Rita Bhimani flanked by (l-r) husband Kishore, grandson Raag and son Gautam at the launch of her book PR 2020: The Trending Practice of Public Relations (Rs 399, BEE Books) at City Centre Salt Lake’s Sonar Tori on April 29. The veteran PR professional with a 49-year-long career said her third title on public relations was meant for “corporates, newbies, NGOs, start-ups”. “PR strategies have changed so much. I feel there are several categories of public who need PR,” said Rita, who came up with the title ‘PR 2020’ for various reasons. “Partly, you think of not 2018 but beyond... 2020. And then 20-20 has become such a catchphrase in sport and what it stands for is you got to think on the spot and perform very well in that moment,” she said. Kishore wants Rita to pen another one soon. “I hope she will spend good time, although it will be taken away from me, but it’s all for a very good cause,” he said. The top PR tip that Gautam has got from his mom — “You need to be a people’s person”. “The old saying ‘keep your friends close but your enemies closer’ is itself the best example of PR,” said Gautam.
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RITA BHIMANI ON WHY EVERYONE NEEDS A BIT OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN THEIR LIVES
Public relations is a top-drawer need in today’s vastly competitive scenario. But what it does, how it achieves it, and where it is relevant needs to be spelled out ad infinitum. Succinctly and stylishly too.
In writing my latest book PR 2020: The Trending Practice of Public Relations, there have been several compulsions. The foremost is the fact that one has been in this profession for a very long time, and hence one needs to keep its tempo at peak. Then, there is the realisation that although one has preened and preached and written about it, there are still many unsung notes. There are many target groups that still need to know about PR and how it can impact them. Finally, and most importantly, though my earlier books on PR have done their bit, the communication imperatives have grown apace, concepts need to be updated, new concerns have to be addressed, to get into the digital era for larger footprints.
My earlier books grew out of the irritation factor when people would ask: ‘What is it that you really do?’ And I would indignantly strike back, telling them that such questions are not asked of chartered accountants or legal eagles. And so, concepts were explained, the target public of PR expanded on, case studies compiled and shared. CEOs nodded their assent, more young people came into the folds of our profession and a large dent had been made in the understanding of the subject.
But it is never enough. This time around, it had to be a book where we said: ‘Everyone needs a dash of PR.’ Corporate entities who need to stay ahead and be competitive, NGOs seeking more credibility, newbies requiring the basic knowledge of the profession, start-ups aspiring for perception-management skills to push into angel space, individuals wanting extra propelling for planned communicative events, and existing practitioners who could get further leads from this book.
One more thing upped the ante in this communicative exercise. And that was the degree of openness, the candid sharing of information, the alacrity with which leaders of industry and specialists in the profession came forward with their answers and opinions. And then we crafted it all. All the tales told to us and subsequently shared in the book are meant to have an inspirational edge.
With the PR industry in India slated to reach over Rs 2,000 crores by 2020, it is surely time for the naysayers to wake up and smell the communications coffee.
Text: Saionee Chakraborty
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
