Interim Report

Insights and client servicing led communications program

for spectrum of clients and GTM strategy for Hyderabad
region

Mangal Pandey
17A1HP401
IMT-H

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 A Report

On

Insights and client servicing led communications program for spectrum of clients
and GTM strategy for Hyderabad region

Submitted to:

Faculty Guide Company Guide

Dr. B. Pavan Kumar Mr. Shoebahmed Shaikh

Assistant professor Director
Human Resource Management Ideosphere Consulting

Submitted by:

Mangal Pandey
(17A1HP401)
IMT Hyderabad

MAY 2017

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Copyright Notice

Copyright @ 2018 by Mangal Pandey

All rights reserved
No part of this report may be reproduced in any form or by any means without written
Permission form the publisher.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my deepest appreciation to all those who have provided me the
possibility to complete this report. I would like to specially thank my faculty guide, Dr. B.
Pavan Kumar, Associate Professor, Human Resource Management, whose contribution in
stimulating suggestions and encouragement helped me know the real scenario of the learning
and development in the corporate world.

I would like to extend my heartfelt obligation towards Mr. Shoebahmed Shaikh, Director
Ideosphere Consulting, for helping me understand the various nuances of Public relations. His
efforts in guiding me to achieve the goal is commendable.

Furthermore, I would also like to acknowledge with much appreciation for the crucial role of
the Ideosphere team who helped me solving my doubts and showing me the way ahead.

I extend my gratitude to IMT Hyderabad for giving me the platform to polish my skills and
accomplish better in the future.

Regards,
Mangal Pandey
(17A1HP401)

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Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary…………………………………………………………….……... 7
2. Literature Review……………………………………………………………………… 8
2. Company Profile……………………………………………………………….............. 10
3. Goal……………………………………………………………………………………... 11
3.1 Objectives………………………………………………………………………11
4. Methodology………………………………………………………………..................... 11
4.1 Procedure………………………………………………………………………11
4.2 Data collection Tool…………………………………………………………... 12
4.3 Project Structure………………………………………………………………12
5. Phase 1………………………………………………………………………………….. 13
5.1 News Tracking…………………………………………………………………13
5.2 Building Media Database……………………………………………………...14
5.3 Competitive Analysis…………………………………………………………..14
6. Phase 2………………………………………………………………………………….. 15
6.1 T-hub……………………………………………………………………………15
6.2 Structure of T-Hub…………………………………………………………….15
6.3 Growth………………………………………………………………………….16
6.4 Notable Startups……………………………………………………………….16
6.5 Future Plans…………………………………………………………………….18
7. Key Learnings……………………………………………………………………...........19
8. Future Responsibilities………………………………….................................................19
9. References………………………………………………………………..........................20
10. Appendices……………………………………………………………………………...21

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List of Illustrations

Future Forecast of PR Industry.....................................................................7

Company Divisions.........................................................................................10
Steps in a PR Process………………………………………………………..12
News Tracking Process……………………………………………………...13
Breakdown of Startups in 2016......................................................................16

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1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Public Relations is considered as the integral foundation for individuals, companies and start-ups to
establish their credibility in the market. It has become a fundamental part for every organization to
reach the target audience through various media platforms. In order to establish any brand in the
market, PR works as the intermediary through which people can get maximum media exposure.

Formerly, there were only few PR techniques like press releases, interviews, press conferences and
events to gaze traction but with the development in the technology of the internet and digital
revolution, the business has seen a humongous growth over the period of time. Nowadays, PR is
adapting new methods such as engaging videos, online content, bloggers outreach, influencers and
many more such techniques to achieve maximum limelight.

Figure 1: Future Forecast of PR Industry

According to a report by the Public Relations Consultants Associations of India (PRCAI):

The Indian PR Industry is expected to grow at a rate at about 17% from FY18 - FY20.
Public Relations sector is expected to reach Rs. 2,100 Crore by 2020.
Digital, Social media and Content driven campaigns will be the game changers in the
Industry and may contribute to as high as 25% of the revenue share

The PR business has witnessed enormous growth over the last few decades, new services such as
digital and social media communications have led to the immense contribution for the growth of the
industry.
A major use of the project will be to develop GTM strategy for Ideosphere Consulting in Hyderabad
region and client servicing by developing media database, Event list, Bloggers list and corporate
outreach.

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2. LITERATURE REVIEW

The literature review includes discussing the concept, various definitions, functions and roles
of public relations; emphasizing on how public relations differs from marketing; discussing the
various models of public relations; and also reviews the location of public relations within the
hierarchy structure of an organization. Furthermore, the systems model is also investigated as
well as its application to public relations. The theoretical approach of the model is significant to this
study as it provides a detailed explanation as to how all parts of an open system need to work together
for the overall success of the system. Therefore, the study uses the systems model to provide a
theoretical underpinning for the study in examining the role of public relations within organizations.

Ravindran, R.K. (2000), Handbook of public relations, Anmd Publication, New Delhi: This
book mentions that public relations has a key role in developing understanding and support for a
particular cause or event. Essentially, public relations helps to define and explain relationships of
mutual benefit between organizations and their key stakeholders amongst both their employees and
their customers or clients. Hence, this signifies that public relations can play an important
managerial role within an organization. It is thus considered as a position of managing relationships
between an organization and its stakeholders and maintaining open communication amongst
the various stakeholders.

Johnston, J. and Zawawi, C. (2004), Public Relations: Theory and Practices, Allen & Unwin,
Sydney: Media relations and placement is one of the key functions in which practitioners may be
engaged. This book explains that it involves contacting the news media, magazines, freelance
writers and trade publications with the intention of getting them to publish or broadcast news and
features about the organization. It may also involve responding to media requests for information and
acting as a spokesperson for the organization. Finally, it may mean arranging for the production,
booking and placement or broadcasting of corporate advertisements used as part of a public relations
programme. Media relations is one of the best-known elements of public relations because the
outcomes can be seen every day in the media.

Wilcox, D. and Cameron, G. (2009). Public Relations: Strategies and tactics, 9th edition,
Pearson Education Inc., Boston: This book explains that people often define public relations by
some of its visible techniques and tactics, such as featuring in a newspaper, a television interview with
an organization’s spokesperson, or the presence of the influencers at any special event. What people
fail to understand is that public relations is a process involving many subtle and far-reaching aspects.
Public relations include research and analysis, policy formation, programming,
communication, and continuous feedback from numerous people to improve upon. The practitioners
operate on two different levels – acting as advisers to the clients or to an organization’s top
management and as technicians who produce and circulate messages in multiple media channels for
the purpose of awareness.

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Thomlison, T.D. (2000), Public relations as relationship management, Lawrence Erlbaum

Associates Inc., Mahwah, NJ: It states that the public relations function contributes
to organizational effectiveness when it effectively manages strategic relationships and sustainable
relationships that contribute to organizational success by:

Facilitating innovation;
Working towards mutual benefit for the organization and its stakeholders;
Contributing towards enlightened choice in decision-making; and
Providing a competitive advantage as an intangible asset to the organization.

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3. COMPANY PROFILE

Established in early 2011, Ideosphere is an evidence based communication consultancy aiming to

provide customized communication solutions for emerging brands across India. The two divisions of
Ideosphere, namely Ideosphere Insights, the research and content division, and Ideosphere
Consulting, the communication division, aim to work hand in hand for delivering customized
solutions.

Today, Ideosphere has built a strong team of professionals across Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore,
Hyderabad, Chennai and Delhi. Within a short span of its establishment, Ideosphere has been able to
work with more than 25 leading brands across India such as Puma, Espirit, Rajasthan Tourism, Guess,
Baskin-Robbins, Anibrain and Scrabble Entertainment.

In late 2012, Ideosphere set up Ourbit Marketing & Communications as a consulting unit
specializing in building communities its brand partners online. Ourbit's clientele include brands
such as Havaianas, GC Watches, Motul, Mustang Socks, and WSD along with other across various
industry verticals

Figure 2: Company Divisions

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4. GOAL
To develop Go to Market strategy (GTM) for Hyderabad Region and client servicing for spectrum
of clients of Ideosphere Consulting.

4.1 Objectives

To devise strategy for consultancy for T-Hub portfolio startups.

To identify and create potential Clientele in Hyderabad Region.
To create comprehensive Industry event calendar (2018-19) for Hyderabad across 8 Industry
verticals.
To support agency leadership opportunities and assist with new business, as needed.
To understand clients’ top-tier traditional and social media outlets to create comprehensive
media lists.
To monitor traditional and social media outlets for coverage of client news, competitor and
industry developments.
To support agency leadership opportunities and assist with new business, as needed.
To assist as needed on campaigns and special events.

5. METHODOLOGY
5.1 Procedure

1. Understand the organization’s structure and its mode of operation.

2. Reading the creative brief, which includes background information about the client,
main PR objectives, unique selling points, the company mission as well as existing and
potential challenges.
3. Database creation for clients which include:
a. Media List
b. Bloggers List
c. Event List
4. Identification of key Influencers to get them onboard for client’s product review/program.
5. Identify Speakership opportunities / Sponsorship opportunities in order to strengthen client’s
brand.
6. Follow-up journalist for different coverage formats like Authored Article, Brand Profiling,
Industry Stories, and Case Study.
7. Evaluating and making necessary updates in the existing media list.
8. Data Collection on T-Hub for Identification of prospective clientele in Hyderabad region.

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Figure 3: Steps in a PR Process

5.2 Data Collection Tools

Secondary research will be conducted in order to meet the objectives of the project with the help of
external secondary data, published research papers, authenticated databases and other scholarly
articles. We will try to contact and interact with people working in the organizations, which
are indulging in T-Hub in order to gain valuable insights about what is being currently done
in the domain.

5.3 Project Structure

The Project can be divided into three phases. The first phase is generally about learning the nuances
of Public Relations and Insights, News Tracking, building Media database, Competitive analysis of
clients. Second phase of the project is focused on gathering data on T-Hub and T-Hub portfolio
startups that in turn will be used in the third and final phase. The third & the last phase will result in
client engagement, planning and launching of products, assisting events and campaigns.
Hence, by:

Managing the organization’s interaction with current and potential future clients

We aim to popularize the brand in the continent, focusing on improving the business relationships
ultimately leading to client retention, enhance credibility and finally driving growth of the
company.

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6. PHASE 1
The phase 1 will focus on keeping a track of what is and what will be useful info provided in the
newspapers for facilitating the client and to keep a track on the respective industry trends. This
track of information is not only kept by taking a detailed look at newspaper but also at all the
available online media. Work done in Phase 1 will be also helpful in maintaining a historical
record of a collected data to facilitate the work of another client with the same requirement set.
Phase 1 also deals with competitive analysis along with a track of client’s competitor’s
movement for the client to facilitate their marketing strategies.

6.1 News Tracking

• Offline Tracking through newspapers

Monitor • Online Tracking using relevant Keywords
News

• Filtering out articles on the basis of degree of their

Analyze and relevancy to client
Compile

• Sending NYCU through mail on a daily basis

Send NYCU

Figure 4: News Tracking Process

News Monitoring process involves delivering copies of media content, which is of specific
interest to clients and subject to changing demand in the industry; it includes documentation,
content, analysis, or editorial opinion, specifically or widely. These services tend to
specialize their coverage by subject, industry, size, geography, publication, journalist, or
editor.
It is a very important aspect that needs to be done on a daily basis for the clients. This keeps
the clients updated on the latest happenings related to their line of business.

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Another important aspect of News Monitoring is NYCUs (News You Can Use). NYCUs
include all the latest news coverage and links that are relevant for a particular client. This
has to be done before 11am on a daily basis.

6.2 Building Media database

a) Build a media List: A media list is the one that includes business publications, blogs, and
trade publications in relevant vertical markets. At minimum, the information we track
include outlet name, organization, phone, email, social profile links, areas of interest/beat,
and notes.
A media list documents the key media contacts for people who would be interested in stories
about a certain business or area of expertise. These media contacts may include journalists,
reporters, bloggers, producers, freelance writers and editors across print, online, blogs, radio
and television.
b) Build an Event List: The purpose of an Event List is to show a list of events with date, time,
content, location, etc. on a single sheet. This is done so that the clients can explore various
Speakership, Sponsorship or Participation opportunities in different events like Awards
or Conferences.
c) Pull editorial calendar information: Traditional print publications often publish editorial
calendars that show the topics they plan to cover throughout the year. Research the
calendars of our target media outlets and look for topics that align with the content in our
campaigns.

6.3 Competitive Analysis

In order to develop an effective strategy for the PR of our clients and their products or services, it
is critical to gain a comprehensive understanding of the surrounding industry landscape
through competitor analysis and evaluation. The analysis provides clients with a unique vantage
point from which to generate a comprehensive PR strategy that will put our client’s organization
in the spotlight.

I did the competitor analysis for Aviom Housing Finance to find out the strengths and
weaknesses of their competition, so that that they can make knowledgeable decisions about their
own strategies. The competitive analysis was done via recorded data like newspaper articles,
press release and the website. The competitor analysis was done keeping in mind:

1. Comparison of the engagement level: Tried analysing the content shared by Aviom
Housing and its competitors like Umeed Housing Finance Pvt. Ltd, SRG etc. and tried to find
out the weakness and opportunities available for growth.

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2. Identifying the brand reach: Evaluating the individual social platform presence
(Facebook, twitter and Instagram). Used this data to evaluate the competitor’s reach and the
tactics they are following

3. Quality of content: Housing industry focus on specific content, each of them have
their keywords to focus on. The quality of content is defined by the keywords being used.

7. PHASE 2

Phase 2 dealt with the corporate outreach, taking T Hub as the main research component. In this
research, the focus was on the T Hub industry and its portfolio start-ups. I researched about the
operation of T Hub, its structure, its growth over the years, the changes incorporated and the
challenges faced. Future plans were also studied to get an insight into the mode of operation for
the future.

7.1 T-Hub

T-hub is an innovative partnership (public/ private) between Telangana Government, 3 of

India's top notch institutes IIITH, ISB & NALSAR and major private sector leaders to promote
entrepreneurship in the state of Telangana by being the country's largest facility for the same.
T hub stands strong at the junction of the startups, corporate, research and government sectors.
T hub was launched in 2015 with an innovation of giving a platform to the technology related
startups by providing them working space and mentorship access, building better networking
opportunities and the best of all conducting workshops at an affordable fee.

7.2 Structure of T-Hub

The startups within T-hub are divided into seven sectors and specializations –

Fintech
Healthcare
Agritech
Smart Cities
Transportation and Logistics
Sustainability and Social Tech capturing Big Data
IOT Analytics, Sensors, Cloud and Mobility.

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7.3 Growth

Catalyst – T-Hub’s incubator hosted in total of 206 startups in the year 2016. For the batch of
2016, there were 23 fintech startups, 21 Healthtech startups, 19 Agritech, 22 social, 12
sustainable, 16 transport & logistics, 22 SmartCity. Other than this, there are about 65
other startups that work majorly in the space of – big data, IoT, mobile tech, Edutech,
Nano-technology, billing management, legal, etc.

BREAKDOWN OF STARTUPS IN 2016

Fintech
Big Data, IoT, 11%
Mobile Tech,
EduTech healthcare
33% 10%

Agritech
10%

Smart City Social

11% 11%

Transport & Sustainable

Logistics 6%
8%

Figure 5: Breakdown of Startups in 2016

Today, T-Hub has developed its association with 835 startups, presently has 117 on board
mentors, has successfully enabled 32 communities and created 114 international
partnerships. It has also been successful in conducting 13 startup-oriented programs. T-Hub
has witnessed 57 of its startups raising a funding of $33.6 million.

7.4 Notable Start-ups

Four amazing startups from one of India’s innovative and largest start-up ecosystem builders,
T-Hub, have brought global appreciation to the country by winning distinguished awards and
recognitions in various competitions held in the country for identifying emerging startups in
the country.

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Below is a brief overview of the four Indian startups that are currently enjoying international
stardom:

Hug Innovations: The startup’s gesture-control Hug Smartwatch startup has won a lot of
hearts and recognition recently. A technologically equipped smartwatch that is able to
navigate smart televisions, flying drones and control virtual reality based applications
just through hand gestures.

Out of the total 1500 amazing startups that participated in the Global Mobile Challenge, Hug
Innovations bagged the award for the best in India title and was in Top 3 in the APAC. Apart
from this it also won the winners title of The India Region Round of the 1st China
(Shenzhen) Innovation & Entrepreneurship International Competition held at Bengaluru and
was among the Top 10 finalists in the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona.

Loop Reality: The Telangana-based startup aims to build the best immersive
and interactive Virtual Reality solutions. Its product, LoopFit, is a combination of the various
in- trend technologies such as VR, Internet of Things, and analytics. It promises to be the future
of indoor fitness training. It also keeps track of your heart rate, calories burnt, pedaling
speed, and power by keeping an eye on your health and fitness via technology when you are
involved in any physical activity. By providing both the hardware and virtual environment, it
renders to you the best of both – digital and real worlds together.

While Hug Innovations won the title of The India Region Round of the 1st China (Shenzhen)
Innovation & Entrepreneurship International Competition held at Bengaluru and received a
cash prize of RMB 100,000, Loop Reality, was declared 2nd Runner-up and walked away with
a cash prize of RMB 30,000 at the same competition. Both of the startups have
qualified for the global finals of the competition, which are scheduled to be held in China in
April.

Authbase: A Cyber Security Company, Authbase provides framework to help developers

secure their applications. A group of people passionate and conscious about security majorly
focusing on bridging the gap in security among startups and MSMES are running this unique
startup.

It is both a product as well services company. As of now, the startup is currently developing a
unique type of scanner that would be able to detect and monitor and alert any web solution
across different levels for threats, vulnerabilities and exploits.

Kheyti: Kheyti, which means farming in Hindi, started with an aim to turn India’s class of
small-scale farmers into ‘smart’ farmers. The startup is involved in designing, adapting and
implementing low-cost farming solutions that can be an aid to small farmers in the country by
benefitting them through increasing the yield and predictability of their produce.

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7.5 Future Plans

Focusing on early and growth stage startups

One major pivot T-Hub has taken is from being an incubator for idea-stage startups to
focusing on early and growth stage startups. The extension of that is the growth
stage when more people pay for it and there is organic growth coming in terms of traction
and revenue. T-Hub now focuses on helping these startups scale up and take their product
or solution to the next level.

An eye on diversity

The second big step for T-Hub has been a focus on diversity and momentum. The idea has
been to transform Hyderabad as one of the top 10 destinations. And to make people think
of Hyderabad as a destination, T-Hub has introduced business units such as corporate
innovation and international relations, and several programs such as T-Bridge,
hackathons, virtual membership, India market access program. These innovative
programs are now attracting startups from different parts of the world to come to
Hyderabad to participate in its programs that is bringing momentum and diversity.

Starting this year, T-Hub is looking at helping international companies looking at India,
enter and access the market. These companies are large companies (mostly series A, B and
C funded companies), which have figured out how to solve the problem. Their
knowledge will help other smaller startups to scale. In addition, T-Hub is working
towards helping Indian companies take their operations overseas.

T-Hub’s main objective is to make Hyderabad, a startup city. In addition, for that
the incubator is keen on building collaborations with other incubators, accelerators,
investors, mentors, corporates and other stakeholders, in the coming years.

With T-Hub 2.0 set to be launched in a year, T-Hub is already on the verge of
becoming the largest incubator in the world.

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8. KEY LEARNINGS

The project provided me an on-ground experience of corporate world. The major

Learnings from the project are:

Media list development skill

News Tracking
Diversifying skillset
Marketing Communications Mix
Marketing public relations (MPR)
Presentation Skills

9. FUTURE RESPONSIBILITIES

Identification and creation of list of potential clients in Hyderabad Region.

Creation of comprehensive industry event calendar for Hyderabad (2018-19) across 8
Industry verticals which are
i. E-commerce
ii. SaaS
iii. Fintech
iv. FnB
v. Fitness
vi. Real estate
vii. Fashion
viii. BFSI
Corporate Outreach has to be done for almost all the clients. Communicating with people
and building a strong relationship with them is what our clients expect from us.

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10. REFERENCES

(2018), "we build brand stories”, available at: https://www.ideosphereconsulting.com/

(Accessed 23 April 2018).

(2018), “Upcoming Trends in Public Relations in 2018”, available at:

https://reputationtoday.in/views/upcoming-trends-in-public-relations-in-2018/
(Accessed 23 April 2018).

(2016), “State of Indian Public Relations Industry: 2016”, available at:

http://www.mxmindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/PR-Industry-Status-2016.pdf
(Accessed 25 April 2018).

(2017), “About T-Hub”, available at: https://t-hub.co/about/ (Accessed 25 April 2018).

(2015), “so what exactly is Hyderabad T –hub all you? All you need to know”, available at:
https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/so-what-exactly-hyderabads-t-hub-all-you-need-know-
35765 (Accessed 27 April 2018).

(2017), “2 years of T-Hub: From idea incubator to making Hyderabad a startup destination”
Available at: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/2-years-t-hub-idea-incubator-making-
hyderabad-startup-destination-71185 (Accessed 27 April 2018).

(2016), “With Over 200 Startups under Its Aegis, T-Hub Plans To Make Hyderabad a Startup Force to
Reckon With” available at: https://inc42.com/buzz/thub-anniversary/ (Accessed 27 April 2018).

(2018), “T-Hub announces cohort-based incubation system Lab32; to incubate over 100 startups
every year” available at: http://www.financialexpress.com/industry/sme/t-hub-announces-cohort-
based-incubation-system-lab32-to-incubate-over-100-startups-every-year/1122235/
(Accessed 27 April 2018).

(2017), “https://www.indianweb2.com/2017/03/27/meet-4-unique-startups-t-hub-bagged-global-
awards/” available at: https://www.indianweb2.com/2017/03/27/meet-4-unique-startups-t-hub-
bagged-global-awards/ (Accessed 28 April 2018).

Ravindran, R.K. (2000), Handbook of public relations, Anmd Publication, New Delhi

Johnston, J. and Zawawi, C. (2004), Public Relations: Theory and Practices, Allen & Unwin,
Sydney

Wilcox, D. and Cameron, G. (2009). Public Relations: Strategies and tactics, 9th edition,
Pearson Education Inc., Boston

Thomlison, T.D. (2000), Public relations as relationship management, Lawrence Erlbaum

Associates Inc., Mahwah, NJ

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11. APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Bloggers and Influencers list

Appendix 2: Media list

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Appendix 3: Competitive Analysis of Aviom Housing Finance

Appendix 3: Event List

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Appendix 4: News you can use (NYCU)

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