancy of the country. This continued success is wholly attributed to our ability to consistently re-invent and innovate as well as to the long-standing relationships with our clients.”

     

    Corporate Voice | Weber Shandwick (CVWS) is a  joint venture company owned by Weber Shandwick, a unit of The Interpublic Group of Companies, headquartered in New York, USA, and MAA Group Holdings headquartered in Bangalore, India. Incepted in 1992, the firm has grown to become one of the largest and the most awarded consultancies in the country. CVWS is a founder member of the Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI).

     

  • N Ramamoorthi, President & Country Head, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, on PR challenges in India and what keeps him awake at night.

    [PR] Our goal is to achieve standards: N Ramamoorthi

    By Johnson Napier

     

    While PR agencies are gradually waking up to the phenomenon of social media, there are a few like Ogilvy PR who have been steering the initiative at their workplace for quite some time now. Not surprising that the agency has recorded superior growth through its social media offering last year – a space that’s said to be growing the fastest in the industry today.

     

    As the agency seeks to deliver unmatched solutions and leapfrog ahead of its peers, it aims to achieve the objective by hiring talent that is ahead of the curve and by paying adequate emphasis on training. In conversation with MxM India, Mr N Ramamoorthi, President & Country Head, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide discloses his plans for the agency and what would be the possible growth drivers for the PR industry in 2012. Excerpts:

     

    How has Ogilvy PR delivered on the growth front in 2011? And, how would you rate your start in 2012?

    I joined Ogilvy PR during the second half of last year. My sense is that growth has been good at Ogilvy PR, particularly due to our growth in the social media space. I am sure everyone knows that that’s the part which is growing the fastest in the industry today. It’s an exciting time to be in the PR business, because digital is driving it to be more and more result-oriented.

     

    We have had a better-than-expected start in 2012. In Mumbai, we participated in two pitches – both global brands – and won both the pitches. Interestingly, we won both because we showed a good sense of how companies need to engage with their public in a changing environment. We are on our way to creating a new PR approach, and these two pitches confirmed that we are on the right track. Now it’s about our ability to execute and deliver on this approach.

     

    How would you assess your client roster across the several domains that you offer your services in?

    Our client roster today is a mix – spanning Digital, Corporate, Consumer and Technology clients. We have been able to gather genuine strength in some areas – especially in Consumer PR and in Social media, particularly in the B2B space. And that is an ongoing priority for us – to establish strengths in a few areas that make sense and make a real difference to clients’ businesses. For example, we do work with IBM and we win a lot of IBM’s global Best Practice awards as a team on Social media.

     

    How would you rate Ogilvy PR on the parameter of client retention?

    Pretty good. Our emphasis is on longer relationships – I feel that for any agency, you need to work with a client for some time; get to be a part of their business and understand their opportunities and issues better. That is when we can become true partners with a stake in client businesses and start making real contributions. This is what we tell clients.

     

    How do you review your practices each year so as to stay ahead of the curve on a consistent basis?

    One of our advantages here is the fact that in addition to being a part of Ogilvy’s massive reputation in India, we are also part of a regional PR powerhouse. Ogilvy PR is the No. 1 PR agency in the Asia Pacific region – and that brings with it a huge benchmarking and training advantage. You have regional leadership looking critically at your performance in each practice and evaluating whether it fits the standard of the No. 1 PR agency in Asia Pacific. These appraisals are very honest, because nobody likes a regional reputation to be let down. We are excellent in some areas and good in others.  In a couple of areas we would rather keep low till we acquire the skills.

     

    Staying ahead of the curve basically depends on two things – One, keep an eye out and hire talent that is ahead of the curve – you will hopefully see a lot of action from us in this area. And two, training. Since early last year, Doug Buemi, Senior Regional Executive Advisor/Asia Pacific, has been spending a tremendous amount of time in India on training. And we’ve begun to see it paying off – at the first stage, with the kind of highly improved scores we are getting in our annual employee surveys.

     

    We are today very serious about our PR business and about bringing it up to speed with our regional reputation.

     

    A lot of agencies are waking up to the concept of crisis management in India. What is the emphasis you lay on the practice of crisis PR?

    A few years ago, we planned and executed an award-winning Crisis management program for an India client. The case is now part of Ogilvy PR’s global crisis management showcase. So we have the credentials there. But we feel what’s happening today is on reactive crisis management than on proactive crisis preparation. Everything has evolved – from the way a crisis strikes to how it spreads and the media it adopts. And a reactive approach just won’t work – look at what is happening all round us, sometimes for some really well known corporate.

     

    Our emphasis is on proactive crisis preparation. We have a global module called Brand Shield with which we successfully engage clients and improve preparedness on responding to a potential crisis.

     

    What is the shift you observe in the way PR as an industry functions today to what it did, say, about a decade ago?

    The industry is evolving in terms of greater professionalization, which is a very good thing. Personally, the one thing I would wish is for the industry’s work and its value to be more noticeable and acknowledged. I read comments from quite a few PR agency heads – that the industry has significant challenges in terms of attracting talent and its ability to command fees commensurate with its contribution. Getting your value to be noticed is the best way to overcome such challenges.

     

    Where do you see Ogilvy PR placed in the PR pecking order amongst its contemporaries?

    There have been some surveys as well as media articles that have named us within the Top 10 in India in ranking terms. Which is good, but what really motivates is an internal ranking. Our goal is across practices, to achieve the standards set – by Ogilvy in India and by Ogilvy PR in the APAC region. We’ve begun that journey, started to see some results, and that’s the goal that is going to keep us awake at night.

     

    How do you think social media has impacted PR and its functioning?

    Firstly, it has brought in a new skill and specialization into an industry that is less departmentalized than others. So there is some freshness there. Secondly you have new things, new ideas to share with clients, so scope for growth at this stage is undoubted. Thirdly, it is performance-oriented and can help build long-term advocate-communities which are a big plus to how the industry shows its results. I feel the change is for the better, and not merely in business terms. Culturally this will definitely help the PR industry evolve into the same league as the other, more glamorous communication disciplines.

     

    Including talent, what are some of the big challenges facing the PR industry in India?

    I’ve spoken about it before in terms of what I read – talent and the average size of client retainers. These challenges can’t be overcome with a logical approach; they need to be overcome by making the industry, the personalities and their work more noticeable. Willing talent and fees will follow.

     

    What are your views on international agencies venturing into India? What is the future you foresee for the PR and communications space in India?

    I guess everyone is welcome! There is no doubt that PR is evolved in more developed markets; so if some of those practices can be brought into the country to everyone’s benefit, why not?