Andhra Pradesh’s first and the oldest Public Relations outfit, SOLUS MEDIA turned 16 years on Monday. It has been the pioneer in taking Public Relations industry forward in the state of Andhra Pradesh. To mark the occasion and celebrate the sixteen long years in the sunrise industry, it plans to publish "India PR Directory", a first of its kind comprehensive resource in print compiling PR Practitioners and Agencies across India. India PR Directory is a comprehensive collection of 600 PR agencies across India. The Directory will be released here in city on April 21st on National PR Day. And will be made available all over India.

The agency was established on March 17, 1992 by D. Ramchandram, immediately after his short stint with India’s one and only Advertising Trade Magazine A&M, where he worked as National Marketing Coordinator. The agency was established against all odds and criticism that the market wouldn’t need such professional services. But proved its critics wrong within no time. In this last so many years it has grown from strength to strength and has come to be regarded as the most dynamic and vibrant Communications Practicing company.

Despite slowdown in economy, Solus Media always had assignments. Though not qualified formally in Public Relations, Ram and his team of twelve Public Relations professionals have taken up more than 9500 Public Relations jobs in the last sixteen years across the country in 20 to 25 centres. The salient features of Solus Media work is innovation in whatever the jobs being handled by it. It’s objective is ‘be different and make the difference’. It’s operating philosophy has been ‘staying small, thinking big’.

Solus Media today is a name to reckon within the twin cities for its consistency and works. Its works speak volumes about its performance. It has right mix of small and big Public Relations assignments. The widely remembered works such as ‘Unity of Light Concert’ featuring Living Legend Lata Mangeshkar and Music Storm and King of Indian Pop Music A.R. Rehman, 'Vengaboys Show' and many others. It has proved entire twin cities its creativity and media coordination strengths. One may mispronounce Solus Media's name, but, hardly goes wrong recollecting some of the best works done by it.

Based in Hyderabad city, the most happening place in south, it has associate offices spread in cities like Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore and Pune. It's clients list include P&G, Swatch Group India, Union Bank of India, BE Ltd., DNA Networks, COWE, Ankit Fadia, Jawed Habib, Picasso Animation, Frazer & Haws, Ocean Park, Indian Immunologicals Ltd., Snow World, Overnite Express Ltd., REBI, Just in Vogue, Relisys, Mantri Developers, American Institute for Foreign Studies, SIP Academy, AMI Industries, Mekaster, DTC, Testers Desk, Colonial Collections, Brushman India, HDFC Bank etc. and several others. These works are either handled directly or through their respective agencies.

It is irony that many in PR industry do not know that Public Relations in today’s form is 100 years old. About 100 years back, the first press release was sent to newspapers by snail mail, aimed at helping control the damage a railroad company sustained when one of its locomotives crashed. Edward L. Bernay’s often referred to as The Father of Public Relations in the world.

Public Relations in India is a recent phenomena. Still small, growing and evolving in India. Many corporate houses have realised the importance of PR as a essential management and marketing tool. In a survey ASSOCHAM put the size of the Indian PR industry at US $ 3 billion. Not many believe this number and think that the size of the industry is put on higher side ambitiously. Or may be the $ 3 billion also includes the spending of the various companies corporate communications departments as well.

The PR consultancy business in India is supposed to be around Rs 150 to 200 crores. The Indian PR industry comprises of 1200 to 1500 agencies with manpower in the range of 30,000 to 40,000. The PR sector registered growth of 22-25% in the last few years which further went up to 32% in 2007 and by 2010, size of PR industry is expected to grow to more than $ 6 billion found ASSOCHAM in that survey.

Internationally the recent marketing successes have been PR successes, not advertising successes. To name a few Starbucks, The Body Shop, Amazon.com, Yahoo, eBay, Palm, Google, Linus, Playstation, Harry Potter, Red Bull, Microsoft, Intel and Blackberry.

The state of Andhra Pradesh has about 100 PR consultancy firms (including individual PR practitioners, branches of national agencies, few advertising agencies acting as PR agency etc.) with an annualised billing of approximately 50 crores. The state comprises of about 3000 Public Relations professionals. Quite a good number of institutions and Universities in the state of Andhra Pradesh teach Public Relations. Sri Venkateshwara University at Tirupathi offers Master of Science program in Public Relations. It is a 2 years program through correspondence. It is the only institute in entire India to offer a MS program in PR.

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