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!!