“Coverage is not the end game, we have to measure how it has helped us”, said Aakriti Bhargava, Co-founder of Wizikey in a panel discussion on ‘Reimagining communications in a digital-driven world’ at #ICS2019.

If you follow us on social media you would know that we’ve been neck-deep working on an event- India Communication Summit– held on March 1st, 2019 at Hyatt Regency, New Delhi. With over seven mind-boggling sessions, the summit brought together some great speakers from across the communications industry who discussed the changing dynamics of communication in new India.

With the development of technology in the PR & Corporate Communication industry, networking becomes crucial and therefore I would like to thank Wizikey and BoringBrands for providing me with this opportunity to network with industry experts.

Some of you might have also seen me giving away India’s ultimate PR calendar (designed by Wizikey) to the new age PR professionals (oh yes! I absolutely mean YOU). There were few others who missed witnessing the event. So here comes your savior! I am jotting down some key takeaways from the event which solely focus on PR and Corporate Communications professionals.

Fret not, you can still get a copy of the ultimate PR calendar at the end of this blog!

#1

In today’s digital era, we’re all connected with our friends on various social media platforms – but are we really utilizing the power of professional platforms like LinkedIn to connect with the journalists around? The session on ‘Communication Professionals and Journalists – Friends Forever?’ discussed how to convert transactional dialogues to conversations.

The session also discussed the importance of training young PR professionals as well as journalists when they step into the industry to which Vanita Kohli-Khandekar, Consulting Editor, Business Standard said,

“Stop pampering journalists. No freebies, lifts. If they behave like spoilt brats, it’s your (PR’s) responsibility.”

Dear Communication professional – We have close to 7500 journalist profile with details – so don’t do the same mistake of calling up a business journalist to cover your lifestyle brand. Explore us and sound intelligent 🙂 #ICS2019

— Wizikey (@WiziKey) March 1, 2019

Focus on training and don’t just throw them at the deep end without any warning. Communications people need to do their homework before reaching out says @vanitakohlik at #ICS2019 #wizikeyatICS

— Wizikey (@WiziKey) March 1, 2019

#2

Up next was a keynote session at #ICS2019 by the man who has demonstrated his commitment to state of the art technology in communications- Glenn Osaki, President, Asia Pacific, MSL. Glenn emphasized on how the global relevance for PR global is growing at a rapid pace in Asia and that there is a tremendous opportunity for communications with this rise in technology.

PR is globally a $15-bn industry. AsiaPac accounts for 25% of the revenue and India is leading the surge with 13% growth rate – Glenn Osaki, President Asia, MSL @ India Communication Summit, Delhi #ICS2019 @gosaki pic.twitter.com/0idp5yW7SY

— TICDigital (@TIC_Digital) March 1, 2019

#3

#ICS2019 saw some well-renowned people from the communication and tech domain and amongst them, one was, of course, Amy Kunrojpanya, Senior Director – policy and communications, Asia Pacific, Uber who enlightened the audience with insights about the current trends in the communication industry.

In our industry, almost everything is urgent but not everything is important. Your ability to discern the difference is important: @AKunrojpanya, Senior Director-Policy & Comms at @uber explains the key points about great communication that cuts through #ICS2019 @ETBrandEquity

During her presentation, Kunrojpanya pointed out the importance and art of storytelling when it comes to doing PR and that definitely requires heart and emotion.

Amy Kunrojpanya from Uber has conquered the stage n making stunning presentation #ICS2019
So Simple n Yet Very Relevant. Pin drop silence as everyone is totally with her. Kudos to the organisers to select such outstanding Speaker!

— Achal Paul (@AchalBuZzing) March 1, 2019

‘Great PR is about great storytelling which requires heart & emotions’- #AmyKunrojpanya, Sr. Director- Policy & Comms, APAC, @Uber #ICS2019 @ETBrandEquity @MSLGROUP_India pic.twitter.com/tC3ITU9u5w

— Archit Mahajan (@archit92mahajan) March 1, 2019

#4

Have you thought of driving your pitches through digital technology? If not, you will now! Our lady boss Aakriti Bhargava stresses on how technology is going to drive communications in 2020 in a very interesting session on ‘Reimagining Communications in a Digital Driven World’. Others on the panel were Mohit Hira, strategic advisor, YourNest Venture Capital, Minari Shah, director – public relations, Amazon India, Arati Mukerji, Director – communications and citizenship, Microsoft India and Deepa Sapatnekar, head of communications – India and consumer PR lead – APAC, LinkedIn. This session was well moderated by our journalist friend – Anushree Bhattacharyya, Editor, ETBrandEquity.com.

Coverage is not the end game. We have to measure how the coverage has helped us says @Aakriti at #ics2019 #wizikeyatICS

— Wizikey (@WiziKey) March 1, 2019

@Aakriti and @DeepaSapatnekar at the WiziKey counter discussing the Ultimate PR Calendar 2019! #ics2019 #wizikeyatICS @LinkedIn pic.twitter.com/13ZyuZDs8g

— Wizikey (@WiziKey) March 1, 2019

#5

Have you ever been in a crisis situation? If yes then the last and final segment of #ICS2019 is the answer to your problems. Crisis communication is nothing new, it can literally break a company or individual if it is not handled right. To shed more light on the subject Mahasweta Sen, Head – Corporate Communications & AVP at Emami Group of Companies said , “Sometimes even if a company has certain SOPs in place, one still wouldn’t know what to do during the crisis especially if the level of crisis would be different.”

Thank you for making #ICS2019 great! https://t.co/h35Y1WJg8E

— Satrajit Sen (@SatrajitSen) March 4, 2019

That’s all for now!

Got more questions about the event and what we learnt? Just leave us a comment below! <3

Also, if you’d like to get a printed copy of our ultimate PR calendar within India, drop us an email at anshul@wizikey.com. The first 50 copies are on us 🙂

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Signing off – till next time! Adios.

Author: Meghna Khurana

Meghna is a new age PR professional who believes PR & technology goes hand in hand.

You can connect with her on Twitter & LinkedIn

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