Divika Jethmal

I had the privilege of speaking on a panel today at the Global Alliance for Public Relations and Communication Management World PR Forum in Bali, alongside esteemed colleagues, to discuss the evolving role of public relations in advancing global sustainability. Here are a few highlights from my contributions: - The role of PR has evolved - it is now a gateway to change. Today, we are not just storytellers—we are agents of change, driving positive social and environmental transformation. - To truly support sustainability, we must communicate honestly and responsibly, back up environmental claims with verifiable evidence and affirm messages with meaningful action. - Greenwashing is more than just misleading - it can be harmful. Beyond reputational damage, loss of trust, and financial penalties, greenwashing jeopardises genuine climate actions and hinders environmental progress. #SustainabilityCommunications #PRForChange #Greenwashing #GlobalSustainability #ResponsibleCommunication #earthmaverick Noella M. @Kristy Nelman and moderator T. Marlene Danusutedjo, IAPR

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Completely agree with this. Recovery is a lot slower I think than agencies anticipated (especially in the tech sector) so looking at alternative strategies for growth is a must, even with the roots of growth showing.

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Unpopular opinion, but the most underrated and critical skill required in #PR and strategic communications is the ability to speak “Truth to Power”. Clients or your CEO do not want a Yes Sir / Yes Mam person in their Comms or PR role. They expect you to counsel them on some of their most strategic business decisions that will impact reputation and bottom line too. Learn to speak truth to power. It will not be easy at first, as we are designed to avoid confrontation, but once we master it, it will have a long lasting impact on not just your function, role or career but also help in developing your own personal brand. Do your homework well. Invest in being thoroughly informed of your business and the environment in which it operates. Speak to stakeholders, internal and external - basis which develop your comms counsel. But remember, speaking truth to power requires you to not just be brave and honest but also do so with empathy, tact and a level of diplomacy. Develop an instinct for choosing your moments, and that instinct must be sharpened through your life experience and observation. Read the room, as they say, provided there’s a foundation of trust and mutual respect already in place and go forth! It’ll be life changing, I tell you. #TwentyYearsinPR #PR #StrategicComms #SpeakingTruthToPower #MyLifeExperiences #MyLife #MyStories #LifeLessons

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Where does the #publicrelations industry in #Asia and beyond move towards? Who are the movers and shakers? What are the latest trends? #PR is certainly not dead at all! Great conversation with communications expert and industry veteran Robert Pickard, OG. Onwards and upwards! #growth #asiapacific #integrated #corporatecommunications #reputationmanagement #value

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It has not been an easy year , by any measure, for Asia-Pacific PR firms — so it's worth shouting out: 😇 The agencies that put their heads above the parapet and spoke to us honestly about their performance, warts and all, in this year's Agencies of the Year competition. 🏅All of the firms that were subsequently shortlisted across the 14 Geographic and Specialist categories. The best firms, surely, prove their mettle under challenging conditions, and it seems unlikely that many have experienced a more testing period than the past 12 months. Full analysis of the 52 shortlisted firms can be found at the link below, the result once again of an extensive research process that is either a labour of love, or a love of labour 😍 🔬 Our Agencies of the Year competition might be best known for the baubles it bestows at the annual SABRE Awards ceremonies, but I often view the process as an invaluable means of taking the current temperature of the various regional PR industries that we cover. So I'll be back soon with further analysis of the key trends that have emerged from the research. A big thank you to everyone that participated this year. I'll see you at the 2024 Asia-Pacific Summit & SABRE Awards in Singapore on 19 September. Get your tickets soon!

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Have you ever wondered what type of content works best for your business or even just for your own profile?  Here's how you stand out in a crowded and aggressive market. #content #excutiveprofiles #thoughtleaders #leadership #profiling #business

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Can our key messages stay forever young? One challenge we often face is knowing when to revise these key messages. They may have served us well in the past, but as our brands and organisations evolve, so too should our key messages. So, how do we tackle this challenge? It’s all about staying attuned to our organisation’s growth and changes. Here are a few tips I have used over the years: 1. Monitor and Measure: Regularly review your key messages against your current goals. Are they still aligned? If not, it might be time for a revision. 2. Feedback is Key: Listen to your stakeholders. Are they resonating with your messages? Use surveys or feedback sessions to gauge this. 3. Stay Current: Keep an eye on industry trends and shifts. Your key messages should reflect not only who you are as an organisation but also the context in which you operate. Remember, our key messages might not be forever young, but with regular revision, they can stay forever relevant. Need more help? Join our new Run Your Own Marketing community at www.ryom.strtgcommsgrp.com. I provide tools + resources (templates, guides, etc.), training, and solution-ing (process, curation, etc.) as well as a peer community to learn with, to support you establishing a successful brand and business. With over 20+ years in the industry, I have created frameworks, methods and content that enable you and/or your team to launch, grow, execute and earn revenue effectively and efficiently. Follow me on LinkedIn/subscribe at my website (https://lnkd.in/gQJ5ePbH) to receive my weekly newsletter where I share my learnings and opinions from a communicator’s perspective. #strategiccommunications #strtgcommsgrp #levelup #training #upskilling #lifelonglearning #publicrelations #PR #prstrategy #communications #storytelling #narrative #branding #brandstrategy #runningaPRbusiness #pragency #projectmanagement #marketing #marketingstrategy #leadership #marketingtips #prtips #SMEtips

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Earlier this week I had a chance to put my thinking cap on with a few very thoughtful people. We spent an hour delving into Edelman's 2024 Trust Barometer data for the Asia Pacific region. A few notable takeaways: -Asia Pacific has a sizeable regional tech advantage opportunity that has the potential to benefit all if well delivered.  -Expectations and needs of AI vary by market. In India and Indonesia AI is seen as a gateway to bettering education, while in South Korea AI is expected to boost the economy by enhancing productivity and innovation, and in Japan with the backdrop of an ageing population AI is seen to be enabling better access to health care.  -There’s good news for communicators, we have a willing and receptive audience who want to know more. Half of them are already coming to our company’s owned channels as a source of information. We spoke about these themes and much more besides. Thanks to Institute for Public Relations for hosting and to Margot Edelman Warren Fernandez Lynne Mulholland Andrew Wheatley for a great conversation https://lnkd.in/gYUfahFn

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Recently the PR mess originated by the series of outrageous remarks of a senior Baidu PR executive in Douyin aroused a tremendous backlash in Chinese social media. Her behaviors were unfathomable and generated many questions at first sight: Aren’t PR executives supposed to work behind the scene? How could she take the liberty to come to the centre stage instead? More importantly, the mandate of communication professionals is to help companies uphold their reputation. Why did she act in other way round?           Later there were news reports divulging that this female PR executive of Baidu has already established her own company in April. Its businesses are to sell FMCG, household appliances, telecommunications devices and garments online, i.e. via livestreaming selling. Logically people tend to think that she did this in order to grab Internet traffic for herself and her own company.         I could only say the entire incident is utterly lack of professional decency. It brings a dark day to the PR industry in China in which many stakeholders are being impacted. For instance, female PR professionals have been working very hard for decades to fight for respect and recognition they legitimately deserve. Such efforts are particularly important in the China market where female PR executives sometimes are being wrongly stereotyped with stained glasses. This Baidu PR lady has pushed her peers’ years of painstaking efforts backwards for miles and left them in tatters.             Baidu’s reputation also receives a big blow. But this incident begs a question: This senior PR leader has been with the company for quite a while and her idiosyncrasies are not formed in one day. This means the company should have known these for some time and decides not to do anything about it. What kind of signal in terms of the company’s corporate culture does this reflect?   Email: [email protected] WeChat: Edwinparadigm

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Blue-sky thinking refers to ideas that are not limited by the current beliefs or norms of a group or society 7 ways to use Blue Sky Thinking in PR: 1. Embrace Unrestricted Creativity: Encourage your team to think freely. No idea is too wild or impractical. 2. Innovate Campaigns: Brainstorm unique campaign ideas that break the mold. Stand out in a crowded market. 3. Manage Crises Creatively: Traditional responses might not work during a crisis. Explore unconventional solutions to protect your brand. 4. Engage Audiences in New Ways: Use Blue Sky Thinking to connect with your audience. Interactive campaigns and new tech can boost loyalty. 5. Solve Problems Differently: Break down issues without preconceived notions. Find root causes and develop comprehensive solutions. 6. Foster Collaboration: Diverse perspectives enhance creativity. Create an environment where everyone contributes. 7. Push Boundaries: Blue Sky Thinking helps you explore new avenues. Innovate and enhance your PR strategies. #PR #Campaigns #PRProfessionals #PRP #BlueSkyThinking Sanjay Gupta Dr. Sarvesh Tiwari

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What do you think will be the big trends for professional communicators in 2025? Here are some ideas I’ve been considering: AI – Its influence on productivity, creativity, and reputation management continues to grow. Climate Action – As severe weather events become more frequent and impactful, they’re affecting communities and employees. At the same time, some regions seem to be reverting to a "drill baby drill" mindset. Diversity and Inclusion – Advances in this area may face setbacks as some regions attempt to rewind progress. The Impact of Social Media – Governments are increasingly focused on minimising the harmful effects of social media, especially on children and in political discourse. The Role of Traditional Media – Wealthy individuals and organisations continue to exert significant influence through these channels. While these trends are fairly obvious, here’s a sleeper issue I think will gain traction: Freedom – A growing tension is emerging between those who view freedom as the right to do as they wish, and those who see it as the right to dignity and be free from harm.

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🌐 The Unsung Hero of Global Agencies: Internal Comms 🌐 Imagine this: multiple time zones, endless emails, complex client demands—global agency life in a nutshell. Amid this whirlwind, the internal communications team quietly holds everything together. They weave the spider's webs in the background for everyone else to walk across. Who are they? Alignment Carriers 🚦: They ensure everyone’s on the same page, cutting through the noise so teams don’t feel lost or disconnected. Culture Builders 🧱: Celebrating wins, uniting departments, and making sure employees feel valued—it’s the glue that fosters belonging. Navigators of Change 🌪️: In an industry where change is constant, they help steer teams through uncertainty with clear, confident updates. Internal comms isn’t just a “nice-to-have”; it’s the pulse of an agency. 💼 If your agency doesn’t already prioritize this, consider giving your internal comms team a seat at the table. Investing in them is investing in the success of every person on your team. #InternalComms #AgencyLife #GlobalTeams #EmployeeEngagement

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I love that it's no longer taboo to talk about burnout. Having worked in an agency environment for the past 16 years, it has been refreshing to witness the change first-hand. In the past, you would often hear consultants humblebrag about how many hours they had billed that week, or how they had coffee in their veins instead of blood, or how little sleep they were able to survive on. 🙄 The funny thing was that quantity didn't always equate to quality. Quality work happened when you were able to bring your best self to work. 🙌 I was reminded of this when I listened to this podcast featuring Stephen Lew from The School of Positive Psychology. Take a listen if the subject interests you! #client #wellbeing #flourishing #burnout

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We #PR #Communications people excel at pre-mortems. We anticipate all that could go wrong. Not because we're pessimistic, but because we must be prepared. Pre-mortems let us plan for various scenarios and set guardrails so that when a scenario hits in a time-starved environment, we don't spend time deciding what to do – 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨. Of course, we can't plan for everything. Scenarios are innately spontaneous and we’re humans, not oracles. 𝐖𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭. Those decisions can change with new information. What I appreciate most about an in-house role is the smoother flow of information. Even if the flow gets blocked, we can leverage relationships we've built within the organisation to unblock it. That 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 helps with pre-mortems. So please, trust your #PR #Communications people. The more we know, the better we can do our pre-mortems.

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Hey Africa! Read ALL about what we've been up to right here! Karam Malhotra, CEO at Xtend, said, "We're proud to be at the forefront of AI-powered advertising solutions that revolutionize how businesses connect with their target audience. Xtend has been built to extend the capabilities of some of the top performance-oriented companies in the world and drive difficult lower marketing funnel conversions. We are constantly innovating and leveraging AI and deep machine learning as a core part of our technology to create valuable customer journeys. Xtend's robust algorithms generate an estimated 10 million buyers monthly, catering to diverse acquisition, re-engagement, and upselling needs."

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The PR industry has evolved so much since I started Kendrick PR in 2015. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is the power of genuine relationships and aligning with people's values. This extends from employees, to business partners, clients and the media. PR isn’t just about coverage, it’s about building long-term trust and for me, this begins with common values. I believe this is what helped me to grow Kendrick PR into an award-winning agency - so what are your thoughts on a values-led approach in business? #PRLife #FounderInsights #KendrickPR #femalefounder #pragency

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Excellent blog penned by Matrix, SAY's Middle East agency partner & fellow member of global PR agency network The Plexus PR Group. Read why companies, marketers & public relations (PR) agencies need to understand the risks AI presents, & what the most prudent & ethical ways of managing them are. #authenticity #reputation #trust

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