As Branding Fever Grips Para Pujos, PR Firms See Brisk Biz

KOLKATA: The ubiquitous Parar Pujo is no longer a simple, local affair, if the cash kitty is considered a determinant. Parar Pujo, or the Durga Puja hosted in virtually every Kolkata neighbourhood, has become a highly commercialised event with budgets hovering on scores of lakhs and in some cases organisers hiring public relation (PR) agencies to professionally manage the grand affair.
The organisers attribute this trend to rising competition among various pujas. "As recognition is now determined by awards, media coverage and footfalls, there is a need for professional assistance for enhanced visibility ," a puja committee member said.

Besides the regular job profile of managing the media and getting updates published on television, print and Web, the PR firms are now tasked to rope in celebrities for the khuti puja (purification of land to set up the pandal) and inauguration of pujas. According to industry sources, PR activities start either a month before the Pujas or from Mahalaya. Payments also vary accordingly . On the average, payments range from Rs 50,000 to Rs 150,000, depending on the assignment.Agencies roping in celebrities charge more than those handling only media coverage.

Some PR firms are giving a free service for purely personal rapport, said Sreeraj Mitra of Sagittarius Inc, while some got involved with the pujas for their clients. "Our client TBZ-The Original offered the Durga idol of Santoshpur Lake Pally with an intricately designed 24karat gold crown. It drove us to create a buzz about the puja and sponsorship in the media," said Adfactors PR branch manager Yatharth Goel.

Ankit Agarwal and Prerna Kothari, who are responsible for the branding and PR activity of the Bhawanipore 75 Palli Puja, said: "It is very difficult for small para clubs to plan something big and also manage the media and sponsors on their own.We take care of the technicalities, making the whole process easier."

Corporatisation of Durga Puja is not new to the city . A steady rush of sponsors has helped make the fourday festival a cultural extravaganza from a mere religious event.

"Branding has reached such a level that even the simple morning prasad and afternoon bhog are named after sponsors at many pandals. Pandal premises are used for publicity and branding in view of the huge crowd that the pandals now attract. Bigger the crowd, greater is the prestige for a pandal. And that's where professional crowd management comes in," said Say antan Das Adhikari, director at Candid Communication.

The agency is giving away the Digital Impact Award for smaller pujas this year. The top three slots were grabbed by virtually unknown pujas on Golf Club Road, Sahapur Colony near Behala and Prafulla Kanan in Keshtopur. The last one got 5,000 likes on its Facebook page. "Brands are now showing interest in this since cost of digital advertising is relatively lower," Adhikari said.

The trend is not confined to Kolkata alone. Pujas in other cities too are creating buzz, unleashing business prospects for professionals. "Instead of hiring PR firms, puja committees in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore have roped in journalists or individuals working in PR firms or columnists in their committee to help promote their pujas through media coverage or manage the social media," public relations and communications consultancy firm Ketchum Sampark's director told ET from Mumbai.

The North Bombay Sarbajanin Durga Puja in Santacruz East has a journalist and a photojournalist working with a prominent media house as committee members, he said.

The Bengali Association in Bangalore is in its 67th year. It has its own website which is managed by a committee member who had been a media professional. “We have a huge footfall and extensive media coverage,“ Robin Majumdar, a key organiser of the puja, said.