"If you don't present yourself or your ideas effectively, you will get lost" - Pradyuman Maheshwari, Editor-in-Chief & CEO, MxMIndia

The Online Advantage

Mr. Maheshwari began by talking about the media revolution that online news websites have brought in. The ease of setting up a website has helped news portals focus on specialized content catering to a smaller audience, instead of catering to masses to meet revenue demands.

Additionally, as Mr. Maheshwari pointed out, if credibility was an issue in the past, online portals are slowly breaking this perception. “If you serve your reader well, credibility can be built,” said Mr. Maheshwari, citing the example of PagalGuy, an online MBA resource that started out small but is today one of the most trustworthy portals accessed by MBA aspirants in India.
Mr. Maheshwari believes this same trustworthiness and specialized content is something that businesses can adopt by turning to the online medium and shifting the focus on the consumer. “Businesses must factor in the online world and optimally exploit it to their advantage. One can set up a website, promote oneself on social media, launch an online publication and tailor-make content for better SEO.”

Communicate to Succeed

In the second half of his talk, drawing a link between journalism and marketing, Mr. Maheshwari said, “Journalism is the presentation of information. Marketing too is the packaging and presenting of information. ”

As an exercise, Mr. Maheshwari showed students the latest Flipkart TVC which features a spoof on a popular TV news show and its star anchor. He then divided the class into two groups – one representing the brand itself and the other representing journalists – and asked them to create an elevator pitch i.e. convey the essence of the ad in 10 seconds.

The students attempted to stick to the brief and while some nailed it, many fumbled. “You can use information, exploit information but if you don’t do it well enough, it can cause problems,” said Mr. Maheshwari. Emphasizing the importance of knowing how to communicate effectively, he added in today’s world, it is imperative to be able to do 3 things –

1) Present information in a concise, coherent way
2) Identify what is the most important thing to say and say it appropriately, based on the medium of communication
3) Identify who you are speaking on behalf of and adjust your content accordingly

“Across industries, the most important thing is the skill of marketing yourself and your brand. If you don’t present yourself or your ideas effectively, you will get lost,” said Mr. Maheshwari.

To see more photos from the event, visit http://on.fb.me/15DuxaK