Wednesday, 29 May 2013

P R TOOLS FOR PRINT MEDIA


Most of the efforts we make in public relations are through forms of print media, primarily newspapers and trade related magazines as these are usually the most visible outlet in the community. Some of the PR tools for print media are as under…..

a. PRESS RELEASE: The press release is the most common material provided to media outlets. These documents provide a brief, yet thorough, description of an upcoming activity.

b. PHOTOGRAPHS: There are usually two types of photographs in publicity portrait shots, 1. where people pose for the camera and smile, and 2. where the subjects are doing something.

c. CASE HISTORIES / STUDIES: Case studies which show a good image of the company are shared with the media / investors, community etc.

d. EDITORIALS: Without spending any money, receive high credibility, however with no control over message.

e. ADVERTORIALS: Advertisement + Editorial. It has control over message, pay less than an advertisement. It is a strategic tool, but should not be used too often.

f. INTERVIEWS / FEATURES: More often than not, press releases will not be printed verbatim. Even though your media contact will likely re-write them, possibly including additional quotes or information they research on their own. However, there are also times that a press release will encourage a reporter to do more, such as conduct a full interview with the CEO or write a feature article on an upcoming project.

g. LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Submitting these articles does not require a media contact. This also gives an opportunity for any member to submit a letter on their company for printing in a local newspaper.

h. ANALYSTS BRIEF: One tells about the company, what the company is doing. It is done to influence the stock buyers, analysts, employees and media.

i. CORPORATE ADVERTISING: If you believe the image of the company is good i.e. that trustworthy, reliable one, then you can use that as a PR tool.



Lots of PR <3

Tuesday, 28 May 2013

10 Cs of PR

Those interested to pursue PR as a career, must have these 10 Cs. These 10 Cs are professional requirements for a P R practitioner.

  1. CLARITY: Clear about the objective of a PR plan i.e. 5 Ws and 1H.
  2. COMMITMENT: Should commit to achieve those objectives.
  3. COMMUNICATION SKILLS: Good at creative writing, media releases, articles, blogs, speeches etc.
  4. CREATIVITY: An “Out of the Box” thinker, understand and effectively apply sign and symbols in communication.
  5. CONCISE: Do not exaggerate i.e. write and speak briefly and to the point.
  6. CONTINUITY: PR being a sustained and continuing activity, understands and believes in stability and work towards achieving the objectives.
  7.  COMMON SENSE: Fair, balanced, practical, sensible, realistic, rational and reasonable.
  8. COURTESY: Observe and exhibit good manners, polite, friendly and considerate.
  9. CREDIBILITY: Trustworthy, honest, sincere and responsible.
10.COMPUTER SKILLS: Computer literate, have basic computer knowledge i.e. MS Office etc., Internet, Social Networking etc.


Lots of PR <3





Friday, 24 May 2013


"A Chinese Quote: Ten Thousand Miles Journey Starts With First Step; And My Journey  of Public Relations Commenced in 1972"

Year 1972-1975.… Place… Pandara Road, New Delhi… My friends use to call me "A Moving Directory" of Pandara Road and around. It was probably my first step towards Public Relations.

Year 1976-1982… Jalandhar, Punjab… Started "ART EXPO" to promote fine arts and more particularly  "Theatre" …  my second step towards Public Relations. In early of 1983...Left Jalandhar and shifted base to Amritsar.

Year 1983 – 1988… Amritsar, Punjab… Re-started ART EXPO to continue my urge to promote "Theatre"… My third step towards Public Relations.

ART EXPO’s  last show in Amritsar ( Feb. 1988) unforgettable words of Mrs. Sudesh Ahlawat, the then Principal of B.B.K. D A V College for Women, Amritsar, at the end of the show  about me.

“ Suresh Gaur” came to this city as an unknown man… and now when he is leaving this city, he has already become a household name. He has given culturally a lot to this city through his theatre activities… his name will always be remembered as the Pioneer of Hindi Theatre in Punjab.  

Year 1994… Place New Delhi… while working as Manager in the head office of Oriental Bank of Commerce, on the personal request of Sh. P K Mehra, the  Head of HR deptt. of the bank and a close relative of Pandit Vishva Mohan Bhatt - Creator of MOHAN VEENA and the winner of the GRAMMY Award in 1994 - alongwith Ry Cooder for their World Music Album “ A Meeting By The River” , had organised a press conference at Press Club of India, New Delhi to introduce the GRAMMY AWARD WINNER to the press which was largely attended by the journalist friends from the media.... My fourth step towards Public Relations.

Year 1996… Place New Delhi… Oriental Bank’s first ever press conference was to be held since the bank went public in the year 1994. Sh. P L Ahuja, then In-Charge of CMD office told me that Sh. S K Soni, the CMD of the bank wanted to meet me. I was taken to his big cabin situated at 3rd floor of Harsha Bhawan in Connaught Place and was introduced to him. Sh. S K Soni asked me “Do you have good contacts in the media?” Since financial results of the bank are to be announced in a press conference, can you organise a press conference? With all my confidence, I replied “YES” I can. And the press conference of the bank was organised at Hotel Le-meridian, New Delhi which was attended by the business editors of all major newspapers and was a grand success. After the press conference Sh. S K Soni patted on my shoulder and said “ WELL DONE Mr. Gaur”. More then 100 newspapers and magazines carried the news for many days in a row..... My fifth step towards Public Relations.

Year 1996… Place New Delhi… Our new CMD Dr. Dalbir Singh joined the bank. He asked for a Public Relations Officer to assist him. I was introduced to him as Public Relations Officer… the final step towards Public Relations……and an unending journey of Public Relations begins…..

Year 2004…Merger of GTB in OBC…. Someday of July last week, I was on my way to bank’s head office in Connaught Place, New Delhi I received a call on my mobile around 9.30am or so … on the other side was PS to the CMD Sh. B D Narang. I was asked to come straight to CMD office as the CMD wanted me to see him immediately. I was with him by 9.45am. Sh. Narang told me that a very important announcement is to me made to the media… how quickly I can arrange the media for the announcement. I said Sir, with in next 30 minutes. Without losing a minute first I made calls to all my friends from electronic media, as I was sure that they would be there immediately with there OB Vans. By 10.30am maximum number of friends from electronic media assembled at CMD floor and CMD’s chamber became a makeshift TV studio. And then CMD made the historic announcement “OBC takeover GTB”. The news flashed live all over the country and created the desired effect on the worried and agitated account holders of GTB. That day from 10.30am till late night Sh. Narang was busy in meeting all possible media. At 11pm when we came out of Zee Studios in Noida, I could feel the satisfaction of accomplishment the work assigned to him by the Govt. of India.

During my tenure as Public Relations Officer of the bank i.e.Nov.1996-May 2007, I organised many successful advertising campaigns, press conferences, events and shows for the bank. Each of the events helped me in growing as a Public Relations professional.   

Year 2008… I took VRS from the bank to pursue my interests in the area of public relations and communication...set up ‘P R 4 You’, a public relations company to train individuals in image & perception management, took teaching PR as an opportunity to spread the knowledge of public relations.

Year 2012... Made a TV serial " JUNOON" under the banner of G W Films for DoorDarshan's Kashir Channel . 

Year 2012… Authored “Public Relations 4 You- A Guide To PR Theory & Practice". The book is an outcome of notes which I prepared while pursuing PG diploma in Journalism & Mass Communication, Diploma in Senior International Relations, and during course of my teaching public relations at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, IMSIT YMCA and EMDI. I am sure that my book on PR will immensely help all those desirous in pursuing a career in the field of public relations and corporate communication.


Lots of PR <3




Thursday, 23 May 2013


Edward Louis Bernays And His PR Tactics

The father of Public Relations Edward Louis Bernays (Nov. 22, 1891 – March 9, 1995) was pioneer in the field of public relations and propaganda. He was named one of the 100 most influential Americans of the 20th century by LIFE magazine.

Year 1915: Edward L. Bernays was given a job to write about a Ballet touring America. Dance wasn't his cup of tea since he was never interested in dance or any activity related to it. But despite this, Bernays accepted the work and started working on it. He connected ballet to something which people understand and enjoy. 

To create wide impact of the Ballet on American audience, he defined theme of the Ballet as under:
a.   a novelty in art forms,
b.   a unifying of several arts,
c.    its appeal to special groups,
d.   its direct impact on American’s life style i.e. on products and personalities.

Based on these themes, he developed a four page newsletter covering various aspects, stories and photographs of the Ballet and the performers, their costumes and music composers.

Target audience of his newsletter was 1. Editorial writers of newspapers and magazines, 2. Local event managers 3. other  interested audience and females. 

For example:
a.     the pages targeting female readers received articles on fashion design, costumes and fabric.
b.     Supplements of Sunday editions of newspapers received photographs of the dancers, ballet etc.

Bernays P R tactics resulted in wide coverage of the touring ballet company in media.

Year 1918: Public Relations took the next step towards professionalism as Bernays advised the President of the new country of Czechoslovakia to announce independence on a Monday, rather than on a Sunday to get maximum press coverage.

Year 1923: Bernays published “Crystallizing Public Opinion”.

In this book, he established several public relations principles. He wrote that public relations had these functions to perform:-

a.   To interpret the client to the public, which means promoting the client.
b.   To interpret the public to the client, which means operating the company in such a way as to gain the approval of the public.


Lots of PR <3






Wednesday, 15 May 2013


Alexander the Great And Public Relations


In the 3rd Century BC, the philosopher Socrates of Athens taught that effective communication should be based on truth. 

His student, Plato, carried on Socrates’ work. But it was Plato’s student, Aristotle of Athens, who has contributed most to contemporary communication thought. 

Aristotle analyzed persuasive communication and taught others how to be effective speakers, specifically by developing compelling and ethical arguments to offer verbal proofs. 

Aristotle’s book Rhetoric remains influential to this day.

Philip of Macedonia had conquered the whole of Greece

His son Alexander the Great, was a student of Aristotle

Philip extended his rule throughout Northern Africa, Asia Minor and India

Both rulers had gold and ivory statues of themselves placed in towns and temples throughout the conquered lands as constant reminders of their presence – a common technique associated with public relations, still practiced in examples such as monuments, stadiums, named buildings, and so on.

In present time, Behen Mayawati, the Hon'ble Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) used this PR technique successfully while she was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. 


Emperor Ashoka And Public Relations

The PR technique of communications were unconsciously used  in ancient India. The best example is that of the Ashokaan Indian emperor of Maurya Dynasty. He espoused 'Buddhism', relatively a new religion to greater heights. He greatly emphasised on piety in his Edicts. Piety is a virtue that can mean religious devotion, spirituality or a combination of both. 

The Edicts of Emperor Ashoka are a collection of 33 inscriptions on the Pillars of Ashoka, as well as boulders and cave walls, made during his reign. 

His edicts, inscribed on rocks that have survived till this day, informed the people about his proselytism, moral precepts,  religious precepts, notions of social and animal welfare, government policies, and exhorted them to carry out certain tasks.

Interestingly, an important principle of public relations was practiced by Emperor Ashoka. The edicts for different regions were written in regional scripts that were in use in that region, making royal communication ‘Language and Region-Specific’ for better understanding and acceptability.

Lots of PR <3


Tuesday, 14 May 2013


Ivy Lee And Public Relations 

Public relations became a profession in 1903 as Ivy Lee undertook to advise John D. Rockefeller on how to conduct his public relations. 

Rockefeller owned coal mines and the Pennsylvania Railroad. Miners were on strike and the railroad hushed up the facts when its trains were involved with accidents.

Lee advised Rockefeller to visit the coal mines and talk to the miners. Rockefeller spent time listening to the complaints of the miners, improved their conditions, danced with their wives, and became a hero to the miners.

After a railroad accident, Ivy Lee invited reporters to inspect the wreck and get the facts. The Pennsylvania Railroad then obtained its first favourable press coverage. 

Ivy Lee professionalized public relations by following these principles:
     
1. Tell the truth
2. Provide accurate facts
3. The public relations director must have access to top management and must be able to influence decisions.

Ivy Lee is the first practitioner of Modern PR who invented Press Release and Crises Communication.

Lots of PR <3
     

Mahatma Gandhi And Public Relations


During the Pre – Independence era extensive use of the PR techniques was made in India before professional PR arrived on the scene. The PR techniques played a significant role in the national movement.

PR methods used by father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi were truly effective and paid great results in; 

1. Communicating with the masses,
2. Winning public support despite the problems of cultural and linguistic diversity,
3. Overcoming the serious obstacles laid by the ruling British  Govt.

Many of the methods adopted by him to communicate with the masses are now part of the standard practice of PR all over the world. Firstly, the importance of getting the public to identify with a cause and with the leader espousing that cause. He discarded his European dress and dressed himself in the garments such as poorest of the poor use in our country. He realised that by doing so the masses would be able to identify themselves with him and the cause he represented.

Secondly, the use of symbols. Mahatma Gandhi, a born communicator, understood the value of symbol. The CHARKHA (spinning wheel) symbol, which he adopted became the logo of national movement symbolising self-reliance and people participation in the cause of freedom struggle.

Thirdly, the staging of ‘events’ ;
1.Dandi March to make salt,
2.Bonfires of foreign cloths,
3.Non-cooperation and Non-violence 

These events captured the imagination of the whole nation and proved far more effective in taking the message to the masses. Besides this Mahatma Gandhi did not neglect the conventional means of communications either besides holding meetings, giving speeches, he regularly published a journal ‘HARIJAN’. 

Indeed he made use of all possible media and devised imaginative forms of communications to circumvent restrictions placed by the govt. on the official media. We can learn a lot from the Gandhiji’s art of effective communications.

Lots of PR <3

Tuesday, 7 May 2013

Wisdom PR


"Three filters of Socrates"

Equally important for Public Relations Professionals...Keep this in mind the next time you are about to repeat a rumour or spread gossip.


In acient Greece (469-399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.


One day an acquaintance ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what i just heard about Diogenes?"

"Wait a moment, "Socrates" replied, "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test".

'Triple Filter?" asked the acquaintance.

"That's right, "Socrates continued, "Before you talk to me about Diogenes let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "Actualyy i just heard about it

" All right," said Socrates, " So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about Diogenes something good?"

" No, on the contrary..."

"So," Socrates continued, " You want to tell me something about Diogenes that may be bad, even though you're not certain it's true?"

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed. Socrates continued, " You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter, the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about Diogenes going to be useful to me?"

" No, not really."

" Well," concluded Socrates, " If what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me or anyone at all?"

The man was bewildered and ashamed.

This is an example of why Socrates was a great philosopher and held in such high esteem...........