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Media for Start-ups – Cases and FAQs

N. Ravi Shankar CEO, Aim High Consulting

05-07-2014, NSRCEL@IIMB

Things are changing…

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs...

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs...

Why should you listen to me?

Our Clients

"The history of PR is… a history of a battle for what is reality and how people will see and understand reality."  - Stuart Ewen

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FAQsfollowed-by

Cases.

What is a good time to start PR?

If you have a reasonable answer to this, then, it is a good time to start engaging with the media.

Why is PR better than

Advertising / Social Media?

PR Vs Ad / Social Media

• Credibility.• Third party endorsement.• Pull Vs Push.• Less cluttered.• Lower cost.

How long should the ‘campaign’ be?

Length of the ‘campaign’

• What ‘campaign’?• PR is about ‘advocacy’.• PR needs to be seen as a ‘business

function’.• If you have not created anything that

has ‘sustained PR value’, do not waste your money on PR.

How much will it cost?

That is what Advertising costs!

"If I was down to my last dollar,  I'd spend it on public relations." - Bill Gates

PR is highly cost effective.

Should it be just online, or offline as well?My audience is online, you know!

Be where your TG is!

Horses for courses.

Media learns and buys from media!

Why does PR fail?

What you are saying is not new!

What you are saying is not believable!

What you are saying does not make any difference.

Why can’t we do it in-house?

Well, PR is not ‘rocket science’!

But then, it is not ‘child play’ either!

How do I measure PR success?

‘PR metrics’

• Output• Outcome

• Key messages • Media Value

Does PR help me in a crisis?

Will it help in ‘silencing’ the media?

NO!

PR is not about fixing! You cannot silence anyone with money or influence.

But, concerted and longstanding PR effort might earn you a chance for ‘fair-play’, during a crisis.

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There is good news for start-ups!

There are a lot of ‘start-up spaces.

Today’s start-ups lend themselves to PR

• Media eco-system getting built around start-ups

• Start-ups are ‘reformist’ in their DNA

• Start-ups are involved in nation building

Media opportunity grid - Startups

Media Opportunities for

Startups

Company / Entrepreneur

Profiling

Investment

Product modification /

extension

HR policies

Technology

Profiling Opportunities

Company / Entrepreneur

Profiling

Business Dailies – special startup pages in all major business

publications

Business magazines – Most business

magazines have special sections for startups

Mainlines – Mainline newspapers provide

good profiling spaces to startups

TV – Startup shows on leading business channels

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So, is it all rosy for a start-up who wants to do PR?

Challenges• Clutter. We start from scratch!• Cynicism about the offering

itself.• Staying differentiated – from

generic & specific competition.• Media may not be as

‘specialised’ as your business.• Geographically dispersed

heterogeneous masses.• Bad experiences might get

highlighted.

What does that mean?

• We cannot afford to be lazy• Disruptive business ideas will demand

‘disruptive communication’!

Spare the details…

• We need to learn to be brief – – Three short stories!

What do we need to do?

– Tell a story, if the media has to write about your client.

– But, get to the point quickly.– Relevant and Interesting – that is all that

is there. And, that is all you need to know.

Examples of some ‘short stories’

• Olacabs– Cabs at auto prices

• Skyline– A wall for the wall

• Flipkart– Cash on delivery

• BCIL– Bring back the sparrow

• EduSports – Indian children are becoming unfit

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All the best…

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ASK QUESTIONS…

Thank You!

You can reach me on – ravi@aimhighindia.com

+91 98452 13918www.aimhighindia.com