MAM
Indian PR firm’s role in opposition leader’s India visit discussed in Australian parliament
Mumbai: In what may be termed as a unique event in the history of public relations, a homegrown Indian PR firm, PR Professionals, finds itself at the centre of a huge political debate in the Australian Parliament regarding the firm’s role in shaping the public image of Australia’s leader of opposition Peter Dutton’s recent visit to India
Australia’s former Minister of Defense and Home Affairs Dutton, embarked on a high-profile visit to India almost a month ago bringing a long power-packed business delegation, aiming at further strengthening Indo-Australian trade relations. The four-day visit was a huge success with widespread publicity in the most prestigious and influential news publications.
Seeking to reinforce trade relations between India and Down Under, Dutton participated in a range of engagements, from meetings with captains of industry to interactions with schoolchildren; and visits to religious sites.
The visit was strategically curated to showcase Dutton’s multifaceted persona, emphasizing both his business acumen and softer side. And therefore, the agency finds mention in Australian politics. Australia’s assistant manager to the prime minister and assistant minister for the public service Patrick Gorman, accused the leader of the opposition of secretly organizing an India trip aimed at showcasing his softer side.
Gorman’s accusations took a specific turn as he claimed that Dutton engaged the services of – PR Professionals -, employing the firm as a strategic communications partner. According to Gorman, this partnership led to the crafting and dissemination of specific communications to the Indian media, along with orchestrated interviews to mould a tailored narrative for Dutton’s public image.
The assertions made by Gorman in the parliamentary session were published by one the world’s largest read, Daily Mail, further amplifying the matter.
The claims raised in the Australian Parliament shed light on the significant influence wielded by PR firms in sculpting political personas and narratives in the global landscape. This unexpected mention of an Indian PR firm in a foreign political forum sparks intriguing discussions on the broader implications of strategic communication in international relations.
MAM
ASCI study uncovers how Gen Alpha navigates ads in endless digital feeds
‘What the Sigma?’ ethnographic report maps blurred boundaries between content and commerce for 7–15-year-olds.
MUMBAI: Gen Alpha isn’t scrolling through the internet, they’re living rent-free inside its never-ending dopamine drip, and the ads have already moved in next door. The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) Academy, partnering with Futurebrands Consulting, has published ‘What the Sigma?’, an immersive ethnographic study that maps how Indian children aged 7–15 (Generation Alpha) consume, interpret and live alongside media and commercial messaging in a hyper-digital environment.
The research draws on in-home interviews, sibling and peer conversations, and discussions with parents, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, marketers and kidfluencers across six cities. It examines not only what children watch but how algorithms, content creators, peers and parents shape their relationship with the constant stream of shorts, vlogs, gameplay, memes, sponsored posts and ‘kid-ified’ adult material.
Five core themes emerged:
- Discontinuous Generation, Gen Alpha is not growing up alongside the internet, they are growing up inside it. Cultural references, humour, aesthetics and language sync globally in real time, often leaving adults functionally illiterate in their children’s world. A reference that lands instantly for a 10-year-old in Mumbai or Visakhapatnam feels opaque or disjointed to most parents.
- Authority Vacuum, Parents and teachers frequently lose cultural fluency in digital spaces. The algorithm responsive, inexhaustible and perfectly attuned to preferences becomes the most attentive presence in many children’s daily lives. Rules around screen time feel increasingly difficult to enforce when adults cannot fully see or understand the content landscape.
- Digital as Society, Online and offline no longer exist as separate realms, they form one continuous reality. The phone is not a tool children pick up; it is the primary social environment they inhabit.
- Great Media Mukbang, Content flows as an ambient, boundary-less, multi-sensorial stream. Entertainment, advertising, commerce, gameplay, memes and vlogs merge into one undifferentiated feed. The line between active choice and passive absorption has largely collapsed.
- Blurred Ad Recognition, Children aged 7–12 typically recognise only the most overt advertising formats. Influencer promotions, gaming integrations and vlog sponsorships often register as organic entertainment. Children aged 13–15 show greater ad literacy but remain highly susceptible to narrative-integrated, passion-driven and emotionally resonant brand messaging. Discernment remains low across the board in a non-stop stream.
ASCI CEO and secretary general Manisha Kapoor said, “ASCI Academy’s study is an investigation into the content life of Generation Alpha not to judge them but to understand them. Their cultural reference points seem disjointed from those of earlier generations. Insights on how they perceive advertising is the first step towards building more responsible engagement frameworks, given that they are the youngest media consumers in our country right now.”
Futurebrands Consulting founder and director Santosh Desai added, “While earlier generations have been exposed to digital media, for this generation it is the world they inhabit. This report explores not only what they watch but how they are being shaped by algorithms, content and advertising.”
The study proposes four adaptive, principles-led pathways:
- Universal signposting of commercial intent using design principles that make advertising recognisable even to young audiences.
- Ecosystem-wide responsibility shared among advertisers, platforms, creators, schools and parents.
- Future-ready safeguards built directly into children’s content experiences rather than as optional background settings.
- Formal media and advertising literacy embedded in school curricula to teach age-appropriate understanding of persuasion and commercial intent.
In a feed that never pauses, Gen Alpha isn’t merely watching content, they’re swimming in an ocean where entertainment, commerce and identity swirl together. The real question isn’t whether they can spot an ad; it’s whether the adults building the ocean can agree on where the lifeguards should stand.
