PROJECT ON PR COMPANIES IN INDIA

By: BMS (H) 6TH SEM SUB: PR AND ADVERTISING

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I take this opportunity to express my profound gratitude and deep regards to my guide Professor Mrs. Moumita De Das mam and my HOD sir Mr. Samir Mukherjee for his exemplary guidance, monitoring and constant encouragement throughout the course of this thesis. The blessing, help and guidance given by him time to time shall carry me a long way in the journey of life on which I am about to embark.I also take this opportunity to express a deep sense of gratitude to Company Mentor for his/her cordial support, valuable information and guidance, which helped me in completing this task through various stages.I am obliged to staff members for the valuable information provided by them in their respective fields. I am grateful for their cooperation during the period of my assignment. Lastly, I thank almighty, my parents, brother, sisters and friends for their constant encouragement without which this assignment would not be possible.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 IntroductionPublic relationHistory of public relation2 Audiences Targeting3 Social media marketingDigital marketing Ethics4 Spin (public relations)5 Politics and civil society6 Press Conferences and Special Events7 Growth of Public Relations in India8 PR Agencies - Awards and Accolades9 Top 10 PR Agencies in India10 Conclusion11 Bibliography

INTRODUCTIONPublic relationsA public relations (PR) is the practice of managing the spread of information between an individual or an organization and the public. Public relations may include an organization or individual gaining exposure to their audiences using topics of public interest and news items that do not require direct payment The aim of public relations by a company often is to persuade the public, investors, partners, employees, and other stakeholders to maintain a certain point of view about it, its leadership, products, or of political decisions. Common activities include speaking at conferences, winning industry awards, working with the press, and employee communication.Ivy Lee and Edward Louis Bernays established the first definition of public relations in the early 1900s as follows: "a management function, which tabulates public attitudes, defines the policies, procedures, and interests of an organization... followed by executing a program of action to earn public understanding and However, when PR pioneer Ivy Lee was later asked about his role in a hearing with the United Transit Commission, he said "I have never been able to find a satisfactory phrase to describe what I do."In 1948, historian Eric Goldman noted that the definition of public relations in Webster's would be "disputed by both practitioners and critics in the field.In August 1978, the World Assembly of Public Relations Associations defined the field as"The art and social science of analyzing trends, predicting their consequences, counseling organizational leaders, and implementing planned programs of action, which will serve both the organization and the public interest.Public Relations Society of America, a professional trade association defined public relations in 1982 as: A public relations helps an organization and its publics adapt mutually to each other.In 2011 and 2012, the PRSA developed a crowd-sourced definition: A public relations is a strategic communication process that builds mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their publics.Public relations can also be defined as the practice of managing communication between an organization and its publics.HistoryHistory of public relationsMost textbooks consider the establishment of the Publicity Bureau in 1900 to be the founding of the public relations profession. However academics have found early forms of public influence and Communications management in ancient civilizations, during the settling of the New World and during the movement to abolish slavery in England. Basil Clark is considered the founder of public relations in the United Kingdom for his establishment of Editorial Services in 1924, though academic Noel Turn ball believes PR was founded in Britain first by evangelicals and Victorian reformers.Propaganda was used by the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and others to rally for domestic support and demonize enemies during the World Wars, which led to more sophisticated commercial publicity efforts as public relations talent entered the private sector. Most historians believe public relations became established first in the US by Ivy Lee or Edward Bernays, and then spread internationally. Many American companies with PR departments spread the practice to Europe when they created European subsidiaries as a result of the Marshall plan.The second half of the 1900s is considered the professional development building era of public relations. Trade associations, PR news magazines, international PR agencies, and academic principles for the profession were established. In the early 2000s, press release services began offering social media press releases. The Cluetrain Manifesto, which predicted the impact of social media in 1999, was controversial in its time, but by 2006, the effect of social media and new internet technologies became broadly accepted.

Salaries and growthAccording to the U.S. News & World Report, the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2012, the median annual salary for public relations practitioners was $54,170. The top ten percent in the field made about $101,030, and the bottom ten percent made about $30,760.For public relations managers, however, the median annual wage in 2011 was $93,310. Workers in the 90th percentile earned around $176,400, and workers in the 10th percentile earned $50,360, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also projects an employment growth of 12 percent between 2012 and 2022 for the profession, where an additional 27,400 jobs will need to be filled. The public relations profession has claimed the No. 85 spot on the 2014 U.S. News & World Report list of Best Jobs because of its promising direction.In the United States, public relations professionals earn an average annual salary of $49,800 which compares with 40,000 ($68,880) for a practitioner with a similar job in the UK. Top earners make around $89,220 annually, while entry-level public relations specialists earn around $28,080. Corporate or in-house communications is generally more profitable, and communications executives can earn salaries in the mid six-figures, though this only applies to a frantic of the sector's workforce.The role of public relations professionals is changing because of the shift from traditional to online media. Many PR professionals are finding it necessary to learn new skills and to examine how social media can impact a brand's reputation.

Notable peopleThe PR world has generated important and notable practitioners, policy-changers, publicists and CEOs.Beth Comstock, SVP and CMO of General ElectricKelly Cutrone, Television personality and Founder of People's Revolution PR firm Stephanie Cutter, Campaign Manager for President Obama Daniel Edelman, Founder of the world's largest public relations firm, Edelman PR Richard Edelman, President and CEO of Edelman PR firm Christopher Graves, Global CEO of Ogilvy PR Worldwide David Krane, Google Ventures and former PR official at Google Elliot Schrage, Vice President of Communications and Public Policy at Facebook Rachel Whetstone, Head of PR at Google

TacticPublic relations professionals present the face of an organization or individual, usually to articulate its objectives and official views on issues of relevance, primarily to the media. A public relations contributes to the way an organization is perceived by influencing the media and maintaining relationships with stakeholders. According to Dr. Jacquie LEtang from Queen Margaret University, public relations professionals can be viewed as "discourse workers specializing in communication and the presentation of argument and employing rhetorical strategies to achieve managerial aims.

Specific public relations disciplines include:Financial public relations communicating financial results and business strategyConsumer/lifestyle public relations gaining publicity for a particular product or serviceCrisis communication responding in a crisisInternal communications communicating within the company itselfGovernment relations engaging government departments to influence public policyFood-centric relations - communicating specific information centered on foods, beverages and wine.

Building and managing relationships with those who influence an organization or individuals audiences has a central role in doing public relations. After a public relations practitioner has been working in the field, they accumulate a list of relationships that become an asset, especially for those in media relations.Within each discipline, typical activities include publicity events, speaking opportunities, press releases, newsletters, blogs, social media, press kits and outbound communication to members of the press. Video and audio news releases (VNRs and ANRs) are often produced and distributed to TV outlets in hopes they will be used as regular program content.

Audience Targeting

A fundamental technique used in public relations is to identify the target audience and to tailor messages to be relevant to each audience. Sometimes the interests of differing audiences and stakeholders common to a public relations effort necessitate the creation of several distinct but complementary messages. These messages however should be relevant to each other, thus creating a consistency to the overall message and theme.On the other hand, stakeholder theory identifies people who have a stake in a given institution or issue All audiences are stakeholders (or presumptive stakeholders), but not all stakeholders are audiences. For example, if a charity commissions a public relations agency to create an advertising campaign to raise money to find a cure for a disease, the charity and the people with the disease are stakeholders, but the audience is anyone who is likely to donate money.

Messaging

Messaging is the process of creating a consistent story around a product, person, company or service. Messaging aims to avoid having readers receive contradictory or confusing information that will instill doubt in their purchasing choice or other decisions that have an impact on the company. Brands aim to have the same problem statement, industry viewpoint or brand perception shared across sources and media.

Social media marketing Digital marketingDigital marketing is the use of Internet tools and technologies such as search engines, Web 2.0 social bookmarking, new media relations, blogging and social media marketing. Interactive PR allows companies and organizations to disseminate information without relying solely on mainstream publications and communicate directly with the public, customers and prospects. We will continue to witness changes in public relations practices. People wishing to pursue a future with PR will be required to think differently. They will have to adopt new strategies and learn new ways to conduct searches. During the first years of social media, PR had a hard time keeping up with the speed of these new technologies. PR practitioners have always relied on the media such as TV, Radio, and Magazines to promote their ideas and messages tailored specifically for a given audience. Social media marketing is not only a new way to achieve that goal but it's also a continuation of a strategy that existed for decades. Lister et al. said that "Digital media can be seen as a continuation and extension of a principal or technique that was already in place. PR professionals are well aware of the fact that digital technology is used in a practically different way than before. For instance, cellphones are no longer just devices we use to talk to one another. They are also used for online shopping, dating, learning and getting the most up to date news around the world.

EthicsThe field of public relations is generally highly un-regulated, but many professionals voluntarily adhere to the code of conduct of one or more professional bodies to avoid exposure for ethical violations The Chartered Institute of Public Relations, the Public Relations Society of America and The Institute of Public Relations are a few organizations that publish an ethical code. Still, Edelman's 2003 semi-annual trust survey found that only 20 percent of survey respondents from the public believed paid communicators within a company were credible.According to Scott Cut lip, the social justification for public relations is the right for an organization to have a fair hearing of their point-of-view in the public forum, but to obtain such a hearing for their ideas requires a skilled advocate.

Spin (public relations)

Spin has been interpreted historically to mean overt deceit meant to manipulate the public, but since the 1990s has shifted to describing a "polishing of the truth. Today spin refers to providing a certain interpretation of information meant to sway public opinion Companies may use spin to create the appearance of the company or other events are going in a slightly different direction than they actually are Within the field of public relations, spin is seen as a derogatory term, interpreted by professionals as meaning blatant deceit and manipulation Skilled practitioners of spin are sometimes called "spin doctors."The techniques of spin include selectively presenting facts and quotes that support ideal positions (cherry picking), the so-called "non-denial denial," phrasing that in a way presumes unproven truths, euphemisms for drawing attention away from items considered distasteful, and ambiguity in public statements. Another spin technique involves careful choice of timing in the release of certain news so it can take advantage of prominent events in the news. Negative public relations, also called dark public relations (DPR) and in some earlier writing "Black PR", is a process of destroying the target's reputation and/or corporate identity. The objective in DPR is to discredit someone else, who may pose a threat to the client's business or be a political rival. DPR may rely on IT security, industrial espionage, social engineering and competitive intelligence. Common techniques include using dirty secrets from the target, producing misleading facts to fool a competitor.Politics and civil societyIn Propaganda (1928), Bernays argued that the manipulation of public opinion was a necessary part of democracy. In public relations, lobby groups are created to influence government policy, corporate policy, or public opinion, typically in a way that benefits the sponsoring organization.When a lobby group hides its true purpose and support base, it is known as a front group. Front groups are a form of astroturfing, because they intend to sway the public or the government without disclosing their financial connection to corporate or political interests. They create a fake grass-roots movement by giving the appearance of a trusted organization that serves the public, when they actually serve their sponsors.Politicians also employ public relations professionals to help project their views, policies and even personalities to their best advantages.

What Does a Public Relations Firm Do?A public relations firm can assist a business in all aspects of growth. They assist in promoting companies by seeking to provide media coverage on television, radio, blogs, newspapers and websites. PR professionals can craft news releases covering topics such as their clients personal history or new advances in an industry.Journalists searching for material will often publish them as human interest stories. This provides an opportunity for the PR professional to present material that will reflect favorably on the clients public image.Actively cultivates new ones. For this marketing tactic to be successful, the PR professional should be knowledgeable about the client and understand what he does. They should also be in tune with what material the journalists perceive as a good fit for a story idea. As former journalists, the staff at Insider Media Management has experience with this first-hand.The relationship between the PR professional and the journalist is an important one. A journalist is much more likely to read a story or press release if it comes from a known source.

Public Relations Firms Market ResearchIn order for public relations specialists to know what is relevant in terms of media placement, they must perform market research.They need to understand what topics will influence public opinion and whether they will reflect positively or negatively on the company. Therefore, they must continuously analyze the public forums to gauge the response of publications regarding policy changes and their social impact.The PR professional must work in tandem with the client to ensure that the public remains informed. Additionally, it should be ascertained that the communications are understood in a manner that is beneficial to the companys interests.The placement of the publications is also relevant. Company news and related articles must be published in sources germane to the product or service in order to reach their intended audience.

How Can a Public Relations Firm Help?Another function performed by a public relations firm is they put together press kits for their clients. Often journalists will request a press kit. The press kit usually includes the following items: Photographs Company history Additional press releases Executive profiles Product descriptions Organizational charts

Websites and e-mail have created a new forum for press releases. Although press releases can now be e-mailed to journalists, the volume they receive is often overwhelming. This could result in a press release being overlooked or discarded. A well-designed website can create a positive image and further the companys agenda.Websites are an excellent tool for releasing information to the media. Digital press kits and photographs can be uploaded to the website. PR firms also use social media sites such as Facebook and MySpace that focus on user-generated content to communicate with potential customers.This entails posting on message boards and responding to peoples questions and concerns.Blogging is another way that PR firms may effectively communicate with the public. It is also a useful source of gathering information on competitors. Public relations firms can also assist in generating content for sites such as YouTube, which provides visual content through streaming video.

Press Conferences and Special Events

Public relations professionals are also employed to handle press conferences when appropriate. They are prepared to respond to reporters as they usually anticipate the most probable questions that are likely to be asked.Public relations specialists are trained to steer answers in the appropriate direction to create a positive image for the company.They are also knowledgeable in communicating appropriately in time of crises. The PR specialist will often coordinate events such as fundraisers or community projects. This provides the company an opportunity to show community awareness as well as generates positive media exposure.Tags: PR, PR Firm, Public RelationsPromote companies or individuals via editorial coverage. This is known as earned or free media stories appearing on websites, newspapers, magazines and TV programs as compared to paid media or advertisements.PR agencies and advertising agencies share the same goals: promoting clients and making them seem as successful, honest, important, exciting or relevant as possible. But the paths to creating awareness are vastly different. Most people understand advertising is paid for by the client and should be viewed with skepticism. Articles or TV appearances in respected publications have the advantage of third-party validation and are generally viewed more favorably.

Public Relation in India is Taking the FlackBy Rohin DharmakumarIndia is the next big battlefield for global public relations firms. And it is changing the game for the local incumbents.

Image: Amit Verma Robert Holdheim, Managing Director - India, Edelman: Leads what is currently the most aggressive international PR agency in India. Upping focus on digital media and government relations while staying away from clients who want cheap, tactical PROIn February 5, 2010, a bunch of young Twitter enthusiasts gathered at a Caf Coffee Day outlet in Chennai. They spent several hours chatting, tweeting and running up a snack bill of over Rs. 1,000. An impatient store manager didnt think this billing was good enough for the time they spent at the caf and ordered them to pay up a service charge. The group refused and left. But they tweeted their experience with the hash tag #CCDSucks. Within hours, it spread like wildfire online and Caf Coffee Day became the subject of ridicule and fiery debate. The company could neither control nor wish away the bad publicity created by the event.CCD is not alone in facing the wrath of increasingly aware consumers who demand the best and have the means to communicate their anger to large audiences. Even Bollywood movies are not safe. Tees Maar Khan, a Farah Khan-directed flick, succumbed to the word of mouse within a week. I could see the early negative comments stream in on Thursday from the preview shows. By Friday that had built up much more, and by Saturday there wasnt anything the filmmakers could do, says Karthik Srinivasan, the head of multinational public relations firm Edelmans digital practice in India.Quietly but surely, the PR scene in India has undergone a metamorphosis. Time was when companies could prevail upon a few newspapers and magazines not to publish negative news about them and their corporate images would remain intact. Customers often suffered in silence and new customers had no way of knowing the track record of the product or service he was buying. It was a simple world of information hoarding and a host of local PR firms thrived by managing it through relationships and quid pro quo.In many ways, that environment remains but change has begun to happen. A wave of international firms is sweeping over Indias shores. They see the potential to take the business of public relations to a more professional, systematic and pro-active level. They are trying to shake up a smug Indian industry used to treating PR as a minor cost centre focused on managing a few journalists; and help it prepare for a more assertive and connected consumer base. In the process, PR is becoming a more strategic but expensive affair for companies.And it is not just the Indian companies that attract foreign PR firms. The country has become an inevitably important market for global multinationals, but a tough one to crack given that customers are getting more demanding of product features but remain price-conscious. MNCs are asking their global PR firms to help them build a reputation in the worlds second fastest growing economy. International agencies bring in a theoretical, empirical and data-driven approach to everything that was earlier in the fuzzy space, says Jay Vikram Bakshi, founder of niche communications agency Digiqom. Indian PR firms are at the middle of this change. Before time runs out, they must shape up to fight the onslaught or sell out to foreign brands. Many have indeed sold out Genesis to Burson-Marstellar, IPAN to Hill & Knowlton, Hanmer & Partners and 20:20 Media to MS&L and Roger Pereira & Associates to Edelman. A few foreign agencies have started from scratch Text100, Fleishman-Hillard, Waggener-Edstrom and APCO.But a few Indian firms are holding out. I dont need someone to tell me how to compete, says Madan Bahal, CEO of Ad factors, one of the leading PR firmsIt is in this conflict that a whole new story of Indian PR is emerging.You Own Me OneThe public relations business in India is fairly young; most firms trace their origin to the years following economic reforms. Using just sheer doggedness in chasing down journalists, a growing bunch of entrepreneurs fueled a mini-boom. For them, public relations meant little more than media relations. Everybody who spent a few years doing PR opened up their own mom-and-pop shops, selling media execution. They worried about which hotels to hold press conferences in or what gifts to give journalists, recalls Rishi Seth, founder-CEO of Six Degrees PR who earlier headed multinational PR firm Text100 in India.The business was soon commoditised. Most worked on wafer-thin retainers and even slighter profits. To control costs, they began hiring inexperienced and cheaper employees. For many, the profession degraded to planting nice stories about their clients or blocking negative stories. Journalists they managed to befriend co-operated.The Niira Radia tapes offer an insight into what this culminated in: Chummy relationships between agencies, journalists and businessmen that skirt ethical boundaries, news stories that were planted or dictated by clients and the use of advertising to control what news organizations would say. Image: Vikas Khot

Sukanti Ghosh, Managing Director India, APCO Worldwide: Leads a firm that considers itself more a management consultant or legal firm, than a PR one. Charges, and gets, dollar rates from clients. Specialty is government relations

All that changed with the Internet and mobile phone. There are more than 500 million mobile users and about 80 million Internet users in India today. Nearly 70 percent of Web users are on some social network. Their trust in newspapers, TV news and yes, business magazines, is down sharply: 35-40 percent lesser than two years ago, according to a 2010 survey conducted by Edelman. But theyre connected, eager for information and willing to speak their mind. This is the age of radical transparency. If youre a company behaving in an unethical way, then you will be found out and castigated very quickly. And you cannot hope that your relationships with journalists however good they may be will protect your reputation then, says Arun Sudhaman, managing editor of The Holmes Report, a London-based PR trade publication.The Radia tapes also showed that the media cant always suppress a story. Today there is no concept of blocking a negative story. One blogger can pick up a story which has, for instance, been blocked on The Times of India and within seconds it will be all over the world, says Paroma Roy Chowdhury, the corporate communications head for Google India.The rulare of IndiaTo one set of people, however, this frenzied world looks like an opportunity the US public relations firms. Modern PR largely originated from America and even today, its companies, lobbyists and agencies are considered the global past masters of the game. In the last five years, many of them have set up shop in India. But the trend has accelerated in the last two. But heres the funny thing: The entire market for agency PR in India is estimated to be just around $100 million annually, says Sudhaman. Thats about 35 percent of just Edelmans 2009 global revenue. Average monthly retainers still hover around the Rs. 100,000-150,000 figure, a pittance compared against companies marketing or advertising budgets. In New York I wouldnt consider retainers less than $20,000 a month, says Robert Holdheim, Edelmans India head.So whats luring these agencies into India? Mostly its the realisation that their home markets have matured and the hope that ones like India is where the future money lies. We found the PR function undervalued when we went to Europe in the 1960s. It took us 15-20 years to prove our worth. I would predict the same will happen in India as firms begin to use and see the value in our services, says Harold Burson, the 90-year-old founder of PR firm Burson-Marstellar.International agencies bring a whole new way of doing PR in India. Unlike the local firms which follow ad-hoc methods, they work with data, templates and processes. They try to understand the business problems of the clients rather than just look at the marketing problems.They also dont look for workarounds, as they have to comply with the code of conduct imposed by headquarters. They are forced by US laws to be straight in their dealings with clients or media. Laws like the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and Sarbanes-Oxley impose a black-or-white code of conduct on these firms around which there is often no way. For instance, there is no line item in our balance sheet that says miscellaneous expenses, says Madhuri Sen, head of Waggener-Edstrom India. This is most evident in government relations. The old way of doing this is to fix up meetings for CEOs with ministers and secretaries. This is often done through personal relationships and more. The agency and the client would engage in intense lobbying to get what they want. But foreign agencies are changing that. They instead focus on making out a public case for it. For instance, if the issue is opening up the retail sector to foreign investment, the argument will be how it can create jobs without putting local grocers out of business, reduce prices and lead to a better experience for the customer.And they do this by floating whitepapers, offering economic arguments, and engaging at the level of joint secretaries where policy starts taking shape rather than the secretary or minister where its merely finalised. Its not about file pushing and fixing, but about contributing to debates. Its advocacy, says Holdheim. Prema Sagar, the head of Genesis Burson-Marstellar says shes never had to face bribery. Image: Mallikarjun Katakol for Forbes IndiaRishi Seth, CEO, Six Degrees PR: Quit as India head of Text100 and started Six Degrees PR in 2009 as a median between the methodologies and rigour of international PR firms and the agility and customer orientation of Indian ones. Bagged Nokia with that pitch.Sen says firms like hers are also getting their clients to measure PR in a more holistic manner. Instead of just looking at media clips, also look at citations in analyst reports, brand perception, the number of events the company gets invited to, she says.Indian firms have been racing to the bottom, charging less and less fees. This has forced them to hire untrained people and let them loose on clients. But almost all foreign firms are run like accounting or legal firms, with each employees billable hours assigned across the various clients the person serves. The more experienced the employee, the higher the rate. For multinational agencies, each employee is supposed to generate a certain revenue and profit which they monitor on a month-on-month basis, says Seth.It is indeed a new experience for Indian companies to pay their PR agencies charges for every overhead, including an extra photocopy! They have been getting away for too long with paying a token Rs.100, 000-150,000 per month as fees to local PR firms.The CEO FactorThe biggest barrier to PR agencies doing more strategic work for businesses is often the CEO. The world may have moved online, but many CEOs still expect to see their announcements plastered across the front pages of all leading newspapers.I ask them whats wrong with Web sites, Twitter or Facebook but the CEOs still want paper. Some of them tell me, In the good old days my friends would call me up after reading the papers and say what a great product Sagar says.There are exceptions, of course, like Mahindra & Mahindra. Managing Director Anand Mahindra is one of the most visible Indian CEOs on Twitter with nearly 200,000 followers. The way Anand Mahindra is using Twitter at the leadership level to address issues ranging from consumer complaints to employee messages, his Twitter account would probably be the most valuable tool in his companys perceptions armory, says Bakshi.Indian and Loving ItInternational firms have become ubiquitous on the PR scene in India. The only three exceptions are Vaishnavi Communications, Perfect Relations and Ad factors. Even they are under constant wooing by foreign firms looking for a toehold in India. Dilip Cherian, founder of Perfect Relations, says We are constantly courted and are consistently one of the first ports of call for an acquirer. And though we have always believed that any deal that enhances all round shareholder value is good, we are not in a hurry to sell.Bahal of Ad factors is categorical that he will not sell out to an international agency. He sees Indian agencies selling out as a sign of weakness and a lack of vision or ambition among entrepreneurs to take their firms to a higher level. Worse, most entrepreneurs have sold out for peanuts, he says. Bahal is open to partnerships by the hundreds though. The fact remains that the top Indian PR companies like Vaishnavi and Ad factors are still the revenue leaders; they are no weak competitors.Some entrepreneurs like Seth are trying to position themselves as the optimal mean between the knowledge and process-driven discipline of international firms and the local know how and speed of Indian firms. At the end of the day, the nationality of the PR agency doesnt matter, but the quality and ethics behind their work do. As Hill & Knowlton Indias head Radhika Shapoorji says, Consumers are getting more empowered. They know their rights and will not stand for nonsense. And in sectors like aviation, telecom and hospitality, due to the sheer number of customers and customer touch points, you can almost expect a crisis a day. Therefore companies must treat each complaint as an issue, before it becomes a crisis.

Growth of Public Relations in IndiaThe Assocham report released in March 2010 shows the growth of the PR industry in India to grow to US$ 6 billion by end of 2010 with a CAGR of approximately 32%. The study reports the biggest challenges of the PR industry to be the following:Lure of better pay: Skilled manpower is scarce, professionals will be poached for higher salaries.Leadership crisis: Not too many established players, presenting a crisis of leadership in middle & smaller firms, which makes people move to larger, more reputed PR agencies.Lack of understanding of PR: Most people, even from sibling professions, dont understand PR.Perception issues: Many stakeholders, including media and corporate organizations, consider PR to be similar to that of a spin job.Considering this, for this fledgling, but fast growing sector to flourish, the need of academic rigor and theoretical pedagogy is essential.

PR Agencies - Awards and AccoladesIn 2014, PRCI, Public Relations Council of India, honored Vikram Kharvi with Chanakya Award for being the 'Outstanding PR professional of the year 2014" at the 8th Global Communications ConclaveIn 2011, IPRCCA, India Public Relations and Corporate Communications Awards (IPRCCA), instituted an award for PR agencies and Blue Lotus Communications won the PR agency of the year (2011) in the award's inception year. Corporate Voice.Weber Shandwick also won awards in 3 categories the same year.In 2010, The Holmes Report, an international report that rates PR agencies across the globe awarded Blue Lotus Communications the Indian Consultancy of the year for 2010. The Holmes Report also awarded the consultancy of the year award for 2011 to Corporate Voice | Weber Shandwick. Corporate Voice Weber Shandwick's campaign for Gillette India won India's first PR Lion at Cannes in 2010.

Major Indian Public Relations Firms Handling Television AccountsAgency: PR 24x 7 Networks Ltd.

Clients: Sahara One, SAB TV, UTV Bindass, UTV Stars, Big Magic, Disney Channel, Hungama TV Channel, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Movies Now, Times Now, Movies Ok, Life Ok, Sony Max, Star Plus.Snail-mail address:EW 56, Scheme No.94, Opp.Mayur Hospital, Ring Road, Indore 452016Mobile: 0091-9755020247, 9827092823Tele: 6283017/ 18/ 19, 6442645, 6280226Email: atul@atulmalikram.in, breakfastnews@gmail.comWeb site: http://www.atulmalikram.inContact: Atul Malikram, Director

Agency: Ethos PRSnail-mail address:G-62, First Floor, Masjid Moth, Greater Kailash-II,New Delhi-110048 Tele: 6283017/ 18/ 19, 6442645, 6280226Email: pr@ethosembassy.comWeb site:http://www.ethosembassy.comAgency: Communication Management Consulting GroupClients: ESPN-Star Sports, Turner Broadcasting, Cartoon Network, TCM, CNN, HBOSnail-mail address:Raj Kamal Building Flat No 6 1st Floor, Shivaji Park, Dadar (West) Mumbai 400 028 Tele: 0091-22-4457226 Telefax: 0091-22-4462007Email: cmcg@vsnl.comWeb site: http://www.cmcgindia.comContact: Samir Kale, PresidentAgency: Clea PRClients: Hallmark, TMG ChannelSnail-mail address:Arch 25/28, Below Mahalaxmi Bridge, off Dr. E. Moses Road,Mahalaxmi, Mumbai-400018 IndiaTele: 0091-22-4988669Fax: 0091-22-4988668Email: cleapr@vsnl.comvinodgnair@123india.com Agency: Genesis PRClient: BBC Worldwide, National Geographic Snail-mail address:30, A R Complex, R K Puram-13, New Delhi- 110066, India Tele: 91(11)6878790/1/2 Fax: 91(11)6881733/6115790 Email: kpillai@genesispr.comWeb site: www.genesispr.comContact Person: Kanak Pillai (Consulting Associate)Agency: Good Relations (India) Ltd.Client: MTV India, AXN, Nickelodeon, Ten SportsSnail mail address:Recondo Compound, S K Ahire Marg, Worli, Mumbai 400025 Tele: 0091-22- 4904411 Fax: 0091-22- 4904160/70Contact Person: Ms. Alpana Kar, CEO Deepa Thomas, Account Director - MumbaiYamini Zaveri, Account Director - MumbaiDelhi Address: 501-A, Gauri Sadan 5, Hailey Road New Delhi-110001 Tel: 3715727/5721 Fax: 3715725/35 E-mail: gridel@del2.vsnl.net.in Contact Person: Sudha Sarin, Director (Delhi)

Top 10 PR Agencies in India

#PR FirmAddressRating2009 Overall Rank2010 Overall Rank

1PurpleLower Ground, 28 Savile Row, Mayfair, London3rd3rd

2ActiMedia5, Raja Bahadur Building 156, J. Dadajee Road Tardeo Mumbai4679th6433rd

3Naarad6018th5730th

4icPAR#419,IIPM Towers, 100 ft Road, Near Canara Bank, Koramangala7503rd7384th

5Shankz Group'Thirupuram', 6 Second cross, Charlescampbell Road, Bangalore7561st9692nd

6ICPAR DELHIRegus Business Center, fourth Floor, Rectangle One,Saket-110017,INDIA7524th7389th

7Perfect Relations6/3 Jangpura B New Delhi India9591st9582nd

8finesse PRfinesse PR 181, Anand Vihar, Pitampura Delhi 110034 INDIA9797th8908th

9Aarohan Communications21, Shamji Ladha Bldg, Bhandarkar Road, Matunga (E), Bombay 400019, India.10148th9737th

10PRHUB298, subasri, A T Halli, Shantinagar, bangalore8368th8335th

CONCLUSIONI really enjoyed while making this PR project. It was the new subject and new topic for me to work on. I had a wonderful experience while working on this project. I came to know about the PR world. What are their works? How they work? How they achieve their target, how they make their name in the market? How they fulfill their customers need and many more things. After completing this project I had all my answers and all my doubts were clear. And now I could say PR is one of the best jobs for the media field students. I am really thankful to Mrs. Moumita De Das mam for giving this topic to me. It really helped me in knowing this PR subject because I was new to this subject. I gained lots of knowledge which will really help me in my future.Secondly, I would also thank my friend manoj and pinki who helped me a lot while making this project within the limited time frames.