This post is dedicated to the movers and shakers of pubic affairs, PR’s shy first cousin. Dilip Cherian, Nira Radia, Suhel Seth, Deepak Talwar are familiar names in this industry in Delhi. There are many more that you may not know but who are just as effective. Shantanu Guha Ray talks about them all in his article ‘Forked Tongues and Artful Nudges’ in the 21st June issue of Tehelka. Go ahead, you will enjoy it…

We, PR pros, have an undying faith in the power of the press release. Every evening, somewhere between 3 and 4, PR execs run to the terrace and load the canons. It’s poetry in motion. With natural grace they slide a fresh press release into the barrel, swiftly point it at the target (in Delhi it’s ITO, CP, INS Building), light the fuse and take cover. BANG! The press release lands with a hiss at the desk of Mr. Business Editor, Leading Daily Times. Mission half accomplished! The infantry, heavily armed with release-loaded plastic folders, launch the assault exactly half an hour later. The team rests only after hitting each and every target.

“Nonsense,” you say? “That was years ago. We have evolved, moved on.” But why are our brothers and sisters still shooting releases. “Necessary evil,” a colleague had said conspiratorially and winked before she reached out for her Gate Pass in the snow white ToI building. For a moment I felt I was part of a secret brotherhood, surreptitiously making eye-contact with the elusive journalist, trying to extract a pledge of 10 cc (or more) of premium space for my client.

I don’t have more to say about the immortal press release. I won’t even be surprised if “Press Release 2.0” has been released(!). I suspect something like that is already in the air, secretly infecting the PR industry. But there are a few incidents about Press Release 0.0 that will forever play in my mind. There was this one time when a senior editor made good use of the press release I gave him. He thanked me and instantly used it as a paper plate for his snack – two tiny, oily samosas. It was a cruel conspiracy – the greasy patches took shape on my client’s quote I’d spent half a day on.

And there was this other journalist who used to look up from her monitor and smile sweetly when you gave her a press release. She read the first two paras (I suspect she looked at it blankly) and if it bore her, discreetly put it in the bin. Though I would be heartbroken, I felt relieved there would be one paper less to scan the next morning…

You are a small company and have just started out. You do not want to hire a PR agency but would still like to work on your company’s image. Yes, there are teething problems but what can you do to show to your business partners and prospective clients that you are different, serious and enthusiastic? To begin with there are a few small things you can do immediately. These tiny bits you might just ignore but they are the same things big daddies pay special attention to. So read on and feel free to add new ideas…

1. ‘Don’t design your own company logo’ – Unless you are a creative hot shop, it’s best to leave the job of designing your company logo, branding and stationery letterheads, business cards, brochures to professionals. Very often in our enthusiasm to start a new company we ignore the importance of ‘soulful’ branding. A logo is like you at a business meeting – confident and dignified. It’s just that your logo works 24×7x365. Therefore, never use Microsoft Word to design your company branding; seek out professional help.

2. ‘Stop using Gmail’: If you are still using Gmail, Yahoo, Hotmail to send official emails, stop it immediately. You may not realize it but you have been silently telling your business partners that you don’t take your company seriously. So go out and get your own domain name and let the world know that you are here to stay.

3. ‘Phone etiquettes for employees’: Many small businesses suffer from the ‘small business syndrome’ (syndrome discovery credit rests with the author!). Companies suffering from this disease don’t pay attention to the way their employees respond to phone calls from strangers. Remember the next phone call could be from a prospective client, who is likely to be put off by the dry response from your staff. What to do? Energize your people through proper training and make them talk like they are your company’s brand ambassadors.

4. ‘Look sharp’: Always be smartly turned out for meetings. Business suits for business meetings help. You represent a small company and it’s important that your prospective client understand you do not perform the here-today-gone-tomorrow trick. They should absorb your seriousness and what better way of doing it than by looking your best.

5. ‘Exploit the Net’: While you may not be ready to spend on public relations and advertising, internet provides many platforms to small companies to talk about their products and services. For example, your corporate blog can attract people who want to try out your services; YouTube can showcase your creatively done product video. Think about it…

Some of the best brains in the PR industry today have no formal qualification for doing their job. They hold no diploma from any communications institute nor any management certificate. But when it comes to PR strategy and execution, organizations seek them out. What is it that they do? Do they have some practical lessons that can become a part of every institute’s curriculum? I could think of five such points a PR school could adopt to make their students ‘future ready’. They are listed below, in no particular order. And if you are studying at an institute this information might be useful before you start job hunting.

1. ‘Presentation Skills’ – One of the most important weapons in any PR pros’ arsenal. You are judged by how you speak and present your ideas. Clients and colleagues form lifelong impressions within five seconds of you uttering the first sentence. In fact once my boss had whispered to me in an ‘X Files’ kind of tone: “They are always watching you.” Therefore before you accept your diploma, ensure your presentation and public speaking skills are top notch.
   
2. ‘P2P Networking’ – Here PR students have an unfair advantage over others. If they look around in their communications institute they will see editors, senior reporters, special correspondents of the future learning the ropes in the journalism classes. Right now they are approachable and ready to be friends. Ten years hence you will just read their by-lined article or see them on the prime time news. So start making right friends right now.
   
3. ‘What to do and what not to say’ – As a PR consultant, you are in touch with company heads and senior management, and there’s a ‘certain’ behaviour expected from you. This may include how to handle difficult questions, how not to offend people, how to shake hands, how to initiate and carry on a polite conversation, how not to get unnecessarily provoked etc. It sometimes takes years to master the art but the sooner we make a beginning, the better it is.
   
4. ‘Dress up and play the part’ – A PR consultant inspires confidence in her clients. They seek her advice and trust her judgement. Again, this is a skill honed over years but you can start immediately by dressing up the part. Always be aware of the silent signals you give about your personality by the way you dress up. I once heard an industry veteran say: “Before you pass out of your institute, ensure you have at least two business suits in your wardrobe.”
   
5. ‘Sell yourself, gracefully’ – Promote yourself and do it with style. For example, even as a student you can share your business card at formal occasions. It can carry your name, contact details and institute address. Learning early how to effectively use sites like Linkedin.com is also an asset that will go a long way.

I am sure there are institutes that already have these lessons in their curriculum but there are others who can think about them. After all a little practical work never did anyone any harm.

Has it not been debated before? Yes, it has been. Have we not wasted enough cups of coffee arguing over it? Yes, we have. So, are we ready to bury and tombstone the topic? No, not in the near future.

The debate over what a client says he wants and what he really wants will live for as long as the marketing communications and, more specifically, the PR industry lives and thrives. The briefs will always be brief and the expectations will mean ‘under promise, over deliver’ (the mantra that all PR managers chant around their mentees). I would have never brought this up but for an incident that spewed out the rotting question – should I believe what the client wants or am I looking in the wrong direction?

Picture this – the Chairman of a large and well-respected real-estate major briefs a PR team about what is expected from the PR campaign. Brand image, reputations, lineage, forthcoming IPO: almost everything is discussed. The expectations are clear – the company is to be projected as the leading real estate player in India. Everything sounds positive. The agency has bagged the account and is eager, satisfied and very comfortable in the extra soft, leather sofa. The old man seems a decent bloke. “No sweat, Mr. Chairman; your will be done.”

The team steps out of the suite on the 10^th floor and is immediately ensconced by the till-now reticent Corp Comm manager. Two things are made clear. The cheque will be signed after the press coverage report is received. Whatever the Chairman said was gas. The success of the campaign would be directly proportional to the thickness of the media coverage report, which should start thickening as soon as the team leaves the client’s office.

Now, wait a minute! Where exactly do brand strategy, image management, PR policy figure in this dry and very hollow scheme of things?

We can’t deny that there are more opportunities for PR professionals in India than ever before. Companies have started valuing the importance of public relations for their business. But when it comes to measuring its success it is still how thick a press coverage report looks. Building relationships with the target audience, nurturing a public image, paying attention to the demands of that ever important ingredient to your success called Press – these concepts will still take some time to bloom. So when a new luxury store is opened, the thrust is not on the years the brand will spend in India and how it should be perceived by the niche consumers. Sadly it’s on how many video cameras are seen at the launch and how many press clips appear after the hackneyed P3 party.

But we should not be complaining too much. There was a time when PR meant going on media rounds with bad photocopies and even worse media lists. Press coverage was really about cutting every single newspaper snippet and admiring it with the zest of a mother looking at a new-born baby. Things have changed a bit and the same things are now done with much more style…

In hind sight, the days when more and more companies would expect agencies to walk the talk and do some real PR wizardry are round the corner. A few of us need to get out of the complacent mode and be willing to do things differently. If the ‘MNC culture’ (another cliché awaiting burial) has survived and thrived, we can be sure that more professional understanding between PR agencies and companies can’t be far behind. Till then the debate will continue and many more words will be wasted. But only briefly…

It was after a long lunch session that she shared this with us: “They promised me an exclusive. The interview with the Chairman was to happen in the next couple of days. The meeting was cancelled at the last minute. Reason? The Chairman had to fly out of the country. Next day I saw the interview promised to me in three different newspapers.”

This is part of an amusing conversation my colleague and I had with a senior business journalist from a leading English daily. The ‘they’ she refers to is, of course, a PR agency. Have you come across an incident like this in your PR career? Something promised to a journalist is never delivered – an important piece of information, an exclusive one-to-one, a research report. I am sure you have because it happens all the time.

Among the many bad things that we – PR pros – are accused of, not keeping promises tops the list. It’s an age-old discussion: “why can’t they stick to their word?” This happens in other industries and the communications industry is no different. So why is it that PR agencies are seen as incorrigible truants, and why have we created such a mean reputation for ourselves? If you have seen Colin Farrell in the movie Phone Booth, you know what I mean.

I can think of two reasons immediately. First, the stakes in this business are high and sometimes we fail to understand how important content is for a newspaper. Second, the pressure to please the client and keep our bosses in good humour. Actually there are more reasons but I want to end with two.

I have spoken with a few friends in our industry but there is no satisfactory answer on how to curb the ‘menace’. We are also naively unsure if this menace exists. So very often these incidents are shoved under the carpet and the thrust is on moving on with our lives. We are also uncertain if our industry is in need of an image makeover.

A few weeks back, a journalist from a business magazine met our client and was ready to file the article. So far, so good. But there was a problem. The information shared with the journalist was incomplete. Our client would have been in big trouble if the article was published. We contacted the journalist and promised him more information for a much better article. He was adamant. He had a deadline to meet. Even after speaking with him a number of times there was no headway.

We knew nothing else would work now. So we decided to do just one thing, be 100% honest. We called him up and laid bare the facts – if the article was published, our client would have to do a lot of crisis management; a few, very innocent heads would roll; we might lose a very good account. It was not a pleasant call but the article was never published. Of course, the journalist didn’t talk to us again. That is, till last week when we bumped into him. After some initial hiccups, I am happy to say, things were normal again.

There is no moral of this story. At best I would say that being honest sometimes works, even if it means getting badly burnt in the process. I can see many of you shaking your heads in disagreement. If you have a better solution, it’s time we used it.

Image source: http://www.freeimages.co.uk/

“Agencies seldom get sacked for blunders; it’s the small irritants that ruin you,” said my boss. We were on our way back from a client’s office and the ‘small irritant’ was ‘our’ habit of being late for meetings. This was a few years back when I worked as a trainee on a 9 to 9 shift, and was not allowed the privilege of a retort, especially not a witty one. While I was regularly showered with the above-mentioned pearls of wisdom, I also got slammed for not doing my homework. This mostly meant that before heading for a pitch meeting I had forgotten to take correct and accurate directions to the venue. Such was the cruelty in those days…

I am sure, dear reader, you have faced, or are facing, similar trauma in your work life. If yes, I will share with you something that will forever change the way your boss sees you. She might even recommend you for a triple and out-of-turn promotion. It’s called “the idiot-proof guide to taking directions to important meetings with your boss.” It’s childishly simple and after I share it with you, you would probably want to slap my back and say, “Bro, why didn’t I think of that before!” Excited? Come a little closer to the monitor and let me whisper it in your ear…

The trick is to use t.e.c.h.n.o.l.o.g.y. This means becoming very familiar with one of the many map sites – Google Maps, Yahoo India Maps, MapmyIndia, Wikimapia and so on. Before heading for any meeting in unknown territories do search for the building or the locality. Believe me it will save you a lot of acquired headache. So far so good and very simple (and you are probably thinking, ‘I do this all the time’). But tell me, dear reader, are we making the very best use of tools like Google Earth and online maps to give your career a boost (if you know what I mean)? Think, think.

Ok, let me cut to the chase and tell you something interesting. The next time you give directions to the rendezvous point to a journalist for that important one-on-one, be brief. Let’s assume your client is in Nicholas Piramal Tower, Lower Parel, Mumbai. Chances are the journalist already knows the place. In case she has no clue, don’t confuse her by saying, “it’s near Wellspring Hospital” or “near Senapati Bapat Marg”. Simply say, “Type 18.9997, 72.8248 on Yahoo India maps or Google Maps. You will know exactly where I will be waiting to receive you!” Help her by further by adding, “Please use the satellite option to choose your own landmarks.” And don’t forget to reply to her thank you by saying: “Happy to help!”

The point is that instead of giving and receiving complicated directions we can ruthlessly kill ambiguity by just spelling out our lat/long coordinates. Precise and crisp. But where do we find them? If you use Google Earth and zoom to your office building, they will be displayed on the bottom left of your screen. If these same coordinates are actually put down on your business card, life would be a bed of roses. In fact in the near future it might become common for you to add your lat/long on all business communication, along with your address, phone number, email ID etc. Hard to believe? Let me tell you the story of how some of us never believed that sissy email would one day poison our good ol’ snail mail…

And now for the icing on the cake – If you have a GPS enabled mobile phone your chances of becoming your boss’s favourite jump-up manifold. Just key-in the coordinates of that building hidden in some cranny of some bylane in the most congested part of any city, and you will be admired for being punctual. It so happens that armed with the humble lat/long you can actually guide your boss, or anyone else for that matter, to anywhere in India or in any country. You just need to be a little creative and present her this idea. Because as she might have told you during your appraisal, “It’s not the big things you do that take you far; it’s always the small contributions you make every day.”