Why our politicians could use PR agencies? Ask Modi

If PR agencies are looking for business, politics is the place to find it. Barring a lone politician here or there, Indian politicians are messing up big time by not knowing what to say when and to whom. Not to speak of what to wear or where to position themselves as they speak. The rare exceptions – like Narendra Modi - prove the rule that politicians are simply unaware of the need for PR. “Modi is image conscious to a fault. If media sources are to be believed, he has a team of professionals keeping a watch over his speeches, providing him feedback on his every move, including voice modulation and gestures. The team also works a firefight unit, ensuring nothing negative on him gets posted online,” _Firstpost_ had written in July 2012. “Two public relations firms, Washington firm APCO Worldwide and Mutual PR, cater to the world media and Indian media respectively,” the article continued. Modi is one of the few politicians with the sense to understand and appreciate that news and opinion that appears in the media, as well as his image, need to be managed. He also understands and appreciates that this is a job best done by professionals, not by the average political party ‘PR head.’ [caption id=“attachment_493482” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The rare exceptions – like Narendra Modi - prove the rule that politicians are simply unaware of the need for PR. AFP[/caption] Perhaps that’s why Modi never makes an ass of himself in public – and keeps experimenting with new ways to keep in touch with the electorate. It was no surprise that Modi is the first Indian politician to use Google+ Hangout to reach out. “If anyone had logged on to the Google+ hangout with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi late on a Friday night in the expectation of a politically hard-edged interaction, they may have been less than satiated with the discourse,” we had said . “By putting himself out in the open and taking questions directly from the people – without the traditional intermediation of the mainstream media – Modi has overnight raised the bar for leaders on two counts: public accessibility and accountability,” the article continued. That’s the story of Narendra Modi and how he handles his image. What about the others? The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, famously puts his foot in the mouth saying, “Money does not grow on trees.” What’s worse is that he did not say this carelessly, under pressure, off the cuff, but in a prepared statement. Let’s take a look at some howlers. Mamata Banerjee: “Rape cases are on a rise in the country because men and women interact with each other more freely now.” Robert Vadra: “Mango people in banana republic.” Salman Khurshid: “No need to answer allegations raised on the streets.” Om Prakash Chautala: “I support Khaps on this issue. If girls are married off earlier it can save them from crime.” This is just a smattering of the inanities spouted by our leaders and others with public profiles. They do so because they do not know better. And once these magical words are uttered, it’s like the toothpaste squeezed out of the tube – it cannot be put back. If words used by politicians and those close to them are an issue, so is their poor understanding of how to project themselves and conduct themselves in media interactions. Renuka Choudhury, for example, with a perpetual smirk on her face, forever looks angry and defensive. Kapil Sibal looks angry and condescending. Nirmala Seetharaman of the BJP looks like the world will end before the end of the panel discussion. Politicians seem to have no clue what to wear and when on TV, no clue as to their demeanour, no clue as to how to ‘control’ the environment to leverage it to their advantage by, say, the addition of props or a change of clothes, the importance of something as simple as running a comb or brush through your hair. Compare this with Narendra Modi. He hasn’t said a word out of place. He’s besieged by the events of 2002, but ensures that there is enough positive news about him and his government to drown out the negative; he’s always immaculately groomed, with (literally) not a hair out of place; he always seems calm and in control, whatever the circumstances. That’s the opportunity for PR agencies – the opportunity to create more politicians who understand the benefits of image management and media relations and gain from the understanding. There were more than 8,000 candidates for the 542 Lok Sabha seats in the 2009 elections – and each of these candidates is a new business opportunity. If PR agencies could covert only 5 percent of these candidates and bill them Rs 1 lakh per month for five years, that’s Rs 240,00,00,000. That’s Rs 240 crore, in case you can’t figure out the comma – Rs 240 crore of new business available to you. And that’s just the low hanging fruit – we haven’t even come close to the real opportunity – the candidates to the assembly elections, the party administrators, and so on. And you say it’s tough to get new business?