PR Needs PR

 https://youtu.be/1UJFW98RAxU

'My Experiments with PR'

Young PR Professional Shubham  Saurav Singh, Asst Manager (PR), Power Finance Corporation made a presentation on Managing Effective PR highlighting the issues pertaining to Skillful Communication’ in the Company. The purpose was to understand the challenges faced by PR while performing its duties vis-a-vis the expectations of various departments that deal with PR Unit on almost daily basis.

Everyone has an idea of what Public Relations is all about whether from TV or movies or just seeing a journalist spinning a story on a Televised Press Conference. So what exactly is PR? Is PR Advertising? Is it a 9-5 job? Propaganda? Or is it something super glamorous?

The two letter word PR is grossly misunderstood across and is perhaps one of the professions with the widest variety of definitions. The purpose of this article is to sum up all the key learnings I have acquired from workshops/conclaves conducted by forums such as PRSI, PRCI and SCOPE in the recent past.

Shubham

I would like to begin with how The Public Relations Society of America defines Public Relations: “As a strategic communication process that build mutually beneficial relationships between an organisation and its publics”. Another way of putting it is “as a sustained planned, deliberate and professional management of the reputation of an organisation or an individual. In lay man terms of course, “PR is a two way communication process” where both the sender and receiver of the message are involved.

Background: We know that today youngsters are influencing product purchase as the media ecology is changing. Today there is Cross Media Ownership and New Media conglomerates have emerged. Indian entertainment corporations are funding Hollywood production. In today’s mesmerising world of Science and Technology, where change and speed are the buzzwords, People’s tastes and preferences have gone for a complete metamorphosis. E&Y for instance has a PetDay (one fine day all employees take their pets to offices and get them injections/vaccinations) so much so that an extra leave need not be taken. Similarly, companies such as Ericson, HSBC,and Accenture have Poll surveys, Flash mobs and what not. The idea is to say that the outlook of people in and around us are changing or probably have changed so much already. Media is shaping the perceptions and attitudes of people. Likewise, society too has its own share of influence/impact on the media. The media is in an area of Public Affairs, it is a definition of social reality. Media HAWA NAHI HAI. It is very much a part of the society; it is very much a part of the social intuition. Today, people are looking for good narratives/piecesand that’s why channels have a good story in theend. A House Journal should have futuristic thinking. Therefore, being just good in your field is notenough. You got to talk about it. And thus communication becomes critical.

What is the media matrix like? Understanding trends in Media is of paramount importance. There was only one Doodarshan once upon a time (which was literally very door from darshan) but look at the way the various types of media have emerged. There are videos, audios,bytes, recordings going viral. South West airlines don’t even spend a single penny on Advertising. On the contrary, there are brands such as Unilever and P&G (in the FMCG sector), ICICI, LIC, HDFC in the BFSI sector, Samsung, LG, Sony (in the Consumer goods sector), NIIT, Amity (in the Education sector) which spend on an average close to Rs30 lakhs per month on their advertising and soon (Brand Promotion on New Media in India, India Connected, Sage Publications 2019). And therefore, there is an understanding/inkling that the ROI from  your ad spend is somewhere somehow proportionatelycorrelated to your business  or rather say, your marketing budget is somewhere driving your sales, profits, inventory etc.

Good Media relations depend on your synergy within the organisation. PR cannot work in isolation. It definitely requires management support to function. PR is no substitute for bad work

But what are you saying is again another big question. For example; I show you one advertisement-: one person might just like it so much and the other person might just not like it at all. Creativity is actually very subjective you see and therefore it cannot be measured

Rather, PR practitioners should see themselves as Business Communicators or Communication strategists for that matter because when you do that, communication itself becomes a vertical. . Today there are so many loud noisesaround. Political Parties are using social media to leverage political gains. Brands and corporations are always on the lookout for saying something new and innovative. What is the voice being heard?  The Prime Minister of India has been able to garner the complete database of the country through a small missedcall. Communication schools have a class on Journo Tracking (where students are taught how to track media and learn the various styles of reporting):we know that the way a Times of India does a story is totallydifferent from the way a Business Standard or theHindu does it for instance.

The other day I was at the coffee house and my friends told me that they were doing a research study on Communication Audit and therefore I had to be there to give my inputs. Observe that one may not have even heard of it but is a new concept which aims at evaluating whether communication with audiences/ stakeholders is actually turning out to be valuable or not.

Brand Guru Ramesh Tahiliani of IIMC, Delhi talked of Points of Parity and Points of Differentiation in his class on Brand Identity. What is one unique thing that a brand is trying to sell about itself? You see something and it comes to your mind (Unaided Recall).Own a word: Consumers think in words. Luxury of a car and thrill of an SUV: Mahindra Scorpio. If Friday Dressing is Allen Solly, then Power dressing is VanHuesen. It is not uncommon to see that people today like to wear Casual Formals on Fridays to offices. Likewise, Bata is value for shoes. Maggi is two minutes and Zara and H&M are associated with Fast Fashion. Go and look at their collection. What I am trying to say is that PR practitioners need to constantly hone their skills, and be on their toes and look for what is actually happening in and around them. What are they communicating, how are brands saying that they stand for a cause or they support an idea? How does a company say that it cares for its people or it is championing the cause of Hockey sportspersons or it is standing by the victims affected by Kerala Floods or Orissa Cyclones?

PR Policy: At Power Finance Corporation, the PR policy is like our bible. Not many of them (organisations) have one. It is a set of policy guidelines (framework) which governs all the activities and works we undertake round the yearand the modalities attached with them such as advertisements, sponsorships, Annual Rate Negotiation with publications, Empanelment of agencies , Publication of Audited, Unaudited Financial Results, Chairman’s Speech, Annual Report, CSR film, Participation in Exhibitions, Ministry related works.

Everyone has the same story but who has a different idea? Survival of PR Industry Depends on Ideation. Innovation needs Communication (out of box thinking). That is – “One thing can be presented in many ways”.You might just like to recall NDTV’s Barkha Dutt’s on ground reporting during the Kargil War. She went into the bunkers and stayed with the soldiers, gave a feel of the “war like situation” or what our Indian soldiers were going through. Therefore, what stays with the viewers in the end also matters.

Change in trends: First, Growing importance of regional media. Secondly, the Concept of Marcomm has emerged (PR guys are working closely with marketing guys: it’s become all integrated communication). Third, Print is here to stay but TV will gradually wash way(advent of Netflix and Amazon Prime). Fourth, Sensationalisation has emerged. At a point it obscures so much, that you just want to switch off the TV. Then there is Fake News  and dip in honest reporting. Look at the language of the newspapers today:  they don’t even write correct English. Corporate Rivalry has emerged. There is a hierarchy within journalists too. Moreover, PR is not just media oriented. Pressure groups and activists have also emerged. Today more than 80% of the journalists get up in the morning and surf the net. Even before we shoot our press releases, we get to know that they have taken the bytes from our Facebook and Twitter handles. It’s a powerful thought. “Godi Media” has emerged (asking a set of readymade questions to get the desired answers). SCOPE conducted a training Program on “Skill Development for CEOs and Spokespersons in PSEs” – a unique initiative. In one of his sessions, Abhijeet Dutt said:“Never get lured to the notes, when facing media. Rehearse and Prepare before the media. Cameras never lie, your body language, your voice, your gestures, your postures, incapabilities, everything is visible to the camera. Rajiv Desai groomed Rajiv Gandhi out of his nervousness”. Have CEOs taken the concept of Brand Strategy Seriously? “A CEO should have sharp reflexes. CEOs have become media reticent, they don’t want to talk to the media”, says Dr.JaishreeJethwaney(owing to various reasons- one of them could be the varied and dicey nature of the media itself) but again the characteristic of the media is to question the most powerful. One cannot escape.

Burger King recently came up with a Boundary Pushing Ad campaign “Burn that Ad”: consumers can download the app and burn the ad of its rival/competitors in lieu of a free whooper. What are you trying to say? Is it even ethical marketing?

Challenges: Good Media relations depend on your synergy within the organisation. PR cannot work in isolation. It definitely requires management support to function. PR is no substitute for bad work (can’t do bad work and tell someone to do good PR about it) implying PR is about packaging of the good work done by the company but it does not imply fake  presentation or stating the wrong information.

It’s the quality and not the quantum that matters (PR unit issues Press Releases on several occasions and I create a media dossier of all the published clippings to be submitted to the top brass). Many a times, ideally the question they ask is “How many newspapers have covered it?” But don’t you think,it’s equally important to see the kind of story the journalist has tried to picture.

Understanding journalists’s needs is another important challenge. There was a Minister’s Press Conference in Shimla. And right from escorting the journalists to their stay put, we got the wifi, the rooms everything ready for them. After all, when you give someone your love and respect, you are bound to get the same in return.  However, Journalists are always in the hurry. They have to cover so much.  It is PR’s responsibility to assist them in filing their stories (not uncommon to see them doing this instantly on their mobile phones and laptops during a press conference). Also, know that all press releases don’t convert into stories. The story they file goes through the News Editor or the Bureau Chief and then it iscrucial to understandat the end of the day that different media houses have different polices.

Interdependence of media and Corporate Communication.We expect so much from the journalists. And what do they expect from us? Up to date information and facts, honest and accurate replies.

Opporunities: Develop your organisation as a beat (improving customer service , how to stay ahead in the market? think like a journalist or may be twice their speed). You can’t just split ink on somebody’s stature or play around with a company’s reputation. PR guys work so hard day in and day out building the same. Good reputation has got its own benefits too: good manpower, good inventory, good sales, word of mouth etc.

Interactive news rooms (there are many benefits of having a healthyrelationship with your media friends- be it facilityvisits, brand demos, third party endorsements etc.… today they give us editorial packages with ad bookings.

Maintain media archives (always keep a repository of stories both hard and soft). DMRC does it very wonderfully.

Through this presentation, we also want to make a point that in our workplaces if all units coordinate well in time , then PR can function more effectively. There have been times when we have to sit late because someone sends the Press Release or a tender Advertisement very late (like around 6 pm) and then expect it to appear in the print the next day. Remember: Press has its own deadline. Cultivating relationships with agencies and journalists is not an easy task. Ideally the format of a Press Release should be the “Inverted Style Pyramid”. They say that the press release should ideally be like a 30-40 seconder short story you can share with a friend. Remember the 5Ws and 1 H

Social media (New models for New Media) :The internet is a democratic platform and technology is the game changer. Social media is about humanising the story and not statistics.More than 1 billion pages are added on Facebookevery day. There is conflict of interest on Facebook and Twitter. Somebody is supporting one idea, the other person is not. Don’t forget how random people or in some cases aggrieved consumers might just tag us and bashtag brands (if they are not happy with something). At the same time, Accidental opinion makers such as brokers, analysts, lawyers and brandactivists have emerged. Organisations are commissioning expert agencies to track their image on the internet.

Branding is more powerful with employee advocacy.Our Employees are ambassadors of our brand PFC and everything that our business stands for. As members of the company, they are closely acquainted with the products or services that PFC offers, as well as being keenly aware of our customers’ needs. Since our employees are already familiar with our customers and target audience, it becomes crucial to elicit feedback from them. As ambassadors for our business, we need to train/encourage our employees to actively engage with PFC online, particularly on social media. If each member of staff is regularly engaging and sharing content from our branded social profiles, we will likely see engagement as a whole increases – that’s just how social algorithms work (advocacy adds credibility). This can be in the following ways:

·         Sharing or retweeting company posts

·         Liking or following each of the company social media accounts

·         Engaging with company content, whether it’s a like, a share, or a comment

·         Listing the company as their official employer on LinkedIn

·         Inviting others to like and follow your company pages

·         Soliciting recommendations or reviews, and providing one themselves

·         Generating e-mail sign-ups using Fb/Twitter/Instagram

Also, we feel that there’s room for new ideas in marketing/PR and each of our employees has a different specialism and different content ideas to pursue. Welcoming them on-board will not only contribute to a healthy working culture in PFC but a richer and more varied marketing strategy as a result. NTPC has an app by the name of Samvaad. Employees can download it and login through their phones to see latest communication updates. Remember, Good PR starts with Internal PR. Today, Google has prepared legal aspects. Thebottom line is: “Whatever medium you be using, one should know, where to stop!”

Cause driven communication:Corporate Social Responsibility is My Social Responsibility says M B Jayaram, meaning CSR is not just a corporate job alone. People are voicing their opinions about societal causes. Employees are so proactive at PFC. (They talk about planting trees, run for a cause marathon etc.) and therefore Media should spin positive stories and try to glorify less talked about things. Today, there are lots of start-ups, agriculturalstart-ups, apps coming in., The plight of the Indian farmers is known to all of us. Agriculture should be the biggest “make in India” component. (Shubham is Assistant Manager, PR, at Power Finance Corporation Limited, New Delhi. He is an economics graduate from SRCC and an IIMC alumnus)

PR is all about democracy - What do despots know about two-way communication?

A thought provoking analysis of importance of two-way communication

By Geetha Shankar

(National Chairperson, Young Communicators Club)

An old theme indeed- strengthening Democracy through PR

It would be too rudimentary to define Democracy and PR. We all have gone beyond this.

Traditional power structures and Traditional hierarchies are disrupting, Control and power are moving from Institutions to Individuals. Every Individual has started recognizing his voice. We need not be a celebrity/ CEO/Politician to make others hear our voice. Anyone with an access to the social Media can become powerful and can be heard.

PR Professionals are still dubbed as “suited booted and pink shirt sporting party lovers,”  According to my friend B.N Kumar Governing Council Chairman PRCI.

PR Pros will need a Broad Skill set. We need to be good at writing, event planning and maintaining relationships to be successful in PR.

A strong PR –involves two-way communication – This is of paramount importance

Be a good listener: To be a good communicator, it is important to listen to others.

Act on suggestions: Mere listening is not good enough. We must act on suggestions and be seen as respecting others’ opinion.

Democracy goes by majority: Yes, we should always take into account the majority view. But if you are a good communicator and convinced that your view is correct, you can argue it out with adequate reasoning and win your way. The other side appreciates it.

Review: How many of us take criticism in the right spirit?

In fact, brushing aside criticism leaves a bad taste and the after effects are worse than that of a nuclear war!  They will lead to attrition, absence of team spirit and ultimately decaying of an organization, a party and of course our home lives.

Communicate authentically- spoken and written.

Build Trust, Lead with your Mind and Heart.

Take people along with you. You have to inspire your team  and not command.

Empower them to take decisions.

Practice Grammatical writing, Start writing in blogs. Lead a disciplined life.

Communication world is the most dynamic Industries in India .

Communication has become personalized and there is a steady drive towards greater “transparency, rationality and purposefulness with evidence based outcomes”.

We at PRCI firmly believe and adhere to democratic communication which why we are now growing not only as a national body, but a global platform. We just floated WCC – World Communicators’ Council.

PR Pros will need to Be Prepared for Real Time: We hardly have minutes, to prepare and respond. Instant responses are the order of the day and we have to live up to our clients expectations. There is too much of public  and Media gaze. Expectation level has sky rocketed. We as communication professionals have to be more strategic and . standards of corporate governance have to be followed.

Also need to be a whiz at social media, content marketing and content strategy. The once fine line between earned and owned media has blurred, so you should get better at combining these with paid media for the ultimate campaign.

 

All round praise for PRCI house journal CHANAKYA at PR event

The VUCA syndrome according to Dr Pragnya Ram, Group Exe President- Corp com and CSR– which is  Volatile, unpredictable, complex and ambiguous in the Crisis era has to be tackled proactively. And it’s a great learning says she. Companies need to guard their reputations constantly. Viral videos can damage brands. So speed is the essence and communication has to be hyper transparent.

For PR PROFESSIONALS the challenge lies in dealing every day with data explosions and digital influencers.

The relationship between PR and Media in a democratic set up is still evolving and PR  Industry is still struggling to find identity for themselves with the     Media.

The Media Revolution in a democratic country like India to a great extent has brought integration and disintegration of norms in the Indian culture especially in the social structures, communication patterns, value systems and in thinking patterns too.

 India as a Democratic country is facing huge cultural shocks and our inability to cope up with the present so called ‘chaotic young generation’ has resulted in pointing fingers towards the Media found responsible for triggering the turmoil.

Most of us accept what the media tells us through the news, entertainment etc. and we also tend to believe the Medias code of depiction in terms of different aspects of culture like dress, festivals, behavior etc. 

The solution lies in being a Media Literate Consumer.

Which means… 

1. We must be knowledgeable about the influences that guide media organizations

2. Need to be sensitive to ways of seeing the media content as a means of learning about our culture.

3. Sensitive to ethical dimensions of media activities.

Media Literacy Tools have to be used by PR professionals to explore the messages sent across and ask questions. Only then can we be the watch dog of the Media and see that our culture is intact.  So we have to consider

a.       Authorship-–who created the message and why are they sending it. Don’t simply hear, read and accept. Explore and try to think why certain choices were made.

b.      Evaluating the audience- who are the target audience for the materials and how different people would understand the materials similarly and differently.

c.        And analyse the content-what are the values, life styles, represented or omitted

d.      Find out the creative techniques which are used to attract attention-like images, words, music, camera angles, shots etc.  This will enhance our involvement and appreciation or non-appreciation of factors which would make our interaction with the media more interesting.

We have a major role to play. Can we become more aware and responsible and understand the media’s role in our day to day lives by applying our critical thinking ability? We must constantly be reminded that culture is our savior. We have to be far more interested in our own cultural values and more interested in our roots.  We need to be proud of our heritage.

I quote Sheryl Sandberg who had written about her mentor who said

‘Our career is no more a ladder. It’s a Jungle gym. You stretch, climb, go up, down, go sideways’

Absolutely true.. We need to move away from Calf paths. This can help us to move from our comfort Zone. Life begins at the end of Comfort Zone. How do we do this?

One is Net working. I quote.  Get on a Rocket ship and if you are offered a seat.. Do not ask which seat, Just Board. So keep building your net work,   I am influenced to a great deal by these words: Don’t search for jobs. Search for Networking.

There is no trivial work or huge work.

Can we dear friends join together to strengthen Democracy through our PR? (Based on Geetha’s delivered this speech at a PR conference on Strengthening Democracy – Role of PR at Bhubaneshwar on April 21, 2018)

The media coverage

No Quick-fix, PR is investment in future

(From Reputation Today)

I think it is time the communicators forget to think Uske Kapde Mere Kapdo Se Zyada Safed Kyun and start telling their bosses and clients to understand the importance of perception building as an early and long-term exercise. You may not be able to get the attention of big media instantaneously, but getting media acceptance is a slow and steady process. A particular newspaper may not enjoy huge circulation, but the editor of a big newspaper does read that so-called small publication for several reasons: to check for stories missed and look for rising stars for future recruitment. This is exactly why reporters often fight for bylines – to get visibility among those who matter – as I did as a cub reporter ages ago!

At the risk of revealing some business secrets, let me say that business houses should not look for instant solutions and not think of PR only as the last resort for using at times of crisis. Like diamonds, Public Relations is forever. The more we polish diamonds, the better they shine. And that is exactly how PR gives you a polished reputation in the long run.

For more, click:
http://reputationtoday.in/views/no-quick-fix-pr-is-investment-in-future/

Media-PR Bhai-Bhai!

By C K Sardana

The author - a former
General Manager (Corporate PR)
at BHEL.

PR  envisages information dissemination for opinion-formation/image-building.

Apart from the oft-said and used tools of PR, I have experimented with  the use of bodies of media persons for bringing them nearer to the top brass and, also, in getting positive stories carried in media from time to time. This  exercise also helped know the Organization, first hand.

I had spent life time in PR in BHEL  Units before moving to Corporate Office at New Delhi years ago as Head of Corporate PR. Function was not new but the place -- that too India's Capital - new. So, I looked to my colleagues in Corporate PR for an update on the media and its functioning. They were forthcoming and opened out frankly.

Dr. KS Jayaraman, Science Editor, PTI and  Balbir Punj, Special Correspondent, Financial Express -- to name just these two -- were very enthusiastic in laying hands on exclusive/in-depth stories about key aspects of the economy. My colleagues suggested 'why not take initiative and suggest to them to start a professional body of their fellow-journalists.' That is how Indian Science Writers Association and Forum of Financial Writers came into being in early 1990s with very humble initiative from PR.

We, in and from BHEL, offered them help in the establishment of these bodies. They commended this. A session each was organized as a 'Meeting the journalists' with our CMD, Directors etc. It was not at all a press conference but an informal get-together with founder members of these bodies. Such meetings paid rich dividends as they brought media persons closer to BHEL and its Top Management.  

Please note that we did not solicit stories in their agency/newspaper. But these came on their own and that trend continued. After all, what is PR? A sustained programme of building relationships with stakeholders. Media, surely, is among the most important stakeholders for any Organization and its PR outfit.

Over the years, such bodies have come up in New Delhi and Metro Cities. Nevertheless, PR professionals are well advised to take initiative and get Media persons set up such bodies for their own professional requirement and progress. This needs lot of ground work. More than this, this requires courage on the part of the Top Managements to keep channels of communication open with the Media for helping build Organization's image. PR Heads, themselves, have got to be very bold and candid in convincing their bosses that this is in Organization's interest.

Information dissemination through informal meetings with members of such professional bodies will enjoy an extra element of credibility.  All those sitting in positions of decision-making in Government and elsewhere do read such stories and form opinion about issues and organizations.

This is PR job. Let our friends ponder over this suggestion and get going!   (casardana@gmail.com)

How to win friends among media persons

By C K Sardana*

After a 23-year stint in PR/Corporate Communication -- all along in BHEL's Units at Bhopal and Hardwar -- I was transferred as Head/Corporate PR at New Delhi in June 1985. Even though, I belonged to Delhi,  I had not rubbed shoulders with media and media persons

The Author

stationed in Delhi. But, then, I was not a novice in PR/CC, either!.

On the very first day, I sought advice from the personnel in Corporate PR as to how to go about. While I was new in that position, they had already spent over a decade dealing with media in Delhi. I just asked them to name 1-2 media persons with whom they were not very comfortable or, in other words, who were not very cooperative. They named Harish Awasthi who, then, was Director/News/Doordarshan. Incidentally, unlike now, there were no other TV channels at that time.

I asked my colleagues when did DD carry an item on BHEL last time. They shrugged and said '3-4 months'. That, surely, was not acceptable to me. In tune with my nature and work style, I thought it best to take initiative, get to Awasthi and have a dialogue with him. I rang him up. He was, as expected, cold and said yes, no and so on.

I thanked him and concluded 2-mt talk 'OK, Sir, I will come over after a few days and then we will talk.'

He said Fine.

After 15 days, I met him. This time, he was little warm and forthcoming. He started saying that BHEL was not doing well at all. Contents of what he said and his body language made me understand that his premise was based on lack of communication with him. He was quite angry. I just listened, smiled and thanked him for his frankness. I said 'we will keep meeting'.

This time again he said FINE.

In the third meeting, I requested him to just listen to me for 10 mts by the watch. He said 'no problem, come on'. Quickly but clearly and pointedly, I shared with him some outstanding achievements of BHEL which surpassed those of even the best companies in the world. Now, his face showed a big smile and discreet 'yes on the achievements of BHEL which, he said, must be aired on the DD network. I cam back happy.

Awasthi called his colleagues and told them all that had transpired. He asked them to give wide publicity to BHEL. Jolly well, tables were turned. From the third meeting onwards, DD started good giving coverage.

Moral of this narration -- PR man, especially PR Head, must have confidence in self, in his colleagues and in the media persons. He must demonstrate his confidence and professional competence inside and outside the Organization. This will bring about negativity to positivity.

But, always humble and forthcoming. PR is not a 10 to 5 job but 24/7 job. (*The author is a Former GM/Corporate PR/BHEL, Now settled at Bhopal.email id: casardana@gmail.com)

Lines between journalism and PR are blurring, says media veteran in IANS interview

IANS spoke to veteran media professional B.N. Kumar, National President of the Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) and Executive Director of Concept PR, who recently completed 40 years in media-first as a journalist and then a PR practitioner-to focus on the rapidly changing communication trends.
-----
Q: What about the relationship between journalists and PR professionals? Is

it still love-hate?

Online Media Clips Collage

A: I don't see anything wrong in journalists looking for information from PR people. It is the PR professionals' job to facilitate the flow of information. And it is for the journalist to check and cross-check whether the information given by PR is right or wrong or a plant-serving a vested interest.

This is where, sometimes, I feel that the lines between PR and journalism get blurred when some media friends play into the hands of unscrupulous story-planters.

Q: Need a little elaboration on this....

A: In these days of cutthroat competition and race for TRPs, journalists are under constant pressure to score with Breaking News. PR professionals often complain that they do not get enough time to respond to media queries and, as a result, one-sided stories often creep in. Also, it is not easy to get negative stories killed. If you try to suppress it in one publication, it will find its way into another media.
The link to the story:

http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/lines-between-journalism-and-pr-are-blurring-says-media-veteran-116071400220_1.html

PR networking meet 'The Commune' on Apr 27 in Mumbai

‘The Commune’ is Mumbai’s first ever community dedicated to PR and Brand/ Corp Communications professionals, facilitating face to face connections in a social setup.

Our first inaugural meet is happening in Mumbai at Tonic, 1st floor – Auriga room, inside Famous Studio lane, Mahalakshmi (West) on Wednesday, April 27th at 7.30pm (followed by an engagement session and then party till 1am)

Only 50 PR & Corp communications professionals (across functions) will be permitted. This session will see a mix crowd of senior management, mid-level and junior staff. Dress code is party wear/ semi casuals/formal, come as you will.

‘The Commune’ does not charge a premium for its meet. Entry fee is just Rs.200 per person.

Cost of Food/ Beverages to be paid by you directly to the club (Tonic) basis what you order. Don’t worry, we have got great offers to provide an incentivized socializing experience till 1am (check the attached invite for details)

With reference to the above, please let us know if you will be able to attend this meet.

It will be really helpful if you could also share this with your team in Mumbai. I believe they may be interested to be part of the gathering.

Please do get back at the earliest as the slots are limited. Registration closes by Thursday, April 21st.

Look forward to your response.

About 'The Commune'

‘The Commune’ is Mumbai’s first ever community dedicated to PR and Brand/ Corp Communications professionals, facilitating face to face connections in a social setup. Established by Deepak Kapoor (https://in.linkedin.com/in/deepakkapoor1), this initiative will ensure monthly gathering of the PR fraternity in the city’s best lounges and clubs. The Commune’ will achieve the following objectives:
·   Regular networking and social engagement

· Up-close access to influencers from PR, Journalism, Advertising, Media & Entertainment, Filmmaking and Radio among others,  as we'll call them for a session devised in a chat show format

·   Incentivized socializing for the PR fraternity through great discounts on F&B

·   Open access to individuals from across hierarchies & functions

·     Highlight achievements and talents of PR professionals

Best Regards,
Deepak Kapoor
Founder – The Commune
9833582474

Focus on PR in instant media age

All eyes on  talk by veteran 

journalist Joe A Scaria

By Geetha Shankar

BENGALURU: Veteran journalist, author, speaker and trainer Joe A Scaria will address a PR and media professionals gathering here on Friday, March 04 on PR in the Age of Instant Media.

Hosted by PRCI and YCC and presented by the University of Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, the talk assumes significance in view the rapidly changing media scenario.

The event will be held at Senate Hall, Central College, Near K R Circle.

As Ajay Sharma, veteran PR professional wrote in the January special issue of CHANAKYA, for many generations, reading newspapers at 6.30 AM or a quick post-lunch glimpse at an afternoon tabloid or watching an evening TV news bulletin were part of our daily routine. For leisurely reading, there were general and business magazines.

The entry of  24-hour TV in 1999 changed the habit dramatically. Live TV broadcasts made it possible to view news anytime through the day. This was the first disruption for media and communication professionals, so to say, which brought in significant changes in its wake.

But TV news consumption, like print, was rooted to a fixed location. Though it offered 24X7 ‘delivery’ of news, it did not facilitate 24X7 ‘consumption’ of news. News consumption using the Internet on desktops suffered the same limitation.

Mobile phones presented an alternative. Unlike TV, print and desktops, consumers could use them to access the news on the go.

In June 2014, India had 914 million mobile subscribers of which 185 million accessed the Internet on their mobiles.

In this background, PRCI and the student community will view Joe’s talk with great interest

Joe spent the majority of his career as a journalist, working 28 years with leading Indian newspapers and publications. His last and longest stint was an 18-year association with the Economic Times, where he was Senior Assistant Editor.

Presently he heads the Kerala bureau of Dubai-based Gulf News, and is a faculty member at the Institute of Journalism, Trivandrum.

He has worked in Kochi, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Thiruvananthapuram and Chennai.

He graduated in Commerce from the Kerala University, and has an MBA with specialization in Marketing.

A unique feature of his career is he has published his resignation letter as a book, titled 'Fourth Estate to Rubber Estate', which was released by Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy.

Media & PR complement each other

BHOPAL: Media and Public Relations are complementary to each other and enjoy a symbiotic relationship. The two crafts should harmonise with each other instead of working at cross-purposes. This was the sum and substance of a thought-provoking presentation by Chandrakant Naidu, a senior journalist, at a panel discussion organized by Bhopal Chapters of Indian Society for Training & Development (ISTD) and Public Relations Council of India (PRCI).  

Responding to the theme of the discussion, C.K. Sardana, a senior PR practitioner, said PR people formed a useful ‘source’ for media persons. Through their understanding of various facets of their own organizations and associated areas, they were able to provide in-depth information – what the media persons really needed – which help prepare good stories for print and electronic media. It was a sort of ‘mutual help and gain’ for both, he added.
Rashmi Bhargava, Chairperson, ISTD, Bhopal Chapter and C K Sardana, Chairman, PRCI Bhopal Chapter were present. J.N. Chawdhary, a veteran marketing man, was the patron at the panel discussion. Mahendra Joshi, Secretary, PRCI proposed a vote of thanks.

From The Hitavada, Bhopal, 31.08.2015.

In his opening observations,  former Regional Editor of Hindustan Times,  Chandrakant Naidu said the PR specialists excel at bringing forth the strong points of any institution to be highlighted through media. The news media cannot afford to ignore the weak points as their audience would expect them to put things in perspective. At times the news media’s job begins where the PR specialists’ ends. In the current media scenario the lines between PR and news presentations are blurring  due to commercial considerations of the media ownership.


Large number of persons from different walks of life participated in the inter-active panel discussions. Notable among them were Salil Chatterjee, Sanat Gangwal, R.N. Soni, O.P. Soni, C K Hayaran, Harsh Suhalka and Pradeep Bhargava.

Skill upgrading: NTPC sets the road map

• PRCI Chairman Emeritus and Chief Mentor Jayaram 

       among speakers

• Media veterans guide sessions

KABINI, Karnataka: It was a PR meet with a difference. Tucked away from the urban concrete jungles,  NTPC executives had their annual PR conference on 18-19^th July at Kabini, 80 kms from Mysore. The place known for its evergreen landscape, lush green and thick forest,  had the perfect setting for thought-provoking discussions.

 

Jayaram explaining nuisances of crisis communication

The 2-day event with the theme “Bridging the Communication Gap” had the best brains from the media fraternity discussing with PR luminaries and top executives of the company.

 Anant Rangaswami,of CNBC, Shri Himangshu Watts (The Economic Times), Jayanta Roy Choudhury (The Telegrap), Durbar Ganguly (Millennium Post,  M.B.Jayaram, (PR Consultant and Chairman Emeritus of PRCI) Dominique Savio (Creative Director – Mudra) and Joe Scaria (ex-ET and Media Consultant)  formed the faculty that steered the sessions.

Dr Arup Roy Choudhury, CMD of NTPC,  in his opening remarks mentioned that PR persons must be pro –active and good communicators. He later presented the Annual PR awards for the Best House Journal, e-Magazine and MoU Excellence.

 Western Region – I Headquarters of  NTPC, Mumbai bagged the internal PR  MoU Excellence award as the best performing region for Public Relations.

G.J Deshpande, Regional Executive Director, WR-I , K Ravindran, AGM (PR) and Ms Kriti Dutta, Dy.Manager (PR) received the award.

S.N Ganguly,ED - Corporate Communication, Saptarshi Roy, RED –NRHQ,  Arvind Kumar, RED,East,II,HQ, R.Venkateswaran,RED (SR) P K Sinha, GM (Corporate Communications) were also participated.

Glimpses of the NTPC PR workshop

The annual event is a confluence of all PR professionals in the company to set targets and discuss the achievements of the previous Financial Year and recognizing the good work done by the professionals in the year gone by, part from learn from the experiences of veteran media professionals on handling various aspects of PR such as media relations, crisis communications and new trends in media.