"Kurukshetra, powered by The Hindu", say the resplendent banners as they proudly welcome students of the state and beyond. Saravana (final year, ECE), the Student Director of the K! Media Team looks on, sharing his happiness with The Guindy Times.
Can you give us a brief on the role of Media team in the proceedings of Kurukshetra?
The media team is like the point of contact between Kurukshetra and the outside world. We cover everything related to the media domain. The advertisement and promotional videos that are being circulated in various channels and newspapers are the results of our efforts. Our duty is to ensure that the public is well-informed about K!.
Did you have any particular goals to reach this year?
The main target was to make Kurukshetra's impact online. Moreover, we tried our best to increase our visibility and be better advertised in newspapers.
Who are the media partners this year?
Our main partner is The Hindu, as can be clearly seen from our posters and banners. The Print Media Partner is Dinamalar and our radio partner is 92.7 Big FM. In addition to these, we have a Channel Partner and Student-opportunity Partner this year. Our other partners are Campus Media and YourStory.
How is your team structured?
There is only one K!ore. The team is divided into two categories: traditional media work and photography & coverage. There are a total of ten third years and seven second years under the traditional media work which includes finding partnership and contacting sponsors. Also, the team comprises 14 members for photography who are from the second and third years. The media coverage is for all the functions of CTF, apart from Kurukshetra and the events that are conducted under the K! umbrella.
How do you form partnerships with different media groups? Give us an insight on what it takes to find the right media partner.
Finding the right media partner is the most important task. We have to look out for two aspects- whether the media is a perfect fit for K! and if it could increase our visibility. Another struggle is to find a partner who agrees to associate with us and the line of work we do.
What can we expect from K! this year?
We have taken some innovative steps this year, like the 'jump cuts' video promotion which gave viewers an overall idea about K!. As the Media team, we try to project how K! can be fun although the events are technical. We want to show that K! is far from a mundane and monotonous fest, and convey the idea behind Kurukshetra.
What is one difference that you would find between the last edition and this edition of K!?
Last year, we had conducted on-spot campaigns like a flash-mob. In contrast to that, we are focussing on a social-media campaign this year. We aimed to increase the visibility of our advertisements, thereby reaching a larger number of people.
How crucial is the involvement of the Media team for K! ?
The Media team is the reason why K! stands out from other technical symposiums. For an event with the magnitude of Kurukshetra, marketing to college students is not sufficient. We also spread the word to school students and big companies, which gives us a wider response.
