We are at the fag end of the year. It is festival time.  There are holidays galore. So what Festivals teach us as Public Relations professionals?

Dassera is the festival where the triumph of good over evil is celebrated and Diwali is the celebration of victory of light over darkness. They almost signify the same thing and are usually celebrated a few days apart.

The logistics aside there are few things that stand out in these festivals. First, newness of  new clothes, newly done up houses, new start to the calendar and new reasons to get together. Second, is an exchange of sweets to mark celebration and third is coming together of families and friends to have a good time.

How do we apply these three elements of newness, sweetness and togetherness to our lives as Public Relations professionals?

Newness

It is about innovation. About bringing freshness into the things we do for the organisations and brands we work on.

Sweetness

It is in how we make our work stand out to bring a smile to the end consumer and our client’s customers.

Togetherness

It is about how we use our various networks to deliver the best thinking to the product and service we ideate on.

The question that I keep asking is that why are there very few among us who innovate, or stick our neck out or do things to make a difference to our profession? Is there a lack of encouragement? Is there an inherent absence of inertia? Or is it just lack of interest and desire to the new like we would do during the festival time? Why cannot we carry the festival spirit to our professional world?

I have interacted with many public relations professionals in my life. I have met with people across multiple organisations and across all levels. I still wasn’t able to think of more than a handful who write a regular blog on the profession. I couldn’t think of more than two who are outstanding public speakers. I couldn’t think of more than the usual pioneers who would be role models beyond the four walls of their organisation. I never though that there is dearth of talent. I felt it was just the absence of a spirit to go out there and showcase the newness, the sweetness and the togetherness beyond that rare annual occasion.

I hope this festival marks a period of fresh thinking and renewed vigour for the professional community in the country. And we hope to see that in a couple of Cannes Lions coming home for the PR category next year. Until then, enjoy the celebrations and watch what you eat.

– Amit Prabhu

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Amith is the Dean of the School of Communications & Reputation (SCoRe)- A post graduate institute of Public Relations built by the Indian PR community. He is also the founder of the PRomise Foundation which organises PRAXIS, India’s annual summit of reputation management professionals. He can be reached @amithpr on twitter.