Ashwani Singla

Jury Member PR Lions 62nd Festival of Creativity 2015, Cannes

Good reputation is the topmost priority of a Chief Executive
It takes years of hard work to build a good reputation, be it a company, an individual or a political entity. But that good will can be damaged or tarnished in just a few minutes. The hyper-active media of today, which act as the prosecutor, the jury and the judge, and the constant glare of a real-time social media sans frontiers, have made it a must that steps are taken to build, nurture and protect reputation in a sustained manner. A specialist Reputation Management company has become the need of the hour.

Reputation Management is no longer merely about good press and social media presence. Promoting the work of a company or a public figure to stand apart from others, earning the respect and trust of their stakeholders is an advantage like never before. Management of reputation, company or public figure is no longer accidental. It has to be planned, deliberate and consistent programme, rooted in knowledge and driven by results.

To be successful, reputation management consultants today, will need to develop a profound understanding of the audience mind set, create a simple yet compelling narrative with its roots in purpose and authenticity, driven through persuasive communication across multiple mediums. This is the key to shaping opinion in an ethical manner and this what the founding fathers of the profession intended public relations to be.

At Astrum, we are a multi-disciplinary team of specialist working together to help our clients earn public goodwill.

Crisis can strike anytime. Better be insured against it.
Companies and public figures live under the constant scrutiny of its stakeholders, especially the press, civil society and citizen journalists. Even the smallest of infractions could become a subject of breaking news or start trending online.In a 24X7 news cycle, having a modus operandi that responds effectively to a brewing crisis and nips it in the bud is not enough. You must have a pro-active crisis communication strategy that prepares you to respond to any unforeseen crisis in a timely and effective manner.

Every company ought to prepare, if not, you are prone to more damage. The basic steps of effective crisis communications are not difficult, but they require advance preparation, crisis communication training and a comprehensive crisis communication plan in order to mitigate damage to your reputation.

Simple rules for crisis communication:

Crisis Preparedness Planning. Create a preparedness plan that games scenarios of possible crisis and an appropriate response. Crisis preparedness plans are time-consuming and painstaking, which is why many companies don’t create them. However, when faced with a crisis, these plans actually save critical time and resources, a crucial difference that will not only protect your company’s reputation but also gain goodwill of your stakeholders.
Crisis Communication Support. It’s imperative to acknowledge crisis situations immediately. You may not have all the details for days, or even weeks, but a prompt communication to your key stakeholders will (a) minimize speculation and rumour and (b) let audiences know you are in control thus safeguarding your company’s reputation.
When that reputation comes under attack, protecting and defending it becomes the highest priority. Crisis communication training is designed to protect and defend an individual or your facing a public challenge to its reputation. These challenges may come in the form of an investigation from a government agency, a criminal allegation, a shareholder’s lawsuit, an accident, defective product or any number of other scenarios involving the legal, ethical or financial standing of an entity. To emerge with its reputation intact, an organization must anticipate and respond immediately and with confidence. This training will help companies to prepare for this kind of situations and guide them through the process.

As a final act of crisis communications, Our crisis communications team support companies go public with its self-assessment. This gives the community further proof that the organization takes the crisis very seriously and has safeguards in place to avoid even the threat of such a crisis happening again.

Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed.
-Abraham Lincoln
From overnight night blitz polls to highly-complex studies of Bizfluentials™, Astrum takes the pulse of public opinion as it relates to politics, policy, attitudes and experiences. Public opinion research forms the basis of our reputation management programmes and provides insights rooted in the views of stakeholders that matter.

Whether you are looking to devise a winning election strategy, win support for a cause or shape your corporate reputation, public opinion is the key to your success and a well-designed and executed public opinion survey is an important instrument in achieving that larger purpose.

Our expertise in designing public opinion surveys, relentless focus on veracity of respondents and responses through extensive use of technology, data analytics, combined with access to micro level targeting data at village and municipality level has today made Astrum, India’s premiere science based advisory in helping CXOs and senior political leaders understand and shape public opinion ethically.

Don’t just govern the people. Involve them. Walk the talk with them
Business and political interests share a common goal: The greatest good of the greatest number. But they often come at loggerheads owing to factors like constituent interests, competitive advantage and so on. An honest dialogue between the government and the industry is critical to the development of the nation. This has to become the new definition of how corporations and governments need to engage – a convergence of commercial and national interests.

Recent elections have pointed to the fact that governments that perform stay in office. Divisive policies and doles don’t work. Therefore, consistent communication and engagement of citizens hold the key to their participation and involvement in the programmes and projects of the government. For any politician aiming to get re-elected, a clear narrative and persuasive communication is a must as that alone ensures that your advocates remain with you.