Looking at the ‘Up’ side of those with ‘Down’ Syndrome
Have you ever met or chatted with someone with Down Syndrome? Some of you might have heard about it in the “Quadruple test” during pregnancy or (hopefully) noticed a ‘different’ child in your society or market. How did you feel for her? Have you met any parent who was just blessed with a child with Down Syndrome? What was your reaction? Even if you haven’t, imagine a situation like this. What would you do the…
The curious case of Lota, Toilet Paper and Bidet – Who will be(or do) a complete Washout?
(this note has seven sections and is approx a 10 minute read) 1. Introduction Recently, the Internet was full of news of Toilet papers being hoarded and ‘Bidets’ becoming the most searched word in the US. Videos of people fighting and rushing to stock up toilet paper were getting shared across our current hangout ‘social’ zones. Did you wonder why this obsession with Toilet paper? Did you also find it bemusing to read about this,…
What’s in a Name – The Beer that’s no longer Cheers-Ful!
“What’s in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet.” These famous lines by Juliet for Romeo, who could not marry her because he was a “Montague” – the name of the rival family. Romeo, out of his passion for Juliet, rejects his family name and vows, as Juliet asks, to “deny (his) father” and instead be “new baptized” as Juliet’s lover. If Juliet would read this note,…
Excuse me, If I tell you how to wash your hands, will you buy my brand?
Who are you – the Aunt Next Door, the Funny Salesman or the Witty Ventriloquist? Are you part of the 70% of the world that is already fed up with this “Covid-19” and want to take your mind off it? Every article or webinar seems to be talking about how a new world will emerge after Coronavirus. While some of them are quite insightful, is it helping the cause of marketers and building sales or branding for them?
Hello WORLD, where are you looking for me – Netflix or Naughty-Flix?
How is half the world managing isolation? On one hand, anxiety levels are increasing, whereas, on the other, we have a lot more time than we anticipated. What is driving Entertainment in the topmost impacted countries, and our own? What is preferred – NetFlix or Porn or both? Study of patterns got some interesting insights and perspective on what people are actually searching for. If you are curious to know more, read on
Unfinished chapter vs unfinished book
As we build stories of our life, there’s a book being built, chapter by chapter. Each chapter has a theme, a story of its own – sometimes connected to the previous or next chapter, sometimes not. The characters and worldviews might keep changing in every chapter, but the protagonist remains the same – YOU. Some chapters are boring, some emotional – some happy, some hurtful. Some arouse you, some get flipped quickly. The beauty of…
Too much FUD or Too FU***D?
How do you stay optimistic in a globally pessimistic environment? How do you ensure you stay curious and keep learning, at the same time, stay committed to your daily work?
All women need to strip off….
..the biases ..the stereotypes ..the perceptions ..the others in you No this is not a note on pornographic innuendoes, neither is it a set of tips to succeed in an MCP world. This is a collection of a little reflection, inspired by the monotony of over empathizing celebrations of Women’s day! Have you ever wondered – Why is Pink Panther a comedy and Black Panther an action hero film? Why is it that in spite…
The day of Depression and Desperation – via Baba Valentine
It is that day of the year when you can only see one color – the color that symbolizes aggression as well as good luck at the same time! Not sure which one works for today, but given the sentiment, you would most likely be switching between being skeptical, judgemental, depressed and (supposedly, like me) indifferent! This is a day when all your stereotypes come out and collaborate with your insecurities! A day – when…
Cranberrified in US – for True Elements
Traveling to the other side of the world is a rarity when you marry yourself into building an unknown dream, or what some people call, “startup”. Till a few months back, getting noticed by research companies as a brand representing a category was a matter of pride (the one that makes you take a deep breath with a smile!). But when we were invited by the Cranberry Marketing Committee (CMC) of United States, to represent…
Parachute – Thoda Love Jatao, Tel Lagao
According to popular language, an Indian Head Massage, as its called, helps release stress accumulating in the tissues, muscles and joints of the head, neck and shoulders. It is best done using Coconut Oil. What is the first brand that comes to mind for Coconut Oil? Did you just imagine a blue bottle? Now, What if you demand love through a head massage? And I am not alluding to the south-east asian nation which has…
(Digital) Wheels on the Bus(-iness) Go Round and Round..Round and Round
Almost every youngster I have met looking at the next big thing wants to work in Digital Marketing. Some of them, just by posting few Facebook posts, consider themselves to be the Digital doppelganger of Philip Kotler (or maybe Byron Sharp now!) Digital is largely experimental and it is still not mainstream – every brand believes that Digital is the next big thing – the best way to connect with millennials is to catch them…
Expand your (Social) Circle of Life – and Live Longer!
What if someone gave away the secret of living for more than 100 years to you? Would you share it with your friends? Released today at TED talks, Susan Pinker, a Developmental psychologist, reveals how in-person social interactions are not only necessary for human happiness but also could be a key to health and longevity. She gives reference of a Village in Italy (Sardinia) and shares the key reasons that drive longevity in men and…
Marketing India to Indians – Get Free from ‘Freedom Sale’!
Playing the old classic patriotic songs with every flag hoisting, the emerging innovative combination of saffron, white and greens represented in our attire (and not necessarily with a flag), and the varying degrees of pride while looking at the national flag – all this along with celebrating a mid-week national holiday with high laziness quotient! – That is how 15th August passes with most of us every year! (I am excluding the NRIs from this lot,…
iChef Meal Kits Ads – Food for thought?
Spending money on a full-page print ad is definitely noticeable. You spend a lot of money and time to invest behind the creatives, the messaging and the back-end preparation. It would then be quite heart-breaking for a marketer when readers would ignore or not get your message and flip over! Worst, it is noticed more by marketing students (like me) who would rather intellectualize than buy! When such a step is taken by one of…
Fashion Tastes of the Digital Generation – Has Tommy Hilfigered it out?
In the three decades since Tommy Hilfiger founded his eponymous label, the fashion landscape has changed beyond recognition. In the 1990s, Tommy Hilfiger was one of the most dominant fashion brands on the market. It was the height of cool among young urban consumers, with stars including Kate Moss, Snoop Dogg and the members of Destiny’s Child buying into its preppy style of American sportswear. It tapped into pop culture in a way other brands…
Thums Up Macho Man – Too Toofani for Coca Cola
The Cola Wars in 1990s were well known – with both multinationals (Pepsi and Coca Cola) pushing media to grab the largest pie of the market. However, while both Pepsi and Coke leveraged their global playbook, that strategy itself became an impediment to growth.Thums Up’s management was a lot smarter than the competition thought. They waged a clever guerrilla marketing war against Pepsi by carefully studying its global playbook, and pre-empting its moves. As a…
Give Amazon a Break – Deliver the Love on your own!
Raksha Bandhan marks the commencement of the Festive Season in this part of the world. It is followed by a multitude of ‘celebration points’ for people, a formal excuse to party, celebrate or, in most cases, hog guilt-free! It also marks the ‘season’ for ad agencies and a great time for any marketing student to sit back and admire the level of creativity around you! While most of them are short-lived and are only limited…
Artificial Intelligence in Retail – A Swayamvar for Brands?
According to a new report by Accenture Strategy, Retailers and consumer goods companies could unlock $2.95 trillion in value for the industry and consumers over the next decade by accelerating digital transformation, Investments in new, digitally-driven business models will give consumers greater choice around how they purchase goods and services and enable companies to deliver profitable, differentiated experiences. Part of this Digital transformation entails brands hovering around the key influencers that are rapidly emerging out of new technologies. Very soon…
The Return of…Marketing Investments (ROMI)
Marketing should have an ROI – or shouldn’t it?An article from the recent publication of Harvard Business Review (July 25th) by Amy Gallo highlights the right manner of driving the ROI from Marketing Investments. Though the article is largely generic, it does highlight the biggest challenge in calculating ROI from Marketing initiatives – what we should include in ‘returns’! As per Amy,One of the downsides of marketing ROI is that it is easy to only…
The mathematics of Indulgence
Most men would have cribbed about the shopping obsession of the women in their lives (not just wives!).Men, who study consumers, (and not just their women) would describe this as ‘retail therapy’ – how you shop when you are stressed. Women shop when they are stressed. A student of CAT preparation would apply deductive reasoning or syllogisms on these statements and conclude that Women are mostly stressed! (Wonder why is this not mentioned in any nuptial…
Weekend Home or Walking out Naked
Every year this time, some strong force of energy pushes me to introspect about my passion for writing – as if part of me is still incomplete and it is high time that I do something beyond brooding to get it moving. Over the past few years, this introspection has entailed virtually one post reinforcing my commitment followed by few ramblings, followed by another resolve, and then few more ramblings, and so on, till the excitement tapers…
The Virility of Virality!
Jonah Berger explains what it takes for ideas to be contagious in his bestseller of 2013. While there are some interesting use cases globally, India has its own share of small sucessess! Incidentally, the numbers in India favor the not so ‘contagious’ ideas as well, as little virality in limited circles also gives good enough numbers for marketers to drive ‘promotions’ (pun intended!). While I won’t go into the theory bit of it for now, there…
Let go – Not Yet!
The fingers are indifferently dancing on the letters…the keyboard is double minded…..the eyes are reviewing dispassionately….as if all of them are staring at me questioning in unison.. Are you sure you are going to press the publish button today? Or is this going to stay like hundreds of those previous attempts that kept sitting in drafts till they became too archaic to publish, eventually succumbing to redundancy? Is this blog going to be another of…
Perspectives of a Passionate Marketer
