AAP: The Road ahead...

Now that Arvind Kejriwal and his party have bitten the bullet and finally agreed to form government in Delhi, the question in everybody’s mind is what next?

I had met Arvind for dinner at a friend's place almost 10 years ago and he was idealistic then too. But not in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that I was meeting the future Chief Minster of Delhi. 

I personally supported AAP and was also a contributor to the fund raising by his party. Many of my friends and colleagues wondered and asked me the reason for supporting AAP. Their question was very pertinent – What is it that you want in Delhi that AAP will do and the other parties have not done?

When I pondered over the question, my immediate, on the spur answer that would have been  "development", did not hold valid. Development in Delhi has happened irrespective of the party at the helm. We, sitting in Delhi, crib but just stepping out of Delhi will give one the idea of what a privileged lot we Delhiites are. We get almost uninterrupted power, most parts of Delhi - at least the authorised ones - get water, the roads are by far well maintained, we are close to having a robust public transport system in the next three years, there is proper sanitation and the list can go on and on... 

So why AAP and not the regular political dispensation?

Well, I did not have a proper answer but I still wanted AAP. It is like a whiff of fresh air, true they still seem too idealistic in  today’s time and people believe they have a magic wand, they speak a language which nobody else speaks. Their idealism strikes a chord with, I guess, every well meaning Indian.

The deciding factor is the feeling of empowerment that people in Delhi feel today. For the first time perhaps, they have a class of politicians who belong to the common class. The people of Delhi believe that the elected representatives of the AAP party will actually be their representatives and not their lords and masters. 

A true example that I heard today was when one young lady of 22 yrs was assaulted in Mukherjee Nagar Area and the police refused to file a FIR. The husband who resides in Pitampura area called up the MLA of Mukherjee Nagar (who was not known to him, but whose number was on the AAP website) and the MLA immediately went to the Police Station and forced the SHO there to file a FIR.

These are however lofty benchmarks for the AAP party and its supporters to uphold. Only time will tell whether these incidences where just a flash in the pan or it is something which will dictate the political discourse in the future.

The days ahead for AAP are going to be challenging, indeed daunting. The biggest being that there is only one  Arvind Kejriwal. The others faces are known yet unknown. Most of those who have supported AAP have done so because of Arvind. Would I have voted for say Manish Sisodia or say Prashant Bhushan were it not for Arvind? - Very unlikely. So the question before Arvind and AAP is how to build the next level of leadership and how to give the organisation a shape. The beauty of AAP lies in the chaos, the spontaneity and the unstructured form of politics. However if AAP has to increase its geographic footprint and go national, then these are the questions that have to be resolved.

Many AAP supporters believe that it is going to be a cakewalk in rest of the country. The belief has also led Arvind Kejriwal to announce that AAP will fight the Lok Sabha election in Gujarat against Modi. This could be very ambitious and a dangerous strategy. To fight against Modi is not going to be easy, more so because I believe that Gujarat will vote for him whole heartedly for the fact that they would want one of theirs to be the Prime Minister.

I think AAP is on the right path of going National because their ideas have universal appeal. Also unless they go national, they will fall in the trap that other regional parties have fallen – being confined to specific territories. However, they will have to have a more definitive approach to issues besides the Corruption plank if they want to fight the Lok Sabha poll. Unlike the local elections, National elections should be fought on a policy plank which covers larger National and International issues e.g. What is AAP’s stand over the ongoing India – US diplomatic row over strip search of an Indian diplomat.

They will also have to project other people who the public can trust as much as they trust Arvind Kejriwal. I am sure Arvind Kejriwal who is as astute as anyone else will already be weighing these in his mind. We wait to see what will come out of his fertile brain.

I must admit he is right in at least one aspect that people of India are looking for a credible alternative which can really empower them or at least leave them feeling empowered!!!

Is Modi’s Campaign headed for a PR disaster?

Recent events have cast a shadow on the Modi juggernaut. First, repeated wrong quoting of facts and figures and then, the invasion of privacy of a Girl have all put a question mark on Modi campaign managers and his PR team.

I am a Modi supporter but that does not make me deaf and blind. Obvious repeated mistakes on first data and then history: looks like the Modi campaign is not very well prepared. It is true that Modi has great oratory skills and is able to connect to the people and ignite their imagination, but that does not mean that we turn a blind eye.

A cross section of his supporters would say that the mistakes are due to the fact that he does not orate prepared speeches but speaks extempore. But a man whom we see as our future PM cannot have a seemingly casual attitude and accept such lame excuses.

Besides this, the recent controversy of keeping tabs on a Girl using government machinery makes one queasy. The reaction of the BJP  is along expected lines. They have blunted the allegation by showing that the tabs were at the behest of the Father.

However the whole episode when linked to others like Godhara, intolerance towards other senior leaders, over the top self propaganda, etc. leaves one feeling and asking whether we are right in our equivocal support to Modi. One is forced to think if we are sure that we are not making a mistake in electing a person whose personality shows signs of being Machiavellian and who sometimes appears to show the traits of being a Narcissist.

Herein lies the challenge for the Campaign managers and the PR team of Modi. 

It might be true that the communication team may be aware of these issues but Modi might not be listening, but then again if they do not tackle these challenges they might appear to be winning the battle but will risk loosing the War. 

It is time Modi looked at his team of professionals and sought and followed their advise.

The Campaign Mangers must make sure that every speech the Modi makes from hereon must be thoroughly vetted allowing for no more Faux pas.  Modi must be careful that in his zeal for going extempore, he does not lose sight of the ground reality.

The PR managers have so far done a great job in capturing the mind space, but this advantage can easily turn into a disadvantage. With increased mind space, they must realize that every action and word of Modi is open to the greatest scrutiny. They have almost created a Demi God with an image in people's mind that Modi is infallible and he has a cure for every ill that plagues India. This is a highly risky proposition. 

It would be better for Modi and his supporters if the PR machinery toned down the Modi image to a more human level. Because if they manage that, then mistakes will be overlooked and forgotten by the people. If they succeed in this then Modi will become truly unstoppable.  They should remember that “God’s are not expected to make mistakes whereas to make mistakes is being Human”

Bad, Bad, Bad PR for Delhi...

PR is Public Relations and today, by any reckoning, the people's perception of what Delhi has become is BAD...

And why should it be so? The dastardly acts of violence against women that have been so highlighted by all and sundry have sullied our reputation beyond redemption...

And what is it that we are doing about it??? Creating a mess .... Making a bad thing worse...

The person angst that I suffer as an individual as well as that as a PR professional is possibly felt by numerous like me and we all sit on our backsides doing nothing!!!

And the question is What can we do??? As an individual as well as a community???

Okay, so I dont know but I desperately want to do something... We need to collectively get our act together and make a change and the Government - Central as well as Delhi, needs to start doing something too...

Ideas are welcome and lets make this not just another flash in the pan and forget all about it when the next controversy strikes but do something to make the city and society safe for women...

My colleague, Raakesh Kapoor, wrote a very interesting piece and here is the link: http://rakeshkapoor.blogspot.in/2013/04/the-great-indian-circus_23.html for his latest write-up...

What he is trying to bring out is that it is not just Delhi which is a villian but increasingly our society which is turning brutal, insensitivive and therefore bestial at times. 

I firmly believe that sullying a city while not over-looking the basic underlying issues of lack of sensitivity etc can be very short term - so Today it is Delhi, tomorrow it could be Jakarta, day after Winnipeg, etc. The whole world could be the losers in this naming game, if we dont do anything soon...

The conviction of Rajat Gupta and lessons for India

Rajat Gupta, the poster boy of Indian Professionals, was finally found to be Guilty of Insider Trading.

Most of us in India are crying foul saying that this was another example of Indians being prosecuted. One could hear people saying that the US law enforcement agencies went after Rajat Gupta to discredit Indian professionals at large, by trying to send a message that we are dishonest.

Do I believe in the "Victimization of an Indian" theory?

The answer is not whether I believe the victimisation theory or not. The answer is a question – Did Rajat Gupta flout the law of the Land or not?

Many of us in India believe that the grounds on which the prosecution based its case and the verdict was given, was at the most circumstantial. We also believe that the conversations that took place are normal between two people who know each other well and are from similar background. The reason for this belief in India is that the strict parameters which define Insider Trading are not only not present but whatever are present are only mostly on paper.

Almost everybody in India who deals in stocks relies heavily on “TIPS”. Tips are nothing but another name for inside information. So most of us in India do not understand what the fuss is all about.

In India, there are cartels of Brokers called “Operators” who work in cahoots with Managements or those privy to confidential information to manipulate stock prices. Most of the retail investors would claim to know someone who has access to the Operators and will buy or sell stocks based on the belief that their information is based on what the the Operators are privy to.

For us here in India, the taped conversations between Rajaratnam and Rajat Gupta sound like normal banter that each one of us has daily with our friends and acquaintances. So the reaction is natural. It is also natural here that most of us believe that the success of India and Indians in America is not palatable to the larger affluent Global audiences. It is like – "OMG how can they be successful - these good for nothing brown rascals - if they are, then they must be doing something illegal!"

We are veering away from the fundamental question – did Rajat Gupta break the Law? The plea of people supporting him, that he did not benefit greatly from this and what he was disclosing was normal chit chat between two people in powerful positions, does not hold too much water.

Rajat Gupta was at the pinnacle of Corporate America, he should know the Law. Ignorance of Law does not excuse one and especially a person of his stature.

All the evidence point out that he divulged sensitive information to a third party which benefitted from the revelations. This is a clear breach of Law and there is no ambiguity here.

If there is a breach of Law then the party to the Breach is Guilty – Indian or no Indian. And the Guilty party has to be punished as per the Law. The question of discrimination against Indians is purely secondary. The primary aspect of the case is that Rajat Gupta flouted the Law and hence is guilty and should be punished.

This has a very important lessons for us – no matter how high and mighty one might be, one cannot escape if he/she has broken the Law.

Sadly this is something that is absent in India. Flouting the Law is a norm rather than an exception in India and everybody believes that they can walk away scot free by the dint of their connections or by the dint of money power.

This is what the Civil Society Movement in India headed by Anna Hazare is fighting to reverse. All of us who  believe in the interests of India should take the example of Rajat Gupta and laud the efforts of Civil Society to try and bring the highest office in India – PMO - also within the purview of Anti-Corruption bill.

Downgrade of US - An opportunity for India???

The downgrade of US Sovereign rating from AAA to AA+ with further possibilities of downgrades marks a Titanic shift of equilibrium in the Global Economy. US long a symbol of stability and aspirations for other national economies is today paying for its own misdeeds. The American politicians have spent money assuming that there is an endless supply. Most of it has been spent on fighting costly Wars which have been misadventures. Be it Vietnam, Iran or Afghanistan each war that it has fought has been long drawn with no tangible results. Whatever has been achieved due to these have been too little for the kind of resources that have been spent by the US.

True the world is a lot safer, but the wheeling dealings that go on to retain the so called sphere of American Influence has strained its relations with more than 50% of the mankind. The people of US have also long lived beyond their means. Their spending has been driven by plastic money and easy recourse to funding. The confidence to spend recklessly came from every nation queuing to park their funds in US Treasuries. So much so that China, with whom US at best shares uneasy relationship, having approximately US $1.5 trillion in US treasury holding is its largest creditor.

However the global meltdown of 2008 exposed the cracks in the US Financial Armour and the cracks have only widened. The US leaders appear clueless and they have tried to adopt the only way they know, unbridled spending.

The Global economy for the last quarter of a century has been built around US consumerism. Be it India or China, the growth has come riding the US economy and any negative effect is going to have repercussions through out.

However this also presents India with a huge chance to become a truly global leader economically. The Indian economy is still largely driven by domestic consumption unlike China which has become the manufacturing hub and therefore is hugely dependent on Exports. The exports from India today comprise largely of Services especially IT. These are bound to suffer, but if India can get its act together then this may be the chance that we were waiting for. If we can, in India, reduce corruption and increase equitable distribution of growth, carry out judicial reforms and create an atmosphere of policy stability and practice fiscal prudence, we can become the next big destination for parking of sovereign funds in the next decade or so.

Whatever the end result but one thing is sure: the end of days of US hegemony are in sight. Nobody, least of all me, would want US economy to falter, but this is only possible if there are great sacrifices from the Americans - people as well as their leaders.

In the meanwhile back in India we require only sacrifices from our Politicians, since Indians have always been sacrificing, to reclaim the ancient glory of India. We as a race are tolerant and peace loving, we have a multi cultural, multi religion society. If India were to rise to the Top, it will be beneficial to the entire world which is so fiercely divided on religious and ethnical lines.

PR Strategies for MSME(Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) sector

Recently we were approached by a company, which is in the process of launching an innovative product for children, for possible PR support.

After talking to the client, understanding his business and going to the drawing board for a possible strategy, we were left in a dilemma. The dilemma stemmed from the fact that clients and consultancies centre their PR strategy around media.

This particular client also wanted, what we simply term as, media relations. While this was understandable, our problem was the fact that media in India has this tendency to only cover corporates who have already attained some sort of market leadership in their categories. Also the offerings directed towards children hardly has any space.

While we have had immense success in creating categories and media space where none existed, this was a tough challenge. The challenge was made tougher by the fact that the client who spends resources will not necessarily give you the time in seeding the space.

This set me thinking, as we have often in the past gone back to prospective clients and frankly told them that there is little we can offer them by way of Media engagement but we can strategize for them. Most of these potentials have shied away from engaging us. As a PR consultant is our role confined to only media relations? My firm belief is NO, even though most of us end up doing just that. So what is it that we can offer to the MSME sector?

To answer this question, we must examine as to what is it that we specialize in? My answer is Communication. What is a client trying to do? The client is trying to communicate with his target audience. So why can't we, as communication specialists, make his communication process more effective. Sadly we ourselves are not able to communicate this fact to the client.

Media (offline) is a tool to address the target audience. We can tap this through expensive advertising or lower cost media relations.

But if we do not have advertising budgets and media relations is likely to be ineffective, then are we supposed to call off the PR campaign? I think not, though most of us tend to.

My suggested strategy is as follows:

First, Identify the target audience - based on the likely users of the client's services or products

Next, Identify the vehicles that can be used to reach out to this audience - Offline Media (Print and AV), Online Media (Websites, Social Media, Blogs), Trade Channels Exhibitions, Trade shows etc.), BTL activities (direct contact programmes, roadshows etc.)

Then, Formulate Engagement strategies for this audience

And, Devise Communication strategies to begin a dialogue with the Target Audience

Finally, Identify where all can you plug in the Client initiatives / business / growth plans / products

Once these steps have been completed, present this to the Client.

If you can make a difference to the clients business and help him grow, there is every possibility that he will buy into your services. The key is to become his partner through your core competencies. We are in the process of trying this out and I will try and share our experiences on this.

Are CSR Campaigns being misused for PR Gains:

Recently a coupon site snapdeal.com was in news for running a CSR campaign in a village and the village being renamed as snapdeal.com. I heard some of my colleagues in office discussing how this was a major PR coup and that the client must be so happy with its communication people.

This set me thinking as to what is the real purpose of CSR? Is CSR undertaken by corporates purely as a publicity gimmick, or is there more to it? Should we as PR professionals encourage the practice of undertaking CSR campaigns purely from a PR perspective.

When I posed this question to my colleagues stating that I was uncomfortable with a CSR initiative just to derive PR mileage, the response was enlightening. They said that by this initiative, snapdeal had installed 20 odd handpumps in the village where the villagers had to trek miles to get water, in the process providing them with water, which was a necessity that was required. If they in return derive some mileage, then what is the harm? It was also pointed out that when most of the stories that are carried in the media in India centre around crime, at least these types of stories can motivate others to make some positive contribution to the society. I must admit they have a valid reasoning in the sense that something is better than nothing, But I am still uncomfortable with this idea.

I still remember the time when we were handling this leading footwear brand and the Marketing Director approached us saying that there is a request from the Government of India to contribute shoes to the children who were being given the National Bravery awards and can we help generate media coverage over this saying how the company was socially conscious. We were aghast and shaken to the core and needless to say we dissuaded the client from the publicity aspect of it.

In India giving is a tradition and it is said that "when one gives, the left hand should not know what the right hand has given". This has also been followed by big Business Houses like Tatas, Birlas, Singhanias, etc. for decades. Having been bought up with such ethos and values, creating pure publicity blitzkrieg around CSR activities, makes me cringe.

What the PR agencies and others preach to justify their actions is that media exposure of Philanthropic acts only galvanizes others to contribute. However my take is, that one should set out to undertake charity and CSR programmes for the reason of giving back to the society which has helped them gain wealth in the first instance, and if there is media or other exposure of such acts then it is good, if there is none then it is better.

I do not have any problem with CSR programmes where the primary motive is to benefit the society and the secondary motive is to derive mileage. But when the primary motive becomes to derive mileage and the rest becomes secondary then there is a serious ethical issue.

In Snapdeal's case, this company is a start-up, still looking for funding, most probably still not profitable and this company undertakes a so called CSR initiative spending a paltry $5000 and tom toms it to the world. This is pure bull and I have objections to this kind of act being publicized by the media. I can already hear our clients asking us to devise such low cost CSR initiatives (so called) to gain maximum media mileage. What perfect nonsense???