tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31782669190968333512024-03-14T01:27:47.026+05:30PRmypassionA blog for the love of public relations and communications. Views expressed are personal.Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-86696295374267710352016-09-08T13:35:00.002+05:302016-09-08T13:35:59.171+05:30Five Failures of a Communicator<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Communications is essentially a leadership discipline. Any
individual who cannot communicate effectively will find it difficult to lead.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, the task of the communicator is to support the leader to
develop her/ his communication skills.<o:p></o:p></div>
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An effective communicator must understand her/ his leader,
who is the leader talking to, what does the leader want to say, what matters to
her/ his audience and what the audience wants to say to the leader. Very often,
we tend to focus on the first two aspects. A communicator falls into the trap
of putting what the leader wants to say at the centre whereas the audience
falls in the periphery. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In the book ‘<a href="http://thepowerofcommunication.net/index.php/products/the-power-of-communication" target="_blank">Power of Communication</a>’, the author lays out
the tenets of communication succinctly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He defines communication as:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>An act of will
directed towards a <u>living entity that reacts</u>.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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And what’s the purpose of communication: To build trust and
loyalty towards the brand/ leader.<o:p></o:p></div>
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With this in mind, here are five communications ‘killers’. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">1. COMPLEXITY</span></h3>
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This is precisely what happens when communicators lack
clarity about the target audience, its preferences and its receptivity to the
company’s messages. A journalist once told me – what’s a headline that needs to
be explained. Spot-on. What’s a message that the audience has to crack its
brains to understand. I agree that the audience isn’t always a homogeneous set
but that is what makes the communicators role more strategic. In an era where
business interests drive geopolitics, where heads of government openly bat for
their home companies, can a communicator afford to take his eyes off various
strata of audiences – from government to consumers. In a democracy, where
consumer perception drives government thinking, can a B2B company say that
consumers are not my audience? <o:p></o:p></div>
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It’s a communicators job to simplify and humanize the
company’s seemingly complex product or service attributes. That would mean
intense engagement with the business stakeholders, asking the right and
sometimes “basic” questions as well as gathering and understanding customer/
target audience feedback. Many a times,
that would mean helping the spokesperson interpret the message in layman terms
(eg. using analogies) without losing its impact. Of course, the communicator
may face resistance. For instance, a leader may ask why he cannot be more
direct and take the bull by the horns. In many cases, my response to such
questions is that media, whether traditional or social media, is not the ideal
platform to fight your battles. What will the audience gain from this battle?
Are they even interested?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sound understanding of the audience will help the
communicator hold her/ his ground. A communicator should question everyday -
How well do I understand my audience?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><br /> 2. GENERALIZED MESSAGING</span></h3>
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The best measure of a message is to replace the company’s
name with that of its competitor. Does the message still hold true? If so, the
communicator has failed to build the right proof points.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For communicators, messaging would be their raison d’etre.
This is where communicators devote or ‘should devote’ a large part of their
time. The rise of public relations came about because of the need for
differentiation in a highly cluttered and fragmented market. As audiences
evolve, flashy catch-phrases and celebrity endorsements are not good enough.
Differentiation in messaging is core to brand positioning.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also, we need to think how is my company being positioned in
the larger narrative. If my arguments are not convincing, do I need to be in
the narrative. Some communicators say that we cannot miss being in that story.
My answer to that is what value have you added by being there. If you’re a tag
along with the others, your spokesperson’s comment is simply a tick in the box
for the journalist and for the audience, you are another one of the long list
of me-too brands which they couldn’t care less about.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Communicators must make the message specific, contextual and
structured to fit the audience, situation and purpose. Are we ready to make
that effort or just getting the story out is good enough?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /><span style="color: orange;">3. MONOLOGUE</span></h3>
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Because we’re shouting from the rooftop doesn’t mean that
our audience is listening. Remember, we’re talking to a living entity that
reacts. If there is no reaction, most probably, no-one is listening. Time to
ask - Is the communication getting one-directional? A crucial metrics for
success needs to be audience feedback, and more importantly “target audience”
feedback. How many people shared your company/ leader’s comment? How many left
comments and what were they saying? It's not a bad idea for most social media
platforms to add a ‘boring’ tab for posts. That would be a more effective
measure than the ‘like’ tab, at least for communicators.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">4. PLAYING DEFENSE</span></h3>
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In an insightful piece titled ‘<a href="https://medium.com/the-new-cco/as-world-becomes-more-volatile-social-role-of-communicator-intensifies-9233f1491eb5?_sm_au_=i0V22TP1ZN0Hw1T3#.k1zujap8n" target="_blank">As world becomes morevolatile & social, role of Communicator intensifies</a>’ by <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=8015267&privcapId=177031" target="_blank">Gary Sheffer,former GE CCO</a>, he mentions how he misunderstood the CEO’s question on how to
handle a possible crisis situation as how he would react to it whereas what the
CEO was asking was whether he could address the cause so that the crisis
wouldn’t occur in the first place. As communicators we tend to get into
firefighting mode quite instinctively. Can we shift focus to helping prevent
fires? Getting to the cause and addressing it beforehand is how the
communicator wins the CEO’s trust. And we thought crystal ball gazing was only
for wizards? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="color: orange;">5. DIVERGENT VOICES</span></h3>
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Who wouldn’t like to be in front of the camera, giving
bytes. The question is how many spokespersons are needed to talk on a subject
to a finite set of media. Perhaps, the most crucial ability of a communicator
is the ability to say ‘No’, with solid reason of course. The worst thing to
happen to a company is to have every division/ function take the liberty to
send out a message at whatever forum and in whichever way it deems fit. The
chances of divergent messaging are high leading to confusion in the minds of
the audience. So, what does this company actually stand for? Yes, a company can
stand for many aspects depending on the audience set but the underlying
positioning cannot be divergent. A communicator would do grave injustice to
her/his role if she/he cannot ensure a coherent message across all business
divisions and functions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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No-one said being a communicator is easy. More communicators
fail, not because they are poor communicators but because they are poor
leaders. A successful communicator must demonstrate the qualities of a leader,
both internally and externally in order to command the respect that her/his role truly deserves.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-6776842246225863362016-04-20T23:59:00.002+05:302016-04-20T23:59:58.556+05:30What it takes to Build Brand India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Four
credits and four discredits that profoundly impact Brand India</span></span></i></h4>
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As per the Brand Finance Report released in November 2015,
India figures as the seventh most valuable Nation Brand. Only three Asian
nations - China, India and South Korea - figure among the top 20 most valuable
nation brands. What stood out was that India's rate of increase has been the
highest among the top 10 by brand value. Apart from the ‘Incredible India’
campaign aimed at encouraging tourism, there has been little concerted effort
to build Brand India. So it’s worth exploring what can be behind this rise in
the chart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Every brand needs to have some inalienable features that
define its identity. In Melissa Aronczyk’s book <b>Branding the Nation</b>, she defined nation branding as<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>“the result of the
interpenetration of commercial and public sector interests to communicate
priorities among domestic and international populations for a variety of
different reasons”. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Nation brand building uses multiple different mediums (such as advertisement,
public relations and public diplomacy campaigns) to achieve many different
goals, whether it’s to encourage tourism or increase trading/ business. Here’s
exploring four brand attributes that are defining today’s Brand India. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Talent Factory:</span></b>
India’s growing acceptance as a source of exceptional talent was first openly
acknowledged in the 2011 article by Time magazine titled <a href="http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2084441,00.html">India’s
Leading Export: CEOs</a>, followed by many other pieces over the years
including the BloombergView story titled <a href="http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2014-02-05/why-microsoft-and-everyone-else-loves-indian-ceos">Why
Microsoft and Everyone Else Loves Indian CEOs</a>. A big factor for the rise of
Indians to head global companies is rooted in their multi-cultural upbringing. As
an example, most Indian schools follow the three-language formula where every
child is taught a minimum of three languages (Hindi, English and one more
Indian or foreign language) in elementary school. This has a huge influence in
a child’s formative years. Personally, I found it quite odd that most of my
friends educated in the West would speak just one language fluently while I
could speak three with equal ease. With language comes the ability to understand
cultural nuances and different ways of thinking, dealing with people. Moreover,
the stiff competition for limited seats at the top Indian colleges means that
students have to try that much harder. New York Times carried a story titled <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/14/world/asia/squeezed-out-in-india-students-turn-to-united-states.html?_r=0">Squeezed
Out in India, Students Turn to U.S.</a> on how it’s often easier to get into
the Ivies than into India’s top institutes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Technology and Space
Research:</span></b> As any headhunter looking for technology-related talent anywhere
in the world would vouch, quite a few of the resumes shortlisted would belong
to people of Indian origin. Another reason may be that most Indian engineers
and scientists prefer working for global technology brands. The Indian
companies that have gained global recognition are IT services firms. It begs
the question - when will Indian entrepreneurs build a product brand like
Samsung that can challenge the dominance of established players with
cutting–edge technology or Tesla that can redefine the market? Most Indian
unicorns are e-commerce companies that mirror the business models of successful
American brands. Many argue that this isn’t real innovation. Indians have to
move from technology services to building technology products. This is
beginning to happen but the pace certainly needs to pick-up.</div>
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The one recent incident that brought India’s technology
product capability in global view was India’s Mars Orbitor Project – Mangalyaan
– which was executed at a fraction of the cost of similar projects by NASA. It
made the global scientific community sit up. That’s what India needs to do more
of to make a lasting impression. This
sort of frugal innovation needs a strong local ecosystem that encourages
scientific research. The process has begun to gain momentum. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Costs of the Mars Missions by various countries & agencies </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8KcSDqhNgfI/Vxe90Fjo36I/AAAAAAAAB2M/z9yyhVDNqA01Te0LQzZ2equJK2wmtpKJwCLcB/s1600/Mangalyaan_mission%2Bcontrol%2Bafp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8KcSDqhNgfI/Vxe90Fjo36I/AAAAAAAAB2M/z9yyhVDNqA01Te0LQzZ2equJK2wmtpKJwCLcB/s1600/Mangalyaan_mission%2Bcontrol%2Bafp.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: small;">Indian Space Research Organization: Mission Control Centre for Mars Orbitor Mission</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>Brand Modi</b>:</span> Nations
are known for their leaders. One can’t help but talk about the undeniable brand
that Prime Minister Modi has built within India and more outside India. While
Mahatma Gandhi is the most widely referenced Indian leader in diplomacy, Prime
Minister Modi has also built a strong recall among the international audiences,
fanned by the Indian diaspora. There is a definite rub-off of Brand Modi on
Brand India. The lion mascot for ‘Make in India’ campaign, a brainchild of the
PM, is gradually helping to move India’s brand persona away from a slow-moving
elephant (often rebuked as symbolizing India’s slow bureaucratic processes). In
international diplomatic circles, it had often been said that India talks but
China delivers. With Indian government taking an active role at multilateral events
and not shying from making commitments at key international forums, that
perception is gradually changing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Some say that it is by sheer luck that Modi is in power when
India’s economy seems relatively bright in comparison to a grim global outlook.
Even if we were to buy that argument, the fact is that the crucial steps have
been taken towards enhancing the ease of doing business, helping re-invigorate
India’s struggling infrastructure sectors and moving to meet fairly aggressive
targets for building India’s energy security. It’s fair to say here that fortune
favours the brave. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aBW0E8ZoqzM/Vxe90IJApfI/AAAAAAAAB2c/yMvc-lrOuOAie2s3MfVx0GL4T5Mr1ieRwCKgB/s1600/Modi%2Bwith-elon-reeve-musk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aBW0E8ZoqzM/Vxe90IJApfI/AAAAAAAAB2c/yMvc-lrOuOAie2s3MfVx0GL4T5Mr1ieRwCKgB/s640/Modi%2Bwith-elon-reeve-musk.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PM Modi talking to Elon Musk at the Tesla Factory in Fremont, California in September 2015</td></tr>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Culture and
Spirituality:</span> </b>The healing power of<b> </b>Ayurveda
and Yoga continue to lure many to India. While most Indians tend to take culture
for granted, for a global audience, the cultural richness and indeed its
extremes and contrasts are intriguing. In the words of the economist, Joan
Robinson "Whatever you can rightly say about India, the opposite is also
true". Indian food is relished by people around the world, almost becoming
a fad. I’ve seen Indian restaurants in the remotest parts of the world. It’s a separate
aspect that at some of these places, I’ve seen the weirdest of dishes being
labelled as Indian – which to me bore not the faintest semblance to any Indian
cuisine in taste or looks. <o:p></o:p></div>
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And yes, Bollywood is another one of the many manifestations
of the culture. Not many nations can boast of a cultural ‘soft power’ that
India exerts on the rest of the world so it is only fair that this is one of
Brand India’s defining features. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">What’s pulling Brand
India down?</span></b></h3>
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Sometimes, more than the credits, it’s the discredits that
determine a nation brand. There must be a concerted effort to address these
discredits lest they negate the positive features of the brand. Here are some
that India must overcome.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Pollution:</span></b> While
Chinese cities have been notorious for their high level of pollution, Indian
cities are fast gaining the dubious distinction. Delhi has been rated as having
the poorest air quality in the world. There have been steps to curb pollution but
the battle is long, very long. As India strives to create more manufacturing
jobs and improve quality of life, the ghost of pollution comes with it. The
setting of targets for renewable energy generation and curtailing vehicular
traffic in metros such as Delhi is a good beginning. However, it’s not a war we
can afford to lose sight of. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Women’s Safety Issues:</span></b>
The issue grabbed global headlines after the gruesome gang-rape incident of
December 2012. The incident shook the consciousness of the nation and tarnished
India’s image. Most of us believe that this is a self-inflicted wound. Safety
for women is a key tenet of any society that believes in law and order. The
increased sensitivity to the issue of women’s safety within every layer of society
and the law enforcement agencies is now visible. It is a battle that is still
being fought every day. However, we still have a long way to go. As per a
recent study by World Economic Forum on cities that have the most dangerous
transport systems for women, Delhi ranked at No. 4- certainly not the desired company
to keep for the capital of a nation that aspires to be viewed as a rising
power. Let’s begin with ensuring our public transport and roads are safer for
women.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Compliance & Ethical
Issues:</span> </b>In a classic case of how one company's mess can hurt a country, the
recent crisis faced by automaker Volkswagen has not only affected Germany's
brand value but also cost it its position as the world's strongest nation brand,
according to the Brand Finance Report. Many Indian brands too are not viewed
favorably on this aspect. It stems from lax compliance systems within many
companies/ organizations and scant regard for its implementation. The
longer-term impact of this oversight can be disastrous for Brand India. If we
take the example of the Indian Premier League (a professional sports league
bearing the country’s name), it has faced many ethical and conflict-of-interest
issues in less than a decade of existence.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In an increasingly protectionist world, compliance loopholes
are the easiest way to pin down any company or organization. Indian companies need
to build their reputations on ethical practices if they want to stay
competitive in the long run. And needless to say, it is upon Indian people,
whether working in India or abroad to conduct themselves in an ethical manner
that commands the trust of their fellow workers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: orange;"><b>Racism</b>:</span> In a
country where the fairness of one’s skin is advertised as a criterion for a
prospective life partner, the obsession with skin colour couldn’t be more
obvious. It's surprising that such notions continue to exist in as diverse a society as ours. Add to that a rapidly
globalizing economy where people from many nationalities now come in search of education,
livelihood and medical treatment. Recent incidents of racist attacks by Indians
on other Indians belonging to different regions of the country (North-east) and
on people from other countries have made headlines. It’s quite ironic that a
nation whose freedom struggle owes its genesis to the racial discrimination
borne by its founding father (Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa) is witnessing
similar racist discrimination being conducted by its own people towards others.
Some argue that these incidents are sporadic and dwarfed in comparison to
what’s happening in other parts of the world. Such an argument is untenable. A
strong public education drive on the issue is needed. Many in India have lived
in denial on the subject. That’s beginning to change albeit slowly, very slowly.
Unless we are waiting for a big incident to happen on our soil which can prove
to be the next blot on our brand image (similar to the women’s safety issue),
it’s important to nip the issue in the bud.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cEBQIrO_Bv8/VxfCUi6vVlI/AAAAAAAAB2w/X8SgF0SlqbEn6pb1uy-8MG4faBGsnuqKQCKgB/s1600/quote-our-ability-to-reach-unity-in-diversity-will-be-the-beauty-and-the-test-of-our-civilization-mahatma-gandhi-56-50-93.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cEBQIrO_Bv8/VxfCUi6vVlI/AAAAAAAAB2w/X8SgF0SlqbEn6pb1uy-8MG4faBGsnuqKQCKgB/s640/quote-our-ability-to-reach-unity-in-diversity-will-be-the-beauty-and-the-test-of-our-civilization-mahatma-gandhi-56-50-93.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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While the government led by the Prime Minister has an
unmistakable role in shaping Brand India, at the end of the day, it is how the
people behave within and outside the country that determines if the nation’s
brand will rise or fall in the hall of nations. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Brand India has so far punched below its weight. It’s time
to be more assertive, show an action-oriented approach to nation branding. If
we don’t brand ourselves in the desired manner, rest assured that others will
brand us in the manner that we may not like.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Quoting one of India's greatest thinkers and leaders, Swami Vivekananda who did not mince his words when he rightly said</div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2fTa2AGRcIo/Vxe91BaNoeI/AAAAAAAAB2c/NXSlg_6AUr8Y1JMkOdpLSyep6pAtADU2gCKgB/s1600/Swami%2BVivekananda%2Bimage%2Bquote%2B13.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="404" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2fTa2AGRcIo/Vxe91BaNoeI/AAAAAAAAB2c/NXSlg_6AUr8Y1JMkOdpLSyep6pAtADU2gCKgB/s640/Swami%2BVivekananda%2Bimage%2Bquote%2B13.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-17909012976950440852015-11-13T13:49:00.000+05:302015-11-13T15:05:57.748+05:30A Communicator’s Takeaway from Bihar Election Verdict<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sTNGbQIO-IU/VkWYdrUaKvI/AAAAAAAAAYE/Srdv_e_0aU0/s1600/modi6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="354" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sTNGbQIO-IU/VkWYdrUaKvI/AAAAAAAAAYE/Srdv_e_0aU0/s640/modi6.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: The Indian Express</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The defeat of the BJP in Bihar state elections has sent
shock waves through the Indian political system, the reverberations of which are being felt in many boardrooms outside India. Never before has a state election been
followed so keenly by media outside India. From <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/10/opinion/a-rebuke-to-indias-prime-minister-narendra-modi.html?_r=0">New
York Times</a> to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/08/narendra-modis-party-concedes-defeat-in-bihar-election">The
Guardian</a>, there have been editorials on the implications of the Bihar results.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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While there are many conclusions being drawn, the
high-stakes election provides a rich source of learning for communicators who often
have to win over audiences in a fiercely competitive, regional market with well
entrenched incumbents. </div>
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Bihar, India’s third most populous state, is one of the country's most rural societies undergoing rapid economic growth. The really
interesting piece is that close to 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25,
which is the highest proportion of youngsters of the population of any state in
India and indeed anywhere in the world. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Prime Minister Modi is seen to connect well with the youth
and in the 2014 national elections, the BJP swept Bihar. So what led to the party's dramatic
defeat in 2015? There are multiple factors including a united and
superbly coordinated opposition which played the arithmetic game all too well. However, there were some inherent shortcomings
in BJP's communications campaign which are now clearly visible in hindsight.<b> <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Templatized and undifferentiated
messaging:</span></b> BJP’s messages seemed a copy paste of what would have been said
in most other states, as though set into a template. PM Modi talked about the need for change without outlining a clear agenda. He promised electricity access in rural areas which incidentally was the opposition Chief
Ministerial candidate, Nitish Kumar’s biggest achievement in the last few years
of his reign. This is a clear case when Modi’s research team let him down. The
promise of a huge economic package was an in-your-face bait. None of BJP’s
messages were cutting ice and the party realized this half way through
the five-phase election. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DvEurCKAlNg/VkWYix3xkrI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/uhzMTTQMXP4/s1600/FE%2BImage%2Bbihar-election-result-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="491" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DvEurCKAlNg/VkWYix3xkrI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/uhzMTTQMXP4/s640/FE%2BImage%2Bbihar-election-result-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: The Financial Express</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Lack of local insights
and social context:</span></b> No matter how strong a national brand may be, without insights
of local issues and context it will find it tough to influence and ultimately win
over a highly segmented audience. Brand Modi continues to be the single strongest political brand
across the country, particularly with the youth. So, people did turn up to
attend his rallies but those did not convert to votes. For conversion, the
strategy needs to be based on local insights which can only come from foot
soldiers. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RCOkmGN3hgQ/VkWYiwt0nYI/AAAAAAAAAYM/xzo9wpXVO8U/s1600/BS%2Bimage-5167.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RCOkmGN3hgQ/VkWYiwt0nYI/AAAAAAAAAYM/xzo9wpXVO8U/s640/BS%2Bimage-5167.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Source: Business Standard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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For instance, BJP leaders kept talking about the return of
anarchy (Jungle Raj) to the state if the opposition regained power whereas for
most of the electorate the incumbent Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar was the symbol
of law and order, thanks to his track record of the last ten years.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Empowering local leadership, who are the source of insights,
is paramount. Every region has its well-entrenched influencers. One has to engage
with these and turn them into advocates. Since the fight was between locally
appealing brand/ personalities (Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad) and an outside
one (Narendra Modi and Amit Shah), the outsiders had to put in far more effort
to connect with the audience. Without local advocates, even the strongest
national brands will find themselves on a very weak footing, as was the case in
the BJP campaign. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">A negative narrative:</span></b>
When one’s narrative is primarily targeted at maligning the opponent, the
chances of it backfiring are very high. The local leaders (Nitish Kumar and
Lalu Prasad) are seen as sons of the soil who have been working for their state
for decades. Modi and Amit Shah have precious little to show for their contribution
to the state. Attacking locally entrenched leaders without having one’s own
track record in place is fraught with risks. The opposition returned fire with
fire in a well-coordinated battle which played out in every district of the state. Also, the opposition matched BJP's advertising blitzkrieg with its own, well planned campaign which actually saw the outdoor advertising campaigns going head to head.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Modi's silence on
divisive issues:</span> </b>What baffled many of Narendra Modi’s supporters, including
myself, was his silence on divisive issues being debated in the country. Even
if law and order is a state subject, we expected the Prime Minister to come down
hard on hate-mongering. The youth are particularly sensitive to such issues. The
opposition played the PM’s silence to its advantage.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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While recent national opinion polls have held that Modi continues to be
the most preferred choice for PM, it is clear that there is a lot more that people expect
from him. Can Bihar outcome be generalized to the whole country? There is no data to
suggest that and those making such suggestions are pushing generalizations too
far. Moreover, a strong and ‘<span style="color: orange;">responsible</span>’ (the word to note) opposition is much desired in any
thriving democracy as is the need for strong competition in any ideal market scenario.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This election will prove a milestone for political communications in India. As communicators we are all richer from the experience of one of India's most followed state elections in recent times. </div>
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Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-41477467244017909212015-07-26T21:02:00.000+05:302015-07-28T06:46:55.412+05:30Yes, you are a Leader !<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
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Modern thinkers believe that every human being has
leadership qualities. It is about nurturing them and working on one’s
weaknesses so that they don’t derail those qualities. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In the words of <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-donahoe/52/914/8b5">John Donahoe, CEO
& President of eBay</a>, “Leadership is a journey, not a destination. It is
a marathon, not a sprint. It is a process, not an outcome.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, while embarking on this journey, it would be good for aspiring
leaders, like us, to keep measuring ourselves against key tenets of leadership.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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Here are some questions worth asking oneself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: orange;">What is my leadership
impact?</span></b></h3>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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My impact has to go beyond domain knowledge, accomplished
goals and merit. No doubt that these are important but they will merely take a
person to the threshold of leadership (at best be seen as an average leader).
To cross the threshold of true leadership, one needs self-regulation. To what extent
am I able to regulate my words, my actions and importantly, my emotions?
Ultimately, it is these factors that would determine the rapport,
trustworthiness and high morale that I am able to generate within the team. </div>
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Always bear in mind – <b><i>Leaders don’t react, they respond</i>.</b></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Do I command the
complete trust of my team?</span></b></h3>
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<br /></div>
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You bet, trust won’t come easily. It means team members admitting
to mistakes, receiving/ providing feedback, asking for help, challenging the
leader’s and each other’s ideas and, importantly, be willing to engage in
difficult conversations. The leader has to lead by example on each of these. </div>
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Another significant role that the leader would have to play is to limit
background conversations by bringing them to the foreground. Background
conversations can wreak havoc on a team’s morale. Building such a culture needs clear ground
rules to be set in advance. <o:p></o:p></div>
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An article in Inc magazine titled <a href="http://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/9-ways-to-win-employee-trust.html">9
Ways to Win Employee Trust</a> throws more light on the subject. To demonstrate
the style of moving from commanding to coaching, Forbes magazine carried an
interesting article titled <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshlinkner/2013/09/05/the-13-questions-great-leaders-ask-their-teams/">The
13 Questions Great Leaders Ask Their Teams</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: orange;">How well am I able to
manage conflicts?</span></b></h3>
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<br /></div>
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Firstly, not all conflict is
unproductive. Some conflict is inevitable and even desirable but the aspect to
keep in mind is ‘constructive conflict’. The moment conflict begins to get
personal or leads to non-cooperative behaviour, the leader has to step in and
quickly. The five modes of handling conflict as articulated by <a href="http://www.kilmanndiagnostics.com/overview-thomas-kilmann-conflict-mode-instrument-tki">Thomas
Kilman</a> are worth considering -<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Competing: “My way or the highway” – Least
desirable; only to be used in situations that need quick action and involve vital
issues<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Collaborating: “Win-Win” – Most preferred but
involves time commitment from both sides<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Compromising: “You lose some, I lose some. Let’s
make a deal” – usually for temporary solutions<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Avoiding: “Can we talk tomorrow”- basically
meant to buy time, but the issue will have to be addressed eventually<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 38.25pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]-->Accommodating: “Giving in” – for low importance decisions
till it does not start getting perceived as a person’s weakness <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h6yhOZC4cZw/VbT1NdcLrwI/AAAAAAAAAVE/WdVoH2dtbig/s1600/thomas_kilmann_conflict_modes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h6yhOZC4cZw/VbT1NdcLrwI/AAAAAAAAAVE/WdVoH2dtbig/s640/thomas_kilmann_conflict_modes.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A
leader needs to understand which mode to use at what time. In most cases, that
is the leader’s toughest test. Some useful techniques to consider here are</div>
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</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Bringing emotional levels down first</li>
<li>Refocusing the group on the goal of the conversation</li>
<li>Generating options</li>
<li>Attacking issues, not personalities</li>
<li>Paraphrasing agreed upon actions </li>
</ul>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b><span style="color: orange;">Have I helped create
more leaders? </span></b></h3>
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A barometer that I’ve often held for leadership is “True
leaders don’t create followers, they create more leaders”. The surest way to do
that is through motivation and empowerment. Motivation is closely related to the
three innate psychological needs – Autonomy, Relatedness, Competence - as defined
in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination_theory">self-determination
theory</a>.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qBqUO5D8cb8/VbT6QJ1y-cI/AAAAAAAAAWE/kWhV31ky-Ow/s1600/design-psychology-motivate-your-users-15-638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="505" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qBqUO5D8cb8/VbT6QJ1y-cI/AAAAAAAAAWE/kWhV31ky-Ow/s640/design-psychology-motivate-your-users-15-638.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="line-height: 16.8pt;">Autonomy: Is the universal urge to be causal agents of one's own life and act in harmony with one's integrated self; however, this does not mean to be independent of others</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 16.8pt;">Competence: Seek to control the outcome and experience mastery</span></li>
<li><span style="line-height: 16.8pt;">Relatedness: Is the universal want to interact, be connected to, and
experience caring for others</span></li>
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True leaders understand how to meet these motivational needs
of their followers and gradually move them to becoming leaders. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The journey of leadership essentially involves behavioural
change. Any behavioural change has to begin
with self-awareness, move to self-evaluation and end in self-improvement. Self-evaluation
drives the process of self-regulation, which determines how people control and
direct their own actions. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My personal experience has been to learn leadership lessons
by studying and analyzing the lives of great leaders - <a href="http://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/bapu-leader-of-leaders.html">Mahatma
Gandhi</a>, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/abrahamlincoln">Abraham
Lincoln</a>, <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/mother-teresa-9504160">Mother
Teresa</a>, <a href="http://www.history.co.uk/biographies/nelson-mandela">Nelson
Mandela</a>, among others. These are perhaps some of the best examples of
leadership in action. A common thread that I notice among all great leaders is
that they have had their weaknesses but they learnt to deal with them in a way
that those don’t become roadblocks. Their focus has been on nurturing and
making optimal use of their strengths.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Also, I’ve noticed that most successful leaders developed
their leadership abilities much before they took any leadership positions. In
fact, many leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa, never held any formal
leadership designations in their lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I believe that’s another important lesson for aspiring
leaders. Move out of the trap of looking at leadership from the lens of a
formal position. Leadership is using the power of one’s influence. <o:p></o:p></div>
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An instance that I hold quite apt for leadership by
influence is when Mahatma Gandhi was asked by a reporter to give his message to
the people of India. His response was in five words – “My life is my message”.
For me, that’s the most powerful message a leader can give.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Becoming a fully effective leader, by learning to exercise influence, is difficult and requires years of personal development. So the sooner one embarks on the journey, the better.</div>
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I've started. Have you?</div>
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<i>As I publish my post, I'm saddened to hear about the passing away of one of India's most inspirational leaders, former President, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/07/27/india-mourns-death-of-former-president-abdul-kalam/" target="_blank">Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam</a>. He embodied many of these leadership traits especially the last one of creating leaders through his tireless work with students. He breathed his last while addressing students at one of India's top B-schools. I dedicate this piece to him. RIP - Dr. Kalam, 'The People's President'.</i><br />
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Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-28624675626310229522015-06-18T23:40:00.001+05:302015-06-21T17:00:32.771+05:30Narendra Modi and the Art of Decisive Messaging<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If there is one aspect that has stood out in Narendra Modi’s
election campaign as well as his one year of governance, it’s been the decisiveness
of his messaging. His detractors have termed it as a reflection of his arrogance
but it seems to have worked in his favour, time and again. And the reason isn’t
too difficult to find. Indian voters gave a decisive verdict in the 2014
general elections and so they expect the same decisiveness from their leader. Indian
voters are fed up of ambiguity and uncertainty. Prime Minister Modi caught the
pulse of the people. His direct and, in some cases, iron hand messaging is a
key component of his leadership style.<br />
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After a year in office, Modi’s approval ratings have
remained fairly high, ranging from <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/A-year-on-PM-Modi-still-shining/articleshow/47303679.cms">66
per cent</a> to <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Politics/FP30z0cP4dPWBmPLG76KdI/With-74-approval-rating-Narendra-Modi-still-a-popular-PM.html">82
per cent</a> according to various surveys.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Messaging can surely take some credit for such high rating.
Prior to Modi’s victory, the atmosphere of uncertainty created by multiple
voices and veto powers within every strata of government had brought governance
to a grinding halt. Indians, particularly the youth, cannot accept it any more.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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During the election campaign, Modi himself was the message
because he seemed to personify the change that many Indians wanted. After his
victory, his messaging began to evolve on various fronts - political and
economic; domestic and international. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Message to the
political satraps</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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For most political satraps, Modi’s style has been a culture
shock since they were used to dealing with a rather timid PM at least for the
last decade.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As expected, Modi’s political detractors termed many of his
actions such as the Land Ordinance as unconstitutional. Some chief ministers termed his actions as
harming the federal structure. But they forget or rather chose to forget that
while laying out India’s federalism, the Constitution of India gives the
federal structure a strong bias towards the union government. India’s founding
fathers foresaw that a weak Central government would have dire consequences for
the country, examples of which were visible in the UPA II regime where Chief
Ministers began to behave like Prime Ministers of their states. They went to
the extent of trying to dictate India’s foreign policy towards neighbouring
countries. Modi is spot-on in his messaging to the states – Ready to forge a stronger
partnership but remember your boundaries.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It has taken a year for most non-BJP chief ministers to
recalibrate their relationship with the Centre. Those who are yet to come to
terms with this can already see the writing on the wall. <o:p></o:p></div>
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For his internal audiences comprising bureaucrats and
government officers, Modi’s messaging has perhaps been the most authoritarian -
Show results or be shipped out, period. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Many bureaucrats and ministers have tacitly acknowledged the
sword hanging on their heads at any given point of time. In fact, a chief
minister who was handpicked by Modi to lead a key union ministry was seen
asking some of his friends in the media to pray for him as he stepped into his
new role reporting to the PM. Modi’s message of being a hard taskmaster has
certainly been welcomed by India’s impatient voters. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Economic message – the
key</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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This has been the area of focus and the one that has
delivered the most success. The ‘ease of
doing business’ message was perhaps the most eagerly awaited and widely accepted.
For businesses, uncertainty is death. Modi’s firmness in resolve and action has
helped rebuild confidence. This also formed the core of his messaging to international audiences - A Resurgent India that is keen to do business with the world.<br />
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The results have begun to show with the economy
having turned around. While it may have given his detractors a reason to equate
his pro-big business stance with being anti-poor, the people aren’t buying the opposition’s
argument. <o:p></o:p><br />
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According to <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Politics/FP30z0cP4dPWBmPLG76KdI/With-74-approval-rating-Narendra-Modi-still-a-popular-PM.html">Mint
InstaVaani poll</a>, over 80% of people in the metros and 74% people in
non-metros approved of Modi’s handling of economic development. Some economists
dispute the latest GDP numbers as inflated but for the people on the streets,
jobs are all that matter. As jobs
increase, that’s what 90% of the Indian voters care about and Modi understands
that very well. His ‘Make in India’ message connects perfectly with the working
class. </div>
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Clearly, economic messaging has been Modi’s biggest success
so far.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">When the medium
becomes the message</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Modi’s choice of Hindi as the defacto language for
governance is aimed at reinforcing his message of being closer to the common
man. The Nehruvian legacy of using English as the language of governance is being
questioned. During Nehru’s tenure (1947-62) Hindi was far less prevalent in
India than it is today. Even the Eastern and Southern states of India which
were traditionally been reluctant in accepting Hindi, have witnessed growing
acceptance of the language. So, perhaps India is far better placed today to
have Hindi as the language of governance than it ever was. Not surprisingly,
Modi’s approval ratings seemed to be fairly high in the cities of Southern
India. <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Faith-in-Narendra-Modi-govt-high-but-Sangh-hotheads-a-concern-TOI-survey/articleshow/45710608.cms">Bangalore
and Hyderabad</a> have shown higher approval ratings than Delhi and Mumbai.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Modi has also tried novel ways to engage with the people be
it through social media (targeted at youth) or radio (aimed at rural poor).</div>
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According to a mood-of-the-nation survey by <a href="http://www.ibnlive.com/news/politics/narendra-modi-effective-pm-over-72-satisfied-with-ndas-performance-in-first-year-reveals-survey-996240.html">Axis-My
India for IBN News</a>, mass media (primarily newspapers) is viewed as the key
platform for Modi’s communication. Despite all the hype around his social media
push, just 20% say social media has been an effective platform for Modi to
communicate. 30% and 23% feel Modi communicates effectively through radio (Mann
Ki Baat) and TV respectively. Only 17% feel Modi reaches out best through
public rallies while 4% say he reaches out effectively through interventions in
Parliament.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Modi has converted almost every public platform into a mass
media one – be it in India or abroad. So inspite of having given very few
direct interviews to media, he has used them to deliver his message. However,
there are strong voices within the mass media stating the Modi needs to be more
open in his engagement with them. His one-way communication style may not yield
results for too long.<br />
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The opposition continues to claim that Modi’s support base
is fast eroding. The truth of these claims will soon be visible in the state
elections. But it’s interesting to see how the electorate continues to react to
Modi’s messages and to his style of message delivery.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, are the so-called argumentative Indians being replaced
by the impatient Indians? For now, that does seem to be the case which in turn means
that decisive messaging is here to stay in Indian politics.</div>
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Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-55347357953536080912015-03-13T12:45:00.000+05:302015-03-13T12:45:11.253+05:30Five questions to ask yourself if you aim to be a good writer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As communications and public relations professionals, a
question that we must constantly ask ourselves is that if there is one thing
that our stakeholders/ clients respect us for what would it be? </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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With the growing significance of owned media and social
media, a sustained career in communications will increasingly depend on content
writing skills – be it on the agency side or on the corporate side. I agree
that content is not limited to words, but in this article I’m primarily looking
at the use of words. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So if anyone wants to inculcate good writing skills,
particularly business or technology writing, here are some questions to ask
yourself everyday:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Am I reading
the right content?</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> I know of people who skim through newspapers, multiple
sites including Twitter and FB looking only for their company or sector
information. This knowledge may get them news/ information but does not usually
improve writing skills. One has to set dedicated time aside for in-depth
reading such as Op-Eds, business analysis/ technology trends (in print or
online) that provide the larger perspective and use the appropriate terms. And despite
the work pressure, stick to the reading habits. It’s this knowledge that would
help bring depth into writing. Communicators often have to work directly with
CEOs/ senior management. CEOs only value a perspective if it’s backed by facts
and data. No matter what the form of writing, it’s super important that we are
thorough with the facts and can prove our point, else we could gradually lose
credibility, not just as an individual but also as a function. </span></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Is this
the right word in the given context?</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> As a communications professional, one
is expected to understand how every word fits into a context and makes a
difference to the sentence and the overall piece. In the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakobson%27s_functions_of_language" style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Roman
Jakobson model of communication</a><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">, context is one of the core functions of
communication. Keep questioning- Is this the right word for the thought that is
being expressed? Of course it comes with experience, but don’t let that be an
excuse for not trying hard enough. </span></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Are my
thoughts flowing from the core message/s?
</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">A good writer has to be a good storyteller. A mistake that we tend
to make is to stuff too many thoughts into one paragraph thereby losing the
reader’s interest. A rule of thumb is not more than three key messages in any
article/ story else we’re wasting our time and the reader’s. Frontload the
message and use the rest of the article to give supporting arguments. But
again, a bunch of statements/ arguments in any random order don’t make the
content convincing. The arguments have to flow, one leading into another. Many a
times, getting the flow in place takes longer than getting the right words. </span></li>
<li><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">How many
words can I cut out keeping the message intact?</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> Today, it’s about saying
more with less. The best way is to notice how one speaks. If one is able to
convey the thought in the first 30 seconds in as few words as possible, the
person is usually close to being a good writer, if he/ she isn’t already. Tear
down the mansion of words (and jargons in technology writing). Sometimes, one
needs to be cruel with one’s own writing because in the end, the content is not
for me, it’s for my reader and at no point can I afford to forget that.</span></li>
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When I first read Mark Twains’ letter to one of his students dated 1880, the following quote stuck to my mind.</div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Georgia, serif;">“I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences. That is the way to write English—it is the modern way and the best way. Stick to it; don’t let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in. When you catch an adjective, kill it. No, I don’t mean utterly, but kill most of them—then the rest will be valuable. They weaken when they are close together. They give strength when they are wide apart. An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice.”</span></i></div>
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<b>Mark Twain, </b><a href="http://www.marktwainproject.org/xtf/view?docId=letters/UCCL01772.xml;style=letter;brand=mtp"><b>Letter dated 20 March 1880</b></a><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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His words couldn’t be more true in today’s shrinking attention spans and information overload. </div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">5. </span><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Lastly, is my content shareable?</b><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> The platform and the tool used to deliver the content goes a long way in determining whether it is engaging, easy to share and to search. Use of visuals, videos, anecdotes, cross referencing and linking to other websites as well as allowing reader comments are all useful in making it worth reading. Sometimes, an infographic can explain what 1000 words cannot. Good writing is about making good choices with respect to the tools that you want to play with.</span></div>
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I’m
sure there are some more tips and perspectives that readers can add here and I
would love to hear them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In the words of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_King">Stephen King</a>, “At its most
basic we are only discussing a learned skill, but do we not agree that
sometimes the most basic skills can create things far beyond our expectations?
We are talking about tools and carpentry, about words and style . . . but as we
move along, you’d do well to remember that we are also talking about magic.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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So are you ready to create magic with your writing?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-21928852624337676022014-07-23T22:02:00.000+05:302014-07-27T16:36:18.330+05:30The Disastrous Impact of Women's Safety Issues on India's Culture and Image <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Ever since the <a href="http://www.narendramodi.in/">Narendra
Modi</a> government has come to power, one can clearly see an agenda to improve
India’s global image. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
However, continued global media reporting on violence
against women in India coupled with the <a href="http://brookings.in/">Brookings
India</a> paper titled <a href="http://www.brookings.edu/research/topics/india">Necessity
of a new conversation on Women in India</a> published on June 23, 2014, brings
the spotlight back to a glaring gap that stands to tarnish India’s image. As
Indians, we do take immense pride in the diverse cultural fabric of our
society. That fabric is held together by the women of India.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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On talking to my expat friends, the question of violence
against women in India tends to inadvertently come up. When I begin to explain
that its roots lie in the weak law enforcement (as is the case with most
crimes), I say it with degree of trepidation. The next question I would get
asked is on the kind of outrageous comments that some influential Indian
politicians have recently made, including the most infamous one by a former
chief minister that stand to trivialize rape as a mistake.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PfM9KePFKa0/U8_eOaN9G_I/AAAAAAAAAPE/AKrEHixPiJ4/s1600/article-201471818120329523000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PfM9KePFKa0/U8_eOaN9G_I/AAAAAAAAAPE/AKrEHixPiJ4/s1600/article-201471818120329523000.jpg" height="531" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Images from 'Abused Goddesses' campaign of Save The Children India</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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Clearly as a PR professional, I understand how deep an
impact such incidents and comments have on India’s image.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, the fact that the issue of women’s safety was completely
missing from the Prime Minister’s 10-point agenda and was brought up as a
reaction to the politicization of the Badaun incident in the Indian state of
U.P., was not really the best way for a new government to tackle such a
socially critical aspect. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Can India really improve its image without addressing the
issue of women’s safety? We would be deceiving ourselves by believing so.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some argue that by putting women in key ministries, the
present government has sent out the right message. While it’s a welcome step
but we must not forget that India has had a woman PM for over 15 years (<a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/225198/Indira-Gandhi">Mrs.
Indira Gandhi</a>) and most states have had women Chief Ministers. In fact, the
state of U.P., which recently witnessed the most heinous crimes against women,
has had two women Chief Ministers, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucheta_Kriplani" target="_blank">Sucheta Kriplani</a> (also India's first woman CM) and Mayawati. <a href="https://www.google.co.in/search?q=Sheila+Dikshit&hl=en-IN&gbv=2&nfpr=&spell=1&oq=&gs_l=">Sheila
Dikshit</a> was Delhi Chief Minister for 15 years till 2013. Yet the situation
of women’s safety in India has deteriorated over the years. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So what’s the way forward?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some people point to the re-introduction
of the long-pending Women’s Reservation Bill
as well as reservation of jobs for women in public and private sector as a possible solution.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.forbes.com/profile/sheryl-sandberg/">Sheryl
Sandberg</a>, COO, Facebook and the author of "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_In">Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will
to Lead</a>" in a recent interview to CNBC TV18 said that quality
should remain the key criterion for women (or men) holding any office. She gave
the example of Norway which has a 40% reservation for women in parliament since
2003 yet only 3% of CEOs in that country are women. She argues that we need to get rid of the
inhibitions on women, in personal and professional life, rather than trying to provide any preferential treatment. Most of my women colleagues have often voiced their dislike for any sort of preferential treatment being offered to them in public life just because they are women. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gZyauO-fh8c/U8_eoPaDsDI/AAAAAAAAAPg/8SyXjH_kenI/s1600/sheryl_sandberg_time_magazine_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gZyauO-fh8c/U8_eoPaDsDI/AAAAAAAAAPg/8SyXjH_kenI/s1600/sheryl_sandberg_time_magazine_cover.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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When we
compare that thought to our experience with reservation or reserved quotas for
certain sections of society in India, it’s very similar. The beneficiaries of
most reservations have always been the creamy layer even within the Scheduled
Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST). Had the focus been on providing better
quality education in government schools and colleges rather than solely relying
on reservation for SC/ ST, their situation would have been far better. In fact,
reservation often makes these communities a subject of rebuke.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, if the
Women’s Reservation Bill does get passed by the Indian Parliament, it may get
us some good media coverage but little results for the majority of women. It is
most likely to benefit women belonging to higher strata of society or wives of
existing politicians who would be fielded by their husbands to take advantage
of the reservation, as has been the case so far.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There is a dire need to encourage more women in cities and
particularly in villages to come forward and actively participate in public
life. But for that to happen, women’s safety is the most basic pre-requisite. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If we look at other countries facing women’s safety issues
such as Nigeria (in the limelight owing to the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-13809501">Boko Haram</a> abduction
of over 200 girls), there is a common thread – weak law enforcement. Having
lived in Nigeria for over 12 years, I can say that for things to have reached
such a low point, it reflects the extreme situation that can happen with the
breakdown of an already weak law enforcement machinery. It’s a word of caution
for Indian governments that the women’s safety issue, if not addressed with the
utmost priority, can lead to far more serious crimes at a scale and severity
never seen before. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kKkIHb3CGFg/U8_emCpVSVI/AAAAAAAAAPU/Wsc7hILTpNc/s1600/Oppression+in+villages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kKkIHb3CGFg/U8_emCpVSVI/AAAAAAAAAPU/Wsc7hILTpNc/s1600/Oppression+in+villages.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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When governments lose their grip on law enforcement,
anti-social elements take the law into their hands with a sense of impunity.
For instance in the case of U.P., there is little that one expect from the
state government in managing law and order, an aspect that the Samajwadi Party
is notorious for messing up, thanks to its own unruly party cadre. Only
pressure from all sides – public pressure combined with Central government
pressure, can make it deal with law enforcement seriously.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Of course, there is a need for a mindset
change which I addressed in my earlier blog post <a href="http://www.prmypassion.blogspot.in/2013/04/the-bitter-truth-for-delhis-youth-women.html">Women’s and children’s safety
is impossible in a society that eulogizes aggression</a><span style="color: #1f497d; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">. </span>However, that
may take a generation to fully address so let’s start with what we can do on an
immediate basis.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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If there are people who still believe that the issue of women’s safety is not critical enough to
figure in the top 10 priorities of Central and State governments, it may just
be too late before we realize the damage to India’s culture, to its youth, to
the economy and, obviously to India’s image in the world.<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-12566888676648982612014-05-03T15:43:00.001+05:302014-05-03T15:43:26.373+05:30Are you a data-literate PR practitioner?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
Chances are that very few of us would have asked ourselves
this question. Surely we’re PR professionals, not analysts, right?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Well, it’s time we realised the difference that data
analysis skills can make in our careers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All over the world, public relations and marketing teams try
hard to garner a greater share of senior management attention. In most cases,
marketing fares better as it is viewed as broader in scope and directly
impacting business outcomes (read sales) whereas PR’s scope is labelled as
media relations. Many CEOs (who usually hail from a sales background) believe
that while marketing leads the charge, PR continues in the background coming to
the fore during instances such as crisis communications.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So where did PR lose the plot?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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To put it simply, armed with customer data and insights,
marketers have done a fairly good job at marketing themselves within the
company (and more power to them) but alas, PR practitioners have done a
terrible job in shaping their own perception.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Let’s take a common scenario – the management asks marketing
and PR teams to present proposals on how to position and launch the company’s
first consumer product or service offering in a new market segment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The marketing team is likely to undertake a consumer
segmentation study to understand the behavioural patterns of the various
consumer segments. Based on the data from study findings, key differentiators
would be identified that would appeal to an existing or latent need of key customer
segments.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The PR team’s approach would be to conduct a media audit and
competition coverage analysis and present some top comments as media perception
of industry and competitors.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When each of the teams presents its strategy to the senior
management, does the PR approach even stand a chance? It’s not surprising that
behind their backs, many PR teams get mocked at for the shallowness of their
customer and stakeholder understanding. The outcome would be that the PR team
would be asked to toe the marketing line and revise its tactics according to
the marketing plan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">What made the difference?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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The audience and competitor insights gained through research
can make up to 50% of the marketing proposal whereas the best research a PR
plan would have is a few slides on media perception and environment audit,
usually based on secondary research.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Advertising firms realised the need for an account planning
department early on, with the primary function of finding consumer insights
that help the creative teams to produce highly relevant and engaging campaigns
in the marketplace. The account planner spends time observing the consumer's
path to purchase, by using research such as ethnographies, focus groups or
quantitative/social studies among others.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In comparison, the research undertaken and insights
presented by PR teams is laughable. Most of them would not even know how to
frame appropriate questions for a consumer survey in a manner that brings out
the desired insights.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The key to changing the PR approach is to inculcate
analytical skills among PR practitioners. If it means that PR firms and
in-house PR teams need to hire account planners, analysts and statistics
graduates, so be it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The consolidation among advertising firms provides an
excellent opportunity to hire account planners and marketing research experts.
Many global PR firms have already begun setting up data analytics departments
and imparting such skills to the larger teams. However, the model is still
being tested at a hub level without having penetrated into markets.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unless PR practitioners begin to actively seek and generate
data (by commissioning surveys if necessary), understand data analysis and
develop the ability to derive stakeholder insights, they will find it
increasingly difficult to enhance their own perception with clients, in general
and client senior management, in particular.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">So, for the
PR practitioners, the takeaways are:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Don’t be overwhelmed by data. Identify the
relevant pieces that validate one’s perspective/ opinion. And the same ‘boring’
data can be represented visually through an infographic which could make a
press release more appealing. Be on the lookout for creative ways to represent
data.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Being data literate is only the first step to
developing analytical skills; another key step is to read, read and read in
order to gather various perspectives and understand macro-level trends. Then
build one’s own perspective based on trusted data source/s. One’s assessment
should reflect in documents such as story pitches, opinion articles and in
every form of client counsel. Analytical skills can truly position a PR
practitioner as a consultant to the client.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Before conversing with a CEO, be armed with
data-driven insights that help decipher relevant trends; without hard data, no
arguments can convince a CEO.</span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Don’t be misled into believing that analytical
skills will inevitably come with experience or with an MBA degree; the ability
to decipher data needs to be cultivated on the job and preferably early in the
career. </span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">If PR has to become a management function, it must learn to
make sound data understanding its bedrock. So, next time you come across a
piece of data, try to see if there exists an underlying trend relevant to your
client. We’ve often been told to read between the lines, it’s now time to read
between the data points.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><i>This piece is reproduced from my byline with the same <a href="http://prmoment.in/1503/are-you-a-data-literate-pr-practitioner.aspx" target="_blank">title</a> appeared in <a href="http://prmoment.in/">PRmoment.in</a> dated April 14, 2014</i></span></div>
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Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-77316231813832547522014-03-07T11:45:00.001+05:302014-03-07T11:45:42.391+05:30Why are Indian companies not getting the ‘Trust’ they deserve?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Trust is a very emotive issue, subject to interpretation.
The closest definition of trust in business would be that one should have the
confidence to partner with another party whereby one shares his/her proprietary
information, intelligence and practices. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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As per the <a href="http://www.campaignindia.in/Article/370853,edelman-trust-barometer-2014-ngos-rise-in-the-minds-of-8216informed-publics8217.aspx">14<sup>th</sup>
Annual Edelman Trust Barometer</a>, Indian institutions rank second from the
bottom among 27 nations on the basis of being trusted by other nations. The
annual survey captures trust levels in four key institutions globally and for
each of the 27 countries. The institutions surveyed are Government, Business,
Media and Civil Society (Non-Governmental Organizations). China is just one
percentage point ahead of India which is insignificant, if that helps Indians
draw some solace. But the point remains on why Indian institutions
(companies headquartered in India) are not worth trusting or is it
that they’re not getting the trust they deserve. I’d like to believe the
latter.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tJLNKufAp8w/UxlaaGqdTHI/AAAAAAAAAMc/Uf_gFa5gI1s/s1600/India's+ranking+on+trust_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tJLNKufAp8w/UxlaaGqdTHI/AAAAAAAAAMc/Uf_gFa5gI1s/s1600/India's+ranking+on+trust_1.png" height="373" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy Edelman Trust Barometer 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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The fact that many Indian brands figure in the most valuable
brand, according to <a href="http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-02-18/news/47451457_1_brand-finance-global-brand-value-brand-rating">2014
Brand Finance Global</a> in the world effectively does away with the argument
that Indian companies aren’t worth trusting. No brands can attain such value
without being trusted.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then why are most Indian companies not getting the trust
they deserve? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Conduct<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One reason is clearly owing to the conduct of some Indian
corporates that has earned Indian businesses and indeed the country a bad name
– <a href="http://cbi.nic.in/fromarchives/satyam/satyam.php">Satyam Computer
Services</a> (wherein its promoter <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramalinga_Raju">B. Ramalinga Raju</a> is
serving his jail sentence in a multi-million dollar scam, arguably India’s
biggest corporate fraud), several telecom companies involved in the notorious <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2G_spectrum_scam">2G spectrum scam</a> are
just a few examples. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To an extent, our tarnished image is the doing of our own
brethren. Of course, one can argue that even <a href="http://www.forbes.com/pictures/eelg45gkdi/our-take-on-the-10-biggest-frauds-in-recent-u-s-history-3/">America
has had its fair share of corporate fraud</a> with Enron, MF Global, WorldCom
among others. So, the question should be whether Indian corporates have put in
place the necessary checks and balances to avoid such occurrences. Time will
tell.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The second reason could be many questionable corporate
practices of Indian businesses. While it would be incorrect to paint all Indian
businesses with the same brush, many companies do remain predominantly
family-run with promoters ruling by fiat. Indeed, the erstwhile Roman Emperors would
feel quite at home at many of our corporate houses. Industry forums are buzzing
with discussions on corporate governance but when talking to investors and employees
at these companies, the usual response is that the pace of reform is too slow
to have any positive impact. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SHPbkpMDPdg/UxladGDe1hI/AAAAAAAAAMs/8RNeSXiv1_I/s1600/Trust+in+Indian+Business+Leaders_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SHPbkpMDPdg/UxladGDe1hI/AAAAAAAAAMs/8RNeSXiv1_I/s1600/Trust+in+Indian+Business+Leaders_2.png" height="300" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy Edelman Trust Barometer 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>The Values v/s
Valuations Debate<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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Many Indians tend to opt for
white-collar jobs in MNCs, not just for the prospects of better remuneration
(which isn’t always the case as salaries in Indian companies have caught up)
but for better corporate practices and more conducive work culture. The Edelman
Trust Barometer validates the fact when it shows that Indians trust companies
from America, U.K. and many western markets more than Indian companies. The
fact that Indians don’t trust the Chinese companies is no surprise. This
clearly indicates that while valuations do matter (considering some
BRIC-headquartered companies have very high valuations), the discussion is increasingly
on the values of doing business. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-06kbq7a54Pc/UxladYPGw1I/AAAAAAAAAMw/_1H6fLCY0WY/s1600/Indians+trust+MNCs+more_3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-06kbq7a54Pc/UxladYPGw1I/AAAAAAAAAMw/_1H6fLCY0WY/s1600/Indians+trust+MNCs+more_3.png" height="376" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy Edelman Trust Barometer 2014</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<o:p> </o:p>Staying with the Romans, many Indian corporates would argue
that Rome wasn’t built (or rather reformed) in a day. Yes, but we’re in the
twenty-first century, aren’t we, so perhaps the speed of reform should be a tad
faster. Or does this sound like time travel for the old school corporate
managers?</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The third (and every Indian’s favourite reason) is that of
rampant corruption in the government where rules are framed in a way to let
those playing dirty get the edge. The 2G scam, coal scam (fondly referred to as
Coalgate) are glowing examples. One tends to wonder what the Ivy League
educated ministers in the Government were up to if they couldn’t get the basics
right. A plausible answer seems to be as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arvind_Kejriwal">Arvind Kejriwal</a> put it-
the problem is not lack of capability of government ministers or bureaucrats,
it’s the lack of intent. And that’s why any external reform effort is destined
to fail.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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So, is the end of the tunnel near? Hopefully, India Inc. has
been through the worst and learnt its lessons on the way. Let the corporate
bigwigs start by taking measures that would help in trust-building within each
economic sector. It is when such an atmosphere is created that like-minded
companies begin to work together. For instance <a href="http://www.pg.com/translations/history_pdf/english_history.pdf">William
Procter, a candle maker and James Gamble, a soap maker</a> realized that if
they stopped competing with each other for their common raw material (wax) and
formed one company, they would be far more successful. That meant trusting each other. Thus was
formed Procter and Gamble (today known as <a href="http://www.pg.com/en_US/index.shtml">P&G</a>) and the rest is history.
Indian corporates need to realize that instead of fighting with one another for
the limited pie, they’re better off working together to grow the pie. And this
co-operation should not be limited to a transactional level but on a long-term
basis. Reputation building, be it for a brand or an industry, is a long-term
play and consistency is key - Consistency in conduct and in communication of
the values. So, communication professionals have an important role to play. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p></o:p>When Indian businesses usher in this atmosphere of trust,
leaving corporate rivalry and egos aside, the trust of international companies
towards India is bound to grow. The fact that Indian businesses are more
trusted by India’s ‘aam aadmi’ (common man) than NGOs, Media and Government
should be a good omen. Let’s hope the goodwill is strengthened lest the halo
slips.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/bDL1xCIpDck?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br /></div>
Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-9664654617275930892014-01-01T17:55:00.002+05:302014-01-01T17:55:21.948+05:30Lessons for PR professionals from the Kejriwal phenomenon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Yes, there’s
lots to learn from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arvind_Kejriwal">Arvind
Kejriwal</a> phenomenon that has stunned not just the state of Delhi but the
entire nation. Born on August 16, 1968 he sure missed that year’s Independence
Day by a whisker, but the spirit of freedom seems to have own grown stronger over time. While
listening to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_o4GQL2cQc&feature=youtu.be">Kejriwal’s
speech</a> post the swearing in of the first <a href="http://www.aamaadmiparty.org/">Aam Aadmi Party</a> (AAP) government at
Ramlila Ground in New Delhi, it was clear that this achievement is as much to
do with a fantastically executed communications strategy as it is to do with shrewd
political strategy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWFd-IZ9sCw/UsP4Y18rZHI/AAAAAAAAAKw/lT4sTStAYVs/s1600/M_Id_452832_Arvind_Kejriwal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZWFd-IZ9sCw/UsP4Y18rZHI/AAAAAAAAAKw/lT4sTStAYVs/s640/M_Id_452832_Arvind_Kejriwal.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The AAP
performance in Delhi is a case study for all in the area of mass communications
particularly for public relations students and professionals. While a lot has
been said about Kejriwal's political strategy and unrelenting conviction, for the sake
of this article, I would want to limit myself to analysing the salient steps of
his communications strategy and its execution. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Step 1: Leveraging audience insights<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">At the heart
of any communication strategy lies indepth understanding of target audience’s
emotions and hot buttons. While corruption is a nationwide issue, not specific
to Delhi, Kejriwal maintained a razor sharp focus on establishing and
reiterating the link between corruption in state government to the day-to-day
problems faced by Delhi’s poor and middle class citizens – irregular water
supply, high electricity bills and sky-rocketing food prices. Add to the list,
the appalling state of women’s safety in New Delhi which has been a burning
issue in the last one year, and the audience connect couldn’t be more complete
for a party that claims to represent the common men and women. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">On all these
issues, the ruling <a href="http://www.inc.in/">Congress Party</a> scoffed at
AAP’s criticism by providing counter arguments such as our performance speaks. Well,
it didn’t and the result is for all to see. The Congress in Delhi couldn’t understand
what hit it as its popularity came crumbling down like a house of cards. Poor
communication had much to do with the defeat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">From the very
beginning of his election campaign, Kejriwal leveraged symbolism to ingrain his
message in the minds of the audience – the broom as a symbol of cleaning the
society of corruption, the white Gandhi cap which symbolized India’s freedom
struggle and even after the victory, using public transport to reach the venue
of his swearing in ceremony.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mqxAX5KloBI/UsQCbS1j51I/AAAAAAAAAL0/HAt0C6l5C-g/s1600/aap-660_122113060745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mqxAX5KloBI/UsQCbS1j51I/AAAAAAAAAL0/HAt0C6l5C-g/s320/aap-660_122113060745.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Lesson for PR professionals: </span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Based on insights, the
strategy must clearly identify how every message has a direct connect with an existing
audience need, value or belief. Prepare for the counter arguments or as we say
‘rude Qs’. Use relatable symbols to strengthen the connect. Call out key
differentiators that clearly set you apart. Most often, it is these audience insights
and differentiators that make or break a communications strategy.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Step 2: Crafting credible messages and
validating them time and again<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Messaging was
Kejriwal’s strongest area. Having worked extensively at the grassroots, he was
fully aware of the pulse of the poor. Kejriwal and his team pre-empted the fact
that the messaging had to address two key questions or doubts that would emerge
in the minds of the voters.</span></div>
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</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">How
serious is his rookie party, AAP in delivering where the other two
rival parties, BJP and Congress had failed, considering the others have a sizeable
governance record while AAP has none? </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Will
the vote for AAP be a wasted one since the party may end up winning just a few
seats and is primarily aiming to divide votes?</span></li>
</ol>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The party
addressed the first doubt by taking a tough stance on most of the issues. While
Kejriwal was blamed by opposition and some sections of the media for being
rigid and self-righteous, his unflinching stance seemed to demonstrate a steely
resolve to address the people’s issues. Kejriwal ensured that his allegations against
the government were backed by facts/ evidence of some sort. For instance in
January 2013 he claimed to have a confidential letter by State Electricity
Board stating that the private power distribution companies did have the
headroom to reduce tariffs but chose to make huge profits instead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">To address
the second doubt the party conducted surveys on its own which claimed that
Kejriwal was the most popular choice for Chief Minister by the people of the
state. The raw data of the survey was put on the party’s website for
verification. Having a credible and respected psephologist and political
commentator as <a href="https://twitter.com/AapYogendra">Yogendra Yadav</a>
incharge of the surveys, meant that the results were being taken seriously by
some media and audience segments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hYJEi2hk9wU/UsQBvI5lqDI/AAAAAAAAALs/zrsBx9tJHK0/s1600/19_10_13-metro1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hYJEi2hk9wU/UsQBvI5lqDI/AAAAAAAAALs/zrsBx9tJHK0/s640/19_10_13-metro1a.jpg" width="398" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">All documents
from the manifesto to the pamphlets reinforced the same messages. To top it
all, each and every party leader walked the talk during and after the campaign
period.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Lesson for PR professionals:</span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"> Ensure that all messages
are validated by referenceable proof points. If proof points do not exist, use
audience surveys to create credible evidence. Always get your facts right and
be anal about it if needed. Credibility and transparency are at the core of
message acceptance. And most crucially, ensure that the spokespersons walk the
talk. </span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Step 3: Focus on message delivery and swiftness
of response on all platforms - traditional and social media<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Once AAP got
its messaging in place, it went for the kill with all guns blazing. As a PR
professional, I could well imagine how effectively its media cell was being
managed with the party spokespersons being allocated for high-impact TV debates
and print media interviews while its candidates went on a door-to-door campaign
in their constituencies. The flow of information to the media was
uninterrupted. The calmness and confidence with which most of AAP’s
spokespersons (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shazia_Ilmi">Shazia Ilmi</a>,
<a href="https://twitter.com/TheRahulMehra">Rahul Mehra</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manish_Sisodia">Manish Sisodia</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prashant_Bhushan">Prashant Bhushan</a>)
fielded questions on TV channels showed the level of preparation, aided by the
fact that they all have a media or law background. The party’s lightening fast
response to the alleged sting operation blunted the opposition’s attack. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Well sure,
some key media persons were clearly supportive of the AAP cause which showed in
the debates but that doesn’t take way from the fact that the media cell was
well managed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Another
commendable effort was its social media outreach aimed at the youth led by <a href="https://twitter.com/ankitlal">Ankit Lal</a>, AAP’s social media strategist.
Considering the high number of first time voters between the age group of 18-22,
social media formed the best means to reach them. An additional message for this audience was on the significance
of exercising one’s the right to vote since once they get to the polling stations,
they were far more likely to vote for AAP than for any
other party.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n2Kc6mfe6VY/UsP7pJsegfI/AAAAAAAAALQ/x50jTN_P0tA/s1600/Fb+pg+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-n2Kc6mfe6VY/UsP7pJsegfI/AAAAAAAAALQ/x50jTN_P0tA/s400/Fb+pg+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Most key
party members were active on Twitter during campaigning period from </span><a href="https://twitter.com/shaziailmi" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">@shaziailmi</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> to </span><a href="https://twitter.com/msisodia" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">@msisodia</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">. The number of Hindi tweets
showed the attempt to keep the Hindi speaking audience engaged. On reviewing </span><a href="https://twitter.com/ArvindKejriwal" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">@ArvindKejriwal</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> twitter handle with
over 990,000 followers (as on Jan 1, 2014), its following list of 72 consisted primarily of media
houses, top political journalists and spokespersons of rival parties, apart
from close aides. Similarly the </span><a href="https://twitter.com/AamAadmiParty" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">@AamAadmiParty</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">
twitter handle with over 290,000 followers, follows 377 comprising a mixed bag
of party supporters, rival candidates notably </span><a href="https://twitter.com/drharshvardhan" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Dr. Harsh Vardhan</a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> who is the BJP's CM candidate and top political journalists. The importance being given to media and rival
comments was amply evident. In comparison, Sheila Dikshit of the Congress is
not present on Twitter whereas Dr. Harsh Vardhan of the BJP has only 32,000
twitter followers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/#!/AamAadmiParty?fref=ts">Aam Aadmi Party Facebook
page</a> had over 200,000 people talking about it any given time while the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/#!/BJP4India?fref=ts">BJP Facebook page</a> which
happens to be older and with over twice the number of likes had on average 160,000
people talking about it. The graphics and visuals, taken from various sources,
being posted on the page evoked a high degree of audience interest. Most graphics had a link to party's owned online platforms such as the website particularly to the donations page since a significant part of the party's funding came from Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) who donated online. Online and offline campaigns were synchronized. </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Kejriwal
became one of the five most mentioned Indian politicians on social networking
sites such as </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook" title="Facebook"><span lang="EN">Facebook</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> and </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter" title="Twitter"><span lang="EN">Twitter</span></a></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> in the run-up to
the assembly elections. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pMWzvwz6WVs/UsP7pMKw2AI/AAAAAAAAALM/eBkOBg6E-9M/s1600/FB+pg+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pMWzvwz6WVs/UsP7pMKw2AI/AAAAAAAAALM/eBkOBg6E-9M/s400/FB+pg+1.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">Lesson for PR professionals: </span></i></b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">In the age of constant
media and audience scrutiny, swiftness of response is as critical as authenticity
of message. However, this can only happen when Steps 1 and 2 have been thoroughly
undertaken. Many PR professionals rush to Step 3 which fails to achieve the
desired impact and can backfire during a crisis if the proof points are not in
place. On social media platforms, listen carefully and thereafter let each
spokesperson engage with the audience directly rather than routing it through the
company page/handle. That said, do set the engagement guidelines and train the
spokesperson if needed, but don’t restrict people-to-people engagement. Also, the visual element is crucial considering the short attention span of online audiences. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YW-PYv0pejI/UsBrupAILTI/AAAAAAAAAKg/x4iBUHNqe0M/s1600/kejriCM-ss-29-12-13_CM+office.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="324" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YW-PYv0pejI/UsBrupAILTI/AAAAAAAAAKg/x4iBUHNqe0M/s640/kejriCM-ss-29-12-13_CM+office.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 1 as Chief Minister of Delhi at CM's office<br />
Courtesy: Post.Jagran.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">As public
relations professionals, we have grown richer by studying the experience of
Arvind Kejriwal and his party. As we enter another election year, the communication
strategy would be a decisive factor for who gets to wear the crown in 2014
general elections. So, exciting times ahead for those in the business of public
relations…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;">January 2014 marks the completion of one
year of my blog. Would like to thank all those who have encouraged me during
this period and would appreciate feedback on the existing content as well as
any other aspects that you’d like me to cover. You can also reach me on <a href="https://twitter.com/tarunnagrani" target="_blank">@tarunnagrani</a>. Onward with my passion for PR...</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></div>
</div>
</div>
Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-71695057452875835152013-12-07T23:41:00.000+05:302013-12-08T00:21:08.850+05:30Forgiveness: My compulsory lesson from Mandela’s life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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While reading an article by Nobel laureate Archbishop Despond
Tutu titled ‘<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/06/desmond-tutu-nelson-mandela">Prison
became a crucible</a>’ paying his tribute to <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/nelsonmandela">Nelson Mandela</a>, I couldn’t
help but think of a lesson in leadership which no management institute has ever
taught nor can ever teach. The lesson of unconditional forgiveness to one’s
detractors. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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I see this as a common trait in all the people who I
regard as leaders and idols– <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi">Mahatma Gandhi</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus">Jesus Christ</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivekananda">Swami Vivekananda</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l1fZyMnFW-Y/UqNtv0s9aXI/AAAAAAAAAJo/bQ2Mv4dyDow/s1600/nelson-mandela-love-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l1fZyMnFW-Y/UqNtv0s9aXI/AAAAAAAAAJo/bQ2Mv4dyDow/s320/nelson-mandela-love-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
All great nations, communities, societies have been built
through reconciliation. The path of reconciliation begins with and must have Forgiveness
at every step. And with a nation as diverse as my own, India, the fact that it
continues to stand as a single nation since independence could not have been
possible without a spirit of forgiveness.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some people point out to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_of_India">Partition of India</a>
in 1947 to say that we did have our black spot but my answer to them is that
had it not been for the spirit of forgiveness (inculcated painstakingly by the Mahatma),
pre-independence India would have divided into, not two, but 20 nation states
post 1947.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
So from the life of <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2013/12/06/nelson-mandela-madiba-meaning/3889469/">Madiba</a>,
I take back this crucial and compulsory lesson in life. Time will tell how much
I’m able to live up to it. <o:p></o:p><br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_ENMuthP69s/UqNtwrmPmVI/AAAAAAAAAJs/8_RWZyDFlYk/s1600/mandela-deepest-fear-sport-unplugged.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_ENMuthP69s/UqNtwrmPmVI/AAAAAAAAAJs/8_RWZyDFlYk/s640/mandela-deepest-fear-sport-unplugged.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
</div>
Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-53319690826767692862013-11-28T22:57:00.001+05:302015-05-08T13:47:52.650+05:30In Search of the Formula for Communications Measurement<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
I utter the word measurement with a degree of trepidation.
The word can mean many different things depending on who we talk to. To many it’s a perfect way to put a Communications/ PR person in the
dock since they argue that the results of communications are not directly measurable in
terms of business results. And that which can’t be measured stays at the periphery.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What set me thinking on this topic was when a senior
marketing executive at a forum commented that Communication practitioners seem to be scared
of being measured on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_on_investment">ROI</a>.
What does he mean by that, I said to myself. And so began the quest to find the formula for communications measurement.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Unfortunately, many communications practitioners have heard similar
criticism from clients/ stakeholders so often that they’ve begun to dislike the word ROI. But is it really such a dreaded thing? Can communications be measured in
business terms? And what’s the most acceptable methodology?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Before getting into the method, let’s understand the
context. Till any function is measured with regard to business impact, it is a tendency to look at it as a cost centre which needs to be closely scrutinized,
and more so in times of margin pressure. An apt example is that of the HR function.
Isn’t it ironic that in PR and advertising firms where talent is the primary resource, HR teams
have an average size of less than 2% of the total headcount.
In fact, most PR firms with 50-100 people have a one-member HR Team with the KPI defined primarily
as recruitment and back-filling. One would think the role of HR would be more
expansive in a people-centric business such as PR and so HR departments would
be better staffed. But that has rarely been the case despite the healthy growth
seen by the PR industry during the last decade. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
PR and communications departments face a similar situation in the corporate
structure where sales teams tend to be more powerful. It is a fact that most CEOs have a
sales background. So, it becomes even more crucial for the communications team to show
measureable business results if it wants to have a seat at the business decision making table. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>So, what's the ROI of Corporate Communications<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Even if we acknowledge that the results of communications efforts at
reputation management cannot be directly correlated to quarterly sales targets and
bottomlines, no-one can and should deny or belittle the long-term impact of
this effort on a company’s overall performance. Companies that have measured
corporate communications through tactical short-term metrics have seen their brand
values erode in the longer term. The best examples are many Japanese brands
that have built their communications campaigns primarily focusing on product visibility in
the short-term - a very transactional approach to communications. While immediate visibility for product may be needed during
market entry, it cannot remain the sole driver of communications efforts. With the
onslaught of the more nimble Korean brands, those Japanese brands are today
fast losing the audience mindshare. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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As per the <a href="http://www.interbrand.com/en/best-global-brands/2013/Best-Global-Brands-2013-Brand-View.aspx">Interbrand
best global brands</a><span class="MsoHyperlink">, </span>only two Japanese
brands are in the current top 20 namely Toyota and Honda. Most brands that have
endured over time are American ones because they understood the value of
long-term reputation building early on. Reputation is a brand’s most powerful
defense to crises and competitor onslaught. So by that analogy, reputation
management is as important to a brand as its defense forces are to a nation.
Can a nation ask its defense forces for a Return on Investment? </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Measuring Marketing Communications<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Marketing communications, which is primarily aimed at
supporting marketing efforts, can be measured by understanding the impact of communications on specific marketing campaigns that directly impact sales of a product or
service offering. One such method uses <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regression_analysis">regression analysis</a>
which is a statistical process for estimating the relationship amongst
variables. The measurability increases significantly in the case of social media
promotions particularly in measuring efficacy of message delivery on a real-time
basis.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Many companies particularly those in the consumer space use
audience audits as a means for measuring the success of communications and marketing
campaigns. The logic being that if the audience does not associate the brand
with the key messages or ‘terms’ that the brand aims to stand for, it defeats
the purpose of the communications and marketing effort. This has its clear merits. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The other methodology includes a
weighted average of multiple factors such as media circulation/viewership of
coverage, number of social media mentions/ comments, tonality, share of voice and key messages/terms captured to arrive at
a score. These have their merits too just that it doesn't necessarily show how the audience reacted to the messages.<br />
<br />
At the end of the day, its all about the target audience and whether they absorbed the message which the brands tried very hard to deliver.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>So is there a formula?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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For those readers who believe the argument is endless,
here’s the simplest answer for any communications measurement to be successfully applied. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The key lies in goal
setting. The metrics must be agreed during the stage at which goals are being
set. Each goal must have a clearly stated and agreed success criterion. What’s also important is to agree on the
assumptions being made, the limiting factors and where one stands on the goal
at the beginning of the period. If the probability of occurrence of any
significant limiting factor is high, it is imperative to have a Plan B. One may
argue that when a client hires a strategy advisory firm such as <a href="http://www.mckinsey.com/">McKinsey</a>, does a strategy advice always fit
into an ROI metrics? Not necessarily. The thing that the strategy
consultants get right is the assessment of the client’s market dynamics at
play, the risk factors and their impact which is used to arrive at a highly
measurable plan of action. And they are paid basis hours spent not on
ROI. So, we needn't get caught up in the ROI model.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The disconnect actually lies at this juncture since many in-house communications teams have not taken the pains to discuss and agree on the success
metrics and assess limiting factors with the senior management. Everyone
loves ambiguity since it gives them the space to present results in their
favour. Similar is the case with PR firms. And when the desired results are not
achieved, the blame game begins.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The greatest enemy of measurement is improper goal setting. Most communicators tend to believe that they know the goals so why spend so much time in goal setting. The broad brush approach is what sets them up for failure. </div>
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<br /></div>
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So folks, that’s as close as I could get. Love to hear your
thoughts. As I said, the search is on for that ever elusive formula…And when we
get it, we wouldn’t be too far from communications’ very own God Particle!</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
</div>
Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-83933485030818085562013-11-14T22:57:00.000+05:302015-08-07T11:16:42.718+05:30Who wants to be a thought leader?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In over a decade as a communications professional, I can’t remember
having dealt with an organization that does not list thought leadership as one
of its communications objectives, if not the primary one. It makes me wonder
that if every company becomes a thought leader, then we would soon be entering the
most ‘divine’ phase in corporate history. However, the state of the global
economy and the unenviable balance sheets of many corporates, paints a rather
grim picture, quite the opposite of what we would expect from a world filled
with self-proclaimed thought leaders. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In a study by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes">Forbes</a>
magazine conducted in 2010 of 1,452 diverse professionals with a variety of industries
ranging from investment advisors to attorneys and from accountants to life
coaches and security specialists, 78% of them wanted to be thought leaders.
However, only about 5% say they achieved this goal. Similar results have been
seen time and again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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In order to understand this phenomenon, let’s start by trying
to define the phrase. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forbes">Forbes</a>,
in an article titled, ‘<a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/russprince/2012/03/16/what-is-a-thought-leader/">What
is a Thought Leader?</a>’ gave the following definition from a business
perspective - <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<em><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">A
thought leader is an individual or firm that prospects, clients, referral
sources, intermediaries and even competitors recognize as one of the foremost
authorities in selected areas of specialization, resulting in its being the
go-to individual or organization for said expertise</span></em><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;">.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So, the moot point is that an individual, firm or organization being a thought leader is determined by how others (its
clients, prospects, employees etc.) perceive it based on its expertise and/or benefits
to the audience. One can become a business leader by showcasing better financial
results but the approach does not apply to thought leadership.<br />
<br />
Many companies look at thought
leadership as the icing on the cake. Failure to understand this aspect is the
crux of the problem owing to which most organizations would never be perceived
as thought leaders no matter how much they spend on the so-called ‘thought
leadership campaigns’. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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What amazes me is the misconception that exists among some corporate
managers that public relations/ communications is the silver bullet to the coveted thought
leader status. PR practitioners can help articulate and provide counsel on an
existing opinion of the client and communicate it to the desired
stakeholders. To think that the communications team/consultant can take sole charge of
transforming the company’s image to that of a thought leader is the biggest bluff
that can ever be played. Any company or its leader that lacks substance, may
see some short-term accolades owing to the efforts of his public relations team
but is destined for failure. And any PR practitioner who claims to deliver it
is trying to mislead a rather uninformed business leader. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So does it mean that communications has no role? <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The point being made is that over-dependence on communications to
deliver on thought leadership is putting the cart before the horse. A communications counsel can surely help a business leader in articulating his/ her thoughts and
providing sufficient proof points, provided a strong and relevant opinion exists just as a legal
counsel would help a client build strong evidence only and only if the case has
merit. It is not mandatory to hire a legal counsel to fight one’s case (a
plaintiff is free to fight his/her own case in court) and the same applies to using
the services of a communications counsel. That said, the value of the legal counsel or of communications counsel can be significant if the case or content has substance. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jt24fiBOUPw/UoUFe-1iBnI/AAAAAAAAAJU/XlSUGFIH7n4/s1600/1577.strip.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Jt24fiBOUPw/UoUFe-1iBnI/AAAAAAAAAJU/XlSUGFIH7n4/s640/1577.strip.gif" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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Among individuals, there is an ever blossoming group of
wannabe thought leaders who think that by simply regurgitating the same points
to suit various contexts, they would stay on top of every discussion.
Unfortunately, for them, most people see through these attempts. At a
recent so-called thought leaders conference, barring some speakers, most were using
the platform to wax eloquent about their individual achievements in the garb of
social service. It’s a tad disturbing to see people doing good for the sake of
looking good. So, is this one of the milestones in the journey to thought leadership?
One’s credibility definitely plays a role but it doesn’t need to be reinforced at
every possible opportunity. It may be a foundation but what matters is the structure
built on top of it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
These days, every time I attend an industry event where a speaker
utters the blessed words, a thought rushes through my mind. How about exploring
a TV show titled ‘Who wants to be a thought leader’ on the lines of ‘<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Wants_to_Be_a_Millionaire%3F" target="_blank">Who wants to be a millionaire</a>’. With so many aspirants around, I’ll surely have no dearth
of sponsors and participants. The only glitch may be getting the viewers. Hey,
what the heck, let me leave that to YouTube. After all, with so many high
priests of thought around, need I do all the thinking!<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-27749169211086123522013-09-12T21:09:00.000+05:302013-09-12T21:09:42.958+05:30The changing relationship between public relations and marketing<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I’m often questioned by my peers in marketing on whether public relations is essentially a function or a branch of marketing. Many marketers would like
to believe so, in fact while they may not say it explicitly but PR is viewed by
some as the poorer cousin of marketing. In contrast, most PR practitioners
consider the profession to be a management function whereby PR rolls up to the
CEO/ MD or to the Head of Corporate Affairs. This line of thinking, in essence,
suggests that PR runs as a parallel stream to marketing, connected yet
independent. The irony is that many organizations agree to the latter argument
in letter but not in spirit. The resultant ambiguity gives rise to a tussle on
ownership of brand campaigns, communication platforms (particularly social
media) and sharing of resources between marketing and PR teams within an
organization. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The debate needs to be seen in a broader context. At a
fundamental level, every organization needs to be clear about the core purpose that
PR is expected to serve. Is the role of PR merely to support marketing
campaigns i.e. marketing communications? Or is PR aimed at corporate brand
building and issues management? While the significance of PR may vary depending
on where the organization stands in its lifecycle and the external issues it
faces, it is primarily up to the CEO/MD to define the purpose of PR. The reporting
structure is secondary. In absence of a clear purpose, PR teams usually grapple
with hierarchy and ownership issues. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D3Ru-40l4A0/T1-_ApqKcwI/AAAAAAAAAPE/bQy4B_jWe14/s320/image1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D3Ru-40l4A0/T1-_ApqKcwI/AAAAAAAAAPE/bQy4B_jWe14/s320/image1.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If the role of PR is marketing communications then it is fair
for the PR team to work very closely with marketing and may even report to the
Head of Marketing. But if PR is expected to play a more strategic role, then it
needs an independent reporting structure. In line with this thought, several
leading global companies have a separate reporting structure for PR with the Head
of corporate communications having a seat on the company’s senior leadership
team alongside the Head of Marketing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, there is another line of thought that believes that
the PR team must be flexible enough to manage both corporate and marketing
communications depending on where the need arises. In such cases, in-country PR
teams have a dotted line reporting to in-country marketing. Such a reporting
structure requires the PR team to support the priorities of corporate communications/
corporate affairs along with those of in-country marketing, both of which can
be very different. So, PR teams need to invest in understanding the marketing
approach, yet deliver on corporate messaging in order to be able to maintain
the fine balance. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the conventional ROI-driven approach to marketing, PR is
essentially measured by the number of impressions, placement, tonality and
readership, in essence, breadth of coverage. The depth aspect, based on corporate
messaging, third-party endorsement and advocacy, tends to become secondary. Many
marketers take a cookie cutter approach that primarily looks at output
(essentially coverage) as opposed to outcome (which could be influencer
relationships). This is owing to the fact that conventional marketing tends to veer
towards a more transactional and easily measurable approach to communications. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the other hand, the PR approach is more focused on driving
conversations with or without a transactional engagement with audiences. Owing
to this difference of approach, the yardstick used by conventional marketing
often fails to measure the results of PR in its entirety. While the ROI
approach for PR may not be completely out of place since PR does deliver a far
better ROI than advertising, events etc. but aspects such as message delivery
and advocacy must be key components of any PR measurement tool. In essence, for
marketing and PR to share a healthy relationship, it is essential that both
streams graduate to a more outcome-based measurement approach without
subjecting one another to their specific output metrics. Neither of these streams can act as a substitute for the other.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yqjM15Xko88/UjHe3hYjRCI/AAAAAAAAAIs/pxNmSxF8AUQ/s1600/PRMarketing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yqjM15Xko88/UjHe3hYjRCI/AAAAAAAAAIs/pxNmSxF8AUQ/s320/PRMarketing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Advertising fell into the trap of being categorized as a
demand generation activity. PR must be careful not to be led onto the same
path. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With
a growing understanding of PR’s deeper role in corporate brand building, its
stature has gradually risen in the corporate hierarchy. That said, PR will have
to earn its position and respect within the corporate set-up by aligning itself
to strategic management goals. This is the key to the PR profession gaining its
rightful place as a management function.</span></span><br />
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Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-85852142938752081552013-08-23T08:58:00.001+05:302013-08-23T17:16:42.673+05:30Poor internal communications is the bane of the P.R. profession <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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At a public relations conference, a senior professor
commented that public relations is yet to be seen as a management function. Some
key requirements from a management function are multi-disciplinary expertise,
leadership capabilities, collaboration with other functions and the ability to
make a measurable impact on various organizational goals. Advertising professionals failed to show these
capabilities and therefore, could not gain a seat within the management team of
clients. <o:p></o:p></div>
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On the other hand, one can clearly see some serious rethink
on the role of public relations in the overall communication matrix within
organizations. As public relations evolves into a multi-disciplinary profession
that has direct engagement with multiple stakeholders be it consumers or with the
company boards, there has been a perception shift where in-house public
relations professionals are being recognized for making an impact on business
as well as exhibiting leadership abilities. As a result, increasingly, companies
are delinking in-house P.R. teams from marketing teams and assigning clear
goals and targets that are tied to organizational goals. This signifies that
the discipline is required to collaborate well with other functions to deliver
the desired results. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In-house P.R. teams rely heavily on P.R. agency teams to deliver
results. This in-turn broadens the role of P.R. agency teams. They are expected
to advise clients on every possible means and channel of communication, be it
internal or external. So understandably, P.R. agency professionals are assumed
to have the requisite system and structure in place that helps integrate their
own teams and align them to client’s structure and goals. Surprisingly, that’s
where many P.R. teams exhibit glaring gaps. </div>
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I have seen many P.R. agency teams failing
to deliver owing to ineffective internal collaboration within the team especially
when team members are spread across various locations, work on different client
campaigns and/or belong to various practice areas (digital, public affairs). The
fact is that P.R. agency teams are still coming to terms with a matrix
structure of client servicing. While I don’t mean to say that in-house
corporate communications teams have mastered the art of collaboration, I would
like to keep that aspect aside since it is highly dependent on the size and
nature of business of the client organization. P.R. agencies tend to have
similar structures. <o:p></o:p></div>
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So let’s try to understand some concerns and misconceptions
that hinder effective collaboration within P.R. teams.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<li><b>I can’t perform in a matrix structure. </b>Yes, the statement sounds
familiar. When each horse is out to prove that he’s better than the rest of his
fellows pulling the same cart, it is a fiasco in the making. Of course
individual performance matters and there can be ample scope to show it even in
a matrix structure, but if one believes that by working in isolation one can
outshine the rest, the person is grossly mistaken. A team member is better off
working in sync than trying to stick one’s neck out. <b> </b><b> </b></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>If I’m the best individual performer, I’m most eligible to lead the
team. </b>Not necessarily. Leadership is not about doing the best work
yourself, but about helping others (which includes peers, subordinates and even
seniors) to put in their best and achieve a common goal. I have come across
people at various levels who believe that by not sharing their knowledge and
skills with others, they maintain their prominence in the team. What they fail
to realize is that most team members can see this shortsighted behavior and
tend to resent it. Such persons end up losing the team’s trust and even if they
do eventually manage to become team leads, they achieve very little. After all,
how much can a team lead accomplish if he/she isn’t trusted by fellow team members?</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>My opinion isn’t sought prior to important decisions. </b>Addressing
this concern of team members, in no uncertain terms, is the job of the team lead/s.
They must ensure that important decisions are taken through consensus. The
practice of taking key decisions in isolation can play havoc with team morale. In
addition, the consensus-building process helps neutralize vested interests in
the team who believe they have the authority to take a decision owing to their
seniority or longevity in the team. This is, by far, the biggest test for the
team lead.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>Why should I be sharing most of the information when others don’t? </b>Well,
if a person is more resourceful and the team looks up to him/her for information,
isn’t that a strength that can work in the person's favour? No-one stands to lose by sharing
more.</li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>I’ve shared knowledge but never got enough credit. </b>That’s the pet
peeve for most. From experience, I can say that credit is one of those things which
the more one gives away, the more one gets. While it is definitely the role of
the team lead/s to try to ensure that due credit (and I use the word ‘due’
since the degree is highly subjective) is passed on to each member of the team,
the best results are achieved when every team member feels the need to
acknowledge each other’s contribution. The more one tries to keep credit to
oneself, the lesser credit he/she gets from the rest of the team. </li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><b>The client can’t see who’s doing what internally so how does it matter.
</b>You bet the client can. Teamwork and team chemistry are evident during
client meetings and even on calls. In fact, I’ve had clients who would discuss
individual strengths and weaknesses of team members with me and would oppose
important work being given to a team member who they believed did not share a
good rapport with others. Nothing could be more telling of a P.R. team’s
inadequate internal communication than when various campaign teams sitting at a
client meeting are clueless about the other campaign’s key initiatives and
stare at each other when asked by a client how one campaign can leverage the
initiatives of the other. While it reflects poorly on the team members, and
particularly on the team lead, above all it damages the credibility of the
firm.</li>
</ul>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Time and again, there have been several instances to prove that
teams which collaborate effectively deliver far better results and exhibit a
greater degree of confidence and bonding. Even situations of immense work pressure
and uncertainties can be managed. On the other hand, teams that share little
with each other in a misplaced notion of guarding their turf, deliver far below
their potential. The result is often, frustration and attrition. Putting in place a matrix reporting structure
or providing the teams with tools to collaborate does not guarantee that they
would do so. The crux is demonstrating the intent to collaborate which needs to
percolate from the top, down to each and every layer of the team. If P.R. practitioners want the profession to
be viewed as a management function, they must behave in a manner that is
commensurate to management practices such as effective internal collaboration.<b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-19891313744815941732013-06-09T20:41:00.000+05:302013-06-09T20:41:24.813+05:30Why Public Relations must reinvent itself, or else R.I.P.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica','sans-serif'; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 155%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 155%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 155%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">Many of us recall instances of repeated calls by insurance agents out to hard-sell a newly launched insurance policy, claiming to make our families ‘even more’ proud of us after we depart for heaven. The intense cajoling makes it seem as though the insurance policy is an eligibility criterion for entry to the heavenly abode. The divine discussion finally falls to the earth with a single question – what’s the lowest possible premium? Insurance is clearly the least valued investment option, rather, a necessary evil. Many Public Relations practitioners like to position P.R. as insurance against risks to corporate reputation from external factors. While that analogy may have some solid reasons, it is not surprising that the P.R. business in many parts of the world, stands commoditised as is the case with insurance.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9-Ivj1jVs1M/UbSaR3jE_4I/AAAAAAAAAHc/ZCA5sZhDteg/s1600/Risk-300x200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9-Ivj1jVs1M/UbSaR3jE_4I/AAAAAAAAAHc/ZCA5sZhDteg/s1600/Risk-300x200.jpg" yya="true" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 155%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 155%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">Intense competition has meant that P.R. billings in hyper-competitive markets such as India are at their lowest. Faced with this scenario, it is only plausible to ask whether this low billing model is sustainable. Low billings would mean that growth in employee remuneration in the P.R. business would fall behind other key service industries. Moreover, the investments in training and development would continue to languish. In such a scenario, how can the business of Public Relations expect to attract or retain top talent? And without good talent, how will P.R. ever deliver results that will help it take centrestage in the communications strategy of clients?<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 155%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 155%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">P.R. is definitely not the first services business to be facing this situation. So, what is the solution? <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 155%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 155%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">I certainly do not claim to have an answer but see no harm in trying to take a leaf out of the book of the insurance industry. Insurance now comes bundled with most financial instruments which seem to be far more amenable than standalone insurance. Perhaps it’s time P.R. is integrated with like-minded offerings – in other words its time to look at ‘Public Relations Plus’. </span></span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: 155%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 155%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">Till a few years ago the additional offering was primarily Public Affairs. However, that didn’t solve the problem of measurement. The new service offering, with a promise, is digital. As standalone, digital is heading for a similar cycle of commoditisation. But as part of P.R. Plus, digital gives P.R. teams the power to customize the message for each audience and deliver it directly with real-time measurement of audience receptivity. In culturally diverse countries such as India and the United States where marketers grapple with audience segmentation, the situation is set to get more complex with the growing penetration of the digital media. This complexity, in essence, has given P.R. its biggest opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cwrZ1_WRFLI/UbSY3FdHNhI/AAAAAAAAAHE/maTWX6anihQ/s1600/PRandSocialMedia-300x188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cwrZ1_WRFLI/UbSY3FdHNhI/AAAAAAAAAHE/maTWX6anihQ/s1600/PRandSocialMedia-300x188.jpg" yya="true" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: 155%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 155%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">If P.R. teams (comprising the PR firm and the in-house PR department) work in complete sync with a single-minded focus of showing the value of P.R. Plus to the C-suite in the backdrop of the increasingly complex external communications environment, there is a strong case for greater budgets being allocated and therefore better billings.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; line-height: 155%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 155%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;">And it is this very message of P.R. Plus setting new benchmarks in communication that must be delivered to marketing and communications students. If setting new standards in communications is a student’s impression of success, then P.R. should be the career of choice. On the other hand, if PR teams continue to undercut each other and as a result fail to focus on demonstrating the strategic value of integrated campaigns, the community will do a great disservice to the P.R. discipline. Top talent will look elsewhere and the PR community will have only itself to blame.</span></span></span></div>
<span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 155%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: black;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 155%; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 155%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: text1;">On the digital front, while the debate continues to rage between marketers and P.R. teams as to who owns digital, the more plausible approach comes with understanding the purpose of the digital campaign for the company. Where digital is aimed at driving conversation with the audience, in other words the engagement is more social, it is up the alley of the P.R. team and where it is advertising-led or aimed at lead generation, marketers can take ownership with P.R. playing the supporting role. As companies gain clarity on the role of digital in their communication matrix, the differences are expected to be ironed out in due course. </span></div>
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</span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #444444; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 155%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri;">We must remember that P.R. professionals would have to earn their place at the high table of strategy. The other option is to be prepared to get sidelined. We don't have much of a choice, do we?</span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 155%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is an adaptation of an earlier post by me titled ‘<a href="http://thepromisefoundation.wordpress.com/2012/11/06/guest-blog-its-time-for-public-relations-plus/" target="_blank">Its time for public relations plus</a>’<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i></div>
Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-77817043799939962502013-06-02T00:10:00.003+05:302015-08-13T20:07:42.260+05:30Job hopping: Why crash a promising P.R. career even before it takes off <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the past few weeks, I’ve met many young P.R. professionals who have made two or more job switches in the early years of their career. When I asked them about it, the usual answer is in search of a better opportunity. So, my obvious next question is what they want to achieve from this opportunity and from the career. And that’s where the hollowness of the decision begins to show. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The real problem is that most of them don’t know what they want to achieve in their careers. So money and designation become the obvious baits to lure them into a new job. The new employer, in most cases, has already guessed this weakness and couldn’t care less about their growth. They are thrown into the sea – if they learn to swim, they move ahead else they are left to drown. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a result, the persons find themselves in the same old state a few months down the line in the new job – frustrated, stressed out and vindictive. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the end, the once promising practitioner feels disillusioned barely 2-3 years into the profession. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The ways to avoid such an early setback to one’s career are to ask the following questions before deciding to switch:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Will I learn any new skills</b> or will I just be doing the same things but for a new set of clients/ stakeholders? The plausible reason to switch a job in the first two years of one’s career is if a significant learning opportunity awaits you at the other end. A candidate with one year’s experience once told me during the interview that she didn’t really have a reason to move and was just exploring any new opportunities with my firm. My response was that if she wasn’t clear about what she wanted to learn in her new role, I saw no reason to hire her. Be very clear about why you need to switch your job. Learning should be the foremost reason. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Could there be a problem with my attitude?</b> At college, I asked my professors what they sought in candidates during the entrance interview. The unambiguous response was attitude. Skills can be taught, attitude comes from within. For instance, if one is not able to get along with most teammates in the earlier firm and that is the reason for a change, there is a very high probability of the scenario being repeated in the new firm. It’s better to introspect than to be shown the mirror and thereafter, the door. In such a closely knit industry as public relations, it’s almost impossible to hide one’s behavioural attributes. Many of us have been through situations where a new employee’s attitude is known to teammates even before the person joins the firm. Always keep in mind, wherever you may go, your reputation is likely to precede you. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Am I prepared to start from scratch?</b> In most firms, persons with less than three years of work experience are expected to prove their competence at press office reporting before being assigned client-facing work. I remember having done press office work in addition to other responsibilities even at a manager level. If you switched jobs thinking you’ll be free from reporting tasks, prepare for a rude shock (no matter what you have been promised during the job interview). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Am I ready for the role that I’m getting into?</b> This is primarily for those who are moving into corporates at a very early stage in their careers. Corporate culture can be ruthless. So, unlike P.R. firms where seniors are ready to mentor/train employees, in corporates the difference in experience between the senior and subordinate is usually so large (7- 10 years or more) and the corporate communications team is so small, that the senior hardly has the time to spend on bringing someone upto speed. Also, PR & Communications is a support function in a corporate so they would not be too keen to invest in training the PR team. So the subordinate either uses his/her experience gathered at a P.R. firm or learns the tricks on his/her own. If neither of these work, a pink slip is on its way, particularly if the company is not doing well. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">The apt testament is to analyze the career path of most successful P.R. and corporate communications professionals wherein it becomes clear that staying power is a common attribute. For most senior-level positions particularly in corporates, a job hopper is likely to lose out to candidates whose career graph shows stability. So, short-sightedness may seem to be working in the short-term but it is bound to wreck long-term career prospects for any aspiring public relations and communications professional. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The blogpost was also published on <a href="http://thepromisefoundation.wordpress.com/2013/05/30/job-hopping-why-crash-a-promising-p-r-career-even-before-it-takes-off/comment-page-1/#comment-126" target="_blank">thepromisefoundation</a> blog<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-47202592028238153192013-04-21T21:07:00.001+05:302013-04-21T23:40:18.730+05:30Bitter truth for the youth – women and children’s safety is impossible in a society that eulogizes aggression!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Having lived in Delhi for over a decade, I have grown to love the city’s heritage, diversity and quality of talent. If there is one aspect that bogs me about this city, it is the fact that despite having one of the highest levels of per capita literacy and per capita income in India, Delhi remains among the most unsafe places for women not just in India but in any metro city in the world. This aspect coupled with the high incidence of road rage and </span><a href="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/child-abuse-cases-delhi-women-safety-bachpan-bachao-andolan/1/251584.html"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">child abuse</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, signifies something much deeper. Has aggression become a way of life in Delhi?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While it is great that the forest cover in our city has increased to almost 20% of the city’s land in the last decade (making the natural environment better), the irony seems to be that the city’s culture is turning into a jungle, quite literally. The unsaid rule clearly is that if one is physically stronger, the others must be subservient to his will. I often find the so-called elite and educated youth, who travel in big fancy cars and bikes, flouting traffic rules and if they are ever to be questioned, a brawl is almost certain.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I see children being employed in almost every mom and pop shop in Delhi and as domestic help in homes. They are denied education in the name of giving them a livelihood. It is these children that face abuse and violence. Yet I see very little conversation on these atrocities till extreme incidents occur.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">How can women and children ever be safe in a society where aggression is a way of life? Holding the police and politicians accountable is the easier option but cannot be the panacea. There has to be change of mindset and behaviour. Aggression, whether at home or on the roads, must be denounced in every possible way. The change has to start with each one of us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are we ready to obey traffic rules and not to engage in any form of road rage either individually or as a group? Are we prepared to boycott any shop that employs children and oppose employing any child as domestic help? Are Delhi’s young ‘Daredevils’ ready to stand up for a woman when she objects to being stared at/abused on the road or while using public transport?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While it is heartening to see the youth pour on the streets to protest, that alone will not solve the endemic problem of a growing culture of aggression in Delhi.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">For those of us who still do not feel the sense of responsibility and pain at the state of things, the most apt comment would be (quoting President Obama’s words) ‘Shame on us’.</span><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For those of you who are wondering what this post has to do with public relations, I’d like to clarify that P.R. practitioners are as closely aligned to what happens in society as their counterparts in journalism. Anything that impacts society is as and more relevant for P.R. professionals. I’ve written about similar social issues in the past and one of them was titled </span><a href="http://thepromisefoundation.wordpress.com/2013/01/22/guest-blog-modern-public-relations-owes-its-success-to-women-leadership/"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Modern public relations owes its success to women leadership</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">.</span></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-68356860810493681802013-03-23T23:26:00.003+05:302013-12-28T22:22:18.335+05:30Is the creativity gap in P.R. largely a systemic problem?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">While necessity is widely accepted as the mother of invention, the father remains disputed. Many believe it is creativity and I tend to agree since in public relations, creativity matters more than ever before. For a P.R. practitioner, the appropriate definition of creativity is in the words of former Harvard Business School professor and movie producer, John Kao, “The crucial variable in turning knowledge into value is creativity.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><a href="http://cut-the-crap.co/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/capability.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="http://cut-the-crap.co/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/capability.gif" ssa="true" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As per a recent global study on </span><a href="http://www.holmesreport.com/featurestories-info/12644/Creativity-In-PR-Big-Ideas-Creative-Quality-Emerge-As-Key-Concerns-In-Landmark-Study.aspx"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Creativity in PR</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> by Holmes Report and </span><a href="http://www.nowgocreate.co.uk/"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">NowGoCreate</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">, in partnership with Ketchum, 61% of all P.R. practitioners and 66% of in-house corporate communications executives agreed to the fact that the P.R. industry lacked big ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is quite a paradox that a discipline that has storytelling at its core, lacks creativity. After all, stories have fired human imagination from time immemorial. What may be fueling that argument is the fact that over the years creativity has been allowed to fall behind overriding issues such as budget constraint, overservicing, talent acquisition and lack of measurement of results. My experience has led me to believe that the problem lies elsewhere – in fact it has now become systemic. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">In most P.R. firms, a client servicing team is expected to do media relations, account management, content creation, client reporting and in some cases, media/digital monitoring, and all this for multiple accounts/clients. While the tasks are divided between different levels and, in an ideal situation, should be undertaken seamlessly, many of us in the business know how often team members across levels are drawn into the day-to-day tasks owing to multiple reasons –attrition, performance issues, client escalations and erratic client asks. Having gone through the drill for a good part of my career, I’m not surprised that creativity has fallen off the priority list for most client servicing teams. When the choice is between keeping the ship afloat and discovering new lands, the preference is a no-brainer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">In-house corporate communication teams have their fair share of issues. Many of them have to work with such a limited internal remit that they hardly have any clout to push creative ideas through the senior management team. Consequently, they are unable to secure the budgets to execute these ideas. In most cases, the ‘big ideas’ proposed during a pitch preparation are left to rot as the in-house team gets busy in pushing the agency to meet the endless expectations of internal stakeholders through press meetings and resultant clips. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">That said, a growing number of P.R. consultancies genuinely value creativity and there are clients who are prepared to fund the idea provided the outcome has a clear impact on the client's business objectives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">The point therefore is that if the problem is systemic, it is important for P.R. firms to keep client limitations aside, introspect and take the first steps. Change is far easier on the agency side than within the corporate environment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Creativity must become the norm and the lack of creativity, the exception. Creativity is not like some chocolate chips sprinkled on a cake. Neither is it a switch that can be put on just before a pitch or plan and switched off later. The firm should create an aspiration of creativity built on the bedrock of knowledge. The very ethos of the organization must reflect creative thinking– from the design of the office space to everything that defines the work environment. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Every way must be explored to stimulate out-of-box thinking whether through information sharing, greater collaboration across teams and offices, giving new experiences and contacting people from other disciplines. A creative idea can come from anywhere – not just in doing client tasks. A regulated and siloed environment is among the biggest impediments to creativity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">Advertising agencies went through a similar learning curve. The model adopted was that of having a central creative team that drives ideation for various client servicing teams. But this does not mean that client servicing teams wash their hands off ideation since they understand the client’s requirements, communication strategy and constraints better than anyone else. In fact, the job of risk-testing the idea is primarily that of the servicing team. </span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">What better testament to the success of this model than the fact that most advertising agencies are personified by their creative heads. Perhaps P.R. agencies need to try out this tested model. There is already a move in this direction as P.R. firms appoint Chief Creative Officers with the purpose of forming a core creative team.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">But again, this is no silver bullet. If firms do not motivate all employees, be it in client servicing or creative team, to take risk and be bold in their ideas, the purpose would be defeated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">To take advantage of this new structure, P.R. consultants need to redefine their remit beyond churning out media stories or adding fans to a brand’s Facebook page. If they want to challenge the perceived strength of advertising agencies in creativity, they need to lead integrated campaigns with the idea at the heart of the campaign.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">As traditional P.R. and digital communications become increasingly commoditized, creativity is taking centrestage. It’s for the agencies to decide if they are ready to change – by weeding out the old complacent model to one that facilitates and incentivizes creativity at every level and at every step. P.R practitioners need to ask themselves - How long will the industry live in status quo? How long will they work within a limited remit defined by others? How long will they be scared to stick their necks out for a big idea owing to the fear of failure?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Calibri;">In an interesting case, my team once lost a pitch because the client felt that we were being too bold. The in-house executive said that while he loved the thinking, he would never be able to get a buy-in for these ideas from his management. My team did not have an iota of regret for what we presented. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When the subject is creativity, who can be more inspiring than Steve Jobs. In Jobs’ words – “Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3178266919096833351.post-69545033768463978522013-01-20T21:00:00.000+05:302013-12-28T23:03:56.422+05:30For the love of public relations…<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When I started my career in 2003, I was the only one in my batch of 20 students to opt for public relations (P.R.). In fact, my curiosity of P.R. dates back to school days when I watched a comic TV show cracking jokes on PR practitioners in one of its episodes. By the time I graduated, the curiosity turned into an infatuation. While all my classmates were making their career choices in areas such as event management or journalism (options made easy by the fact that these streams were far better defined), I had no doubt that my fate was in P.R. Amused at my conviction, a few classmates joked whether I was born to be a P.R. professional. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A decade later, I can surely say that P.R. is not just my profession, it’s my passion. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the years, I have been talking to many new joiners in the P.R. community on their aspirations. It’s heartening to see quality talent opting for a career in P.R. But what I see missing is focus and direction. When I ask them what they wish to achieve from the discipline, they are either unclear or say that they would want to move to the corporate side in corporate communications departments. If the same question was put to a budding advertising professional, there are high chances that the answer would be to design and execute creative campaigns that can set benchmarks in the ad industry. I’m amazed that very few P.R. practitioners ever talk about creating industry leading campaigns that set the benchmark in communications. That has made me wonder if most of us understand the power of public relations beyond a front page story in top business, mainline dailies or magazines or the coveted 60 second slot on television.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We live in a world where messaging is king, irrespective of the medium, be it online or offline. With so much clutter and competition, it is becoming increasingly difficult to convey the desired messaging to target audiences. Who can understand, craft and deliver messaging more effectively than P.R. professionals? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today P.R. is being asked to prove its worth for every penny spent. With communications budgets facing intense scrutiny, I see my team being pitted against those in ad agencies, digital agencies and others in the fight for marketing dollars and for ownership of integrated campaigns. I know we can win as long as my team controls the message and gives the most holistic and cost-effective idea. I disagree with those who say that clients don’t listen. Let your ideas speak for you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our business needs people who are intensely passionate about what we do and can demonstrate the deep knowledge and business acumen required to take on detractors. We cannot survive by playing on the defensive. Without passion and drive to think different, we will be relegated to a corner in the communications business.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The purpose of my blog is to see if I can convey and transfer this passion to promising young P.R. professionals and students. This week also marks the passing away of one of the pioneers of public relations, Daniel J. Edelman, whose life inspires many of us. While reading a book titled ‘Edelman and the Rise of Public Relations’, I was quite intrigued by his vision and passion for the profession dating as far back as 1950s. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have no doubt that P.R. is the future of communications business. So, for those who want to do more than just make a living out of P.R., watch this blog for some interesting takes on P.R. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the fence-sitters yet to make up their minds, I hope this blog can clear some of your doubts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">And for my most beloved - those in the P.R. baiters club- please be aware that no matter what you say or do, there will always be people who will continue to LOVE this profession!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><strong>Some interesting videos:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">‘A World Without Public Relations’ by spirited young P.R. pros<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">‘Creativity in PR: The bigger picture’ by Arun Sudhaman, Partner and Managing Editor, Holmes Report<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Tarunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03173967542084408078noreply@blogger.com2India20.593684 78.962880000000041-8.5680234999999989 37.654286000000042 49.7553915 120.27147400000004