Managing the media

Default of loans by Indian companies is making headlines every day, but there are many that have managed to remain below the radar despite taking thousands of crores of loans from banks. While Vijay Mallya has become the poster boy of India Inc defaults, some companies that are getting negative press have hired spin doctors so that they can remain outside the media glare. One option suggested by spin doctors is to stay away from Mumbai and Delhi because a large chunk of the national media is based in the two cities. Another strategy is to deny any information about default and blame journalists for running an agenda on behalf of competition. This was exactly how Kingfisher ran its campaign till the chickens came home to roost.