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<ul><li>PR for <keyword id="89160" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="political-parties">political parties</keyword> is different from that of a government body.</li><li>Our guest author, <keyword id="10618036" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tarunjeet-rattan">Tarunjeet Rattan</keyword>, Founder - <keyword id="10736859" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="PRPOI">PRPOI</keyword>, picks five poignant points that can come in handy while working for a political party. </li></ul><keyword id="10764595" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="political-pr">Political PR</keyword> is not a field that we are new to, but it is only in the last couple of years that this vertical has gotten the recognition it deserves and has been elevated into the core group. However, while this seems like a recent phenomenon in India, it has been making mainstream news in other parts of the world. Though it is an exciting time to be in Political PR in India, never have so many common people been a part of the conversation and actively voiced their views instead of being dispassionate observers. Does this mean there is more opportunity or the possibility of a bigger crisis? In 1967 Hannah Arendt (Author: Truth and Politics) wrote that nobody ever doubted that truth and politics were in pretty poor relations. However, politics and political communication has gone through a sea change in the last decade. The new changes – good or bad, could be attributed to contemporary PR practitioners to some extent. Advaita Kala, Political Columnist (India) , David Ball, Principal, Ball Consulting Group LLC (USA)and Li-or Avon Deputy CEO &amp; Strategic Communications Consultant, Together – Strategy ( Israel ) joined us on the PRPOI panel to take a deep dive into this intriguing vertical of PR and understand how much has the modern PR professional contributed towards this new era of political communication. We pick five poignant points from the conversation with Co-Founder Sonali Sokhal, to create a cheat sheet (oops … reference sheet) for you: Political Media: Every media house has a bias as do journalists. Ideally, news reporting should be devoid of personal beliefs. However, we live in very polarised times dominated by eyeballs, click baits and hits. Journalists / anchors have now become celebrities themselves. When this transition happened in India in the last decade, they became far more opinionated, made their political positions very clear, and they took a side. That has fuelled more bias. Most media houses now prefer to choose a side. Either they are pro-government or rest their loyalties with the opposition. However, most strive to have a more balanced view via a few programs that tie in supporters from both sides. All panellists agreed that even if a media house /journalist/ program chooses to be neutral they will be labelled one way or the other. The overall tonality of a media house is now defined by their biggest celebrities. Media and Political Communication: There is a definite trust deficit in the minds of the viewer. It is a tough time for media. They are now choosing to seek a media outlet that confirms their world views. This is what is called as confirmation bias. This runs the risk of further polarising the nation and moves away from the conversation we need to have. The moment it presents opposing news, it is labelled as fake news. Democratisation in the segment has come from social media which is a tough battle with trolling being taken to an art form. Social media is now being channelled to drive the 24X7 news cycle which might or might not be true. This added with a blatant showcase of political bias and lowering tolerance levels, has given opposing parties a reason to target media houses. Credibility has been a huge casualty in the current age of fast-paced news. Our experts opine that there will be a moment of truth on the horizon for all media if they want to retain their viewers and build trust and credibility. For PR professionals it is now a question of creating a media strategy with mediums that they need to decide will do more harm or good to the client. PR should ideally follow the credibility trail to ensure it rubs off on the client they handle. Political PR: PR for political parties is different from that of a government body. The first is pro-active and aggressive while the latter has a majorly reactive approach with defensive tonality merged with a tiny bit of proactive PR. Political PR tries to seize the news cycle to benefit a client. A lot of effort in Political PR goes in pre-event preparation – briefing the candidate, doing background checks, and anticipating questions. Once the candidate goes on record about a particular issue, it is difficult to pull it back (rather it is unflattering). In the age of digital media, a comment once made stays forever…and sometimes gets meme-d. There is always a debate in this vertical on what are the best practices and how good/ bad the vertical is. But all panelists agree that it depends solely on the integrity of the individual and company that the person represents. In Israel, relationships with media in political PR are much tighter and one can express an opinion without being quoted. While in India, most PR agencies are still finding their way on the vertical and gaining maturity that could develop strong relationships on both ends in the future. In US the new administration’s press team is setting new benchmarks for PR professionals by creating a mutual society of trust and respect. Best practices for PR professionals in Political PR: <ul><li>Communication skills: Writing and speaking succinctly will work in your favour. </li><li>Consume News: Read, watch and listen as much as you can. Being a news junkie will benefit you. </li><li>Don’t react quickly: Understand the question and its impact before you shoot out an answer. Be guarded at all times. It always pays to err on the side of caution. </li><li>Don’t let your candidate leave without a briefing on the journalist or media house no matter how experienced they are. </li><li>Be tougher than the situation at hand because you will always be in fight mode. </li><li>Read about the journalist and the kind of stories s/he does before pitching. (pretty please) </li><li>Measurement will continue to be a challenge even in this vertical, but the ultimate effectiveness of your job can be judged based on how your client is perceived. Their popularity is directly related to the excellence of your job.</li></ul>The above is by special arrangement via a collaboration with PRPOI Watch the video here for case studies and more: <div type="Youtube" id="uf_as2SMvkM" title="Ep 36 : Political PR" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uf_as2SMvkM/mqdefault.jpg"></div>

Here is what you need to know about Political PR

<ul><li><keyword id="10618036" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tarunjeet-rattan">Tarunjeet Rattan</keyword>, Founder - <keyword id="10736859" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="PRPOI">PRPOI</keyword> answers an important question that every PR professional often ponders upon: how to build a strong global network. </li><li>Being a part of a global network catapults your career growth into a higher orbit. Rattan shares a few tips for you to help you find your way in a global network. </li></ul>‘Hmmm… that sounds like a lot of work?’ ‘Why do I need a global network?’ ‘What is in it for me?’ ‘That must be really expensive!’ The moment you talk about joining a global network is when these questions will start running across your mind. You will wonder about the ROI of joining a network. Lynnette Werning, President – PR Boutiques International, Kavita Lakhani - National President – WICCI PR &amp; Digital Marketing Council and Bianca Ghose , Co-Chair - Asia-Pacific Association of Communication Directors' India Chapter joined us on the PRPOI panel to address these questions. Being a part of a global network catapults your career growth into a higher orbit. However, it is essential that you choose a network that aligns with your core beliefs and career stage. Our panel delved into global trends within the <keyword id="7783041" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="PR-Industry">PR industry</keyword> and how PR professionals can leverage global networks to evolve in their careers and find their niche. We pick out the five must-knows from the session for you. Why should you join a network? Network-ing with different minds from different genres and geographies will give you a new perspective about your own profession. The knowledge that you swap with them will give you a more holistic and global understanding of how media and communication is perceived and works in various parts of the world. The learning opportunities are immense. Leadership and learning go hand in hand. Cross country and cross vertical learning sessions or speakers will only add to your knowledge base. Career guidance will be on a global level. The experts who are a part of your network will give you unbiased and unfiltered guidance and feedback. They have nothing to gain or loose from your growth or stagnation. You can choose to have a global mentor and have an edge over the competition bringing you new opportunities in a smart way. Mentoring is a huge advantage with a global network. With seniors in the network, consider picking out a mentor who will help you grow in your own career, guide you towards skills you need and open doors for you when they can. It is also the fastest way you can rise in your field. Most essentially, if you have been in the industry for more than a decade this is one of the best ways to give back to the industry that made you who you are. How do you select a network to join? Do your research. Find what you are passionate about or aim to achieve from these networks. Select a network that resonates with your objectives. When that happens, it will not sound overwhelming. Because once you join you must make time for it. Don’t be that person who joins and then ghosts on people. You will be wasting your time, money and a seat that could have gone to a more deserving candidate. If you join a network make use of it through and through. Is it costly? Some networks come at a paid membership while others are free. Whatever the monetary cost you also need to consider your time cost. Weigh the options and the possibility of how you accelerate growth in your career if you were not a part of this network. What is my ROI ? While we all love ROI ! Do not look at calculating any sort of ROI for the first five years. Give, give and give some more. When you do set about calculating this aspect first define what is ROI for you from the network. This should align with your objectives based on which you choose to associate with the network. If that objective is met, then continue to give some more. If it doesn’t then you will atleast gain an insight what you don’t want and crystalise your objective further. This is the time you look at researching and identifying the one that meets your new objective. When should you join? Today. Right Away. Now. There are networks that are available to you at all levels. You don’t need to join the workforce to be a part of one. Start as a student. When you enter the industry you can add another one that caters to you as a fresher. As you move up more networks will open for you at the middle and top management level. You can keep adding to it and move up the ranks as a mentor. So join one now ! The above is by special arrangement via a collaboration with PRPOI Watch the video here: <div type="Youtube" id="t2XeZ6W5h5s" title="Ep 35: Building A Global Network in PR" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/t2XeZ6W5h5s/mqdefault.jpg"></div>

Building a global network in PR

<ul><li>The year 2020 was an unprecedented one. It has been particularly difficult for smaller agencies to survive with the big sharks. </li><li><keyword id="4349638" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="pooja-trehan">Pooja Trehan</keyword>, Co-Founder, <keyword id="10736859" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="PRPOI">PRPOI</keyword>, shares a few tips for professionals who are planning to start Public Relation agencies in a volatile environment. </li></ul>India and Singapore rank amongst the top 10 cities in Asia for best startups in various studies. Yes, you read that right! Media reports tell us that these two cities alone are home to 34 unicorns, and 52 soonicorns with a potential to become unicorns by 2022, the world’s second largest startup ecosystem is poised for disruption again. Home to over 40,000 startups, the city of Singapore houses six out of the 12 Southeast Asian unicorns. And is ranked #1 in Asia for innovation, and #8 globally. Whilst you let these impressive numbers sink-in, one invariably starts to believe, the immense rise of PR agencies catering to the startup ecosystem for these Asian Tigers. And as the PR industry was just about making a dent in the industry, along came 2020 and turned the industry upside down. And this led us to plan a panel with Jeremy Foo, Founder and CEO, Elliot &amp; Co, Singapore and Kunal Kishore, Founder, Value360 Communications, India. The panelists delved into the impact that 2020 bought upon the startup-ecosystem, making it critical for PR agencies to pivot their approach and ideas if they want to not just survive but thrive in 2021. The complexities of both the markets – Singapore and India – needed lots of tweaks to the rulebook with a quick adaptation of the constant changes. Picking out some disruptive and re-imaginative ideas from the wonderful conversation with the panel. Working closely with founders: Educating founders about PR and how the process of storytelling works is a learning in itself. Founders are extremely passionate about every innovation they do, and sometimes this becomes very challenging, when one has to tell them that everything might not be exciting for media. The attachment that founders have sometimes becomes challenging to explain them to let go. But this is when professionalism of a communicator becomes the core of beginning any PR campaign. Startup is a closed community, so the ecosystem quickly refers great talent to other portfolio companies, which makes it easier for PR agencies to establish their foothold (that is if you have delivered well). Engaging with prominent faces in the world of startups, and joining the journey of building unicorns, helps to learn a lot and get insights into their leadership style. Adept skills for a PR professional when servicing the Startup ecosystem: One needs to begin with understanding the sector you work for, so as to apply an integrated approach. However, 2020 bought a paradigm shift, where one now has to visualise a holistic approach to communications, plan better conversations through PESO, stay ahead to identify and learn about new – age tools. Importantly, a communicator needs to evaluate the consumption pattern of content digitally and accordingly build relevant content for consumers. One will have to work on sensitivity in the current volatile market, considering audiences have more than enough platforms available to express themselves. Today, PR is beyond just delivering stories, Unicorns want to see the impact and ROI communication campaigns are building. How pandemic has changed the Start Up PR industry now: Being a <keyword id="1272027" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="PR-agency">PR agency</keyword> for the startup ecosystem is now pretty mainstream now. The entire ecosystem has been evolving and witnessed many changes at micro level as well as social level. Infact, previously the larger firms overlooked the potential of startup brands, which the pandemic changed, bringing increased interest for the startup PR system. Last year also saw a lot of young entrepreneurs emerging out of the PR industry catering to the startup fraternity. Big firms are building small focused teams for the same. Previously, #techology and #financial turned out to be huge categories for startups, but now every sector will see technology sprouting a startup business. Media advisory for brands beyond just funding news / pitch Focus on the storytelling, if it’s a good story, it will attract enough attention. One needs to look beyond designing narratives around the fund-raising initiatives. The funding process is once in 18 or 24 months, beyond that in the startup world one has to drive communication basis a good assessment to pick from the pool of stories lying with clients. In a marketplace, there are huge possibilities of different stories, an opportunity to look at different types of audiences and explore different regions. Track how these marketplaces are expanding the micro entrepreneurs and that is one way for you to build a new conversation. The above is by special arrangement via a collaboration with PRPOI Watch the video here: <div type="Youtube" id="JwA_y2eV7O0" title="Ep 34 : Start Up PR : The New Rulebook" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JwA_y2eV7O0/mqdefault.jpg"></div>

Startup PR: What you should know in 2021

<ul><li><keyword id="10618036" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tarunjeet-rattan">Tarunjeet Rattan</keyword>, Founder, PRPOI decoded <keyword id="10618039" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="owned-media">Owned Media</keyword> with Nivedeeta Moirangthem, Communication Operations Manager, IKEA India; Paul Furiga, PRBI member, President &amp; Chief Storyteller, WordWrite PR, Pittsburg USA and Mohit Balachandran, Restaurateur &amp; Food Connoisseur on the 33rd PRPOI panel discussion. </li><li>Rattan pens down the top eight things you need to know about Owned Media.</li></ul>2020 has been a good year for the <keyword id="7783041" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="PR-Industry">PR industry</keyword> in India. However, 2021 brings with it, its own set of challenges. While brands turn to PR for counsel strengthening their position, the PR industry seems to be losing out on its core strength: Earned conversations in <keyword id="10618038" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="editorial-media">editorial media</keyword>. Editorial placements are getting tougher by the day which is pushing a good chunk of the PR industry to start reconsidering its approach towards brand building and reputation management. One of the key buzzwords that have been floated around ‘Owned Media’. It has been whispered about on the outskirts of the Indian PR realm but is slowly finding its way into the mainstream conversation. Though the question to be answered is if the Indian PR industry is ready to embrace the last pillar of the PESO (Paid Earned Social and Owned) model. We decoded Owned Media with Nivedeeta Moirangthem, Communication Operations Manager, IKEA India; Paul Furiga, PRBI member, President &amp; Chief Storyteller, WordWrite PR, Pittsburg USA and Mohit Balachandran, Restaurateur &amp; Food Connoisseur on the 33rd PRPOI panel discussion on the subject to get you started. Our industry PR Boutiques International added their global insight to the conversation. Here are the top eight things you need to know about Owned Media: What is Owned media? Any platform that is owned by a company and communicates directly with the target audience is called owned media. These can come in the form of blogs, annual reports, brand journalism, research papers, webinars, podcasts, newsletter, Youtube channel, lookbooks etc. The ‘company’ can either be a brand or an agency. Where is it globally? And where are we in India? Globally it has already caught on and a lot of brands have tasked their PR agencies and corporate communication teams with leading owned media. Infact, PR agencies like Wordwrite PR have invested in a platform like Pittsburg 100 that create engaging content for brands. Brands like IKEA, General Motors, Coca Cola have pioneered this on a global platform with different owned media that is enviable. Closer home, the hospitality and fashion industry has taken the lead on owned media. Brands like Myntra, Nykaa, EazyDiner have done a great job in creating owned properties. PR agencies like Nucleus PR has launched its own independent podcast series – All About PR, that showcases interesting conversations from the world of communication that will be a platform they own. It is still in a very nascent stage in India. So, if you get with the program now, you will have the first movers’ advantage. Does it compete with editorial media? Yes and no. Yes, it competes on engaging storytelling front. However, it does not compete in the kind of stories that a brand wants to tell as these stories are usually more customer centric and bridge the gaps between paid and earned media conversations. It helps them create locally relevant original content with a more controlled narrative. Smart PR teams leverage owned media as an opportunity to make varied subtle digital pitches. What about authentic storytelling? Between and owned media, storytelling does not lose its charm. Stories must be authentic and connect with the audience on owned media as well. The volume does not matter. The quality matters. Content must be genuine and relevant on any platforms (digital or traditional). Are we confusing the consumer? No. If you do not try and disguise it as third-party credibility or editorial media then it is fine. Mention and be clear that this is owned media upfront. Authenticity is key. The moment you try and pretend it is not owned media you will lose the trust of your customers. As PR professionals you need to advise your clients/brands to stay the course. What are the skillsets you need to get started? Be good at communication and see the big picture. Have a nose for news, be curious, be teachable, have good writing skills and a keen eye on the fast-changing mediums of communication with the core target audience. Don’t get hung up on the tools and platforms. Focus on the stories that matter to your audience. Create trust and credibility with authentic stories and empathy. If you can do that then that is the only skillset you need. Why should PR professionals handle it? PR professionals are basically trained to create engaging and captivating stories that are authentic. Adept at having a two-way conversation, persuasive (read media pitching) and keeping the audience engaged, are key PR qualities that make a strong case for PR to handle owned media. When do you start? Today. Now. ASAP. The above is by special arrangement via a collaboration with PRPOI Watch the video here: <div type="Youtube" id="3eTuXSC_ijk" title="Ep 33 : Owned Media : The New PR Buzzword" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3eTuXSC_ijk/mqdefault.jpg"></div>

Owned Media: What you need to know

<ul><li><keyword id="6359039" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="sourav-ganguly">Sourav Ganguly</keyword>, BCCI President and Former India Cricket Captain, suffered a mild heart attack last month.</li><li>Netizens happened to re-discover his old ad endorsing Fortune's Cooking Oil, which then triggered a slew of tweets and jokes with people questioning the effectiveness of the oil and also wondering how the brand will tackle this crisis. </li><li>On Valentine’s day, the brand published an honest print ad clarifying that there are many factors that can affect our heart's health.</li><li>We speak to PR experts to find out if communication like this is enough to win audiences over. </li></ul>After BCCI President and Former India Cricket Captain Sourav Ganguly suffered a mild heart attack in January 2021, Adani Wilmar’s Fortune rice bran cooking oil, that is endorsed by Ganguly, got caught in the middle of the crisis. Twitterati had re-discovered Ganguly’s old ad with Fortune Oil that said it is ‘a healthy for heart oil’ and the irony was not lost on people. They were also quick to jump to the conclusion that Fortune oil is unhealthy and its old ad even started making rounds on WhatsApp. To soften the uproar coming in its way, Fortune Oil deleted the ad from its official website and social media handles. It had also immediately released a media statement asserting that it would continue to work with Ganguly. <div type="twitter" handle="arifaajakia" handlename="Arif Aajakia" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1335345211610963969/_YB6QF_R_normal.jpg" favoritecount="191" retweetcount="18" status="Dada, get well soon. We love you. You are a tiger, you will come back roaring. @SGanguly99 https://t.co/F5rkPAlmNE" createdat="1609734280000" id="1345949241093586946"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="aliusmani" handlename="AYU" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1335760850393526272/u2_LBHPy_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1" retweetcount="0" status="@beastoftraal WhatsApp forwards are already making rounds 😀😀 https://t.co/ouMXMTxcwW" createdat="1609678780000" id="1345716459503161344"></div> Post that, netizens, including brand experts and consumers, had eyes on Fortune’s next move for it was going to take a lot of come out of this huge PR crisis and win its consumers’ trust back. As an FMCG brand that caters to a mass audience, how do you deal with this cloud of resentment coming your way on social media? Fortune Oil has given us a case study with its latest move. On Valentine’s Day, when the whole brandverse got mushy and there were hearts splashed across the newspaper ads, Adani Wilmar decided to have a heart-to-heart conversation with fans. It launched a personalised print ad penned by its ambassador Ganguly to clarify that there are multiple reasons that can affect one’s heart's health. <div type="twitter" handle="FortuneFoods" handlename="Fortune Foods" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1230878437541371904/69ad0EW2_normal.jpg" favoritecount="10" retweetcount="2" status="Dada made a healthy comeback, as he always does! Here's a 'heart' felt message from him on Valentine's Day. Let's h… https://t.co/Je2cGatoz8" createdat="1613277036000" id="1360808636755320837"></div> Titled, ‘Today seems like a good day to talk about the heart,’ the body copy read, "You don't expect a fairly young and fit person like me to have a heart-related ailment. But here's the thing, there are just too many factors that can affect our heart's health. One of them could be family history of heart ailments, as it was in my case." It further shared a few tips to keep one’s heart-healthy. In a personalised note, Ganguly openly talked about his heart condition and what consumers can learn from his episode. “Love your heart. Take good care of it,” he concluded. Fortune Oil appointed Ganguly as its brand face in 2020 to target mid-age people with its campaign ‘Welcome to the 40s,' which aimed to promote maintaining heart health and good lifestyle. The campaign backfired a year later and it was a blow hard to forget. However, when a brand faces a huge crisis related to their brand ambassadors such as this, the traditional PR advice is to maintain a low profile to cushion the blow. Adani Wilmar, on the other hand, decided to address the concerns and face the situation head-on. It also waited for the right amount of time to launch a piece of communication -- long enough to give its consumers some space to process the news and but not too long before it is a distant memory. And it seems to have won brand experts admiration. Albeit, will a brand ambassador coming to bat for a brand and talk about the health benefits it serves, be enough to regain its consumers' trust? Here is what experts had to say: Dilip Cherian, Founder and Partner, Perfect Relations: <div type="image" title="Dilip-Cherian1" msid="80928599" hostid="261"></div> There is no doubt that some response would have been expected from any consumer products company which is also substantially consumer-facing. So I guess, Fortune really didn’t have too much of a choice or perhaps was facing image pressures to explain its stance. This actually is one of the huge consequences of having an extremely popular and visible brand ambassador. The price you have to pay is often that, anything that happens to the ambassador actually happens to the company. So rather than entering a situation where a stent within the company would be necessary, I think that responding was smart. Opting for a print advertisement allowed the company to actually communicate at many levels. As we tell our clients today, owned media and paid media can be multiplied appropriately to reach the audiences you want in the ways you want. Taking a print advertisement was only one of the options. It could easily have been addressed far more cheaply and just as effectively by having this content put on the Fortune website. Would it have worked? The answer is yes, if properly promoted. Owned media can very often play the role that conventional media has played in recent times. This is one of the huge advantages that we have been able to get companies involved in understanding during the year of lockdown. Now that the advertisement is out, clever digital manipulation and propagation is the answer if that is done then the point will be well taken amongst many more stakeholders than just those who happened to read the print copy. The lessons a brand can learn from this are quite clear. There is no doubt that large consumer facing brands need to be conscious of who they choose as a brand ambassador and recognise that along with huge gains come the pains. The second lesson would be that responding is smarter than smarting in silence. Third lesson is that using your owned media would have been infinitely cheaper as a means of responding. Lesson four, clever use of social media and aggressive use of traditional media can very often multiply what you choose to put out on owned media. Archana Jain, Managing Director, PR pundit <div type="image" title="Archana Jain - Horizontal" msid="80932970" hostid="261"></div> There is no 'one size fits all' strategic response in a crisis; two identical scenarios can have different responses as they may be taking place at two different times, in two different domains, or with varied company cultures. A crisis always merits a response – as they say, 'Feed the shark before it feeds on you!" The key points to have got across swiftly would have been on how the company feels about the incident as its important to be humanly concerned, first, last and foremost. A lesson that brands can learn from this: When good health is the claim, it’s important to monitor the health of the brand ambassador just like insurance companies do each year of the insured. This was capture in the T of the HEART message in the advertisement Tarunjeet Rattan, Founder and Managing Partner, Nucleus and Co-founder of PRPOI <div type="image" title="Tarunjeet Pr" msid="80932780" hostid="261"></div> Absolutely, it was a good strategy. In fact, they should have done that when Sourav first got the attack. If I recall correctly a lot of personal branding experts at that point of time had recommended that Sourav drop the brand. On the other hand, they also urged the brand to take a stand and leverage this opportunity to educate everyone on the various causes of a heart attack. Fortune shied away from it at that point. To me, that was an opportunity lost. What if Sourav had not recovered. It would have ensured the loss of customer trust forever. Good that he did, and it gave the brand an opportunity to address it. It is great to see them take this up now and in such a sweet and toned down manner. In today's day and age, it does not work if you choose to lie low. Apart from it being a wasted opportunity to connect with your audience, the silence will backfire. Crisis needs to be addressed head-on with a smart strategy when the fires are the hottest. I do believe they've hit the sweet spot with a heartfelt message and on an appropriate day. Using a single medium is in line with their cautionary wait &amp; watch approach. Not too massive but at the same time reaching just about enough audiences. What I am sure they would have anticipated and counted on was that the same branding experts who pulled them up for not addressing the crisis earlier would be impressed enough or have an opinion either way to give them more space on their social media real estate. Lo and behold ! It worked out just as planned. Some lessons that brands can learn from this crisis and its management: Never ever waste a good crisis. Every crisis is an opportunity in disguise so use it. When you do choose to address it make sure you are aware of the circumstances around the crisis so that you can choose the right medium for the message. This awareness will help you use your budget wisely. Amplification is essential. Identify the people and channels who will be most apt for it before deciding on your response. Respond to a crisis with facts and a lot of empathy. A situation like this would have worked really well for the brand and earned it a lot of goodwill if it had stood by its brand ambassador on the day of the heart attack. Be human. Whether now or later …whether the individual is your brand ambassador or not…being human won’t hurt you. It will only earn you loyalty points and love. Don’t make outright claims that you cannot control. They will come back to haunt you. Temper all claims with a dose of reality. Akshaara Lalwani, Founder and CEO of Communicate India: <div type="image" title="Akshaara Lalwani, Founder, Communicate India pic 1" msid="80928629" hostid="261"></div> Firstly, we have to understand Mr. Sourav Ganguly’s case wasn’t an anomaly. Scores of athletes and sportspersons across the world have had heart attacks when in the prime of their careers and lives. So this really was an unexpected event in terms of public relations because Sourav Ganguly was always the right fit for the brand and he is a national treasure, but it was just unfortunate that this happened to him. Having said this, from a PR perspective, when something like this happens, conventional wisdom does suggest that a brand lie low, retract all their communication and pull out adverts, as was the case with Fortune. This is understandable because no brand would not want to alienate its customers or lose out on revenue. However, we have to understand that we’re part of a more evolved digital economy today and that a brand need not necessarily hide behind a crisis. Bringing the issue to the forefront and addressing it head-on, is the best suited strategy for a modern PR and communications landscape. Without being insensitive to a brand ambassador’s health situation, it is an opportune moment to reiterate messaging around heart health eating and the importance of eating well and living well. This is not to say that a brand should use someone's misfortune to push sales and marketing, but it is about communicating and engaging with customers in an honest manner, and telling them that the risk of heart attacks is real for everyone. In a crisis situation like this, there has to be an acute understanding of brand sentiment and a two-way-communication model has to be adopted. Customers and brands need to work together to identify messages because at the end of the day, customers understand risks of a product and it is the duty of any company to educate its customers about these risks. Making the customer your partner and working in a symbiotic relationship is the key. Therefore it isn’t advisable to have a knee-jerk reaction of retracting communication and adverts during an unprecedented situation like this. In fact, creating honest communication, addressing the situation directly, and working through issues is advisable. It’s all about responding to your customer and providing them with the most correct, accurate, and valuable information.

After Fortune Foods' recent PR crisis after Sourav Ganguly's heart attack, is the brand’s latest print campaign enough to win back its consumers' trust?

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After Fortune Foods' recent PR crisis after Sourav Ganguly's heart attack, is the brand’s latest print campaign enough to win back its consumers' trust?

Karuna Sharma

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