Public Relations is a powerful tool to build Tech Brands

Early days of Technology:

The early 90’s saw the beginning of technology entering the Indian market. This was in various forms starting from basic PC’s to Mainframe computers to Mini and Super Mini computers. The technology jargon and concepts were alien to many people and most of them learnt their basics on the job through training and education run by many computer institutes. Companies made it a point to enroll their employees with the computer institutes to make them computer literate. Most corporates slowly started investing in the hardware and software aspect of computer and these departments were called the EDP department which basically helped in undertaking data processing jobs primarily in the accounting areas to begin with. There was always a fear amongst many that how accurate is a computer.  Can it really replace human brains? Will it increase unemployment by replacing human hands? Then the constant threats from trade unions for employing computer technology in the companies.  There were very few brands in this space that people were aware about. Some of the brands that were know were Hinditron, Zenith, ICIM, IBM, etc. There was a strong need for people to be told and educated about technology to bring in credibility and benefits of the technology. While advertising campaigns were released in business dailies, business magazines and computer journals but that was not sufficient to create a pull for the brand as the pace of technology was changing rapidly and many new players were entering the market.

How tech brands benefitted from Public Relations?

When technology brands entered India in the beginning of 90’s Public Relations as a tool was gaining some respect and popularity.  There was no beat that was specifically writing about technology but publications and media companies started opening up and encouraged journalists to write more on this new vertical. The government also opened doors to lot of international technology giants to invest in India and in a matter of few years we could see big guns like Microsoft and Intel pumping huge monies in India. Since technology was rapidly changing there was a need to create awareness and educate the audience both B2B and B2C on the benefits of new technologies. And the only easy way was to use strong PR driven communication strategy, as advertising had its limitation to explain technology in the most detailed and friendly manner.  While advertising campaigns generated awareness amongst the CTO’s and CIO’s but it is  credible stories with meaningful and relevant information about  the  emerging new technologies is what helped the decision makers  to narrow their decisions in buying new products and  implementing  new technologies  . The CIO’s and CTO’s had to compare lot of notes before placing an order for a new technology or hardware as  there was always a fear that the technology will become obsolete soon. And of course there was limited IT budget earmarked and therefore the decision has to be sharp and correct.

World’s best brands built through Public Relations:

Some of the world’s best brands have been built though PR. Our own homegrown software company Infosys is both a leading Indian and global brand which has grown in manifolds has very intelligently used PR as their key communication tool both in India and abroad. The secret of their success was they delivered value consistently which helped in creating strong belief and shaping positive opinions’ both with the stake holders and the media. Today both the brand and the spokespersons of Infosys have built a good reputation as thought leaders in the IT industry.

High tech companies like Amazon.com, Yahoo!, and eBay, Google, Microsoft, Intel and BlackBerry are great examples of tech companies that built their initial identities through Public Relations. Other tech giants like SAP, Cisco and Oracle strongly believed in PR has their primary communication tool before spending big bucks on advertising campaigns.

Google is another brand which is in everybody‘s mind starting from today’s new generation kids to senior citizens. This brand has never advertised in India although recently they started to spend some monies on advertising .But the brand has grown in leaps and bounds to have the largest email service in India, Gmail. The brand Google has become so familiar and friendly that people use the lingo ‘Google’ it to get any information on the net. Since media is always hungry for exciting news and innovation on the technology front they always loved tracking Google’s road map and growth path 24X7.

Today most of the startup companies especially in the technology space trusts PR to create awareness as it is cost effective and lends credibility. Most of the startup companies have sharply defined audience which is all the more reason they place their faith on PR to do their job. Brands like Flipkart and Snapdeal has really combined PR and advertising so cleverly to reap maximum benefits in the last couple of years.

Role of PR and how it worked and the future:

The PR specialists had an important role to play here. It was not just pushing press releases but doing lot of proactive interaction with the media. Clients have also taken lot of pains and have been kind  to educate the agencies by conducting periodic training sessions to understand better on the technology aspect. Investing quality time through bridge meeting between clients and journalists regularly has helped journalists gain lot of knowledge and information in the category. This engagement model both at local and global level kept the media always on the toes to know more about the client and the category. Multinational technology giants made it a point to invite experts from their headquarters to collaborate and share with the media on global trends and about their new product and technology offerings from time to time. Associations like NASSCOM also laid a strong platform for tech companies to meet, share and discuss challenges with all their stakeholders. Beside this, editors from many media houses made it a point to participate in international technology summits and conferences for deeper understanding in the technology space.  And now with the advent of internet and video conferencing, accessing news has become far easier for media companies and journalist’s as they are able to access information instantly, which in turn helps them in writing some interesting stories. While traditional PR is still the bread and butter for many tech brands but action in the social media direction has increased the engagement levels of CTO’s and CIO’s with journalist through several community groups. These community groups supplemented by several blogs and new social media tools will very soon bring in paradigm shift in the way PR will be used for technology brands.

A proud moment. How a great idea can be leveraged through PR and win Cannes

In the past when you think of Cannes festival the one thing that connected people’s mind easily is Film festival and creative excellence in Advertising. PR never came into any limelight for these awards. But this time that shackle is broken and in my many years of being in the communication business this is first time I happen to witness PR take a front seat from India at Cannes festival along with other disciplines

A great moment for all us to hear that Gillette won the Cannes metal for its best integrated campaign led by PR. It’s the first PR metal for India at Cannes, and was won against some really tough worldwide competition for real and outstanding l work done on a mega brand like P&G Gillette. A 360 degree effort and all the teams which partnered and created this campaign have bought great glory to India and the PR fraternity of our country.

This award was won on the basis of great idea which had flawless execution and followed by using PR effectively which caught the eye balls of many diverse audiences. The link below will tell you how this event was conceptualized, executed and finally what was the result in terms of coverage garnered free of cost.

http://www.exchange4media.com/cannes/2010/fullstory2010.asp?Section_id=50&News_id=38521

A great eye opener for many PR professionals in this country to have a open mind and come out with more path breaking ideas and win more metals in Public Relations competition at global level.

A very unique and memorable idea to launch the tallest tower in Pune

I always wanted to write about this event but for some reason it skipped my mind. Amanora Park a leading township brand in Pune wanted to announce about their tallest tower in Pune. This was the brief given and it was single minded. Since the brief was focused cracking the idea became simple. But the idea has to be very BIG and should be sticky for people to remember. And if I recall the idea had to be kept so top secret so that enough media turn out for the event.

So what was the BIG idea?

The client specially invited the French spider man Allain Robert who has climbed several skyscrapers in various parts of the world to do the same in Pune. He did it with so ease that caught the attention of all the media. A sizeable number of media came for the event and the next day every media splashed it with huge write up and pictures. The TV channels broadcast the event live. The entire event lasted for 15 minutes but the attention that it drew was mind boggling.

Only PR was used as a tool to make a noise of this. I cannot recall if there was any paid media publicity that happened. All in all a great idea which captured everybody’s attention and imagination.

Owning a great brand property and leveraging it.

To me it is a great success when it comes to building a brand through one annualized property. This is where the Gujarat Government has religiously capitalized the great KITE FESTIVAL which happens in Gujarat along with the Makar Shankaranti the harvest festival season. Year after year the state of Gujarat has made huge noise and high visibility both through PR and advertising campaign. What’s more this Kite flying movement has become a global event since as many as 300 kite fliers would participate in the three-day festival, including 81 kite fliers from 24 countries, 120 from nine state of the country and local fliers from different parts of the Gujarat. The primary objective of this festival is to highlight the glorious traditions of Gujarat and clearly spread a national message which connotes a symbol of unity and brotherhood across India.

Similarly the state of Kerala has made the boat race as its annual property during the Onam festival in the state. The spirit of tradition and unity is displayed when people compete in this boat race. In fact both Kite festival and the boat festival has a strong international appeal and is also rated as one of the top 5 kite festivals in the world. While several other states keep doing their festival but these two states have made it as an annual property. In the case of Gujarat the festival has also increased employment opportunity. “The festival I believe has given a boost to the kite manufacturing industry in Gujarat, which employs over six thousand people." "A survey in 2007 had estimated the kite manufacturing industry in Gujarat to be worth Rs 100 crore. If extrapolation is done on that figure, today the industry would be around Rs.175 crore giving employment to thirty thousand people in Ahmedabad alone according a government spokesman.

Some of the brands really leveraged this Kite festival with strong branding in the most refreshing and memorable manner. You can brand kites with your brand colors or mascot and you can keep coming with innovative ideas to ride on this festival to get a greater brand connect and move closer to your consumers. A strong merchandising medium for any type of product which will touch the consumer.

I am sure the Gujarat Government must have made this event as a FAM trip to promote the state as a great tourist destination for people from other parts of world. Interesting stories could be and is being featured through PR right from making people teach the art of kite flying to how Kites in different shape, size and color is manufactured. A great photo opportunity for the photo journalist, as the place is filled with colorful extravaganza. The state has also roped in Bollywood celebrity Amitabh Bachchan to further leverage mileage.

Product Identity Design

One major factor that significantly contributes in the ‘brand’ or ‘corporate image’ of a company or its product is its identity. This identity over a period of time becomes a stamp or a property. To create a strong design and identity one must use inimitable visual devices which looks simple and stylish to catch the audience’s attention. The visual device could be in the form of color, fonts or a design layout across its entire products consistently. Here I would like illustrate the case of a housing brand very popular in the city of Mumbai.

And the brand I am referring to is Hiranandni constructions. One could easily identify or relate a skyscraper from this construction house with ease as they carry a certain distinct design and style in its architecture which stands out from a distance. The brand has over the years ensured to keep the design coherent with all its new property which has allowed them to be recognized from the rest.

Repositioning and Rebranding the identity of the bank. What it means?

Over the past few years a whole lot of banks starting from nationalized bank to some private sector bank have gone on an aggressive manner to create a new face for the bank. The latest one who has gone for a makeover is Dhanalakshmi Bank from Kerala. Frankly to me it has not made me much of a difference as I have banked with several banks in the last two decade. The bank is made of people and it is the people who make the difference and I am of the opinion if you have the right kind of people to service your customer and give that enhanced experience is what will clinch the customer. What's more you need to maintain if not increase the experience for the customer to stay with you.

In the last few years many banks have added a fresh new look to bank but I am not sure if the value proposition has been delivered. Now in the case of Dhanalakshmi bank the new kid in block which changed its spelling to make it pronounce easily and also did a makeover exercise to me may not excite a customer. You need to really give some added benefit which your competition cannot offer to woo customers and increase traffic. As a bank Dhanalakshmi has a very regional and ethnic image attached and may be even perceived as a cooperative bank. Making inroads to the urban towns will be really a great challenge for them. Also some of the up market customers in the cities are very brand conscious and would prefer to bank with some reputed brands when engaging with a bank. Some of them are even more particular that their choice would be to bank with a global or an international bank.

So my question is while refurbishing and presenting a new look to a bank sounds interesting but in the long run they will have to deliver value to its customer which is tangible.

You made us proud Piyush. A great journey to get this coveted Life time award

I was other day at the AAAI function and I was deeply touched by Piyush’s superb speech which he delivered after being given the citation and the award. Everybody who had worked closely with this creative genius had turned out to give him a thunderous clap and a standing ovation as the citation was read. I know Piyush close to two decades and I thought I should share his journey.

As a Trainee and then an Account executive Piyush worked with some excellent bosses in client servicing. His first boss if I remember right was Swati Bhansali with whom he used to handle PCA the makers of Sumeet Mixers and HLL’s Sunlight Detergent Powder. He also worked with Jaideep, Chinta, and Ranjan and of course Mani Ayer who used to oversee him on the Bhor industries account. Besides this some of the other brands that Piyush handled were Ju-c from Kothari General Foods, Vicks Blue from RHL ( Now P&G).Yes he also handled Philips Television ( PHX B&W and Trendset colour TV’s ). While he was in account management many of us used to go running to him to get the right Hindi nuances and exciting headlines for the ads which he solved with ease.

The most memorable incidence I will never forget is that one of our clients Crompton fans wanted to get into radio as the summer season was approaching. We did not have any old spots and time was against us and so I went running to him to create a new spot. The brief to him was to create a memorable jingle as Crompton fans sells only on its name being market leaders. In next 48 hours during the weekend the script was written and the spot got recorded after the CAG cricket match. On Monday the spots was approved by the client and it got aired. After few months the next thing I got to know was Piyush has moved to a new place in the office to head the Indian languages and rest was history as he started cracking campaigns after campaigns starting from Chal Mere… Luna, Merewalla Pink…, etc…

A well deserved award for a man who has made lot of personal sacrifices to contribute significantly to the industry. A very versatile person with a golden touch and a creative mind Piyush changed the way creative was viewed. He has placed India into the international map and without any doubts he is our brand ambassador and a thought leader both in India and abroad.