Sakshi Jain

In the wake of this pandemic where physical contact, gatherings and offline classes are not a possibility, School of Communications & Reputation (SCoRe) made sure that the learning for their students doesn’t stop. The work and conversations has shifted from offline to online with regular classes through video call services like Zoom and Google Hangouts. The institution has made sure that their students get quality education and continuous learning opportunities through sessions, masterclasses and assignments. Last Tuesday, the students of SCoRe had the pleasure of interacting with a veteran from the PR industry, Archana Jain , Managing Director, PR Pundit. Her session started with a brief introduction of the Award-winning mid-sized integrated communications consultancy. It is one of the leading PR firms in India which is recognised globally for compelling campaigns and luxury and lifestyle PR. She captured the students’ interest with insights about the consultancy such as, the s...

COVID-19 came into our life unannounced like a destructive force which changed our mundane routine, future plans and defined a new normal. 1st March feels like a lifetime ago, when everything was normal; there were bikes and cars on the roads, regular visits to the favourite resultant around the corner and crowd everywhere. Crowd! What does that feel like? The reality is different today. The pandemic has forced us all inside our houses. Evening walks became necessary grocery runs, Office at nine became work from home and food from favourite restaurants became ‘Ghar ka khana.’ This felt like a long tedious journey from Lockdown 1, 2.0, 3.0 and now the inevitable chapter four. While this felt impossible in the beginning, I am slowly coming around to the idea. If nothing else, I am thankful for the things I learned from this once in a lifetime experience. In this blog I am listing down some of those. 1.  Health, always the priority: I know this seems very basic and somethi...

One of the largest cinema hubs in the world, Indian cinema is renowned for its glamour, fashion and mainstream masala films which earns huge box office collections. With thousands of films produced every year Indian cinema has been making records in the history of world cinema. India is the largest producer of films in the world with approx 1800 films produced every year. It is also one of the most diverse film industries in the world with nine different regions producing films in sixteen different languages. Unfortunately, this diversity is often neglected in the world cinema by mistaking Indian cinema for Bollywood. Indian cinema is much more than Bollywood. The mainstream masala movies produced in Hindi language are just the ones most highlighted because of the monetary investment, stature of the cast and crew and its mass appeal to the audience. Beyond that is the whole new world of Indian cinema which might not be appealing to the masses but are gems in the eyes of few. Apart...

India is a diverse country with people from various religions, caste, and diverse schools of thought coming together and representing India in its true form. While this makes sense in theory, it is much harder to practice and function in real life without harming this diversity. The Indian political scenario is one example of a diverse school of thoughts which fuels domestic to nationwide debates on a regular basis. Different political ideologies have divided the public in categories such as pro or anti government. Sadly, the ‘anti government’ is at times considered synonymous to ‘anti national’. This tells the public that while our constitution does provide us the freedom of speech, exercising it can be dangerous at times. In an article published by the Election.in titled ‘Political Parties in India and their Ideologies’, the author writes, “The only factor that explains the mushrooming growth of political parties in India is the difference in ideology. While some of them are ...

The way people consume information has changed drastically over the years. Consumers are becoming smart and well informed in their decisions. They are more conscious of what they consume and the decisions are at times based on their values and beliefs. In such a scenario a brand needs to highlight its values and ethics that resonate with the consumer’s beliefs. It is very hard for a brand to gain validation from the consumers and loyalty is the hardest to attain. Crisis management can be the greatest test for a brand to gain customer’s trust. Crisis communication exposes the brand to the media and the public eye to a great extent. How a brand manages to tackle a crisis while reassuring all the stakeholders shapes their reputation. In such a situation, good Leadership is one of the greatest assets for any brand. With the easy accessibility and wide reach of the internet, majority of the corporate leaders are exposed to the public eye through social media platforms such as Twitte...

There are enough dialogues around women discrimination, gender wage gap, but the list for gender inequality is a long one. Adding to that list, another work-related discrepancy between men and women is the length of their commutes. 3 in 5 women limit their job opportunities to 1km from home. Women are more likely to give up a high paying job because it is not close to their home as compared to men. This is called Gender commute gap. The gender commute gap widens after childbirth. Women feel the need to work closer to their house after giving birth to a child. This results in a small pool of job opportunities for women to choose from and limited career growth. Centre for Diet and Activity Research, a research unit at the University of Cambridge reveals that India has one of the world’s most lopsided ratios of male versus female commuting. The fact that 45% of women in India don’t travel for their work at all as disclosed by Census data from 2011 is one of the root causes for this ...

Learning has no limitations.It is possible in the most difficult times, and in fact challenges only increase the scope of learning. The online conclave organised by Reputation Today has proved this right by facilitating the communications fraternity a platform to learn and grow continuously in these extraordinary times. Continuing this initiative, the second edition to #RTConclave was organised on 1st  April, 2020 in the form of a fireside chat with Madan Bahal, Managing Director, Adfactors PR. Mr. Bahal was in conversation with Minol Ajekar, Head - Corporate Communication, CSR & Business Operations, Puravankara Limited and Amith Prabhu, Founding Dean, School of COmmunication & REputation. The world is battling against an unprecedented crisis with COVID-19 impacting more than 120 countries. The pandemic has left no country untouched and no human being safe. In such a situation, the job of a communication professional is paramount. Counsel is an important part of Public...

The world is battling with COVID-19. These are extraordinary times that overpowered even the biggest economies. In the midst of this Pandemic when people exercise social distancing and quarantine, there have been continuous talks around mental health. Mental health is a subject that never got the importance and attention that it deserved. Even though the times have changed, the subject is less spoken about and often neglected. People are shushed by their loved ones when they step up to speak about mental health issues. The government has enforced lock-down on the country for a few weeks; it might get extended as well if the situation demands. At the time when the world is in haywire caused by a global pandemic, one can’t expect minds to function as they were doing before. The circumstances, consistent negative and saddening news, lack of understanding from the people, everything takes a tool on a person’s mental well-being. The problem if not acknowledged should not be ridicule...

The world is facing an extraordinary crisis right now with the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) affecting the people worldwide. As a result, thousands of people have lost their life with the number increasing day by day. The fear and panic in the public has heightened with the situation worsening with time. While the disease has no antidote as of now, we need an instant antidote for the stress in the public. The solution can come in the form of unity and emotional support. A 21 day lockdown has been announced in India till 14th April, 2020 to fight COVID-19. Social distancing is said to be the best way to prevent the virus transmission and increase in new COVID-19 positive cases. In this constantly engaging and interactive era, social distancing sounds like a foreign concept. Recall the last time you willingly stayed at your home for 21 days at a stretch. I am sure it would have happened a long time ago, if ever. The lockdown is a challenge for the public and together we have to ...

Work from home, the practice is of great importance and necessary to adapt to keeping in mind the unfortunate circumstances. What used to be an occasional option is now the reality for most of the working professionals in and beyond the country. Coronavirus (COVID- 19) has created major stress on the country and its people. The illness is life threatening and has forced the government to take drastic measures as to prevent it from spreading further. Lockdown has been imposed on major cities to discourage mass gatherings and chances for virus transmission. The country is suffering economically as well with minimum to no productivity in the business segment. The uncertainty of the situation is taking a toll on the businesses. Employees are advised to work from home. While the practice seems fairly easy, it sometimes leads to less productivity because of the disturbance in routine. Work from home needs sincere dedication and the willpower to avoid distractions. The practice is tough...

The world is experiencing fear and uncertainty with the unexpected onslaught of coronavirus across the globe. The disease has taken more than 6000 lives till date with the number of new cases increasing continuously. According to World Health Organisation (WHO), ‘Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).’ The virus is easily transmittable between humans through a mere touch. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has created panic in the public. The situation is getting worse day by day and there is an increasing need for authentic communication to pacify the public. With the help of proper precautionary measures, the disease can be effectively dealt with. The Pandemic has created stress on the economy and its people. Brands contribute to a huge part of communication in people's life today with constant ...

In the new age where people are slowly standing up against the orthodox beliefs and practices of the society, Thappad sets another example. The movie highlights the small issues in a marriage that may seem trivial but are of great importance. It is a refreshing film creating dialogue around the age old beliefs and challenges the mere foundation of a marriage. Thappad is a story of a married couple played by Taapsee Pannu and Pavail Gulati . Through his direction, Anubhav Sinha has created a thought provoking masterpiece which takes a strong stand against patriarchy and violence against women. The film is an ensemble of great acting, direction, screenplay and dialogues. For once the reality was not romanticised in a mainstream Bollywood movie. The story was projected in an honest and effortless manner, displaying the signs of a dysfunctional relationship. The director set an example with one simple and straightforward subject; it may seem insignificant to some but is impor...

  “What is that one social cause you feel passionate about?” She asked me. “I can’t choose one. How can I choose one? There are too many things that I want to do. I see so many people in need of help but few resources to do something about it.” I said. This was my constant dilemma. I could not decide what I feel passionate about because there is too much to feel for. I want to say education, and then I think environment welfare, maybe. But then education is also equally important because it will help people become conscious about their conduct, at home and outside. But then the environment is priority right now. And then I think, Poverty! Of course Poverty! Okay, now I am confused again. Are you? The more I think about it, the more I realise that lack of education is at the core of most of the issues in society. Granted there are a few exceptions, but if everyone has access to education it would be a good start towards collective welfare. I think education is a must ...

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and philanthropy are often misconstrued as the idea behind both the concept seems identical. But, there is a huge difference that one must understand. So, what is CSR? And how is it different from Philanthropy? CSR is the responsibility of a corporation towards the society. While it may sound synonymous to Philanthropy, it is not done with the same intention. As per Section 135 of the Indian Companies Act, it is mandatory for all companies meeting a financial threshold to spend 2% of their net profit for CSR. The regulation is to get corporate resources for the community’s benefit and betterment. While the practice is compulsory, some companies through unique ideas and communication manage to leverage CSR for their business benefit. Philanthropy on the other hand, is when an individual or an organisation desire to promote the welfare of others and takes action by donating resources for the same. This is done with the sole purpo...

With the information clutter in the market, the consumers have become more selective of the content they consume. This makes reaching the target audience more difficult and crucial. Everybody who has the access to internet possesses the power to produce content. In such a situation where everybody has a portal to voice their opinion and influence people at the mass level, reputation management professionals play an important role. Public relation is the industry of reputation management professionals who communicate on behalf of a corporate with different stakeholders. The art of getting the communication right is important to understand. The language, core message, channel used to communicate, all has to be aligned based on the understanding of the target group. The industry is evolving rapidly with the change in consumer behavior and advancement in technology. In this article we will understand what 2020 will be like for the PR industry and why it will be a crucial yea...

Foreign investments are extremely crucial to drive growth in an economy. India is the fifth largest economy in the world and has the third highest GDP in Asia. The Indian market offers huge prospects of growth across sectors and is an appealing investment destination for Investors overseas. The foreign investment industry in India witnessed a healthy growth over the years and has garnered significant benefits for the foreign investors. After the slowdown of foreign investments to a decade’s low in 2018-19, the industry finally picked up pace and has shown positive signs for the economy. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) recently announced that India was among the top 10 recipients of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in 2019, attracting $49 billion in inflows, a 16% increase from the previous year, driving the FDI growth in South Asia. The majority went into services industries, including information technology. The growth proved that despite a slowdo...

Ethics. The word has so much weight and equal importance in a person’s life. Growing up most of us are told by our elders the things considered right and wrong. Some rules, morals and values are instilled within us as children and some we acquire through our experience. While this helps us shape our personal life better, what about the professional life? When it comes to ethics in work, the rules and regulations might differ based on the profession. What is an ethical decision for a doctor might not be the same for a lawyer. Public Relations is a different ball game altogether. In a profession of communication, it sometimes becomes very hard to decide when and where to draw a line. The dilemma of right and wrong is a constant in this profession. The problem is not choosing the wrong side, but rather how to decide which is the wrong side. While the decision may look simple, sometimes it really is not. Honesty is one of the most important aspects when it comes to ethical behavi...

Communication is a very important part of our life. We communicate to coexist in this society on a daily basis. Corporate communication is equally important for companies to survive in the market. Communication for corporate needs to be more defined and purposeful. Each and every piece of communication that goes out needs to have an objective that resonates with the values and beliefs of the organisation. This makes the brand more relatable to its stakeholders and it defines the relationship between them. The digital era has shaped consumer behaviour and their content consumption habits. Because of the clutter of content on the web the public has become picky of the information they want to consume. This in turn has changed the type of content a corporate communication professional puts out. Consumers filter through the content based on their likes and dislikes. They consume and appreciate the content that they relate with. That lines up with their beliefs. They are beco...

Skincare is one of the most important things when it comes to personal grooming. For some people, it is a priority. No skin is the same. What my skin needs will be different from what your needs. There are various skin types, complexions and problems and limited products catering to those. In such a situation customised skincare is the solution. This is an appreciation blog to a customised skincare brand which has provided a solution to my skin problems and gave a new and fresh life to my almost dead skin. I don’t want to sound cliché. So, I will spare you all the boring, ‘earlier my skin was bad but then I found Skinkraft and now it glows’ dialogues. In this blog, I will explain to you why it is my favourite skincare brand. The brand first understand your skin and its problem. When you visit the website, it will first ask you to ‘Know your skin’. Now, let’s be truthful here, how many of us really know our skin? This was the perfect opportunity for me to know what type my skin ...

Growing up, we all must have heard the concept of love marriage and arranged marriage. As the name suggests the first one has love building up organically between two individuals and the latter is arranged by the people around them, in case of Indians those people are mostly family. Not to say that arranged marriages lack in love and feeling in any way, but it is not the most organic way of falling for someone. With the gradual change in societal norms, love marriages are most preferred by young individuals. With the increasing use of social media platforms, people go on the internet for almost everything. From finding the nearest grocery store to finding love and relationships, there is no end to it. Now dating apps are the convenient way of finding casual dates with standard pre-decided expectations. This is not the traditional way but it sure is popular among the youth. So, why are people moving away from the gradual emotional journey towards a fast-paced dating life? There ar...