PrezSpeak -5: Harnessing Youth Power

This week, I have an interesting development. PRCI-Mumbai is getting associated with a WhatsApp group called One Source for a get together of young PR professionals. The Group predominantly has young and upcoming professionals.

The event will be held on Thursday evening. BSE CEO Mr Ashish Chauhan will be the chief guest. We will have veteran journalist Gurbir Singh also addressing the professionals on What Media expects of PR professionals and many Dos and DONTs for the new comers.

PRCI should have many more such networking events and talk about them. It will help us bring in professionalism among upcoming PR stars.

The Going Global endeavour is working well. Vinay Kumar, the PRCI-I director, has done quite a bit of ground work. We have begun to feelers from the US – Atlanta and New Jersey – and even Oman.

Hope all these efforts will fructify shortly.

Once a BBC correspondent was asked as to what do they when there is no breaking news. He said: “We do homework and study the areas where we work.”

On YCC front, I am sure Geetha Shankar and Co are working on some plans. It is time to plan now since the colleges are shut for summer holidays. We can launch activities in June-July.

The newly appointed YCC Secretary (National) Shreya Banda, I guess, is getting set to take new responsibilities under Geetha’s leadership.

Meanwhile, your e-mag continues to do wonders across the world. Our friends in the US seem to be in a hurry to give a 1,000 pageviews and in Germany they are racing towards 200.

Mr Narendra’s piece on Pak N-Bomb is literally becoming viral with 107 views already!

Will be back next week with some more exciting developments.

Have a great time!

How 'Pak N-Bomb Blast' was averted at Indian Press Conference!

By S.Narendra

Former Spokesperson, Govt. Of India

An Untold story, for the 1st time in PRapport

Buddha had smiled a second time on Operation Shakti day - May 11, 1998! 

The decision to explode the nuclear bomb had been taken by Prime Minister Vajpayee heading the first NDA government and the US and its allies swiftly tried to make India a ‘nuclear pariah’ by imposing strict sanctions. Even while the diplomatic pressure and tension was mounting on India, 

another kind of unease was palpable in top echelons in nuclear establishment. Quoting unidentified sources from the latter, media was reporting that the  nuclear establishment headed by Dr Chidambaram (chairman of Atomic Energy Commission),  and Dr Ani l Kakodkar (head of Bhabha Atomic Research  Center) , (and their predecessors)  were  unhappy  that  their  stellar, silent , role in  making India  a nuclear power, was receiving less  media attention.

DRDO (defence research and development organisation) headed by Dr.Abdul Kalam and his deputy K.Santhanam, had  not only provided the logistics for the explosion, but deceived the American hawk-eye satellites.  This particular  feat  of DRDO, especially making the Americans red-faced, was greatly relished by media , and the limelight was on DRDO heroes. K.Santhanam was media savvy and   was prepared to walk   where angels feared to tread.

AEC and DRDO Roles: Dr.Chidambaran,   had shown me how his team had successfully developed the computer model of the device and   had succeeded in conducting   the test and it only needed to be physically tested for materialising a bomb. The DRDO and defence personnel had played a critical role by planting the nuclear device in abandoned wells in Pokharan desert  and laying in the darkness of night miles of wire   for connecting it to the  station where the trigger was located, and their nocturnal  labour  had avoided the American spy satellites. But the actual assembly of the device, according to nuclear establishment, was   the result of their expertise.

Vajpayee at Pokhran site

When the first nuclear test was carried out on Buddha Purnima, in May 1974, the goal was to move towards   a nuclear weapon. The nuclear establishment was, however, ready for carrying out   a test for weaponisation long before 1998 as Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) had initiated nuclear research way back in 1944 under Homi Bhabh’s leadership. In fact, prime minister Narasimha Rao had also given the go ahead  at the fag-end of 1995 for such a test but could not carry it  out ,as his decision had leaked out to the US that pressurised him to abandon it.

Media Visit to Pokharan: PM Vajpayijee, accompanied by the leaders of Atomic Energy commission and DRDO, visited  the blast site at Pokharan and I had taken a C-130 Hercules plane load of Indian and foreign media for coverage. I had specific instructions to ensure that Dr.Chidambaram and Dr.Kakodkar    received   sufficient visual media exposure. As the media was hungry for details about the way India had managed the blast , it was decided to arrange  a few days later a  joint press conference to be addressed by Dr. Chidambaram and Dr. Kakodkar on the one side and Dr.Kalam and K. Santhanam from DRDO on the other.

No,Nos for Press Conference: A little before the scheduled press conference, principal secretary to PM Brajesh Misra called me for a meeting and gave me a detailed briefing of what the media interaction should not deal with and instructed me to ensure that both the sides confine themselves to the technical details   of the latest blast, and should not stray into any nuclear weapon policy issues or ongoing diplomatic stand -off with the US. Another No-No was   the nuclear arms race in the sub-continent. Paksitan had not yet conducted its own nuclear test   in response to the Indian success. He also asked me to ensure that the nuclear establishment   had   plenty of opportunity to speak.

There was some apprehension that   Dr.Kalam, who was associated with the development of missiles (weapon delivery systems), might be trapped by media into answering questions about   nuclear weaponisation and their delivery vehicles. Post-Pokharan, India had already declared a moratorium on further testing of nuclear devices and had declared ‘No-first use’ of nuclear   weapon. The bomb was meant as a deterrent and primarily for defence purposes. A tricky issue thrown up into media space by both the defence minister George Fernandez and Pramod Mahajan, soon   after the blast, was that the Indian nuclear bomb was aimed at China and this had created considerable embarrassment to the government.

I was told to skip such questions. On instructions from Misra, I met both Dr.Chidambaram and Dr.Kalam and without disclosing the instructions I had received, I discussed the broad framework of the press conference and requested them to allow me to intervene whenever there were any political questions.

Pak Bomb News amidst Press Conference: There must have been more than 400 media persons   from India and broad, with dozens of TV teams present at the press conference,   and almost everyone wanted to shoot questions from the word go. I had the privilege of sitting between the two teams of eminent scientists of DRDO and the nuclear establishment   and broadly set the rules for the media persons, emphasising that the eminent scientists were available to answer questions solely about the technical aspects of the blast.

The press conference was proceeding smoothly and had reached the half-way mark. I had managed to ensure that the questions were    equally thrown at both the teams. As could be expected, the media was not so much interested in the technical details but was pressing hard to get answers for political aspects, like   how India was likely to cope with the US sanctions,   future of the nuclear programme   such as weaponisation  and  the  development of  delivery vehicles,  China vs India, India vs Pak-arising out of India becoming a nuclear armed power. I had to delicately move the deliberations away   from   what then seemed to be strategic and diplomatic mine-fields.

Even as we were busy in responding to the volley of questions amidst the  din, my able assistant Ravichandran,  rushed into the press conference hall and pressed a chit into my hand and whispered that the principal secretary to PM was calling me on the secret phone  (RAX)  in my room and  was insistent  that I speak to him urgently. I was in great dilemma because I did not want to leave the room, lest   some unwelcome question on tricky diplomatic issues crop up: nor could I not attend an urgent phone call from the brain behind the nuclear test.

I managed to excuse myself and went to the phone. Brajesh Misra, at the other end spoke in a hushed voice : “Narendra,  Pakisitan has exploded the bomb.  Please tell this to Dr.Kalam and Chidambaram. Later let me know how the press conference went “. I returned to the press conference, apologised to the media for leaving the room   but did not tell the eminent scientists about the call I had just received. I did not want the focus of our press conference to be diverted.

Meanwhile, the senior  foreign service officer,  Hardeep Puri (who retired as India’s permanent representative to the UN in 2013) entered the  conference room and passed  on  a message  about the explosion conducted by Paksitan and expected me to announce it. When I did not show any reaction, he prompted a media person to ask : “Have you any news  about  Pakistan conducting a test’?

I intervened: “This press conference is about the Indian nuclear explosion. If Paksitan has exploded one, they will announce it”. And the press conference   continued.

OMG point and RAW info: Again, my assistant, Ravichandran appeared in the conference hall and whispered into my ears: “Sir, the principal secretary is on the line. Insists that you speak to him and he is not disconnecting the line.” Displaying a fake   smile to the media, I excused   myself and went to the phone. Misraji:  “Narendra, have you told Dr.Kalam  and Chidambaram about the Pakistani  bomb” With some timidity, I told him: “No, Sir. Why should we announce the Pak bomb in our press   conference’?”

Narendra - The author

Thank God, I was misled by RAW (Research and Analysis department that specialises in external intelligence). Good you did not announce, it would have been highly embarrassing. Come and have a cup of tea later in the evening ‘.

I later learnt from Misra that someone in RAW had misread earthquake tremors in Pak region and reported it as a nuclear blast. Don’t blame RAW, because   instrument s like seismograph do   not make any distinction between different kinds of tremors. Around that time, Pak was expected to respond in haste to India’s explosion.

Actually, Pak nuclear test took place on May 28^th, several days after our press conference!

(This is the 4th in a series of exclusives to PRapport by S Narendra, former spokesperson of the Govt of India and ex-adviser to Prime Ministers)

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Social Connect - beyond routine PR or CSR

By Tamanna Khanna,  

Head - Marketing, IndiaFirst Life Insurance 

A PRapport Special

Every brand has a philosophy. Some purpose and some values that it lives by.  This philosophy of a brand goes way beyond its product or service alone. It goes beyond to reach out to the society it works in and connect with it.

At IndiaFirst, we believe in the philosophy of making life easier and spreading smiles. Our products, services, processes - are built on the same foundation, where we strive to simplify insurance (our business) as much as we can, securing numerous lives in the process. However, we do realize, we cannot at the same time ignore the core in which we exist – the society that impacts all our lives.

Whether a consumer is an existing customer or a potential one who may or may not drive our business, but reaching out to him and developing a relationship, or at least some sort of a connect with him becomes essential for every brand.  And this is where social issues/ causes help in building bridges.

Tamanna 

Possibly, social causes are just a way for the brand to ensure that it’s living up to its core philosophy, its belief and its ethos.  Experience is that taking up social responsibilities or causes provides tangible benefits along with lasting competitive advantages to organizations. For instance, when Tata Tea talks to its consumers through a Jaago Re campaign, it attempts to make a difference in its consumer’s day-to-day life. It wants to imprint the brand’s standout image in the consumer’s mindset and stay on the top of their recall when any similar social, civilian issues rise up. Does this mean that every person who connects with the brand and its philosophy buys Tata Tea?  Not necessarily. But the cause that the brand supports, adds up to the brand recall value and you cannot miss Tata Tea on the shelves. And this, in turn, also increases a possibility of you eventually turning into a Tata Tea consumer.

A social cause is not meant to be looked at as just a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative driven by the company. It is rather marketing and customer engagement at its very best – which needs the entire organization to get involved in. As a business model, it forms a base for the company’s market value, operational efficiency, as well as a boost to brand value. 

Contributing to the society that we live in may not have a direct relation to the business graphs but they strategically drive consumer minds towards the brands as they build a compelling story that binds the brand to the consumer – building a unique relationship and rapport.

It obviously makes sense to create a business model that weaves explicit goals for profit, environmental performance, and social efforts along with meeting the brand’s core philosophy. At the same time, all of this needs to yield long-term business goals rather than focusing on the short-term business benefits.

One such attempt was IndiaFirst Life Insurance ‘Happy India’ initiative that aims to nurture the attitude of working towards constructive change and creating change among the school going children in the age bracket of 11-16 years.  Happy India is an effort to provide children a chance to not just demand change but actually ‘create’ it, by supporting them in implementing their ‘Ideas for Change’. 

School children in an education exercise - part of Happy India project

Irrespective of the 2% provision for CSR as per the new Companies Act, our firm belief is that brands  need to remember that building a sustainable business requires connecting with the society it lives in (and making profits) to go hand in hand.  It is essential for them to study and chalk out social and environmental strategies that will be driven by the brand purpose while keeping the motive genuine. More than being a marketing activity or any sort of publicity buff, the initiative fundamentally needs to be embedded in the company’s core values and purpose and make a difference.

Any initiative to be successful needs to add value not only to its stakeholders which include its customers, employees, the business community, but also bring in some economic, social, environmental value to its core business functions.

Crack this model, and you can have loyal customers for life!

PrezSpeak-4: J&K, here we come!

Friends,

As we move towards realizing our dreams of going global and strengthening our pan-India presence, we have something to show to the world – Our website and our e-mag PRapport.

You will be happy to know that as you will read this piece, PRapport would have clocked close to 3,000 page views. What is heartening to note is that PRapport has been increasingly attracting global attention! Germany seems to be in a hurry to catch up with the US, going by the stats thrown by the Internet. 

Thanks to a reference given by Mr Chander Sardana, we now have a chance of opening our J&K Chapter. Dr. K. John Babu, Assistant Professor, Department of Convergent Journalism, Central University of Kashmir, Srinagar, has agreed to our suggestion to start a PRCI Chapter by roping in like-minded communication professionals.

You will all agree with me that this will be simply superb since we will be flying PRCI flag in J&K.

Emotionally speaking, I have a personal attachment to J&K which is my state of birth. I was born in Udhampur.

We shall be in constant tough with Dr Babu and move swiftly towards setting up the J&K Chapter.

We will soon see Delhi chapter back in action as we finalise the names of the new committee in the NCR-Capital region.

Glad to hear that Vinay Kumar is tapping his contacts to strengthen the Goa Chapter.

Friends, thanks a million for all your fan mails that keep me moving ahead. But please just don’t stop after praising the initiatives. I request all of you to participate in the new endeavour and that is where our Inclusive Communication will have some meaning.

I am sure we are all planning some activity for the Communication Day on the theme – Communicators as Whistle Blowers. Please refer to - http://prapport.blogspot.in/2015/04/from-presidents-desk-3-well-begun-half.html - for details and plan activities. 

I hear Bangalore and Mumbai are already planning something and I am sure Pune, Kochi and Solapur will too do their bit.

While on PRrapport, let me convey my gratitude to Mr S Narendra by churning his weekly column – Narendra None – that has become highly popular. I have already received several messages praising this week’s column - Unshackling the Elephant.

You may have noticed the teaser about upcoming columns which I am sure will be eagerly awaited.

For Daughters’ Day, we shall plan something unique this year. I will share some dieas after discussing with GC and NE members shortly.

As Business India commented last week, we have a Big Task Ahead and I am sure as a team we shall succeed.

Hum Hongay Kaamyab!

Should Your Business Be On Instagram? - A PRapport special

By Julia Spence-McCoy *

Social media is a great tool when it comes to marketing online, and there are many excellent platforms out there. One of these, Instagram, is something many people consider but aren’t sure if it will work for their company. Some might not know just what the social channel is for and others might not know if it will have the same sort of positive impact like Facebook or Twitter. I am going to take a look at Instagram, if you should use it, and give a few great tips for those who decide to!
How Does Instagram Really Work?

Instagram has long been a social media channel that is popular with Millennials and younger individuals. It is a great platform to share your favorite photos from your day, whether the photos are of cats, books, selfies or a beautiful sunset. Instagram is a great place for people to share visual aspects from their lives for their friends to interact with. It is an awesome visual tool, and many businesses are starting to notice its importance. It provides a unique ability to market to a younger crowd, and can give businesses an incredible competitive edge if Instagram is used correctly. There are currently several brands that have an incredible Instagram presence, which can give you inspiration if you decide your business needs an account, as well.

Should Your Company Be On It?

Since Instagram markets to a younger crowd and is so visually driven, many people wonder just what type of companies should use it. In fact, the reason you’re reading this is to learn if your business needs it or not, right? I am going to look at a few things a business needs to consider before setting up an Instagram account.

Do You Have Visual Marketing?
One of the first things you need to look at is if you utilize or need visual marketing. Instagram gives you the chance to utilize visual marketing to your advantage, and there are multiple things you can do to maximize the impact. However, you first need to make sure that you have products that are great for visual marketing, as well as creating and sharing photos that promote engagement with your followers. You don’t want to share bland photos, as those are likely not to get engagement.

Are Your Clients on It?

This is a pretty obvious question that some tend to overlook. If your clients aren’t on Instagram, it is likely that you won’t be able to reach as many people as you’d like to. Sure, you might get a few, but you need to be where your clients are because the audience you want to reach will be there, too. If your clients aren’t on Instagram, you might want to reconsider using it or you can ask your clients if they’d be willing to join Instagram if your company sets up a page. In fact, you can hold a contest and giveaway to encourage people to get on and follow your account.

Are Your Competitors on It? 

Now, you might not have many clients on Instagram, but you need to look to see if your competitors are. You should also check to see if they have any engagement and how well it is helping them. If you see engagement on their photos, chances are you will have engagement on your photos, as well. You don’t want to be left in the dust by your competitors, and if they have a successful Instagram campaign, it is time to set one up and get to work.

How Can You Use Instagram for Your Business?

Now that you know a few questions to ask yourself, you’ll need tips on how to use Instagram for your business. I gathered a few great points to help you get started!
Utilize Hashtags on Your Photographs. Hashtags are an important aspect of social media, especially when it comes to Instagram. This will help you combine your photos with other trendy hashtags, which will give you the chance to be found by new readers and customers. Don’t shy away from using a few hashtags, either. Adding more can help broaden your reach significantly.

Fill Out Your Profile to Make it Powerful.

 Just like with any other social media channel, you need to fill out your profile to optimize it and make it powerful. This will help people know your Instagram is an official one and not spam, convincing them that your account is safe to follow. Instilling trust is an important aspect for every business.

Know Your Age Demographic. 

When you start your Instagram account and create a campaign, you need to know what your demographic is. Are they young or old? What things do they like? Are there any memes that they’ll appreciate more? All of this can help you create a great Instagram presence. In fact, knowing your age demographic is vital for any social media campaign.

Know How to Work Instagram For Business. 

Instagram is much like Facebook and Twitter in the fact that it does try to help businesses out. Before you get started with Instagram for your business, make sure you get acquainted with Instagram for Business to get the best results possible! You can also find other businesses on Instagram to gain inspiration from them and see just how they approach using the social site.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Instagram can be a powerful tool for some companies, providing more access to clients and sharing excellent photos with them. While not all companies, like small, local businesses, might benefit, there are several things people can do with social media to get the most out of it. If you are looking for a way to maximize your social media content for the best impact, contact Express Writers, today! We have excellent social media services, providing you with excellent content to share with your followers. Will you be trying Instagram for your business or have you already? What are some things you’ve learned from using it?
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*Julia Spence-McCoy is the CEO of Express Writers, an online copywriting agency that began in 2011 with thousands of web content pages written to date and more than 50 talented writers on the team. Her passion is copywriting and all that pertains, including the ever-changing game of Google algorithm updates.



http://www.sitepronews.com/2015/05/01/should-your-business-be-on-instagram/

Narendra None-3: Unshakling An Elephant (Indian)!

By S.Narendra 

(S Narendra,  former Director  General, DAVP & ex- Executive  Director, R.K.Swamy-BBDO and 

later Spokesperson, Government of India)

India’s impressive economic growth rate since the 1991 economic liberalization has attracted world -wide attention. Now most economic commentators while referring to this development, compare India to an elephant and the Indian establishment has come to relish this. But this was not so initially and it required quite a push to persuade the political establishment

The author

that India’s economic stride should be compared to the elephant’s measured gait (Gajagamana) rather than to a tiger’s sprint, given its size and the ponderous democratic processes pushing the economy. A headline given to a PM speech:  “India to be Asia’s Growth Engine” invited protests from external affairs ministry, as the Mandarins thought that such aspirations would hurt sentiments of Asian neighbours. Many influential persons were upset that in July 1991, the government advertising  displayed  an “Unshackled Elephant” as the mascot for  the dramatic, dismantling of 34-year-old official controls( (IDRA or Industrial Development & Regulation Act) on business and industry.  Read on how   the tiger lost out   to the elephant.......

Background:  India’s industrial policy was laid down under the Industrial Development Regulation Act (IDRA) of 1956. It was over laden with   a philosophy of import substitution, self reliance, with quantitative restrictions on the amount of goods to be produced by an  industrial licensee entrepreneur. FDI or foreign direct investment was not allowed to own enterprises but could provide licensed technology.  Almost anything to do with business and industry was overseen by some or the other government authority.  This came to be referred to as the ‘licence-permit raj’ (as described by Dr Rajagopalachari,). A few business houses managed to corner licences for new industries and capacities for production in order to restrict supplies and control both the market and the price. And the private sector came to loathe competition, as it benefitted from a sellers’ market.

The political instability prevailing from October 1989 to 1991 in New Delhi had sent the national growth rate and nation’s morale to southwards as never before. Reportedly, there was a considerable flight of capital from India fearing a financial collapse. I was privileged to have access to the internal confidential briefings given to PM and select top leaders of the previous two governments bringing home the dire situation and steps to save the economy. Both the governments ignored such warnings, resulting in India having to pledge abroad its gold reserves to save its reputation.

A Caged Tiger: The London based Economist weekly in its April 1991, in a special section on India, depicted it as a caged Tiger. The Ambassador car that was ubiquitous on Indian roads in many ways symbolized the controlled economy in which quality and competition mattered little. It recounted the many lost economic opportunities due to inward looking Indian policies and contrasted this with the spectacular growth rates registered by East Asian economies like, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong, (as South East Asia Correspondent for five  years, I had reported their progress)  and even China which had opted for open trading and investment policies.  They came to be known as ‘Tiger Economies’.  Indian policy makers wanted the Tiger branding, even while wedded to policies of a bygone era.

New Congress Government: P.V. Narasimha Rao became prime minister in late June 1991 and his first few statements clearly indicated that the government had no option but to initiate drastic steps for saving the economy. Taking such statements and the hints in the poll manifesto, I prepared a note on a communication strategy outlining the tasks to be undertaken by Doordarshan, AIR, DAVP, PIB and other media units of the Information and Broadcasting ministry, in the wake of any bold policy changes and sent it to the Secretary of the ministry. In response, I received it back with a mild rebuff!

Meanwhile, I was summoned to attend a meeting in Prime Minister’s Office convened by his special  secretary, Surinder Singh, and attended by officials of the finance ministry including N.K.Singh. I was asked to be ready to launch a campaign for educating the people about the economic crisis and the likely unpopular measures the government will take. But no one knew what those steps were at that stage.

Having attended such meetings held during previous governments, I was not sure that this government would bite the bullet and, therefore, asked: “Are you sure the government would act? How much bad news can we give the people?”

N.K. Singh shot back: “What other alternative the government has?  Work on   a publicity plan,  don’t  ask questions”.

“Elephant Unshackled”: Few persons expected Rao and his  minority government to unleash politically heretical   measures such as drastic devaluation of  the Indian rupee by a whopping 27%, and  scrapping of  the  Industrial Development Regulation Act.

The 26^th of July 1991 was a red letter day, when the Indian entrepreneurial spirit won its freedom. The announcement of abolition of IDRA by the Industry ministry headed by prime minister Rao, came in the afternoon, taking everyone by surprise, as it meant reversal of  Nehruvian model of economic development.

The officials in the finance and industry ministry were very busy and did not have time for us in DAVP for offering a brief for a communication campaign. Often in DAVP we were both an agency as well as a client and cannot wait for the client ministry to give us a brief. In fact, we had to wake them up to their communication needs. More often than not, we had to scramble up a campaign overnight.

Coming up: How Pak Bomb Could not Explode in Indian Press Conference! PM Vajpayee Cancels His Message to the Nation Should A Minister Take On a Newspaper Editor PM Long Letter to Panchayats Ayodhya Kanda and Advertising Provocation PM’s First Press Conference and Stock Scam Silence As Communication Blank Camera Records PM’s Broadcast From Ogaudugu And much more.... Watch this space!

As   I was used to this   situation,   I prepared   a brief for guiding my creative team and asked them to come up with their ideas within the next few hours for releasing advertisements and outdoor campaign as well as a folder for explaining the significance of the government’s historic decision. When I returned to office after dinner to look at my team’s ideas, they presented me a tiger and even a peacock as the mascot for the   campaign that had no precedent.

I suggested that they come out with a visual matching the tag line ‘Elepahnt Unshackled’. We toyed with the idea of two elephants, one in chains and the other breaking out of them, but settled for an unshackled elephant, with its trumpeting trunk. I took a great risk by not putting the creative ideas through the political and bureaucratic channels for approvals that would   have delayed the campaign by several weeks. I tasked my outdoor team to get to work with the creatives and put up hoardings in New Delhi before the next evening, i.e.27^th of July. This was followed up with newspaper Ads and cinema slides. I was happy to note that newspapers noticed the message in the hoardings, reproduced the “Unshackled Elephant” and even favourably commented on it. I & B minister Ajit Panja complemented me for the promptness with which DAVP had moved   the campaign.

The PMO had set up a high level steering committee under the prime minister’s principal secretary for   overseeing the roll –out of economic reforms. The Secretary of I&B ministry was a member of this committee and he had been asked to attend its first meeting. He suddenly remembered my note on communication strategy for economic reforms telephoned me with a request that I should meet him with that note. We met and prepared for the steering committee meeting. I was co-opted as an invitee. I took the opportunity to get the stamp of approval (post facto, of course!) of this committee for using the elephant as the mascot   and the tagline for our communication campaign. No one paid any attention to the ad design and passed it quietly though!

I didn’t realize then that the issue of the mascot and the tag line was still an open issue. A few months later I was summoned by PMO to make a presentation to the PM himself about the work we had done and about the campaign plan for reforms agenda. (There is a separate story about this first encounter with the PM). During the presentation, I had showed the Ads with unshackled elephant released to media and no one offered any comments, making me assume that the mascot and tagline had been approved.

A few days later, the PM was taking another meeting in which several cabinet ministers were present, Out of nowhere, the Human Resource Development minister Arjun Singh (who was  expressing his opposition to PM’s economic reforms) pointed towards me and told Narasimha Rao that I was not projecting the reforms properly and  had used the elephant, not the  tiger, as the mascot. He further said that I should be asked to change the mascot. A major private Ad agency working for the Education ministry , I later learnt,  appears to  have  brought up this idea to the minister.

PV, without showing much reaction, asked me to explain my position. I clarified that tiger as   symbol of fast economic progress had been over used by south east Asian nations,   As they were small compared to India and were oligarchic not democratic like India, where processes were long.

It would be proper to use the elephant as the mascot, especially once India starts moving its impact would be global. Further, India had traditionally been a habitat of the elephant and we even have a elephant god. India should be different from east Asain story’

The Prime Minister, without even batting an eyelid, said “I agree’

I heaved a sigh of relief, as I had taken the risk of running the campaign  for several weeks under the tagline Unshackled Elephant, without subjecting it to the usual long-winding official processes.

(For those interested in reading more on how government advertising works under  severe handicaps should I recommend Pictures in Our Mind that deals with Canadian government advertising agency, a model adopted by India in setting up DAVP in 1950s).

Prannoy blasts ‘ghastly tsunami’ of tabloid journalism

·         NDTV Co-founder says credibility of TV news channels is at stake

·         Equals eye-ball chasers to ambulance chasers

·         Calls for stricter anti-defamation laws and speedy legal process

·         Receives Life Time Achievement Award @ Press Club-Mumbai’s national media awards

MUMBAI, May 1, 2015: Blasting the trend of ‘tabloidisation’ of Indian news channels, veteran anchor and NDTV co-founder Dr Prannoy Roy has called for stricter anti-defamation laws.

Prannoy Roy receiving the Press Club Mumbai
Lifetime Achievement Award from Railway Minister
Suresh Prabhu. Star TV CEO Uday Shankar looks on. Pic from NDTV.Com

Referring to the increasing levels of sensationaliation of news among English and even Indian language TV news channels, Dr Roy cautioned that the ‘ghastly tsunami’ of tabloid journalism will spell death knell for the electronic medium and as it impacts credibility of news reporting.

He was speaking at The Press Club-Mumbai’s national media awards event last night acknowledging the Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed on him.

Dr Roy stunned the audience when he cited the example of a woman news anchor of a Hindi channel who annolunced: ‘break ke baad, rape story’.

Interestingly, Dr Roy’s critical comments come close on the heels of Prasar Bharati Chairman A Surya Prakash’s statement at a Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) event at New Delhi where the latter expressed concern at inadequate self-regulatory mechanism among media houses and their race for TRPs. Mr Prakash suggested that the Press Council must be empowered with strong legal provisions to deal with all media, including TV news channels.

Dr Roy went a step ahead and said there should be stricter anti-defamation laws than what they are today.  But he hastened to add that this aspect should be dealt by legal machinery and judiciary. The government should have no role at all, he emphasized.

“Indian media thrives on punishment-free environment,” the veteran news anchor said and opined that journalists are getting slack. It will be tough to recover once they lose credibility and the recent political developments amply demonstrated this, he said.

He felt that the current legal framework is inadequate to deal with defamation cases which keep piling up and prosecution taking years and years.

Pointing out that the news channels are adopting the tabloid culture apparently to capture eyeballs, he equaled eye-ball chasers to ambulance chasers – a term used for lawyers who seek business at accident spots and hospitals.

Continuously harping on tabloidisation of TV journalism, Dr Roy felt that the advertisers are also equally to blame for encouraging sensationalism. Advertising planners must build an element of ‘quality-with-credibility’ in their spends while they too chase eyeballs to capture the viewers’ attention, he said.

In this context, he pointed out that NDTV does not practice tabloid journalism and that the channel won the coveted Most Trusted Media House award for the second year in succession.

He cautioned the young journalists against getting “too close to the sources”. This could also impact credibility as there is a danger of the news story emanating from such ‘sources’ getting coloured.

Dr Roy strongly batted for Net Neutrality, but said the culture of “unrestricted anonymity” of posting on social media is a big threat to the society. Promoters of social media sites should build in a technology structure to raise alarms when the anonymous people post comments that could hurt religious or cast sentiments of the people that could lead to violence and communal disturbances.

Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, who was the chief guest at the event, suggested that media houses should work on ‘Making News’ while chasing ‘Breaking News’. A lot of positive news left uncovered in this new trend, he said.

The union government, he said, is committed to freedom of press and that at no stage does it want to suppress dissent. In a vibrant democracy like India, media has to be anti-establishment to ensure proper checks and balances, he said.

The showstopper of sorts for the evening was interesting panel discussion – “Celebrating the Voice of Dissent- participated by senior journalists Shekhar Gupta, former Editor-in-Chief of the Indian Express and Srineevasan Jain of NDTV and Krishna Prasad, Editor-in-Chief of Outlook. The discussion was moderated by Sachin Kalbaug, the Editor of Mid-Day.

The media professionals expressed concern at some politicians turning ‘mini dictators’ and trying to threaten the freedom of speech.

During the awards event, Dr Roy was felicitated with the Life Time Achievement Award by the Railway Minister, along with CEO of Star TV Uday Shankar and Mumbai Press Club President Prakash Akolkar.

Dr Roy was chosen for the award for the yeomen service that he had done for TV journalism – and he was selected from a shortlist of senior editors by a survey among 200 journalists all over India, and a final unanimous consideration by the Managing Committee of the Mumbai Press Club. The previous recipients of Lifetime Achievement award were late Vinod Mehta, Kuldip Nayar, N Ram, and Mrinal Pande.

The RedInk awards – into its fifth edition - was held at the Jamshed Bhabha Auditorium of the National Centre for Performing Awards at Nariman Point here, which among others was attended by crème da la crème of Indian journalism. Top media practitioners across the country were present at the glittering event, which this time around was themed ‘Celebration of Dissent’.

The evening started with two-minute silence to mourn the death of thousands of people in a devastating earthquake in Nepal and parts of India including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

“The journey of the RedInk awards in the last five years has been thrilling. We started with two categories and today we have close to a dozen categories. It has grown in size and has been appreciated across the country. This year, we have received 800 plus entries and that speaks for itself,” Press Club Chairman Gurbir Singh said.

The RedInk Award for Journalist of the Year, instituted for the first time, has gone to Sreenivasan Jain of NDTV for his consistent investigative work  epitomized in his series ‘Truth versus Hype’ and other programmes. Similarly, Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief of Times Now, was selected as the Impact Editor of the Year for his ability to capture eyeballs and expand audience reach with his ‘News Hour’ show.

Scroll.in was be awarded the ‘Best News Start-Up of the Year’ for scaling up its influence rapidly as an alternative source of news and features.

Besides, nearly 20 journalists were given awards for their best stories in print and TV – which was judged by an elite panel of judges for categories including Business, Crime, Environment, Health & Wellness, Human Rights, Lifestyle & Entertainment, Politics, Science and Innovation, Sports and The Big Picture.

Star India is the Presenting Partner for Mumbai Press Club Redink Awards for Excellence in Journalism 2015. The awards partners are Aditya Birla Group, Indiabulls Housing, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Zee Entertainment, Eros International, Seven Hills Hospitals, Lunkad Investments and JSW Steel.

Winners of Mumbai Press Club Redink Awards 2015 are:

BUSINESS:   

Print                Mr Dinesh Narayanan, The Caravan Magazine

Television        Mr Dibang,ABP News          

                                               

CRIME          

Print                Ms Leena Reghunath, The Caravan Magazine           & Mr Vinod Kumar Menon, Mid Day          

Television        Mr Tarun Nangia & Mr Dipu Rai,Zee Business        

                                               

ENVIRONMENT     

Print                Mr Sharad Vyas, Mid Day    

Television        Mr Umesh Kumavat, ABP News & Mr Rajat Singh, Aaj Tak          

                                               

HEALTH & WELLNESS     

Print                Mr Johnson Poovanthuruth, Deepika & Ms Nikita Saxena,  Caravan           

Television        Ms Vrushali Purandare, TV -9           

                                               

HUMAN RIGHTS    

Print                Mr Salil Tripati, The Caravan Magazine        

Television        Mr Shams Tahir Khan, Aaj Tak         

                                               

LIFESTYLE & ENTERTAINMENT           

Print                Mr Tanul Thakur, The Big Indian Picture      

Television        Mr Jujhar Singh, NewX         

                                               

POLITICS     

Print                Mr Dinesh Narayanan, The Caravan Magazine

Television        Mr Jitendra Dixit, ABP News           

                                               

SCIENCE & INNOVATION           

Print                Mr Shamsheer Yousaf,           Fountain Ink Magazine          

                                               

SPORTS        

Print                Mr Rahul Bhatia, The Caravan Magazine      

Television        Ms Suprita Das, NDTV         

                                               

THE BIG PICTURE

Winner                        Mr Hari Adivarekar, Yahoo Originals

Runner-up       Mr Hemant R Padalkar, DNA           

                                               

IMPACT EDITOR OF THE YEAR  : Mr Arnab Goswami  Times Now     

                                               

NEWS START-UP OF THE YEAR : scroll.in                     

                                               

JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR : Mr Sreenivasan Jain, NDTV       

                                               

LIFE-TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD : Dr Prannoy Roy,           NDTV