Two days to go....

PRCI is associated with this prestigious awards event

Simple communication, key to PR success

Communication veterans guide upcoming professionals @ YCC-Vamnicon, Pune

PUNE: YCC VAMNICOM Chapter and PRCI Pune Chapter jointly Organised a Seminar on “Importance of Communication and Public Relations” on June 8, 2016.

Prashant Pathrabe (IIS), Director-PIB Pune and Chairman-PRCI Pune, delivered the keynote address. Sumedh Gupt, Regional Head-Business Development at Business Standard was the chief guest.

Er. Sanjeeb Patjoshi (IPS ADG),  Director-VAMNICOM, inaugurated the event.

A new batch of students recently joined at Vamnicom, a Government of India's premier Agribusiness Management Institute at Pune.

Avinash Gawai (National Secretary-PRCI YCC) has launched the YCC Chapter at Vamnicom in 2013 and even since, every year new set of YCC office bearers have been carrying on the YCC ahead.

Avinash Gawai in his opening remarks mentioned the importance of communication and the public relations for every professional, organisation or personal success in life.

He also expressed his gratitude to Vamnicom Director Er. Sanjeeb Patjoshi (IPS ADG) for all his help and guidance in making Vamnicom as the Resource Center for PRCI YCC Movement.

Er Patjoshi said in his speech that communication is an all pervasive phenomenon today and it is very important to learn basics of communication from experts in the field. He exhorted the students to avoid complicated words in their written communication. The event was organized by PRCI Pune for the students at VAMNICON.

Pathrabe said PR is an important skill which officials and executives working in the rural areas should endeavour to learn to perform their role more effectively said Prashant Pathrabe the Director of Press Information Bureau(PIB).

(L to R) Mr. Sumedh Gupte (Regional Head-Business Standard), Mr. Avinash Gawai (National Secretary- PRCI YCC), Mr. Prashant Pathrabe IIS (Director-Press Information Bureau) Ministry of Information & Brodcasting, Government of India and Rhythm Wagholikar (Chairman Ycc Pune Chapter)

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Pathrabe stressed that in performing their basic role in rural areas PR would be an invaluable skill as it is very useful at higher levels in the organization. After graduating these students work in management roles in banks, seeds and pesticide companies, cooperative institutions, agri-feed organizations and in poultry and other related agricultural activities.

He said what is required for doing PR is the ability to write in simple language and the ability to disseminate to media apart from the knowledge of the development and its context. He shared the experience of doing Public Information Campaigns in rural areas for disseminating the schemes of central government done by the PIB. In the rural setting, he said, rapport with local media and knowing the regional language is important.

Motivating the students for taking up communication roles he said passion for meeting people and command over language are the two prerequisites for being successful in this field. He said if you do it right you would get a better response in the rural areas to your communication activities than you would get in an urban area.

Sumedh Gupte elaborated on different aspects of advertising as an important part of the professional message and why it was important for an individual to market himself properly.

The informative talks were followed by a brief interactive session. Answering questions Pathrabe said media in India has a lot of freedom and had played an important role in bringing about awareness in the country. To another question on the functioning of media, he said media is being self-regulated in the country.

Mr. Rhythm Wagholikar was selected as the new Chairman of the Young Communicators Club (YCC) of the PRCI Pune.

Postal Bank Logo Contest

Ravi Shankar Prasad ‏@rsprasad  20 hours ago

Share ur creativity & become a winner of logo & tagline design contest for @IndiaPostOffice Payment Bank.

#kickthatcancerstick

We at Concept PR launched this unique social communication campaign today on the even of the World No Smoking Day.

Request all to support it.

Ajai Agrawal bereaved

Mrs Madhu Agrawal, wife of  Ajai Agrawal - PRCI former national executive president and ex corpcom head of Central Bank of India - passed away yesterday.

PRCI extends its condolences to Ajai and his family members. May God give them strength to overcome the terrible shock.
- Editor

Prahlad Kakkar to speak at The Commune on June 2

PR and corpcom professionals cmmunity ‘The Commune’ is here with its 2nd edition. On this occasion, ‘Ad Guru’ Prahlad Kakar, will be live and in-conversation on our platform.

This meet is scheduled for Thursday, June 02nd at Tonic, inside Famous Studio Lane, Mahalakshmi (West). Entry starts at 7.30pm till 8.20pm.

Agenda:
o    Tete-a-tete with Mr.Kakar goes live by 8.20pm till 9.30pm including an engaging activity

o    Followed by socializing & party till 1am

Only 50 PR/Corp communication professionals will be permitted. Dress code is party wear/ semi casuals/formal, come as you will.

Entry fee is only Rs.200 per person.  Rest, you pay for what you consume directly to the club (Tonic). To ensure you are further incentivized while socializing, we have got great deals till 1am. (Check attached invite for details).

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

Also, feel free to share this with your colleagues and PR network.

One could call on 9833582474 or reply on this mail to book their slots.

Like our fanpage to get instant updates of our gatherings - https://www.facebook.com/thecommuneforpr

In April, our first meet was attended by over 30 PR professionals from corporates and agencies. To know more about it, click on the link - http://www.afaqs.com/news/company_briefs/index.html?id=59608_The-Commune---Mumbais-First-Ever-Community-for-PR--Corporate-Communications-Professionals-Launched

About 'The Commune'
‘The Commune’ is Mumbai’s first of its kind community dedicated to PR & Corporate Communications professionals, facilitating monthly gatherings in a social setup. Established by Deepak Kapoor, this initiative will ensure monthly gatherings of the PR fraternity in the city’s best lounges and clubs.
 ‘The Commune’ aims to achieve the following objectives:
·         Regular networking and engagement

·         Up-close access to influencers from PR, Journalism, Advertising, Media & Entertainment, Filmmaking and Radio among others, in a uniquely devised format of a chat show

·         Pocket friendly entry fee and give attendees the power of choice to pay basis their consumption

·         Incentivized socializing for the PR fraternity through great offers and discounts on Food & Beverages

·         Open access to individuals from across hierarchies & functions

·         Highlight achievements and talents of PR professionals

Social media can shake traditional media if…

• Rajdeep Sardesai Calls for tweets with responsibility
• Addresses launch event of unique knowledge platform PRact

MUMBAI, May 21, 2016: Battling hostile twitterati day in and out, veteran television journalist Rajdeep Sardesai has stressed that social media has the power to shake the traditional media out of its slumber.

File pic

Rajdeep lamented that the traditional media has been failing to focus on real issues impacting the society. “They need to go out into the streets and villages to find facts and report rather than confining themselves to their offices or studios,” he said launching PRact, a knowledge platform floated by Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) and Indian PR Forum (IPRF).

PRact, which stands for PR in Action held a debate on Disruption – How it impacts us, in association with Mumbai Press Club last night. Delegates came not only from Mumbai, but New Delhi and Hyderabad.

Taking time off from his election bulletins, Rajdeep addressed the delegates via telephone straight from his India Today TV studio in New Delhi.

Asked about tablodisation of TV journalism that pioneer TV anchor and his mentor Dr Prannoy Roy attacked, Rajdeep said every news channel has its own way of reporting. But he admitted that the TRP-hungry electronic media failed to address real issues. It is in this context that he said social media can mirror real issues since traditional media does pick up cues from Tweets and Facebook postings.

Amit Tripathi holding the audience spell bound!

When a delegate pointedly asked his as to why TV channels report about drought only when farmers commit suicide, he said “Unfortunately it is true” and asked: “How many of us actually go into the villages and study facts?”

On the usefulness of social media for PR professionals, Rajdeep said: “Yes, it is a good tool. You can effectively use social media for spreading your message and molding opinions. You should think of ways to communicate your message other than merely depending on your press releases.”

Audience engrossed in CHANAKYA - April 2016 issue

Noted digital platform professional Amit Tripathi, managing director of Ideate Labs, said in his presentation that PR and media professionals should be ready for pleasant surprises and shocks as the Internet population is set to multiply by leaps and bounds. “The day is  not far off when each one of us will be connected to six to seven devices such as mobile phones, laptops, ipads and desk tops,” he said and pointed out “this offers a huge potential for communicators to engage their target groups.”

“Digital PR will acquire importance only when you go beyond posting press releases online,” Amit said.

Piyush Jain,  Head – Research and Analytics at Adfactors, presented an analysis of reporting trends of HR related issues. “It is a folly to believe that media does not report

Piyush Jain

much on HR. We identified 316 journalists who report on HR across media, across India,” Piyush said showing his startling study results.

PRCI national president B N Kumar, executive director of Concept PR, said PRact will strive to bridge the knowledge gap among upcoming PR professionals. Vikram Kharvi, Founder of Indian PR Forum, said “This is just a beginning. Between PRCI and IPRF and with the help of Mumbai Press Club we will hold many workshops.” Vikram asked delegates to come up with ideas that will help enhance knowledge levels of PR professionals.

Mumbai Press Club president Prakash Akolkar appreciated the event as a “fantastic one” and said “we all learnt a lot about technology that is overtaking us.”

Getting Rajdeep from his busy election duty is a coup, said veteran journalist Jatin Desai.

PRCI is the premier national body of PR, media, advertising, HR professionals with close to 30 chapters pan India and abroad, while IPRF is India’s largest online community with over 25,000 Public Relations and Corporate Communications professionals across all social platforms.

Stay tuned for the upcoming session by PRact…

For any queries, please reach out to: practindia@gmail.com

(Event pix by D Ramcandran, Solus Media)

Leveraging Ujjain Kumbh - Dainik Bhaskar Leads the Way

           

 World’s fourth largest newspaper creating OOH delight in Simhastha

A PRapport Special

UJJAIN: Thousands of saints (sadhus) clad in saffron robes with ashes smeared on their body and dreadlocked hair, few of them called ‘Naga Sadhus’ may not wear even any cloth – considered as a sign of separation from the materialistic world, the heavy smell of burning butter lamps, camphor  and incense sticks have started adding religious fervor to the much awaited month-long congregation – the Simhasta Kumbh.

After 12 years, Ujjain, one of the most sacred places in India located on the banks of the holy Kshipra river in the western region of Madhya Pradesh, has geared up gearing up for the largest spiritual gathering on earth-Kumbh.

Privacy Protected - Changing Rooms

Kumbh Mela is held at each of the four places namely Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayag), Nashik and Ujjain once in every 12 years. Kumbh in Ujjain is held when a rare configuration of planets takes place i.e. when the Sun is in the zodiac sign Aries and Jupiter in the zodiac Leo. The position of the Sun, Moon and Jupiter in different zodiac signs determines the location of the Kumbh in each of these places. This year Kumbh is scheduled from 22^nd Arpil-21^st May 2016 in Ujjain. Simhastha Kumbh-the largest spiritual gathering on earth is expected to attract more than 50 million people from across the globe.

According to Hindu mythology, the churning of ocean by the Gods and demons yielded a jar (Kumbh) full of nectar (Amrit). Gods did not wish to share it with demons. At the instance of Lord Indra(the King of Gods), his son Jayanta tried to run away with the jar, but he was followed by some of the demons. During the struggle for its possession, few nectar drops dropped at the holy rivers of these four places-Haridwar, Allahabad (Prayag), Ujjain and Nasik on earth.

Unique opportunity: As India’s largest and world’s fourth largest circulated daily with 44 million readers and a direct reach of more than 3,000 towns, Dainik Bhaskar decided to capitalize on this once-in-12-years opportunity. Planning has started more than a year ago. After several rounds of discussions with the external stakeholders like the municipal corporation, mela authorities and the local population, the plan was frozen and divided into three legs to ensure optimal reach:

Build-up to Kumbh(Oct’15- Jan’16)
Hoardings on all the four major roads to the city, Banners, Beautification drive with colorful wall paintings and overhead water tank paintings, T-Gates, Community Connect meetings and release of special cover.
Activation Support to Local administration(Feb’16-Mar ‘ 16)
‘Maha Arti, Installation of RO plant at the Mahakal Complex and a Kavi Sammelan on and dedicated to  sacred shipra river.
During the Kumbh(Apr’16-May’16)

Changing Room for the ladies at bathing ghats, information booklets and brochures for the pilgrims, newspaper stands at major hotels and garden umbrellas

Mr. Vikas Singh, Associate Vice President-Brand Marketing-Dainik Bhaskar says “While Madhya Pradesh Government is leaving no stone unturned to deliver a great experience for the devotees, we are happy to have partnered on this”.

As part of this partnership, we organized a ‘Maha Yatra’ and a ‘Maha Arti’ on 20^th March 2016. ‘Maha Yatra’ started from Shirsagar, one of the seven sacred lakes of Ujjain and ended up at R  amghat, the main Ghat. During the Maha Yatra, people had glimpses of the popular tra dition of Nagar praveshi of major akhadas. More than 10,000 people participated in this four kilometer long yatra. The Yatra, then culminated at Ram Ghat where Grand Arti at Shipra river by more than 200 priests was performed. Free bells and cymbals were distributed to more than 20,000 people at the ghat. The local administration also pitched in with OOH creatives that asked people to come out and witness the spectacular turnaround of the city.

The enthusiasm and participation shown by the locals of Ujjain during Maha-Aarti organized by Dainik Bhaskar culminated into Golden Book of World Records comprising most people participating in this auspicious event.

To provide clean and cold drinking water in the scorching hot months of Apr-May, Dainik Bhaskar has installed drinking-cum-RO plant at the main Mahakal complex. A large LED screen too has been installed inside the complex where people can see live visuals of the Mahakal Garbha Griha.

Dainik Bhaskar is also coming up with a 500 pager Coffee table book- lavishly interspersed with pictures some of which will be in public domain for the first time. This will basically be a rich visual depiction of all facets of Ujjain with reference to Kumbh. The book will borrow references from various religious texts like Skanda Purana and Bhag­wat Purana, classical literature like Kalidas’s Meghdoot and Raguvansham, historical documents like Govt gazettes and various others contemporary publications.

Talking about this build up, Mr. Vinay Maheshwari, Senior Vice President-Sales and Market Development and Brand Marketing, Dainik Bhaskar Group said “Being India’s largest and World’s fourth largest newspaper, we are driven by one of the core values of being connected with our stakeholders. Kumbh is an incredible platform to demonstrate that we care and hence, concentrated our efforts towards achieving this”

This Simhastha Kumbh offers a great opportunity for brand activation. With more than 50 million expected in a month, it offers any brand low cost per contact. Brands like Dainik Bhaskar are leveraging this opportunity to the fullest.

PRact Knowledge Platform formed

PRCI and Indian PR Forum (IPRF) a fast growing  networking body, have joined hands to float a unique knowledge platform called PRact.

The inaugural event will be held at Mumbai Press Club on May 20, 2016.

The event, which has already created buzz among PR circles, promises to be a big hit.

‘The Commune’ takes off

 Mumbai’s First of its Kind Community for PR Professionals

Mumbai witnessed the launch of ‘The Commune’, the city’s first of its kind community for PR & Brand/Corporate Communications professionals, facilitating face to face interactions thereby providing increased opportunities for networking and knowledge sharing. This initiative will drive monthly gatherings of the PR fraternity in a social setup, i.e. city’s best lounges and clubs. As a part of this launch, an inaugural meet was organized on April 27th, 2016 at Tonic, a prominent lounge located in Central Mumbai.

PRCI Mumbai Chapter Chairman Ajay Sharma,
national president B N Kumar and
Deepak Kapoor, founder of The Commune

This meet was attended by communications professionals from companies such as Mahindra & Mahindra, Huntsman International, Vermillion Capital Advisors and The Shaimak Davar Group. Individuals from PR agencies such as Concept PR, Adfactors, MSL Group, Perfect Relations, Genesis Burson-Marsteller, Integral PR, Gutenberg Communications, Seven Communications & Beyond and Prime Communique, were present for this gathering.

Commenting on this initiative, Deepak Kapoor, Founder – The Commune, said, “I always believed a platform is required in Mumbai that lets PR professionals to socialize and build connections on a regular basis. Moreover, engagement with influencers from PR and allied industries such as advertising, media & entertainment, journalism and filmmaking among others, is something that needed more work. At ‘The Commune’, our efforts will be to keep providing such opportunities which doesn’t take a toll on the young professionals wallet as well.”

Popular standup comedians Siddharth Dudeja and Gaurav Kapoor also graced the evening with an engaging standup performance, enthralling the communications professionals. For the next edition of ‘The Commune’, a key influencer from PR, Journalism, Advertising, Media & Entertainment, Filmmaking and Radio among others, will be invited and profiled, supported by activities building engagement with the attendees.

About 'The Commune’:

Harsh Sheth of MSL Group, Tanni Mandal of PR Hub,
Deepak Kapoor, Founder, The Commune and
Hemchandra Shetty of Genesis Burson-Marsteller

‘The Commune’ is Mumbai’s first of its kind community dedicated to PR and Brand/ Corporate Communications professionals, facilitating face to face connections in a social setup. This community is established by Deepak Kapoor, a communications specialist and contributor for industry portals on trends pertaining to the PR business. ‘The Commune’ will ensure monthly gathering of the PR fraternity in the city’s best lounges and clubs and 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

An Essay Contest Not-so-Easy!

BHOPAL :  Public Relations Council of India (PRCI) and PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry organised an essay competition for undergraduate and postgraduate students on: ‘Responsibility of youth in India becoming an economic superpower’.

As many as 30 UG/PG students from Makhanlal Chaturvedi University and 7 Colleges of Bhopal participated in the keen contest.

Prizes were given away to the winners by Dr. Ashish Dongre, director, technical education at a well-attended workshop on ‘Innovation and Creativity’ here on Friday. A large number of industrialists, academicians, policy-makers and students were present.

Anamika Thakur and Rimjhim Jain — both students of Sant Hirdaram Girls College, Bairagarh — bagged first prize in English and Hindi.  Second prize winners were Mithila Krishnadas (Sathyasai College),  Arpita Pandey (Makhanlal Chaturvedi University), Soniya Tanwani (IEHE), Anurag Goswami (Radharaman College), Suraj Prakash Kashyap (VNS) and Poonam Bagul (TIT Group).

Media was generous to give good coverage to the essay competition.

Think PR, Think ME - BNK in Brands Illustrated

Conversation with B N Kumar, National President - PRCI and Executive Director- Concept PR. (Reproduced with permission from Brands Illustrated - 100 MOST VALUABLE CONSUMER BRANDS 2016(

Innovation drives me - Ashish Jalan in Brands Illustrated

Conversation with Ashish Jalan, CEO & Director, Concept PR
(Reproduced with permission from Brands Illustrated - 100 MOST VALUABLE CONSUMER BRANDS 2016)