5 pressing questions Batman vs Superman totally fails to answer

Forgive me for being demanding, but when you put two superheroes in a film – one being the near indestructible Superman and the other being tech-savvy, ahead-of-his-time Batman – planet saving should be an easier job.

I mean, the X-men and Avengers managed mostly okay. Not so in the latest from DC Comics.

The film pits Batman against Superman – which is fine, it’s a battle that piqued the curiosity of thousands of fans and sold all the tickets. However, while the two are engaged in a series of one-upping action sequences, villain Lex Luthor is able to exploit their hostility to mastermind a plan of mass wreckage. That should make them feel pretty dumb, except that they show more evidence of brawn than brain through most of the film.

No wonder the city is a mess... just like the film. Batman vs Superman not only reduced the beloved superheroes to caricature but is also full of plot holes that fans find difficult to forgive.

Here are five pressing questions the film should've been able to answer, but didn't.

1. Do Batman and Superman have any good reason to hate each other?

Plot spoiler: We're told Batman hates Superman because he “brought the fight to us”, as in all the aliens that followed him to Earth and destroyed almost all of Metropolis in Man of Steel. Superman hates Batman because he suspects he’s up to no good. We’re never sure why; his editor at Daily Planetthinks he's a non-issue. Oh well. Commence the battle!

Really, these are not good reasons for superheroes who are essentially on the same side to hate each other.

In my estimation, Batman and Superman basically don’t like not being the only hero in town. Each thinks the other doesn’t do a good enough job of saving the city/country/planet. So they forget their primary duty of saving the city/country/planet and try to thwart each other’s attempts to do just that. It's really just male aggression on overdrive.

(Spoilers) First case in point: Superman forces Batman’s detour during his chase of the Kryptonite-carrying vehicle, which allows Lex Luthor to get a hold of it. (Sure, Batman also had anti-Superman weaponry, not world peace, in mind, but it's less disastrous than how Lex would have used the Kryptonite.) Second case in point: Batman gives Superman a sound thrashing (after exposing him to some of the same Kryptonite he had to steal from Lex later) and refuses to give ear to the imminent danger to Superman’s mother and everyone else (in the larger scheme of things).

And what does it take for the boys to cool down? Superman’s revelation that he and Batman’s mother have the same name. What?!

So, it could have taken one stiff conversation ages ago for those two to settle their differences and fight the bad guys together, but no. Not before the boys had a rough-and-tumble in somebody’s abandoned backyard (what is that random building anyway?). Ugh.

2. Why did Superman say ‘Martha’ in the first place?

Plot spoiler: In the above battle scene, Batman is moments away from taking Superman's life when Superman utters 'Save Martha', referring to his mother whose death Lex Luthor has ordered if Superman fails to produce Batman's head to him. Batman has an instant change of heart and really does go save Martha.

But seriously, who calls their mom by their first name? And couldn't Superman just say 'Save my mother'? It would have the same thawing effect on Batman, who knows all too well how trying the loss of a parent can be.

3. Why didn't Superman save his own mom?

Plot spoiler: So Superman and Batman are quick to reconcile and Batman goes to save Superman's mom while Superman goes to confront Lex Luthor.

Given that a) Superman doesn’t have to take the stairs, b) can pretty much flit in and out of places and c) has zero qualms about leaving gaping holes in buildings, I don’t understand why he didn’t just save his own mother. It would take him all of… five minutes, tops, to burst in, grab his mom, fly out while a volley of bullets bounce off his steel bod. And he could then join Batman at Lex’s new lair to show him, ‘Look, we’re a team now!’.

But Batman is sent to rescue mom, which takes a lot of bullet dodging, flame dodging and surviving an explosion. What a waste of ammo.

4. Why can't Superman have more... finesse?

Sure, his missions come with the element of urgency, but does he really have to cause so much of a mess?

We don't see Clark Kent ripping open doors and throwing over tables to swat a fly in the office of the Daily Planet, so why does he have to such a dangerous, life-endangering klutz when he's donning the red cape?

It's not just buildings he's destroying, he's costing people's lives. Does he really think the building he left crumbling won't crush at least half a dozen people. No wonder Batman can't stand him.

5. Why is Batman's mask just plain dumb?

This bears repeating: Batman's mask is just plain dumb. As a disguise, it needs to be pointed at and made fun of. For it fails to cover up Bruce Wayne's (as in Ben Affleck's) super-distinctive butt-chin. How does no one guess that Wayne is Batman is beyond me.

Also, it catches fire.. a lot. At the end of every other action scene, one tiny piece of the mask is in the process of slowly melting. If he can make a super-solid Batmobile, why can't the mask be made of stronger stuff?

Peter Paan and the lost boys

A satirical take on how chai dhabbas are glorified by their location, branding and prices – and also how truck art and dabs of local culture are splattered around in an attempt to add authenticity.

Have you ever tried paans? I did recently and boy was I missing out! Here I recount my experience of visiting the hottest paan joint in town. Spoiler alert: paan-tastic!

Karachi’s foodies are spoilt for choice, which begs the question of what is the recipe for standing out? What is the special sauce of success? Peter Paan offers something very different; it concerns itself with paans, gutka, cigarettes, cigars,khopra and a whole lot of candies. In all my years of searching for culinary delights in the few civilised areas of Karachi, I haven’t encountered any outlet with such a compelling USP.

I made it to the place with a couple of eager friends one uncharacteristically balmy March evening. Peter’s stands in the middle of a parking lot, which is just as well as it was literally crawling with cars. Most of them, however, were premium German metal so I didn’t feel insecure.

The outlet itself is a large wooden kiosk adorned with truck art. There was only one serving counter, which had a 50-strong queue. The kiosk has fluorescent shades and profiles of Meera, Katherine Hepburn, Katrina Kaif, Angelina Jolie, Imran Khan and Maulana Fazlur Rehman on its various facets. Right off the bat the eclectic taste of the owners is apparent. The grounds around the kiosk are decorated in Spanish gravel in shades of red and brown. I was told by Malik Charsi, the owner, that the gravel was imported from Spain, after which a mixture of discarded betel nuts and peeks (the liquid created by artfully combining gutka, saliva and cancerous cells) was applied to create this fantastic tapestry.

Want to infuse culture in a restaurant, outlet or apparel? Throw in some truck art!

There is no seating, although exotic art deco spittoons (ugal daans) are scattered about. The place is lit by natural lighting from the sun in the day and by the combined headlights of BMWs, Mercs and Audis at night. The ventilation is excellent and the surrounding views of the roadside, shops and a gutter place you right in the midst of a romantic Paris evening.

Starters include cigarettes, beeris and cubes of crushed coconut. The cigarettes, held out deftly by waiters to your waiting lips, are lit with a flourish, adding authenticity and drama. Thereafter ash trays are proffered made from actual pieces of truck art decoration. My Gold Leaf was soft, tender with just the right amount of tanginess. It was complemented by a pink-and-yellow crushed coconut cube, which was perfectly seasoned by the sweetness of the coconut and the hands making them. There was a choice of various confectionaries but we passed, lest the appetite for the entrees suffer.

The basic paans come in three sizes and three kinds of leaves – crisp and tangy, soft and creamy, and choona-coated. Once the size and the leaf are selected, you are presented with a whole plethora of fillings, coatings and condiments. There are three kinds of betel nuts sourced from Africa, Bangladesh and Alaska: roasted, tough, bitter and and sweetened. There is a choice of Iran-sourced cardamom, dried dates, crushed coconut, candied and plain fennel, as well as choice of Cuban and Indian tobacco. Coatings can range from katha to tangy crushed limestone (Peter Paan’s tagline, ao choona lagaoon, demonstrates his love for the condiment). Especially delightful was the fresh gulqand , prepared per order with seeping rainwater, organically sourced sugar, and authentic attar. Needless to say, the outlet runs the gamut in terms of gutka variety, freshly delivered daily.

Every pan is artfully wrapped in transparent paper and rolled in colourful glossy paper sourced from internationally reputed publications like Stardust and Cosmopolitan, cobbled together to form attractive truck art-like tapestries. The paper can then be rolled into a classy toothpick.

With such a variety of ingredients, it is easy for any dish to come across as lacking in cohesion and confusing to the taste buds. This is clearly not the case. My first paan, which I lightly seasoned with katha and a smattering of the fillings, was a revelation. Perfectly triangular, the leaf melted in my mouth, leaving the coconut and betel nut to lodge themselves between my teeth. In other words, just like apaan should be!

My second one, ordered in the large size, had a lot to live up to but I had it armed to the gills. I chose all the available coatings, a hefty amount of roasted betel nut, a mountain of candied fennel, all held together by a viscous mixture of gutka andgulqand, and topped with katha. The paan was having a hard time keeping itself together once I removed it from the wrapping. This second paan was an explosion of flavours in my mouth and of colours before my eyes. The floating sensation that accompanies these flavours was present and correct. The gutka was juicy, the betel nut was crisp, the gulgand was sticky, the katha and choona were fiery, resulting in a lovely cut on my tongue and adding my own blood to the heavenly mix (I suspect this is by design). For the first few seconds I had trouble breathing as my mouth was full and my nose was blocked, yet that partial asphyxiation only added to the delight. In the end I did not want to let go of the accumulating peek in my mouth, for fear of losing the flavour and tarnishing the gleaming spittoon. Most clients prefer to forego the spittoons and contribute to the gravel tapestry, and as a result it is ever more colourful and fragrant.

Peter Paan serves a compound of hydrogen and oxygen, aged for four days in customised plastic coolers and infused with specks of chewed betel nut and locally sourced beeri-butts. Despite our best efforts, Malik refused to divulge any details about its preparation.

Peter Paan is a phenomenon for good reason. With a three-course meal ranging from Rs2,000 upwards, the prices are completely justified by the sheer quality of the ingredients and the artistry and passion displayed in the preparation. We are also excited to report that Malik Charsi has started with his gastronomic conquests. His upcoming venture is Snap Chaat, a place offering spicy and delicate Far Eastern cuisine such as chana chaat and gol gappay.

Bring it on, Charsi!

Dreams of thunder for Pakistani seeking Formula 1 glory

Saad Ali is in pole position to become Pakistan's first Formula 1 driver, a seemingly impossible target in a country with no race tracks and where all sport sponsorship money is poured into the national obsession — cricket.

The 28-year-old faces significant hurdles before he can become one of 22 elite drivers at the pinnacle of motorsport, but a decade after his “clueless” beginning as a college dropout hooked on racing, he is edging towards his target.

“As a kid I was always interested in cars, but there was no racing in Pakistan, it was not even on television,” he says.

He competed in the Formula Gulf 1000 series in 2014, reaching the podium to take third place twice in one weekend in Abu Dhabi.

Describing that race as a “big stepping stone”, he adds it was “proof to me that this is something that I could pursue and achieve”.

Now he must conquer the Formula 3, GP3 and GP2 classes, seen as stepping stones on the road to Formula 1.

“Getting there is extremely tough, extremely hard, extremely competitive,” he says.

It is also expensive.

Pakistani racing car driver Saad Ali speaking during an interview in Islamabad. — AFP

“I have been racing by myself for the country without support, flying the Pakistani Flag on circuits making a name for racing [here]” says Ali, who last year was only able to compete in go-karting's 2F2F Endurance Grand Prix in Pakistan due to the sheer costs of taking part in motorsport.

Currently, he uses the money earned from his job at information technology company Swiftclick, and his documentary-film work to fund his obsession.

He has more races later in 2016. But estimates he will need around $2 million in sponsorship over the next three or four years to achieve his dream of racing alongside the likes of Sebastien Vettel or Lewis Hamilton.

“For motorsports you need that expertise, you need those mechanics, you need facilities, infrastructure, you need that architecture to actually perform,” he says.

Right now, he has to make do with a simulator at his home, where he practises his manoeuvres.

The odds of international successes are against him.

“There are very few people in the world who make a living from driving racing cars — and even fewer in F1,” Matthew Marsh, a leading F1 TV commentator and former racer, says.

Young and restless

The absence of any sort of official motor racing in Pakistan beyond go-karting means he is unlikely to find the deep wallets he needs there.

But Ali says building tracks would not only boost the economy but help save the lives of restless young Pakistanis who take their need for speed underground.

One 22-year-old racer who asked to remain anonymous said that races take place in Pakistan's major cities in the dead of night despite accidents and police chases.

“There have been accidents, some really bad in which people have died, but this thing goes on as you cannot restrict youth,” he says.

Pakistani race car driver Saad Ali powering through a tour at the Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE. — AFP

“If there is a proper track, the risk of accidents would be minimised and the passion of young people for racing could be groomed,” he argues.

Ali agrees, saying: “The first thing that we need in the country is a race track ... People who are racing on the roads, they will go to that particular facility and their need for speed and everything can be brought out in a very, very safe manner”.

Baber Kaleem Khan, editor of the Pakwheels.com motoring blog, says there would be an economic benefit.

“Motorsports isn't just a sport, it is a massive capital generating program as well,” he says.

“Engineering development that goes on in the car, the training of the driver, the staff and students, the product and the commercial development, it has a trickle down effect on local businesses who could develop and export parts from here.”

The road to Formula 1

Ali become interested in racing when he was in college in Islamabad in 2006, adding: “I was absolutely clueless as nobody in Pakistan had done professional race car driving”.

He dropped out and went to the Formula BMW Racing Center (FBRC) Bahrain, where aspiring drivers can learn the art of racing.

“After three days of training I joined the racing school's championship,” he says, describing the decision as a “pivotal” point in his life.

Pakistani race car driver Saad Ali posing with his awards at the Yas Marina Formula 1 circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE. — AFP

Sitting in a claustrophobic racing car for the first time nearly put the brakes on his F1 dream, he admits.

“When you sit in a race car and you put on the helmet, you can't breathe properly,” he says, adding that with the seat belts so tight they left three inch marks branded on his shoulders, he could only get his lungs about half full.

But he pushed through and has since been racing in the Formula BMW and Formula Renault circuits.

The scale of what he is trying to do has not escaped him. “If you go to Formula 1 that's 22 of the best drivers competing against each other.”

But, Ali believes, if he was given the opportunity, he would “definitely achieve a lot more ... The thrust is there, the desire is there, the fire and the hunger — everything is there”.

Did Ranveer Singh just confirm his relationship with Deepika Padukone?

At the Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) Awards in Dubai, Ranveer Singh dropped a major hint about his relationship with his Bajirao Mastani co-star Deepika Padukone, reports Indian Express.

The Bollywood duo have lavished each other with praise and affection publicly, but never referred to themselves as a couple.

At the award ceremony last night, where the duo's film Bajirao Mastani won the top awards, Ranveer called Deepika his "better half" and "the most beautiful woman by my side" in his acceptance speech for the most stylish joriaward:

"“This is for best jodi and the better half of the jodi is not here right now but I will convey your wishes to her. Like Kareena earlier said, I have the most beautiful woman by my side… Thank you everyone.”

Deepika wasn't present to accept the award because she is currently shooting for her for her Hollywood debut xXx: The Return of Xander Cage in the US.

Apple cuts prices, screen sizes for new iPhone, iPad

CUPERTINO: Apple went small — cutting prices as well as screen sizes — unveiling a new iPhone and iPad aimed at reaching more customers and boosting replacements, at a low-key product unveiling on Monday.

The new launches came as Apple geared for a high-profile court battle with the US government on encryption and data protection, with chief executive Tim Cook claiming that protecting privacy is an obligation for the tech giant.

The new iPhone SE will debut at $399 for US customers without a contract subsidy, a significant cut from the price of its larger iPhones.

Apple vice president Greg Joswiak said many consumers prefer smaller handsets, which accounted for 30 million iPhones sold in 2015.

An attendee inspects new iPhone SE. —AFP

“Some people really love smaller phones,” he told the event at Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California, unveiling the aluminum handset with upgraded specifications and other features including Apple Pay.

“In some countries like China, for a majority of these customers it is their first iPhone.”

The iPhone SE will be aimed at first-time Apple buyers and those who want to upgrade from the iPhone 5S and 5C, which have not been updated in over two years. The iPhone 6S, the lowest-cost handset in the large-screen family, starts at $649.

Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller announces the new 9.7" iPad pro. —AFP

Also unveiled at the event was a new iPad Pro that also moves smaller — a 9.7 inch display compared with the 12.9 inch model on the original business-geared tablet.

“It is a large enough display to get all your work done, but easy to carry around,” said Apple vice president Phil Schiller.

The smaller, new iPad starts at $599 for US customers, down from around $800 for the original.

Apple will be taking orders from Thursday for the new phone and tablet, with deliveries set for March 31, in the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand and Singapore, with more markets to come online in April.

Kickstarting upgrades

Apple is seeking “to kickstart the upgrade cycles for both iPhones and iPads,” said Jan Dawson at Jackdaw Research.

“Larger iPhones are still selling in huge volumes, but there's considerable evidence that some of those who own smaller iPhones are holding onto them rather than upgrading to the new, larger iPhones.”

Dawson said in a blog post that he sees “significant pent-up demand within Apple's base of iPhone owners who want a smaller iPhone with up-to-date specs and newer features.” But he added that “this pricing doesn't get the iPhone down to the kind of prices needed to really spur sales in emerging markets, where older devices have been on sale for some time at similar or lower prices.”

Apple Vice President Greg Joswiak introduces the iPhone SE. —Reuters

Apple also announced it was cutting the entry-level price for its Apple Watch to $299 from $349 as it unveiled a new nylon band for the device. Apple has not released sales figures for the smartwatch but analysts have said it has become the market leader.

Cook used the unveiling to reiterate his views on encryption and data protection a day ahead of key court hearing.

“We need to decide as a nation how much power the government should have over our data and our privacy,” Cook told the crowd gathered for the event, one day before a court hearing on a hotly contested FBI effort to force the company to help break into the iPhone of a shooter involved in a deadly December attack.

“We believe strongly we have an obligation to help protect your data and your privacy. We owe it to our customers. We will not shrink from this responsibility.”

Apple, backed by a broad coalition of technology giants like Google, Facebook and Yahoo, argues that the FBI is seeking a “back door” into all iPhones as part of the probe into the December 2 massacre that left 14 people dead.

Because of the iPhone's encryption, Apple contends it would need to build a weaker operating system to help the FBI crack the phone's pass-code.

The US Justice Department argues that it is making a “modest” demand that could help reveal vital evidence in a terror case.

At Dhaka Art Summit, artists from Pakistan came out in full force

In its third edition, the Dhaka Art Summit challenged itself by producing a four day exhibition of art from varying disciplines across most of South Asia. It was a moment of intense pride to witness Pakistani artists in full force throughout the summit – perhaps the greatest part of all.

The Missing One

To begin with, Nada Raza, assistant curator of the South Asian Department at the Tate Modern, mounted an exhibition inspired by the written work of Jagadish Chandra Bose, particularly “The Story of the Missing One” which the exhibition's title 'The Missing One' paid homage to. The story was the first instance of science fiction in Bangla, which was written in 1896, and spoke of a cyclone that terrorized the area by depositing oil into water and was eventually brought to its demise by the former.

'The Missing One' was inspired by Bangladesh's first science fiction story, Jagadish Chandra Bose's 'The Story of the Missing One' - Photos courtesy Dhaka Art Summit's Facebook page

The show revolved around the work of Gaganendranth Tagore's “Resurrection,” executed in 1922. The exhibition included artists David Alesworth, Fahd Burki, Ali Kazim, Ifthikhar and Elizabeth Dadi, Mehreen Murtaza Zoya Siddiqui and several others. To see the variety of artists included, from the young BNU graduate, Zoya Siddqui to recent the Jameel Prize nominee David Alesworth, and exhibited on such a large global platform was remarkably refreshing. Visitors including Frances Morris, Director of the Tate Modern, regarded the exhibition in high esteem.

Mining Warm Data

Diana Campbell Betancourt, who has been with the Summit since its inception and plays the key role as Artistic Director and Chief Curator, created an exhibition entitled, 'Mining Warm Data'. The group show examined how one is viewed through lenses of different methodologies of science, social economics and art.

Black Sites I: The Seen Unseen, 2015-16 - Installation view. Works by artist Mariam Ghani and Chitra Ganesh. - Photo courtesy Dhaka Art Summit's Facebook page

The work of Mariam Ghani, an artist and writer, became the focal point of the exhibition. She writes, “A warm body is a portrait, not a profile; when a warm data body is erased, the real body remains intact. Warm data is easiest to define in opposition to what it is not; warm data is the opposite of cold, hard facts. Warm data is subjective; it cannot be proved or disapproved, and it can never be held against you in a court of law. Warm data is specific and personal, never abstract…”

Huma Mulji’s work, Lost and Found played a critical role in the show as well, with the examination of the body and how it is perceived, especially in these turbulent times of violence in Pakistan, where citizens reminisce over the past and try to predict the future and what it may hold for the country. While to one audience, the work seem somewhat grotesque; to others it may be fresh point of view towards other aspects of life and how one sees oneself in the future.

Left: A piece from Huma Mulji's Lost and Found | Right: Dilar Begum Jolly's installation Tazreen Nama, 2013 - Photos courtesy Dhaka Art Summit's Facebook page

The other work, which stood out in the exhibition, was by Dilar Begum Jolly, another Bangla artist. Begum Jolly examined the scrutiny against women in the country and how the garment industry takes gross advantage of these women. These women risk their lives in creating clothes for the elite and western market, calling into question at what cost and purpose, the artist skeptical over its benefits for those who struggle to provide for their family.

Rewind

'Rewind', was another strong suit for the Pakistani presence in Dhaka. The retrospective took works from all around the world of artists using abstraction in the 1980s in South Asia, which featured Anwar Jalal Shemzaand Zahoor ul Akhlaq.

Installation view of works by artist Zahoor Ul Akhlaq - Photo courtesy Dhaka Art Summit's Facebook page

The exhibition included two works of Akhlaq’s, which were part of the Bangladeshi Embassy, never before being seen in the public eye. The concept of abstraction has only been a minor factor in the South Asian master's, where most marketed artists have been associated with the figurative work. These artists were using their surrounding environment while going against the grain to create their body of work to develop a larger dialogue. Many artists today, such as Shezad Dawood and Rashid Rana, credit artists such as Shemza and Akhlaq as inspiration for their own contemporary works.

Solo projects

The solo projects, curated by Diana Campbell Betancourt, featured Waqas Khan and Britain-based Pakistani artist Haroon Mirza.

Mirza’s work, The National Apavilion of Then and Now was first exhibited in the 54th Venice Biennale with great acclaim, resulting in his bestowal of the Silver Lion award as the most gifted young artist. Mirza uses the construction and concept of sound and visual perception to shift the audience into reconceptualising the forms they are surrounded by in the physical realm. With a shifting halo of white light, the work provided illumination of the darkness by creating grey pyramid forms, taking over the entirety of the cube-shaped space. The viewer was transported through the buzzing sound and began to focus on the light and form of the entire transcendent work.

Left: Haroon Mirza, The National Pavilion of Then and Now, 2011. Anechoic Chamber, LEDs, Amp, Speakers, Electronic Circuit, 800x700x330 cm approx. Courtesy of the Artist and Lisson Gallery, London | Right: Waqas Khan, The Text in Continuum, 2015. Ink on paper, metal. 239x270 cm. Courtesy of the Artist and Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna

Khan’s work In the Name of God, was comprised of four large books, each with the intricate detailing. With the absence of space, Khan has created a dialogue which would be interpreted by all viewers. Tactfully, Khan displayed the manuscripts in the same orientation that the Holy Qu’ran is displayed. His work very much reflects his momentary emotion at execution, which could be seen in the flow of the lines and dots created by the artist.

From the commencement of the Summit, founders Rajeeb and Nadia Samdani had achieved an impressive display of South Asian art in various media, while bringing the global art market and audiences to Dhaka. To see Pakistani artists exhibited so generously throughout the summit was truly awe inspiring; it can only bring more faith to us back home to know we can achieve such acclaim in South Asia and, soon, our own country.

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This article, originally published at Art Now Pakistan, has been reproduced with permission.

5 Top Trends Impacting Public Relations in 2016

The public relations strand of marketing and communications has seen ups and downs in the last decade. With the continued growth of content marketing, public relations is fast becoming the shining star of the marketing mix again, albeit in a digital format, and with new channels navigating away from offline-only media.

So it’s important to have a strong content strategy in place for the forthcoming year, to position your company or brand as a thought leader, and speak to your customers and influencers where they are in the online marketplace.

Here are a few of the trends and changes taking place in public relations in 2016 and why you should get on board now to stay ahead of your competitors.

1.  Digital and PR Strategies Fully Intersect

Public relations is arguably one of the most important elements of a successful business and marketing strategy for 2016 and this year we’ll see digital and PR strategy fully intersect. With content and digital marketing rapidly becoming the most important part of the marketing strategy, traditional marketing campaign and channel choices are being eclipsed.

PR industry experts like Rosemary Plorin say their field will continue to evolve as digital marketing solidifies its position, shifting communications with the media, stakeholders and consumers online. The good news is, this gives you greater control over your messaging.

Remember when you wrote a press release, and then had to get on the phone to pitch it in to your contacts in the hope that one of them would pick it up? Well, while there’s still a place for that for some of your stories, for the majority of your PR activity, you’re in charge of reaching your desired consumer and media audience. And they’re all online. Your message is still the same, it’s just your delivery and where you deliver it’s that’s different. Take to social media, follow the biggest influencers and journalists in your business area, and create and share your owned content to engage with both your customer and your influencers. And we’re not just talking a standard old school press release or a pointless social media post. Develop infographics, whitepapers, video content, podcasts, webinars — content that your followers want to read and redistribute. Not only will you engage, and establish your voice in your sector, your search engine rankings will thank you too.

2. PR Pros Are in High Demand

As we see industries like print journalism contract, the role of PR professionals is becoming more and more important within marketing. The smart PR professional understands the digital world and how to leverage their brand within it to increase brand visibility, credibility, messaging and sales. As digital continues to come of age, so do the industry professionals, who are becoming more sophisticated in their communications delivery, measurement, analytics and purpose. Public relations executives should oversee the entire content and social media marketing strategy and be able to identify and track campaign successes and areas for improvement like never before.

3. Growth in Thought Leadership a PR Priority

While managing c-suite public profiles isn’t a new phenomenon, the growth in thought leadership via digital channels and increased visibility of high-level executives will lead to increased public relations spend in the area. Thought leadership will forge a core element of the overall communications strategy, delivering consistent messaging from the outset, that trickles through the entire business and across all channels and content delivery. Smart businesses are setting aside bigger chunks of their budget now.

3. Demand for Social Audio and Visual Continues to Grow

Social media executed right has earned its stripes as one of the most credible set of channels available for brand communicators, yet creating the right content can be demanding. Millennials’ appetite for sharable social content isn’t slowing down, with older platforms like Facebook holding it’s own next to newer entrants like Snapchat and Pinterest. What is changing is the type of content that users engage best with. As people are on-the-go, often multitasking screen time with other activities, easily digestible content like infographics, podcasts, photography and video are increasingly popular and can deliver brand messaging in far sharper ways than traditional content.

Beware of a “one size fits all” strategy, however. Understanding your audience and target market, the social platforms they are using and engage best with, and being able to use analytics to identify successes and weak spots are imperative to social success.

5. Increased Regulation of Paid Content Makes Earned Media Even More Desirable

With the FTC increasing regulatory requirements for native advertising online, the need for promoted content to be labelled far more prominently may impact the credibility of the content, and how desirable the channel is within the marketing mix. With this in mind, it will become even more important for PR pros to create the right relationships with the media and key influencers, and to create the sort of credible content that can be shared throughout their networks. Earned content will be the goal for PRs in 2016 and employing the tactics above will be hugely beneficial in helping obtain it.

How to keep the mojo in branded content

American Idol, once a mega-hit series, will end in 2016. At its peak in 2006,Idol drew more than 36 million viewers in the US for its season finale. Since then, ratings have fallen nearly every season with this year attracting only one-third of the viewers witnessed during its peak. What caused the decline of a programme that was a global phenomenon?

As someone said, change is the only constant. We are creatures who exhibit curiosity. We are distracted by shiny new objects. Once boredom sets in, we search for the next shiny object. In the book Boredom: A Lively History, scholar Peter Toohey examines boredom as an adaptive mechanism. “Boredom is, in the Darwinian sense, an adaptive emotion. Its purpose, that is, may be designed to help one flourish.”

So by nature we seek and create the new ‘new’ which makes the old look pale. In the case of American Idol, the formula which made it engaging was the reason it lost its edge. The show’s meteoric rise was its novel way of engaging audiences – they could help discover the next pop star. The authenticity was further accentuated by judges like Simon Cowell who were forthright and blunt in their critique. However, with judges changing frequently and more importantly Idol’spromise of producing stars waning, the show began to lose its power to engage. It stopped delivering on its promise, and new competitive shows such as The Voicebegan to challenge the status quo with a new format.

Illustration by Creative Unit.

A recent phenomenon which continues to build a diehard fan following is the fantasy drama TV series Game of Thrones. It not only immerses viewers in a world of fantasy through elaborate sets, the plot keeps people guessing – especially those who have not read the books it is based on. Its brutal realism is also surprising where the expected good guy (Ned Stark) dies in the first episode. From then on, one’s subconscious expectation of a Lord of the Rings type happy ending is crushed leaving the mind curious for the unexpected twists. The series continues to deliver on its promise that, “when you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.”

So what can we learn from these two examples?

To gain an audience, content has to be constantly engaging. Creative disruption practiced with a deep understanding of cultural trends creates content that is novel. It can be entertaining or informative or both. The process and mindset drives the freshness that is at the essence of making content entertaining. Novelty lies in being format, duration and channel agnostic – as long as the content is aligned with what the brand stands for.

Branded content is not easy to define. It can interchangeably be called branded entertainment or more recently native advertising. In essence it is a variation of a brand’s way of telling stories. While advertising is a short format with a sales story, branded content relates to an audience’s interest first and subtly ties in the brand’s relevance.

Coke Studio is a musical platform that creates fusion between the old and the new. It inspires creativity and passion, which is what the Coca-Cola brand stands for. With the format well defined, the innovation is driven by the mix of talent thatCoke Studio continues to bring together. Although the producers have changed, perhaps to refresh the content, the challenge for Coke Studio will be whether the format of a live-studio recording on TV will continue to be engaging. The need to change will be accelerated if a serious contender introduces a new music platform which becomes more entertaining.

Branded content can also present itself as an episodic opportunity. With the advent of Pakistani films, brands have taken the opportunity to go beyond product placement by developing branded songs. Rivo Mobile’s branding of the item songSelfiyan Re Selfiyan in Wrong Number and Fair & Lovely Ka Jalwa featured inJawani Phir Nahi Aani are examples of shorter, episodic branded entertainment. It demonstrates the option of opportunistically integrating with someone else’s content.

There can also be standalone episodic content. As early as 2001 and 2002, BMW released a series of consecutive short films called The Hire. The series, which consisted of eight films, featured famous filmmakers and starred celebrities, including Madonna. Clive Owen starred as the ‘Driver’ and different BMWs were showcased throughout the films. The films were the first example of the complete fusion between advertising and entertainment. And it employed a unique approach to advertising because consumers had to seek out the content themselves on a dedicated website. The films were successful because they were prioritising the entertainment aspect of the story first and subtle branding second.

In a world overwhelmed by information and messages, brands need to constantly create content, whether through a dedicated owned platform or through a stream of episodic content. And it doesn’t necessarily need to be just entertainment either. Publishing informative content and driving advocacy are other forms of content which enforces brand value and demonstrates thought leadership.

The advent of digital technology in particular, is creating innovative ways for brands to publish content enabling information-rich platforms like the beauty portal www.beautifulyou.com.pk.

“The best way to establish and reinforce common values is to create content that’s so highly specific it defines not only the brand, but the customer,” writes Alexander Jutkowitz, managing partner for Group SJR in the Harvard Business Review. Group SJR, part of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, is among a growing segment of specialised agencies focusing on creating and disseminating content. Others such as Skyword position themselves as experts in sustainable content marketing.

Even traditional publishers are creating opportunities to collaborate with brands.Forbes with its initiative BrandVoice offers publishing access to Forbes.com, to content creators, search discovery and realtime analytics. Fox Sports recently announced a new initiative called Fox Sports Engage, a multiplatform branded-content distribution programme which aims to give advertisers a wider audience. The focus is on how to better distribute the branded content offered to clients.

Alternatively, a brand can leverage unique data to create an ongoing branded content platform. While at a healthcare technology company in the US, I worked on a project to use unique data to rank healthcare insurance companies. The rankings, which were the first of their kind, were extensively covered and quoted by leading publishers and eventually became an industry benchmark. Branded as proprietary content, the platform continues to publish rankings annually building the company’s position as a thought leader.

In conclusion, a brand can create and disseminate content in many different ways. It can avoid losing its mojo by continuous innovation which can be driven through the content format, story plot, information shared, personalities involved, advocacy and support for movements, among other such factors. The content can be based around an owned long term platform, a series of short episodic activities or native integration in third-party content. Editorial independence in creating content that is purposeful will always be critical, but the effectiveness in creating relevant ideas will rely on a clear articulation of the brand. It will always stem from what the brand stands for.

Amin Rammal is Director, APR, The Brand Crew and Firebolt63.