Public Relations, Reach & connect – Then & Now, the Mahatma Way!
One of the most powerful, influential, impactful & historic events that took place in the last one century is undoubtedly India’s fight for freedom struggle which was lead by the one and only Mahatma Gandhi as in Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi – (MKG).
Uniting the world for a single cause across cities in a country which was then reluctant to change was a task which made the freedom fighter more than just a legend. How did he do it?
The adoption of a powerful strategy, well planned and executed to connect people across globally was one of the core aspects of this Mahatma’s plan. His focus, India’s freedom.
It was the Mahatma with so many other National Leaders & freedom fighters who made this dream possible, but we remember MKG the most not only because of his virtues, ideas, beliefs but also for the way he executed each strategy, calm and well thought over.
Some of his most prominent actions to which the entire nation responded in unanimity were: (Please note, these are just my personal views from mere observations and thoughts. Scholars over decades have tried to study the Mahatma before, but its almost impossible to even fathom to even try and understand his way of life, no wonder he is the Mahatma)
- He believed that for any dream, vision to come true, the people who are part of that community need to be brought together. He wanted them to know what was possible and what could be achieved. He made it clear that the road less travelled would not be easy but what it could ultimately provide. His honesty, sincerity and dedication towards his goals slowly brought together people from various walks of life nationwide.
- His first and foremost strategy was to reach out to the masses.
- He published various books, magazines and periodicals throughout the fight for freedom in languages that people could relate to, hindi, gujrati and English through the Harijan, Indian Opinion, Young India, An autobiography of my Experiments with Truth etc. and fed the entire nation with relevant information and kept them updated.
Indian Opinion by MKG
Young INDIA by MKG
- He was a barrister by profession. Yet, he chose clothes that defined his dream. Simple and truthful. This fragile looking man created an ocean of impact with his message right from the way he dressed. This he always believed made it easier to connect with the Indian masses.
- He associated through his life, works and routine a symbol that would mean so much more in the journey ahead. His logo even today is depicted metaphorically as the chakra (wheel).
- His khadi clothes, powerful slogans and events that he strategized like the Satyagraha, Dandi March, Do or Die, Quit India movement, Equity enshrined education for all gave people an opportunity to not only create the much needed awareness and impact but also brought them closer to each other. With more people talking about it, the awareness spread like a wildfire and each event and slogan was received with more zest and zeal.
- Each and every step he took brought him closer towards his goal of India’s freedom and he finally achieved it with lot of team work and a faith that would stand to be more historic than anything else this world would ever have seen.
When I trace back these steps, I could read the following actions in the process:
– Adapting to the local flavor but at the same time reaching at the global level with a single message. The Mahatma with his clothes and Chakra had created a symbol and a logo that people could easily relate to. Just like a Symbol or Logo today makes us connect with a brand.
– He optimally utilized the power of words, message, communication, feedback and responses through his various literary works and periodical journals to people all across the globe. Power of Words whether its a newspaper, blog, Journal, Magazine, the idea is to share the latest updates, get feedback and responses too.
– His events created awareness and his slogans helped spread the message quickly and with the impact that it needed to create. Events have always been a part of the larger role for any organization. Today we know it as a webinar in the case of Live Events aired online in this digital age.
When we put this all together we realize, this is what each marketer tries to achieve through his or her campaigns.
In simple terms the most important factor of all is mass appeal and connect. If you are able to reach your message, slogan, brand to people that’s the core of any campaign to begin with. Similarly holding events has always been an integral part of any campaign and thus generating an overall positive PR impact through literary works to complement these events.
When we look at it, we realize that the Mahatma was an early preacher and practitioner of PR as a tool to get the message across in the right fashion.
Though his ideals and goal is of a caliber that goes beyond something one could even dream of & even imagining walking in his path seems so utterly humongous task even for large corporations today which are filled with resources, people resources and financial backing, it’s yet clear that only through a systematized planning that any campaign can achieve success.
So plan, design and have a strategic implementation with clearly defined goals.
It’s not for a cause as necessary and massive as Freedom for a Nation but the core being to give the people at the end may be a Brand they can trust which provides them with a service that’s worthy of their time, money and resource and at the same time help to build loyal followers.
Isn’t that what Marketing & PR is all about when done in the right way!
Today the scenario might have changed, people would have changed, general thought process and approach would have changed. Keeping all these in mind and the technology that has been undergoing a dramatic move ahead, facilitating access to more and more people globally across various age groups, several developments have taken place.
Gradually, the medium of communication has been changing….. newspapers, radios, televisions, computer, digital age, social media communication & connect with Mobile integration has now taken over the job of a wider coverage at a rapid pace.
No wonder powerhouses like Facebook and Superbrands like Starbucks have such a loyal follow globally. It’s not just the product, it’s the whole approach that creates the much needed impact.
This is why as for Brands, my personal Favorite quote always will be: Brands today have a much larger role to play, to connect with the consumer within!
Stay connected, plan, design, implement, measure but most importantly do it with the idea of adding value to your end users!
Stay connected.
Thank You. Feel free to share your views & comments here.
Ananth V
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