Media Newsletter

Issue 45

October 21, 2010

Greetings!

This Newsletter from the GujaratGlobal brings to you the latest happening in the media particularly in Gujarat, whats hot and whats not , who's in and who's out , you want it and you get it here !This newsletter is about people who craft voice and image of others. It is about the real newsmakers.

Editor.....

Great newsmakers

Dear Friends,

Let me begin with "thanks a million or koti koti Dhanyavad" for the response you all have given to the revival of the Media Newsletter. I have 2500 plus subscribers. Over 600 responded to the last issue, some telephonically while many other emailed their responses. Earlier the newsletter was a weekly affair, within a month or so I plan to make it weekly.

To succeed in public life, one must be good in media management. Whether you do it like majority by way of good media relations or follow the rare model of media bashing of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and some other regional politicians, you cannot do away with media.

In this month, we had two major events. One was the sweeping victory of Narendra Modi in Municipal Corporation elections and another was the death of Speaker of Gujarat Assembly, Ashok Bhatt, Sansani Samrat, who was able to hit headline in any situation. With very well cultivated and nurtured media relations, he was really a media darling for scribes of Gujarat, particularly Ahmedabad. No other living minister can match the skills of media management of Ashok Bhatt.

When we talk about newsmakers, spokespersons cannot be avoided. Gujarat has in its Health and Tourism Minister Jay Narayan Vyas a great spokesperson. He can play all round the wicket to use a phrase from national addiction, Cricket. But the problem of a spokesperson, particularly in Modi regime is that he can go by his brief only. What is the brief of Vyasji about his own department Tourism?

And something about Amitabh Bachchan the great brand ambassador of Gujarat.

Have a happy reading.

With love

Yogesh Sharma

Gujarat Global

Archive...

Did u miss out on any of the action which has taken place or want to sneak a peek again?? Here is our Archive.
Now you can find all our earlier issues here.

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Media Masala

Bachchan brand bonanza for Modi

Do celebrities work as brand ambassadors? The effect of ads by Amitabh Bachchan to promote Gujarat Tourism is quite evident. Tourist spots like Gir forest and Kutch have suddenly great rush for bookings.

Generally celebrities limit themselves to advertisements. Once the job done, the client is forgotton. But our Bachchanbhai has proved that he is Gujarat brand ambassador in true sense. In one episode of his famous programme KBC, Bachchan introduced Narendra Modi by voice in a question. There were other Gujarat related questions to stimulate interest of viewers in Gujarat.

Media is full of reports that Modi will appear in the programme, though there is no official announcement or confirmation yet. One newspaper had an item saying that Amitabh finds Modi secular. Certainly a great leverage for Modi who is trying to build an image that his support base was extending to Muslims.

Modi supporters used to say that in Gujarat it is Modi magic. Now we have Modi riding Bachchan kaa jadu wand .

Disaster Management show of PRSI

The new team of Ahmedabad unit of the Public Relations Society of India is making all efforts to make unit stand out in the country. But the task is not that easy. Last function had number of functional problems.

The organization had a very good key speaker. At the eleventh hour, he was hospitalized. Somehow, the organizing committee managed another speaker. But there were lots of riders attached to it. The speaker had another important meeting and his coming to the PRSI function depended on that function.

Everything went well and new speaker made it to the function, though a little late. But now there was another snag. The new website to be launched did not appear on the screen. The problem was of connectivity. After struggling for about half an hour, website banda could make the new avatar of the PRSI website live.

As per reports, even this Saturday function of the PRSI here has already encountered speaker problem and a new speaker has been found. Let's wish everything goes well at the programme focusing on PR in banking sector.

Certainly a disaster management show by the organization which has people whose prime job is disaster management.

PAN card for PC

During elections all kinds of candidates and parties surface. Ahmedabad had press conference of a Punjab based leader with gun totting battery of escort. The first encounter at the entrance was very volatile for journalists.

Escorts asked for the PAN card from reporters. Initially it appeared a case of some miscommunication. But, the security of the leader clarified that they meant PAN card because it was an authentic proof of identity!.

After much heated arguments and threats of boycott, journalists got entry. The end was equally dramatic. Media persons were handed lunch vouchers of a nearby restaurant far below the level of the hotel where the conference was held.

Next day, the leader was seen with his escort at some newspaper offices. No one had given him any coverage!!!

You can subscribe yourself

Friends daily I am receiving requests from many friends for the newsletter. There must be many who might not have contacted me. For all here is a simple way to get this newsletter. Every newsletter has a sign up box. Just fill it and you will get the newsletter. The sign up box is also on the top of the right side of the website www.gujaratglobal.com.www.gujaratglobal.com. Still if you wish me to register your subscription write to me!!

Modi's challenge to Media

In his public speech at his felicitation organized by the state BJP, Modi talked about many issues. Newspapers reported them in detail. But there was one point which was not in media except his live speech on regional channels. It was about media.

He said that the victory showed that he had won the hearts of people of Gujarat. And now he will win the heart of the media. Even at the meeting of the Gujarat Media Club, he had challenged media men that he would rule over them through their kitchen.

He had general complaint that media did not give adequate space to him. All through nine years in the office of Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi has scoffed at media, ridiculed media in his public speeches. Still he has succeeded in his public life.

His success is because of his mastery about the media. He knows that as Chief Minister none can ignore him when it comes to his coverage in media. At the same time, he has established media bashing as his show of strength among his fan followers.

His claims and dream of first time in India or first time in the world might invite criticism from opposition Congress. But he knows two things. First, names make news. Today Modi is just not a name but a brand. And he talks about Sonia not Siddhartha Patel, he criticizes Prime Minister of India or US President. Second, anything riding superlatives like for the first time hit first page headlines.

There are number of examples to prove it. Here is one. Most recent one. In the midst of election campaign for Municipal Corporations, he talked about his dream. To have statue of Sardar Patel. The statue will be double the height of the famous Statue of Liberty. He explained in detail his idea with presentation. Modi has great passion for colourful presentations.

Next day newspapers were full of the news in screaming banners. There were Congress reactions also. They claimed all this to be a publicity gimmick to garner votes. This was the reaction, Modi was waiting for. He played his trump card. He said in his public speeches that Congress was not for the great Iron Man of India but it was for making statue of Sohrabuddin who was killed by Gujarat police in a fake encounter. Certainly, a sizzler in communal cauldron of Gujarat.

Again, he hit headline. He achieved what he wanted. He stirred public mood on the eve of major municipal corporation elections in Gujarat. He knows that in general reactions and denials do not carry weight in media and readers as well.

Earlier, he had turned CBI investigations into a major issue saying that they were against him and the prime idea was to weaken the progressing Gujarat. Now, he created an issue of Sardar Patel and was smiling through the banners in newspapers.

In his felicitation speech, he had said that he had run the campaign without advertisement. Why not, if you can get news spaces free why to buy advertisement space. He had a dig at Congress advertisement.

Modi model offers a good case study to Laura and Al Ries, authors of famous books like Fall of Advertising and rise of PR and 22 immutable laws of branding.

The death of Sansani Samrat- Ashok Bhatt

Gujarat Assembly Speaker Ashok Bhatt died on September 30. Newspapers here paid rich tributes to Ashok Bhatt who grew with the might of BJP in Gujarat.He represented Khadia constituency for eight times . He was a great newsmaker. He made even dull and drab departments like Judiciary and Parliamentary Affairs quite lively throbbing with news.

I have known him from my Indian Express days. He was full of creative ideas, a kind of fountainhead. It all depended on the direction in which our Bhattji worked. Once in debate in the State Assembly he said that the problem of Dengue in border districts of Gujarat was making of Pakistan which was intentionally releasing water on Indian side!

As Speaker of the Assembly, he hit headline when he persuaded MLAs and others to use the Library. He even invited researchers to use the library. He asked former MLAs to come and use the MLAs lounge. He would have kite campaign for de addiction and mosquito models in a procession to highlight the menace of malaria and dengue fever. All this got him into headlines.

He was always helpful to media persons. He would not only talk to hospital authorities in case of ill media persons and their families, but he would also make sure that besides best treatment, journalists got free medicines Number of media persons in Ahmedabad were talking about his this quality at the crematorium. He would visit the hospital to give full weight to his recommendations.

He used to invite media persons to luncheon press conference in best hotels with good dakshina(gifts). Even when he was Health Minister, he would make UNESCO office here organize for all this. He was good in planting stories and called himself mukhpatra (newspaper by word of mouth)while journalists fondly called his lunches -Bhatt Bhojanalay.

Journalists here can vouch that no health minister was so helpful for media. He maintained this practice even when he ceased to the Health Minister.

Vyasji ke katha sunate hain

Gujarat Health and Tourism Jay Narayan is the most traveled and widely read minister of Modi cabinet. This bureaucrat turned politician is master in articulate presentation of his views, whether his own or the brief he holds as the Spokesperson of Modi government. His personal library is very rich with books on diverse subjects. Variety of books on travel and tourism can catch the attention of even most wandering mind. A perfectly qualified Tourism Minister.

As a spokesperson, he can engage anyone in an argument that ultimately leads to his upper hand. At the same time, he can be at peace with media people with his disarming personal touch to conversations with a little affectionate touch of smile. And if everything goes wrong, he has a pet reply. I have told you as per the brief given to me. Let's talk something else. He has succeeded with this strategy.

However, he is in a catch 22 situation in Khusbu Gujarat ki campaign by the Gujarat brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan. The campaign is for the promotion of tourism. But our Vyasji is virtually no where. Neither as Tourism Minister nor as spokesperson of Gujarat government. At the centre of the glamour of Amitabh show is irresistible Tourism secretary Vipul Mitra. No doubt Modi had photo session with his brand ambassador Bachchan.

Though no one confronts Vyasji directly with the issue of his being in the darkness behind the limelight of Amitabh Show, the message is clear. Vyasji does not have brief about his own department. Brief is clear. It is like famous saying go my way or the highway, here in Gujarat you go either Modi way or the highway.

With Love,

Yogesh Sharma
GujaratGlobal.com