Bangalore, Dec 4, 2017

I was fortunate to attend #e4mSouthConclave, the first of e4m’s flagship events in Bangalore and was impressed with the quality of speakers and the well curated event. Given the theme, “How to Make Brands Purposeful” I couldn’t miss it.

Here are my three key takeaways:

1. Great brands solve problems: Mathew Chandy, MD of Duroflex, a mattress company, while deflecting a tough question on ‘What keeps you awake at night’ answered, “Whether sleep will someday become irrelevant.” He then went on to describe the importance of a good night’s sleep and its effect on how we see our lives and impact those of people around us. That’s purpose. It doesn’t have to be complex, overly clever or elusive. Plain and simple will do as long as it responds to our emotional needs as much as our functional ones. Mathew also used cats and the Simpsons in his slides. Bonus points for Mathew.

2. Make the business purposeful, the brand will follow: There are two types of organisations – ones that are business driven and the others that exist to fulfil a role in our lives, beyond the business of wealth creation. When organisations are built around a central principle and have a clear reason to exist, they set a firm foundation for growth – one that is sustainable and scalable. In these instances, brand purpose is central to the business model of the organization and drives a vision that brings people together around shared beliefs. In other instances, when brand purpose is identified as a marketing tactic to tick a box or send a one-off message and create some fuzzy good-will, it back-fires with irreplaceable damage to the brand.

In his talk on ‘Humanising Brands’ Shashi Sinha, CEO of IPG Group delivered a single case study on Amul, its origin as a business, its journey as a brand and role in the lives of farmer communities and the many billions of us who use its products today. Dr.Kurien, the brand’s founder has always been a legend in Indian business case studies. What Shashi also shared was how the company has had a steady relationship with its advertising partner for more than 25 years and is one of its rare clients that sticks to paying a healthy 15% commission. A large part of building your brand is how you behave with your stakeholders. No amount of marketing spend can build a brand without the business living the purpose it wants its brand to stand for.

3. Brand purpose is little understood, but that’s changing:

In India, the concept of brand purpose is still emerging. Brands are still catering to demands from consumers to fulfil functional needs. Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR has become a buzz-word for reputation management consultants to offer as part of an image building exercise. The Companies Act of 2013 that stipulates 2% profits to be used for a company to demonstrate its commitment back to society has made CSR largely a compliance led activity, with lots of meaningless photo-opportunities, award exercises and a new industry for impact measurement and reporting.

I was pleased to see #e4mSouthConclave feature a number of business leaders (beyond just marketing) from brands like Fujitsu, Lenovo, ITC, Xiaomi, Toyota and Indigo. Purpose needs to be led from the top. As markets become more commoditized, the ones that are able to offer people an opportunity to see a better version of themselves through shared values and aspirations, the ones that are able to create shared identity and ways of being, the ones that are able to inspire employees with a bigger sense of purpose – will build more authentic relationships with the people they work with and the communities they operate in. On purpose.

On Dec 1, I had the privilege of moderating a discussion on ‘Turning Diversity and Inclusion Practices into Action’ with a fantastic set of panelists. Here are some learnings that may be useful to others:

1. Start with Why: Any change program in likely to fail unless we’re unable to recruit the people concerned as allies. This means starting from the top. We need to sensitise the leadership first and then the rest of the organization on why building a diverse and inclusive organization is not just the right thing to do, it’s also good for business.

As Madhumitha Venkataraman, a D&I Champion, put it, “Diversity begins with I/me and recognizing our unconscious biases.”

Yeshashvini Ramaswamy, Managing Director of e2e People Practices and a venture capitalist made no bones about Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), as an integral part of employee wellness, being the future.

I’d listen to her, she knows where the money is going.

Here are some more resources with evidence to demonstrate that D&I is good for business:

Why Diversity Matters – A McKinsey publication

Designing a Bias-Free Organisation – Harvard Business Review

2. Get Some Data: Measure the status quo of people employed in your organization broken down by different types of diversity dimensions for e.g. Age, Race and Ethnicity, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Religion, Disability, Personality, Socio-Economic Status, Education and Life Experience. Keep the data collection process anonymous to help those not yet comfortable with disclosing sensitive personal choices like sexual orientation or religion. It’s ok if the numbers aren’t pretty. The good news is now we can start making changes and measure progress.

3. Identify Areas Where Bias is Likely to be Rampant: Especially recruitment and talent management. Ban ‘culture fit’ as a reason for rejecting a candidate. Taking this from Jennifer Kim’s Linkedin Article on 50+ Ideas For Cultivating Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace – “When interviewers want to reject candidates for ‘culture fit’ or ‘gut feeling’, it’s an indication that unconscious bias is at play. Also, review the recruitment language – scrutinize job ads for language that unconsciously discourages either men or women from applying. When it comes to appraisals and promotions, again, rely on hard data. Take the boss’s feelings about them out of the equation and objectively measure performance.

4. Articulate D&I as part of your DNA: There’s enough literature to confirm that companies with diverse talent are more innovative, dynamic and deliver stronger returns.

As Co-Founder of rydS, Madhu Menon said, “We’re all more interconnected than we think. We can’t afford to exclude anyone.”

This means stating your commitment to building a diverse and inclusive culture in your company messaging everywhere – on the walls, in the recruitment ads, how candidates are sourced, making it a part of the induction process so new employees understand why the company cares about D&I, printing inclusive bathroom signs, allowing flexible work hours and above all listening to employees and making an effort to hear everyone, not just the loudest ones.

“We don’t need namesake actions, we need deeply-rooted policy and a different culture.” Aparna Prasad, Director HR at Jain University echoed.

5. Constantly look in the Mirror: We’re all a bit inherently biased. We have to avoid the temptation to only listen to and connect with ‘people-like-me.’

Priya Chetty Rajagopal, CxO Consultant and Co-Founder of Multiversal Advisory had some strong words for leadership teams, “Just spend one day a month walking in someone else’s shoes, doing what they do and you’ll know what to do to make your organization inclusive”

Hiring employees with varied perspectives and backgrounds is only one step. How we make everyone feel valued and embrace group differences will determine how our workforce is empowered.

Dolly Koshy, a thought leader on Gender Neutral Perspectives said, “Diversity is being invited to the workplace. Inclusion is being allowed to re-arrange the furniture”

Speaking on the issue of mental health in the workplace, Ashwini NV, Founder of Muktha Foundation said, “Like physical first-aid, we also need psychological first-aid.”

Representing LGBTQIA concerns, Prashant Y of Solidarity Foundation said, “We may have the skill-set, but we may not have requisite documentation to get the jobs.”

LGBTQIA activist Suman Sana agreed, “Post #Section377, there are policies on paper, but their practice still lags behind terribly.”

“The constant fear is – how will I be treated if I reveal my positive status?” PLHIV ctivist and radio-jockey, Radha Mani expressed her concern

Sonali M Balgi, an engineer and mother of an autistic child spoke about sensitizing the workplace with the needs of persons with disabilities and their caretakers.

Sandesh H.R. from Enable India demonstrated a range of examples of how organisations were making workplaces disabled friendly and how targeted training and solutions could help. For more information, click here: Enable India

As Deepa Narasimhan, Head of Diversity and Inclusion at DellEMC said, “D&I policies become actionable when there is dialogue. In India, we have a long way to go and taking action is the only way to really change anything.”

Thank you to RadioActive and the Deputy British High Commission of Bengaluru for hosting.

This Diwali, with a ban on firecrackers firmly in place, we were inspired to look beyond clicktivism and to find out what people were actually doing to make the festival season easier on the environment. We sought out passionate people who walk the talk, and have been for years leading by example, through a campaign titled #DiwaliOnPurpose.

Srishti Sharma, Associate Manager at OnPurpose Consulting, led the way by purchasing earmuffs for all her friends’ pets! “The idea was to do something. Plain and simple. Even the littlest of actions that made the festival a little more special, not just for you but for someone else too.”

Paarul Chand, the editor of PRmoment India magazine, who is also a mental health activist and a therapist, joined the campaign and told us about protecting her adorable pet, Linus from all the noise with the help of cushiony velvet earmuffs as well.

The cuddly pooch raised the baton for the people who suffer helplessly during the Diwali season – our pets and other animals.

We were stoked to receive a video from Delhi-based businessman (and wonderful flautist) Varun Sharma expressing his happiness about the Indian Supreme Court’s decision to ban firecrackers in the Delhi-NCR region. “I am going to be gifting people indoor plants this Diwali,” he says in the clip.

For Bengaluru-based graphic designer and illustrator Kshiraja Krishnan, going green this Diwali was a no-brainer. Her #DiwaliOnPurpose statement mentioned the abusive production trail that firecrackers travel before landing in our homes. We loved her no-nonsense explanation!

This campaign aimed to highlight stories of action. Because a deed done right, and on purpose, can help change the world!

On Teacher’s Day, Swati from Pune tells us about her journey as a teacher and recalls how her childhood experience as a student moulded her approach later as a teacher.

Please introduce yourself and briefly tell us about your career

I reside in Pune. I am a Pre-School teacher and have been in this profession for nearly 12 years now. I am currently working at Modern Montessori International School. I joined 2 years back.

What made you choose teaching?

I have loved kids from the start! They are the most innocent human beings on Earth. After my graduation in Psychology I joined a Pre-School and loved being with kids and teaching them. I pursued it further and did an Early Childhood Education diploma from Pune and became a full-fledged teacher.

Do you have a ‘philosophy’ as a teacher? Does it keep evolving?

No, I don’t have a philosophy as a teacher. I am a hands-on teacher. I always see my children’s potential and work around it. I believe learning should be done in a fun way and should spread happiness. A child should look forward to coming to school the next day in anticipation of what he/she will learn that day. My teaching methods evolve every day and I always strive to bring new things in the curriculum every day.

Tell us an anecdote from your own childhood about a teacher, favourite or otherwise!

I really don’t remember any teacher because I was a slow learner and was always a last bencher, and a very shy kid. No teacher during that period recognised my slow learning and always told my parents that I am not intelligent. They never saw what my potential is. This stuck in my mind and I decided that when I become a teacher, I would make learning interesting even for those children who are a little special.

How do you think your own approach to teaching differs from your teachers’ in the past? Are we better or worse off now, and are we heading in the right direction?

Like I said earlier, I don’t believe in sticking to some philosophy in teaching. Our teaching methods should evolve according to the current time. I always try to teach children in a new way every time so that they don’t get bored and really learn the concept. Overall, I just want to see my children happy and for them to feel secure in the school surroundings 🙂

I think that we as teachers are heading in the right direction as earlier, some people used to take up this job as time pass, a means to just get out of the house; and just because they loved kids, they used to pursue this profession. The current teachers are really thinking about new ways of teaching, preparing a curriculum according to the children’s intelligence and and thinking of different ways to execute them. Nowadays, they take courses to upgrade their skills and then take up teaching. So that’s good to see. I think we are heading in the right direction to make a better future for kids.

This Teacher’s Day, make a wish! And tell us about it!

This Teacher’s Day, or rather for every Teacher’s Day, I wish that I go one step closer to building my own unique pre-school, maybe along a beach!

Research need not be confined to ivory towers, nor films to Bollywood.  Make them application-oriented; and they can very well be used to our advantage in ‘communications to drive social change’.

Making place for differentiated skill set in communications for social change

Here is a sector brimming with stories waiting to be shared (with stakeholders, or internally), and decisions waiting to be made, (whether in boardrooms or production studios).  We lend the narrative a framework for visual storytelling, and/or collect and analyse hard data from the field, something the decision makers can thoroughly rely on.

Films and its variants for the social change sector

Few formats have the ability to bring an issue to life the way a film does.  Use them to share experiences, explore, persuade, and create awareness.  In a jiffy, your viewer is magically transported to the place of the action – whether in the heartlands of Uttar Pradesh or the highlands of Manipur.

Use films to document processes – either through a fictionalized format or a series of live shoots, you can document the ground work, processes and outcomes of a particular project.  When implementing the same in a new region, simply get your new partners together and watch the film through a neat 15-20 minutes and it tells all.  Films have an added emotional dimension; and case study films give us a peek into the lives of the people we feature.

Next, the promotional film creates awareness about a project. Tight and succinct, it can help bring different players of the sector on the same page, share knowledge and perspective, and garner support to work towards a common cause. Finally, when films are made to study impact, it combines perspectives and experiences of people who have benefited from an intervention and also the learning and experiences of the planners and executors of the project.

Research and its applications

Using research is the best way to help organizations invest their funds in the right place.  Use it also to determine the future course of your projects.  By and large, research can be clubbed into baseline or endline surverys, need and impact assessments. While qualitative research comes with smaller sample sizes and uses interviews, case studies and focus group discussions, the quantitative kind uses larger sample size with statistical analysis.  Some situations demand combining the two, and this is where research design comes in.  By using research, a radio station could profile its audience and understand programme preferences, for example.  Or go into the tribal pockets and examine how agricultural patterns have changed – if you’re looking to understand what kind of training would be most suitable for the farmers.

And then there are by-products of these formats: case studies, photo-features, articles, reference guides.  A customized product can emerge using any permutation and combination and even be a stand-alone product. In creating all of this, we combine the academic, journalistic and the creative, drawing from its skills and capacities, values and philosophies. As much as it brings value for the company who employ these skill sets, it creates an equally soul-searching and fulfilling experience for us communication professionals.

12th August has been christened ‘International Youth Day’ by the United Nations, and this year’s conversation was around ‘Safe Spaces for Youth’. The UN especially recognises the importance of such spaces as part of the ‘2030 Agenda’ for Sustainable Development.

On Purpose took this opportunity to raise some questions on what safe spaces are and how they can be made to fulfill the intentions with which they are created. The answering voice was that of human rights activist, Special Correspondent Officer in the Department of Women and Children, UN, and manager of two safe spaces in Lebanon and Turkey for LGBTQ refugees, Mohammed Ali, on an open call to questions on a Facebook thread which used the hashtag – #SafeSpaces4Youth.

Let’s catch up on some things that stood out from the discussion:

What Safe Spaces are:

A safe space is a space which caters to specific needs of a certain group of people who are marginalised in mainstream communities. They are free from “racism, bias, conflict, or threat from external forces.” They usually cater to a specific cause and, therefore, a certain group attached to it.

The DAD logic:

Mohammed says that this is the recipe for a safe space that can sustain.

Determination to keep it going no matter what, Attachment with the space and its people, and Dedication to spend time and effort to run the space and seek help from people who are equally “determined and attached” to it. Ambitions and needs of the community are worked on as common goals in a safe space and the will to make a difference should light your way.

It is also crucial that a safe space be free of any personal, communal, racial or political opinions that digress from the focus of the gathering and even hurt the sentiments of some members.

An Emotional Haven:

An emotional safe space strives to work towards supporting individuals emotionally and mentally. The inevitable requirement is freedom from demeaning judgement towards the stories of fellow members and encouragement of conversation around mental health with assurance of confidentiality.

Listening Is Your Way of Meeting Halfway:

Communication is an art form and it can be instrumental in leak-proofing a strategy to make sure it aligns with the interests of the community. Ample field work and one-to-one conversations bring us closer to the simple needs of the group, and just the intent of getting to know the community and their aspirations is a good place to start the conversation.

An Oasis for The Unheard:

It isn’t impossible to imagine an effective space even in the midst of a city like Delhi. A peaceful and green public park, Mohammed mentioned, can be an ideal place to begin a meet-up if the basic elements and principles stand in place. Spaces sometimes can be anxiety-inducing and take a toll on people who are introverts. Change of place is also important, as it refreshes people and their minds. “A potluck can unite people and food brings people together.”

A lot of spaces do not advertise themselves as ‘safe spaces.’ But, many organisations work in collaboration with or run their own safe spaces that can be found online or by getting in touch with them.

Safe spaces are essential because while their existence is a measure of the gap that still persists between communities, it also signifies the extent of effort that a society puts into bridging that gap. They become centers of mental and emotional development and ready people to face life’s challenges. In Mohammed’s words, “Foster dreams and foster spaces, and you will foster great minds.”

The On Purpose #CriticalMatters series was started to deliberate on some hard questions. This Twitter-specific brainstorm exercise by us has its interests spread across matters relevant to the field of communications and of our larger goal of championing social change.

On July 6th, the @onpurposecomms handle hosted a tweet chat on a question that so many of us in the communications industry have been mulling over – Is this the end of the influencer era?

Clearly, there were no easy, straightforward answers to be had here! Which is why the tweet chat included three highly-experienced guests, all of whom graciously accepted to be on the panel – Karan Bhandari (@karanbhandari), Arvind Passey (@arvindpassey), and Moushumi Dutt (@moushumidutt).

Karan Bhandari, Head of Digital Marketing at Weber Shandwick and, Arvind Passey, a well-known name in the influencer circuit, aptly put forth that a majority of brands are testing the influencer waters but not many brands are willing to think out-of-the-box and bet huge monies yet.

I can immediately think of brands (in India) like Godrej, Royal Enfield and Nykaa (the e-commerce cosmetic portal) who have managed to build a very loyal community of influencers, who are also their customers. Their entire focus is nothing but enriching the brand experience for their end user. As Brian Solis writes in his research study – The Influence 2.0: The Future of Influencer Marketing that “this is a call for a new era of marketing beyond influence to improve the journeys for customers and stakeholders everywhere.”

The Current Scenario:

Here’s what is happening. We’ve only become comfortable with the idea of giving access or money to the influencers with very little thought about the benefit to the end user. The impact of influencer content on their followers has reached a plateau and that’s where we’re losing the marketer’s confidence.

1. Today’s SM savvy audience is well aware that every time an influencer is roped in by a brand, there is a monetary transaction involved and hence, it greatly compromises on the authenticity of the content and the brand. And authenticity can’t be bought. As Moushumi Dutt, a veteran in the communications industry advises brands to choose influencers with care.
   

2. Each time, we select influencers for our brand engagement, we make the same mistake of going after the well-networked influencer with an envious ‘follower’ count and reach. As Arvind Passey who speaks for the influencer community states that at times, brands completely negate the maturity of content and their relevance to the end audience.
   
3. Influencer engagement is not rocket science. It is like any other relationship that is based on mutual value, and a continued engagement over a period of time. Like Kate Mathews, Strategic PR Director of Stickyeyes says, “Brands need a genuine link with influencers and influencers need a genuine link with their audience, which in turn closes the loop in connecting audience and brand.”
   

The verdict from the experts? Influencer marketing is here to stay but here’s what needs an ear.

• If there’s mutual value, it’ll click

• Don’t be afraid to start a partnership and co-create content

• Go beyond the follower count! We’ve said that enough

• It is only prudent for brands to declare the sponsorship openly and voluntarily. It only makes you more credible

• Keep your end user in mind, before defining your influencer strategy

If you have any thoughts about this blog, do leave your comments below. We’re always eager to chat up! 🙂

Shilpa quietly walks up to the lectern, her eyes shyly scanning the applauding crowd in the room. She wrings her hands for a few seconds before leaning in and speaking. Her soft-spoken style and calm demeanour stand in contrast to the steely determination she has shown in her life and for which on this day she is at the St. Agnes College (Autonomous), Mangaluru, to collect the first-ever ‘Woman Entrepreneur Award’ by the Ethel Prabhu Foundation.

Set up as a way of encouraging women entrepreneurs from Mangaluru who are below the age of 50, the award is a perfect homage to Ethel Prabhu, who had been an inspirational teacher and a spirited entrepreneur herself. Shilpa, deservedly, becomes the first in a hopefully long line of entrepreneurs who will carry this legacy forward.

The proprietor of the popular Halli Mane Rotties food truck in the city, Shilpa began to forge a path of her own when about a decade ago, she suddenly found herself singly responsible for her young child and her livelihood. From the depths of despair, she found a calling. “I had always been interested in cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. I realised then to try to use that skill to earn a living,” she recalled on the day of the award ceremony. Today, her business, run from the belly of a Mahindra Bolero pick-up truck, has become near-iconic. All the press coverage recently caught the eye of Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group, via Twitter, and led to the company investing in Shilpa’s venture through another Bolero pick-up truck to help her expand the business. The new truck will serve more customers in the city, after first undergoing some specific embellishments in Bengaluru.

It has been a heady journey for Shilpa and her family, and she never fails to mention how blessed she feels. It is also a story that has incredible hard work as its basis. The family’s day starts at 7 am. Shilpa’s mother, father and brother are all involved in the goings-on, especially since some recent health troubles have forced Shilpa to slow down and not stand around cooking as much as she used to earlier. All hands get busy in the household, some shopping for vegetables, some preparing the masalas, some readying the foundations of the dishes. Shilpa is the brains behind the culinary details – the recipes and innovations are all hers. By afternoon, the food is ready and carted off to the truck close-by, with brisk business running from about 5 pm to 10 pm. On some days, the food runs out by 9 pm!

Halli Mane Rotties serves an impressive variety of Malnad dishes, with some items dedicated to certain days of the week. Shilpa rattles off a long list of mouth-watering dishes as she explains her work – ragi mudde, donne biriyani, thatte idli, chicken curry – and one can’t help zoning out to imagine the appetising aroma and taste that her food truck must bring into people’s lives! “I am happy to have found an income doing what I love doing. I feel that is important. It should never be about, oh she is doing that so I will do that too and replicate her success. One needs to find one’s own strength and go after that!” Priceless entrepreneurial advice indeed!

The Ethel Prabhu Foundation was created to keep alive the memory of an ordinary and simple woman called Ethel Prabhu who was ahead of her times. She stood by these values during her two decades of work as a school teacher across four cities – Equality, Excellence and Empowerment.

Ethel Prabhu was my mother. She passed away in 2001 at the age of 51 due to a cardiac asthma attack. She was a school teacher and had returned from a regular day at work about three hours before she breathed her last. Her life mission had been to give to others, and this had remained incomplete. In order to continue her spirit of serving others, the Foundation was informally established in 2001 in Karnataka with the launch of the annual ‘Best Teacher in the State Award’. This award carries a cash prize.

There are also a few other initiatives that are run by the Foundation to benefit lesser privileged students at the Ferrando Speech and Hearing Centre in Shillong and at St. Aloysius High School, Mangalore. The Foundation also supports students at the School of Communication and Reputation, sponsors prize money at the Knowledge Factory, and the awards the ‘Woman Entrepreneur Award’ in collaboration with St. Agnes College.

The vision for the organisation is that by 2020, there be a dozen initiatives that inspire others to take up similar work. All it takes is determined effort and a few thousand rupees to start. Eventually, these philanthropic activities create an impact and build a set of people who equipped to achieve their goals. Currently, the Foundation makes grants worth Rs 6 lakh annually. These include scholarships, prize money, interest-free loans and knowledge events.

Woman Entrepreneur Award

The late Ethel Prabhu did her under-graduation studies between 1968 and 1971 at St. Agnes College, Mangalore. This year marks 50 years since she first entered college. She was a teacher par excellence and was one of the first Indian women who went as a high school teacher, when barely 24, to Hong Kong to teach English and Social Sciences in 1974. She taught at the St. Joan of Arc School for three years before returning to India.

She was also a closet entrepreneur who made handcrafted wines, pickles and preserves in order to earn extra money so that her sons could have a better life. Her dream was to start her own food business by opting for voluntary retirement. But, she could not realise the dream as her life was cut short.

Since the Ethel Prabhu Foundation supports a dozen causes that have been instituted in her memory, here’s one that will celebrate a woman entrepreneur annually. The Woman Entrepreneur Award is a cash prize of Rs 50,000 to be given to a woman in Mangalore who has been a solo entrepreneur for at least two years and is under the age of 50. The Award will be presented during the annual Mother Aloysia Endowment Lecture at the St. Agnes College in Mangalore on the first Monday of July.