2. Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.
-Will Rodgers

3. ©Project Media Pulse is a non profitable independent initiative started by the students of Symbiosis Institute of Media and
Communication, Pune (PG) with a view of spreading awareness about the Media and Communication Industry (Advertising, Public
Relations, Media Management, Journalism and Audio –Visual ) among those seeking career guidance. This magazine holds the views
and opinions of individuals about the industry and the authors have voluntarily contributed to the magazine. All Rights Reserved with
Campus Connect Cell, SIMC Pune (PG). No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

5. Dr V. Eshwar Anand is a Professor of Journalism at Symbiosis Institute of Media and
Communication, Pune. He is also a member of the Academic Council and Board of
Studies, Symbiosis International University (SIU). He has a long list of degrees that testify
to his expertise and experience in the field of Journalism. He is a specialist in Political
Science, with his B.A (Honours), M.A. and M.Phil. He has done Ph.D in Political Science
from Berhampur University, Odisha.
Dr Anand has 24 years of experience in the industry during which he has held senior
Editorial positions in three major newspapers, namely, The Tribune (Chandigarh), Deccan
Herald (Bangalore) and The Indian Express (Bangalore). Earlier, he was a freelancer for
The Statesman and The Hindustan Times(Edit Page Articles). He is professionally
associated with prestigious organisations such as The Forum of Federations,Ottawa,
Canada, The American Society of Public Administration, Washington DC, the Inter-State
Council Secretariat, Union Ministry of Home Affairs and Union Ministry of Law &
Justice, Government of India, the Election Commission of India, the Centre for Good
Governance, Hyderabad, the Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad, the
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, New Delhi, the Association for Democratic
Reforms and the National Election Watch, New Delhi.
His key research areas include Constitutional Law, Legislature, Executive and Judiciary,
Political Parties and Electoral Reforms, Administrative reforms, Civil Services,
Development Administration and Development Journalism and Media Laws and Ethics.
Dr Anandhas presented many important research papers and has contributed to several
books on Governance and Administration. He has very recently presented a paper on the
theme, ‘Probity in Governance: Towards Institutional Integrity’ in the International
Conference on Public Administration held at the Administrative Staff College of India,
Hyderabad. This conference was sponsored by the American Society of Public
Administration in collaboration with Osmania University (October 25-27, 2012).
CHIEF EDITOR
Dr V. Eshwar Anand
Professor, Journalism & Media Studies
Symbiosis Institute of Media and
Communication (PG)
Pune

7. The Media and Communication industry is all about passion and the urge to create and
innovate. And everything in it begins with an idea. We began with the idea of having a
unique book about the industry that will not only provide information, but also inspire its
readers.
The crucial task was to choose from the media and communication industry, people who
will represent it and to get them all together in this magazine. We spent about three
months contacting writers who are Journalists, Account Planners, Account Executives,
Brand Managers, Researchers, Media Managers, Film Marketers and Public Relations
Officers who will give a perspective of different fields of communication.
From collating the articles, drafting, editing and re-editing every article word by word,
designing the magazine right from the cover page to the last and finally getting it
published, the team has done a brilliant job.
We present to you the wide and wonderful world of expression.
Sarika Suresh
Communication Management Trainee
SIMC (PG), Pune
Team MediaPulse
SUB EDITOR’S MESSAGE

9. Project MediaPulse: Spreading Awareness on Career Prospects
Mass Communication in India has long been grossly misunderstood for journalism. After an existence of
more than six decades in India, it is only recently that this industry has started forming a distinct identity of its
own. A large part of the Indian society considers ‘Media’ as a big lump of everything that has anything to do
with television and entertainment. As ignorance about its dynamics prevails, media is still not considered a
‘mainstream’ career and adorns the tag of “unconventional” and unusual when, as a matter of fact, it has been
there for longer than the other major industries. Communication is its commodity and context plays a big
role.
The Media and Communication Industry has been growing faster than the Indian economy itself! It is at an
inflexion point today and is rapidly spouting newer, better opportunities and growing across segments. As it
continues to become bigger and better than ever, there will be a continual demand for talent and brains to
bring up the standard bar of the Indian industry. The scope for growth is humungous for the industry as it is
still young with respect to its western counterparts.
For a student, when the time comes to choose a direction, he/she end up taking what has been the trend for
ages- the tragedy of ignorance. A young aspirant goes through fires of hell before he/she can dig out enough
relevant information on media industry to make an informed decision. Media is a very subjective entity, and
everyone holds a different opinion. If there is anything worse than the lack of information, it is biased
information. Even with the whole internet hype, there is, shockingly, dearth of credible sources of
information on media education in India. We, as students, ourselves realized that there exists a dire need for a
unified source of all information about the industry and what it has to offer to young students aspiring to be a
part of it. Thus was born, Project MediaPulse.
This Project is a student-led initiative that aims at spreading awareness about the career prospects in the
Indian media industry. This will be done by reaching out to as many students as possible, physically through
MediaPulse the magazine, and digitally, through our blog. This is the very first leg of this project, and we aim
to establish an ultimate knowledge source for all future managers, ad-makers, film-makers and reporters.
The pulp of the fruit, the essence of it all is our magazine- MediaPulse. In its maiden edition, MediaPulse
presents a basic structure of the industry, alongside valuable inputs from industry professionals and Media
school faculties. We introduce the basic divisions of the industry as Advertising, Public Relations, Brand
Communication, Media Management, Audio-Visual and Journalism. Each specialization has a section to itself
where we explore the industry from the point of view of a professional as well as a student. All write-ups talk
about the skills needed, the appropriate routes/channels to be taken and what the future holds for you, if you
indeed make this choice.
We hope this magazine proves to be insightful & informative to you.
Shivani Sharma
Communication Management Trainee
SIMC (PG), Pune
Team MediaPulse

11. A Tool for Managing the Intangible
3300 -Barkha Kaul
The Power of Guided Training
3311 - Deboshree Bhattacharjee
Qualitative Research: An Overview
4411 - Priya Tandan
Connecting with Others Better
3355 -Partha Sinha
Keeping Pace with Changing Times
3377 -C D Mitra
All to Promote your Brand
3399 - Chandan Pansari
Exploring Creativity with Style
5588 - Rahul Iyer
Film Business: The 4 P’s
5555 -Yogesh K
Enjoying the Business of Story-Telling
5566 -Sohom Sengupta
Small Screen, Big Talk
5577 - Niranjana Hariharanandanan
Building Long-Standing Ties
1188 -Babita Baruah
The Great Advertising Myths
1199 -Rishabha Nayyar
A Different Route for Excellence
2200 -Mohammed Sameer
A Career by Choice, not by Default
2211 -Apurv Rohiwal
Adding a little Extra to the Ordinary
2222 -Mrinaal Deshpande
Not Just for the sake of Money
2233 -Sumeet Sharma
-Sujit Sanyal
Passion Play: The Business of Advertising
1177
CCOONNTTEENNTTSS
Where Clicks and Links Count
2277 -Kavita Lakhani
From Support Service to Decision-
Making2299 -Priyanka Agarwal
JOURNALISM
ADVERTISING
PUBLIC RELATIONS
BRAND COMMUNICATION
MEDIA MANAGEMENT
AUDIO VISUAL COMMUNICATION
Skillsets hold the Key
1111 -Santosh Chowdhury
Challenge As Opportunity
0033 -Dileep Padgaonkar
A Noble Profession
0055 -V. Eshwar Anand
Journalism Horizons
0088 -Brian Patrick O’Donoghue
Preparing for the Future
1100 -Ramesh Menon
Live Life the Journalist’s Way
1122 -Tanushree Venkatraman
Journalism is Here to Stay
1133 -Smith Mehta
Mass Communication Dimension
0066 -Ruchi Jaggi
Achieving the Unexpected
4455 -Bishwajeet Samal
An Exciting Area to Explore
5500 -Ankit Desai
Career in Media Management
4488 -Josraj Arakkal
Studying Viewership Trends and Patterns
3377 -Jairaj P
In the thick Tough Competition
5511 -Pranjali Shirsat

12. JOURNALISM
Writing hard-hitting headlines, running after live news stories, meeting deadlines with just
seconds to spare and the final triumphant joy you get on finally seeing your article in print or on
broadcast. Journalism is all this and much more. Filled with dangerous, romantic and sometimes
just the most mundane of events, this field is ever changing. Literally.
Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience
about topics ranging from government and business organizations to cultural aspects of society
such as arts and entertainment.
Indian Journalism Industry:
Career in journalism is one of the most esteemed professions in India nowadays. Presently in
India, there are a total of 410 news channels and about 1000 print media in different languages.
The field includes editing, photo journalism, and documentary.
Trends:
Nowadays, Journalism schools worldwide are focusing on preparing students to face the strong
and tough world of Digital Media. Hence, no longer is it enough for students to master writing,
interviewing and editing; these days they must blog and design websites, shoot digital video and
use Twitter to master themselves in the field of Journalism. Today, journalism in India has
considerable employment scope, with media barons opening new channels or newspapers on a
regular basis.

14. Those who are going to step into the world of
journalism in the next year or two will have to
contend with challenges of the sort that did not exist
even a decade ago. The new lot of challenges
demands, first and foremost, an understanding of
today’s media environment. Four factors are novel in
this regard. One, the proliferation of social media;
two, heightened commercial competition in the
mainstream media; three, the functioning of media in
a celebrity-driven, entertainment mode; and four, the
emergence of the media as a powerful actor – and
not just a spectator – in the public sphere.
The confluence of these four factors calls for fresh
thinking about the teaching and practice of
journalism. It must take into account the need for
both a sound grounding in the liberal arts as well as
some degree of specialisation in areas of your choice.
The former will provide the intellectual wherewithal
required to grasp the trends and processes that shape
individuals and events. These will include the inter-
play of political, economic, social, cultural and
technological forces in the country and in the world
at large.
The word ‘globalisation’ hardly figured in public
discourse a decade ago. Now it pops up in it with
greater and greater frequency. So does the flip-side
of globalisation: the resurgence of ‘tribal’ concerns,
interests, grievances and aspirations. This dialectical
combat between the global and the tribal will be the
defining paradigm of the present century.
Equally significant for the new generation of
journalists is the media industry’s burgeoning
demand for specialists.
Special skills have to be developed to cover events
and trends in all fields of endeavour: science and
technology, business and economy, sports and
entertainment, education and health, consumer
interests and human rights, diplomacy and defence,
energy, food and the environment. In all these areas,
the only constant factor is rapid, often unsuspected
change. Everything appears to be in a state of flux.
That taxes the mind as never before.
Less than a quarter of a century ago, the world
witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Empire. That, in
turn, precipitated the end of the Cold war and saw
the emergence of the supremacy of Western powers
led by the United States. But such supremacy proved
to be short-lived, what with a spate of financial
crises, the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the protracted wars
in Iraq and Afghanistan and, not least, the inability
of these powers to successfully confront the menace
of both state and non-state sponsored terrorism. The
arrogance and conceit of Western powers was
further put to test by the economic rise of China and
to a lesser extent that of India and some other
countries. No one quite knows how the shifting
balance of power will impact individuals,
communities and nations. Media world-wide will
have to reckon with this uncertainty. Much the same
sort of uncertainty is palpable in other fields as well.
“To tell interesting stories in interesting ways demands two qualities: a heightened sense of curiosity and
hard effort to be able to express oneself as elegantly as one can, says Dr. Dileep Padgaonkar,
R.K Laxman Chair Professor, Faculty of Media, Communication and Design, Symbiosis International
University. A former Editor of The Times of India, he was the Chief Interlocutor of the Government of
India’s Commission on Kashmir.
CHALLENGE AS
OPPORTUNITY
3

15. 4
No one predicted, for example, the precipitate
arrival of the Arab Spring. And no one is in a
position to say how the downfall of dictators in one
Arab country after another will play itself out. Our
own neighbourhood is in turmoil too.
And so is much of our own country. The reflexes of
media persons today and in the near future will thus
have to be alert at all times.
Indeed, the promises held out by the market
economy and sophisticated technologies to address
the grave issues of poverty, social oppression,
cultural deprivation and ecological disasters across
the globe are proving to be more and more illusory.
Their inability to meet the rising expectations,
especially of young people and politically-aware
communities, threatens to unleash the forces of
fanaticism and violence. These will become even
more pernicious as the divide between rich and
poor classes and regions widen.
How equipped will the coming generation of
journalists be to understand such complexity and to
communicate it with the required degree of clarity?
This much said, the challenges listed above all offer
this generation with unprecedented opportunities. It
can lead a professionally lucrative and intellectually
satisfying life quite simply because the world now is
infinitely more complex and interesting than at any
time in the past decades.
After all, journalism thrives on stories and the
shades of grey in the stories unfolding before our
eyes are far more seductive than the black-and-white
ones on which we grew up. To tell interesting stories
in interesting ways demands two qualities. Both are
age-old ones: a heightened sense of curiosity and
hard effort to be able to express oneself as elegantly
as one can.
There never was a better time to take the plunge in
the media world.

16. No other profession is as challenging as that of a
journalist today. However, one needs adequate
knowledge and training to succeed in this field.
Those aspiring to join major newspapers or
periodicals would need to be imparted adequate
knowledge on subjects such as constitutional law,
public administration, development journalism,
media laws and international affairs. These subjects
are important because journalists handle these areas
in one capacity or the other after appointment. The
frontiers of knowledge are fast expanding and this is
also the age of specialisation. Half-baked knowledge
won’t do. There is an imperative need to update data
almost by every hour. This has indeed increased the
responsibilities of the institutions grooming
journalists at the post-graduate level.
One needs to demystify the myth that TV journalists
have an edge over the others. There may be good
viewership for TV news 24x7 which, in essence, is
news as it happens. However, the present-day TV
boom notwithstanding, the print media, for example,
has also created a niche for itself through decades of
perseverance and diligence. A common man’s day
starts with reading his favourite newspaper early
morning. And which medium offers comprehensive
news as diversified as the newspaper – city, state,
national, international, editorials, articles, special
features, magazine et al?
It is also a myth that contractual appointments have
made a mess of the journalistic profession.
No sector is free from this. Contracts are the order
of the day and the international norm. Government
jobs have long lost their attraction and even the
much-pampered Indian Administrative Service,
despite all the perks and career progression that its
members enjoy, has ceased to attract the best brains
in the country. Honestly speaking, the word
‘contract’ is a misnomer. Those who are hard
working, committed and result-oriented need not be
afraid of job insecurity at all, as they are assets to a
company and not liabilities. They will survive in the
thick of all and make a mark in their respective
professions wherever they are placed. A newspaper
management can dispense with a brilliant journalist
only at its peril. But then, there is no place for non-
performers today. This is true in journalism as in any
other profession.
A word of caution for budding journalists: if a
student is looking for an easy going, lucrative and
comfortable career with time-scale promotions,
journalism is not the right place for him/ her.
Promotions in journalism come after a long time and
yet, one should not be bogged down by this.
A journalist is a journalist whether he/she is an
Editor or Sub-Editor. Pursuing a career in
journalism should be considered a mission with a
spirit of sacrifice and a unique opportunity to serve
the country in tasks of nation building. And herein
lies the beauty and majesty of this noble profession.
5
“Pursuing a career in journalism should be considered a mission with a spirit of sacrifice and a unique
opportunity to serve the country in tasks of nation building. And herein lies the beauty and majesty of
this noble profession, says Dr. V. Eshwar Anand, Professor of Journalism and Media Studies, SIMC.
A writer, commentator and speaker, Dr. Anand has 24 years of experience in the newspaper industry.
A NOBLE
PROFESSION

17. Mass communication courses started purely as
Journalism courses in the early 1900s in the Western
world, North America and Europe – the US and UK
precisely. The emphasis though primarily was skill
oriented, yet reflection and discourse were inherent
in the course philosophy and pedagogy. The very
foundation of these courses in journalism also kept
them very focused towards their news gathering,
news reporting, news development, and news
discussion goals. Infact the term ‘Mass
Communication’ did not enter mainstream academic
circles till very late in the last century.
Communication courses implied courses in human
communication or classic communication studies
exploring concepts of rhetoric, speech
communication among others. As the media
platforms evolved, so did the range of content. This
wielded a significant impact on the world of news.
The unprecedented technological evolution not only
impacted the contours of journalism practice but
also triggered the need for multi-skilled professionals
who could comprehend the scope and enormity of
this convergent environment and respond with
much-needed spontaneity and understanding. Mass
communication courses evolved to train
professionals with such range and competencies.
Mass communication courses run across in various
universities in the world. They usually adopt a multi-
pronged approach in terms of curriculum and
delivery.
These courses are inspired from a ‘liberal arts’
curriculum philosophy, and yet contextualized in a
media industry framework.
Students are exposed to the theoretical
underpinnings of communication concepts, and this
understanding is developed through a combination
of academic and practical pedagogy. Most of these
courses follow an integrated approach with hands-on
exposure through live exercises and industry
internships.
While choosing a mass communication course, look
for a college that offers a multi-pronged and multi-
faceted approach. The course should traverse
through four levels as it progresses. The first is the
foundational character of the course which exposes
the students to the conceptual and theoretical range
of this field. As the students move to the next level,
they should be exposed to the core courses in the
areas of ‘Mass Communication’ which they choose
to specialize in. The core level orients them towards
their fields of specialization and clarifies their
concepts in a way that they set their course on the
evolutionary paradigm. From here would then they
move to the specialization level. The specialization
majorly consists of the broad tracks that they are
studying. The specialization progresses into the final
advanced level of courses like ‘Feature Writing’,
‘Screen Writing’, ‘Writing exclusively for Arts’
‘Fiction or Non-fiction Writing’, etc.
6
“The unprecedented technological evolution not only impacted the contours of journalism practice but
also triggered the need for multi-skilled professionals who could comprehend the scope and enormity
of this convergent environment and respond with much-needed spontaneity and understanding, says
Ruchi Jaggi, Assistant Professor at SIMC. She has over 8 years of experience in teaching at under-
graduate and post-graduate Levels.
MASS COMMUNICATION
DIMENSION

18. At the advanced level, these courses should assume
an application oriented dimension. A multi-pronged,
multi-layered, and progressive levels approach is
what lends a very holistic and yet a focused approach
towards education. The combination of a theory-
practical and ‘facilitator led- student initiated’ kind of
pedagogy further enriches the entire experience.
Hence in my view, mass communication courses
give an edge over purely vocational kind of courses
in this area. A Mass Communication course is not
just a befitting training for an industry job but also
an opening up of the mind to reflect at media
processes as discursive and academic practices. It is
such a combination in the training of potential media
professionals that can instill intelligent dimensions to
the actual practice of the media industry.
7

19. 8
“Lifelong training is accepted practice in medicine and many fields shaped by society’s advances and
discoveries. The same has become true of journalism, says Brian Patrick O’Donoghue, Fulbright
Scholar from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, USA. An Opinion page editor, he currently teaches news
writing and investigative reporting at SIMC.
JOURNALISM
HORIZONS
Preparing for careers in journalism has never been
harder. With online delivery of information breaking
down traditional media divisions, the list of skills a
reporter needs just keeps growing.
Writers are branching out, picking up photography,
the basics of digital editing and uploading their work
to websites. Video journalists – notice I did not say
TV — no longer get away with fractured grammar
and phonetic spelling. In American markets today,
video journalists not only script and produce
packages or longer-form documentaries — most
produce print versions of every assignment for the
web.
Journalists from every sector of media find
themselves juggling the demands of traditional
assignments alongside filing Twitter or blog updates,
spooning out snippets of developing stories
calculated to appease a digital audience that values
and expects information 24/7.
What this means is your classes are a launching pad
rather than the finish line.
From what I have observed is that the faculty strive
to ensure journalism-track students graduate with
solid fundamentals in reporting, researching and
editing, hands-on familiarity with relevant software
and, most important, full appreciation for the
journalist’s historic mission: Exposing society’s
problems and equipping citizens of a democracy
with the information needed to elect good leaders.
Looking forward, lasting success in this changing
field will take willingness to embrace new methods
of storytelling and publication. Techniques for
grabbing and holding the reader’s attention — those
hallmarks of a good print lead and well-structured
report — evolve with the culture. And so the
journalist today keeps listening, watching and
experimenting with developing communication
channels as they gain traction with tomorrow’s
emerging audience.
Lifelong training is accepted practice in medicine
and many fields shaped by society’s advances and
discoveries. The same has become true of
journalism.
Keeping abreast of new approaches in the field is
both stimulating and a survival strategy. In the U.S.,
staff cutbacks and realignments are the one constant
as newspaper chains, networks and other media
houses repackage news products for digital delivery
via desktops, tablets, smart phones and whatever
tomorrow shall bring. India’s media will likely
undergo similar transformation as its broadband
infrastructure expands.

20. 9
Does this sound exhausting? Intimidating?
Exhilarating is a better description of the rewards of
a journalism career.
Few workplaces match a newsroom’s vitality. Good
reporters thrive from the pursuit of news about
what is new, unusual or holds consequence for their
readers and viewers. Collecting the facts, whatever
the subject may be, is a strategic challenge.
Interviewing policy setters, high achievers, common
man, even criminals, is thought provoking and
unpredictable. Creativity factors as the journalist
turns to sifting and shaping facts and details into a
compelling story. Best of all, some assignments cast
a journalist in the role of agent for positive change.
As professions go, it is far from the easiest, but
seldom dull.
Parting observation: Journalism entails setting and
meeting deadlines. Personal connections or a good
school placement may open career doors, but
achieving real success in any news operation
requires absolute reliability and continuing effort.
Editors and news directors have no time for
excuses or slackers. News takes no holiday.
Someone is out there covering it.
When your turn comes, seize every assignment to
distinguish yourself, meeting deadlines with
accuracy, authority and insight.

21. 10
“It is important to stand out as leaders. It is important to have a sense of values. It is important to hold a
flag that is ethical, says Ramesh Menon, Adjunct Professor, SIMC. He is a recipient of the Ramnath
Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism with 34 years of experience in print, television and new
media.
PREPARING FOR
THE FUTURE
The media today is in the midst of a whirlpool.
There is so much change, so much happening by
the day. Good things. Ugly things. What can we
expect to see in the years ahead? How do we
prepare for the future? While new avenues are
opening up like the new media with promises of
being more free and forthright, there are job
opportunities in the mainline media, both in print
and television that are shrinking. The jobs are
reducing as there is a fear, looming large, of
recession once again gripping the country. The
media is readying for it by cutting corners and one
way is to cut jobs.
So, what do we do as aspirants in the media? If we
are good enough, there are plenty of opportunities.
That is why the path ahead is strewn with
challenges and it is up to us to be brave enough to
weather the storm. The only way to do it is to
sharpen our journalistic skills, our content, our
perception and our knowledge. One needs to read
much more than we do today. If we do it, then we
will be able to stand out as millions of young
students flow out of media colleges.
Another way to prepare for the future is to learn
multiple skills. We have to respect the reality of how
convergence has come to punctuate the media
explosion. Today, journalists need to know how to
function in an environment of how they perform
multiple roles smoothly and effectively. They need
to excel with print, television, radio and new media.
Basically, arm themselves to become journalists of
the future. Media houses will now need youngsters
who could do all this. So, polish and sharpen your
communication skills. Learn to write, speak and
listen well. They must fight the temptation to jump
into the sea of mediocrity that is all around them.
They need to think independently, learn to analyze
and interpret and cogently bring out facts and
figures.
Also learn technology which is changing by the day.
There will be lots of content coming through the
mobile very soon. Technology will get more user-
friendly and so there is no need to be intimidated by
it. Competition is increasing and it will force you to
better your skills and shine. It is good to learn the
virtue of patience. You will not see the magic
overnight. You will have to work, incessantly with a
positive spin, till you see the light at the end of the
tunnel.
There is lots of hope. There is room for optimism
as young journalists today hold out so much of
promise. It seems like an uphill task, but look at it
as a worthwhile challenge. True, all of you will
struggle and fight much more to excel than I did 35
years ago. But it is important to stand out as leaders.
It is important to have a sense of values. It is
important to hold a flag that is ethical. This is going
to be your strength that will help you usher in a new
age for yourself and for generations.

22. 11
“The Media and Entertainment industry follows a key Army rule – Do or Die. Never say Why, says
Santosh Chowdhury, Adjuct faculty, SIMC. He has worked with the United News of India, Bhopal
and DNA, Ahmedabad.
SKILLSETS HOLD
THE KEY
It has been two decades now in the industry for me
and I still get baffled (and sometimes very irritated)
when some people keep talking and writing about
not enough jobs in the Media and Entertainment
space. This disease of talking slowdown and job
cuts started and spread like a viral in late 2008 when
I was the Gujarat Bureau Chief of DNA's
Ahmedabad edition. I observed that even during
the peak of slowdown hysteria in the entire period
of 2008 and 2009, my colleagues (all very senior in
the editorial ranks) in DNA and elsewhere were
being contacted by prospective employers with a
higher take away package. The entry-level jobs were
still open for those with some experience in most
cities. There may not have been aggressive hiring
but organizations still wanted good many hands for
the desk and reporting jobs across the country.
The situation was no different in the PR space and
to surprise many, there were large PR agencies
looking to hire journalists in entry-level positions
with a reasonably good package even in 2008 and
2009!
To drive home the point, one needs to understand
one permanent aspect about the Media and
Entertainment industry very clearly. Every year a
whole lot of editorial people get elevated to higher
positions while leaving a set number of vacant seats
virtually in every organization. This is a cycle. And
every year applicants scramble to grab those vacant
positions in large numbers from not just media
training institutes but also those who graduate from
India's premier undergraduate colleges from the
Arts and Science stream.
The differentiating factor in the race for getting a
decent job had been the basic skillsets of the job
aspirant where seniors in the newsroom do not
want to start from scratch telling how to put the
nuts and the bolts in place. If somebody has wasted
two years of his basic training opportunity in a
media institute while getting into the wrong
trajectory of only fun, the reward for this from the
industry is that you will be permanently in the
category of people who are unemployable. The
Media and Entertainment industry is a small world
and works through references while hiring not just
entry-level applicants but also for key positions.
Nobody wants to recommend a person who had
never displayed any sign of being sincere and
having respect for seniors to save his own
credibility in the industry.
What the Media and Entertainment industry values
most is that the industry particularly values 'a high
sense of discipline' among the job aspirants. It
follows a key Army rule – Do or Die. Never say
Why. Once an order had been given by a senior in
a responsible position in the newsroom, there is
never a No or a Why or an Excuse waiting for him
from his junior colleague who wants to save his job
and also reputation.

23. 12
The rule applies equally to PR professionals which is
one industry every journalist watches and even
relates to closely now. Finally, to sum up, the advice
to my junior trainee colleagues is: One – There are
enough jobs all the time. So do not panic and
become employable by learning and gathering a
little bit of experience while completing your PG
degree. And never lose that sense of discipline and
respect for seniors as your positive body language
and again respect for seniors in particular also counts
very much while appearing for a job interview.
Books, newspapers are strewn across the table,
innumerable chai cups left unattended on the desks,
phones do not stop ringing, there are reporters
running across corridors with the desk heads
behind their backs, photographers are waiting for
an approval and the editor has just no time to
breathe. If you, by any chance, are witnessing this
scenario, wouldn’t you like to be a part of this
mania?
Imagine a profession where you are paid to read,
research, meet interesting people on a daily basis,
talk to them, travel, write, shoot videos, make
documentaries and know everything that is
happening in your vicinity on a first hand basis. I
remember the day when I had gone for an interview
at a popular publication in Mumbai. The editor-in-
chief asked me what I wanted to do, toil in the sun
and get stuff for the newspaper or sit in the office
and clean the stuff. He never asked me about my
scores but was interested in knowing the last book I
had read and what genre of music do I prefer.
However, the profession to be all fun would be
incongruous. As a media aspirant or a student
journalist, one has to learn to be unbiased, be
constantly updated with what is happening around
and be a skilful writer and a speaker. It gives a
chance to reflect upon your ideas, form opinions, be
critical about what you come across and learn new
things on an everyday basis.
So if you are ready for challenges, being a student all
your life and most importantly, want yourself to be
heard then come and live your life, the journalist’s
way!
“If you are ready for challenges, join journalism, says Tanushree Venkatraman,
a student of Journalism.
LIVE LIFE, THE
JOURNALIST’S WAY!

24. 13
‘A taste for truth at any cost is a passion which
spares nothing.’ – Albert Camur
Honestly, I took up Journalism because I loved to
write. It is so easy when your pen infuses words of
wisdom while narrating your experiences and
diluting your memories in a stream of papers. Quite
featurish, isn’t it?
Much before stepping out of the grad college,
writing random pieces on random chores was all I
could afford. Till date, I romanticize the thought of
having a column where I can freely scribe over
whatever I feel, ruffle a few feathers and lastly,
ignore the widely written wizards of the globe.
Not that the writing was trashy but it was only
limited to certain kind of writing; writing creatively
above all. That’s how I perceived the industry of
Journalism within the overdose of flailing numbers
in the Commerce stream and the barriers of limited
wisdom and learning. The two-and-a-half month
stint at one of the most respected newspapers gave
me the best ever reality of how the newsroom
culture was practiced on. The two and a half month
stint at one of the most respected newspapers gave
culture was practiced on a daily basis. The immense
exposure that I gained by working in the Civic,
Crime and the Sports beats helped me realize that it
is not the specialty that is respected, but it is the
versatility that is rewarded.
The entire experience makes me believe that the
Journalism Industry is here to not just stay but
grow. No matter whatever happens, people will still
wake up to find their news on coffee tables and
most convenient places. Also, now with the advent
of the digital revolution, the emergence of news
update seems to be taken too seriously. The need to
be well-informed in social circles has taken a rather
serious role in personality building.
To sum up, at the end of the day, the industry of
news media is all about passion. Let us be frank to
ourselves. It is not a high-paying job, it is certainly
not an ideal place to chill either, so why Journalism?
The only answer that a true practitioner deciphers is
passion. The desire to hunt for stories and accept
the challenge of putting your neck on the line with
each passing day is what distinguishes Journalism
from the rest of the lucrative career options.
“The desire to hunt for stories and accept the challenge of putting your neck on the line with each
passing day is what distinguishes Journalism from the rest of the lucrative career options, says
Smith Mehta, a student of Journalism
JOURNALISM IS
HERE TO STAY

26. AD -AGE
How often do you see great advertising campaigns, which make you pause or in the best of cases go
running out of the door to buy the said product? How often have you caught yourself humming the
catchy jingle of some advert you saw a while back?
Welcome to advertising, the world of ideas where want makers rule the roost and decide how to tell
people what to buy. Persuasive, glamorous, and dynamic, the advertising industry is one of the fastest
growing industries in the world.
Surviving in such a complex and fast-paced industry is easy enough. You live and breathe brands, you
adopt products, and when you advertise them, you do it because they become personal objects that you
care about.
Indian Advertising Industry:
The Indian Advertising industry caters to the marketing and communication needs of both foreign and
Indian marketers operating in India. Post economic liberalization in the early 90s, the number of brands
in each product category increased rapidly. Communication has, therefore, come to play a very important
role in how products and brands are perceived in the country.
Advertising agencies offer various services from developing a brand and communication strategy to
preparing communication tools such as print and TV advertisements or more recently, web based
campaigns.Today, two of the largest global marketing communication groups, WPP and Interpublic own
most of the major advertising agencies, between them. WPP Group holds JWT, Ogilvy & Mather
(O&M), Contract, Bates, Rediffusion DY&R and other smaller agencies. Interpublic Group holds Lowe,
McCann, Enterprise Nexus and FCB. Omnicon group, a third global giant, which holds agencies such as
BBDO, DDB and TBWA does not yet have a large presence in India, but has announced plans to
aggressively expand in the Indian market.
Trends:
As the world becomes more integrated and ideas get easily translated across cultures, the Indian
advertising industry will begin to attract global communications work.
Another trend is the shift in spends to non-traditional media such as outdoor advertising, promotional
activities, events and recently, web-based media. These areas often call for quite different skills; web-
based advertising in particular calls for good understanding of online consumer interaction and
technology. As client spends on these areas grow, the role of advertising agencies is bound to change, and
with it, the nature of skills needed.

28. A few years before Mister Ghosal, the God of
Indian advertising, passed away I had asked him,
post his heady years in the business with only
celebratory functions to perform, how does he
respond to an ad. “When I see an intelligent ad, I
still get goose flesh,” he had replied.
In his own way, he had summed it all up. For an ad
to work it had to touch the audience for whom the
ad was meant. The message delivery had to be
appreciated. Even for those not targeted by the
brand, the delivery package had to be admired. And
it is not just the creative idea, it was also the media
idea. A few years ago, one of the mobile service
providers who ran a Marathon in Delhi NCR had a
guy placed on a wooden plank which ran across the
billboard carrying the message of the event —
actually jogging along, live! I stopped my car near
the billboard and wiped my eyes a few times and
applauded. The iconic devil of Onida created a
traffic jam when they placed a show card featuring
the devil’s tail hanging on their products displayed
in a store.
To me advertising is a science broken down to an
intelligent idea. Agreed, it is all about marketing
knowledge, brand knowledge and yet, to all that
gyaan you have to add all about the various art
forms and a generous dose of knowledge of the
world around us. To me, knowledge is the base of
all creative work.
When I was running the launch of my book, Life in
a Rectangle, all over the country, invariably I had
this standard question: “What did I think of current
day advertising?” I had a standard reply, “Despite
humungous development on the technological front,
I get the feeling that the “fun” was slowly going out
of the business. It was becoming very clinical. My
former students, with whom I keep up regularly as
much as possible, had questioned me on my views.
“What you are doing is a job, which is important; but
you are not indulging in passion,” I would tell them.
I was not wrong. A very close friend, one of India’s
finest advertising and fashion photographers, had
told me that nowadays the shots take place against a
blank wall and the rest is all added in the computer.
Gone were the days when the photographer was
expected to create magic with his sense of lighting
and the background!
Advertising is all about passion and a profession
which needs an emotional attachment. The brand
that you are working on is your baby. You have to
love your baby. Be obsessed with it. Give it the care
and affection.
During my formative years in the business, I noticed
that my seniors were extremely well informed, well
read and could participate on anything from the
history of the Communist Party to even Pink Floyd!
That to me created a world of difference when it
came to applying the same mind to developing a
strategy or a creative package for a brand. It
becomes an intelligent blend of fundas with the
business tasks at hand. Like all art forms, advertising
to me is an art form. You need passion to create a
movie, as much as you need to create an ad.
“Advertising is all about passion. And a profession which needs an emotional attachment, says
Sujit Sanyal. The Past President of Rotary Club and former General Secretary, Advertising Club,
Kolkata, he also authored Destination: Delhi and Life in a Rectangle.
PASSION PLAY:
THE BUSINESS OF ADVERTISING
17

29. (This article is the author’s personal view and not of her organization.)
“Monotony does not exist in the ad world. Everyday is a new brief, another take, a new client,
a proactive piece of work, says Babita Baruah, Executive Business Director at JWT Delhi.
BUILDING
LONG-STANDING TIES
18
Some call it glamorous. Others term it as a place for
ponytails and late night coffee and slog overs. And for
some, it is the place to be.
Advertising in India has created legends both in terms
of work and personalities over the years. Some of the
strongest brands have been built around campaigns
that have understood what appeals to the Indian
consumer. We still remember the Liril girl, Lalitaji of
Surf, The Horlicks and Maggi ads, the Coffee Toffee
debate. Today, campaigns like Pepsi, Airtel, Cadbury's,
Nike are some of the most effective ways of keeping
the conversations going with the consumer.
Working in the ad industry has its challenges. And a
great side too.Being one of the 1 billion in a nation of
optimists, let me start with the good side.
It is a great feeling to be a part of brand building. To
be a part of a team that creates communication
strategies and partners the marketing fraternity in
making their brands resonate.
Monotony does not exist in the ad world. Everyday is
a new brief, another take, a new client, a proactive
piece of work. It is unpredictable and that makes it
exciting.
Ad agencies are also a continuity factor for the long-
standing relationships. The clients often look towards
the agency for taking their younger managers through
historicals and learnings. There is a science to the
magic we see in ads. This means an indepth
understanding of behavioural science, consumer
behaviour and attitude, insights which are culture
specific, socio-economic changes etc. We are always
on our toes. Yesterday is too late.
Creativity flourishes in an informal environment. And
while ad agencies are formally structured and run,
there is an air of informality when it comes to work
culture and relationships.
Now for the challenges. Most of the attrition
happening today is an exodus to higher paying jobs in
service industries, retail, media which are in a similar
genre but better paymasters.
Some of the disciplines like Account Management or
Client Servicing as we call it seem to be lacking in its
earlier power and sheen as creative people are also
turning entrepreneurial.
Agencies themselves are losing out turf to new age
media, digital and this has narrowed down the
operative field to an extent.
Time is the greatest driver at times. Crore plus
production budgets are a rarity.
The challenges come from the fact that the industry is
trying to keep pace with the leaps of change happening
in the eco system. And any change comes at a cost.
The pros of being a part of the industry, however, far
outweigh the cons.
I have been associated with advertising for over 16
years and have never looked back. I love the
unexpectedness. The work. Being part of big ideas.
Creativity.
Helps us find our own voice. Makes us expressive.
Have a unique point of view. It is a great place to be.

30. “If one began counting the number of myths that exist around the advertising industry, the number
would easily challenge records till now held by scriptures such as the Ramayana or the Mahabharata!
Rishabha Nayyar, former Planning Director at Lowe Worldwide, discusses some of the most
commonly found myths amongst the aspiring student community.
THE GREAT
ADVERTISING MYTHS
Advertising is a glamorous, fun-filled career.
Every day is a day at the beach.
This is a myth I personally carried when I first
interviewed for a job in advertising more than 10
years ago. The optimist in me is still looking for the
beach at which I can spend every day!
While a 30 – second ad on the television seems like
a lot of fun, the grind through which the entire
team goes through in producing the same is more
than just fun. Indeed, the business of giving life to
ideas is fun but the process requires a lot of
hardwork which is both strategic and operational in
nature.
As regards the glamour, most people know about
the actors who endorse the brands in various ads
but very few remember the writer, the director, the
planner or the account manager behind making the
ad. There is, of course, industry level recognition
for good work but it is in no way comparable to the
typical glamour associated with the film line.
Working in advertising is just like working in
public relations.
What is the difference? Be it advertising or public
relations, we are spreading the brand message. Well
- yes and no. Both are tools which help a marketer
reach its target audience but there remain three key
differences between them. First, advertising is a
paid form of communication where the message
can be controlled by the marketer whereas in public
relations there is a free third-party communication
which cannot (at least we believe so!) be controlled.
Secondly, advertising because of its paid nature
does not enjoy too much of credibility whereas
public relations because of its unpaid nature is seen
to be lot more credible. Thirdly, advertising will
always be positive highlighting the qualities of the
brand whereas public relations can at times even be
negative. While traditionally the job of public
relations was also managed as an additional
responsibility by the advertising agency, with the
tool becoming more and more important for
companies, specialist agencies have emerged. The
skillset, organizational opportunities and career
progression for both of these fields is different.
Everyone in advertising makes a fortune.
We are still looking for the last one who did! While
advertising is a field which is rich in ideas, the salary
structures compared with any of the traditional
industries look very poor. The ability of any
industry to pay will always be a direct relationship
of its ability to earn. Advertising remains a field
where the budgets are always being downsized and
with increasing number of local and international
players, the remuneration standards of the industry
are always coming down. While over a period of
time, a person performing well in the industry can
lead a comfortable life, the money comparison at all
stages with other industries will continue to be a
recipe for depression! Which is why the most
commonly used word in the profession is ‘Passion’!
19

31. 20
“Passion really does exist, and it might not be manifested in the physical shapes of a pony-tail
or dreadlocks but in the most subtle of ways, says Mohammed Sameer, a student of
Advertising.
A DIFFERENT ROUTE
FOR EXCELLENCE
Nearly two years ago, on my birthday, I was still in
office till 11pm. Actually it looked lot less than an
office and more like a dining hall with a partition in
the middle and two small bedrooms in the far end.
The small bedrooms were occupied by the Creative
Director and Managing Director, the partners who
owned the firm. They never called it an advertising
agency but a brand consultancy since they
considered advertising agencies to be government
employee equivalent of the creative business. Here
I was writing the third draft of the copy for a
promotional offer to wholesale medical equipment
dealers from my client.
Strangely, when I walked out of that office that
night, I did not feel a drop of desperation nor did I
regret not picking up jobs in software firms where
you listen to your iPod tunes while you are dropped
at your residence by an AC cab service. It was on
that day I realized that passion, that exciting word
which we over-use in creative business, really exists.
And it might not be manifested in the physical
shapes of a ponytail or dreadlocks but in the most
subtle of ways, making you push your comfort
zones, helping you overcome the barriers of daily
life and making you come back for more.
Management is probably seen as the most
dispassionate, functional, utilitarian and
inconsiderate people while a media and
communication guy as fun, cool and sensitive. It is
these dichotomous ends that meet when you
embark on the best of both worlds or between a
rock and a hard place. The perspective is yours.
Internships definitely help you understand the day-
to-day life of a communication professional, the
requirements and a whole lot of peer learning. It is
also a time to re-evaluate your strengths,
weaknesses and re-align them in the way that suits
the industry environment. It is really your one stop
guide for your career management.
There are ideas and then there are facts. The idea of
media and communication industry as one that is
open for all with opportunities for anyone with that
teensy weird (Did not want to use the word
‘creative’) bent of mind is romantic and exciting.
However, as the world around it has changed, the
creative business also has transformed or probably
vice versa. Whatever the case, industry and business
expect and demand certain skills and capabilities
while most of them evolve over period some stay
the same. Experience shows capability in the
domains of research and social-digital mediums
have become pre-requisites for freshers and young
entrants into the business. However, the ever
evolving paradigm of media and communication
might throw up another challenge tomorrow or the
day after. All we could be is ready!

32. Advertising for me is a career where you become a
part of it by “choice” and not by “default”. It does
not mean that people who tumbled upon a career in
advertising failed. But you, reading this, are a
testimony to the fact that you are trying to make a
conscious, well-informed decision. So here is a
googled answer:
“First and foremost, you need to have a genuine
passion for advertising. It may be a cliché but if you
do not believe in what you do you will find it much
harder to succeed. And passionate people breathe
enthusiasm. You need to be a team player. No
advertising campaign is developed from brief to
final execution by one person. Being able to form
strong working relationships is essential. You will
also need to be extremely tenacious – working in
advertising is not just about large expense accounts
and long lunches. Whatever role you end up going
for, good analytical skills and the ability to
communicate your ideas convincingly will be vital.
You will also need to be extremely organized as the
pace can get pretty frantic. Do not expect to be
molly-coddled because you will have to hit the
ground running and show a healthy amount of
nous and initiative.” (IPA:www.ipa.co.uk)
But why did I make this choice to work in
advertising? To begin with, I have taken up a job,
which is a part of the most creative industry
capitalism can produce. That apart, one aspect of
the industry that got me into it and might keep me
there are the interesting people who associate
themselves with advertising. People who are
musicians, theatre enthusiasts, movie maniacs,
economists, financial analysts and, last but not the
least, dog behaviorist. Yes, the client servicing head
where I did my internship was a “dog behaviorist”.
As an advertiser I will be working towards
achieving the glory in being the jack of all trades. I
aspire to become an account planner. As a planner,
I will not be making advertisements but will be a
means to the end, that end being ads. Advertising
also gives me a no-strings-attached involvement
with different businesses. Thus I have a
responsibility of keenly looking at the business of
the client and running the business of advertising.
The ultimate high any advertiser might get is when
the ad he made becomes a part of the popular
culture. “Har ek friend zaroori hota hai” is a great
example of that. Working in advertising gives me
this potential to embark on a great career in an
industry with clout. There is tremendous variety
within the industry and great job satisfaction. You
acquire some of the most sought-after transferable
skills in marketing and communications. You will
network with agencies, clients, suppliers, media
owners and consultants, which provides a plethora
of future opportunities. I hope you will also be a
part of this fascinating world.
21
“Advertising also gives me a no strings attached involvement with different businesses, says
Apurv Rohiwal, a student of Advertising.
A CAREER BY CHOICE,
NOT BY DEFAULT
“I did not get into the business of advertising; the business got into me.” -Leo Burnett

33. A major crisis confronting the students at the end
of their student life is: what to do next? To get a
good job in an MNC, for which you took up a
draining engineering course, or to remain a student
for a few more years and take up a PG course. I
was no such exception and so, questions kept
popping up in my head day and night.
Coming from an engineering background, it was
imperative for me to do a PG course which was not
mundane. My four years of engineering more than
made up for that and thus, I wanted to do an MBA,
where I would be taught all the aspects of
becoming a good manager. But I did not want to
do a run-of-the-mill MBA. Right from my
childhood, I was attracted towards creativity- be it
painting, performing arts and mainly writing. It was
my passion towards writing that made me reject a
typical IT job (great company, good money but
boring) and become a copywriter for a start up.
Working for a few months in that position made
me feel that if I have to do an MBA, it has to be in
communications and become a part of the media
industry. It was my way of rising above mediocrity
and using my skills and my interest to carve my
own destiny. I had also interacted with people from
the media industry and just by listening to their
experiences and their work, I felt that I had taken
the correct decision.
“To make my professional life extraordinary I had to add something extra to it, which came to
me in the form of media, says Mrinaal Deshpande, a student of MBA.
ADDING A LITTLE EXTRA
TO THE ORDINARY
I believe that extraordinary is adding a little extra to
the ordinary. And to make my professional life
extraordinary I had to add something extra to it,
which came to me in the form of media. If you
want your professional life to be exciting and feel
that every day brings something new to the table, if
you are inclined towards any aspect of media and
find your calling towards it, media field is for you.
Personally, quality of work matters a lot rather than
moving around in suits. A casual stride in my walk
matters more than the calculated step and creativity
matters more than just being a highly paid robot.
Yes, the remuneration is less in this industry. But
the biggest high in this field is that your job profile
includes the things which you love the most. And
what I have been told by everyone in this industry
is that if you are good, so will be your package. For
me money matters too, but at least I will be doing
what I had always loved, I will be there, where I
always dreamt to be.
Passion becomes your friend
creativity your partner.
Contentment becomes your co-traveler,
and life becomes part of you forever.
22

34. “
23
“A career in media becomes a constant exploration of ideas, strategies and content development, says
Sumeet Sharma, a student of media and communication.
NOT JUST FOR THE
SAKE OF MONEY
“Mera beta engineer banega” Farhan Qureshi's dad had
famously said in the movie 3 Idiots. Just like in 3
idiots, we have always seen an entire generation of
parents wanting their children to become doctors,
engineers or architects.
The so-called “conventional” career options
dominate because of the steady remuneration they
offer in terms of pay packages. Yes, “Pay
packages”, that is the key phrase here, something
that is powerful enough to change the course of
any middle-class individual's life through his/her
career choice. Things are definitely changing slowly,
as more people are making bold career choices,
aided by the availability of study loans and
encouraged by parents who are accepting the newer
career options that have mushroomed.
If we see media as a career option through the
viewing glass of “pay packages”, the view is not
encouraging. The journalists, photographers or
even communication managers are fully aware of
the lag they face in terms of pay packages but what
drove them to take up media as a career choice is
the passion, interest and not just the remuneration.
With a tinge of creativity and a will to slog on
something new every day, media professionals
march down towards the battlefield of the
communication industry, an industry that has
rightfully become a battlefield for many reasons as
it is not witnessing the best of days. There is a
global economic slowdown due to which
companies are hesitant to spend in media which is a
cost function instead of a revenue generator. Due
to the less flow of money, the competition has
become even more stiff as the need of superior
content is greatly required in a competitive market
scenario. Things from now on can only improve
making the media industry economically more
stable and thereby improving the salaries
substantially.
Media professionals may not earn as much as
people doing other well paid jobs, but they certainly
are not disappointed with the redundancy of their
work. A career in media becomes a constant
exploration of ideas, strategies and content
development. All of which requires an active
creative side. This makes the job a luxury and the
money ends up being just like an added benefit.
The media professionals may be a little low in the
earning ladder, but, certainly are living their lives.

36. PUBLIC RELATIONS
The art of persuasion is hard to come by. Influencing people and making decisions for them is the
kind of thing only people with a specific skill set can do. To convince and convert people, to make
them believe and vouch for things with all their heart and mind is the kind of stuff influencers are
made of. Public Relations is the perfect discipline for such people. It involves looking after
reputation, with the aim of earning understanding and support and influencing opinion and behavior
between an organization and its stakeholders. Public relations include popularizing successes,
downplaying failures, announcing changes and other such image building activities.
Indian PR Industry:
Public Relations (PR) activities are carried out either by advertising agencies, which have a PR
division, or by standalone PR agencies. In either case, PR activities involve establishing a PR strategy,
identifying strong hooks for communication, maintaining good relationships with editorial teams, as
well as crisis management in the case of negative reporting.
Unlike the advertising industry, PR in India has not yet seen these levels of consolidation. The largest
agencies such as Adfactors PR, Edelman, Perfect Relations, Genesis and Vaishnavi, are still largely
locally owned and not yet part of conglomerates. Instead, most of these agencies have established
loose partnerships with international agencies, to undertake global work for their clients.
Trends:
According to estimates, the Indian PR industry comprises of 1000-2000 agencies with combined
work force strength of 30,000 to 40,000. Business is booming for the public relations (PR) industry.
It is in this discipline that the industry has seen most growth and expects to see continuing growth in
the future. The fastest-growing sector in this area has been identified as healthcare; however, the
public sector, the environment, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are all emerging as growth
areas for PR

37. .

38. “Engage or die -- the key to new PR tools is interaction and dialogue, says Kavita Lakhani, one of
India’s leading communications specialists. The author is President, LinOpinion Public Relations,
Executive Vice President, Lowe Lintas and Co Chair India, IPG Women’s Leadership Network
WHERE CLICKS AND
LINKS COUNT
I am often asked: Is traditional PR redundant in a
wired world? Will social media replace traditional
communication? The answer is a definite no. The
dialogue centers on the idea that the competition
and pressure of online media technology, like blogs,
podcasts and RSS feeds, will slowly render traditional
communication obsolete.
In the wake of online media technology and
advertising, the demand for traditional PR and the
ability to handle, control, and drive a message
effectively is more important than ever. At the core
of traditional PR are both the delivery and the
creation of the message. This means developing
different story angles for different publications,
matching the message to the medium, and shaping
the pitch to sell the story to newspapers, trade
publications, business magazines, online
publications, radio, television, and more.
Additionally, relationships between media houses
and PR companies, i.e. contacts, are like gold. These
relationships, often built on decades of
collaboration, are something you cannot replicate.
So what effect have social media technologies had?
They have impacted the way the message is
disseminated, but not the message itself, which
remains as powerful and important as it has always
been. Also, the economics of social media is a key
point to consider. Online media has not replaced
traditional PR; rather, it allowed the PR sector to
grow in numerous ways and reach more audiences,
not less. Social media is going to be the future of
traditional media. It is spontaneous and constantly
inventive. I foresee an even greater blurring of the
offline and online worlds. What makes social media
forms so different? The answer is, not much, unless
they invite feedback, response and conversation. A
podcast that simply conveys the message the
company wants to convey is nothing more than an
ad delivered via an iPod rather than a TV screen --
unless it is designed to be different. And the medium
is not what makes it different; the content is.
If we use these social media for controlled messages
– the kind companies always prefer – then we have a
new toy, but we have not done anything to change
the way we play. What makes these new media truly
exciting is that we can use them to change the rules
of the game, to surrender control and in exchange
gain credibility – the most valuable currency of all in
a media-saturated, message-proliferated
environment.
That means we do not create the media. We might
initiate a conversation, or engage an audience, but if
it is going to take advantage of the ability of these
new media to deliver something powerful that
conversation must be allowed to take on a life of its
own. It is organic. It is free-flowing. It has multiple
contributors rather than a single creator. In 2006, we
saw the explosion of social media and peer to peer
influence. It represents a “smarter” opportunity to
distribute information, and more importantly,
become part of the conversation. Nowadays it is less
about the word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) and
more about the word– of- “mouse.” Yes it’s the
clicks and links that count as much as the grapevine.
27

39. (This article is the author’s personal view and not of her organization.)
28
Social media has created a new layer of influencers.
It is the understanding of the role people play in the
process of not only reading and disseminating
information, but also how they, in turn, share and
also create content for others to participate. New
conversations start locally, but may have a global
impact. Monologue has given way to dialogue.
Content is the new democracy and we the people are
ensuring that our voices are heard. The Web is no
longer just We, but We and Me–it is a personalized
experience. What you want, and what the group
wants: it is a sea change, with how the media is
getting consumed. Part of it is the explosion of
broadband – all media is becoming digitized, and it is
changing the landscape. It is about empowering
users. Currently, we all look at the same thing. If
you and I go to the same site – such as ESPN – we
both see the same thing. Going to MySpace, though,
is a different view for each person. It is about the
rise of community.
As competition for available media coverage tightens
in a sea of press releases and attention stealing
publicity stunts, it is harder than ever for a business
to gain the much-needed publicity. The new mix
will include what you know along with the tools to
succeed in social media and customer relations. They
can include blogs, social networks, wikis, Twitter and
Jaiku, video, livecasts such as Veodia and ustream.tv,
news aggregators such as Digg and Reddit, social
media releases, videos on YouTube, and podcasts.
There are also opportunities for companies to
participate in virtual worlds, such as Second Life.
Getting someone to hear the message is half the
battle. Having the members of the media consider it
newsworthy is the other half. A growing number of
journalists and news editors are reading blogs on a
daily basis to find new and interesting story ideas.
When teamed with an RSS news feed, which
employs the same technology as stock market and
weather forecasts, a blog can provide an instant
pipeline directly to a journalist's computer in
seconds. Though often seen as partisan gossips,
bloggers sometimes lead the way in bringing key
information to public light, with mainstream media
having to follow their lead. Currently, however, news
blogs tend to react to material already published by
the mainstream media. Several Indian mainline
dailies like the Times of India, Hindustan Times and
Mid-Day publish views of active bloggers on topical
issues. One important observation regarding
bloggers is that it is not just about the most
influential bloggers out there, it is about the “magic
middle.” These are the people who recognize
valuable content and, in turn, share it amongst each
other. The latest trend is moblogging- updating your
blog with a mobile phone. Programmes like
FoneBlog, ManywhereMoblogger and Wapblog
allow bloggers to post details about their lives from
anywhere, not just from a computer. The system
will really come into its own as multimedia
messaging and camera phones take off.
Let us look at the current reality of Social Media. It
has yet to reveal its true impact. While many are
defining its future, the majority of people around the
world (including Indians) have yet to embrace it and
participate. This means that it is only going to
become more pervasive and as such, become a
critical factor in the success or failure of any
business. Today a new blog is created every second,
according to Technorati, a search engine for blogs, and
the blogosphere is doubling in size every five
months. The evolution of social media is forcing an
incredible transformation in PR and corporate
communications – it is most dramatic to date; even
more significant than the introduction of radio,
television and motion pictures.
Social media is about sociology, not technology. It is
about putting the “public” back in Public Relations.
It is a combination of new and traditional media that
spans across advertising, PR, customer service,
marcom, sales, and community relations – all with
the common goal of engaging people and influencers
on their terms. Social media is about speaking with,
not “to” or “at” people. The difference is that by
listening, reading, and participating, corporate
marketing will be smarter and more approachable
than ever before. No matter the medium, someone
is always have to craft the message, create an
effective strategy for how the message is received,
and ensure the message remains powerful.

40. 29
Being a Public Relations (PR) student for almost two
years now and having interned in a PR agency, I
would like to share my experience on what PR is and
how can it be a great career option considering its
growth prospects. Communication gave birth to
different disciplines such as propaganda, publicity,
advertising, public affairs, media management,
journalism, public engagement, corporate
communication, marketing communication and
public relations. One of the most credible methods
of communicating with Publics is Public Relations. It
is used as an umbrella term on a worldwide basis to
create mutual understanding between an
organization and its stakeholders.
Public Relations is not new to us, just that this
concept was given a name quite after sometime. As
C.V Narasimha Reddy, a well known name in public
relations and communication circles said, “India can
claim to be a model of public relations as depicted in
its mythologies. Sage Narada, for example, the first
mythological public relations personality would
disseminate information between Gods and
Goddesses and the rulers and ruled with the motive
of universal peace and prosperity.” It is true that
public relations is as old as civilizations but writers
who say this would not dispute about the fact that
public relations has changed dramatically since it
emerged as a distinct discipline. In many
organizations, it has been elevated from its
traditional role as a support service and made an
integral part of upper management decision-making.
Supporting this thought, Papri Dev, an experienced
PR professional, India Practice Chair - Brand
Marketing & Healthcare, Genesis Burson-Marsteller,
South Asia says, “More than ever PR & corporate
communications is an exciting field to build your
career in. No longer is it the publicity pushing &
relationship building role dealing only with media.
Today’s PR and Corporate Communications
professional has a seat at the CEO’s table as a
valuable function that keeps an eye out for the
reputation of the organisation, thinks strategically
about maintaining and building it and prepares the
organisation to deal with the issues and crises of
today’s complex times with multiple stakeholders.
The areas of practice, therefore, become diverse
moving out from media to non media influencers,
traditional to social and new age media and beyond
strategy to creativity in communicating the
organisation’s story to the world.”
Some of the myths about Public Relations are- it is
only about wining and dining, it is an unethical
means of communication and it is limited to media
relations. However, the real picture is very different.
The biggest advantage, which PR has over all the
other communication methods, is its credibility and
therefore, acceptability. An organization can talk
about it using any form of communication but what
matters is “who says it for them and how they say it”
and PR being a non-paid form of communication
through third parties (opinion leaders /experts) has a
high rationale attached to it. In a fast-evolving
market place, 2010-2011 saw the continued
expansion of digital and social media with companies
and government agencies adopting new channels to
communicate and engage with consumers, key
influencers and all brand stakeholders.
“Public Relations is not new to us, just that this concept was given a name quite after sometime, says
Priyanka Agarwal, a student of Public Relations.
FROM SUPPORT SERVICE
TO DECISION-MAKING

41. Tourism Queensland created a position for the “best
job in the world” in order to bring some serious
tourist attention to their region. They recruited an
“island caretaker” willing to spend six months
exploring Queensland. The campaign has been rated
by Taylor Herring (UK's leading entertainment
agency) as one of the 50 best publicity stunts. The
competition attracted global attention. Heaps of
priceless free publicity, estimated at over $110
million was generated as countless media groups
worldwide covered the story, largely ignoring the fact
that it was a marketing ploy. A 34-year-old ostrich-
rider from England won the competition, but this
was a triumph for PR – and how to execute it with
aplomb. Campaigns like this very well reflect the
importance of Public Relations in a scenario where
media is saturated and competition is cut throat.
Public Relations, better known as PR, is the art and
science of making people, governments and
organizations look good. PR professionals work
behind the scenes- sending press releases, courting
journalists, researching public opinion. In the
industry circle PR is also known as poor cousin of
advertising. The Indian PR industry has the
opportunity to offer integrated solutions because of
an explosion in media. Clients in India will
eventually look to their agencies for strategic
communications, not simply for media relations.
This is already happening. Companies such as Wipro
ask their agencies to help them understand how best
to communicate their messages and present them in
a context that is meaningful for clients, analysts,
investors and journalists.
This is also a significant opportunity to reposition
the industry, from a traditional PR deliverer to a
strategic communications consultant. Meenu Handa,
Microsoft’s director of corporate communications,
believes that PR will be recognised as a strategic tool
for two reasons- “One, the implosion of digital and
social media, which is all about two-way engagement
and the PR industry has always operated in that
environment. Two, the imperative need for
organisations including government, businesses and
NGOs should be extremely transparent in their
communication in order to build and retain trust.
Again, that is a space PR has always operated in.”
The industry faces many challenges, one of which is
extremely low fees, and the inability to attract and
retain talent are among the others. A misconception
amongst some clients on the flawed image of the
industry in particular is a perceived lack of emphasis
on training and a false impression of inflated
revenues. Also if we talk about Public Affairs, India’s
complex regulatory environment, and its growing
importance to major foreign and domestic
companies, implies that public affairs are becoming
increasingly critical. But the industry remains dogged
by a reputation for backroom deals.
Every profession has its pros and cons. Hence, every
challenge can be played upon and thus can be
converted into a new avenue. Thousands of public
relations agencies large and small provide services to
clients locally and worldwide, employing tens-of-
thousands of PR professionals.
30
“Every profession has its pros and cons. Hence, every challenge can be played upon and thus can be
converted into a new avenue, says Barkha Kaul, a student of Public Relations.
A TOOL FOR MANAGING
THE INTANGIBLE

42. Career Choice- Agency or Corporate
One of the biggest dilemmas a PR student faces,
before stepping into the industry is- whether he/she
should join an agency or a corporate house.
Although both the jobs fall under the same PR
umbrella, they have their own unique responsibilities
for an employee. Mostly it is suggested to begin by
working for an agency, but as time continues many
decide to make the switch.
Based upon the different tasks required by agency
and in-house professionals, it is easy to see why most
start working for an agency and then make the
switch. An agency is a great place to really learn the
craft of PR because you get experience with many
different clients. In-house work is where you really
dive deep into a project and start to see how PR
affects an entire company.
There are times in life when you find yourself faced
by a fork. While one road leads you down a tried
and tested safe way, the other leads you, possibly
through an uneven path, to your dream. I was faced
with one of these moments. Months down the line,
as the mist is beginning to clear, I am glad I made
the shift.
Public Relations has become increasingly crucial in
today’s marketing-led world. Unless you let people
know what your brand is and how it does what it
does, be prepared for an avalanche of others to
snatch the limelight. There is always another car,
another soap, another celebrity. What makes you
special? PR is one domain of work that manages
the way an organization communicates with the
world outside. Unless the communication is lucid
and the impression favourable, it’s going to mean
bad news for your brand. Ideally, this is done
through press releases in the print media, full-
fledged PR campaigns that include TVCs and
events and increasingly, leveraging digital media.
While all this is very well, do we really need to be
taught to be creative? Yes. In PR, what is important
is to learn the nuances of communication. How do
you design a campaign? Whom do you target it to?
Is your brainchild really what interests the
consumers of a particular company? A good media
school teaches you all that and directs your energies
into the right pursuits. You get to interact with
people who matter and also to rectify the mistakes
during your academic/industry projects for which
you could be penalized, if made at the workplace.
If Public Relations is what sets you going, be
assured, the industry needs you. Ensure your skill-
sets are put in place and do not underestimate the
power of guided training at a good media studies
institute.
31
If Public Relations is what sets you going, be assured, the industry needs
you, says Deboshree Bhattacharjee, a student of Media and
Communication
THE POWER OF
GUIDED TRAINING
“

44. BRAND COMMUNICATION
What makes a brand a brand? What are the ingredients that go into creating that perfect mix of trust,
love, affection and value that comprises the DNA of almost all well-known and top brands? The
orchestration of resources and techniques that goes behind the creation of the identity of a brand is
what brand communication is all about. The idea is to create a lasting and positive impression of the
brand on the minds of the consumers. The idea is for the brand to become a part of their life so
intrinsically that it becomes hard to part with them. The idea is to brand people’s minds.
Brand Communication in Indian Industry:
India’s huge population and growing middle class presents promising potential for many US and
European multinational companies focusing on the Indian markets. With more companies viewing
India as an emerging market, competition in markets is growing and integration would become
inevitable for communications in the developing world.
Trends:
As the real and digital worlds are becoming more and more intertwined, what connects consumers
will no longer be defined by mediums or platforms, but by the experiences that immerse with their
senses. Experiential and other newer and more innovative forms of marketing are going to dominate
in the coming age.

46. 35
“Brands have realized that it is imperative for them to be a part of society, says Partha Sinha,
Managing partner, Bartle Bogle Hegarty.
CONNECTING WITH
OTHERS BETTER
“While growing up I was told that there was only
one screen. Today I go to sleep with a Kindle, one
iPad and an iPhone.”
I don’t believe in the word ‘consumer’. Everyone is
a human being. We would rather connect with
people, else, we won’t be able to understand
consumer. Take an example of Air India. Why
should I care as a customer? Your planes are dirty,
food is horrible, and service is terrible. No wonder,
the Maharaja never opens his eyes.
It all started with the ‘dreaded’ twitter where
Michael Vaughan had suggested if Vaseline applied
on outside edge saved Laxman and the entire
country went into a tizzy. We handle Vaseline.
Forget about Laxman and Vaughan we thought if
there was anything we could do with Vaseline here.
So, we thought for a while and decided that we will
release an ad saying that Mr. Vaughan, in India we
use Vaseline for various purposes but not on cricket
bats. After that, we asked people to place badge on
Facebook where they could play the app and use the
badge. About 1000 people used the picture of the ad
as their profile picture. I do not know why they did
it, but they did. Vaseline, then, was trending in
Delhi and Mumbai along with Anna Hazare and a
certain Mr. Kalmadi. Finally Mr. Vaughan had to
tweet!
Coming to the serious aspect of it, what was the
difference between the two brands? Air India was
spending on things such as why Maharaja has to
open/close his eyes rather than improving the
services. Arrogance nowadays is going out of the
brands and hence is making better connect with
others. As for social media or nor, a fundamental
change has taken place. Brands have realized that it
is imperative for them to be a part of society. Let
me state three great syndromes of communications:
One, the Wind tunnel Syndrome: People question a
lot. But at some point they stop asking questions.
Cars are supposed to be designed in a wind tunnel.
So, let us design cars in a wind tunnel. No one
questions that. Somewhere marketing and
communications have gone into a wind tunnel.
Benjamin Franklin once said that the definition of
insanity is to do the same thing again and again and
expecting different results every time. We do
exactly same things in every ad. We go to the same
set of consumers, ask them the same set of
questions and we expect different stuff. We are in
the middle of a big wind tunnel. When everything
looks the same, how can you expect consumer to
connect? When Kajol got married and had a child,
suddenly the entire brand owner/ marketing
fraternity understood that she is the kind of
epitome of motherhood. Anything I want to show
about motherly love, a kid must be plonked right
next to her and it is done. We found 14 different
kids were used with her in various ads across
different brands and categories. Each of them had a
kid hugging Kajol!

47. 36
If we can’t get out of the wind tunnel, I don’t think
we have any chance or hope of establishing
connectivity. What is happening is a complete
vicious cycle. We keep showing Kajol as mother, go
on asking consumer who is a very good mother,
and he will say Kajol.
Secondly, somewhere we think that we are very
smart people and so we oversimplify things for the
others. I feel that if you are very dumb you are
simple. If you are very intelligent then you are even
simpler. We too believe that consumer is a moron.
We use a simple concept like you use a shampoo
and you become a Ms. Universe or something like
that. The great product window is the final pudding
in every case. It is the most dreaded thing on the
planet. You see any ad when it cuts into some
arrows and then green light, blue light appear then
red drops and blue drops which explain a very
complex thing which eventually would wash your
hair.
Thirdly, the use of histrionics, an actor gives a full
expression, she never underplays her role. Subtle,
quiet are not in her vocabulary. Full money, full
acting. Even if she is not talking her eyebrows will
go up and down, her eyes will start rolling. This is a
syndrome marketing has witnessed many times.
They say that I am a brand, I will give you full
money, you give me full item number. I do not care
if people care for the content or not.
Marketers always complain that people do not click
on ads any more. Why should they?! Usual love of
content ad ratio on TV is 3:1. In a one-hour
programme, there is 45 minutes of content and 15
minutes of ad. There are days when things reverse.
I had seen first and last ball of an over being eaten
up. So you actually have a four-ball over. People
who went to brands, taking money and give them
their money’s worth think, if the first ball and last
ball of an over are eaten up. Be it.
What is the enemy of engagement? It is an animal
called innovation. When people ask, “Can we do
some innovation?”, it is one question that I dread
the most.
First of all, real ideas have become smaller and
smaller and now there are some news channels
which have three layers of scrolls. I once really tried
to read all the three scrolls and then realized that it
cant be done by a human. So, in a family the wife
should be looking at one scroll the son at the
business scroll and the husband should look at some
other scroll. Interestingly, new intrusions get
introduced almost on a daily basis. One
unsuspecting soul smiles and suddenly his
photograph gets clicked and they say ‘Happydent’.
On the web, I am not a big blogger, but they don’t
get for anything. We do not want to pay for any
internet content. So it has to be ad supported. But
the way ad-support has turned content completely
into a nightmare, I do not think that it will be a
reality after a while.
In some windows, due to ads you need to wait.
They would not even provide an option to close the
window. So three balloons will go up, an arrow will
appear and burst the balloons and you are still
waiting. All you are waiting is to see the proof of a
stock. So three balloons will go up, a mutual fund
will bounce up and down. By that time the price has
changed!
There is an interesting presentation. A person called
Allan met me once. He runs a website called ‘Your
brand is not my friend’. He has a very interesting
framework though I do not agree with one part
where the future of possible connection lies. He
talks about four things- incentive, information,
entertainment, utility. Either you provide money or
coupons or freebies so that people come and talk to
you or give information like providing brand
product or servicing and stuff like that or develop
content. So it is either that or I have to give some
entertainment or utility.
Whenever Amitabh Bachchan comes on screen and
says something, I am all ears. Such is the impact.
Information and incentives are getting less and less
important and will cease to exist until it is
completely new. Today a situation has arrived where
you have to be utility-centric or be entertaining. If
you have both, then sky is the limit.
(Speech delivered at SIMClairvoyance 2011)

48. 37
“If you are less relevant you are paid less; the greater the relevance, the higher the packages will be,
says Chandradeep (CD) Mitra with over 20 years of professional experience. He has expertise
across all functions of Marketing Communications including Media, Advertising, DM, CRM, BTL,
Interactive Communications & Relationship Management.
KEEP PACE WITH THE
CHANGING TIMES
What are the ups and downs while working in
the media industry ?
As an industry we are trying to fight for Relevance
and hence Respect and Revenue. If agencies do not
keep pace with client requirements then they will
lose Relevance. A lot of brand-related decisions are
now being taken by specialized Brand Consultants
or in the client organization itself. Agencies are in
the danger of becoming lower level service
providers. Specialist agencies are dealing only with
their domains. Agencies today are often less
involved in marketing strategy, and more in just
communication strategy. It all comes down to losing
relevance. If you are less relevant you will earn less;
conversely, the greater the relevance, better the
agency will be remunerated, and better the agency
will be able to pay its people.
Considering the amount of interest media
industry generates globally, do you see any
improvement in the remuneration that you were
talking about?
The so-called boom is a combination of factors: the
Indian market is opening up, global businesses are
looking at India as a growth opportunity. India is
one of the few countries which is doing relatively
well. But some people have a reason to believe that
the upswing is coming to an end. May be, there is
already oversaturation in some areas. May be, we
won’t see another boom in a long time. That is a
macroeconomic perspective that is simply an
educated guess.
How well the economy & media industry does will
have a bearing on revenues & remuneration. Within
the industry, how an organization performs and is
perceived will affect its earning capacity. Similarly,
an individual will be remunerated based on the
perception of value that he or she brings to the
table.
With the passage of time, new terminology is
coming into fore like advocacy advertising and
in film branding. How successful would they be
in the future? Can we look at them as an
alternative career prospect?
Everything boils down to serving the market
objective and solving a business problem. To the
extent where you find a logical connection, it makes
sense. For example, in film branding is one way of
getting out of the growing phenomenon of ad
avoidance. People increasingly are not wanting to
see ads as there are too many ads, too much clutter.
In-film branding is one way of getting around it.
But, in– film branding has its own pitfalls. Because,
we do not have any assurance of how well the film
will do. You put in a lot of money and effort for
placing a brand in a film, but it is often difficult to
predict how well a film will do, hence the
effectiveness & impact of the in-film branding. So
there is greater risk and unpredictability but there is
also a higher potential upside. So in-film branding
is at best an adjunct or an add-on strategy. It cannot
be a core strategy. Not yet.

49. 38
Does the brand of the company where you work
matter?
It is important to an extent that it gives you a
platform, it gives you a credibility when you are
trying to apply for a job later. Thus practically it does
matter. However, in the long run, what I genuinely
believe is that what you learn is what really matters.
By working in a small firm, you could have the
opportunity to learn more. With a small agency
experience, you may start with a perceived weaker
standing, but hopefully in a detailed interaction, your
knowledge and actual learning will hopefully come
through. Working with a bigger brand will help you
get through the door of the interview room, but
would not guarantee you a job. If you have worked
with a smaller firm, it will be more difficult for you
to enter the interview, but once you do, what all
matters is the knowledge & experience you have.
What would you do if you run out ideas for an
ad?
First, I would never think of an idea for an ad in
isolation. I would go back to the basics regarding
what is the business about, what is the issue, how am
I expected to solve it and what is the opportunity
that I am trying to leverage. What are the marketing
implications? Sometimes there are inter-linkages that
are not visible but are present which will have to be
unearthed. Unlike other forms of communication or
art where the primary product is the communication
you create, what you are doing here is a support for
someone else’s business by creating a piece of ad or
a campaign that helps sell another product or
service. Let us have the humility to accept that. We
are doing our work because someone has to sell
some more soap, someone has to sell a hotel or
shirt. So the idea has to serve that business interest.
Try to understand issues and insights driving the
business - if there is no clarity, coming up with ideas
that could be wrong or running out of ideas is very
likely.
However, the moment you have that clarity of goal,
and you see the linkages between various elements
that are to be, you may or may not create a
masterpiece but there would be a better chance of
you solving the business issue.
When we are looking at the industry as a whole,
what should be the skill-set we should have for
increasing our future career prospects here?
Apart from general business skills, there are 3-4
specific things that you need in the communication
industry. One is your own communication skills
have to be good, and your people skills have to be
good because almost always you are working in
teams. You are in situations where you do not have
complete control of what you are doing. Your
understanding of communication, your appreciation
for creative work needs to be high. Ability to feel
excited about a product, and pass on that excitement
to others, and converting that into sales, is
important. Those are important skills. In addition, I
see people having these skills but I see they lack one
skill that is going to contribute to this whole aspect
of losing respect. It boils down to how well you
understand the business. If you do not know how to
appreciate a client and his business or his consumers
and what they need, you end up doing the most
superficial shallow job. That is one of the challenges
you will face. So apart from possessing these skills,
do not lose the rigour and depth of understanding
the problems and going deep into customers’ minds.
Similarly, dig deep into consumers and their
lifestyles. It helps in understanding where my
customers’ product will fit in the consumers’ life.
Because ultimately it is all about understanding your
client & his customer. So people who do not have
good communication skills might not do well in this
business. Also, people who have these skills but do
not have the depth and rigour to understand clients’
business issues or consumers will also not be very
successful or be able to gain respect.
(In Conversation with Mrinaal Deshpande and Sneha Iyer)

50. 39
“A Brand manager has to be a champion of consumer and brand knowledge, says Chandan
Pansari, an Assistant Brand Manager at a Leading FMCG Group. He specializes in brand
management, integrated marketing, online advertising, digital marketing and social media.
ALL TO PROMOTE
YOUR BRAND
A brand manager is a jack of all trades. It is the
manager’s responsibility to know his brand in and
out, to understand his brand as if it were a real
person and to envision what the brand’s future is
going to be. A brand manager has to manage the
health of complete brand’s volume, its turnover,
equity, sales turn-over and many a times doing
complex business & financial analysis to figure how
is the business doing.
The brand manager is solely responsible for all
consumer-facing material. This is a very big task
since it has as many facets as there are consumer
touch points. This will include all advertising that is
seen, who is going to be the agency, what the brand
is going to talk about and to whom? The work does
not stop at hiring an agency. A brand manager is
responsible for briefing the agency and keeping a
track of its work.
It is the brand manager who evaluates the agency’s
work and decides what material goes on air/print.
Also, he decides what promotion strategy should be
used that will be in harmony with the brand’s
philosophy and personality. Another important
brand decision is pricing, whether the brand should
be premium priced or not. This requires a lot of
consumer training and professional coaching on
interpersonal skills. Apart from the brand decisions,
a brand manager’s life evolves around how he
influences decisions.
If you are not strong enough in what you think is
right for the business, others will start influencing
the decision making process in the way they want.
The idea here is- one has to have a point of view
and push others to do what is right for the business.
If you don’t have a strong point of view you can
often be lost in opinions on the table. It is
challenging for anybody looking for this role. One
has to learn how to interact with their multiple
levels of hierarchy. Then there are other involved
parties to deal with - Research, PR, Media agencies,
digital social media, sales team and celebrities.
You have to be the champion of your brand
knowledge, you need to know your product inside
out. For example, if you are representing a media
channel like Set Max, you must not only know how
it differs from any other media channel but also
what the purpose of your media channel is. Why is
it what it is? Have it all clearly defined.
The next most important responsibility of this job
role is knowing the consumer. In the entire
structure in any company you are in, especially in
FMCG, a brand manager is supposed to know the
brand’s consumer. He has to know, this is what my
consumer believes, this is what my consumer is
thinking and also what is his or her attitude and this
is how the market dynamics is going to affect him
or her.