The Amateur's Scratchpad

“My son is a little addicted to alcohol. Other than that, he is a gem of a person. I’m sure when his wife comes, she will set him straight!”

“He’ll settle down once he gets married!”

Does the above quoted lines sound familiar? Does the heading sound familiar too? If not, then you’re probably one of those who need a ton of upgradation.
We live in a society which likes to look down upon women, question them at every step. No matter what you do or how far you go, it will always have some kind of “constructive” criticism for you. But, when it comes to setting men straight, in respect to their life or career or any addiction problem, the society runs straight to women. Why? Because, a woman is the only resort and she can fix the sons of the society with the use of her magical wand.

A lot of Indian parents believe that marriage would fix all the bad habits of their sons because apparently a woman always has the qualities that can get their sons out of the dark tunnel. There is also the belief that girls are more mature than boys after a certain age. Nobody really knows where all these bizarre facts have come from. But, this is the mentality of half the population irrespective of their societal standards and educational backgrounds. A huge factor that plays a very significant part behind such a mentality are the Indian daily soaps. How many times have you seen a “saanskari bahu” trying to meet the expectations of her in-laws along with her own family? These characters are shown as the typically traditional wives/ women of the family. And what exactly do you mean by “traditional”? Someone who is always dressed up in a shiny saree, hair perfectly done and caters to all the needs of her husband and in-laws religiously, no matter how implausible they are. Someone who tries to get her partner out of the black hole of any kind of addictions or bad habits. Quite funnily, the test of chastity doesn’t end here. You only pass when your partner is completely a new and improved human being with all the bugs fixed! The funnier thing is, in real life, women who do this take a particular pride in saying “I fixed him. I raised him from the dirt and put him where he is now.” Honestly, this isn’t really their fault. Their brains have been manipulated by the men-driven society in such a way that taking pride in such cases is absolutely normal to them. It is the sort of an achievement. (Although, I really do not understand, why?!)

Jaseena Backer, a psychologist and parenting coach took upon this issue on Facebook when one day she had a conversation with her maid regarding the drinking problems of her son and how her daughter-in-law wasn’t good enough because she couldn’t get him out of it. Taken aback, Backer further questioned her maid on why she herself did not try to fix her son when he was not married. The maid replied, “Men are like raw mangoes. The wife can be good and let the mango ripen, and if the wife is bad then she will rotten the mango.” That was the rational logic for the woman.

One would think that this might be the issue of illiteracy or not being educated. But, it’s not. Also, it’s not a third-world country type of issue. The roots of this are so engraved that people often do not even realize the reason behind their actions and the consequences behind them. Even if we excuse the maid who probably hasn’t been exposed to education, how can we excuse the media? Ariana Grande, a pop singer, was hugely accused by the media after her long term boyfriend Mac Miller, a rapper, singer and a songwriter died due to drug overdose. The media, which is probably the biggest witness blamed Grande for abandoning him a few days before his death. The Grande example is just a recent one. Going back on the dusty pages of history, there are hundred more where a woman has been accused of similar issues, the split of Angelina Jolly and Brad Pitt being a very popular instance. The issue is not only limited till people and TV serials but also extends towards brands and the way they position themselves and do their branding. Example? The liquor brand, Imperial Blue, whose tagline goes “Men will be men.” No! Men won’t be men. They will be held responsible for their god damn actions!

In India, girls are literally trained from the age of sixteen or seventeen on how they should behave once they are married off. They are told about the sacrifices they should make for the benefit of their partner, they are expected to fulfill a certain number of expectations, they are advised on how to be “good wives.” And all this for what? For the prospect of an apparent better future which may or may not arrive. It is a given fact that the men can be as careless and carefree as they want, but it is the eternal responsibility of a woman to hold and bring him back.

It is high time that the dynamics should change. And maybe, they are but the pace of that growth, that change is so slow that it merely misses the naked eye. The rate is still a bit visible among the upper class and the upper middle class but it’s stagnant after that. Let’s hope we get to see the changes sooner and for the ladies who still believe in such ideas that you’re the change maker in your partner’s life, come out of that misconception! You do not have the responsibility to fix them. Don’t let the world feed you that lie. You’re not the rehabilitation centres for badly raised disorganized men.

Sources:

This Woman Explains Exactly Why Women Are Not Responsible For Badly Raised Men And She’s On Point

‘Sanskaari bahus…are NOT rehabilitation centres for badly raised men’

Would you believe if I told you there’s a place other than Ravangla, Namchi or Zuluk in the lap of Sikkim?

On the extended knee of the Himalayas, lies an entire scenario of tranquility and absolute beauty. The one where it doesn’t matter which location you choose for staying, you’ll experience the majesticity of the grand Himalayas every time you open your windows. I’ve always been a mountain person and I’ve been to half the places that the north east has to offer. But, the place that has vehemently stolen my heart is Pelling, a small province tucked into the far west corner of the Himalayas. I was in seventh standard when my family planned an impromptu trip to Pelling. Thanks to my aunt who stays in Siliguri. So, the next day, we just threw some essentials into a backpack and embarked upon our journey.

As our car spiraled across the snaky uneven rounds, I couldn’t stop myself from looking down the height. It was all green and greener down under. The sunlight didn’t reach underneath a layer of those thick woods and if you tried hard enough, you would hear the sound of the jerky insects, different birds, monkeys and maybe a running waterfall somewhere making a cacophony altogether. With the spirals and bends we reached the top. It was the time of sunset and it felt like as if someone had poured liquid gold all over and then added a dash of pink. It was magnificent! We spent the rest of the day looking outside our hotel windows. And trust me on this, not a moment felt boring.

The next day we went to see the Kanchendzonga Waterfalls and the Khechipori Lake. They say that the Khechipori lake was formed when Lord Shiva stepped in that particular spot on his way to find Parvati. The lake was as fancy as the story. The entire area of the lake was filled with colourful flags, the colour of the flags and the crystal clear sky of the morning illustrating an obnoxious yet soothing contrast. The lake was filled with fishes and when one would put food in the water, they would jump up and eat it.

Later that evening we went to an authentic Tibetan café and I had the best “thukpa” of my life there! Exaggerating? Not really. Then, we went back to the hotel and I went to the roof to be a witness of the clear night sky- something that is very rare in Pelling. When I looked up, my jaws dropped. It looked splendid with the little stars shinning like diamonds. I lay there looking straight up for an hour and noticed the change in colours- from black it went to greyish black, then a deep navy blue like the uniform of a soldier and then back to pitch black again. It was a surreal experience.

It was the break of dusk the next day when we booked a car and started going down. It hurt to see the little huts and their pink bougainvillea gardens going out of sight, the after effect of the deep gaze with which the kids stared through the windows. And then finally, when we were completely down in the planes, the difference between the two could clearly be seen. Pelling was the abode of clouds, as I like to call it! I wish to go back there someday and click a million pictures of the place just to retain some sanity in my otherwise maddening life.

Although the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) was established way back in 1947 with the advent of the concept of Public Relations, it was only in 1971 that the society decided to establish a separate board for women to track the “Status of Women in Public Relations” in spite of them being present vividly in the profession right from its inception. The committee was established in order to look after the economic and advancement inequalities against women. Public Relations has always been a women driven profession but yet somehow, women are still paid less than men from every aspect.

According to a report by IOWA State University, the PR field is perceived to be feminine by men and those who enter the field has a generic idea that they will be paid more than women and that is what actually happens in reality. According to an article by EverythingPR.com, 72% of the public relations field is made up by women. Despite the huge number, there are hardly any women in the leadership role of any PR firm. 30% of the CEOs of Public Relations firm are all men. Researches have shown that majority of people prefer a male boss over a female one. The exact reason behind this preference isn’t really shown. Women are seen as more confrontational and personality driven while men are seen to be kinder in leadership roles.

Another way how women in PR are perceived is that they are ready to do anything to get their work done. PR as a profession and as a concept is still very vague to those who are not related to the industry in any way. This vagueness persuade people to believe that the work of a PR person is to somehow convince people to do a certain thing. And maybe that is why there are so many women in the profession who gets their work done, be it anyhow, sometimes even sexually. This concept is also created in people’s mind because of how some characters have been portrayed in televisions and series, for instance, Samantha Jones in the very famous Sex and the City.

It is not only in Public Relations that women are perceived or thought of in such a way. But, for the profession of Public Relations it’s more because such a huge number of women are associated with it. What we as budding PR professionals can do is to make the definition of PR clearer to people so that the negative perception of women’s image associated with this profession is eradicated away.

Source:

Women in public relations: The influence of gender on women leaders in public relations by IOWA State University

Earlier this week, we had the opportunity of a master session with Ophira Bhatia, Director of Corporate and Government Affairs at Mondelez, India. Although she is completely on the corporate communications side now, she has had her share of experience of working on the agency front and thus, she knows the quirks of both the sides- public relations and corporate communications.

• Rapid transition: She started her session by talking about the transition that the profession of public relation has gone through in a span of only 22 years. When she started out, they actually had to manually cut newspapers and then wait all day in front of the fax machines to send the coverage to the clients. Today, it’s just a matter of time before the tracking agency can send the coverages to you. It has become that easy! Another PR tool that is almost on the verge of extinction is the Press Release. Bhatia mentioned that earlier that would carry hard copies of the press releases to the journalists’ office where they would have to spend the entire day waiting for a two minute conversation with the journalist regarding the press release. Nowadays, the word has already gotten out and spread like wildfire before the press release has been written. Also, journalists get a thousand calls a day with hundred press releases sitting in their inboxes written in the same format.
• Not only connecting externally, but internally too: Being on both sides of the coin, Ophira says that internal communications is equally important as external communications. Often big brands forget the value of communicating internally with their employees and focus more on communicating externally with the consumers. While this is definitely true that consumers are the backbone of a brand, it is not to be forgotten that employees are too! So, elements of external communications like generating case studies, website updation, answering FAQs, building media relations should be done hand in hand with elements of internal communication like changing policies or upgrading schemes for the employees.
• Read and write, voraciously: “I cannot emphasize enough on reading!”, says Ophira. Reading is something that never gets old no matter how high you reach. One should read everything starting from newspapers to books to trash magazines, everything adds to the knowledge. Reading also simultaneously helps in improving one’s writing skills and as communication professionals one should always be ready with a pitch note or a background brief.
• Making your own connections: The essence of PR lies in getting earned media. But, in this age of media buying and media net it is pretty tough to convince someone to give you coverage for free. So, what can one do? One should always focus on building their own connections with the journalists by being in touch with them constantly and not only when there is something work-related. This gives the journalists a sense of ownness. Also, it is important not to badger the journalists with texts, calls or mails. They are also busy beings working on multiple stories and poking them frequently can make them go the other way from you.

She ended the session with a few more topics like how to manage reputation and some crisis management stories that she and her team handled. She also had a story about the Unity Bar that Cadbury’s came out with on Independence Day earlier this year, but that’s the story for another day. At the end, she left us grinning like idiots ear to ear with a bag full of chocolates!

Correct me if I’m wrong, but we probably see a thousand advertisements every day at different timeframes. And honestly, the rate has only been increasing unlike our attention span. While most of the advertisements are generic and are created to garner the attention of the consumers, there are advertisements where a bucket of thought goes in just to create a long lasting impact on the viewer’s mind. To do this, creators take the help of various appeals like adventurous appeal, brand appeal, emotional appeal, humour appeal etc. There are roughly twenty appeals but in this blog we will particularly be talking about some Indian advertisements which used the appeal of laughter and how!

While emotional appeal works wonderfully to draw brand percept in the consumer’s mind, humorous appeal helps in creating a separate space for the content in the mind of the viewer. Humorous appeals are usually used for products which either do not have nutritional value or are not prone to any form of controversy. But, it is not like brands have restrained themselves from taking the laughter road. Also, the appeal is not very easy to execute. The advertisers has to continuously keep a check on the facts like who is getting offended or what religious sentiments are being hurt. The advertisements made with this particular appeal has to be very well-timed as well. No matter how funny the content is, it will go for a toss if the time is not accurate.

There are numerous Indian advertisements which have used humour appeal over the years. Starting from the Fevicol ads where the man is unable to break the egg to the very recent ad of Bisleri water where two camels are shown asking for water from a shopkeeper, most of them have been quite successful. In 2016, Pnb Metlife, the insurance company came up with an ad film which showed the importance of insurance through a witty representation. The ad starts with the promise of a magician turning a man into a pigeon and then back again. But, as it turns out, before the magician could turn the pigeon back to the man, it flies away. That’s when the ad makes the point that nothing in life is guaranteed and that’s why an insurance is of utmost importance. Another advertisement that leveraged on the laugh factor was the Big Babool ad where it was shown how a turtle gets to fly with a Big Babool in his mouth. The positioning of that ad was done in such a unique way that nobody had ever thought of. Big Babool is a chewing gum that has no nutritional value but combining with a funny story and portraying it with colourful animations gave it all the advertisement value that it needed. There are a lot more examples of advertisements which used the funny appeal and saw success overnight.

Having said all that, there are advertisements too which used the humour appeal but failed to create a mark because they simply turned out vulgar. One of the best examples of negative humour appeal is the Amul Macho ad. So, an advertiser has to always keep in mind the thin line between funny and vulgar. Humour is a broad term and there are many segments to it which might be funny to some and offensive to others. But, if one can leverage the advantages of humour, then there’s nothing like it!

April 26, 1986, 10.58 p.m: Mikhail awaits in the lobby of the hospital. His little girl is yet to be born, even though his wife has been in labour for the past seven hours. He feels a little restless but he has promised himself not to complain. So, he waits patiently. In order to divert his mind, he starts thinking about the first time when they got the news. Instantly, Samara’s smiling face appears in front of him. “Oh, how happy she was!”, he thinks to himself. He remembers from that day onwards how careful she had become of everything- her health, her movements, her diet, everything! She would drink a kale smoothie every morning and make Mikhail drink a glass too. Mikhail too, in spite of hating it would drink it with a big smile just to see the satisfaction on Samara’s face. How much have they gone through in these nine months? Mikhail keeps on going down the memory lane. He reminds himself of the first time when they got the first USG picture of the baby and Samara couldn’t figure out where to put it up and cried incessantly for an hour, the first time when the baby kicked and Samara called him back from work thinking she was going into labour. He remembers about so many “firsts” that he loses count. The only thing that worries him is the baby’s name. It’s not like they did not discuss it but they had never really settled on one. Most of the times Samara had rejected most of his suggestions. So, now he starts to think afresh. Suddenly, his phone rings disrupting his chain of thoughts. It’s the chief!

“Hey, Mikhail! I am sorry to bother you on this day but there’s a huge fire at the No.4 nuclear reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. We are running short of men. You have to be here anyhow!”

“I’ll be there as soon as possible.” , says Mikhail.

Just as he was about to get up, a nurse arrives bearing the news of his wife that she is being taken for the surgery. Mikhail stands still for a moment and thinks about how beautiful it could be if he could go in and hold Samara’s hands but then he thinks, duty calls first! He asks the nurse to give the news to Samara that he would be back on time to see his baby girl’s face and rushes out.

Two days later, Mikhail wakes up in the hospital bed. He finds that he can’t open his eyes properly, his mouth feels dry, there’s a pungent smell all around him and the last thing he remembers is trying to stop the fire.  Somehow, he manages to half-open his eyes and feels Samara’s hands on his face. But, what is happening? Why does his face burn when Samara touches it? This never happens. And slowly he starts to feel the deadly pain, the burning sensation in every part of his body. He still forces his eyes open and sees Samara standing with their baby girl in her arms. She is saying something…something about the fire, some radiation, some Russian girls’ names, some “pleases”. Finally, it dawns upon him! He was in the scene where the explosion happened, he is one of those unfortunate firemen who thought it was just a fire, he is one of those people who would die in a matter of hours and then will be buried under concrete. His entire life flashes in front of his eyes- their plans, their future and then the fire!

“ Name her Tatiana. Will you, Samara? Please!” he closes his eyes.

• 

Gender Inequality has been the burning topic for quite a long time now. And that’s for all the right reasons. Different brands are taking different kinds of unique initiatives to make more and more people aware about the inequalities that have been going on in the society for a long period of time now but we have never noticed. Even if we have, they weren’t alarming enough to raise our concerns. How many of us have actually seen our dads doing the daily household chores even with our moms working? It’s a pretty common sight in an Indian household to see the mother doing all the cooking, the laundry, the dishes. Aerial, being one of the most common household brands, took up this opportunity to teach the world that it’s not only the responsibility of the woman in the house to do the jobs of the household.

The first installment advertisement of #ShareTheLoad campaign came out on 2015. The film featured two senior citizens stirring up a conversation on how women have come a long way since their time with one of them delightfully acknowledging how her daughter-in-law earns more than her son. The daughter-in-law is shown working in the background when the son comes and pokes her for not washing his green shirt. The ad film closes with the question, “Is laundry only a women’s job?” Initially, the campaign was launched in only India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan but it spread like wildfire in 22 countries in 16 languages in no time. In 2016, this campaign ended up receiving a Glass Lion for its content marketing.

The same year after the big win, Aerial came back to leverage on their award-winning idea. The brand released another ad film where it was shown how a dad feels apologetic for his daughter when he sees her doing the household chores right after coming back from office, while her husband chills on the couch. This makes him realize how he also never helped his wife in domestic work and thus never building up the value of equality. This ad film ends with a quote too. It said, “Why is laundry only a mother’s job? And Dads, #ShareTheLoad”

What is common in both these ad films is their simplistic execution. Aerial, brought a very small concept in light which probably needed a huge exposure. By gender equality, we often mean, equal pay, equal work hours, equal parental rights, but most of us forget that there is inequality right in front of us. Also, both the films have restrained from showing the typical gossipy mother-in-law or the father who is always asking the daughter to adjust for the probability of a better future. They have beautifully portrayed characters who are very open-minded without being staunch or preachy. This campaign became the identity of the brand based on something as mere as laundry. According to an article by Social Samosa, this ad film garnered 6.4M views on Facebook, with 124k shares, 231k reactions along with creatives floating around social media, stating facts and engaging their audiences.

This campaign was not easy to pull off given the fact that in a country like ours, women are categorized as good or bad depending on the amount of domestic work they do. There is no “discount” for those who also go to work. But, Aerial, took the extra step to make this tiny issue an echoing thought in the minds of the people. In an age, where we often question brands on how woke they themselves are, Aerial, took the plunge to prove themselves and how!

Source:

#ShareTheLoad: A walk through Ariel’s most successful campaign

The #ShareTheLoad Journey

Ariel’s #ShareTheLoad campaign: Back with a bang?

As I sit to write this, I don’t know whether I should call this a blog or an open letter. But, the thought of finally penning this down, overpowers my other thoughts. They overwhelm me. It’s not like you weren’t there for me. You did everything that a middle class dad would do. You put me in a good school, took me to tuitions, got me all my favourite chocolates. You fulfilled all your responsibilities and still are! Then, what is my complain for you?

Well, in spite of fulfilling every responsibility that a father has, somehow, somewhere, you pushed me in a well. A well full of cobwebs, darkness, shame and under-confidence about me, myself, my body. You were one of those first people who body shamed me, compared me with my cousins, made me question my self-worth. I remember how you would insult me in front of our relatives, making fun of my body, making fun of my gestures when I was merely of what? 10 years? It was for you that I knew the concept of dieting at that age. I was only ten years old when I knew, however I was, I wasn’t good enough. Then, as I grew up and reached the late teens, we couldn’t ignore the inevitable fights anymore. Remember how we would fight about every god damn thing in the world? How I should behave, what I should wear, what you should do to be a better person? You always thought that I meant you were a bad father, even though I never did. You never asked. You never clarified.

And then, one day, I understood the core of the problems. It was the imbibed patriarchy in you, the misogynistic concepts that were force-fed into your brain. There wouldn’t have been a problem if I was okay with the little sparks of sexism in you, but as it turned out, I had already poured myself in the “vile” concepts of feminism. I couldn’t tolerate the fact that you, the man, I once looked up to for everything in my life doesn’t believe in the concept that I felt was the most significant. But then, as I reached my 20s, I realized it wasn’t entirely your fault. It got clearer when we went for that therapy session and the counsellor pointed out the difference in our educational backgrounds.

Yes, you’re the man who took up the responsibility of a family of six when you were twenty-one, you’re the man who gave me an education which taught me about all these concepts, you’re the man who fights with me over petty issues and then offer me chocolates, you’re the man who sends me multiple selfies at one go to irritate me. Once my 12^th standard English teacher who could also apparently read faces, told me I’m very compassionate about you. That’s when I realized why it always hurt so much when I fought with you. Why wasn’t it the same feeling as when mom did it? Maybe, because I’ve always taken you as my first hero but never really noticed myself. So, no! Maybe, we’re not the quintessential father-daughter duo but, I know whom to go to. I just know you’ll have a solution to everything. And, I miss you terribly!

I’ll put a picture of us when we click a good one.

The year was 2005. The place, Delhi’s Khan Market. Laxmi Agarwal, a little girl of only fifteen was attacked in the face with acid by Guddu and Rakhi, both being her acquaintances. Why? Because, she refused to marry Guddu, a 32 year old man who also happened to be Rakhi’s brother. The entire life of the little girl changed overnight.

After the attack, instead of support and encouragement she found people taunting her and calling her names. Some would even go up to the extent of blaming her for the attack complaining that how she should have been polite enough in rejecting Guddu. This shattered her even more. She saw no other option but to attempt suicide. Fortunately, she had her family as the backbone. Her brother would continuously motivate her to be strong enough to fight for the world. Looking at their faces, she decided to take the case to the court. The case went on for four years and finally Guddu was sent to prison for 10 years and his sister Rakhi for 7 years. But even amidst all this, Laxmi suffered drastically. She couldn’t wear any kind of clothes as her skin would burn and itch. She couldn’t use sanitary napkins during her menstruation days as even a little bit of clothing would make her bruised body pain more. She had to stay under blankets all day. She underwent seven skin treatments which cost her family 20 lakh rupees. Even then, the last nail in the coffin was when she looked at her face in the mirror after 2.5 months.

It was only in 2009 that Laxmi decided to start studying again. “One day, I saw myself in the mirror and thought, ‘what is the use of doing a beautification and tailoring course if I cover my face?’ I decided that I had nothing to be ashamed of and I removed the dupatta and started walking freely,” recalled Laxmi in an article by YourStory. She started her diploma in vocational training at the National Institute of Open Schooling, Delhi. In 2013, she started working with Channv Foundation, an NGO for acid attack victims and became the director of the organization. She also started her campaign #StopSaleAcid hand in hand which garnered 27,000 signatures in its petition and led the Supreme Court to order the Central and State Governments to regulate the sale of acid in different states. In 2014, she received the Internal Women of Courage award from the then US first lady, Michelle Obama.

Currently, Laxmi is associated with a lot of social work along with her own ventures on women safety and acid ban. A film called “Chhapaak” is being made based on her life starring Deepika Padukone. Laxmi also counsels patients about the right procedures in case of an attack.

Here lies the story of a fighter who showed the world how to do it. But, it’s the story of one Laxmi who had the indomitable courage to fight back. There are thousand other Laxmis who get lost in the crowd every day. Some of them do not get enough support, some of them do not do it because they feel it’s shameful. According to a report of Indian Journal of Burns, 72% of reported acid attacks involved women. This will only stop when people are properly educated and women are not just commodities of use to them.

On the former part of this year, I was interning with a public relations firm called Ketchum Sampark. Being a newbie in the business of public relations, I, obviously had no knowledge about anything, whatsoever. Every day was like a new beginning to me because I would learn something new each day. And honestly, I liked doing most of the things I learnt. Be it talking to the media on the phone, writing press releases, creating pitch notes or documentation of the work. Yes! I am that person who likes documentation! The only thing that I dreaded was updating the media lists. I’ll tell you why.

A media list is a document containing the names, contacts, e-mail ids, field of expertise and publications of people belonging from the media. People from the lists usually are journalists, bloggers, writers, editors and influencers. Now, I dreaded updating the media list because I did not have any idea from I could find out their details. I would always look at the already created media list and wonder who took up all the effort to collate so much data in such a neat and diligent manner. And then, one day I was assigned the task of updating the lists! All hell broke loose! But then, I figured, no was going to listen to my whining. So, why not get it over with?

This is what I figured out:

1. Every public relations firm has a newspaper/reading room where all the newspapers, magazines, books etc. are kept. One has to go sit in there with a few hours in hand and go through the newspapers thoroughly, even the smallest of articles cannot be missed. The e-mail ids of the journalists are generally given at the beginning or the bottom of the article along with their names. The same goes with the pieces written by the editor as well as with the authored articles.
2. The same procedure can be followed with the magazines too. Somewhere around the index page of the magazine, the name of the editor, the sub-editor, the feature writer, the designer all are mentioned!
3. Now, updating the bloggers’ or the influencers’ list is a bit more challenging than the others. Here, one has to take a look at the already created list (if any) before proceeding. Once you are done with that, the process is pretty simple. One has to log on to Instagram and search the most commonly used hashtags or the city names one by one and all the names of the bloggers who has used those hashtags in their posts or belong from the city one has searched for will come out easily! Generally, their e-mail ids are given at the top of their profiles only.

However, what about those whose names that are mentioned in the publications but you cannot find their contact details? In a situation like this, one can call up the board line numbers of their respective publications and ask for their contact details. All of them are polite enough to provide with the basics because they know that’s a part of the job. After this, one needs to cross check if the other names are still valid. If not, just erase them out and there, you have, a perfectly updated and accurate media list. A perfectly accurate media list is very important because otherwise, people end up calling a wrong person for a wrong reason and in turn building up a bad image. So, even if media lists are quite challenging and toilsome, they are a savior in the long run.