21:46
Nimmi Uday
Saturday, 8 December 2012
PR PR PR is all we hear!
But have you ever wondered how far can organizations go in the name of publicity and in the run to get noticed? Well this article would certainly just push and redefine every bounds that is set in yo mind regarding the acts of PR.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/159484
Anything that classifies PR to good and bad?
Well enough of PR and its history and what it stands for. But have you ever wondered if there is ever something called a good PR and a bad PR or a mark that classifies the act of PR to good or bad based on the motive, outcome, the commotion caused and what ever the grounds it may be? Done well, publicity stunts can generate huge positive buzz for you and your company. And when publicity stunts turn into a complete and utter train wreck, well, let's just say there's no such thing as bad publicity. And in 2011, no one demonstrated that better than these hapless publicity seekers. Here are the most memorable PR stunts from 2011 — for better or worse!
http://www.inc.com/ss/years-most-memorable-pr-stunts
Friday, 30 November 2012
Can you believe that PR existed during the 1st world war?
Before I tell you, about the existence of PR during World War 1, let me introduce you to, Carl Byoir. He is considered to be one of the pioneers of PR. He started as a reporter for the Des Moines Register when he was 14. When he was 17 he became the editor of the Waterloo Times-Tribune. Byoir became a member of the Committee on Public Information in 1917. This committee was in charge of publicly organizing the objective of the United States for World War I.
During Byoir’s stint in the Committee on Public Information he executed many techniques that influenced public opinion. He was also credited with the campaign directed at non-English speaking Americans eligible for the draft. This campaign was effective enough that it added over 70,000 men to the American war effort.
And here we thought that PR is a new topic ! Amazing right?
Thursday, 22 November 2012
Case Study : Pepsi
Pepsi had to deal with a crisis when an elderly couple
claimed to discover a syringe floating inside a can of Diet Pepsi ! The pepsi
cola company had to work round the clock to initiate a successful PR campaign. Media relation executives
used television to launch offense strategies.
One
video release illustrated the high-speed can-filling lines, eliminating the
public's fear of an unsafe canning process. Another pictured a woman who was
caught at a convenience store inserting her own syringe into an open Diet Pepsi
can. Pepsi cooperated fully with the FDA and its investigative efforts. On June
21, 1993, Commissioner Kessler held a press conference calling the Pepsi-Cola
controversy a hoax.
The most interesting part of the PR campaign was the ads that were placed by Pepsi.
It read "Pepsi is pleased to
announce…nothing."
For more information, visit the web source
: http://www.metapr.com/info/crisis/sa1994_1.htm
Wednesday, 21 November 2012
Blurring Boundaries: P2 // The relation between PR and Graphic Design
Traditional graphic designers tend to be trained with the objective solving aesthetics and communication related problems that help organization present themselves to their stakeholders in a more clearer and definitive manner. But the world view has changed and now expectation of a graphic designer is far beyond that graphic designer even though the final output from them are designed communication material.
Although, we can debate now about where all the graphic design as a field has blurring boundaries with other fields but to my opinion, the closest is that of image consulting or PR. In a very simplistic manner, PR is dealing with an individual image while graphic design of an organization.
The cross - over knowledge would enable a graphic designer to look at the problem of a identity design from the perspective of image creation or makeover. The defining purpose has transformed from aethethics to image makeover artist. It would completely change the approach in which graphic design can be approached and thereby expanding the possibilities.
Friday, 16 November 2012
How to track PR trends?
Are you interested in reading about the latest publicity stunts
in and around? Then here is a perfect website for you to spend your time on.
Trend
Hunter is the world's largest community dedicated to trend spotting and cool
hunting. I must say that they have a set of uniquely curious people who are
always on their heels, trying to get the best reports we could possibly come
across over internet.
Routinely sourced by the media, Trend Hunter is a source of
inspiration for industry professionals, aspiring entrepreneurs and the
insatiably curious. Each day, Trend Hunter features a daily dose of
micro-trends, viral news and pop culture. The most popular micro-trends are
later grouped into clusters of inspiration in our Trend Report, a tool for
professional innovators and entrepreneurs.
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Case Study - Johnson & Johnson Scandal !
Recently, I came across a fascinating case study. At times of crisis, if not dealt in the right manner, the image that is built over years would crash in no time. The J&J Tylenol scandal will be a perfect example to prove this. Do have a look at the following link !
Friday, 2 November 2012
Can PR be traced all through the civilization?
PR was never considered a profession
till the 20th century. It was only in this period, PR blossomed as a
professional endeavor. But surprisingly enough it can be traced to the roots,
throughout the civilization.
Edward Bernays, the father of PR, used
information to manipulate the mass by satisfying their inner selfish needs. He
wrote, “The three main elements of public relations are practically as old as
society: informing people, persuading people, or integrating people with
people. Of course, the means and methods of accomplishing these ends have
changed as society has changed.
Here let me remind you once again that
Public Relations is nothing but highlighting your brand image. So public
relations existed at the time of Caesar. Surprising isn't it? Here are few
instances from the history that you would have often heard of, but never
related to as a form of PR.
1
Julius Caesar carefully prepared the Romans for his crossing of the Rubicon in 49B.C.E. by sending reports such as “Caesar’s Gallic Wars” (52 B.C.E.) on his epic achievements as governor of Gaul. Caesar, recognizing the power of news to mold public opinion, published a daily paper called Acta Diurna (“daily acts” or “daily records”) that continued for 400 years.
Julius Caesar carefully prepared the Romans for his crossing of the Rubicon in 49B.C.E. by sending reports such as “Caesar’s Gallic Wars” (52 B.C.E.) on his epic achievements as governor of Gaul. Caesar, recognizing the power of news to mold public opinion, published a daily paper called Acta Diurna (“daily acts” or “daily records”) that continued for 400 years.
2
Leaders of ancient civilization such
as Sumeria, Babylonia, Assyria, and Persia used poems and other writings to
promote their prowess in battle and politics to promote their image as
warriors.
3
The art and architecture in Egypt
(statues, temples, tombs) was a medium through which priests, nobles, and
scribes imposed their superiority among st the general.
4
In ancient Israel, the Bible and other
religious texts became a powerful means for molding the public mind. With the
growth of the Hellenic world, the word, both written and spoken, exploded as a
force for social integration.
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Blurring Boundaries: Part 1
There is a
fundamental change in the way people react to the complex world problems. We
can say that design thinking is coming of age or that organization have really
taken Steve Jobs seriously, wherein organization are no more ready to face a
challenge they facing with the very departmentalized manner like we have been
following till now. The practices at
Ideo and Apple, have really shown the world what can happen if
multi-disciplinary groups of people ideate on a other relatively
departmentalized problem. Their practices have resulted in landmark innovation
throughout the industry, not to negate the others who I haven’t written on.
Like every strong trend, this has had a trickle down effect.
In social circles,
more and more people ask each other what they do that makes them interesting.
In offices, other than the regular resume HR’s keep a track of those who have
interest and hobbies ( like music, editing, photography, cooking) to judge the
enthusiasm and potential of the possible employees at the point of recruitment.
Most multinationals have offices that actively support to develop the
individual personal interest for the same reasons. Institutes have started
offering cross learning courses around the globe, while our local design institutes
have also picked up the trend. NID offers strategic design management, which is
a mix of management and design to as to create a designer who understand and
speaks management.
So, designers are
pursuing management. MBAs are pursuing photography. Is this going to be random
or is there a sense to this madness? Well, honestly there is answer is both a
yes and a no to this, but the belief that most corporates, HRs and in general,
there is a word in the crowd that people who can play with multiple interest
are considered a better bargain for employment.
What is fundamental
here is that, when a person can understands a organizational challenge from
multiple viewpoints or perspective, they end up delivering more effective,
impactful and holistic solutions.
Way forward
Design hence has now
evolved to a more complex field than ever. As a designer, one really needs to
be familiar with technology, business and marketing more and more. The boundaries
between all of them have become so blurring that often clients tend to consult
designers for the same. And its not an option, it’s a slowly becoming a
requirement.
Tuesday, 23 October 2012
Is there a difference between Marketing & PR ?
When you hear the term, Public relations, you automatically wonder if it is somewhere or the other related to Marketing. A question that popped into my head when I had started reading up on the topic. But as time passed by, I realized, its definitely not the same.
Key difference : Advertising is paid while PR is free !Advertising is creating paid announcements to be promoted through different types of media including online, print, TV, out-of-home and radio. PR, on the other hand, is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organisations and the public. It is through PR, that one builds connection with audiences.
"Public relation is more of a “soft sell” compared to “hard sell”. It emphasizes on information as opposed to marketing which constitutes of paid media, packaging etc. In the art of public relations, one has to spin around their way to manipulate the audience."
Thursday, 11 October 2012
What is PR?
What is PR? Every PR practitioner would have an explanation of their own. Mine would be a collaboration and understanding of all their their thoughts and experiences strung into a one liner. A one liner that can be related by both of us, you and I.
"The maintenance of a favorable public
image by an organization (commercial or non-commercial) or a celebrity can be
defined as Public relations. Key aspect: mutually beneficial relationship between the organization and the audience."
What is PR? Every PR practitioner would have an explanation of their own. Mine would be a collaboration and understanding of all their their thoughts and experiences strung into a one liner. A one liner that can be related by both of us, you and I.
