CIM Sri Lanka hosts fourth Talking Point Programme for the year 2016

Is PR the best way to create brand affinity?

Chartered Institute of Marketing, Sri Lanka hosted the fourth Talking Point recently, which was a panel discussion that is likely to create a paradigm shift in the way Sri Lanka communicates to the general public. The interesting session was titled “Exploring the Digital frontiers of PR” and
Over 100 Marketers, Corporate Leaders, Executives and Professionals gathered at JAIC Hilton to listen to what the experts on the subject had to say.

The speakers were Nimal Gunawardena – CEO, Bates Strategic Alliance PR, Nisthar Cassim – renowned journalist and Founding Editor of Daily FT, and Hasrath Munasinghe – Deputy General Manager, Marketing, Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC. The moderator of the program was Lakshaman Bandaranayake – Director, Lanka Business Online.

Traditional PR has been forced to adapt to meet the needs of the online market. Search engines, blogs, forums and online communication tools are now in greater demand than the traditional offline media forms such as print, radio, television and events to reach the target audience. Consumer engaging content, attention getting cut through and immediate feedback from the consumer are some of the advantages that have given digital campaigns the edge over traditional PR.
Not so, maintained Hasrath Munasinghe, who pointed out that “institutions such as banks with a long and important story to tell need to use traditional media, especially newspapers to narrate, what they have to say regarding complex financial news.”
Nimal Gunawardena said “PR is reputation management, not free media publicity or substitute for advertising. PR is third party endorsement about your product or service. Definition of PR is the discipline that nurtures goodwill and credibility and builds long-term credibility among your stakeholders.”
Nisthar pointed out the fact that most readers only buy one newspaper and that’s why PR is important in communicating to a wider audience. “PR has to be relevant, especially when it is in Sinhala and Tamil. What appeals to readers in English may not be relevant in Sinhala and Tamil” he said.
“PR works with influencers and creates affinity with the brand” added Nimal Gunawardena. “Today we have many tools. You have advertising, PR and content marketing in the social media. You need a combination of all these tools. Content marketing is a digital platform that can engage your audience because you can share your expertise such as tips on beauty care and make a connection that will create affinity with your brand in many interesting, engaging ways that other tools cannot offer.”
Charaka Perera, Head of Membership Development, CIM SL concluded the session by thanking the speakers for sharing informative views on the topic and also thanked the participants and sponsors for their contribution in sustaining the success of the ‘Talking Point series’.
The Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka organizes many versatile events catering to the varying needs of its members, thereby adding value to its membership and contributing towards the excellence in the marketing profession of Sri Lanka. The CIM Talking Point series was initiated as a part of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme, which enables the members of the Institute to further develop their professional careers.