Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Why Mobile Space is more powerful than Print and Television Media

As in other parts of the world, media consumption in India has shifted decisively online, with 375,000,000 Internet users in 2015, or 30% of the population. Meanwhile, more than 50% of the population owns a mobile phone and around a third of these own a smartphone. Newspaper and magazine print circulation has been declining steadily for over the last six years.


Image courtesy: Google

In the next 5-7 years, when mobiles will fully overtake laptops and desktops in the access of the internet, there will be a great shuffle in the media order. Mobile Space will be the No.1 media. Internet on desktops, tablets and laptops will come at No.2. Television will come at No.3. Print and Radio will compete with each other for Nos. 4 and 5.

Image courtesy: Google

This order with Mobile Space as No.1 may come as a surprise to many. But please understand that Print Media can converge on to the Net with their Online websites and E-papers. Television can converge on the Net with live broadcasts and YouTube video capsules. Radio can converge on the Net with broadband and podcast capsules. And finally the Net converges onto your Mobile phone, which makes the Mobile Space the most powerful media... even more powerful than Television, Print, Radio and regular Online media.

About the Author:
Dale Bhagwagar is a PR specialist with branding, image consultancy, strategizing, media manipulation, crisis management and mentorship for media students. He has handled the publicity for more than 150 Bollywood actors and 30 movies, apart from being a spokesperson and publicist to 20 Bigg Boss contestants.

Saturday, May 14, 2016

Remembering naughty Freud and spin doctor Bernays

Last week was the birth anniversary of Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), the father of psychoanalysis. And Google rightly devoted a doodle to him.


Freud had a lot of controversial accomplishments, some of which are highly debated even today. But what people sometimes fail to acknowledge, is the indirect impact Freud has had on almost everything we as a people witness in today's times.

Now now! Doesn't that make him an extremely interesting man to study! And you may ask how he has influenced us so much. So let me take you back in history a bit and explain the phenomenon in the crispiest way possible.

Sigmund Freud's nephew Edward Bernays combined the ideas of 'crowd psychology' along with the psychoanalytical ideas of his uncle, to invent 'propaganda'. In contemporary times, we know 'propaganda' as 'Public Relations' (PR).

 Sigmund Freud (left) and Edward Bernays

As a publicist, I often say, we are living in a world where perception is reality. Think about it. Don't we all blindly believe in what we read and are told. Who has the time to research and investigate facts!


Earlier journalists used to do that as the torch-bearers of society. But in times of paid media, combined with research via the phone and Google (and less of field work), contemporary journalists are fast losing those traits. So let me take the liberty to repeat my favourite line: We are living in a world where perception is reality. A world driven by PR.

And who started the fire? Naughty Freud and spin doctor Bernays. ;-) #FoodForThought

About the Author:
Dale Bhagwagar is a PR specialist with branding, image consultancy, strategizing, media manipulation, crisis management and mentorship for media students. He has handled the publicity for more than 150 Bollywood actors and 30 movies, apart from being a spokesperson and publicist to 20 Bigg Boss contestants.

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Raaj Kumar was something else only! ;-)

Jab main naya naya Mumbai mein aaya tha... being a journalist then, ek baar ek party mein I approached Raaj Kumar for a quote on something... he had one piercing look at me and said, "Jaani, tum abhi bachche ho. Jaao."
When I tried to rephrase my question, he again said, "Kaha na, tum bachche ho, side mein ho jaao." I felt intimidated and decided to move on. I could even make Amitabh Bachchan relent to persuasion, but not Raaj Kumar. ;-)

Kam se kam, I could pester and convince Big B into THIS.

Later in my career as a PR, I got to meet Mr Kumar's son Puru Raaj Kumar a couple of times. Must say, both father and son have been unique in their own ways. Charming and impressionable.