The SABRE Shines its Light On…

This week, Skribe features the awardees of the 2016 South Asia SABRE Awards.

The SABRE Awards is the world’s largest PR awards program, running across six continents. This time, a crowd of more than 200 PR professionals attended the South Asia SABRE Awards 2016, held last week (21 July) in Pullman Hotel, New Delhi. SABRE Awards every year celebrate the charismatic work of the PR industry and gather close to 5000 entries globally. This year’s SABRE Awards witnessed a record 650 entries from India in its fourth year since launching in collaboration with the PRCAI.

The judges session was held in the month of June and was chaired by PRCAI president Nitin Mantri, Anne Costello – Text 100, Carolina Bajaj – Star India, Carolyn Camoens SVP -WE Communications, Girish Balachandran – Avian Media and many more eminent leaders from the PR Industry.

Adfactors PR was leading in the finalists tally for the Diamond and Gold SABREs in different categories.

The Awards night was a celebratory one for many but today we shine the spotlight on Genesis Burson-Marsteller, who took home 4 trophies and 5 certificates for their noteworthy campaigns in brand-building and strategic reputation management.

Nikhil Dey, President, Public Relations & Public Affairs, Genesis Burson-Marsteller said, “The efforts that our teams have put in are clearly visible in the form of this recognition and we are honored to receive these awards. Our integrated approach means that our campaigns have a strong insight and a creative idea while delivering a measurable impact.”

The award winning campaigns for the PR consultancy included:

• Diamond SABRE in Superior Achievement in Brand Building for The Story Of A Roaring Revival/ Make in India Week with Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Government of India
  Make in India Week was an integrated campaign of unprecedented scale – a grand confluence of industry leaders, policy makers, diplomats and academia, which included public relations, advertising, digital, social and outdoor media and even crisis communication. It was conceptualized as an initiative to revive confidence in India’s manufacturing capabilities amongst potential partners abroad, the business community and citizens.
  
• Diamond SABRE in Superior Achievement in Measurement and Evaluation for Mission Indradhanush with Public Health Foundation of India as well as Gold SABRE in Public Sector/ Government category for the same campaign, Mission Indradhanush with Public Health Foundation of India
  Mission Indradhanush is a multi-pronged public awareness programme launched by The Government of India, which aims to immunize every child in the country by 2020.
• Gold SABRE in Travel & Leisure category for Every Day A Different Journey with Tourism New Zealand with Genesis Burson-Marsteller
  An integrated communications approach which used public relations, advertising, digital, social and consumer engagement to showcase the amazing experiences that New Zealand has to offer as a tourist destination.

Congratulations to the Genesis Burson-Marsteller team for shining bright at the SABREs. Read more about their winning campaigns here.

Watch this space for details on other awardees and their winning campaigns.

Special Cause Special Edition

Celebrating the Make in India initiative, Condé Nast India unveiled a special magazine at the Taj Palace Hotel in Mumbai last week. Launched by Amitabh Kant, secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, and Alex Kuruvilla, MD, Condé Nast India, the 200-page issue features success stories across technology, manufacturing, e-commerce, auto, design, and lifestyle sectors. » The Hoot reports on how Zee TV incited action against JNU students in the sedition case. Disgusted by his channel’s coverage on the matter, where there were more assumptions than facts, more bias than opinion, producer Vishwa Deepak resigned. Deepak questioned the channel’s alliance with the Delhi Police, BJP and RSS. “Due to our biases, we brought the careers, their hopes and aspirations and families of some people to the brink of destruction”, wrote Deepak in his resignation letter. Editor Sudhir Chaudhary brushed it under the carpet stating that people leaving “is a normal affair and it’s the organization’s internal matter.” » The doctored video showing JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar shouting anti-national slogans has sparked a fresh debate. Siddharth Varadarajan of The Wire and Arnab Goswami of Times Now are both holding ground on opposite sides. While Goswami maintains Times Now did not telecast the fake video directly and cannot be held responsible, Varadarajan demands action against all mediapersons peddling ‘forged’ evidence.

Women Of Worth

L’Oréal Paris has joined hands with NDTV for the ‘Women of Worth 2016’ awards to celebrate extraordinary Indian women for their powerful contribution to society. Actress Sonam Kapoor, brand ambassador – L’Oreal Paris, unveiled the trophy, introduced the jury and announced the categories and nominees on Monday. The winners, to be decided through a public voting system in conjunction with jury inputs, will be felicitated in Mumbai on 28 March, 2016. » Inspired by Germany’s Hannover Messe, one of the largest industrial exhibitions in the world, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to inaugurate the maiden ‘Make in India’ week from February 13 in Mumbai. Aimed at attracting investments, the week will be attended by 190 companies, including MNCs, 5,000 delegates from 60 countries, and leading industrialists including Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani. See more. » Canada India Foundation (CIF) has decided to honour Dr. Subhash Chandra, Chairman of the Essel Group & ZEE, with its prestigious Canada India Foundation (CIF) Chanchlani Global Indian Award. CIF, a public policy organization, works to strengthen Canada India relations and to celebrate the global Indian community. Dr. Chandra will be receiving this award on April 22 in Toronto, for his global leadership, strategic vision, and professional excellence.

Oh My God!

Fortune magazine ran into trouble with a Hindu group for likening Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to Lord Vishnu on its January international edition cover. US-based Hindu rights campaigner Rajan Zed requested the magazine publish a disclaimer on their website. Zed also sought an apology from Time-Inc. chairman and Fortune publisher and editor. “Casual flirting like this sometimes results in pillaging serious spiritual doctrines”, he said. » Continuing their focus on ‘Make in India’ in the Defence sector, CNBC-TV18 is all set to organize ‘The Defence – Make in India Summit’ in the capital on January 21st. The summit, supporting the government initiative, will highlight various issues, challenges and opportunities pertaining to the sector. Check the list of notable speakers at the event. » CNBC in partnership with PT Trans Media Corpora is ready to enter Southeast Asia’s largest economy with CNBC Indonesia later this year. The Bahasa-language channel aims to “facilitate global business conversations, and to educate the growing middle class”, said Chairul Tanjung founder and chairman of PT Trans Media Corpora’s parent company, CT Corp. » In what can be interpreted as serious micromanagement and control, The Daily Telegraph had motion sensors installed under journalists’ desks to monitor whether they were at work. Planned to be in place for four weeks as an ‘environmental measure’ to keep tabs on energy usage, the devices were being removed immediately considering staff feedback according to a communicé circulated.

Merkel In India

Angela Merkel’s three-day visit to India begins today. The German Chancellor will arrive in Bengaluru to participate in the third Indo-German Inter-government Consultations hosted by Narendra Modi. Her visit is expected to boost Modi’s “Make in India” and the Indo-German strategic partnership. » The Media industry continues to face the wrath of angry mobs. In the latest incident, NDTV’s car and cameraperson were attacked by a mob of women in UP’s Dadri village. The crew was on their way to cover Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s visit as he went to meet the beef incident victim’s family. » Marking the first anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan initiative, PM Narendra Modi made the day special with India Today Safaigiri Singathon & Awards 2015. Presenting awards to the winners of Clean India Champions, Mr. Modi was also the keynote speaker for the event.

Leggy Trouble

Tamil Magazine, Kumudam gets slammed on Twitter over a cover story featuring the leggings trend in women. Twitterati pointed out that the pictures possibly were taken without permission and made to look vulgar. Many journalists and activists on social media have demanded an apology from the magazine for its sexist content. » Get ready for Exchange4Media’s Conclave 2015 on 8th October at Hotel Palladium, Mumbai. Themed around ‘MAKING TECHNOLOGY WORK FOR MARKETING’, the conclave will feature Sir Martin Sorrell CEO, WPP group as the key speaker. Other speakers include Arnab Goswami, President-News and Editor-in-Chief, Times Now & ET Now, Mike Amour, President APAC, Starcom Mediavest Group, and Saugata Gupta, MD & CEO of Marico. » NaMo’s flagship program, ‘Make in India’ gets an upgrade with Version 2.0. Following in the footsteps of Germany and Japan, known for their manufacturing quality, GoI will be starting an investor-outreach programme to upgrade the manufacturing sector and bring global best practices to India.

Chinese #MakeInIndia

The Chinese computer technology company Lenovo is setting up shop in India, just like Xiaomi, with contract manufacturer Flex; it is working on a new assembly line in Chennai. China’s smartphone manufacturers have been quick to seize opportunities made possible by Modi’s “Make in India” campaign. » Vinayak Sareen, a 17 year old dyslexic has developed a new internet based instant messaging app ‘Get Set App’ which boasts of quick data sharing of files up to 2 GB. The app, available on Google Play Store since July 18th, already has 1000 downloads. » Google is introducing a low-priced smartphone in six African countries where most people still can’t afford an Internet-connected device. Infinix worked with Google on the “Hot 2” phone as part of a program called Android One that made its debut in India last year. Now Google is also bringing ‘YouTube offline’ to Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana and Egypt within the next few months.

“COME FEEL THE CHANGE”

The hunt for a new TRAI Chairman is on as incumbent Rahul Khullar is set to retire.  77 applications have been received with high-profiles individuals vying for the top spot, including defence secretary, RK Mathur; IT secretary, RS Sharma; Information & Broadcasting secretary, Bimal Julka; Commerce secretary, Rajeev Kher; and Steel Secretary; Rakesh Singh. PM Modi calls out to German industry to ‘Make In India’ at the Hannover Messe, world’s largest industrial fair pointing to the opportunities in manufacturing and infrastructure whilst promising a more conducive business environment.

Make in India: The Modi-Fied Suit!

In a digital market where selfies are the norm and personal promotion, a brand building formula, the world witnessed Indian PM in all his fashion glory. Trailing a blaze alongside the Obamas’, “PM gave Michelle Obama stiff fashion competition” (Reuters) with his name delicately embossed “on the pinstripe bandhgala suit” (Financial Express). Designers interviewed by India Today, lauded Modi’s choice and called “it a customised marvel”. PM Modi definitely understands the value of his brand and is “not afraid to wear his name on his sleeve” (WSJ).