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Get ready for the big daddy of PR conferences - the 29th All India PR Confe
2007-12-09 19:39:00
More than 250 PR professionals from across India and abroad will meet at the upcoming mega PR conference - the annual 29th All India PR Conference from December 13-15, 2007 at Green Park Hotel, Chennai. Yup, it's a three day Woodstock, where the networking will flow free and sharing of ideas and PR guru mantras will be the order of the day. The beer and the entertainment will flow in the evenings.The theme for this year's conference is 'infrastructure'. The PRSI site explains - The gains of infrastructure development will be seriously affected if there is failure or delay in its continued progression; failure or delay could affect the lives of the common man and, indeed, GDP growth. PRSI members believe that there is need to take the subject of infrastructure development beyond industrial boundaries, to impress its importance to as many as possible. However, such an exercise is best carried out in a non-technical manner. And that can be achieved by using PR as a tool and as a pl...
More About: Daddy , Conferences , Ready , Get Ready

Employer Pet Peeves: An Indian PR Firm Perspective from the Corner Room
2007-12-08 07:03:00
As a sequel to last week's article this week I want to showcase the view from the wrong end or right end of the shotgun barrel, depending on your status in the food chain.In a business, that is slowly maturing there is yet lots of road to travel down the professional path. The resource crunch pandemic is becoming a reality, as is the case with all other businesses; PR Firm's too like every other enterprise are seeking to keep, up skill and attract new talent!The above is a regular star in the everyday nightmare of a business leader in a PR Firm. The other cast include Mergers, buyout led account re-alignment. The loss of people can mean a lost account, worse loss of reputation and making it further harder to retain and hire and get general traction.Employer pet peeves further include offer letter terrorism. This is any interesting phenomenon that involves swimming the job market and stacking offers. While everyone wants to offer their services at the best price, the mechanics invo...
More About: Indian , Corner , Peeves , Room

Blogs getting recognised as media outlets in India
2007-12-06 19:49:00
In my previous post I had written about ten reasons why PR professionals could benefit from pitching to bloggers, including the smaller ones. While many still fail to see merit in the arguments presented, or are unable to find ways to monetise such coverage unlike a traditional press clip, the good news for bloggers is that many companies are engaging with bloggers already in India .And these range from big organizations to smaller ones including start-ups. During a recent interaction with Arathi Vedantham, Head-Corporate Communications, Yahoo! India, she admitted bloggers hardly figure anywhere in PR plans for most agencies and their clients. ?But they are important to us at least, and we engage with them on a regular basis,? she says. Proof of this? Bloggers and online media get invited to junkets by Yahoo India along with journalists from mainline media.In fact, while covering some conferences in the US and UK recently, I was surprised to see media rooms full of bloggers and onlin...
More About: Media , Blogs

Thursdays with Tushar - Is the cilent always right?
2007-12-05 19:32:00
"Sir, I am working in a medium sized PR agency as an Account Director in the NCR. Recently, I went for a client meeting along with a team. We had a small argument with the client representative on some event we were planning for and though we arrived at a mutually agreed solution to that problem, he contacted CEO of our company and complained about us with adding more fuel to it and in the end, we felt the ire of our CEO without any fault of our team. This was very demoralising and disturbing for all of us.This leads me to a question, why do we always believe that client is right? Why can't the bosses have trust on their own team? Would you help us understand this issue? - Vikas & Team"Dear Vikas:I am not surprised. We have heard so many such stories. We also read a lot on 'Customer is King', 'Customer is always right' and 'Grahak hamara bhagwan hain' and so on... The client is paying the money to the company, while you are being paid by the company. Am I sprinkling salt ...

A Flat World of Paradoxes
2007-12-04 19:49:00
Photograph Source: Time MagazineThis post does not qualify under the head of ?Public Relations?, ?digital media? or ?trends in communication?, that the readers of IPRB may be used to. The author however in her attempt to observe the underlying currents of all these heads, in this inaugural post, seeks your indulgence :)I have been mulling over for some time now on the bit in The World is Flat where Friedman talks about the challenges of dual identities that we face today. As a consumer we want the best products at the cheapest rates (the labour conditions and environmental protection then not highest on our priority). However as a citizen we are concerned about how we treat people and our nature.I feel the same duality everyday when I read newspapers ? as a PR professional/Friedman?s consumer I reverently look at the mainstream media as a tool that enables me to connect my client with its audience. However as a common reader/citizen, I am less reverent and more critical of the same ...
More About: Paradoxes

10 things you should learn before finishing your PR internship
2007-12-03 19:37:00
A number of young interns at my current and previous organisation would ask what they should look forward to learning during their internships, how they can set their career graph, etc. Being the friendly colleague, I'd give them a few tips whenever I could find the time. I wonder how many interns at other places must be having these same sort of questions.So to all the young PR professionals, this is a list of the top 10 things you should learn during your PR internship, in no particular order:1. Writing: It is said in PR, out of your total skill set, 50% should be verbal communication skill and the rest 50% should be good writing skill. Get to learn and write compact press releases, media pitches, invitations, etc. These are the basic writings that every PR professional should know before going to the advance stuff - white papers, case studies, speeches, etc. Make yourself good enough to have your drafts ready to go out to external audiences without any edits from your bosses.2. ...
More About: Things , Learn , Internship , Nish

Are PR Firms People Friendly; Employee Pet Peeves!
2007-11-29 19:50:00
This week I want to talk about the state of the PR firm business. Are PR firms people friendly?What are the latest trends in human resource development that qualify for being people friendly and enable organizations to retain and yet allow employees or consultants to be productive, despite challenges of everyday life like large commuting distances, family emergencies, medical exigencies, maternity, or even something as common as burnout!The record of PR firms in this regard has been rather poor I must confess. The report card on the other side of the table in buy side roles, whether in marketing or communications, has not been exactly inspiring either though there are instances of evolved organizations that have understood the benefits of such policies in retaining talent and keeping rare skills and IP (Intellectual Property) sticky despite the challenges that cycles of life pose to a typical employee.So what are these things that make everyday life easier, yours and mine too?Teleco...
More About: People , Friendly , Peeves , Employee , Firms

Thursdays with Tushar: Shoot us!
2007-11-28 19:33:00
Now on, every Thursday we are going to provide answers to readers' queries on public relations - how to? what to? mid-career crisis, beginners blues, or anything you feel comes under the purview of Public Relations (Everything it seems!).You can be a PR or marketing professional, entrepreneur, journalist, event management professional, student, or just anybody.And yes, if we don't have the answer(s) available with us, we will get some of the best brains in the business to answer your query. Please shoot your questions to us on editor@indiaprblog.comThis week's question is from Mr. Abhinav Pathak:"There is one thing I want to know about that how we can do the public relation for the builders? If I want to sell the one apartment what should be the strategy for that? Please help me in this. I am waiting for your early response."Abhinav, the first part of the question is quite easy but the second part of it is like a bouncer from Shoaib Akhtar! Once, as a senior cricketer I thought o...
More About: Shoot

Now watchdog for PR industry
2007-11-27 20:04:00
ABC television's Media Watch program is going to start reporting bad tactics and activities of the PR industry from next year.A theAge.com.au's article has quoted Jonathan Holmes, reporter with ABC TV saying that he hoped to 'expose the more egregious antics of the industry that all too often tries to sway, or mislead, or simply stonewall journalists who are trying to do an honest job'.He said the public relations industry permeated government and business at every level and exerted undue 'influence these days on what we read and hear and watch'.It is unlikely that the program would cover the Indian PR industry but definitely this is one landmark development worth taking note of. Such a media program were to start in India, I wonder how many funny antics of PR agencies will be exposed.PR agencies with black practices, beware.Tech Tags: pr public+relations india
More About: Industry

All rounder or a specialist PR professional?
2007-11-26 19:56:00
Are you an all-rounder or a specialist PR professional? As the Indian PR industry matures, we are seeing a number of specialist functions in PR agencies and specialist PR agencies coming up in the recent years.We have new business development teams, media relations teams, planning & teams, and creative writing teams apart from the client servicing teams in big agencies. In small agencies, all this would be bundled in the client servicing executive's profile.We have specialist PR agencies servicing only specific industry verticals like IT (20:20 Media, Text 100), healthcare (Imprimis), Investor Relations and IPOs (Adfactors, Concept... though A has a number of other clients in other verticals as well), social media (Blogworks), in-house PR ad agencies (Rediffusion, LinOpinion, IPAN, etc). Then we have the generalist PR agencies that services multiple verticals (Corporate Voice Weber Shandwick, Genesis, Perfect Relations, etc).Which one would you go for? Do you see yourself and g...
More About: Rounder , Professional , Fess

Top 10 reasons why PR professionals should pitch to small blogs
2007-11-25 20:03:00
There are big blogs and small blogs. PR professionals are seemingly on the lookout of top league blogs to pitch their client stories. What about the smaller ones - the B list blogs?For instance, many Indian blogs, even the real high quality ones, do not generate the kind of traffic one sees in the west; nor do they get as many links and comments as they may deserve. They stay low on the radars of PR professionals who would rather go for a clip in a print publication (even if it is one with even lower readership than many blogs).Do PR and marketing professionals avoid these blogs altogether? Wait a second. Some of these smaller blogs on the contrary can provide significant value add.Here are the top ten reasons why you might want to start considering pitching to a small blog: 1. Influencers to a niche audience: Low readership may not mean low relevancy. Many of the blogs are being read by people who may matter to the company. These could be key customers, investors, prospective partn...
More About: Blogs , Small , Reasons , Pitch , Professionals

Titan launches PR 2.0 campaign
2007-11-24 20:41:00
Good news for the bikers. Titan Industries has launched a new line of new biker accessories including its Bikers range of eye gear, and the 'no hands' Neon disc range of watches.No. That's not what the main focus of this post is about.What is more interesting here for a marketing professional is the way they have launched it. Apart from the ad campaign on TV featuring John Abraham, they have embarked on leveraging the social media, making Titan one of the few companies in India to take the lead on embracing PR 2.0.Titan has come out with the Fastrack social media news room for bloggers. They are using the newsroom to share information and news on Fastrack. It also features social media press releases (Bikers and Neon Disk), Flickr streams of Fastrack gears, social bookmarking buttons, videos, media coverage, product and company information, spokesperson profile, RSS feeds, and more.For the consumers, Titan has launched two Facebook groups called Life on Fastrack and Bikers on the...
More About: Campaign

How to engage successfully with client CEOs
2007-11-23 20:12:00
There are CEOs and there are CEOs. I meet many quite often and was told by one of them very recently that becoming a CEO and remaining a CEO requires only one quality - ability to make profit, profit and more profit. Well, he may be right and I don't blame him either. That's the way global corporations are designed - shareholders driven! A CEO juggles with many things, so does he or she has a time for the PR guy? How do you make sure that a CEO listens to you and engages with you so that you can make your PR more effective and beneficial for the organization. Let's try to find out.I have a very simple suggestion to make here. Talk to a CEO like a CEO. Let me explain what it means.Who is a CEO? A CEO is a person who has been given a responsibility to run the organisation (and make profits) and who is expected to know all aspects of the business - typically finance, manufacturing, sales & marketing, expansion, new product development and so on. The list is endless. In the limit...
More About: Engage , Client

How to use mobile phone SMS in your PR & Marketing campaigns
2007-11-22 20:11:00
There is something happening out there!SMS or Text Messaging is fast becoming a method of interactive PR and Marketing . The evidence of its popularity is all around but no one has really grasped the significance of this new tool that bridges the online and offline world for consumers. Text messages today can include graphics, video, and the infamous MMS.So what are the numbers out there today? With a 213 Million mobile subscriber base growing at nearly a million year-on-year as opposed to an abysmal banking penetration of 30 per cent and an internet penetration of 60,000,000 Internet users as of September 2007, 5.3 per cent penetration, as per ITU, and 2,520,000 broadband Internet connections as of September 2007, as per IWS. Mobile marketing has really been what is know as a 'push' game so far, with an inability to get delivery reports or replies back to a text message.All this is now changing with the technology becoming available to enable 'pull'. The latter really being an a...
More About: Phone , Mobile Phone , Campaigns

How to create more resourceful PR events
2007-11-21 20:12:00
There is rarely an important event where you don?t have a media desk or room. This is usually manned by a well known PR agency, who may have also arranged for computers, Wi-Fi and refreshments for journalists. But are they being resourceful enough to meet the more critical needs of the media present?The answer could be a resounding NO in most cases. And this is true for events in Delhi, London, Hong Kong, and other parts of the world ? from small ones to those with multi-million dollar budgets. The reasons for this conclusion, from personal experience, are:1. Where are the pictures? Why can?t media be provided pictures of the event real time? Eiter these are not being taken, or are being provided after a few days or weeks. The media needs pictures not only today, but now ? especially online ones. And of course, with proper captions. Needs all of two people to manage this.2. Why can?t speaker lists and bios be updated? It is normal for speakers at events to be changed at the last min...
More About: Events , Create

Managing client expectation ? saying ?no? to insignificant last minute requ
2007-11-20 19:33:00
If your client says he?s travelling to a certain city the next day and asks if you could organise a media meeting for him there, what do you say? Do you quickly call up your branch office or your affiliate in that city, make a super-fast pitch note, and ensure that he gets the media interview he wants?On one hand, this might look great that you are able to get things done no matter what. On the other hand, you might be actually putting the axe on your foot. Allow me to explain why.What young PR managers must remember is that good client servicing is not just delivering on the account, but also managing your client expectations. We know that our clients are paying us lacs of rupees per month and if they have their way, they would expect an ET front page story everyday. We know this is not possible.So when you take over an account, remember the client is gauging you. You need to show your pro-activity and creativity yet put your foot down on certain items that you think are going slig...
More About: Minute , Client

Redefining 'public' in public relations
2007-11-19 19:36:00
Few years ago there was this song "Yeh jo public hain woh sab jaanti hain..." became an instant hit and I think if you listen it carefully we can definitely learn few things about Public Relations ! Search Google and there are chances that you would find it somewhere on the web to listen and download - Free! But what is the 'public' in PR? In this small note I have tried to give you my understanding of the 'P' of PR - more suggestions are welcome!Historically for us our primary public was journalists and if you knew few or many journalists in the field, you can very well say that you have mastered the art of Public Relations. Many PR agencies have started and survived on this unique skill. It's an art and I have seen many fellow professionals have mastered it. There was a company, there was a journalist, and there was a PR guy who knew both. The marriage rocked and even today it is a successful model. The sophistication started coming in from the B school kids and when so called...

The end of the non-alignment era?
2007-11-18 10:51:00
Allow the heading to the writer?s preoccupation with twisting words to make an impact. No inference to the non-aligned movement the headline is triggered by the recent news of Hanmer & Partners selling out to MS&L. Before offering comments and views, let me try to quickly put this development into some context:- With Perfect Relations also in serious marriage talks, the big 3 of Indian PR firmament will sooner or latter be foreign owned.- Unlike dating (affiliations, partnerships and representations) which was prevalent hitherto and which meant there was no control transfer, the preference this time around seems to be marriages (buyouts/acquisitions)- The firms at the time of selling out were doing very well for themselves- India was one of the largest potential markets for PR across the globe where none of the global networks could make a significant dent and which was ruled by indigenous PR firms till very recentlySo what is really triggering the change? Here is my two cen...
More About: Alignment

Charging money to media for using event pictures
2007-11-14 19:50:00
One interesting and debatable news today is about Cricket Australia deciding to charge the media for distributing the pictures of its current series.We have always heard of TV channels fighting for exclusive broadcasting rights to telecast cricket matches, bidding huge amounts of money against one another. So this announcement seems like something that was bound to happen and so you wonder what's the big deal anyway. On the other hand, yes this will cripple free and fair media reporting and money, not journalistic skill, will decide who gets to report what.What's your take?Tech Tags: pr public+relations india Cricket Australia
More About: Pictures , Media , Event , Money , Charging

Esha to Launch Monthly TV and Online Media Monitor Reports Service
2007-11-12 19:31:00
Esha Broadcast Monitor ing, as a first in India, is launching a monthly Television Coverage Monitoring Report service, where they will monitor and compile coverage reports of how a particular brand, corporate, or spokesperson of a particular organisation has been visible in the television news channels or any other television networks on a month to month basis. They will also provide comparison of coverage achieved by a particular company in a month vis-a-vis its competition.Till now, we have been using TV monitoring agencies only when we get a coverage of a client on a TV channel and wants to have that clip recorded. This can be a refreshing change.The second service Esha is introducing is an Online Media Monitor Report service, also a first in India. Online media they track includes online news sites and blogs. Of course you can use Google Alerts for this, but if you prefer new clips customised in your agency masthead ready to be compiled in your hard copy reports or forwarded to y...
More About: Service , Launch

Happy Diwali
2007-11-07 20:01:00
Happy Diwali to all the India PR Blog readers. Why are you even reading this blog today? Go home and enjoy with your friends and family. And if you HAVE TO go out for a media round today like we did last year, don't take too much time :-)Tech Tags: pr public+relations india
More About: Happy

PRSI National PR Day CelebrationsIndia PR Events
2007-11-07 00:00:00
When: Sat Apr 21, 2007 18:30 to 20:30  ISTWhere: Accord Metropolitan Hotel, 35-37 GN Chetty Road, Chennai- 17 Event Status: confirmed
More About: Events , National , Sind

Seminar on Media Management - Innovations and new directions in media manag
2007-11-07 00:00:00
When: Sat May 19, 2007 10:30 to 12:30  ISTWhere: Sri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi Event Status: confirmed
More About: Media , Management , Innovations , Directions , Seminar

PRCI Daughters' Day Celebration, BangaloreIndia PR Events
2007-11-07 00:00:00
When: Sun Jul 1, 2007 10:00 to 12:00  ISTWhere: Al Ameen College, near Lalbagh Circle, Bangalore Event Status: confirmed
More About: Events , Celebration , Daughters

PRCI Talk on Traditional PR, and How much communication is too much, Chenna
2007-11-07 00:00:00
When: Fri Jul 6, 2007 18:30 to 19:30  ISTWhere: Hotel Savera, Chennai Event Status: confirmed
More About: Communication , Talk , Traditional

Corporate Communications & PR Conclave '07 NDIndia PR Events
2007-11-07 00:00:00
When: Sat Jul 28, 2007 09:30 to 17:00  ISTWhere: Le Meridien, Delhi Event Status: confirmed
More About: Events , Corporate , Communications

3rd Annual Corporate Communications, MumbaiIndia PR Events
2007-11-07 00:00:00
When: Thu Aug 2, 2007 to Fri Aug 3, 2007  Where: Le Royal Meridien, Mumbai Event Status: confirmed
More About: Events , Corporate , Communications , Annual

Indo-USA Conference on PR and BusinessIndia PR Events
2007-11-07 00:00:00
When: Thu Jun 12, 2008 to Tue Jun 17, 2008  Where: Hotel Green Park, Chennai Event Status: confirmed
More About: Events , Indo , Conference , Sine , Sind

EnterPRise 'adding value' - PRCI National Convention, JaipurIndia PR Events
2007-11-07 00:00:00
When: Fri Nov 23, 2007 to Sat Nov 24, 2007  Where: Auditorium OTS, Nehru Bhawan, JLN Marg, Jaipur Event Status: confirmed
More About: Events , National , Convention , Enterprise

29th All India Public Relations ConferenceIndia PR Events
2007-11-07 00:00:00
When: Thu Dec 13, 2007 to Sat Dec 15, 2007  Where: Hotel Green Park, Chennai Event Status: confirmed
More About: India , Events , Public Relations , Public , Relations