The rapid expansion in the media space has done many good things for the nation. It has provided choice in beats across entertainment, movies, news and education that earlier was simply not ever thought of or envisioned. The proliferation has brought about waves of soaps, contests and now with the first IPL season shaking India, it has brought a gaggle of new anchors anxious to make their mark.

In a landscape dotted by hungry journalists, anchors, show producer, sometimes this breed, crosses the line of prudence and fair practice in the quest for exclusives, scoops and the most dramatic of them all; stings! In times of deadline overload and a lack of any tangible research, editorial balance becomes the first casualty to TRPs, popularity polls and advertising revenue.

How many times have you had a trick e-mail or a innocuous phone call translate into a bombshell in the press the next day, or even the same day in these times of broadcast and online media explosion? If you are out there working the space, then I am sure you do this more than you’d like to and while we all employ our own ways and means to deal with the scourge, maybe the time is right for a discussion. Keeping quiet is not an option so here are a few PR plays I’ve seen practiced:

• No comment - This is the most basic defense of the scared communicator or resident PR punter in the establishment. It creates a doubt in the mind of the viewer or reader about the authenticity or veracity of the story but has the potential of making front page all the same or the lead story in the dozen or so television channels out there, business, news, and combinations thereof.
• We do not speculate on market speculation - This or another variation of the same featuring words like ‘policy’ are yet another wet blanket in terms of media credibility, will they stop your brand image from get a contentious tag or even a black eye is arguable.
• Denial - This is the last reprieve of either the aggrieved or the very stupid, especially if its a lie. It will give a pause to the editor or the journalist, who will question their gut, chances of going to print or being aired, fifty per cent.
• Half Agreement, half denial - This Molotov Cocktail is the most sophisticated of the ploys, and clearly agrees to all or some part of the allegation but uses the loop in technique to include crisis messaging. Sent as a quote and usually written, it forces the hack to use the statement in full. Only the most savvy can do this bespoke but chances of being quoted out of context or half quoted remain high.
• Retraction or Rejoinder - These are mostly ego plasters to paper over bruised management egos, striking how the size of the retraction and rejoinder is in contrast to the placement, font size and prominence of the offending piece.
• Confirming statement - This is the pushover statement, executed along with a sincere sorry note and a display of the belly in submission. These are very bad for the ego and best suited for real tragedies, fraud, accidents, calamities and other industrial or infrastructure and government type of communicators.

I am sure there are hilarious variations sitting out there in your very fertile and successful minds and would love to get any more classification here or a anonymous war story, do feel obliged to share your scary knowledge with the tribe.

These are some concerning times that need both awareness of the stakes and training, if it is your privilege to be charged as the guardian of your brand and company image. There are lots of ploys the feverish hack employs to in the get-rich-quick-or-get-fired-trying, exclusive hunt. You need to understand that it is their job to report, to analyze, to predict and to expose, the end is fine but the means are most questionable. This pool is further muddied by competition and the dirty tricks department using friendly media for planting, seeding or plain obfuscating an issue. I will not use examples but the watchful here will see and read patterns in politics, industry and most media reporting, even that front page headline or the lead story on that television channel that looks innocent at first pass. Go figure…

If they know that you know, then you will receive their respect and maybe the show can continue down the road for all. Right now these are dangerous times for Image and Brand and all seems fair in the media war for exclusives. Next week sticking to a statement and dodging trick questions on the phone. Happy skirmishing! 

Though I am not a politician, politics fascinates me. I am one of the very few fortunate PR professionals in the country, who did political communication before and I still enjoy doing it as much as I enjoy watching the mysteries of Indian voters unfold in uncanny manner. I find elections more exciting than T20 cricket. The war is more intense than that of any form of sports. We have been seeing some never seen before use of communication tactics & tools in the race for Presidency in US. But, I am going to talk about BJP’s recent Karnataka win and how they went about crafting the victory using the most potent weapon of mass awareness.

I don’t want to analyse the win or the strategy they have adopted. Our friends in the media have already done enormous stories on it. We are going to discuss about how to know what to do and what not to do and how really one does effectively to win consumers or voters. And that’s what is called strategy.

It’s all about common sense and gut feeling…

Opinions polls painting different pictures, various researches showing some funny trends but you know what is right. You apply common sense to connect with common men and understand their wish. Do your own research to find out whether what you are saying is making sense or not. Above all, believe in what you are doing and do it well.

Identify the need…

Know your consumers. It is always said that once you know your consumer, you don’t need to know anything else. Identify what connects you with your consumer, what she needs and how can you fulfill her demandments (I had a book ‘The 10 Demandments’ – someone borrowed it forever. If anyone of you have a copy, please allow me to borrow and never return!)

Be independent in your thinking…

One of the biggest mistakes we make is compromise and never does business on our own terms. We follow industry trends, try to benchmark against someone and so on… Hey, c’mon guys God has given you a brain to use it and create something of your own and not to become Annu Mallik or Pritam or Mahesh Bhatt. Chart your own way and if I have to use management jargon here, develop Blue Oceans and enjoy the splash.

Choose your team carefully…

If everything goes well, Rajasthan Royals will be the champs of first IPL series. I have heard a RJ of one of the FM stations in Mumbai making a mockery of team at the beginning of IPL and now I am sure that RJ or the person who wrote the script must be feeling like hiding his face in the sand like an ostrich!

Great team is a team where every member of the team contributes towards the success and that forms a winning habit.

Know your competition…

This is another KYC - as important as knowing your consumers. Know as much as possible and do your homework right. Find out gaps and fill those gaps. Find out defecting consumers and grab them. Find out traitors and stay away from them. Know when and how they dance and what the platform they dance on is made of.

Learn the art of deception…

If you have read the Art of War by Sun Tzu, you know what I am talking about. It reads, “When able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe that we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.” I rest my case, your honour! Now, it’s up to you to write the judgment!

Leaders lead to serve people…

Leader should inspire trust. You should know who the leader is and he or she should be able to take his/her people along. Leaders do not get created by high command’s whims and fancies. Leaders emerge from within. They show the path, take responsibility for defeats and share fruits of winning. Lead from the front and again pardon me for going back to Sun Tzu but as he wrote and I quote, “The Commander stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness”.

Mission & Vision…

Share your manifesto, based on needs of your stakeholders. Connect with everyone emotionally and lead with passion. Success if yours to be taken. Winning will surely become habit and never fail to deliver on what you promised. Otherwise, as one of the old Bollywood song sings, “Yeh public hain, yeh sab jaanti hain… Andar kya hain, Bahar kya hain… yeh sab kuch pehchanti hain…”

Politics can be dirty but learning something from it, is not.

Take care my friends and don’t stay away from politics! Our country needs good servant leaders. Do you have it in you?