We are now amidst a time when the PR industry is booming in our country. India Inc is realizing what good PR can do to their brand and how the lack of it can be detrimental should a crisis or a media-savvy competitor come their way.

But today it is something else that we want to talk about. With the ever-growing PR industry we have an ever-growing community of young and enthusiastic PR professionals. The good thing is that they come with fresh ideas, eagerness and want for growth. What may not be very good is if they are not given direction and constant guidance till they know the rules of the game.

One of the key stakeholders for the PR business is the media fraternity. The relationship between PR and Media is what you call in millennial terms 'complicated'. Both parties need each other to function, the former certainly more than the latter. Much more actually!

This fragile relationship needs to be treated with care and it is maybe like a one-sided affair. Efforts to build, maintain and continue the relationship needs to more often than not, be taken by the PR professionals. Before we move to talking about HOW to do this right, let's get to the root of understanding WHY this is so tricky.

One would argue that a journalist too needs external intelligence from experts in his story, so why the wariness from engaging with PR teams who are meant to be the binding link between these experts and the media? The answer is simple - perception. Ironically while PR professionals work on transforming perception about their clients, they are subject to a generalized perception by the media as 'fixers' or even worse 'obstacles.' Most senior people in the fraternity believe that a journalist must be in direct touch with the company and the spokespeople and question their sub-ordinates if they rely on the PR teams.

Another major problem is there are too many brands wanting to be heard, too many agencies wanting to do PR, too many inexperienced young employees in equally young companies and LIMITED media. It's the same set of people that everyone is reaching out to, and we all know how the demand supply phenomena works.

So how do you make yourself stand out in the crowd? It's a very simple thing. Give them a reason to remember you; an impactful email with an interesting trend story, a news break, or some interesting angle to an existing development. Give them something that can be of use to them.

Also, another every important thing to keep in mind is to ensure that you don't come across as pushy or overwhelming. In the hue of meeting targets, many end up putting off journalists by hard-pitching. So do thorough research, know who you are calling well, read at least a couple stories written by them, and go with a good pitch. Lastly, try to ensure that the timing is right. It may not always be a good time to be calling them. So if you come across as a mature, knowledgeable, and well-aware brand communicator, you will more often than not hit the bull's eye!

As I conclude, leaving you with a thought, 'The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.'

For companies to communicate impactfully, it is important for the message to be presented creatively - Angela Minocha

As the ecosystems around us evolve, communication is becoming increasingly dynamic with the ‘How’ increasingly taking the center-stage from the ‘What’. Messages in their inherent nature are unilateral and therefore, the way they are communicated makes them multilateral.

For brands to communicate effectively it becomes pertinent that the messages are presented creatively. At White Marque Solutions (WMS) we look at communications to be highly creative and clutter-breaking. As an organisation that is consistently making attempts to be unique, bringing live different ways to approach media with stories, our talent attempt campaigns that are nothing less than impactful to who it is aimed at. Whether the audience is external or internal, expectations are sky-high.

PR a word that just says something more than its abbreviation. As it is said that Public Relations (PR) is the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization and the public. It’s also an art of strategic management of relationships between an organization and its diverse public. PR focuses on promoting the image of a company or a famous person. These are some real important goals of a PR Professional which they assure to accomplish on everyday basis. Do we know what makes it easy to achieve such far reaching goals? The answer is one big fact word- RESERACH. Research is the key to all the unopened doors. While the meaning of Research says ’Investigate systematically’, it comprises of "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of humans, culture and society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications. " But to heck with that-We research to build a foundation. No building in world can stand tall unless its foundation is strong. We as PR professionals are no different. We are building ourselves up by building an undisputed image of our clients. It’s our solid foundation of research which will house the tall thought leaders. Is it easy? NO. Will it take time? YES. As they say Rome was not built in a day. Research, just like many is also a learning process. Being at a position to learn about the media field, to create ideas and getting hitched with the journalist you. Having hands on research makes it easier to understand and connect with it thoroughly. All it takes is an extra effort towards future achievements. A PR Professional is a role model for the client who assures them to find the best strategic and tactic accomplishment of a clients objective. The knowledge comes from a mix of experience, an understanding of the media and the client and quality research.

Public Relations today is an effective mechanism for overcoming problems. Take it from a man who knows his business, Bill gates; the Chairman of Microsoft also believes in the importance of public relations “If I was down to the last dollar, I would spend it in Public relations.” He says. Editing trending and unique concepts to calling up your connective journo to bountiful campaign ideas all these are ducks that could fit in one pound only if the water is full onto their necessity. Researh also helps in handling crisis. Crisis comes now and then but to deal with them a well crafted concept and back up plans are achieved by having your hands on research. We explore, we rule, we conquer are the three signs that indicate we are walking on the right path. Knowledge is never harmful but HEY! Cautionary alert, Look through the source you believe into because your steps depend on the knowledge you’ve gained.

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” REMEMBER THAT!

Dear Friends,

It’s almost half year gone by, we have truly tried to be more on every front. In this landmark year for us, we haven’t just planned celebrations but also taken the concept of Pushing Boundaries to everything we do—for our clients, our people and the soon it will be community. We have strived hard to ensure our efforts, approach as well as abilities intersect with the ethos and essentials required to be an exemplary organization. Our culture stimulates us not only to develop into a pathfinder but also gives us capability to become an architect in sculpting this thriving organization.

This year we took a step forward and created campaigns celebrating, encouraging conversations around mass impact. It is our belief that we have a big role to play as communicators in taking conversations ahead, and we want to do everything we can—not just by ourselves but also with and for our clients. I feel with time, every WMS-er fortifies and reinforces the following qualities namely - Challenge, Love, Pride and Passion in their DNA.

Challenge

Challenge is what keeps wms-ers going. The only path to accomplish your potential and identify one’s true capacity is to move out from your comfort zone and challenge yourself. Everyone here loves challenges and ensure elevation of their own benchmarks to unleash a better version of themselves every day. There’s always a room for improvement and if it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t uplift you. Challenge yourself with one crazy task every day and aim for the moon!

Love

Being attached and affectionate towards your clients and colleagues will always nurture a positive relation among your stakeholders and also help you better in anticipating their moves. Even under immense pressure, a WMS-er will strive and be like a duck – at peace and composed; down below one is paddling rigorously to ensure that you exceed client’s ask and deliver on your commitments! Building trust and confidence of clients and feeling their pulse will ensure that the delivered output is identified and appreciated by them.

Pride & Passion

Many a times, we forget to take pride in our work; be it appreciation of concepts by journalists, clients, running successful campaigns or cracking impactful opportunities. We need to give prompt revert to mails, pitch our stories and make notes; but where’s the creativity? Embracing what we do, being passionate about it and seeing our output as an art is what makes us different. We take ownership of our art and feel a sense of pride in showcasing our work to the self-proclaimed Gurus of the world. We also own our mistakes, improvise, learn and celebrate our success. Continue being passionate and put your soul in what you do – it will be contagious, but it has to start from YOU.