The late & great Sir Winston Churchill had once quoted, “He who fails to plan is planning to fail”. Quite an impressive quote, especially when it’s quoted by one of the greatest wartime leaders. But even uncle Winston would agree that he never intended the Second World War to take place, it just happened and all the planning came into play. Moral of the story, we can plan all we want but don’t bank on things to run according to plan. This philosophy majorly finds its application in the field of communication where plans can go for a toss with every little change in the influencing environment…the so called “variable factor”
The variable factor is that inconsistent element surrounding us which can act as major catalyst for big disasters. For Example, a particular brand invests lakhs for a nationwide AD campaign with a big Bollywood celebrity but a day before the Ads hit your TV screens, the celebrity gets involved in a murky scandal making himself & the brand untouchable (in a bad way). In short, the variable factor is the one thing on which we have limited or zero control. Also a point worth getting aware is the fact that, though we may have no control over the elements, we shall be invariably held responsible for the associated disasters. In a true Mumbaiya style it would result in a situation best described as, “Khaya Piya Kuch Nahi, Glass Toda Baarana”. So what can be done in such situations where the variable factor screws up your all plans?
Now being a bit experienced in such situations and escaping its dangerous outcomes in more than a couple of occasions, my first suggestion would be RUN!!! The second suggestion to follow the first one is, GRAB ALL THE PLANS THAT SHOW YOUR INVLOVLMENT & THEN…RUN!!!!! But a much practical solution to these issues especially for those in the communication field is to try & expect the variable factor in advance. This means, be prepared for such things to happen & keep your plans a bit flexible so that you can adapt accordingly. Also an important point to remember is to be in tune with the environment, because if you are smart enough you will get the signals much earlier than the event itself. For example, tracking a celebrity’s history, his filmography & his publicity stunts would help you realize how unpredictable he can be. But in case you have ignored the signals and are now in midst of a major crisis, it better to come up with an immediate PR attempt, for both yourself & for your brand. It has to be unplanned and spontaneous because planning in such tight situations may lead to a recap of what happened before. Though my last advice may seem extremely impractical, it will help you in dealing with the issue if you can say “It’s all good” and try to move on.
In the Oscar winning movie, Forrest Gump, Forrest’s mother tells him that, “Life Is like a Box of Chocolates… You Never Know What You’re Gonna Get”. Well let’s hope that we don’t end up getting a bitter chocolate & even if we do there is nothing more we can do other than swallowing it with a smile on our face. So plan well, but don’t waste all your time planning because even the great John Lennon believed that, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”…
The variable factor is that inconsistent element surrounding us which can act as major catalyst for big disasters. For Example, a particular brand invests lakhs for a nationwide AD campaign with a big Bollywood celebrity but a day before the Ads hit your TV screens, the celebrity gets involved in a murky scandal making himself & the brand untouchable (in a bad way). In short, the variable factor is the one thing on which we have limited or zero control. Also a point worth getting aware is the fact that, though we may have no control over the elements, we shall be invariably held responsible for the associated disasters. In a true Mumbaiya style it would result in a situation best described as, “Khaya Piya Kuch Nahi, Glass Toda Baarana”. So what can be done in such situations where the variable factor screws up your all plans?
Now being a bit experienced in such situations and escaping its dangerous outcomes in more than a couple of occasions, my first suggestion would be RUN!!! The second suggestion to follow the first one is, GRAB ALL THE PLANS THAT SHOW YOUR INVLOVLMENT & THEN…RUN!!!!! But a much practical solution to these issues especially for those in the communication field is to try & expect the variable factor in advance. This means, be prepared for such things to happen & keep your plans a bit flexible so that you can adapt accordingly. Also an important point to remember is to be in tune with the environment, because if you are smart enough you will get the signals much earlier than the event itself. For example, tracking a celebrity’s history, his filmography & his publicity stunts would help you realize how unpredictable he can be. But in case you have ignored the signals and are now in midst of a major crisis, it better to come up with an immediate PR attempt, for both yourself & for your brand. It has to be unplanned and spontaneous because planning in such tight situations may lead to a recap of what happened before. Though my last advice may seem extremely impractical, it will help you in dealing with the issue if you can say “It’s all good” and try to move on.
In the Oscar winning movie, Forrest Gump, Forrest’s mother tells him that, “Life Is like a Box of Chocolates… You Never Know What You’re Gonna Get”. Well let’s hope that we don’t end up getting a bitter chocolate & even if we do there is nothing more we can do other than swallowing it with a smile on our face. So plan well, but don’t waste all your time planning because even the great John Lennon believed that, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”…
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