Watermelon and Rinku Master

Often knowingly or unknowingly I end up comparing my childhood with that of my 3 year old son Neo.
And wonder, gape, marvel, cringe, ponder, meditate at the differences and very often the similarities!

And this week-end when I took him to the kid-salon - 'Watermelon' in Bandra, I couldn't not think of 'Rinku Master' - my default childhood barber in Patna.

Some comparisons I made in my groggy head as I sat for Neo's turn.

1. Watermelon is quite a hip place on the top of a kids apparel shop called Ruff Kids on Hill Road, Bandra. It's got chairs shaped as toy cars and personal TVs for the tiny monsters while they get their hair-cut.

Rinku Master was a 8X8 place with few wooden chairs, dirty towels(by my new hygiene standards imposed on me by my cleanliness obsessed wife and MNC office environs) and Vividh Bharati on radio.

2. Watermelon to my horror had at least 8-10 hair-cut options ranging from the humble back-to-school cut to 'mellow-spikes' and 'action-spikes'!! Between Rinku master and my conspiring father, there was only one-cut through large tracts of my childhood. It was called 'katora(bowl)-cut'.

3. All the cuts cost an average of Rs 150 at Watermelon. Rinku Master charged me Rs. 5. I guess he still charges Rs 5. LOL. The only inflation proof economic activity in India other than the price of 'Raddi'(old newspapers sold by weight)

4. It was my father who invariably accompanied me for these joyless hair-cuts to roadside saloons. And the brief was always one-line and fixed in stone - "Ek dum chhota kar dijiye", "Hero cut nahin chahiye bachche ke liye"

Cut to Watermelon in Bandra. Except Neo all the kids(and now its a more gender balanced salon with cute looking girls in the waiting play area as well)
are accompanied by their Moms(what a welcome change!).

And the one-line brief has been turned on its head. It's the moms who are egging a hassled barber(ok hair expert) to give their child one of the 4 'spike-cut' options available on a proper designer menu!

5. Rinku had all duplicate brands. Maybe 'Godrej' cream and hair-dye were the only original products he housed. The rest were all cheap local imitations. Even the dettol was a diluted, dirty and unreliable concoction! Watermelon has all the fancy brands, which would cost more than the brands which a middle class father would use for himself!

6. I had my first plastic at the age of 25 when I passed out of B-school. Neo had his first loyalty card at age 2! And the first loyalty bonus reward of Rs.75( at Watermelon) at age 3!! It would be interesting to plot his plastic-engagement over the years:-) I have a feeling by 25, he might just renounce plastic/ or nano-embeds or whatever...LOL

7. But with all the technology, the hair expert never even bothered to ask Neo's name or smile even once( maybe he just had a bad morning/ hadn't crapped); on the other hand, years later when I had stopped going to Rinku Master, he still enquired about me. Through my father, he kept a track of my studies, and my first job, and then my wedding and once confided to my father that he wanted to cut Neo's hair as well.

And all this without a well-designed loyalty card and advanced tracking mechanism:-)

8. Like any child I hated getting a hair-cut and so does Neo. Some things will never change!

These and many thoughts keep swirling as I engage in many activities for Neo that I had done years ago. When the world wasn't so branded. And people talked less of loyalty and consumer delight and satisfaction surveys. Yet many-a-time delivered on all those parameters...

In the meanwhile, Rinku Master lost many of his clients who climbed the aesthetic and the make-over and the hygiene consciousness curve!

But the brand stays in my heart years after I stopped using the service.

Maybe it's nothing more than middle-age nostalgia about the 'good ole days'. Or maybe it's the beginning of the need for 'Simplexity' - well more about it later in another post:-)

Happy New Year to everyone and especially fellow planners, friends, family and colleagues!

Bekaar and Bekaar

I have been wanting to rant about the Brand Equity 'Best, Bekaar' poll and BE in general for some time now. Yesterday's cover story on SRK Vs Amitabh provided the right fodder.

SRK vs Amitabh, for starters is an idiotic comparison. Even otherwise, it's received it's share of coverage as a 3 part series in Financial Express and the cover story in India Today this fortnite! To top it, the BE article hardly had any new point to make on a rather irrelevant subject!

Increasingly I think, barring the odd syndicated articles from Wharton school, Campaign, Economist etc., most of Brand Equity reads like a Stardust of Ad World rather than analysis of major brand/marketing related issues...
True, it does have data, fancy charts and odd comments from experts but the rigour of research and editorial analysis is largely absent!!

I do remember till sometime back, it used to have much better editorial quality(of course relative to the BS Strategist).

It is becoming too page 3ish. And major stories read like racy thrillers rather than sound argument/ analysis. And a large number of stories would fall under the category - Bekaar!! It's a pity that the nation's premier(?) advertising supplement must abandon quality in favour of sensationlism.

Which brings me back to the Best-Bekaar column(which slots new TVCs under the two slots). I don't know who the panel is, but often their judgement is erratic and devoid of any advertising sensibility! Would put the column itself under permanent 'Bekaar':-)

I guess BE should go for a change of nomenclature to suit its new pg3 positioning and content!

Kool Kareers @ Bollywood

With so much of Bollywood around us, it's impossible to ignore it. In ET today there's an article on the cool careers that stars are role playing on-screen. One did have a feeling that unlike the 'berozgaar hero' of yesteryear's that did the rounds of offices in chappals, with his 'degree and certificates' in a file under his arm, hunting for 'naukari' to help his 'booddhi maa', stars are at the cutting edge as far as their on-screen careers are concerned!

Cut to the new millennium, we have stars all with jobs, living in palatial houses( even in Bombay), engaged in cool jobs(including advertising:-)

In Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, Preity is a fashion editor, hubby SRK is a foot-ball star turned coach, Abhishek is a top PR guy arranging hot parties for dad - Sexy Sam!!

In Don2, Arjun Ramphal is a 'hacker'; in Krrish - Priyanka Chopra is a TV producer; in Lagey Raho Munnabhai, Vidya Balan is an RJ; Saif is an architect-turned-celeb-chef in Salaam Namaste and girl friend Preity is a med-student turned RJ!!; in Hum Tum Saif was a cartoonist and Rani was a fashion designer and SRK as a NASA scientist in Swades...

Some in-the-pipeline-films from UTV have the star as a footballer(Goal), as a call centre executive(Metro), etc.

It's difficult now to decide from the pace at which Bollywood is adopting 'hatke careers' what is driving what! Is Bollywood driving real life or vice versa.

Looks like once again Bollywood is at par with advertising(Wagon R, Saif in the Royal Stag ads)when it comes to depicting cool careers or maybe ahead of the curve yet again...And even in real life, you have a Karan Johar who is a film-director-cum-producer-cum-chat-show-host-cum-entertainment-channel-CEO all rolled into one!

Then again the comparison may not be fair. As ads have a shrinking time-compressed aperture of 20-30 secs whereas Bolywood has the luxury of 3hrs.

You could also check out - The Future of Bollywood

The Argument Continues...

The dust-storm raised by Santosh's interview on agencyfaqs has had a sequel today. Top admen have ranted...Rarely do Indian admen speak their true mind!

As always, I found Arvind's(Sharma) view-point to be the most fresh, the most holistic and future-ready...I have worked with him in the past and I found him a bloody good planner!

Here's my own 'chawanni'(again!!!)on the brouhaha that refuses to die-down!

From Manish — Tue 26 Dec 2006 02:23:14 PM (As commented on afaqs)

I agree with Arvind(Sharma)...The year when TIME magazine names 'YOU( the ordinary guy on the street) as the Person of the year...is the year that announces 'democratisation of creative'. And the declining power of the experts and the specialists.

And advertising is not facing unique challenges alone! Journalism is facing threats from blogs, marketing is facing threats and challenges from web 2.0, Bollywood is inpinging on hollywood and vice versa!

The world ain't what it was just a few years ago...And, we need new leaders, new thinkers/ planners to chart new roads...to places that may not even exist on the communication map today!!

Long term planning/ strategy benefits has been under attack by the likes of Mintzberg for long, consistency is under threat by engagement and surprise and what makes up a brand( globally or nationally) is itself under question and constantly being re-invented and re-imagined...

I think it's absolutely the best time to be in the 'communication business' as seen by Google, Youtube, Star and Zee, the digital players, most big agencies,...and the small cutting edge ones like strawberryfrog and 180, and CP+B and W+K and Mother!

India is integrating with the global economy and the smallness of thoughts or 'exhaustion' of individual efforts is likely to be over-taken by the aspirations of a hungry Chindia and a 'world that is coming to it' rapidly...

Absolutely the wrongest time(at least for the reasons cited) to hang up boots for anyone!

Related post : Why Now, Santosh

Merry Christmas

Yet another visual symbol of New India...A strange, sweet concoction of the old and the new, East and the West, elephant and tiger speeds, bizarre and the beautiful...

And young Neo with cousin ved on the trail of Santa marketing with occasional chants of Santa Ki Jai...LOL

Trial Room Pitching

For a middle-age, middle class(okay upper middle class) couple week-ends are increasing about 'Mall Crawling'. There in the glitz, glass-facades, you tend to(momentarily)forget the week's hard slog, the guilt of having not spent quality time with your only son and wife.

Malls are middle class/urban India's attempt/short-cut at buying happiness straight off the shelf! It's also an island of 'India Shining'. It helps one forget much of the chaos, drudgery and poverty all around. It filters out butt-brushes with only our kind of people(the right SECs)...

Sorry, I am in a foul mood(for no particular reason). Forgive me, Christmas is a time for merrymaking and stuff like that! Over to my planner/ marketer/ the world-as-a-commercial-ship mode:-)

Anyways, the point I was trying to make was that with odd exceptions, I have found most trial rooms to be virginal white and pure - devoid of commercial messages...

This is one place which needn't fret about permission bombarding...The guy is already in a mood to splurge and is trying to lose some wallet-weight. A little nudge ain't all that bad...Yes, I understand we don't want to put too much clutter in the mirror, but still it's worth a try!
Remember, in space-starved Mumbai, this is 4X4 square feet of quiet time(the queue outside notwithstanding)

How about...
1. Diet/ weight loss/ wellness/ fitness companies unfolding their packages while you unzip your pants LOL

2. Grooming salons and makeover plans for the gentleman and ladies?

3. How about perfume sniffing-strips and pitching that Hugo Boss one has been dilly-dallying for much of summer...
4. How about reminding to buy a shirt for your father? Ride on the guilt of buying for oneself alone.

I am generally not in favour of push-in-your-face-marketing but the trial room ain't the sanctum sanctorum and deserves better usage...Maybe, I am not that well-informed. And marketers of different hue have already raided this space. Do share your experience of trial room pitching!!

Related Post: Buyers, Shoppers, You and Me

Just Chrome, Steel and Endless Possibilities

In the December issue of Communication Arts, came across these Harley print ads...What craftsmanship! I wish we saw more of these closer home!

Build Yours.
Individuality as expressed with a wrench. Harley Davidson

Build Yours.
Every custom Harley-Davidson motorcycle is a reflection of the rider who created it.

Build Yours.
No right. No wrong. Just chrome, steel and endless possibilities. Harley Davidson.

Merry Christmas Guys!!

Why Now, Santosh?

By now, its highly probable that you would have read Santosh's Rant on agencyfaqs! In an industry already troubled by dropping intellectual capital, a major voice leaves. In fact, in the pre-blog/ net/ e-mail days, his was the lone planner voice that one heard in India...Sad, unfortunate...

My only question to Santosh is why now?

Of course, as a planner and as an ad guy who has himself been in the Indian ad business for about 13 years, I can identify with each of the points that Santosh has raised. They resonate. The frustrations, the angst. The smallness of people all around us. But isn't the worst behind us...

In the morning, I read an optimistic post on the state of media by FINK at ThotBlurb. And then I read this slightly bitter farewell note from a guy who most young Indian planners look upto!

Frankly, in the interview, Santosh doesn't tell anything new( rare for him)!
His rants are the familiar ones. What surprises me is that he was the CEO of a fairly influential agency. He was in charge. So, he could have initiated much of the changes he so desires a Pied Piper to champion! At least at McCann...

1.I feel the Pied Piper won't come from other industries. They are playing a much larger game. Having more fun than us in a gung-ho economy! House-cleaning is best done by the inmates!


2. Santosh also commented on the mediocre talent that the industry has and the problem of talent retention. Again I don't think McCann had a better scorecard against the industry standard.

Of the few bright, smart kids that we hire, many work in Vietnam type sweat-shop conditions and salaries(with a little dollop of exaggeration, it's true)...AE salaries in many agencies are only marginally more than the salaries of the drivers( with over-time) of the CEO in the same agency!

Many of the agencies today generate substantial profits for the big holding companies. If that's the case why is attracting talent so difficult. Of course, I have never run a business unit. So, I may be a little naive on the business and growth compulsions. Do forgive me for that...

3. On his specific comment that -"Admen get disproportionate media coverage, leading them into believing they’re 'big, hot and happening' and that “Advertising is too self-obsessed, judging by the number of awards we flank ourselves with..."

Well, I feel we should be grateful that with the small market capitalisation of our industry we still manage to dominate many col cm of space in media! We can't wish away the glamourous( at least the image/ perception) of our business. Bollywood gets disproportionate share of attention too! And they are the poster boys of the economy!

If our blown-up image adds to our influence as an industry, I think its a good thing. If the reference is specific to Prasoon Joshi, then it's a personal matter:-)

3. “Who knows? Someday, my love for advertising may pull me back!” .
And that's the point. Santosh's move appears to me more triggered by the ego clash with Prasoon and the new power equation at McCann than the accumulated frustrations from the advertising industry.

Each of the points raised by Santosh is undeniably true! But the fact remains when most of the World's biggest brands are making a bee-line for India. When the 800 pound gorilla called Omnicom and muscle flexing Publicis are gunning for India.
When the economy is Talking 10, it can't be the worst phase of advertising!

The worst I believe is behind us. Santosh, when the industry most needed guys like you, you have chosen to leave! Why's that?

Citizen Brand : Pashupati Nath Singh

It's funny how some of the best weekly articles surface in the Sunday TOI - a newspaper brand which I love to hate. Some of the write-ups on insights, cultural shifts, trends are good Sunday-reading-for-planner-types!

Came across this nice write-up on Pashupati Nath singh - a story about one man's efforts to mould under-privileged children into self-reliant beings.

65 year old Singh, runs the Patuck High School, tucked away behind rows of road-side shops and a well-kept garden at Vakola(Mumbai). Singh's students are largely under-nourished, under-privileged slum children often with severe learning disabilities. The courses here go beyond bookish knowledge and very often are centred on giving them confidence.

Pashupati Nath Singh, is a former director of Voltas. His 'Leaders of Tomorrow Project', aimed at bright children from Mumbai's slums is immensely popular among the slum/ street children near the airport, Mahim, Malvani, Dadar and Bandra.

Apart from reaching out to 3000 students in 26 schools in the city, Singh also annually adopts 32 poor meritorious students from the ninth grade for his India Scholar Award, a scholarship that ensures that these students are groomed by Singh and his academic partners till they graduate.

If interested, you can dig into the complete write-up in Sunday TOI(Dec 17). Meraj - you stay closest to Singh's school. Maybe, you can dig up the details if you wish...

I think if we can convince some of our clients to dole our money or to adopt the school, it would be a really great 360 project! Somebody like Bournvita(?)

I plan to compile such inspiring( relatively unknown) citizen brands. With the huge disparity between the classes, urban-rural divide, pg 1 and pg 4-6 lives,the only way India can truly shine is by supporting such grass-root citizen activism...And all of us can do our little bit. Any volunteers? Lets talk...

I strongly feel Planners need to be sensitive - not just to the tracking figures of cola/car/ cosmetic brands but also to the societal changes all around us! Often our lens is too focussed, our vision too narrow, our thinking too self-obsessed...Blue sky thinking -->Real 360 brand thinking should be about enveloping the consumers/ people at the fringe, bettering their lives. Cause branding has to be a big part in the new marketing/ 360game...

The End Of A Century

On Tuesday night, Lower Parel's(Bombay) Century Mill had it's last shift. I of the India Shining generation, I of the 10% GDP, sensex tanking at 14K generation have little to do with the mill and the lives supported by them. Except for the fact that my agency is in a former Mill(Kamla) compound...

Yet, this article by Soumitra Ghosh in HT on Thursday made me pause and think. Don't know what else can a feeling of one achieve...

Some heart-felt comments/observations from the article...

1. On the last day, as the mill was about to be closed forever, ironically the only source of light for the workers wanting to read about labour rights and exploitation, came from across the street - from the lifestyle store NOSTALGIA!

2. The worker in the picture above - Jagannath Ganpath Kamble, a resident of Chawl no. 14, with a partial disability had this to say -" I joined the mill as a fitter when I was 20. Now. I am 52. In 1982, I lost part of my middle finger while greasing a machine. but I felt a strange sense of pride when I saw the blood rolling down the machine, That is what the mill meant to me."

3. "How come we are making losses? This(Century Mills) was the only mill that was continuously modernised in the country. Clothes are always in demand. Are we headed towards a naked civilization?" asks a 54 year old worker, who has been working at the oldest and the biggest mill in the city for the past 36 years"

4. "Yeh company zabardasti ko voluntary bolna sikhaya. Jaisa murder karke log khud kushi bolta hai", says a 47-year old mill worker and one of the 6000 to accept VRS.

5. The government decided to allow the mill owners to sell the lands(600 acres of prime property in the heart of the city) so it would draw in sky-high real estate rates.

But the sale(of mill lands) has only pushed the prices upwards, making the mill lands graveyards for the workers and vineyards for the super rich -says a worker.

6. "Just as one stops feeling any emotion the day death visits a loved one, I too don't feel anything," says 32 year old worker Santosh Parab, in a whispering voices.

As I said earlier, I don't know what I/we can do apart from looking at the razed mills as I/ some of us cross the Lower Parel fly-over every day.

This is the grim other side of the retail boom. The stories of lives affected adversely, buried in the inner pages of the dailies while the Walmart-Bharti/ Reliance Retail and the Future Group grab column cm on pg1.

Research Can Be Refreshing

I have been trying to collect, glean, comb, forage, rummage, scan, scout:-) stuff on celebrity endorsements and the Future of Bollywood!

In the process, I had sent a set of Qs to many friends I knew...What I had not bargained was the depth of response I would get...A glimpse into the nuanced relationship that people have with everyday brands and celebs...A voice that very often gets sifted out of more organised and formal research...

Here's a rambling from a young friend of mine...His intelligence, his grasp, his understanding of advertising matches any of ours:-)Refreshing...

Hi - guess by now you'd have many responses. So I'll just give you my opinion which I think is far from the median point of view on this subject.

Well, first are there any icons from Bollywood? I guess for me this would depend on how well they do their work - which is to act! Therefore for me SRK will never be an icon because I think he cannot act.

I know there are many who worship him just like there are many who worship Rajnikant. These men have been part of movies that have earned crores and have won awards to fill a small apartment...but the trouble is that in my opinion they have done all this without really acting (again its my personal opinion.)

But yes I agree they are icons, but then again weird things happen in India - ask yourself, would Dhoni be as popular if he looked like Dinesh Karthik even if he played the same kind of shots?

Hmm now the question of celebrity endorsement. I agree with your data - they must work. Afterall its been going on for ages.

But I'll just give you my input. Now just like a Karan Johar movie is bound to succeed even before it is conceptualised. An ad with Hrithik, AB, SRK and Sachin will grab eyeballs too. It cannot be denied. But there in lies the difference, I guess once a celebrity is on board the ad makers are complacent with their work, just like Karan Johar is. I know the Indian audiences will love a Boost ad where AB races a cheetah and emerges victorious, which is only as far fetched as a Karan Johar movie.

Just like many of us are sick of Karan Johar, I'm sick of ludicrous ads that put all these 'icons' to mindless use. Fine - if you want to use them, put some thought into it, come up with something intelligent.

Case in point - Santro, what are they thinking?? The only reason I remember it is because I'm bombarded with it every now and again. If they have all that money and SRK, couldn't they come up with something better?

And what has Cadbury done to a perfect legacy of good ads by this entirely hackneyed and stupid cow ad with AB. On the contrary Aamir Khan (who by the way is my icon) in both Titan and Coke (paanch) was a delight, because that was some ad maker or Aamir himself giving his work due respect. That's some ad I'll always remember.

Internationally the entire Honda campaign concentrates on the cars and comes out with ads which really qualify as art(which is what I would do if I made ads)...GAP used to have all these pretty women in its clothes and lost millions every year till it changed its policy kicked their pretty asses out and came out with a nice series of ads!

okay - that's my take...if you want any more opinions then let me know.

Also I think that any intelligent person will not base his buying decision simply because a cricketer entices him to do so. In fact just to reinforce his intelligence he'll go try something else(probably?)

But intelligent people have hearts and have a taste for music and humour and appreciate art so give them a nice ad with a catchy tune and sensible idea along with a nice product (vvv imp) and they will be lining up before you.

For example I love the Sony ad for its Walkman phone...if I had to buy a phone tomorrow and had the money I'd buy them. And I'm trying to do stupid things like say hello like the European does in the end. And I'm supposedly intelligent(?!) :) and stubborn and too proud and sensible to buy something only because my favourite actor endorses it.

But I guess that's the power of a good ad. Also my father bought the Motorola phone recently - think the ad had a role to play in the decision...his face lights up every time the biscuit falls into the tea cup.

Blogs R Us

Few days back, I had shared some facts and POV on blogging. Yes, its a niche sport:-)Many planners in India are into it...We(Iqbal, Kajal, Saurabh, I...) just started thotblurb, the thots and musings by planners on hopefully everything under the sun!

However, blogging within the larger Indian advertising fraternity is still seen with amusement(that's what the research-by-one suggests),'passing-fad-hai glances', indifference, etc.

A friend of mine who is reasonably senior in account management refuses to see the reason why anybody would blog. And somebody who is nobody to that anybody would read!!

Another creative guy I know refuses to acknowledge blogging/my blog/ any blog...Yet another long-time ad veteran is reluctant to blog. And the sharing of private thoughts in a public domain doesn't seem to be the reason for his hesitance!!

What's the big deal about blogging? There are 100mn of them...

It's just a medium to express yourself, sans the filter of mass media censorship...It's a digital store-house for thoughts-never-penned-by-you, ideas-from-the-attic-of-the-mind, dreams-hidden-in-the-heart...

In my case also provides the space to share few-old-ads-as-brand-prints-languishing-in-powerpoint/hard-disc:-)

In contrast, a young friend of mine shared her thots on blogging...What a whiff of young thots...Here it is.

I knew of a professor of English Literature who used to wash dishes to vent frustration. She had told us that she imagined each plate, bowl, spoon to be a face of one of the myriad mischief-makers of the class. And when she explained the poem, Two Tramps in Mud Time by Robert Frost, to us, I realized that my habit of releasing pent up emotions on the last pages of my notebook wasn't exactly without reason. The poem begins with a man chopping wood to destress, I knew then that the pen was my axe!

Over time this pen has turned into the keyboard of a Compaq Presario M2000 and my notebook into, well, still a notebook but a digital one. Everytime i have a particularly gratitude-worthy day or a moronically frustrating one I get myself some coffee and chocolate and let the juices flow.

Everytime I learn from an especially stirring experience it's converted into a new page in my digital novel on life. The experience need not be a great loss like death or a happiness like a new life into the world. I don't have them, not too often at least. What I mean by 'stirring' is slight turbulence in my equation with those around me. Sometimes the most subtle of things can teach you an invaluable truth which you failed to see while floating on clouds of happiness, your sight distorted by the mist that had settled on your judgement.

Blogging is free therapy...and with demands for psychiatric help skyrocketing, blogging is a relief to the economically challenged. Personally just writing down my troubles is such a weight off my head, it's like having spoken to Oprah about it. And the comments you get from anonymous well-wishers is another bonus.

The "Blogopolitan" is a place where there's room for every intellectual, every moron, every terrorist and every zen aathma. 'Your opinions are your's and no one can change that' is the principle that the blogging world flourishes on.

Devdas drank himself to death to beat frustration, Hitler destroyed half the earth and Marilyn Monroe popped pills. I blog. Sweet addiction, isn't it.

Well, I wish my suit friend and the creative guy read this! Other stray thoughts/ rant/ hope...

1. I think marketing must soon realise all those years of lip-service that they paid to 'Consumer is King' has found a voice...Now we can't fool everyone all the time...

2. Authentic is in. Hype is out.
Conversations are in. headlines are out.
Content is in. Pretty pictures, expensive films devoid of ideas are out.

Brands with attitude/ rough-edges/grey shades/unique voices are in.
Brands with just USP/ only smooth edges/ standardised voices are out...

3. Advertising can wait at the periphery a lil longer or join in...

4. Looks like it's the beginning of the end of only templated advertising/ communication. CGC will hit India hard...

5. It's the beginning of the era of CEO/ brand manager as blogger.

6. It's the beginning of the democratisation of creativity...

As I approach the magic figure of 100 posts, I can tell, I have deeply gained from blogging...It has been a creative outlet for me...I have learnt a lot from everybody else...

It's been a humbling experience...I have become Nikon-friendly, I chat a lot, I enjoy my work more and have discovered new voices, friends...

Brands are like people. I think if they start a conversation, they can build more authentic, bigger brands, one conversation at a time...

It's very tough I would assume. There are no operating manuals at the moment. But I believe it can be done. It needs brave and honest attempts and loads of creativity!

BTW, Rithika has made the board for the Valence levels of creativity. Will upload it shortly...cheers

The Future of Bollywood

That's a pretty grandiose post title...But have been wondering about it for some time. And my Q list grows longer...

What is the yield point of Amitabh Bachchan as a celeb endorser?

Is Karan Johar the new meta brand?

What's the genetic difference between pop-celebrity brands and big Bollywood stars?

How much of Bollywood is enough? Will it ever be enough?

How will the spheres of Bollywood and Hollywood interact in the near future?

At TBWA,had been part of a scenario planning workshop conducted by Gavin Heron, the Shanghai office head! The one in Bombay was centred around Bollywood. I remember we had asked interesting questions...In fact our group had come up with this interesting concept - hotfactory.com, a possible world where hotmail founder Sabeer Bhatia and Ramgopal Verma met...

More questions...
Why is Bollywood experimentative?...Is this largely because the industry is/ was so unorganised with pots of hawala money and D Company funding...Therefore, with greater corporatisation, will Bollywood lose its edge, it's risk appetite...

Will Bollywood need account planners? What will the job title/ the role be? Are there existing jobs that we don't know? Can we create some - any ideas?

Will Percept Picturescope be the company to watch for?

Should one send his/ her CV to Dharma productions, e-mail SRK:-)

Will Farhan Akhtar/ Aditya Chopra continue to invent 'cool' and agencies continue to research them with awe, admiration and with time lag?

With the democratisation of creativity and technology will Bollywood still be controlled by a few Khans and Chopras?

Will the centre of Indian entertainment and content universe be still Bollywood in 10 years time?

I have been trying to put these Qs and few possible As together in a longer article...But till now there are more Qs than As...Hmmm:-(

The Valence Levels of Creativity

I took the above picture from the magazine - Entrepreneur. Well, if you haven't ever read it, do read some back issues...I quite liked the selection of business stories and articles...

Coming back to the picture. A middle class mom(in the US) had this brilliant idea of a seat bag for her son...It's a normal cloth bag with two partitions where the kids can keep their books, pencil box and other stationery!

It's such an obvious stuff. Yet nobody had ever thought of this. First her friends, then the school, then some other schools in the neighbourhood started asking for the seat bag. This enterprising woman then decided to patent the seat bag...And in the process built a million dollar business around the seat bag!!

I have often thought and I guess have discussed on this blog about the valence levels of creativity...Often as we get immersed in the small 60cc ad or the 30sec TVC, we get so self-obsessed with our clever copy that we feel there is little creativity beyond our narrow silo. Well, maybe we can't compare creativity in communication/ media with creativity elsewhere...But then again, it's all part of one creative game!

What about attempting the valence levels of creativity. I discussed this with Bianca and asked her to put all things creative in concentric circles. The most creative at the core and the least at the periphery!(Actually the reverse of electron valence levels, where the electrons that lose energy fall nearer to the core!) Lets see what she comes up with...

Am creating my own valence set! And surely the seat bag will be near the core ahead of loads of advertising including e-Serve and Big FM:-)

Me Mumbaikar, Me Marathoner

No, this doesn't describe me at all. I am quite lazy and do little exercise! Once in two months, I do Ramdev Maharaj's pranayam for about a week...But I did take part in the Mumbai Marathon last year. Only because Stanchart was my client! I trudged along for about 4.5 kilometres along with Sudheer(my friend from TBWA). Though, I did beat Meraj and Pooja:-)

While on the Marathon brief, had penned some lines. I thought I had misplaced them, till the 'copy' surfaced this week-end amidst piles of old magazines!

Since, the marathon is again round the corner, thought must share my copy with fellow bloggers. Thanks to Hiloni for beautifully art-directing the stuff and to Rithika for typesetting!

Here, it is...Lemme know if you guys like it!


Oh, I guess you can't read the copy...so here it is...

Kehte hain Bambai hamesha bhaagta rehta hai
Kabhi sapnon ke peeche, kabhi apnon ke liye
Kabhi umeed liye, kabhi zimmedaari se
kabhi naam ke peeche, hamesha kaam ke peeche

Is shehar ke har shaks ko hai bhaagne ki aadat
To aaeye har saal ki tarah, is saal bhi
Is betahasha bhaag ko daur mein badalein

21 janwari ko dauriye apne shehar ke liye
Kisi aur ke liye, ek khaas vajah ke liye

Mumbai Marathon. Ek Khaas Shehar. Ek Khas Vajah!

A Picture Is Worth A Few Briefs

'New Behaviour' mostly lags 'New Thinking'. Therefore, even though every planner/ marketer/ suit/ creative worth her/his salt talks eloquently about 'experience/ experiential marketing/ branding', in day-to-day work/life, there is not much to exhibit this experiential thinking...of course my understanding is limited to the small agency cosmos!

Just downloading few observations from my agency life about this lip-service(sort of) to the 'importance of experience'. No particular order/ importance/ relevance...

1. The agency creative brief formats are always 2D. Mostly 10 odd questions asked differently(with varying degree of complexity). But the verbal format ensures that the starting point of the thinking is word-skewed...There are no visual friendly formats in the briefing procedure. And have used/evangelised the formats of HTA, Leo Burnett, Everest(Y&R), Ogilvy, TBWA and currently David...
Okay, let me make an exception. The Hot Buttoning system that we used at LB was a pure visual exercise. We used it extensively. In fact in one of the GPI projects that I was a part of, had used Hot Buttoning extensively along with Rajeev(Sharma)...to create some strong concepts. But visual thinking was not the norm/ habit!

And while many planners and servicing guys do make an effort to make the briefing process experiential, the basic systems are still word driven...

Though, the Wall of David( Meraj might agree) was experiential in a limited sense!

2. This limited use of visuals in the starting stages of a brief is actually quite ironical as the planner community in India( regardless of the holding company alignment) liberally uses gettyimages and corbis. Am a great getty loyalist. It is among my most preferred brands after google and Abzorb( it's an anti-fungal powder:-)

3. 90%( okay 75%) of all agency briefings still happen in aseptic environments...Machine coffee/ tea sucks, many briefings happen immediately before/ after the canteen lunch which also is largely a bland/ boring affair...I believe good ideas come over good food, good coffee and good conversations...
(Actually the coffee at TBWA Mumbai is very good. I guess one can blame the lack of good ideas on sub-standard lunch and conversations...LOL)

4. Anyways while doing my daily chunk reading, got hold of a Brandsense Aroma to Convey Concept table which I feel is worth sharing!

Here are the concepts/ briefing in sensory language rather than words!


1. Adventure - Salty Air, Sawdust, Mud, Fuel, Mint, Spice

2. Tradition - Leather, Wood, Tree, Wool, Cedar, Rose

3. Nurturing - Vanilla, Baby Powder, Apples, Cinnamon, Lavender, Cotton

4. Sophisticated - Wine, Perfume, Cigars, Oak, Scotch, Musk

Maybe it's wrong of me to paint a generalised picture of the bleak, word-obsessed briefing environment. Send me your rant if you vehemently disagree...

On my part, it's going to be more visuals, experiential briefs from now on...Let me walk the talk...

If the 'briefing system' has bothered/ irritated/ intimidated/ enamoured you, check out the Oct 6th post - How much information is needed in a brief?

Cheers

Bob the Builder

Around Oct 15th, I had registered on Couchsurfing.com. Since then what a wonderful experience it has been. I have met Ewa(the Swedish journalist) over coffee, discussed Bollywood, invited her to the Art of Living session!

And then there has been Bob from Kansas city who wrote to me requesting for a couch...Little did I know that this simple gesture would lead to a great many experiences!

Bob, arrived with his ultra light bag, with a mosquito repellent treated shirt, a portable UV ray water purifier, large white hair and the most alive 60 year old face. A self-confessed low maintenance guy, Bob has been staying with us for the past 4 days...and what conversations we have had.

I had always read about the 'great American spirit/ dream'. Not really understood what it meant or fathomed the 'real meaning'. It was only when I listened to the story of Bob the builder, teacher, wanderer who got bankrupt and built his business from scratch twice, sailed for 18 months along the coast of US and Canada after selling all his life's belongings and packing everything left in 8 boxes that I have got a hang of this unique American spirit!

A great cook, raconteur of many tales, spirited at 60, Bob has been like a breath of fresh air...

One of the things I was interested in knowing was what were the first impressions of Bob about Mumbai/ India...Interestingly, his experiences are very similar to mine when I came to Bombay from Delhi some 3.5 years back!

Here in Bob's words...

1. As I stepped out of the airport, the mass of humanity hit me/ my senses...I wasn't prepared for anything like this.

2. The pollution, dust and the traffic congestion enveloped me after I left the airport...

3. Maybe those are the only two negatives. I keep wondering how friendly Indians are. They come up to you and ask if you need help. You guys are very curious. Some people would think that to be nosy . But I am as interested as you are. I have enjoyed this curiousness.

4. Most people are good natured. Maybe it's part of the Hindu spirituality/ Karma . You accept your fate and don't complain.

5. And how industrious Mumbai seems to be. Everyone seems to be doing something!
Mumbai beats Mexicans in being resourceful.

6. I was always warned that I would be assaulted with smells. But other then the dry fish smell, everywhere it was sandalwood and incense in the shops.

7. How neat everyone looks...They seem to be unaffected by the fairly warm weather.

8. I loved the variety of food. It all looks so good. The best part was the papaya-pineapple at Naturals, the coriander chutney, Basmati rice, the Goan wine, the Candies coffee and Darjeeling tea.

9. I haven't seen any spice merchants. Something I must find before I leave.

10. Everything seems so chaotic and yet organised. Everyone here looks as if they are enjoying what they are doing...

Bob is so different from any 64 year old I have met...He had a divorce at 61 and met his girlfriend at 64years through www.match.com!

I am motivated to travel like Bob to far-away lands, to chase stuff that my heart desires, wander aimlessly and to live and be a part of a local culture.
Thanks Bob for stoking the dormant wanderer in me...
P.S. BTW, it's lil Neo who has given the name Bob the Builder!!

The Smallness Of Big Brands

Few days ago, on Rashmi Bansal's(the editor of JAM magazine) blog, I had come across a comment by an investment banker(Alok Mehta) on how HLL was doing a promo on Surf Excel...sms the number of stains you can wash away with Surf and Levers will pay Rs.5 lakh towards Mumbai's needy children...On the surface a noble marketing exercise. Beneath it some eye-wash!

The back of the envelope calculations show that HLL and the telecom companies will make more moolah from the promo than the money contributed to the said cause!

1. Lets be very clear what you want to do with your brand. If the intent is to contribute honestly and generously to the cause, you don't need to ride on cheap gimmicks and schemes.
Coming from Levers, on the back of an Effie for Surf and another one for Lifebuoy -'Little Gandhi' campaign, this really is a let downer!

The amount also is so 'chindi'(small) that it is amply clear that this is more promotion than do-good brand work!

2. The other 'Big Brand' that exhibits smallness is 'Times of India'.( I must admit that content wise it's made a comeback lately) For some reason, in this age of participative media where brands(including most media brands) are encouraging a dialogue between the journo and the reader, TOI refuses to give any details on its writers. It also doesn't give out the e-mail ids of the journos so that one can give feed-back!(Unlike say an HT, IE, DNA, etc.)

Let me share another of their recent marketing schemes - an sms feeback on the articles branded - My Times, My Voice(sic)

It's quite evident that sms feedback is another of TOI's tricks to earn more money out of unsuspecting readers! Gimme a break, what intelligent feedback can a reader really give through an sms message...

In an age where consumers(like you and I) seek authenticity, some of the biggest brands reek of smallness! And may I add dishonesty...

Do share your experiences(recent)on the 'smallness of big brands'!

Breakfast at Bandra

Hey guys! How about breakfast at Bandra...Russellstyle!

No agenda...just some chai, some chat, some 'nashta'...
Maybe no brands, no advertsing for a change, no agency gossip as well!!

Meraj, Kapil, Harshal, Pooja, Jigar, others - what do you say? Or if Sunday is more convenient...But Sunday would have to be a brunch:-)

Lemme know...even a guest list of two is enough!!

Brands as Conversations

There is I guess a lot of literature on the importance of conversations in today's participative media! However, I generally find Indian advertising professionals lacking in this skill. Perhaps years of schooling in
one-way communication(top down, manufacturer to consumer) has led to a gradual attenuation of conversational skills!

So when I came across this brilliant book Fierce Conversations, by Susan Scott, thought must share some of the learnings!

Here they are in no particular order...

1. Remove the word but from your vocabulary and substitute the word and. Most people are shocked to discover how many times they use the word but during the course of a day.

Ad agencies are places with lots and lots of conversations. Endless cups of coffee, endless bouts of conversations. They are also the stuff that lead to maximum learning. Conversations - between creatives and planners, between clients and account handlers, between mainstream and 360, etc. Therefore replacing the buts with ands becomes quite significant.
Many a time I am not listening to others POV. Need to substitute more of my buts with ands...!!

2. We may succeed in hearing every word yet miss the message altogether.Often I find that in the hurriedly convened FGDs and meetings, we are more intent in hearing the words and often fail to listen to the underlying message...

3. Come into the conversation with empty hands. Bring nothing but yourself.
A fundamental rule which we so often forget!

4. Sometimes we put so many pillows around a message that the message gets lost forever.
In our bid to please the client, we put so many pillows, we end up not saying what we would want to. What is right for the brand/ client!

5. There are things our gut knows long before our intellect catches on.
However, in real life most times we try to force our intellect on our gut!

6. A careful conversation is a failed conversation.
Aren't all brand conversations carefully crafted. Are they largely failures? How many fierce conversations do you have in a month/ quarter/ year?
When was the last time? With whom?

7. Never mistake talking for conversations.
Are most brands just talking?
In love with their own voice...
Not bothering to hear what the consumer wants to say, wants to hear!
Have you noticed how most of the ad copy is full of stuff like - "We make your dreams come true", "We take you places", "We help you get faster, higher".
There are far fewer examples of "Lets make things better"

8. Do not begin your comments with "Truthfully..." or "Frankly..." or "Honestly..."
That sometimes gives the impression that you were not truthful, frank or honest before...
The same holds true everytime a brand says 'New Improved', 'Trust me', 'With you all the way'.

9. The conversation is not about the relationship. The conversation is the relationship!
Reminds me of the 'Reliance' bill reminders for payments which read - Dear Subscriber, please pay your bill on time to avoid disconnection. Your relationship is valuable to us. :-)

10. Companies and marriages derail because people don't say what they are really thinking.
Same is true of brands as well...

What role can a planner have in crafting conversations when he/she doesn't write the final copy? It's just words...and if the words and the tone don't match between the brief and the final copy...all the conversational nuances are lost...

Which brings me back to my favourite topic. The new partnership must be between the planner and the creative/ copywriter. It's not necessary. But this is an easier, more effective, more rewarding way(at least for the planner) to craft brand conversations.

There is a UK coffee brand(forget the name) that has a highly conversational tone and ethos! Let me dig its name...

Which/ who is the most conversational brand in India? MTV? Karan Johar? Blogger.com? Sony TV? Bigg Boss?...

Do write your own experiences with planning, crafting brand conversations. Can you call them conversations? Or are they still monologues? Largely...

Utterly Cute - Where do we go now?

While hunting for Aamir Khan's blog on the net, stumbled upon this Amul hoarding...Had somehow missed this one...utterly cute!

Now, here's a brand that can take it's iconic advertising a step ahead using the net and the new technologies...and some participatory communication!

Some thoughts!
1. How about 'Make your own Billboard' contest? I think it could be quite a hit!
2. Or post 'The topical message of the day with the familiar twist' contest.
3. Amul - School of creativity for street children. Kya pata we may end up spotting the next Hussain?
4. How about Amul Humour blog?

I feel just about 10% of this great Indian brand has been explored by mass media till now! Now that Amul is the biggest Asian milk brand...it needs to Think Really Big and even Bolder than in the past...Would love to work on a new media strategy project for Amul!

Any more ideas guys?

Blogging in India - Facts and Future

Looks like blogging is spreading like wild wire in India. Read the first blogging India survey done by MSN and Windows Live - an online survey of more than 1,000 MSN portal visitors in India!

Was trying to read into the numbers...and look ahead! The future looks promising and nothing like the past:-)

1.The numbers . Some 14% of India’s netizens actively blog! And a total of 39% are aware of blogs.
I think that's a very healthy number...Also, I suspect from now on they will grow exponentially.

Almost 90% of bloggers spent up to five hours per week reading blogs or updating their own blogs.
My personal average would be somewhere around 10-15 hours! What about you guys?

2. Male skew . Not surprisingly, the Indian blogosphere is heavily dominated by men(74:26). In the asia-pacific, blogging is fairly evenly matched between the sexes.

3. Youth skew. 54% of bloggers are between the ages of 25-34 years;
32% under 25 years and 15% over 35 years.

4. Trust factor. Close to 45% of the respondents believed that blog content was as trustworthy as traditional media!
I would fall in this category as well! Not just trust, I mostly find blog content to be 'more intelligent', more POV than facts. I also love the personal flavour and the interactive, dialogue nature of blogs!

5. Key drivers. (a) Fervour for self-improvement and personal development.
(b) A large majority of online users read blogs to stay informed about world events
The split between topics - Technology (32%), followed closely by news and education (24%). This is in contrast with the region where technology was ranked by only 19 % as the most interesting, with travel being second most popular ranked by 17%.

(c) Celebrity obsession of Indians continues in the blogosphere as well!
The Report revealed that majority of India’s online users found reading blogs to be an excellent source of entertainment, with those written by actors, popular music artists, and sports personalities rated as the most popular at a combined 77%.

I personally have only come across Shekhar Kapur's blog which I just visited once...
Which are the better celeb blogs? Meraj told me yesterday the bollywood director Anurag Kashyap has a nice blog. Must check it tomorrow!

I think celeb blogs could be the next killer app...I am sure Karan Johar will convince Shah Rukh to blog for his next movie...Kabhi Blog Kar Lena:-)
The making of the movie will not just be a DVD item but actually a director's blog during the scripting and shooting!
There can be a virtual 'Koffee with Karan' in the blogosphere!

(d) Having a platform for self-expression factored heavily into the motivation to blog in India with 58% of bloggers starting a blog because they wanted to express passionate views and commenting on the world around them .
But this I guess is the fundamental reaosn why anybody, anywhere would blog.

(e) Some 40% of India’s bloggers do so to entertain others through their writing.
Don't know what this really means!

6. Favourite blogs . Blogs written by business leaders were found by half of all online users in India to be the most enjoyable to read. This is in contrast to the region where the blogs by business leaders and politicians were far less popular.

In my case, apart from Rajeev Karwal's(if you can call him a business leader) blog I haven't read any other's!

24% of respondents found blogs by politicians to be of regular interest :-)
Who are they? Does a Murli Deora, Sachin Pilot, Rahul Gandhi have one of their own?

7. Other Learnings . Aesthetics play a huge role in attracting and retaining an audience in the blogosphere.

Respondents indicated that a good blog should, firstly, be updated regularly and secondly, be well-written with eye catching pictures.

Amongst the most annoying aspects of blogging, India’s netizens listed badly written entries (42%), self-centered blogs (36%), and not knowing when a blog is updated (34%) as things that turned them away from blog sites.

For me the following are equally important.
- The 'newness of the ideas' discussed in a blog.
- Element of surprise and interesting-ness
- Honesty of writing
- A conversational tone
- Great conversation threads( perhaps even more important than the actual post)

Guys, any other observations on Blogs R Us? Shoot, share...

Greenpeace and Guerrilla Marketing

Mumbai has been witness to the guerrilla tactics of Greenpeace last fortnight! The Greenpeace pirates as they are called went to the Churchgate Mocha, MMK college(Bandra) and elsewhere changing filament bulbs with CFL ones...The cause - cut down on electricity consumption in the city! This guerrilla tactic is the most creative campaign I have seen this month!

My own encounter was a brief 5 min chat with a Greenpeace volunteer some days back!

The cause - Greenpeace struggle to convince BMC to change all the filament bulbs with CFL. CFL consumes some 5 times less power and lasts 10 times longer!
No hype, no hard-sell. The commitment Rs. 150 per month.

Greenpeace exists because our fragile Earth deserves a voice. It needs solutions. It needs change. It needs action.

Got Journalism of Courage. Need Brave Marketing!

A newspaper that's not on the radar of most media planners, marketing and advertising junta because it doesn't give the reach and the absolute numbers is Indian Express.

But I love the paper because it is true to its DNA - the Journalism of Courage!
Of course I read it only on the week-ends as it doesn't have the ads and is a bit short on business and marketing stories!

Just wanted to share this IE story on the Mumbai train blast victims. Guys IE has been carrying out individual stories on all the blast victims on its front page since the day of the blast!(long after the other papers have forgotten the blast and gone to cover other 'Dhoom' stories or the Branjolina stories...

Every single day since the Mumbai blast, IE has been cataloguing the torn apart lives of the families of the blast victims. With sensitivity and painstaking resaerch. Francis Lewis in the picture above is the 127th victim out of a total of 187 victims who have been written about...

For Indian Express, they are real people. Who need the respect and individual attention which mass media is capable of giving but often shies away from!

For IE, the victims are not just statistics, TRPs, breaking news masala, opinion poll fodder, headline ingredients, chat show inputs!

Well, there were a lot many papers and channels who made a lot of noise over Jessica Lal, Nitish Katara and Priyadarshini Mattoo. But one can see they were largely TRP driven. I feel, for them there is no difference between a 'Rahul Mahajan' and a 'Mumbai Blast' story...But IE clearly is different!

I wish more people read the IE...And I wish the marketing guys made it more reader friendly!

I have a few suggestions though...(although I am not in the know of who IE considers it's core TG)

1. Guys, please cut down on politics a little. It won't get you readership...
2. Cover more news - in an attention starved society, readers often prefer width over depth!
3. Market yourself well...few uninspiring hoardings won't get you new readers...It's a tough world and you have aggressive competitors...You need 'Brave Imaginative Marketing' as well...
Think like a David!:-)
4. Use 'guerrilla marketing' tactics to reach out to readers who believe in 'Journalism of Courage'.
Will offer my POV on Monday on the need for 'Guerrilla Tactics'!
5. I think new media is a great way to market IE. Blogs, videos on youtube, WOM, sms/ MMS...
6. And yes, I am willing to 'crowdcast' for the IE marketing team:-) I am sure many of us will be...

Any other examples of highly principled but underdog brands?

The Changing Landscape of Outdoor

In a linearly laid out city like Mumbai, where a bulk of the population passes along a straight road cutting through the heart of the city, outdoor assumes greater importance. No wonder the real estate of OOH advertising is sky high!

However, the medium is exploited to its hilt by new innovations every single day. This beautifully constructed model of Ginger Hotels near the Mahim causeway - the experimental lab for most OOH innovations in Mumbai is the latest example of stretching the outdoor definition!

I even saw a guy at the work station in this model the day before!

I feel as a medium outdoor(OOH) still has a lot of untapped 360 potential...
It can be made ever more engaging, memorable and magnificent!
Do mail me any examples of innovative OOH that you have come across recently( any city)!

T3 and Early Adopters

I have been reading about early adopters, power-pointing about them, suspect I know just a handful of them personally! So, when I saw T3, the new(at least to me) gadget magazine for the early adopters was tempted to read it!

In fact, I realised most of my media consumption is driven by habit and status quo. As a planner, don't think am experimenting enough. Need to step out of my comfort zone more often...The net and blogosphere is bogging/ slowing me down...

Must pick T3 and other non-mainstream, fringe magazines, new media regularly...

Any recommendations! Have a nice week-end guys...

Mumbai Musings II

Another common sight in many metros and Indian cities today! The water-tank-retro-looks is a perfect 'Out-Of-Home' media. It just needs a little bit of added design touch to make it retro-cool and you invent another medium to show-case brands from apparel to lifestyle to Bollywood movies:-)

Just like in creative plots, media needs to bring in more surprise...In an attention starved world, the zagged canvas of creativity, landscape gets noticed!

Mumbai Musings I

What you see in the picture is one of the many Shiv Sena/ BJP sponsored reading corners/ shelters/ chaupals in Mumbai. Where the common man comes and reads the morning newspaper. Community reading over chai! This one happens to be quite close to Kamla Mills under the flyover near my agency.

Right now in shambles, but imagine a Crossword or Landmark taking it over and designing the right reading experience with heightened aesthetics and branding...

That would be an example of Branding 2.0! Whay say?

Lessons from the Chinese Novel

I find Sacred Space in TOI(the quotable quotes, anecdotes and more section) to be a good idea cyclotron! Day before yesterday, there was a very nice speech on the Chinese novel by the nobel laureate Pearl S. Buck delivered almost 70 years back on December 12, 1938 at the Stockholm Concert Hall...

Google led me to the original speech at Gifts of Speech. Do read the full speech! It's brilliant!

The speech triggered a train of thoughts. So, here's the excerpt from the speech interspersed with some of my thoughts!

In China art and the novel have always been widely separated. There, literature as an art was the exclusive property of the scholars, an art they made and made for each other according to their own rules, and they found no place in it for the novel!

Lets play a substitution game! In the above statement, replace 'China' by 'India', 'Art' by the 'Creative department', 'novel' by 'non-creatives/planning' and 'scholars' by 'creatives' and a few other minor changes!

So the statment now reads - "In India the creative department and the non-creatives have always been widely separated. Here, advertising as an art is the exclusive property of the creatives, an art they make and make for each other according to their own rules, and they find no place in it for the non-creatives!"

And they held a powerful place, those Chinese scholars. Philosophy and religion and letters and literature, by arbitrary classical rules, they possessed them all, for they alone possessed the means of learning, since they alone knew how to read and write.

They were powerful enough to be feared even by emperors, so that emperors devised a way of keeping them enslaved by their own learning, and made the official examinations the only means to political advancement, those incredibly difficult examinations which ate up a man's whole life and thought in preparing for them, and kept him too busy with memorizing and copying the dead and classical past to see the present and its wrongs.

In that past the scholars found their rules of art. But the novel was not there, and they did not see it being created before their eyes, for the people created the novel, and what living people were doing did not interest those who thought of literature as an art. If scholars ignored the people, however, the people, in turn, laughed at the scholars.

And today the creative department holds a powerful place. The prima donnas, their self-indulgence and big egos! Archaic craft rules. And D&AD(of which India hasn't won a single award) and Cannes-n-Abby-focussed-existence, obsessed with narrow definitions of creativity, turf-protection, politics and silly awards.

For they alone possess the Macs,have access to the code to photo-shop,illustrators and corel draw and the right to 'be creative'!

And the creative class is powerful enough to be feared even by the new emperors(the CEO and the Board!) But many of the creatives today are enslaved by their own creativity. The D&AD, Cannes and Clios - the incredibly difficult exams which eat up their whole life and thoughts preparing for them, and keep them busy with doing arcane stuff to be appreciated by a non-appreciative-western-audience.

Copying the styles of the West and too dead to hear the sounds of their own back-alley and hinter-land! If creatives ignore the consumer and reality, the new consumer and ground reality, in turn, ignores the tradional creative! Because the youth and the new consumers are plugged more into Bollywood than advertising, laughter shows than clever body-copy and gaming( albeit on a very niche base) rather than self-indulgent many-a-time non-relevant creative!

In China the scholar was a class. Here he was. A pursed mouth, a nose at once snub and pointed, a high pedantic voice, always announcing rules that do not matter to anyone but himself, a boundless self-conceit, a complete scorn not only of the common people but of all other scholars, a figure in long shabby robes, moving with a swaying haughty walk, when he moved at all.

He was not to be seen except at literary gatherings, for most of the time he spent reading dead literature and trying to write more like it. He hated anything fresh or original, for he could not catalogue it into any of the styles he knew.

If he could not catalogue it, he was sure it was not great, and he was confident that only he was right. If he said, "Here is art", he was convinced it was not to be found anywhere else, for what he did not recognize did not exist. And as he could never catalogue the novel into what he called literature, so for him it did not exist as literature.

The Chinese scholar and the typical average Indian creative( run-of-th-mill, 90% of the creative class) share some common traits - supercilliousness, ignorance of reality, boundless self-conceit, a complete scorn not just of account management but of all other inhabitants of the agency including the planner( although grudingly they do make small concessions and friendly gestures) and a haughty sway as a shield to any new idea, radical thought or counter-intuitive suggestion!

Spotted in huge gatherings at self-congratulatory award shows. Most of his time is spent in studying 'Archives' and trying to copy some of it without revealing the source. Hating any new thought, leave alone copy/story which comes from the non-creatives!

Not recognising anything which is not in 30 seconds or 100cc. Everything else must follow into the deceit of the 360 - expedient extensions of the primary idea with total disregard for the TG, the client's problems/ needs, cultural sensitivity or any logic!

But, happily for the Chinese novel, it was not considered by the scholars as literature. Happily, too, for the novelist! Man and book, they were free from the criticisms of those scholars and their requirements of art.

Their techniques of expression and their talk of literary significances and all that discussion of what is and is not art, as if art were an absolute and not the changing thing it is, fluctuating even within decades!

The Chinese novel was free. It grew as it liked out of its own soil, the common people, nurtured by that heartiest of sunshine, popular approval, and untouched by the cold and frosty winds of the scholar's art.

Replace the 'novel' now by 'non-advertising'. Look at the way in which the internet, search engines, blogs, social networking sites, youtube.com, PR, WOM, design, retail experience, in-film advertising, Bollywood is growing! They are growing out of the wishes and desires of the common people, nurtured by the hearty sun-shine, popular approval and a little less controlled by the cold and frosty winds of the 'creative class'. At one point advertsing led the creative cause. Today, barring a few odd players/ people, I feel the industry is lagging!

No wonder, when in the morning I read Martin Sorrell say at the HSBC summit that 50% of all WPP earnings come from non-advertising and that shortly 2/3rds of it will come from non-advertsing...I knew the novel was thriving...

And yes, if agencies don't gear for the new environment where there is a 'democracy of creativity' we are doomed earlier that we think!

A Teen Girl's Rant on PDA

My Oct 30th post was on 'The Indian Youth and PDA'. Of course the observation lens was that of a 30+ guy! After the post, I had asked a teen friend of mine to pen her thoughts on the subject( hey crowdcasting in action:-) which she did beautifully. So sharing her note with the blogizens with her permission of course!

Here we go!

Love and affection are, according to me, the most private of emotions, a moment between two individuals that means more than the world to them, not exactly the kind of stuff you flaunt to the world. It's not supposed to be a fashion statement, it's not supposed to be "cool", there aren't supposed to be any ulterior motives here, but I guess that's what it's come to now.

I know there are those moments when ur wid that special someone and you can't help but give them a hug or a brief kiss but don't turn it into a full-on A rated flick. Believe me, your audience will NOT appreciate it(even if they ARE your best pals).
P.D.A. is rampant in the younger sect, I mean real young. Think teeny boppers, high school and junior college kids, I guess puberty hits hard. I'll admit my friends and I weren't exactly discrete(some of us still aren't), but we've pretty much grown up now.

Then again there's the thrill factor. I know of a chick who likes getting it on in public just to see the heads turn. Not quite my idea of fun, but to each his own I guess. It's fun to let go sometimes but choose your spectators carefully, you don't want to end up grounded or, even worse, in the slammer.

P.D.A. can also be perceived as territorial and people may see it as a silent warning saying,"Back off, or else!" You would might as well make like a dog and bare your teeth and growl. Another perception of the overt affection you're showering is that of a facade to hide your insecurities regarding your significant other.

And when it comes to being intimate with friends, I've noticed women usually share a closer bond, but now in the age of the "metrosexual man", guys are getting increasingly comfortable with the idea of gettin mushy with their pals. But you don't just go and force a bear hug on someone you barely(pun not intended) know. it depends on how comfortable you are with the person and the kind of equation you share with them.

But yes, the youth is definitely more physical in expressing their affection for friends. Come to think of it if kids of the previous generation were ever sighted hugging their peers, it would be majorly speculated and probably turn into a bit of juicy gossip. But even this evolution, I think, is limited to a minority of the urbane stratum.

So, although i agree that P.D.A. should not be banned(I believe in Freedom of Expression- Article 19), I think using P.D.A. as a tool to get attention or to make a statement is just wrong. You're ruining the sanctity of the relationship. And on a cheekier note, a piece of advice to all the ladies out their, lavishing their love on their worse halves in the eye of the public, "Don't fake it too often girl, he just might catch on!"(pun definitely intended).

In the last few months while interacting with younger minds, I have realised that their language, their canvas and their voice is so refreshingly different that often research done on youth by older guys loses the flavour as well as insights!

Someday when any of you drops in at David, I will take you through a teen girl research which two of my trainees had done this summer. A hand-crafted piece of 'Research as Art' not a power-pointed document. It reverberates with 'teen spirit'! I think it's the best research done on the young teen girl that I have seen in India!

India's Fastest Growing Brand

My college friend Ram who runs a boutique travel agency - soulitudes, often helps me step out of my routine, regimented life/ comfort zone. Ram, thanks for it! I have always come back from those experiences richer, humbler with the mind having expanded just that little bit extra!

So, yesterday morning when he called me to attend an 'Art of Living'(AOL) gathering with the added bait of 'Shanker Mahadevan', I fell for it.

It was worth the effort. I always had this feeling of AOL being a fast growing new-age spiritual brand. But first-hand experience is a different ball game.

The event was held at BKC grounds. It had about 30-40K believers, and few odd interested by-standers like me! The event itself resembled a spiritual loan mela:-) With the usual bells and whistles and pestering spiritual salesmen/women!

While I was there, just jotted some pointers on AOL. It's based on a very limited understanding of the organisation. So, don't pin me down if my analysis is wide off the mark:-)

Branded Spirituality
1. AOL is a new age brand. An example of Capitalism with a Conscience
/Cause Marketing . Evangelism is an integral part of their marketing communication...

AOL practices 'Believer gets believer' instead of Member-Get-Member':-). The brand bond is 'the art of living'. A brand which is dedicated to serving society by strengthening the individual.

So while most marketers choose to stay away/ pay lip-service to the larger issues concerning society/India, AOL is busy raising money for the dying farmers in Vidarbha!

2. Global Indian Brand . It's more Indian and more global than Mr. Mittal's steel empire! AOL is one of the largest volunteer based NGOs active in over 140 countries.

It is claimed that AOL is the fastest growing organisation after the UN! There are millions of believers, thousands of active, passionate ones(called teachers in their lingo).

AOL is one of the most multi-faceted organizations in the world and works in special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations.

3. Crossover Brand.. Try slotting AOL into the narrow silo of a product category and it would be impossible. True, they have a flag-ship product/ killer-app called Sudarshan Kriya, sundry other products and services. But AOL is a much larger crossover concept. A remix of 'social/cause marketing' and 'network marketing'. A remix of culture and cause!

4. Amway Model . To my knowledge, AOL is the best Indian adaptation of the in-(famous) Amway network marketing model. At the top of the pyramid is of course Sri Sri! Then there are layers of 'teachers'selling spirituality instead of soaps, cause instead of cosmetics!

5. AOL has the DNA of a 'New Age Brand'. It is collaborative instead of competitive, participative instead of producer-consumer archetype, it uses more of WOM than mass media and the brand is built through communities of belief rather than customer acquisition.

AOL - the organisation has an Al-Qaeda like cell structure rather than a rigid hierarchy. Event marketing is not a BTL activity, its almost the entire marketing!
(A stray comment - Politics is not a bad word for the AOL brand. In fact, AOL actively seeks and gets political patronage. Vilas Rao Deshmukh was present at the ceremony last night!)

6. Brand Communication . And how does the fastest growing Indian brand communicate with its audience! Not the conventional way!

It hasn't needed a 30 sec commercial till date! Instead it has used the CEO as 'Spiritual Guru'. Forget celebrity Endorsement- 'AOL' uses half of Bollywood as endorsers( that too for free) ...

It is quite in-tune with the times when it comes to 'co-branded activities' and collaborative Marketing( sample the Tata Indicom promo leaflet in the pix).

It's more into youth marketing and on a wider plane than many youth brands in the country. Sample this. AOL is organising India's largest youth marketing festival - with over 100,000 students on 24th Dec in Mumbai. Check the details at http://yuvaratri-night.blogspot.com!

After last evening's brief encounter/ interface with AOL, I feel there is much for us agency people and marketers to learn from this alternate brand. It is using all the strategies and tactics of marketing 2.0. In fact AOL is ahead in thinking than most of us, while we may blissfully slot it as a subaltern marketer/ organisation!

Looking forward to comments, suggestions, barbs et al!