From Social Media to Social Conciousness

It's a nice long weekend and Neo and I are at Cinnamon. Him drawing on some clay pots! And me trying to unwind and forage for ideas and inspiration.

One of the things that has niggled my mind for some time is how to better use social media for social causes, community service, bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots, create a better work environment, create more meaningful work for everyone, make more meaningful connections and not just the quantity of connections...

So, in the morniing when I stumbled upon this profound and brilliant article by Umair Haque on the HBR site, thought of sharing it...

He talks about the "message" of the Internet's social revolution as being more meaningful work, economics, politics, society, and organization. Social media promises radically more meaning: to make stuff matter, once again, in human terms, not just financial ones.

Yet, Haque points out most "social media" strategies have one or more of three goals: to "push product," "build buzz," or "engage consumers." None of these lives up to the Internet's promise of meaning.

They're just slightly cleverer ways to sell more of the same old junk. But the great challenge of the 21st century is making stuff radically better in the first place — stuff that creates what he calls thicker value.

Umair talks about the 7 social strategies that are turning yesterday's zombieconomy upside down - Character, Creativity, Control, Culture, Clarity, Cohesion, Choreography - They're what he looks for when evaluating investments, innovations, and ideas across the social mediascape.

A must read, immerse and act!

Osianama and gymming the mind

Just came out of a four hour brainstorm with a friend. Am helping him start a new creative venture! It has been a serious Sunday so far:-) But starting this week am signing a no-work-on-Sunday bond with myself and then stick to it...Had bookmarked this interview of Neville Tuli yesterday in ET where he was discussing this art show Jashn Osianama in the capital! You may want to browse through the interview here!

Jashn-Osianama — is Tuli’s curating effort and is a new festival for the visual arts which juxtaposes, some of the world’s most refined, subtle and expensive art works with simple artifacts of popular culture; with Japanese Samurai art, Tibetan Thangkas, Rajasthani and Pahari miniatures, vintage world film memorabilia, political propaganda, magic memorabilia, antiquarian and modern photography put alongside modern and contemporary art from the Indian sub-continent.

Most of the stuff that Neville talked I found very interesting. Sharing it with shards of my random thoughts.

1. He focussed on the need to create an 'art space' which everyone feels “is ours”. Intellectual intimidation should not be to a point of making people feel insecure about even entering a space where art is on display.

For a generation which is almost lost in the labyrinth of malls and commercial space, it may not be a relevant question:-) but I guess some body's got to think of the museums and not just the malls!

2. Creativity is a birthright and is a part of every mind but it takes a little effort to trigger this creativity? Viewing opportunities, where prior knowledge is definitely not a pre-requisite are critical. Once that opportunity is grasped, people will slowly begin to realise that a visual is like a piece of text, it needs to be read because it has its own grammar and language. This reading requires learning and education. Since visual is not text and is therefore not equated to knowledge they become an easier form to seduce a newcomer into the art space

It's a fine point. I think I have refrained from entering art spaces on many a occasion because of this intimidation that Neville talks about. That and the self created expectation and pressure of prior knowledge!

3. Tuli believes there is an urgent need to build new institutions to occupy the energy of people, to ensure that their families participate, so that there is no numbing of minds, give opportunities to occupy the mind which is a muscle after all and if not exercised will rust. “There is so much boredom in daily Indian life, edutainment is the new ‘fashion’ word across the world but India has not even begun this process. Right now what is the choice you have? Kambakkht Ishq?

And perhaps we need it the most in 'Kambakkht Gurgaon' where the malls and the 'firang sounding' towers and the ubiquitous theka do not leave any/much space for art spaces for the community!

Recession Hit Logos

Fresh from my morning e-mail oven:-)

Talking To Mobisumers - some thoughts

I have to speak at the afaqs Mobile Conversations seminar on Friday in Mumbai.

Actually, it's quite telling how the average analog ad agency in Mumbai/ India thinks so little about/around the mobile. And even when we do, we don't really factor in the mobile consumer( a whopping 280mn of us). Most of the time we trim our TV ideas to fit the small screen and 140 characters.

Just putting some WIP thoughts for my talk. Would look forward to any comments/ thoughts, suggestions, case studies, etc. Anything?
I think as an advertiser/ marketer communicating through/ to the mobile must be sensitive to the following:

1. Snackable - All mobile content must be snackable. We are limited by the constraints of 140 characters, a very small screen, a partially attentive consumer and intrusion into her personal space!

2. Shareable - Unlike TV communication/ marketing content on the mobile is shareable...Therefore, mobile creative content must capitalise on this.

3. Low Fat - We must not overload the information content in our marketing messages. Keep it low fat!! Send me stuff in two sms. Just tell me one fact at a time.

4. Personal - The mobile is a personal, often a private medium/ screen. So, beyond a point our TV intrusion tactics will not work/ backfire for brands. It's a one-to-one conversation that we need to have...Don't call me on a Sunday after-noon to sell some God damn credit card even if it's platinum!!

5.Informal - Brand communication on the mobile can/ ought to have an informal tone/ content. Can we have a Friday Dressing code for mobile marketing:-)

6. Anytime - There is no fixed time for the mobile marketing message. We don't have to wait for prime time or cricket matches or saas bahu soaps to start the conversation. And with the extended and 24X7 reach, it puts an added responsibility on marketing...

7. Talk Value - Because the medium is highly shareable, brands can generate a lot of Talk Value if they craft the content right and seed it properly. Consumers can generate a ripple effect of INFLUENCE for our brands...

8. Generation Less - Especially in the Indian context, where the mobile is often shared within the family, we must be sensitive that marketing communication might have to have an across the generation appeal...

That's all for the moment...Do write to me post Friday and will mail the presentation...

Ram Aur Shyam and the Power of Stories!!

Some time back I had promised myself that will pen this post about Ram aur Shyam!

Well, Ram aur Shyam were these two characters(detectives) created by the iconic India brand - Parle (Poppins) many decades back...They are not around anymore...The current Poppins tagline reads - Goli Rainbow Wali...Okay so why am I telling all this...

One fine day, as a harried father hassled for a different bed-time story every night, I decided to dig into memory and fished out 'Ram aur Shyam' from the attic of my memory!

- These Ram aur Shyam stories came as a serialised print ad on the back page of a children's magazine called 'Parag'(from the TOI group if I remember correctly, but went off the market more than a decade back)

- I loved Poppins(the differently coloured, button shaped candies - 10 to a pack) and loved these two characters who solved a crime using Poppins! Sometimes the Poppins trail led to the 'bad guy'. Other times the Poppins pack doubled up as a gun to hold up the baddie...

- Three decades later, on a whim and no particular reason, I decided to resurrect the two characters to satisfy the daily story needs of Neo...

- Little did I know that Ram aur Shyam would be an instant hit at par with Ben 10 and my rating as father which till then was trailing behind my wife by a mile would receive a shot in the arm LOL

- These stories are fairly interactive:-) Neo chooses the venue of the story every night(that's a whole new ritual)...Ram aur Shyam take a flight to that venue. So he chooses the airline as well...

- The success of these stories with my 5 year old son remind me of a sad truth : many Indian brands have often abandoned their well entrenched brand stories and carelessly moved ahead. Like Poppins did or like Ceat abandoned the Rhino story or like Air India fails to build upon the Maharaja mascot/ story...Onida had to ferret out the devil story from it's past to regain(well partially) it's voice again...

- The problem, I feel is never in the stories. It's almost always in the lack of belief in brand teams and the absence of imagination to recast them for the new times...

- Like I mentioned in the Ceat post, powerful brand narratives shouldn't be junked in a huff...There are ways and means to contemporise the plot and the characters.

- In fact the more the media gets cluttered, and the decibel level of brand hype gets raised, simple brand stories from the past might help communicate better.Stories will allow better conversation with the brand in the new social media eco-system that's getting constructed all around!

- I just hope with animation getting so evolved and games getting central to marketing to kids, maybe characters like Ram aur Shyam(and their contemporary avatars) will again find their way into the brand narrative...

Either ways, I marvel how a candy brand(mere zamane ka) came to my rescue in telling the daily bedtime stories:-)

P.S. Just couldn't find a copy of the old Ram Aur Shyam Poppins print ad...Hai kya kissi ke pass?