‘Get your fundamentals strong and you won’t go wrong’- this is the mantra for our interns. A collective effort of the three, this is a delightful piece on how they landed up with PR and how now they are finding their bearings.
What could the public relations industry look like to an outsider?
To Pallavi, it looked like being “the face of GAP, Chanel, Ralph Lauren etc”, or “a hot shot corp comm amidst all the media frenzy” to Megha and “the voice for Louis Vuitton and a pretty powerful job” to Gayatri. Unfortunately they were not entirely incorrect.
From a class of 54, three students were short listed to be part of the Blue Lotus Family, just less than a month ago. These three had never really interacted and were not in each others groups of friends in college, but all because of destiny and placement cell, later found comfort in each others company.
All through the course at XIC, they were warned by faculty “learn what you like now but be prepared to unlearn all that and be a professional”. At this point they were more than confused, “what is the point of studying so much when it’s not even useful?” This would be often the thought in their head when deadlines loomed on them like guillotines. However, college is over now and what the trio realized as the truth is the age old saying- ‘Get your fundamentals strong and you won’t go wrong!’
Two out of the three have worked before and yet they were so enthralled by Blue Lotus’ office and its cute wood–cabin like features that they quickly dismissed the approach way and made peace with the fact that Theobroma’s a stone throw away. Blue Lotus was nothing like they had imagined. Coming from a serious atmosphere in head hunting, Pallavi was very happy to finally be able to laugh at work, be disciplined but not regimented; Gayatri was happy to have found a homely place, not intimidated at all; and Megha, liked the spirit of the office that keeps a perpetual smile on her pretty face. They also realize it’s not all fun and games- At Blue Lotus people party hard but Work Harder!!
Thadeus, from Chennai office is also on the same boat it seems. Blue Lotus is his first job and is loving it. In just three months, his perception of PR has changed drastically. From being clueless about the industry, he now feels that this is a challenging task where he can utilize his talent and this is where he can have great career growth.
So far it has been an ideal learning ground. The theory has been replaced with practicals and there is a flurry of excitement to get on with the real job of a PR Executive.
It is honestly too soon to tell if Blue Lotus has made a mistake or the other way around, but looking at the faces that surround them they are confident and assured that it is the right decision, Blue Lotus is the right place.
Monday, April 13, 2009
NET PRofit
That hit is all it takes. Through this article Karthik is trying to communicate how embracing the online medium is becoming increasingly imperative in today’s world, though it did backfire on him in a tongue-and-cheek way!
Caller: Hello, Am I talking to Karthikeyan?
I: Yes.
Caller: Sir, this is xyz and I am looking for I-pill in Chennai. I found your contact while browsing the net. Could you please help me out to find I-pill in Chennai?
I: Sir, sorry we are not connected to the marketing of I-pill. We were just hired for launching this product and I have no clue about its availability in Chennai. Probably you could check their microsite.
This is the reply I had given to atleast 20+ enquiries received for the past one year for I-pill. These calls are because of just posting the press release in a site with my contact number mentioned. Nothing was done for I-pill in internet except a microsite but these enquires resembles the mortality of a single page that easily gets noticed in a google search.
Any campaign will come into the umbrella of PR that makes its audiences think, react, create and exchange views. Internet has made these participations so simple which the traditional media couldn’t offer. People were able to shout out their experiences / grievances on a product/service thereby creating a collective opinion of it. I-pill too revolved around the internet and became hot topic for many bloggers. (http://youthcurry.blogspot.com/2007/10/i-pill-lets-talk-about-family-planning.html)
The very classical example for creating an online community is sunsilk’s gangofgirls.com. This site was launched on 17th June 2006 and crossed 100,000 members within 36 days. The site not only provided contents on hair care and styling but went beyond by tying up with http://www.monster.com/ for job postings. Recently a startup company Inkfruit which is into designing T-shirts used twitter to reach to its teen audience. It designed a T-shirt on twitter and spread it among the twitters.
While majority of the companies still communicate in the traditional way, they should look into the online audience seriously. Online is no more a playful medium. People voice out their opinions both favourable / non-favourable and trust the messages as it is transferred through their trusted acquaintances. Since the forthcoming election campaign sees unprecedented usage of online forums with Advani, Jyotibasu being the forerunners of connecting through online, the poll results would bring a radical change in the minds of marketers to embrace online forums coming up successful models.
Caller: Hello, Am I talking to Karthikeyan?
I: Yes.
Caller: Sir, this is xyz and I am looking for I-pill in Chennai. I found your contact while browsing the net. Could you please help me out to find I-pill in Chennai?
I: Sir, sorry we are not connected to the marketing of I-pill. We were just hired for launching this product and I have no clue about its availability in Chennai. Probably you could check their microsite.
This is the reply I had given to atleast 20+ enquiries received for the past one year for I-pill. These calls are because of just posting the press release in a site with my contact number mentioned. Nothing was done for I-pill in internet except a microsite but these enquires resembles the mortality of a single page that easily gets noticed in a google search.
Any campaign will come into the umbrella of PR that makes its audiences think, react, create and exchange views. Internet has made these participations so simple which the traditional media couldn’t offer. People were able to shout out their experiences / grievances on a product/service thereby creating a collective opinion of it. I-pill too revolved around the internet and became hot topic for many bloggers. (http://youthcurry.blogspot.com/2007/10/i-pill-lets-talk-about-family-planning.html)The very classical example for creating an online community is sunsilk’s gangofgirls.com. This site was launched on 17th June 2006 and crossed 100,000 members within 36 days. The site not only provided contents on hair care and styling but went beyond by tying up with http://www.monster.com/ for job postings. Recently a startup company Inkfruit which is into designing T-shirts used twitter to reach to its teen audience. It designed a T-shirt on twitter and spread it among the twitters.
While majority of the companies still communicate in the traditional way, they should look into the online audience seriously. Online is no more a playful medium. People voice out their opinions both favourable / non-favourable and trust the messages as it is transferred through their trusted acquaintances. Since the forthcoming election campaign sees unprecedented usage of online forums with Advani, Jyotibasu being the forerunners of connecting through online, the poll results would bring a radical change in the minds of marketers to embrace online forums coming up successful models.
THE QUARTER THAT WAS
Chitra and Ishani take us through the last quarter of the year.
Blue Lotus ushered 2009 in high spirits with BLUES around the corner. Everybody voted for their favourites and the celebration‘s continued with remarkable performance from Piyush and Prathamesh . BINDASS AWARDS this was held for the first time and we all enjoyed it. Jan 09 started with a bang in Blue Lotus with BLUE’s celebration everyone enjoyed the ceremony.
Let’s take a look back at the history of BLUES.
After heavy brainstorming and endless discussions with many members of Bluelotus, BLUES was initiated in December '06. The jury members had decided five categories for the Award.
Let’s have a look and let’s see who were the winners of prestigious Blue’s Awards.
Best Debut - Harish Chomal
Turnaround of the year - Chitra
Best Creativity - Debaditya
Best Creativity - Debaditya
Entrepreneurof the year - Debaditya
Best Team - Blue Bytes
Blues Trivia
In the years '06 and '07 the awards were mainly bagged by Mumbai office teams.
(Mustard Design, Bluetterflies, Blue Point, Blue Bytes, Blue Print)
(Excluding bytes as a team, they have strong network in every branch)
Each year one outstation took the trophy home
Ø Dec 06 Chennai Narren
Ø Dec 07 Hyderabad Prabalika
But the interesting trend in 09 was, for the first time
Ø This year outstation branches swept the majority of Awards at Blues. ( TWO awards in Kolkata ONE in Pune)
Ø Deba won TWO awards at Blues this year ( Best Entrepreneur and Creative )
Ø Blue Bytes won second time in the row the award for Best Team.
Will Team Blue Bytes go for a hat trick .Will outstations continue to win more awards or will the Head office take over.
We all are eagerly awaiting for the next season of BLUES. So all of you who missed it should now give that extra edge and win the BLUES.
Moving over, in the month of february, BlueBytes to
ok over the Freaky Friday. It was entirely their initiative right from selecting the right games to participation of every outstation and the best part was the MAKEOVER . I am sure the winners SEEMA, PRAKASH and SAMPADA loved the new look which they got from Tanveer. Special thanks to Tanveer and his team for giving the new look to the winners.
BOOK REVIEW : THE FALL OF ADVERTISING AND THE RISE OF PR
Prateek Shah brings to us a learned review of a book which created the most controversy for its author. The article discusses how the book deals with its premise that great brands are built with PR, not advertising.
It’s been ages since both the arms of communication have existed, mutually promoting people,
societies, organizations, companies and brands, but never has somebody ripped them apart like this book. The authors, Al Ries and Laura Ries, pioneer consultants in the field of branding, communication and positioning, don’t set out to tell readers that the era of advertising is over, and PR is all that is here to stay, but they very bluntly point out the areas where there is scope for advertising, and others where it’ll primarily be PR which will drive things around.
As the title suggests, the book is biased towards enunciating the benefits of PR over the goodwill that advertising has brought over the years. The argument is based on the fact that Advertising has slowly become just an art form and ‘creative ads’ end up winning awards for the agencies more than anything else. Instances like Budweiser’s ‘Wassup’ commercials winning accolades year on year coupled with plummeting sales go on to prove that not all that is creative will get the cash register running. The writers feel that it is PR where the creativity is required, that the ideas need to be first formed by the publicity handlers before being carried forward by a brand’s advertising, which should ideally be on the same lines. Advertising cannot make perceptions and build brands, but PR can, is the argument reiterated through the book. Author starkly points out that there is no tangible comparision between Ads and PR, even through means such as ‘Ad Value Equivalence’.
The authors seem to go wrong when they say that all brands and companies should launch campaigns with just PR and Advertising should be used only as a support function. While a slow launch might work for some brands, a fast moving good like a seasonal drink can’t rely solely on PR to grab a market share. By the time PR will find its way into the minds of people, a brand might lose out on the time it needed to make a place for itself. What is essentially required is a heady mix of in-sync PR and Advertising which can enhance the standing of the brand and also convert all the promotion into sales and more business for the company. But through various examples described in the book, it becomes evident that it is also not just advertising which is enough to create credibility and drive sales. Where Advertising is directed to everybody, PR at time reaches that somebody who will help drive sales.
Amateurs or experts, the book is a must read for all PR professionals. It doesn’t just give an insight into the world of PR, but also touches upon some stark examples from history which segregate the two arms of communication.
It’s been ages since both the arms of communication have existed, mutually promoting people,
societies, organizations, companies and brands, but never has somebody ripped them apart like this book. The authors, Al Ries and Laura Ries, pioneer consultants in the field of branding, communication and positioning, don’t set out to tell readers that the era of advertising is over, and PR is all that is here to stay, but they very bluntly point out the areas where there is scope for advertising, and others where it’ll primarily be PR which will drive things around.As the title suggests, the book is biased towards enunciating the benefits of PR over the goodwill that advertising has brought over the years. The argument is based on the fact that Advertising has slowly become just an art form and ‘creative ads’ end up winning awards for the agencies more than anything else. Instances like Budweiser’s ‘Wassup’ commercials winning accolades year on year coupled with plummeting sales go on to prove that not all that is creative will get the cash register running. The writers feel that it is PR where the creativity is required, that the ideas need to be first formed by the publicity handlers before being carried forward by a brand’s advertising, which should ideally be on the same lines. Advertising cannot make perceptions and build brands, but PR can, is the argument reiterated through the book. Author starkly points out that there is no tangible comparision between Ads and PR, even through means such as ‘Ad Value Equivalence’.
The authors seem to go wrong when they say that all brands and companies should launch campaigns with just PR and Advertising should be used only as a support function. While a slow launch might work for some brands, a fast moving good like a seasonal drink can’t rely solely on PR to grab a market share. By the time PR will find its way into the minds of people, a brand might lose out on the time it needed to make a place for itself. What is essentially required is a heady mix of in-sync PR and Advertising which can enhance the standing of the brand and also convert all the promotion into sales and more business for the company. But through various examples described in the book, it becomes evident that it is also not just advertising which is enough to create credibility and drive sales. Where Advertising is directed to everybody, PR at time reaches that somebody who will help drive sales.
Amateurs or experts, the book is a must read for all PR professionals. It doesn’t just give an insight into the world of PR, but also touches upon some stark examples from history which segregate the two arms of communication.
BLUE LOTUS GOES MULTI COLOUR!
On the occassion of Holi, employees across offices paint the town multi colour! A look at the revelry that ensued..
Hum Saath Saath Hain!
Lady in Red!
Kolourkota!
Pune ka ek Chitra - Rangon ki N-Ishani !
Neeli Peeli Dilli!
Khushi ka raaz? Surf Excel hai na!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
AND WE ALL STAND TOGETHER...
It's been almost 10 days since Mumbai witnessed the terror strike. The shadows of which are still visible. Nevertheless, efforts are being taken by people voluntarily to cope with what has happened and to try to avert the untoward in the future. The Protest rally on the 3rd of December was one such effort. It was a platform where people could express themselves through painting, elegy, poster, lighting a candle or by being there. People from not only Mumbai, but even Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, stood together in the face of terror.
Blue Lotus too did it's share by contributing in its own way. Here are updates from various Blue Lotus branches across India. Blue Lotus coordinated the drive at 3 places namely, Chennai, Kolkata & Bangalore. Chennai had their drive on 7th Dec 2008.
Mumbai Update:
Being really close to the terror sites, coming to office on Monday, 1st Dec. was not an easy task. Incredibly everyone was in office and were sharing similar unanswerable feelings of sorrow, anguish, anger, etc. An 'Express Yourself' board was put up in the office for all to express and give a vent to what was in their hearts. On 3rd of Dec, 6 pm, Blue Lotus as a whole, participated in the Protest rally. Many people from all over Mumbai had gathered. After the national anthem was sung, Blue Lotus employees led the peace walk.
The vigil planned to be held at Cubbon Park eventually took place at the Mahatma Gandhi Park.
Approximately 100 people would have turned up including office-goers, children, students and few elderly people. People wrote their feelings and thoughts on the vinyl message board put up by the India Today Group as well as on forms distributed. Vigil had banners, placards, candles, flags, human chain, slogans, anger…..
Prominent participant was Capt.Gopinath.
There was no true feeling for a cause that could be seen. People had opinions and were getting angry. There was some apprehension on media also.
I guess people should not respond only emotionally but be practical and intelligent in whatever they do. There was also an interesting thought which cropped up suggesting people to start with the fundamentals – paying taxes, following rules, being helpful, involving in neighbourhood watch committees, participating in civil defence programs, etc. I guess that’s a good way to respond and take this initiative forward.
Kolkata Update:
Around 45-50 people had gathered at Maidan to participate in the rally.
We went there and lit candles and eventually people came and joined us. The people around were of the view that it was shameful for the country that after so many warnings from the IB the government still failed to take necessary actions and prevent the attack.
Everybody is willing to stand by each other and fight against terrorism. It was a pleasant sight at Maidan to see the people of Kolkata coming forward to express their solidarity for the innocent lives lost in the Mumbai attacks and to express their anger towards the system.
Chennai Update:
We have forwarded and informed as many people, including friends in the media, as possible. Everyone from the organising team has contributed by arranging for the banners, candles, forwarding the mail, messaging others, etc. We have requested Chennai Live fm to announce the same, and they will be doing it on their afternoon show.
Chennai's Peace rally was held on 7th of December.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
ZAKOLA MIX
Prathamesh Pathak’s ‘Zakola Mix’ dil se reveals how different temperaments working for a common goal can be instrumental in achieving great tasks...
What makes a team cheerful, victorious, friendly, united, happy and caring? I think it’s the understanding they have amongst themselves. No two people on planet earth are alike. Therefore I think that when we create something that we desire we can rarely do it alone. If we do SWOT analysis of each and everyone in the team, we will come across different answers but if we are able to gather all the strengths together, wipe out the weaknesses with understanding we can create a great team. Same is the case with team BLUE PLANET.
Lot of good things has happened in the last six months. We renewed the contracts of almost all of our clients, lost one member but got another and got two new additional clients. Our clients are happy, so the bottom-line is “Sab kuch zakkkassss chalrella hain”!!! But what is the reason? The answer lies in the “ZAKOLA MIX”. I know you all must be wondering what is “Zakola Mix”. It’s just a term created and used by me to describe a mixture of all tastes, colours, emotions and IQs.
All five of us are different and forcing a decision on someone never happens. If an occasion arises, we are open enough to discuss it on the table. Umesh Sir being the TL and Media king, is not an authoritarian, Shikha is friendly and hard working, Vrushali, a quick learner and flexible, Anil, always there to help and then there is me, the administrator of all this!!! The point is, characteristics are different, likings are dissimilar, views are different but one thing is common, the passion in each of us to give more than the client demands and expects.
We have a TL who has great experience of PR, Client Servicing and Market Research, but one thing which is missing is the bossing! He is not a BOSS who will leave an impression on his teammates as a dictator. He knows that if he can’t keep his folks comfortable then he is not a good TL and team members will leave. He has a friendly relation with each but controls the reins while work is on. Team members should respect the knowledge and not be fearful of the position.
We face many a crises at Events or even generally. But the best thing about our team is that everyone is well aware and informed about the accounts and activities happening. So instead of one or two, all the five brains are working for one client and this leads to great ideas and alternatives to tackle the crises.
To end my boring write up about the most interesting team I would take help of “Shahariyaar’s” 2 lines…
Jubani daave bahot log karte rehte hain,
junoon ke kaam ko karke dikhana hota hain,
hava ka jor hi kafi bahana hota hain,
agar charag kisiko jalana hota hain!
BLUE BYTES THAT MATTERS
Laxman Amrale, blue bytes, guides us through the metamorphosis of blue bytes...
Exactly two years back, byters were busy tracking news, creating links, making clients’ email, sending email to client using third party mailer, making entry in Excel, making hard copy of news and maintaining submitted hard copy report. They had no time to look at client’s requirements. Now total scenario has changed. byters now use their time to discuss about clients, enhancement in their service, are we able to fulfill clients requirements (especially of time and quality) and simultaneously handling a pretty large number of clients.
Now bluebytes has a substantial array of services. The major tool in this array is PDF/JPG converter. Using this tool, clients can easily download or simply view news in three formats -HTML/PDF/JPEG. Next to mention is the BLUEBYTES TRENDS. 
Clients have an advantage of easily getting graphical reports of their news. BLUEBYTES TRENDS offers two options for the users. You can either get the news of last seven days or of three months starting on that date, depending on your choice. Once this is done, options are provided to choose from quantity, by size, by media type or by geographic charts. BLUEBYTES BUSINESS NEWS is helpful in getting news across the sectors. BLUEBYTES ARCHIVES facilitate in searching for particular news from a particular period. There is also a provision of Emailing service in the Archives. One can mail news to whomever one wants. MEDIA ANLYASIS is one of the most notable service by bluebytes . It generates reports and charts for given period. Reports can be downloaded in PDF and Excel. One can view reports by Overview, Tonality and Share of Voice.
Hope we are able to make our service more convenient for our clients and many more tools will be added in bluebytes service array.
JUMBO - THE SILENT KILLER
Through this piece, Bapu from Blue Saints, Pune, salutes the contribution made by Anil Kumble to Indian Cricket.
Renowned for his ten wickets haul in a Test innings against Pakistan in New Delhi in 1999, becoming only the second bowler to achieve the feat after Englishman Jim Laker; his best one-day performance was six for twelve against West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the Hero Cup tournament in 1993. He is the leading wicket-taker for India and the third highest in the world with 619 wickets from 132 tests and 337 from 271 one dayers.
Renowned for his ten wickets haul in a Test innings against Pakistan in New Delhi in 1999, becoming only the second bowler to achieve the feat after Englishman Jim Laker; his best one-day performance was six for twelve against West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata during the Hero Cup tournament in 1993. He is the leading wicket-taker for India and the third highest in the world with 619 wickets from 132 tests and 337 from 271 one dayers.
Yes, we are talking about Anil Kumble, Jumbo as he was known in the cricket world, who hung up his boots on the final day’s play of the third Test of Border - Gavaskar trophy played at Feroz Shah Kotla.
Kumble had been a true ambassador of cricket. He was famous for his nagging line and length and the lift he used to get on any pitch. Warne could be a great competitor and most aggressive spinners of all times, but Kumble too was not far behind. It was reflected in his 18-years-long international career when he only once pushed his way into the match referee’s room in the infamous Sydney Test. The one-liner statement which he made after the Test in a press conference defines what Jumbo is all about - he had said only one team was playing in the spirit of the game.
His ability to raise the morale of the team especially when the chips are down played a pivotal role in some of the team’s notable performances. Who can forget the 2002 Test against West Indies at Antigua where Kumble came out to bowl with a broken jaw and heavily bandaged around the face or more recently the first Test of the Border - Gavaskar Trophy at Bangalore where after suffering a shoulder injury he came back to bowl just hours later, leaving everyone awe-struck. Further still, he took a catch running back of Mitchell Johnson, caring little for the 11 stitches on his left hand in the third Test at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.
His workaholism was well drafted when he tirelessly bowled 72 overs in a Test innings against Sri Lanka at Premadasa stadium in Colombo, in 1997. The innings ended in a draw.
Kumble has broken numerous records in his nearly two decade long uncelebrated career. In 2001, he became the first Indian spinner to capture 300 wickets in Tests and went on to achieve the landmark in one-day cricket just a year later. Earlier this year, Kumble became the first Indian bowler and only the third in the world behind Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne to take 600 wickets in Test matches. The icing on the cake came at The Oval as he put together a well crafted century, a feat which he later described as one of the most cherished moments of his life.
After Sunil Gavaskar, there came Sachin Tendulkar. After Kumble, there certainly is somebody waiting in the wings of his calibre to fill up the void. But sheer calibre and skills will not make him slide into Kumble’s shoes. The successor can only be so called when he plays cricket the way Jumbo played - a thorough gentleman. Let’s salute for the last time this ’silent killer’ from Bangalore for laying down his gun.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)