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94. Forty thousand

Posted on by Neha Goyal

“Deepa didi ko pareshan maat karro” said our help lady from the kitchen
“Koi baat nai Rita di”

“Didi maine yeh kitaba(books) dekhu?”
“Ha, ha kyu nai. How is your school going Deepa?”
“School? Main school nai jaati Didi”
“Kyu? School toh jaana chaiya na?”

Deepa was clueless as she didn’t know what to reply.

I went to kitchen and asked Rita di, “Didi app Deepa ko school kyu nai bhejte? School toh bhejna chaiya na.”
“Didi maine toh bhejna chahti huu, pr yeh log itna paise mangte hai ki main kya karru. Iselia aise ghar pe rakhna pdta hai ki kuch nai toh mere sath kaam hi sikh leggi.”
“Yeh toh glt baat hai Didi.” Instantly I decided to step up and take the initiative to teach her. “Abb se Deepa ko roz main shaam ko padha dungi.”

I taught Deepa for a year and while teaching her I realised how students like Deepa, who have good grasping power are not able to get proper schooling due to the lack of education system in India. Even when government schools should provide free education they are lacking to do so. They take a certain amount of money that the number of underprivileged people is not able to afford due to which they don’t send their kids for education. People, who still manage to do that, are also not getting proper education due to improper teaching faculty and infrastructure.

The lack of education system is one of the causes that I really care about and what I would like to do something about. Being a public relations student, I would like to do a PR campaign about it to improve the condition within the budget of forty thousand.

First, through the help of social media, I would create awareness about the lack of education among underprivileged children. I would post about it on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and so on, and also ask my friends and family to post as well to create a buzz. They will post the story of one child who is not able to get proper schooling and will nominate three other people to do the same and make people talk about it. Through this, a chain will be created and I will also collaborate with influencers to reach out to a larger audience.

I will talk to various NGOs who can help to improve this situation. Other than this, I will reach out to various brands that can collaborate and invest in this CSR activity. With the help of this, we can also create a site, where people who care about the same cause can donate a certain amount of money that can help these kids.

A small initiative can make a big difference.

93. My take on Ethics

Posted on by Neha Goyal

Ethics according to me is a value that deals more with principles. They help us decipher the right from wrong while also guiding us through. These values form the core and govern a person’s behavior in determining how they conduct themselves. People with good ethics recognize the difference between the do’s and don’ts and they constantly strive to set an example of good demeanor. These are the individuals who are more likely to treat people as they would want to be treated. In Public Relations, I feel possessing the attributes of honesty and equality is most important. Honesty in terms of work and dedication, and equality when it comes to maintaining relationships. These two aspects play a sturdy role to grow and lead towards the right path of success. 

In the dynamic and ever-evolving fraternity of Public Relations, PR professionals are representatives of a brand; not only among the media and the brand’s stakeholders but also as representatives of the firm. While representing an organization, they operate professionally and do nothing to dishonor who they represent. The professionals are put in a spot where they have to know the difference between proper and improper and face situations like:

  • Clients asking them to fulfill their unrealistic expectations
  • Journalists seeking exclusive/sensitive information 
  • Marketing departments making dubious claims about the upcoming or existing products
  • Employers forcibly asking to go overboard in order to bring business results

To administrate such significant tasks, professionals are hired based on their talent and their ethical values. They are responsible to disseminate correct information to various stakeholders due to which the professionals need to possess the quality of ethics in them. Sometimes professionals get into a dilemma where they are asked to take a route which they think is unethical. 

But, why someone should be ethical? How does one define the ethical boundaries? How does one understand that s/he is ethical enough?

In response to the above mentioned questions, I would say ‘Why should someone not be ethical?’ Today, we live in a competitive space where many times people don’t know if their actions are ethical or not. But, can this be justified or used as an excuse?

For me, ethics is something that depends on my personality, where I make a decision that makes my conscious feel right regardless of the consequences. I would rather be honest and do what is right instead of doing something wrong and benefiting from it. Respecting others, treating everyone equally, and taking responsibility of my own work (facing the brickbats or even receiving recognition). My go-to mantra is, ‘Honesty Pays!’ as it helps to gain the trust of all key stakeholders and people around.

Being a public relations student of SCoRe, I strongly believe and agree with one of the core values that says ‘No matter how high the stakes or how tough the competition is, I should be HONEST’. It helps and will continue helping me in the long run.

#EthicsMatter

92. Public Relations for Entertainment Industry

Posted on by Neha Goyal

In India, enormous numbers of people are attracted to the entertainment industry and a million dreams are woven by it. This industry has a phenomenal follower base across the globe that is growing with time. It is like a rat race to be in the eyes of the outside world where an immense amount of effort and research is put. In deciding, how they should be in front of the audience.

The entertainment business is not only limited to producing, directing, investing and performing. But unlike any other sector promotions, marketing, advertising, and public relations are also a huge part of it, to make money and to build its reputation.

In this sector the public relations done is quite different from any other. For example- a PR for a movie is quite different from that of movie celebrities. And the same goes for other aspects of this industry (theatre, artist, channels, etc).

I am not stating any facts based on the Google search but from the things I have been learning recently. The television channel is promoted through the shows that air on that channel. Interesting story pegs are disseminated that talks about the upcoming episode, what challenges or interesting things they faced while shooting for the episode. During the launch of a new reality show, the artist/host does various media interactions and activities to promote their show and talks about what viewers should expect from the show. To promote a movie channel, the public relations is done by talking about the movies that are going to air on television for the first time. The PR campaign revolves around the premiere of the movie that has already been released in theatre. It helps them to build a conversation about how the channel is the first one to bring it on television.

Media interactions, PR campaigns, disseminating stories, city visits with the actors are some of the things that are done. And these are few ways in which public relations of entertainment sector is quite different and also a bit challenging than others.

91. Before pitching a client

Posted on by Neha Goyal

If we start counting the number of brands we have at present, we will probably end up losing the calculation. This is exactly how the world is becoming because of the innumerable brands around us. Every product has got a fair amount of competitors in the market that is making it difficult for them to stand out in the eyes of the consumers/audience. Marketing and advertising help these brands to grab the eyeballs of the target audience but it is public relations that help them majorly in retaining them. Positive perception is created by brands through reputation management and hence they are hiring consultancies for the same.

While brands are looking for consultancies, the consultancies need to pitch them with a correct and strong research work of the sector/industry. It should have proper facts to impress and gain the confidence of the potential client. Following are some of the crucial research that a brand does before pitching to a client:

  • Basic Research– The process starts with the secondary research about a brand. The information encloses every single detail about the brand extracted from their websites. Articles, where they have been mentioned, are also used as it helps to know how the brand is perceived in the market. 
  • Consumer Dipstick- It helps to know the current positioning of the brand in the minds of the target audience. It helps the consultancies in ideation and what they can do to make the brand better and expand its audience base.
  • Social Media Analysis- It helps to know the honest opinion of consumers for the brand/company. It assists in analyzing what are the users talking about the brand and its competitors. It also aids to understand how the brands are communicating their message and if it is reaching the right audience or not. This also helps to understand what are they trying to communicate and whether it is working at the moment.
  • Media Dipstick- It is important to know which is the media covering the beat and seek an expert opinion. Media knows the industry and that particular brand in and out. Conducting the correct measures with the right media helps to churn out the right information and show the correct indulgence of research work to convince the potential client.  

Research is the key to seek accurate inferences and to keep forward more planned and creative ideas for the brands to stand out in the market.

90. Derby

Posted on by Neha Goyal

What comes to mind when you read about the word ‘Derby’?

Believe it or not but the word is taken differently by a lot of people as there are different types of derbies around the world. People refer to the word as a horse race, a city, a competition, a traditional event or a thing to wear.

Starting with, a race restricted to three or four-year-old horses are referred to as ‘derby’ since the 1780’s. It was named after Edward Smith-Stanley, the 12th Earl of Derby who inaugurated the famous horse race in England. The Kentucky Derby in the United States is one of the most famous one. Though it is not the only derby in the world but fans describe it as ‘The most exciting two minutes in sports”.

Besides horse racing, derby is used in other sports as well. Roller derby is one of them that involve roller-skating around a track. They feature as two teams playing offense and defense at the same time. Other than this, in England, people refer to soccer matches between local rivals as ‘derby’ and Americans refer the word in general type of baseball competitions.   

A traditional event since 1953 of scout clubs is referred to as pinewood derby. In this event, wooden cars are carved by hand from a block of pinewood for a race. The idea came from a club leader to teach the members about carving wood and practically knowing about gravity through this scout activity.

Derby is not only about sports or competition. The word has got various other things related to it.

In the United States, the word is used to refer the bowler hat as derby. It is a popular stiff felt hat with a rounded crown and narrow brim. The hat is traditionally been worn as informal or semi-formal attire by many British and Irish people as well.

A unitary authority area and a city in England, Derby was settled by Romans. The city claimed to be one of the birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution of England gained the city status in 1977. It is a center of advanced transport manufacturing and home to Rolls-Royce the world’s second-largest aero-engine manufacturer. It is a significant cultural center because of its strong sign language for the deaf community.

Therefore a word can be referred to as a lot of things differently across the world.

Reference:https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/is-every-derby-a-race

89. Faceless, Paperless, Cashless

Posted on by Neha Goyal

Digital wallets heralded a revolution in electronic payments in India.

Not a long time ago in India, the majority of our payments used to be done through cash. From booking movie tickets by standing in a long queue to purchasing our grocery products, things drastically changed after the demonetization in 2016 where people were forced to choose an alternative option due to cash crunch. Mobile apps like Paytm, MobiKwik won over annoyed consumers with poor transaction processing infrastructure for payments by banks. Since then the digital system in India has been escalating due to its safe, convenient and less time-consuming structure.

The Initiative taken by the Reserve Bank of India to transfer money electronically has created a strong technology based system allowing seamless transactions. Today digital payment includes modes like internet banking, mobile wallets, digital payment apps, debit/credit cards, UPI service, mobile banking, etc.

Digital payments make our life easy as it is fast almost on a real-time basis, hassle-free service with its availability of 24*7, and transaction costs are almost nil. It can be accessed by all and can also avail good discounts and cashbacks compared to cash payments. The payments are automatically recorded in e-wallet passbooks to track the transactions. It increases competence and decreases the operational cost of the workspace that helps industries grow at a faster pace.

The growth is slow as not all are can easily access mobile phones or the app and are still not aware of the features available. Going digital also comes with some cons where privacy and hacking comes in. A consumer can be at risk of data theft where hackers can hack the servers and can use personal information to steal money. It can also lead to doubt in the confidentiality of data management. Other than that technical glitches can also create a problem and customers can get trapped into negative interest rates charged by e-wallet companies.

It is necessary to make the use of electronic payments with precautions and at an authorized e-payment system facility. Today some of the popular digital payment apps in India are Google Pay, Paytm, PhonePe, MobiKwik, BHIM, PayZapp, Amazon Pay. Digital Payments are the future of India’s economy. As per the Credit Suisse report, India’s Digital Payments is expected to reach $1 trillion by 2023. With this speed, India will be soon regarded as a digital economy just like Sweden and Norway.

Reference: https://www.soleblogger.com/digital-payments-system-in-india/

88. Value of Public Relations

Posted on by Neha Goyal

A brand relies on its reputation whether it is good or bad. To protect and nurture, a brand puts a lot of effort that also includes promoting and building a perspective through public relations. But while investing money the most common question companies ask is, ‘Does PR work?’

A PR campaign needs to be measured not only because it is a client requirement but also because it helps us to know what worked in our activity and what didn’t. It helps to measure our work more strategically and improve our campaigns. It can lead to more opportunities through these new insights that might change an approach and have a larger impact. Traditionally, measuring public relations was a struggle and people started doing it through Advertising Value Equivalency (AVE). A lot of PR consultancies in our country still use the AVE method, without understanding the unique dynamics of public relations compared to advertising.

Comparison of earned media with paid media and calculating according to its size and placement can be stated as an invalid metric. Being a public relations student and learning from some of the experts from the fraternity, I would like to say that AVE shows misleading data. It lacks a correct methodology for us to understand how it helped in achieving the business objective or how it increased the demand for that product/service.

While measuring PR campaigns, we should take three types of result indicators into account. Outputs the firm have delivered during a campaign like a press release, events, and social media posts. How consumers feel about the brand will help to know the outtake of the campaign and outcome is the consumer’s behaviour towards it.

To get better results of PR measurement, the International Association for the Measurement and Evaluation of Communication (AMEC) has come up with an Integrated Evaluation Framework. It is an advanced framework that gives clear methodology and classification to understand and evaluate the PR communication plan. It helps to know about the success value of a campaign and prove the PR value in a rapidly evolving media landscape.

The conversation around PR measurement still seems uncomfortable but the change is happening. Therefore, using the right measurement tool can lead to better things in the world of public relations.

Reference:https://www.holmesreport.com/agency-playbook/sponsored/article/why-is-pr-measurement-so-important

How to measure the results of a PR campaign?

87. How to write a good Media Release?

Posted on by Neha Goyal

Media release is a public relations tool that is one of the most common practices used by professionals. Today a lot of people think that writing a media release is dead because of digital media. Well, it’s a debatable topic for another day. Recently, I have started working as an intern in one of the top PR consultancy in India. Working there has made me realize how writing a good and catchy release is important to get the attention of the journalist and get the coverage for the client.

An attractive media release can tell a story, help a cause or report news that reaches thousands of people. Keeping in mind that journalists receive a lot of release in a day, writing one can be like storytelling. We all have been narrating stories from the day we commenced the journey of life. But what we need to know is conveying definite messages in the most unique and unconventional manner possible. The message needs to be transmitted in a manner that convinces the person on the other side.

So how do you do it? Here are a few points that I have learned in the past few days:

  • The article sent to journalists should be newsworthy for readers and it should hook them enough
  • A reader is inclined to read a story when there is a catchy and compelling headline leaving them to know more
  • The writing style must include facts and information in short and simple sentences with no jargon for a layman to understand
  • While writing, one should keep the goal of the release in mind by answering the 5 Ws rather than diverting the topic
  • Good quotations help to reinforce the main point which should be ideally written in a way the quoted person would say

Other than these points, a media release must consist of the company logo, dateline, boilerplate describing the brand/company and contact information of the person who the journalist can contact. One must attach pictures if there is any.

86. Flavor Radio

Posted on by Neha Goyal

Brands always try to break the clutter and do something out-of-the-box to create an impact on the mind of its audience. Similarly, ‘Flavor Radio’ is an IMC campaign done by the brand Dunkin Donuts. The campaign done in this is unique because it is based on the insights and data gathered about the target audience and human psychology. The creativity used in this campaign made it stand out and also made the campaign win the Cannes Lions International award in 2012.

The campaign took place in Seoul, Korea where they experimented with the audience through fragrance. Due to a lot of coffee shops in Seoul, it is named as the ‘City of Coffee’. Dunkin Donuts is known more as a doughnut shop than a coffee shop in the city. But they also wanted to attract people for its coffee and thus made their mission as ‘Encourage people to choose coffee at Dunkin Donuts’.

They targeted the people who go to work via public transport like buses and subways primarily. They did radio advertisement of Dunkin Donuts which was something unconventional when it was broadcasted. Whenever the commercial aired, to catch the attention of the people travelling, dispensers on the buses released the aroma of freshly brewed coffee made by them. The machine released coffee aroma only by the sound of Dunkin Donuts jingle which made people notice the aroma while listening to their jingle.

The innovative approach of the campaign through fragrance is done brilliantly. The brewing aroma of the coffee instantly awakes the passengers and makes them want their morning coffee. As soon as the passengers got down at the bus stop they would get an urge to buy their coffee. The advertisements of Dunkin Donuts were put up on the bus stops, guiding them to the nearest store for them to grab a coffee. The brand positioned their shops close to the bus stop for the passengers to incline their stop at Dunkin.

As a result, the cafes located by the bus stop saw an increase of 29% in their coffee sales and a 16% increase in the visitors at the Dunkin’s. The campaign was experienced by more than 350,000 people and they started thinking of Dunkin Donuts for their morning coffee.

A thoughtful campaign can change a lot about how a brand is seen among the audience.

Reference: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/07/the-future-of-advertising-will-be-squirted-into-your-nostrils-as-you-sit-on-a-bus/260283/

85. New Year, New Beginnings

Posted on by Neha Goyal

I am an aspiring public relations professional who has been studying public relations from the past five months. I am a student of SCoRe (School of Communications and Reputations), where I got an opportunity to meet and network with a lot of people from the fraternity. From day one we have been taught what things we would need to do and what we should do in our profession.

In a few days, the next chapter of my journey is going to begin where I will be working as an intern at Genesis BCW, Mumbai. I am excited about this part of my journey where I will get to learn a lot as a student for one last time. As a fresher in this field, it will give me a closer look at how my career is going to look soon.

I have certain expectations from my internship:

Documentation– From day one at SCoRe we have been told the importance of documentation. Through my internship, I would like to know how we should document things right and what things we should keep in mind. Documenting will help me get a better understanding of what has happened, what is happening and what next we need to do.

Media Relations- In the field of public relations networking plays a really important role and at SCoRe, I have been learning how we should network with people. But through my internship, I want to learn how to approach journalists, how one pitch their story to them and correctly network with them.

Improve my skills- In the past few months whatever I have learned, I would like to improve them. In SCoRe I have learned things like networking with people, writing blogs and so on which I want to use during my internship and get better in them.

During my internship, I will give my contribution to the organisation by always being punctual by meeting my deadlines and reach the place before ten minutes. I will try to contribute by giving ideas when needed, always being proactive and volunteer in things to gain more experience and learning.  

I hope my experience at Genesis BCW to be enriching. I want to stand out and make the most of my time there.