Month: January 2012

Poverty Consciousness, Stinginess and No Payments in India

India may have a 5000 year old culture, deep religious understanding and a depth of philosophical breath that may make many countries and cultures around the world feel highly superficial in emotional and cultural terms, but India continues to be a country with significant poverty and all the related health, wealth, mental and social issues that come with poverty. Given that the Indian economy has taken off over the last 10 years and that liberalization has been in place since 1991, this further confounds the paradox; since significant strides should have already been made.

Economists and governments have tried to address it from several angles and in many ways – socially, distribution wise, financially, subsidies, better policies, loans, grants, schemes etc. you name it and we have tried it. But in my eyes most of these measures miss the mark. The reason is deeper and psychological. It stems from an inherent subconscious manner of functioning most Indians have. And that is a framework of thinking that they can get away with either fooling the system, or fooling people (their own and others) or fooling themselves. In the long run, none of these work. And as the old adage says “cheaters, simply do not prosper”.

Continue reading “Poverty Consciousness, Stinginess and No Payments in India”

“We want to grow organically, not exponentially”

In this competitive era where clients don’t mind slamming the brakes on services that do not bring much to the table, it is often the vulnerable who fall victim to the siege. And for an industry like PR which is anyway sidelined by clients and media alike, the scale is always in favour of large agencies. But then there are a handful of small – or rather ’boutique’ agencies, as Dennis Taraporewala, Director, Criesse Communications, would like to call it – which are changing the market dynamics and giving the biggies a run for their money.

With a flurry of big and key clients vouching for the services of this communications shop, the going has been very good for Criesse thus far in India. In conversation with MXM India’s Johnson Napier, Mr Taraporewala declares that boutique shops can redefine the way PR functions as a discipline in India, and talks about how the larger players will be compelled to work in a cooperative fashion with the smaller players, and not in isolation, in future.

Read excerpts here: http://www.mxmindia.com/2012/01/we-want-to-grow-organically-not-exponentially-dennis-taraporewala/

Press Conferences – Useful?

Traditionally press conferences have been a useful tool to disseminate strategic information, background information to companies/new companies, present key spokespersons to the media, ensure key messages are clearly communicated or communicate something of urgency and importance. A press conference had many reasons – introducing a new product, revealing a new scientific breakthrough, unveiling a new advertising campaign, announcing a charity event with a celebrity or releasing company financial statements. In the past media loved press conferences, since they gathered information, got an opportunity to meet senior management, interact with brand ambassadors and all in all get an in depth preview into the company, product, launch, strategy, marketing message or key understanding about a company, institution, product or issue. But in today’s environment things have changed. Media may not always have time for a press conference. Or more so, while they may have time for it, they would rather have an exclusive angle, a unique connect with the client, a one-on-one interaction. Unless your topic is of great importance, a national issue where you are making a statement, or you are a celebrity star making a statement, or launching the worlds first sub 1000 dollar car, chances are the media will not make the effort to come to your press conference. Not because they do not want your news; but because they would get your information and news anyways. They are certain, that if they are a media house of importance, the PR agency will approach them with the requisite material anyways. And besides, there are a plethora of information sources today, for the media to not want to move from their chair.

Continue reading “Press Conferences – Useful?”