MARCOM IN INDIA

Go Hugo!

2011-12-04T23:42:00.000-08:00

So it’s official now. Hugo Pereira, a charity worker based in Lisbon, Portugal is THE most globally networked person in the world. The Network Challenge posed by Western Union, reveals that he has 4,932 friends in 124 different locations across the globe, making his Network Score a huge 476133. Whew!

There were about 250000 entrants for Western Union’s Network Challenge but Hugo takes the feather. Though just 26 years, Hugo’s intense connectivity is attributed to him being the global president of AIESEC (Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales), the largest student community in the World which has a presence in about 110 Countries across the world.

Moving forward, WU plans to invite him to interact with his Facebook Friends and encourage them to be a part of WUs next stint in posing as a ‘connecting’ brand. The official statement of Pereira says: “I’m astounded to be named the world’s most networked person. The reach of my social network is testament to the work of AIESEC, which is all about creating positive global connections. "We aim to help societies understand each other by providing students with the opportunity to collaborate in global teams and live and work abroad. He continued: “I’m excited to be able to work with Western Union next month to use my global network to support good causes. I’m moving on from AIESEC to work for a healthcare charity in India called ICHHA, so hope to be able to make even more global connections in the meantime.”

What is interesting to note is the innovative platform created by WU to weave in their brand message of being one of the world’s most globally connected companies. Using Facebook as the medium and utilising an interactive app to get the consumer engaged, they have created a pretty successful campaign to rake in 2.5 million participants! So, if you are curious to compare your own global network score with Hugo’s, the app is still active on www.westernunionworld.com/yourworld. Simply login with your Facebook id and the rest - you know.

Western Union Networks the Globe

2011-08-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

While most countries dream of democracy, the world of advertising media too just got democratised. by going social. Brands got to become popular through MySpace, Facebook, Twitter. But while most brands are struggling with fan numbers and likes, Western Union has initiated a Global campaign using a smart Facebook app - A hunt for the Most Networked Person on Facebook, on the occasion of its 160th Anniversary. Heartening to know that instead of whipping up the usual Social Media campaign strategies, WU has actually taken an innovative approach to this powerful thing called Facebook. Utilising its already existing formats - like networks, and its own brand features of being a global 'connecting' service.

The Most Networked Person Challenge by WU is a simple contest wherein all the participant must do is access the App called 'Your World' on their website and the rest is taken care of automatically. The App accesses your data of course, and figures out the participant's connections worldwide, and in turn their networks' network. So they rate the most networked person according to their connections worldwide, depending on their Friends' locations around the world. The most networked person is automatically rated. Bingo! WU has their man or woman. Going a step further, the initiative is meant for more and more people to participate to make their country titled to be the most networked. So yeah, if you really are excited about it go ahead do it on www.westernunionworld.com/yourworld

What's interesting to know is the way the brand is using an App in such a simple, uncomplicated way. The question is, why would somebody want to know how well networked they are ? Unless maybe, they got some value out of it. By value we dont mean material rewards. But the real benefits of knowing or telling the world how many people you know? Maybe it doesnt mean much, but to the brand it does. Or maybe to the millions of networked users it does. Thats for you to find out, to which million you belong.

Tha Beeg Kauntest

And if you belong to the 'Think and Do' million, then here's the contest for you to thrive on, To see how effective this Socia Media app works, why dont you track and predict the most networked person before someone else does? This ends by September 8th, so set the alarm ringing.

And if you can guess the most netwroked person and send us the same by then - September8th, we say, then you get a cute iPod shuffle eh? Worth the effort eh? Happy Networking. Click.

Born to be Beautiful. Really.

2011-06-06T05:34:00.000-07:00

Pant! Pant! Whew! I...gasp..finally...made it.....in time...to enter this intriguing 'beauty and the blog' contest. The other day, as I panted up to my Yoga class (just like now), I was sure the teacher would glare at me as I walked past her,collected my Mat and lay it on my usual floorspace. Fortunately, she did not glare, she simply smiled and held her hands in 'Namaste' to me. And when her lips spread wide in that smile, she looked so beautiful. Of course, she is a patient of leucoderma (that's how we spell it right)?, with a lot of pinkish patches on her face, but that smile was her make-up.

As I set down in the 'Sukhaasana'position, my eyes wavered to the 'Suvichar' (Good Thought of the Day) which was scribbled on the blackboard, and embellished with a little flower. The words read "The real cosmetic of life is true happiness". That was a moment of reflection for me. And as we continued with the Pranayamas and the chanting of Om et al, I reflected upon these words the whole session. It's such a deep thought that yes, real beauty comes from true happiness. Haven't we all heard that if a person is beautiful inside, he or she is beautiful outside? But where does all this intrinsic beauty in a person pop up from? Definitely not only from peach face packs. Na, don't get me wrong - I am no Yoga evangelist here, but let me share the 'Secret to Real Beauty' with you:

If we look at our pure natural state, each one of us is a part of this mystical beautiful Universe. We are made from the earth and her minerals - calcium, vitamins, potassium and even zinc. We are a part of this World in a physical and metaphysical sense. And we were sent in a physical form to Be Happy. We were born to Be Happy, to be beautiful people. So, if we are Happy from within, it will reflect in our outward behaviour. Our behaviour, which would become so pleasant, calm and beautiful per se, making us beautiful from within, And the same real beauty shall reflect outside - on our face, our smile, our demeanour. That's what our ancestors and our gurus have been trying to tell us this secret for all these years - that real beauty is a reflection of true happiness. And not necessarily the silicon implants and botox

So NOW what are we then looking for? The Secret to True happiness?. Then let me tell you the Secret to True happiness:.

True happiness lies in doing things for the betterment of your people around you, in being a good person without vested interest. In thinking about society, reaching out to the peope we know one on one and helping them out in whatever way we can. True happiness lies in aspiring to fulfill one's dream, in accordance with the rhythm of the Universe, which teaches us to live and let live for the happiness of every individual of this World.
Like Princess Diana who is well loved not simply because she looked gorgeous, but because she was this simplistic woman of substance who worked tirelessly for her people, for charity and for causes. She was a good balance of a diva and an icon. She chose to use her position for the good of the people at large. She is real beauty personified. Likewise people like Oprah, Rani Laxmibai, Mother Teresa who fought for their people.

These glam-sham dolls who are soaked up in their own fake world of blitz and bling might win pageants and modelling contracts, but their real beauty would be determined by the work they do to 'add value' to their family,friends, society, city, nation and the world, along with their own lives. And each one of us can be that 'beautiful person' if we change from within.

Hang on, we are not to be championing trailblazers of a societal revolution.We can start very small. For instance - instead of cribbing about the newspaper walla dropping in late one day, can simply ask him what's the matter, or if there is a problem with him. If you see that annoying rotund traffic guy stated at the signal in the searing sun, offer him a bottle of water someday. If a competitive colleague is pressurised with work, don't bitch about her or him or derive sadistic pleasure. Go, offer help instead. If your boss shouts at you, don't get angry..turn around and ask if you can do something to ease their stress. If your Mom really needs you and you are very busy, call in sick but go, be there for her. If your neighbour's washing machine is broken down, offer to help her instead of excusing yourself. If your domestic servant's kids want to take tuitions and she needs the money, help her insted of bargaining. If your friends are stuck in someplace and call you for help, do whatever possible even if you have to go out of your way. Be compassionate even if its tough. And if nothing else, simply pray for the well-being and happiness of others and yourself.

It's all about how we through small things bring happiness to others, and in the course, to ourselves in little ways. Try it like you try your new beauty soap. And if you feel happy after trying it, do it again. If we are happy from within, we will feel beautiful from within. And that feeling will reflect outside of us. Then your mirror wont tell you that you are really beautiful. People will. And then you will know the meaning of Real Beauty.

In a walnut shell, Real Beauty means Real Happiness, to me. It is a thing not to be seen, but to be felt. As Sophia Loren puts it: 'Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes.'

Integration - The Mantra to Survive

2011-06-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

We recently did a survey with some Advertising Industry honchos about their idea of evolving client agency relationships and penned an article for the Adclub Bombay.

Here's a sneak peek into the article:

INTEGRATE OR DIE

The ICE age is hot but is it melting away the once strong client-agency relationship? We wonder whether the agencies’ roles have been downplayed as a creative specialist churning out great commercials, by their clients. Or are they looked upon as media neutral ‘brand keepers’ today who can think ‘Integration’ as well. We checked with a few top notch Industry experts, and here’s their outlook:

Dharam Walia, VP – Ogilvy & Mather cites “Agencies have simply moved up the value chain. The client agency relationship begins at a very early stage now. Unlike earlier, when clients came back with a 1 page brief and expected some good creative of it, today they come to agencies with their business problems, looking for solutions. Clients involve agencies at a very early stage to milk their thinking abilities. In turn agencies provide an analysis, ideas and deep set solutions to resolve business-related issues for the client. These solutions then take the shape of a communication route and transpire into campaigns. The solutions are ideas and boundaries of an idea transcend the media. That’s how agencies not only keep, but nurture the brand to a different level.” To quote an example, Ogilvy decided to take the brand Bru Cafe

into an experiential mode through retail format. To read more, do visit the Adclub Bombay website

Anna Hazare - the Cult Brand

2011-04-11T12:57:00.000-07:00

Anna Hazare : the brand for social change

At Goafest 2011, Jake Balbridge spoke how brands can flutter a revolutionary movement to bring about mass change in society. An apt coincidence because today Anna Hazare is that brand for India, The 'India Against Corruption' movement is a movement in natural sense. Do not compare it with a Libya or Egypt, but to draw similarities, it is in many ways an avalanche of revolution. Anna is in himself a brand today. He has established the association of being a :

Selfless
Socially conscious
Gandhivaadi who is
Fearless and
Self-righteous with a conscience as clear as the air.

Anna and His 'True' Colours
(This visual has been borrowed from one of the albums of
Indian Against Corruption, posted by one of the members Kusumesh Mishra)

A revolutionary brand is one which can inspire its followers to take up a cause or movement by adapting the characteristics, values and ethics it possesses. Then can a brand inspire the entire Nation to be like him? Can Anna establish a mass cult brand like himself? Where the target audience is the entire nation, primary being the Youth. Where the message is 'Down with Corruption' and the strategy is Gandhian.

Logically and looking at the status quo, no he cannot become a mass brand because he is a brand with rare characteristics. Like Gandhi. In a society marred with sickly values and dried up ethics, Anna is like a Harley Davidson Machine. Classic, aspirational, known by the world, respected by all yet not many have the girth to ride on him. They are not worth their weight in salt, to associate with an Anna. So yes, he is a cult brand. We can only follow him, but its difficult to BE like him. He is a brand which can cause a movement, and a nation to follow him. A brand with strong viral potential. Which has and will make history in the semi-white pages of Indian history.

So if Anna and Brands would go like jam and bread, he would have broken his fast with Tata Tea. Isn't it?

Why we should learn 'Marketing' from the West

2010-10-18T14:18:00.000-07:00

On my recent visit to a few Western countries, their Picasso museums and Schonbrunn Palaces , it didn't take me ages to discover that India is not bereft of history, beauty and heritage than any Western than the West.If they have Switzerland, we have the Himachal. If they have Vatican, we have our Taj. Their cities are beautifully planned, but our green fields boast natural beauty too. Yes, their infrastructure is the best in the world, and I rest my case there.

But what is it that makes the West more attractive to the world?

Kerala - touted as the Venice of India. Should be the other way round.

The key is in ‘packaging’. The Westerners are very smart at creating an aura around phenomena which are normal or a tad extraordinary. Take the Venice backwaters for example. Venice is not actually a city ‘on water’ only. It is connected by backwaters, like some areas of Kerala are too. It has road and transport systems as well. But the perception that has been created and communicated well across eras is the novelty of being ‘on water’. Kerala is probably as old as a Venice, but the West spoke first about Venice. And as Ries and Trout say ‘ its all about who said it first’! That’s what marketing is all about…creating ‘me first’ perceptions by hyping up ordinary stuff.

Prince of Wales Museum, Mumbai (pic copyright of The Word Jockey)

Ok, now this is a very controversial statement….Pablo Picasso might be revered as the father of modern Art or whatever. And pretty much a hyped fellow I believe. One visit to his gallery and I did not really find anything extraordinary about his work! The Louvre houses better works of art, though most are dedicated to their religious beliefs. I am guaranteed that India or other countries too have a plethora of artists whose art is way more awesome and intriguing. Take our Raza for example. Why then is Picasso is a name to reckon with in the world of Art? Because he was talked about first around the world. His art might have been different, but it wasnt exciting..maybe for the West he was....but I dont see why we in India, which is a treasure trove for Art and Heritage go gaga about him? But I admire the way his works are displayed - with an in-house souvenir gallery where his digital prints sell for as much as 20 Euros! Now that' what I call marketing. I pity that our Prince of Wales Museum (you know its in Mumbai, right?) which is one of the best in the world isn't as talked about as Picasso's. POW has the most amazing collection of remnants, models and antiques from our Indus Valley Civilization to the intricate blue pottery of Jaipur. Its a differnt thing there is not a single souvenir shop around there. And as a local, if I visited the museum in my 28th year of being in Mumbai, which is ..quite...embarassing, how would that German backpacker know of such a beautiful landmark?

To be honest, there is very little dramatic history which the West can associate itself with, except the World Wars maybe which shaped the history and development of an England and France. But most of it is quite bland. Like their food. Where we have the rich mythological culture and the deeply spiritual Vedas, the ultra dramatic Mahabharata and the million stories weaved in, every corner of India is a story in itself. But we still relish their baguettes and talk about them stylishly when we cant even break those stone-breads and when our own bajra rotis are far more savoury with chutney. People are crazy about Flamencos dance as our classical dance performances are avoided even though our own 'flamenco' ie Kathak is far more aesthetic. Wonder why are we so overwhelmed by their culture, which is beautiful no doubt but not more extraordinary than ours,

We are overwhelmed because there is an aura created around that world which is different from ours. We live and breathe in that aura, get intoxicated and make comparisons. The Rich Indian likes Wine, when India is such a hot humid country. Whew. We are not a wine-drinking country people, so why force it on ourselves to be 'cool'? The West has smartly marketed their Wines to expand their foreign exchange treasuries and solve their problem of 'affluence'. And trust me, not many Indian dishes really go well with that wine, however your sommelier tries to match them up. Indian food is quite spicy. Wonder how we can get the real taste of that Apricot or Apple flavour when your taste buds are consumed? Wake up Sid! This is more like a marketing gimmick. Nothing wrong in trying different cultures and experiencing their beauty, but you can't fall victim to 'packaging'. No doubt the West is ages ahead in terms of infrastructure, automation, civic sense et al. No wonder their cities are far more beautiful, spotless, well planned and enjoy excellent weather...and of course, we must travel far and wide to explore and enjoy new experiences in distant lands. But what's important is to learn from the West how they manage to attract the world to their cities, take care of them and maintain such an efficient system.
Let's pick up the good stuff they offer and learn how to Market ourselves. And India.

Donate-A-Word on International Literacy Day

2010-09-08T09:03:00.000-07:00

Bookmark the Donate-A-Word Drive

On the occasion of International Literacy Day, we decided to loosen up a bit and do something a wee different. Donations are usually hard work – even if they are online! So we feel. Plus the million donation requests we receive via FB events or SMS should make us feel that we are but living in an altruistic world, and the papers which scream out scams are glossing it.
So we made donation very simple for you. In just 3 simple clicks you can make a little difference to a child’s education career.We kicked off this ‘Donate-A-Word’ campaign wherein you can help spread literacy in 3 simple steps:

1) Choose a word from the list : PEN/ PENCIL / NOTEBOOK / CRAYONS

2) Write that word back to us at thewordjockey@gmail.com with your contact details latest by 30th September and

3) Hit the ’send’ button on your mailbox

What happens next? : We shall donate the item you have selected, to the NGO Adarshmay who will distribute the same to the lesser privileged kids. Simple na? If you need to know more (after all this?) here’s some more info:

About:

DONATE-A-WORD is a Donation Drive to collect books and basic stationery on the occasion of International Literacy Day which is celebrated every year on the 8^th of September. Initiated by The Word Jockey Writing and Communication Services (www.thewordjockey.in) and supported by Adarshmay.org (www.adarshmay.org) the drive aims to empower students with basic educational material which they require for day to day studies.

How to participate: Simply reply with your preferred item before 30^th of September. The Distribution shall be held in 2^nd week of October

Objective: Encouraging literacy, spreading education and imparting knowledge to kids. In a world where values and ethics have been lost in materialism, education is the best tool to help us evolve.

Contact us by Email: thewordjockey@gmail.com / ashish@adarshmay.org or call Ashish: 9967637282

Visit us on FB at : www.facebook.com/adarshmay

Spread the Word, Spread Literacy. Because Words are Mightier than the Sword

What Youth 'Actually' Want

2010-09-02T11:33:00.000-07:00

..Contd from http://indiamarketingcommunications.blogspot.com/2010/09/so-you-think-you-know-youth.html

I-Openers ( Insight Openers - No TM or copyrights attached) for the new-age and youth marketer:

The Myth called Youth:
Gelled hair, funky phones, low hanging jeans, tattooed tummies is a very apparent representation of this phenomenon called 'Youth'. For one, most of the campaigns we run are mythical. The youth doesn't really care whether you used pink pants for a metrosexual look on your protagonist or whether he has gelled his hair. They actually care about WHAT you have to say. Yes, the Media they use is more advanced and they have a nuclear attitude for self-identity. But what's more important is 'The content' - which should appeal to them all the same! Noisy music, desperate attempts to have funny communication or oversmart taglines ain't gonna move 'em much. They like 'cool' but not 'Appy Fizz' cool!

I-Opener 6) Society-centric than Social Media centric: Youth are socially conscious and they do like to take initiatives about their future and betterment of society. Movements like The Wall Project or the Sapling Project aren't PR or Marketing centric projects but genuinely passion-driven pathbreaking ideas conceived, executed and made successful by the Youth. Without corporate sponsorship they did pretty well. But if your brand would have to take it to the next level, wouldn't it grow manifold? It is but the young blood which likes to go places, inject fresh ideas for a better society. And of course,to amplify and garner support they do use Fb and twitter to create the buzz.

This photo is borrowed from The Wall Project's Photo Gallery, posted by Sneha Ullal (member of The Sapling Project). This content shall not be reproduced or used without their consent.

I-Opener 5: There's life beyond Football and Cricket: Football is just one sport that some youth like. For most its a fad. Did you know that a lot of them are into new sports like biking, basketball (not just cricket) and even swimming?

I-Openers 4: Bollywood vs Rock: Bollywood isn't too happening for these Rock-er fellas. Yes they listen to the 'more noise less music' Hindi naach gaana, but very selective.They play the guitar, they sing and like Jazz too. They like to make their OWN music. Yes, and they HATE Karan Johar who is forcefully made into a Youth Icon. I would vote for Rahul Gandhi instead

I-Opener 3: Youth is not all about Gaming and Social Media: The youth, whether they belong to GenX, Y or A - are really bothered about their careers and what would they do in life. Not which cell phone they use. Anyways despite all the razzmatazz the cell phones are using to sell, only Nokia manages to be their favorite brand. So says the Brand Equity study of 2010.

What are the other 'reasons to buy' are you offering on your phone? Facebook, Twitter and a bundle of other social media apps. Fullsstop. We are trying to sell internet on mobile to that age group which is not even allowed to use their cell phones in class. Or don't have the time to do so while at work. So most of the time its switched off or used for calling or messaging. How about some career guidance, hobbies, sports for a change as content USP?

I-Opener 2) Youth is not only about College Fests: With varied interest and options, the fragmentation of interests is pretty huge amongst the youth. So it IS really important to ‘interact’ with the youth in smaller forums at a micro level. Know their habits, not just media habits. What they do in free time. What are their hobbies. Their aspirations (besides being a reality show winner). Why just sponsor one huge college fest where no one would even remember you in that frenzy? Going to colleges and finding their 'real' interests and sponsoring those would be a better idea. There are so many kids who want to organise their own little parties or rock events or a specialised event of their own! Think micro, get macro.

I-Opener 1) Virtual is good, Real is better: Besides Facebook, they do like to meet in real as well.And most of them don't have an Avatar on secondlife yet! They like to make new friends, express their own identity in front of others, be heard and like to hear as well. So do you have a forum where they can meet and greet each other besides being online?

Many of these ideas aren't a figment of one's imagination but careful observations through interaction, some research (uncommissioned, unnumbered) and discussion with the Young Guns of India. The Youth is the future of one's Nation and in their growth we must see the growth of a brand, an economy and a country as a whole.

So You think You Know The Youth?

2010-09-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

An award winning media agency spent a fortune just to realise that the Youth is extremely tech-savvy and turned on by social media. For any new-age marketer, it is no rocket science that amongst other media, it is social media, digital, gaming which appeals most to the Youth (say about 17 to 25 yrs and 25 to 35 yrs age groups).

The challenge is not finding the 'effective media’ for these guys. It is WHAT do you do with this media? Media without content is like an empty DVD. So while the band baaja is more on which media to invest, the poor souls have no monies to generate good content which can run on the media. It’s true we are living in a world of illusion. Apparently.

We Marketers are suckers for research reports which are created by scanning maybe a few hundred people for some hours and devising results, which in all probability we already know. Didn't you know already that Social Media is the way to go for more modern brands? Digital Media has been screaming out since almost a decade that Internet would be the media of the future, but most brands were not interested. Now after reading research reports, everyone wants a microsite and an SMM, Digital PR and everything else which is unpaid for. I would like to imagine their media spends if Social Media and Digital PR had rate cards!

The point is, marketers are so struck with numbers and results that they like to play comfortable within an illusion which they pay someone to create for them to validate their spends. What I notice is that most brands are playing completely superficial and going by trends than reality. Cell phones are positioning themselves on FB and Twitter apps. Geez!

Do you really want to connect with the youth, as a marketer? Do you really want to know what they want and what they like? A few hundred interviews and blinging youth-centric campaigns aren’t going to make you ‘cool’ with the nextgen, people. Neither are larger than life talent shows. You cannot decide really what these guys want, besides sex, fame and fortune. Here are a few I-Openers on What The Youth Actually Wants which might fiizzle out your campaign on which you just spend a fortune! If you want to market to the youth, learn the Youth. Marketing is hard work.

The Great India Press Tamasha

2010-08-30T22:57:00.001-07:00

Last week was the avidly awaited re-launch of a trendy upholstery brand – D’Decor. The reason? They got Bollywood’s first (or second?) lady – Gauri Khan, to endorse their pretty furnishings and curtain designs. Known for her elegance, style and subtlety vis-a-vis her flamboyant cracker of a husband, she seemed to be a good fit for a home furnishing identity like D’Decor. The Re-launch Press Conference was held at a rather small (or bursting at the seams) packed banquet of the Taj – with SRK and Gauri Khan in conversation with the MD’s of D’Decor Sanjay and Ajay Arora over the launch idea of ‘Tea with D’ (which most people missed). Anyways, it seemed like the entire media clan was bunking work that day as they had parked themselves tight not to miss a moment of the ShahRukh effect. Wonder where these guys would all be had it not be for a celeb like him to present the brand? It’s yet a classic case of the Pied Piper. It is a rat race after all, this. So, with all due respect to the ‘eyeball theory’ and TRP crap, must say what a celebrity presence could do for any brand. But hats off to the otherwise restless clan, they waited for a solid hour and half before the man himself walkedup onstage. After a lot of hooting and boos from the audience whose patience was leaking now. Phew! It seemed like a little game of hide-n-seek in reverse. The excitement tempoed up as he walked in. The little flickers went click click asking him to pose and turn his nose. After some hopefully heartfelt apologies, SRK introduced the brand and the MD’s, and they conversed about D-Decor and its future plans. Sanjay and Ajay – struggling to speak in Hindi though - told us why they chose the couple and what does the brand do. After a few D-Decor questions, came in the lady herself. And again the media got all excited like a kid in a toy shop. Then they lost control of their IQ’s which seemingly descends on seeing a celebrity. Questions like ‘Do you get upset when your husband throws his used towel around’

and ‘Would you be working in films later’ surfaced. Croak. Where had all the sense and sensibilities gone? Evaporated. No wonder Mrs Khan spoke little. She would be incited to turn around and kick some butt. To me, as I was perched on a little platform, surrounded by the inert audience who insisted stepping on my toes, it was an irritating experience. But SRK seemed to have immense media training – must say, how much ever I dislike his acting ‘unskills’, that man he can crack a whip at the dummies with this wit and twit, yes well! Caw. ‘I don’t use a towel’ he quipped and the audience roared. So then, while most questions were directed to the couple about their pots & plants, professional rivals like Salman Khan (his movie Dabangg got a lot of free publicity too..whew!), husband training, favourite room, Aryan’s plans of acting (though he is yet to pass school) et al, it seemed more like a Family Day press con than a DDecor one. Will somebody knock some common sense in the ‘ I am so stupid’ traited so called media pros. Finally SRK requested them to focus on DDecor, coz by the way, they did shell out a lot of moolah to organise this. It was a typical situation of necessary evil. You can’t do with or without a celeb. With our media behaving more like the paparazzi and enjoying the self-imposed baton of editorial power. So then, we waited for a few questions on the curtain designs, future plans et al, but none seemed to be coming forth. Chicken and egg and omelette situation. Maybe they fear asking intelligent questions. The press con was over by then. Backstage interviews were more fruitful though. When I met Sanjay and Ajay Arora, they revealed their plans of launching a D’Decor website in 3D with which one could simulate the look and feel of their furnishings as per their own home. Offering a plethora of choice to the class and mass, the buyer has the power to choose after ensuring her home looks beautiful online. What I also liked about the product it has teflon-coating too! So the raw silk or stain sensitive fabrics are safe now. The stuff I get from FabIndia is awesome but wears off fast. Maybe this one works better for my home. And Gauri Khan’s too. !.

Bloggers as Social Journalists

2010-08-25T08:57:00.000-07:00

Blogging is a format of social media. It was created to personalise content and generate interaction and conversations. So don't you think we, serious bloggers, can apply to be recognised as 'blogger - journalists? By etymology, we work the same way they do - make a log on a daily basis of something new which affects our lives.
The objective of creating a social-journalist:
'Amass interactive and real public opinion on any topic of large public interest to initiate socially beneficial change'
Bloggers as Social Journalists: The point is, if bloggers are recognised as social journalists, there are several mutual benefits for various categories of people:

We can help amplify and get honest public opinion on a seething political issue like scams, or a particular political leader. Maybe with the power of people's voice, we can file PIL against a scam or such issues.?
We can report commercial events like brand launches, promotional events, trend-stories etc and help generate opinions or responses without being influenced by any external force or individual for commercial interest
We can fish out reality or true events while reporting a matter, without sensationalising the matter like most media do for eyeballs. This will give an unbiased opinion of news and the only opinion it would generate is that of the people.

Can anyone cite more such benefits? Maybe we could create a recognised forum of 'bloggers' who could qualify as a social journalist and write about their respective beat? For instance If I am a techno-freak why wouldn't Microsoft ot Apple invite me to their press conferences or webinars? Or if I blog about cars, maybe I should be on the media list of all PR agencies handling car clients?
And how is the blogger compensated? Well, a social-journalist does not mean social work :) But since it an unpaid form of work, they can look at Googleads or other forms of the usual revenue streams for their blogs. Any other suggestions?
In a nutshell - Let's have Bloggers as Social Journalists.

Blogging and Journalism – sibling rivalry?

2010-08-25T08:40:00.001-07:00

Blogging and Journalism belong to the same DNA, though the latter is older and more established, it has seen and shown the world, it has more credibility in the public eye and it is more organised and may we say, matured?. So we could safely call it the ‘older brother’.

Blogging is the new-age format of journalism – etymologically (It took me 3 trials to type this right). Like the younger dude, it is more social, bohemian, not fazed by rules and still nascent to be accepted as a credible communication format. And like any sibling pair, each swivels in its own frame of pros and cons. They look at each other as rivals, yet bound by a common thread.
Then there comes an age when each takes a step towards the other to co-exist for a mutually beneficial future. Right now, blogging is undergoing a process of finding its foot in the churning media domain. Not too later it would mature with age and be well-accepted in the public eye as a ‘people media’. With its own set of pros, blogging would soon throw up the phenomenon of ‘social journalists’ – bloggers who would be quasi-journos in the blogosphere, influencing or co-creating opinions with the millions of readers out there.
The seed might be sown already. What do you think?

Blogging for Change

2010-08-15T14:17:00.001-07:00

The IndiMum blogger meet today did well for us. For bloggers, un-bloggers alike. The agenda could have been tighter involving more people to talk, but the debate about ‘blogging for the next level’ brought some meat.

The good thing about blogging is that it has comfortably slipped in line as a new dissemination medium. We recognise blogs and bloggers and their written word. We take us seriously. The debatable issue about ‘blogging versus journalism’ is quite like that endless Indian law trial, so we choose to leave it at that. What’s important is now taking this phenomenon of blogging to its rightful cadre – as a powerful medium of change.

Blogging as 3 advantages to it:

a) It is a youthful medium, the medium of tomorrow

b) It travels lightning fast, without commercial influence

c) The written word is more powerful and permanent

So, as a blogger community, keeping aside the journalistic tendencies, I believe we have the power to influence people at an individual level, then at a society level. It is a medium of interactive conversations, debates, opiniating – thus INVOLVEMENT of the reader. And if the reader is involved in forming the opinion, he/she might as well be the evangelist.

Most importantly, whatever we write about, we mean to influence readers. We mean to make perceptions, form opinions. So as a blogger if you are empowered to do so, why not use it for a positive change? Writing about relevant issues and translating these into ACTION down the line.

Feel for the Bhopal Victims? Well, blog about it, create a community and fight for justice with your readers’ support. Mad about CWG? Post your opinion, garner support and send out your letters to the Ministry. Maybe go meet them. Hate those potholed roads? Talk to those car owners, pedestrian friends and other spirited friends through your blog and unify them through an offline campaign targetting the administration.

The power of blogging is immense. As responsible, tired and frustrated citizens, its time we channelise the energy into Action through our words. And the first step is blogging about it. So, my dear blogger friends - Keep Blogging.

The Power.ful Event Pitch

2010-05-20T00:21:00.001-07:00

PPT is a bad word in the Event Industry. But it fetches business. Almost half of our careers are spent in scratching our heads as to which word to use in the 4th line of the 35th slide. After a lot of brainstorming and seat warming, when we trundle to the client’s office for that Big Pitch – struggling to meet deadlines and still punching in ideas minutes before the meeting – the moment of truth dawns. Either we make or break the pitch.

It is not just beautiful ideas and competitive costs which make a pitch. It is the ‘presentation’ of the ideas which is equally important. How much effort and thinking has gone into it, have you been lazy or worked hard around it?

What makes a good PPT? Ask yourself:

Is your PPT well structured or haphazard?
Are the thoughts flowing in logical sequence?
Is it equipped with relevant visuals and designs?
Is it too short or too long?
Does it have relevant content explained clearly?

….and the list goes on.

Why is it important to have a good Powerpoint?

Simply because a good PPT is quite influential in getting an entry into the consideration set of your potential client while he is shortlisting his choice of agencies.
The Powerpoint is the first impression you portray about your company, its values, its thinking abilities. The neatness of your slides tells a lot about how your company executes the event. The clarity talks about the planning skills. The brevity depicts the efficiency.

I hear even senior client servicing lament about writing Powerpoints– because they don’t enjoy it. The key is to get excited about the whole thing. The good news is it can actually be a fun process. About time we punch in the ‘power’ in the powerpoint

Technorati Tags: powerpoint skills,presentation skills,event presentations,pitch winning presentations,event management,how to win pitches.

NEW-AGE COMMUNICATIONS

2010-05-13T01:11:00.001-07:00

ou don’t need binoculars to discover new-age marketing communications. It’s closer than you think.

Every phenomenon has an era. As human civilisation, we have transcended from the Satyug to the Kaliyug. Music has it’s classical, neo-classical and modern avatars. Modern Art is always the butt of critical analysis. So also communications has evolved tremendously. Not just the hardware, but the software as well. From mainframes we are now on to netbooks. Marcom, too has evolved and revolved more than it’s full capacity of 360 degrees. Radio, Newspaper, TV represent the initial phase of marketing communications. And they still exist as the pillars of advertising as long as India is a developing nation. But you cannot not admit that the new-age media has taken roots, turned into saplings and with technology would become that banyan tree with those very roots hanging out and providing shade.

NEW-AGE COMMUNICATIONS: New age communications in simple terms is the marketing media and content which belongs to today’s generation of IMC. Any marketing media which has emerged in the past decade and is fairly new, is a part of the new-age communications model. By this definition, all the forms of communication including BTL (Activation & Events), PR 2.0, Web & Digital, Social Media Marketing, Youth Marketing are in the fray. And we are not talking just media – it is the content as well which needs to be new-age. Modern, appealing to today’s junta, which has evolved ten years on. Brand designs have emerged more sleek (Godrej and Wipro logos), creative content speaks a new language (youngistan)…

NEW AGE COMMUNICATIONS IN INDIA: The Indian Market has yet to ripen to technology-based media like digital (online and mobile). While Events and PR now at decent levels of reckoning, social and digital media are yet being treated like the fantasized lady in red. Everyone wants her but don’t know how to. She is hot and happening, seductive, yet seemingly hard to get. Brands have already held out the bait to her – and she will soon be a big part of the brand game. Fragmentation leads to the need of new forms of media. Enter youth marketing – a new age form of marketing to the young segment. This is not even a trend yet, but the concept has so much potential that if used right and sparingly like social media, it could work like a case study.

The core essence of new-age media is building the brand, the guerilla way. While ATL brings brand awareness, new media helps build brand equity. Each has its own role to play – strategically as well as tactically. The successful communication campaign will be the one which uses both in the right way in the right quantity. Like salt to taste.

POW WOW AWARDS 2010

2010-03-31T23:06:00.001-07:00

When the WOW Events and Experiential Awards was constituted by Eventfaqs, the Event Industry was but happy. The BTL and Events domain has finally come of age that it needs recognition. The fabulous work produced by the hardworking and creative minds across the Industry for brand maintenance is well worthy of it. And honestly speaking, Event and Promotions is more like theatre when it comes to execution – it is logistically oriented, has no retakes, requires immense expertise and the process needs to be repeated. Recognition, it thus deserves.

Yesterday, was the 3rd edition of WOW Awards at the Andheri Sports Complex, Mumbai. A beautiful setup welcomed us and the evening was thankfully cooler. The evening had just begun with an Acrobatic performance ( I enjoyed the Drum Cafe more though last year), post which the emcee couple Siddharth and Amrita came onstage…and them was rampant in hitting out cheesy remarks (the script was rather teenage-ish and yawn. guys get on with it!). Then began the Award Ceremony of over 32 categories interspersed with cut short entertainment. Despite some initial bloopers in the cue-sheets and AV and emcee ‘disco-ordination’ (surprise, surprise – this felt like Ramdev Baba suffering muscle pain. Caw). But with the Awards being announced, and teams shrilling out whistles and drumbeats, the excitement kept the ceremony pumped up. (Thank God we had a variety of dias-takers coz Siddharth and Amrita took the cake!!)

Nothing beats team-work and the Event Industry is the proof of the chocolate pudding. There was a series of categories which got Bronze or Silver or Gold for Mudramax (9 metals), Encompass, Wizcraft, RN & C, Candid, PDM, Jagran, Cineyug….but the evening belonged to MudraMax and Encompass. As someone rightly pointed out onstage that the lines between ATL and BTL are blurring. Gods rejoice. Whilst the detailed winner list would be out pretty soon I suppose, the evening was otherwise quite entertaining. Sonal Mahapatra kept us going for a while – with her private album songs et al. She is a good artist and emcee with a husky voice, a fine balance of feminine beauty and yet the punch. A ballerina (guess it was Russian) was a fresh input and the littlest humour star (dunno her name) did a little Sakubai mimic for us – adorably funny.

Disappointingly the evening had to shut shop by 10ish, so the networking over cocktails and dinner did not happen, but the celebrations did not end there – and we just hope the enthusiasm continues the year around for better and more entries at the WOW Awards. This time it was about 700 plus which is a decent number. But let the numbers do the talking after a few years. For now the pow wow at the WOW Awards is a step further.

IDEAS AND UNDIES

2010-03-26T13:24:00.001-07:00

Warning: The language used for this post is not for the 'saint'-hearted.

Ideas are like underwear. They are the closest thing to us. Maybe that’s why ideas come from a ‘brief’. The client gives us a brief. We masturbate mentally and derive ideas. And when we present, they fuck it up sometimes. At times when the ‘brief’ lies with you for too long, they wonder what you are doing with it. So all in all, there is not much of a difference between ideas and undies. We are all possessive about it and we feel ashamed if we don’t have a good one.

So when you get this thing called a brief, we put on all coloured thinking caps which De Bono invented, and put in our best minds to win the pitch. Then you get the plan created, PPTs and set designs galore, logistics and costs as well maybe – you are all set.

You go and present to him. At the end of the presentation you receive accolades. ‘Very nice presentation’. clap clap.' comments the Client, and that sets you soaring. Hold on though. As we know. Ideas are like Undies – and good ones are liked by all. But does he have the balls to pay what its costs? Everyone wants an orgasm, but cannot afford it. So then he slyly asks for your PPT which you send across hoping for some kind of revertal. He wants to know the costs as well – and you send that too. Then he scrutinizes the dozen other costs he has collected from your competition. Compares apples and oranges, lemons and melons. ‘Arre this guy has cost Rs. 600 for a promoter, and this other guy Rs. 559’ Well of course he cannot differentiate between an A and a B grade. They cannot differentiate because they do not know. So the scrutiny happens. Like the 3 blind men. I did not say Idiots, ok? And well, they like the costing of the other guy better, irrespective of what he has to offer. Then you want to go 'slap, slap'..

You get a regret mail from them, if you are goodlucky. If you are badlucky, you will suddenly, one fine day see your idea hanging from a hoarding ad, or in the eventfaqs news section. Your head spins. ‘Haila, what happened re’? asks your colleague. And you pout. The client took your idea and gave it to the cheaper guy. Without your permission or knowledge. He stripped you. Because you did not have protection. Ideas cannot be copyrighted. So they say. And of course, there is nothing like ‘creative fees’ in this industry. So you feel bad and sulk…or maybe wanna go thrash them. But then…its just a brief.

So unless this issue of “idea capturing” is seriously taken up, that is, if we want to, the event industry is bound to suffer – the insecurity and unhealthy competition will continue. So will the issue of kickbacks , as mentioned in the earlier post. Like Ad agencies take idea capturing more seriously. Duniya hilaa ke rakh dete hain. But then what about the Event Industry then. Don't we want to be the Mummies and Daddies and ask them to behave? Maybe setup a system to let this not happen. As an Industry make some norms, get united..maybe decide on some rules which become norms...Ideas anyone? Your idea is going to help them boost their commerce. So why not bite the pie a bit? Else it is like them stealing your undies under your nose. But I ask, if you do not use someone else’s undies, why use someone else’s ideas?

Technorati Tags: Event Management,Event Industry India,Event Managers India,Ideas in events

KICKING KICKBACKS

2010-03-24T15:45:00.001-07:00

So you pitched for a business for the launch event of a client, and despite your best proposal you lost the pitch? Your client seemed positive towards you, but in a mystical turn of events you realised that your competing agency has seized the event instead. And you are left scratching your head- what the hell happened? You could probably link it to this dirty word called ‘kickbacks’ – It is an open secret and a well followed phenomenon apparently in the Event Industry – where clients openly demand handsome ‘ransom’ from the agency in lieu of awarding the business to their favourite agency. And agencies comply too. It’s not a shame, it’s a disease. Corruption is a disease. And like an developing nation, India is a strong victim of this one. While we associate politicians and the RTO’s of being corrupt, the so called corporate culture of demand and supply has maligned the Event Managers. Tough competition and the struggle to survive leads agencies to succumb to pressures. And with the domino effect, this practice has gained much ground to be almost seen as an unofficiated law.

Though several corporates like Unilever now has a systematised process wherein the brand managers cannot favour A particular vendor, there are a dozen other organisations whose well paid employees have no qualms of cheating their own company. Fake bills, virtual expenses and other conjured up costs are tools to make the transaction seem genuine. In defense of these clients, they are not to be blamed entirely – Event Companies, under the pretext of ‘winning’ the business also offer Clients a share of profit or some benefit,s, say like New Year Party Passes or tickets tot the IPL. Yes it is disgusting. And thankfully we have seen quite a few companies take strict action against the culprits. Cannot really talk about instances here for lack of proof…but wonder how people have been sucked into this ghastly system? Do they even feel the pinch..guess we grow deaf towards the conscience when the cash registers ring. Just wondering how some people do it – take money underhand and push that agency for vested interests. The world is not going to the dogs. The dogs have entered the world. Do we see a solution to this?

Should the client who follows this practice be reported to his seniors? Of course with some actual proof – which is almost difficult to get.
Should the event companies stop giving bribes at all – proactively as well as reactively? This seems as easy as running a race with one leg.
Maybe this organisations themselves establish a Unilever like system to cut down corruption - system to ‘scare’ the cheating ones.
Agencies should discourage employees of offering or giving in to client demands

When we talk about professionalism '(which is by the way a bad word now), let’s even walk it. You might become a rich man or an agency richer by a client – but when you strip off your ethics, you are even shamed than when you are nude in public. For a handful of money you lose class and their character. So if you got the balls, its better to pass off the client who seems corrupted. What profit are you going to make anyways?

This practice should be treated as a strong offence and employees should even be jailed for following this freaky practice. Imagine you are putting your brand at stake. We don’t need a Tata Tea to wake us up.

Technorati Tags: Event Management,Event Industry India,Client Event Agency,Kickbacks,Event Company,Events India

UN-HAPPY ABOUT WOMEN’S DAY

2010-03-07T22:42:00.001-08:00

OK, so we have Hindus versus Muslims, we have Marathis versus North Indians, Dalits versus the Upper Castes, Jews versus the Arabs, Saas versus the Bahus, and of course another popular line drawn by man since time immemorial- Man versus the Woman. Like all these other lines, the line which never existed but was created. We did not even spare the 2 types of homosapiens that we are. We managed to create differences even here. And thus began the saga of the Woman, and the murder of her freedom. The 20th century saw a new revolution then with the outrage of war and stuff.

Observing a particular Day signifies the importance of that issue only for the 24 hours within the of the 365 days and 6 hours of the year. I duly respect the importance and the wishes being sent out to Women across the globe – commemorating this historical revolution. But why is it that I feel little irked about this Women’s Day hoopla? It feels like someone just picked out a few hundred rupee notes from their brimming treasuries and donated them to women. We don’t need that. We are beyond Women’s Day. We don’t need to prove anymore what we are capable of. The world knows it by now. And we don’t want the male fraternity and sister sorority to sort of ‘stamp’ us as ‘women’ achievers. In the end it does not matter whether it was the X chromosome or Y chromosome that made you. The fact is you are what you are – irrespective of gender. Why this damn bracketing of ‘Women’ achievers. It gives a feeling that yes, you gals need to be treated special for some time in your life. And you need a special occasion to be recognised. Aw woman! Like we need just 1 day of the year to be recognised.

Women have superachieved in their lives already. Should we even bother to let the men know? They know it already. If they do not accept it, balls. That’s not my problem.

I still know of people whose daughters are not allowed to work after getting married. Why not put their parents in jail or something. You are stealing a human of her personal rights. Or women being forced into marriage and compromise on her career. These are the things that a woman must pull out other women from. We don’t need trophies to reassure us that we are good despite being a woman. Gone is the age when we were considered secondary. No one is superior to the other. Just that we can do some things better than man, and vice versa. Which is true of every other human. or Huwoman. Happy?

I don’t want to be labelled as a successful woman only – i want people to say ‘she has been a successful person in her life’ – let the gender specialisation not give me the edge. The edge should be what I am as a person, not as a woman. Rise beyond these differences of Man and Woman, Respect the good things in each and accept and try to change the bad. If you really want to observe Woman’s Day, change your own outlook towards yourself. And help other women do that. If you are soaring in the skies of personal freedom, scoop out another woman from the ditch of societal shit, like an eagle scoops outs a fish from the river. Of course, not to devour her then.

Woman are beautiful and peaceful people. Celebrate her everyday. Celebrate yourself everyday. You are a symbol of actual strength. That is why you can bear babies. He has the muscle but you have the mettle. You can multitask because one part of your brain is larger and better connected to the other. Scientifically proven. No one ultimately is better or superior. You are what you are. Don’t belittle yourself by comparing or being compared. Have a Happy Day Woman. Everyday.

WHAT’S IN A BRAND NAME?

2010-03-04T13:21:00.001-08:00

We all know the popular saga of Shakespeare’s famous line ‘What’s in a Name?’ But ask any 21st century brand marketeer and he would say, there is nothing in a name, but a name is everything. Because the name differentiates one brand from the other. The name makes a brand what it is. And the name is what people associate the product with, first. For instance a woolen product with the brand name Gitanjali might not work as much as the brand name ‘Fluff’. Or the name ‘Taaza’ for a Tea might be more appealing than ‘Society’. Keep the positioning aside for a bit.

Research says that the success of a brand also depends quite a bit on its name. I.e. by which word the product is identified or known to the people. It then becomes imperative to have a ‘good’ name as a contributing factor to your brand. And having a ‘good name’ depends on several factors some of which are:

Your product domain – for an ethnic apparel store, an Indian name would be more suitable
Target Audience – a simple Hindi word or phrase for the middle Indian class TG works best
Brand image you want to portray – if you want to be casual, go Hinglish. If you want to be seen as elite, go English.
Competition – No me too’s or other tomfoolery
Copyright Laws :)

As a consultant, I get quite a few queries to ‘think of a good name’ for the client’s product or service or organisation. For instance a friend, when he initiated a wedding management company including catering, we sought of a name ‘Flowers and Flavours’ for them. Or for another friend who is an Audiophile, the name ‘Sound’s Good’ worked very well for his Audio related services. While there is no rule of thumb to determine what’s a good brand name, here are a few guidelines to keep in mind:

The Sound : The name should sound like music, or pleasant to the ears. Avoid using words with the syllables ‘chr’ or ‘kr’ and more such harsh sounding pronunciations
The Eureka effect: The name should ‘click’ – the first reaction most people should have is ‘nice name’. Or it should generate some curiosity factor at least.
Strong Association: The name should have at least 1 strong association with an experiential factor of the product. For instance the name ‘Good Knight’ sound sleep- a beneficial association of freedom from mosquitoes plus someone who ‘fights’ the unwanted elements. Or say for instance the name Naturals Ice Cream signifies what the brand stands for.
4. Meaning and Logic: The brand could have a story behind it – or a hidden meaning and logic. It should be contextual, in a nutshell. For instance the brand name VAIO, Sony’s Computronics sub brand has a story and meaning to its name and look. It is an acronym for Visual and Audio Intelligent Organiser (changed in 2008) and the symbol represents the unity of digital and analog in VA, and IO represents the binary code. Wow.

5. Easy to pronounce / remember: Ok, Haagen Daaz is not the nicest of names for an ice-cream if it has to work in India. Though it has a strong equity to support it. But as a new brand in the current scenario it is always better to have a relatively easier, more generic yet not so common name. The current trend is to be as ‘esoteric’ or ‘casual’ and interactive as possible.’ Look at the current spate of clever names we have in local brands – for instance restaurants. 5 spice is a nice name restaurant name to depict Chinese cuisine and yet sounding esoteric.

6. Human element: The computer giant Apple was conceived from Newton’s ‘think different’ philosophy and evolved into a rainbow Apple for the humanised touch. So also the recent evolution of Wipro’s Sunflower and Godrej colours for a feisty and vibrant look tells us how brands are moving towards the consumer sentiments.

So while the world’s most popular brands are undergoing an evolution at some stage of the brand cycle, there are quite a few interesting trends emerging from this churn. We shall keep an eye on them and talk about it over time.

Technorati Tags: BRAND NAME,APPLE,SHAKESPEARE,VAIO,HOW TO NAME BRAND,BRAND NAME RULES,TIPS ON BRAND NAME

FILM MARKETING – NOT AN IDIOT’S JOB

2010-02-23T00:05:00.001-08:00

Cinema as a product has evolved, and we can bet on that. From the pelvic thrusts in David Dhawan’s slapsticks, to Shaimak’s graceful grooves designed for Yash Chopra’s magnum opus, films are becoming sleeker and bolder.

The product is better, but what about the branding? And the Marketing? Film Marketing was and is not always taken seriously, but we can feel the whiffs of change. For a producer who spends crores in designer wear for the actress, he might as well spend a few more to build the showcase ramp as well. Though the wave of globalisation and medianomics took the Bollywood Industry(?) by storm, Film Marketing has been conceived, yet. The lack of an organised approach in the film industry makes it difficult to treat a Film as a “brand”. Film makers are like the workers of a factory sometimes. But glad to know that the trend of treating a film like a brand is seeing a growing learning curve. And filmmakers from workers are turning into marketers.

Aamir has played a huge role in redefining the rules of film marketing – be it Ghajini (actually a mediocre but well made film) or 3 Idiots (wonderful film, made better by marketing). Karan Johar and SRK followed suit for my Name is Khan. Aamir and his team did a pathbreaking case example of how little things can make a huge difference – after all brand communication is experiencing the brand and getting in touch with the target audience, hitting a chord there. And both his films did that. And there were not tickets left over during the entire opening week. That’s the power of good marketing.

My friend and consulting editor at Business World, Amit Bapna has done this wonderful interview with Aamir Khan on his version and story of film marketing. Here’s a dekko of the link – a pretty good one, i must say. And Aamir is no Idiot when it comes to his films or their marketing. Check him out at http://businessworld.in/bw/2010_02_20_Outdoor_Isnt_Impactful.html

THIS IS AN IDEA SIRJEE

2010-01-20T12:03:00.001-08:00

I might be quite critical when it comes to brand evaluation. But that is because I am a silent observer and a potential consumer. I notice and I opine. IDEA gave some great Ideas last year, but if the brand is raising it’s own bar, it might as well use pillars underneath which incidentally touch the ground. Else it’s like creating castles in vacuum. If Tata did it, so could Idea.

However all telecom brands are not all talk. After the bang for the buck Aircel Boat outdoor campaign, the recent Aircel – Silence Campaign, struck a chord again. This Xmas would have seen hundreds of the older lonely people connect with their families. The campaign helped collect hundreds of old unused mobile phones and donate to old-age homes. A simple idea portrayed so beautifully and which actually was implemented. I caught up with the National Creative Director of Denstsu-Marcom – Adrian Mendonza- the brain behind this campaign and took a complete download about the initiative. And this is the story:

'Aircel gave us an open brief to think of some CSR activity which was relevant of course.’ says Adrian ‘ While we were thinking of ideas, it struck me that nowadays a lot of youngsters change their phones very fast – they pick up the latest and the old one’s usually lying at home – unused. And as an individual, I am quite sensitive towards older people. Maybe because I stay away from my parents. It struck me that at times, especially during festive family seasons like Christmas or New Year’s, the thought of being lonely for the older people is quite depressing. So this thought of people donating their old unused mobiles to old-age homes (where communication is like a luxury) seemed like a nice fit.’

The 2 TV commercials that have been conceived and directed by Adrian are made as beautiful as the thought itself. One shows an elderly couple, sitting rather forlornly and quietly doing dinner. The other showed a rather subdued old gentleman trying to play carrom all by himself. The treatment of both the commercials is quite emotional and says it all – with the communication ending with ‘Silence is not always Golden’. You can view the commercials on

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=106465446034605 and

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=106464842701332

The campaign was on from December 21st 2009 to January 4th 2010. After the launch of these ideas Aircel has been flooded with enquiries – in fact they even took the campaign on-ground to facilitate the collection of the mobile phones. ‘Aircel provided a year’s talktime free with the mobile phone. Drop boxes were used in Aircel Stores and malls, a special website was created as well to help in the collection. Toll free SMS code was created through which a free pickup facility was offered. Aircel has tiedup with Helpage India – one of the premier NGO’s looking after the old and homeless as well as street kids – for the distribution of the phones. In fact the onus of making these cells in usable condition was also taken up by the Telecom brand.

So while the campaign seems to have clicked with the people, it has created a benchmark in the history of CSR advertising – which is more of call to action instead of the usual ‘gyaan – disbursing’ feel good commercials. This CSR has meat – a potential to become a movement. Which is very much the need of the hour. Now that’s what I call an IDEA sirjee.

For more details, you can check http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/aircel-ring-inold/382351/ which has spoken about the campaign as well.

Technorati Tags: AIRCEL,ADRIAN MENDONZA,DENTSU MARCOM,SILENCE GOLDEN CAMPAIGN

WHY RETAIL NEEDS BTL

2010-01-12T01:41:00.001-08:00

A detailed perspective on how Retailers can effectively use BTL media for a beneficial marketing campaign. From Launches to Generating Footfalls, Malls and other Retail formats do utilise the Activation route. Here’s a dekko:

http://www.rai.net.in/storai/storai_magazine1255589812.pdf

KIDVERTISING

2009-12-10T12:13:00.001-08:00

The current LIC commercial has a bunch of kids choosing flavours from the unhealthy ‘gola’ vendor (so much for Life Insurance). The Airtel roaming ad has the son sharing his Father’s number with his best friend while leaving for a trip. Reliance BIG TV talks of clearer picture etc, and they had to use Spiderman and his little fan to endorse it. Sugarfree has a tell-tale son. Every second commercial has a kid in the current race of using the so-called strategy of pester power. Ok, research says kids influence the decision of parents as well. But for insurance? Banks? Which Network to use? The kid isn’t going to pay the premium and mobile bills we guess. It’s a different thing The Telecom Ministry set guidelines to not use children or pregnant women using cellphones due to radiation scare. But it’s strange how a kid can tell you which cell phone network to use.

So is it the typecasting of this ‘research’ which has led the agencies to spread thin the trend of using a kid to endorse any brand? A kid can tell you what car to buy maybe. But then every car is now almost championed by a tot. Volkswagen included. What next now..using kids to sell condoms?

The other aspect that comes to my mind is the issue of child labour. The glitzy opportunities to become a mini-celeb blinds the kids and their parents. A little share of limelight does not harm the child, does it? So then, you can see the huge waiting lines for auditions and interviews at production houses. From 6 month old babies to school teens, everyone wants a piece of the popularity pie. Not to mention the casting couch with the Mother which was recently reported in a TV news channel.

All in all, the use of kids is far more like an easy trick than real strategy or lack of a strong idea. Then use a kid like the extra joker which can be fit anywhere as long as it works. No kidding!

Technorati Tags: Kids in Advertising,India Advertising,Pester Power,children in commercials,Child Labour

Interesting Link:

http://infochangeindia.org/200409063939/Children/News-Scan/MTV-Pepsi-ads-in-trouble-for-their-negative-portrayal-of-kids.html

PRIYANKA’s BRAND BAJAA

2009-08-29T13:15:00.001-07:00

If someone were to ask me which brand I would relate to Priyanka Chopra, it would definitely be something more premium than a Lux or Sunsilk. She is more of a L’Oreal girl…sad she has a contract with HUL for some of their brands. Or even a Lakme Face Wash is understandable. In her recent interview on Brand Equity, she sees herself as premium brand as well. So then why Sunsilk and Pond’s? However hard a Unilever tries to up the image of their brands, using international models or Priyanka, with the likes of Dove, L’Oreal and Garnier talking the premium segment, it would take time for a Pond’s or a Sunsilk to enter into that premium perception bracket.

Priyanka might want to check on her personal brand equity by rethinking her brand associations. Nokia was an excellent choice. She enjoyed doing the Honda Activa as well. And she is one savvy girl, she…tweets a lot, is possessive about her Twitter community and keeps us updated. Apparently she is dubbing for Whats your Rashee and is quite excited about it. With Fashion, Dostana and Kaminey rocking the box office it’s quite a hatrick for this well deserving diva. She has style, substance,looks a billion bucks and very controlled in her acting.

So while she bajaos her brand baaja, we hope to see in her top brand commercials in the near future.

No dates for chocolates

2009-08-26T08:35:00.001-07:00

Since when did we start eating chocolate by appointment? The ‘pehli tareekh’ Cadbury campaign brewed by Abhijit Awasthi was brilliant (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSj8VEW-MxA).

Based on a superb insight on ‘payday calls for little celebration,’, the ad shot in retro style was quite catchy. Reminded one of the Close Up ad a few years ago which had a similar retro communication route. And a decent integration of radio as well as OOH to support it, a week in advance from the ‘chocolate' eating’ date. Probably the effects were so strong that people forgot to buy chocolate on other dates, and waited till their salary accounts were credited. So much so that Nestle realised they were losing market share and JWT was revved up to combat this.

Along came the Nestle ‘koi bhi tareekh’ Campaign – a juicy attack on Cadbury’s reigning campaign. (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nestle-Munch-Khao-Bina-Tareekh-Dekhe/126089281406)

Viewers might enjoy this boxing duel for a while. It’s a good short cut strategy to ride on the success of a current campaign, and beat them at their own move. It makes Advertising a real mindgame then. Of course we don’t expect O&M to react in a public way, but they might escalate the communication and play intelligent. If JWT’s Nestle the has attitude, O&M’s Cadbury got the finesse. It’s just another chocolate battle to keep the war interesting. In any case, if the judge has to choose an EFFIE between the two, it would go to Cadbury’s I reckon.

‘CON’-FESSIONS OF AN ADVERTISING MAN

2009-08-12T13:12:00.001-07:00

When I first skimmed through the front page of Brand Equity that morning, I went into a quasi shock. Though the expose of the Publicis Scam Ad story might not come as a shocker to all. Scam Ads is a well practiced practice in the Advertising Industry is a known. But with the truth bared all, I went into a slight tizzy. Emanuel Upputuru’s (CCO of Publicis) email to Brand Equity, the revelations etc seemed too surreal. Hard to believe that an agency of repute would think of resorting to immature tactics for a few pages of mileage. Or for ‘brand equity’.

Definitely, the agency is going to have a lot to deal with, but the issue of Scam Ads does not stop there. It is a vintage practice. The award winning ads which are proudly flashed by glittering ceremonial nights, might not even have seen light of day. It so happens that a clever creative idea when seems too creative to resist, but does not fit the overall communication strategy bill, the agency spins the yarn, puts the ad in a corner of some regional magazine or exposes it on some gochannel at 3.46 am as the world sleeps. Just watch TV or pay attention to some print ads over the year and you will realise it at some Advertising Award function.

I have watched the lobbying during judging processes. And genius campaigns like a cat out of the bag. If the ads are so good, they should be memorable. However, some people in Publicis still deny the BE report claiming something is fishy about it. While most creative professionals which I have spoken to do not deny the ghost exists. And this time it haunted Publicis. We need an exorcist.

RECESSION OUT, NAUKRI IN?

2009-07-24T10:09:00.001-07:00

Well, Hari Sadu might be a horrible boss, but he brings in some good news. Maybe. That Naukri.com is advertising again, maybe recession is over. I have been hearing jewels of information that the market’s looking up now. That jobs are slowly being made available and that the gloom of recession is letting in a ray of sunlight.

Anyways, as long as I do well in my writing business, the job market seems little to have to do with me, for now. But the Hari Sadu ad is still one of my favourite. It is so apt, subtle and straight hitting. Makes us think, wouldn’t we all want to do the same thing to our bosses? I usually see the Hari Sadu model hanging around with friends and Prithvi cafe – see I dont know his real name yet….:)

Seeing this ad being a phenomenon, though it made life hell for someone with the same name and the ad had to be called off, it has made the name a synonym for a not so nice Boss. It has caught on the fancies of people, brings on a smile every time you see it and even enjoy that sadist feeling when the belittled employee spells out HARI as Hitler, Arrogant, Rascal and Idiot.

Of the many ads naukri has made earlier,this one rocks the most. And most memorable. If only I needed a job now.

Get Social

2009-06-23T05:33:00.001-07:00

There are over a billion words and SEO content in cyberspace on Social Media. Already. Why are we going ga-ga over this concept called ‘Social Media’?

Brands and corporates slowly accepting it as a fringe medium for their marketing communication strategy. Idea did it. Healthcare is going to use Facebook and LinkedIn not without reason. There are some who are digging deeper and standing cool in ‘Cyebria’ while some are still sitting on the fence. ?. The good news is you don’t have to be a SocMed Zeitgeist to decipher how it works. The key is to use it yourself and explore possibilities. Of course, there are a few thumb rules – after all technology is a science. So why exactly is a fourth of the world’s netizens on Facebook or Twittering or ‘MySpacing’?

Homosapiens are social animals. And no man can live as an Island. That is a 2nd Standard knowledge piece. But with the population outgrowing itself, smaller families and more friends, the need to build a ‘social’ relationship is important. You need a housemaid, put it on FB. You will definitely find one in a week or so, through the friend of some old school friend.
Creating buzz, talking about your own business or service, letting people know how you earn your bread can be done beautifully on FB. Create a biz page and share with your network. Or better still, get LinkedIn :)
Network – that’s another nice term we do. People wine and dine, attend exclusive parties, THROW expensive parties and bang the buck. What wrong has Twitter or FB done if they allow million people to network for free? No geographical boundaries, no language barriers anymore. It’s as good as meeting physically.
Knowing more about things around you, what’s happening in the world, how it affects us – the Indian youth is talking politics (which the previous younger generation abhorred) and sending pink panties to raise a non violent voice against erring politicos. The power of social media.
While other media scream and shout for attention, social media is like a quiet conference. Or a kitty party. Interactive, fun and can evoke better response.

So while you get the best of both – commercial as well as social interests met through these agents, it is best to use it and not overuse it as a money-making racket. Use it sparingly. Like salt in your food. Right to taste.

What ails the event industry?

2009-06-23T05:24:00.001-07:00

*WARNING: Please read at your own risk. The author was being chemically treated when writing this. Do not expect slick, old English etiquettes in this piece.

Recession is just one of the ailments. For now. Clients rather blow up a six figure budget on advertising than invest in BTL.Of the 100 INR he has sanctioned from the CFO, 85 or so into advertising and about 7 or so for BTL. The rest is of course, kickbacks. Don’t raise an eyebrow- we all know it. It isn’t shocking that clients eat out of their own companies, illegitimately. That’s corridor talk.

But what’s a rude fact is the gross lack of common BTL knowledge amongst clients ( most). It’s a pity that the guy whose purse strings you are trying to loosen is an almost dodo when it comes to event and promotion knowledge, though he might be an Einstein at his work. He could be the sales guy or the brand manager so to say, or a client-ridden media buyer who has the bucks and the brawn. So he negotiates for an A grade promoter basis the cost you showed him. He wants a smart, English-speaking promoter for his activity and he thinks he is going to get one with moongfali. Go tell him he will get monkeys with moongfali. And then he calls you every 75 seconds for something as stolid as a loose wire in one of the parcans of the 200 light setup at his venue. No wonder, he never did his electrician jobs on his own. Maybe he hired an MBA to change his bathroom light bulb?

But the clients are not to be blamed totally. Let’s be fair. This industry created itself into a vendor-like industry? Advertising has a perceived value, but with the unhygienic competitive attitude, the supplier-like behaviour (read undercutting) and hiring lesser qualified personnel, The BTL industry has the izzat of a kaamwali. Or kaamwala. You can’t do without them, but you have their balls in your hand coz you fill their purses. Even if it is 15 INR only. Advertising has adopted science and research. It wears the specs. BTL is glamour stricken, logistical nightmarish and complete with dimbulbical attitude. It wears a pantyhose and stands on the road. Clients come by, pick the good looking (not to mention the cheapest) ones and get them dancing on their tunes. Think, isn’t it what your client does to you?

And we gave the liberty to use our hardwork to fill in their own piggy banks. We offer bribes, or are forced into it. To bag the client, use Satan. Ok, work is God.

What’s the prescription? Maybe organising itself might help, yes that has started. Build inter-event company contacts. Form a formal association. Be intellectual, build a knowledge bank. Ever wondered why scions like Ogilvy have written x books on Advertising and there isn’t even 1 proper book on Event Mgt in India? If you want a larger share of that budget pie, you got to appear studious too. It’s worth the investment.

THE MEETHA BOMB BOMBED

2009-06-21T04:08:00.001-07:00

OK, the chocolate explodes in your mouth. Do they have a Cannes ‘Bad Ad’ Award? We can nominate this one. All the heads kablooey in brown gooey stuff. Yeow. I just lost my appetite – for chocolate. This ‘Contract’ for Cadbury’s doesn’t work1 on5 for this one.

O&M might be better at making ads than Contract, but this time the leading agency slipped on a banana peel I guess. I like the ‘pehli tareekh’ concept, but why oh why the gawky naach gaana? Miss the older classic ads that build the Cadbury brand. From solid to stolid. TchTch. 2.5 on5 for this one

The new crow and kid ad from Big Babol is a fun watch though. Nice story, good personification, gripping narrative. 3.5for this one.

Kudos to Max New York Life pension ads. A slice of life with a tinge of humour. When you have the luxury of money and time,what would you do in your retirement age? 3.5 on 5.

Technorati Tags: Advertising,Media,Cadbury's,Ogilvy

NOT "CHO CHWEET"

2009-06-08T12:15:00.000-07:00

I have been watching some Zee Studio. Erin Brokovich is one of my favourite women pow-wow stories. So I was enjoying the movie, and of course whiling away the commercial breaks surfing. I couldn’t help notice this new Parle Delite ad (is it a drink? is it a sugarfree something? No, it’s…I still don’t know). Basically the ad is this group of Sumo ‘pehelwans’ doing a ballet (seems more like levitation stunts to me) surpervised by a ballerina, all dancing to a mid-90 Bollywood filmy music track. (what?) It’s a lot on-air nowadays, and pardonnez-moi but it seems totally tasteless and contrived. A me-too Sumo concept, trying to evoke a giggle or two from the viewer while communicating the concept of Lite. Allright, but hello…where’s the product in this? I learnt in my MBA school that a good ad has the product as the hero. Here the product (whatever it is) is more like a guest. A pack-shot for a second and a tagline barely heard except the ‘Cho Chweet’ when the Sumos do a little bum jig…eeeks. That barely looks cute though. Overall, a real bummer this ad. 2 on 5. De-lite fails to delight me at least. Not cho chweet after all!
I don’t promote products, please find the ad on youtube in google if you desire to view it.

THE GOAFEST CIRCUS

2009-04-06T07:15:00.001-07:00

The Abby’s were much better before they decided to marry the twain. The Goafest had camped itself on another hot day. It wasn’t as participative as last year perhaps, blame it on the slowdown. But didn’t know that recession affected creativity as well. There were more scam ads than genuine works at the Fest this year. Everyone knows that. Especially in the TV category. An ad, a creative masterpiece, but not funded by the client which ran on some godforsaken channel after midnight mass, won a metal. Bravo.Bravo? Maybe clients are behaving miserly. No monies to extend to fund our creative fancies. But what about the sanctity of the Awards then? Time to change the parameters maybe. Creativity cannot be killed by strangling it if you don’t have the budget for arsenic. So live and let live. I remember the AdClub taking efforts to axe the scam ad scam, but every rule can be hacked with another axe. So Change the rules of the game then. Rules need to be made lucid and not a loopholed system to allow people jump the line. If scam ads are accepted, let them be accepted by rule. Give the creative guy his due. Anyway its all about the metals which look good on your showcase when Storyboard comes in for an interview. Nothing wrong about that. Is it? even if it is not a genuine campaign, the ad is creative. There. Especially with Lowe not in the fray, the race is easier. Instead of rats, we have rabbits this time. It’s a circus after all.

NOT AN IDEA, SIRJEE!

2009-03-30T04:09:00.000-07:00

While IDEA has launched it's impressive 'change begins with an idea' online campaign and has garnered over a lac votes and about 1300 Ideas on a variety of issues, hope at least some of the Ideas see the light of the day. The brand has built visibility, got its share of limelight and raised our expectations above our logical thinking. We have now become emotional and expect some kid of action, because only great ads and votes will not help complete the circle. There is a circle that IDEA has begun to draw by announcing itself as a socially conscious brand, but without the 'action' angle, the circle remains incomplete. Hope from the multi-crore budget they expend on mass Communication, a few lakhs can see be allotted to at least one of these most voted ideas on myidea.co.in. So the consumer will connect with the brand, this campaign, garner the people who have voted for the idea to volunteer, and steer the project ahead. Otherwise what is the point of requesting ideas from the junta? I have heard that the brand custodians are not sure if they will catalyse the implementation of one of these beautiful ideas. I hope myidea.co.in is not doing a 'same wine in a new bottle' kind of a thing. Complete the circle. Till then an Idea is not an Idea sirjee.

If you vote for this Idea, please pledge your support on

Oranges & Lemons

2009-03-30T03:50:00.001-07:00

With the summer sun beating upon us, the Pepsicolas of the world have squeezed lemon and orange juices for us to beat the beating. Minute Maid is draining oranges, Nimbooz is squirting lemon juice and now there’s a new ad is on the block. A beachside-scape on a searing day, fisherfolk in the fray, kids on a play, with a Lilliputian guy holding to his life-size trousers, struggling to make his way to the nearest handcart. He stumbles and struggles while the sun sweats him out. He lands a hand on a drink, glugs it and bingo! He is back in his trousers. Moral of the ad – the sun has drained us out, so go get a LMN (that’s what parle Agro calls it) and get back in shape and size. This is my perception. Interesting to watch for the first time, maybe a second and third as well. Good special effects, well crafted. Concept not ‘Canney’ enough, but what the heck. It’s a lemon juice.

Technorati Tags: Latest Ad,Summer drink,Parle Agro,LMN

From RSS to RSS - LK Advani's Blog

2009-03-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

From his entry into the Rasthriya Swayamsevak Sangh as a propogator to a blog-owner today, LK Advani's journey from the 1947 RSS to the 2009 RSS is now seen online. The octogenerian has resorted to modern media (some scorning the initiative as monkeying Obama), to connect with the younger tech-savvy generations. Which might not be a bad idea after all. After Bachchan's blog, Advani's blog has stirred some interest and talkpoints in the circuit. But then a celeb politico like LKA garners media mileage & eyeballs worth millions. So why would he want to talk himself on a blog?

When the USA had it's Presidential Elections in 2004, the onset of the new 'democratic' form of challenged the conventional communication blitkreig. Though the overall perception was that 'no one reads a political blog', the few political blogs gathered viewership of 28 million. Only. Why did blogs do so well then? Because conventional news media like TV & Print projected a shrouded scape of the actual facts. People took interest in reading 'true' picture which was provided by blogs. Blogs. The current favourite 5 letter buzzword. Basically a blog is a public medium which is not yoked to vested interests. It represents 'people's opinion' and freedom of press. If I see something worthwhile, videocapture it and post on my blog for the umpteen cyberspace members to read, I have the utmost freedom to do so. No editorial calls. No other pressures. I see, I post. Unedited. Uncensored, almost. And this sudden craze of the American people spread like the forest fire, globally, sparking off a blogfad. So much so that our own old traditional neta has taken the plunge. With almost 50 million Indians logged on, why not? Pradyut Bora, convenor of BJP's IT cell was quoted in a newsdaily explaining the existence of LK Advani's presence in the blogosphere as ' What a blog brings out is Advani as a person and as a human being. Nothing official about it'. This also represents the diverse functionality of a Blog. It works as a wonderful bridge between an important person with the ordinary ones. A leader to his people. He can rant about his political agendas, in a personal tone vis a vis the semantically and politically correct speech melas. People can get to know his personal side better, because it's from the horse's mouth. Unless he botches things up by sounding self-promotional or condescending, people would like to read his posts, for that personal touch. The information passed on is lucid sans the Chinese Whisper. It works well as a PR tool too. After all PR is about building and maintaining 'relationships'. A blog can do that to a certain extent. IN the end it is all about a perception game. For instance the 'women empowerment' positioning which Advaniji has communicated on this blog would be better received than on his website - which is looked upon as a commercia platform. Because that is the universal proposition of a website. Whereas a blog is supposed to be an online microphone meant for personal communication. Bascially, it's to do with the medium than the message wherein the former influences the end reader more than the latter.

Not all politicians have managed to successfully survive the blog-ordeal, but for now this gentleman is looking active. His mouthpiece is being advertised far and wide. People are commenting, expressing, chatting...so it seems to be in the buzz nowadays and would only increase till the 'tamaasha' draws curtains. If you like his blog, click on the RSS widget.

OOH and the City

2009-03-26T14:42:00.001-07:00

This has nothing to do with Sarah Jessica Parker. It has to do with us, our suffocating cities and our asphyxiating ambience. Everyone knows how concrete commercialised ‘public’ edifices are eating into the open space and diminishing the green count. If it’s about land mafias yearning for their multi-crore earnings, is it necessary that only huge malls can fill in the gap? If the Government can think of simple ideas how to yield maximum benefit from their city land while contributing to social public benefit at large, we would have more green open spaces, hospitals and schools. Think about it. In any mall you step in, the zillion plus brands have their beautiful banners and hoardings and ambient branding swirling around you, placed in every inch of available space possible.

Why, then we cannot have an OPEN MALL - a huge hub inclusive of green parks, playing grounds with entertainment facilities, leisure lounges, amphitheatres for art & cultural programs etc as an Out-of-Home (OOH) advertising opportunity? The Government / real estate owners can get their chunk of monies from selling branding space or leasing them at public assembly points, people get breathing space and advertising brands their value for money. The Open Mall would attract probably a fourth of every city over weekends. Imagine the walk-in scale, visibility and opportunity for activation. Better maintained toilets in public places maintained by Lifebuoy, a kiddy amusement ride sponsored by Funskool, a green leisure lounge beautified by StanChart, McDonald’s would cater to the visitors…a zillion OOH opportunities for the zillion brands. Lesser cost-per-contact, more eyeball opportunities, more scope for innovation. And the priceless brand equity earned by way of quasi-social spends. Can we rightly say ‘OOH! What an idea, sirjee’?

Technorati Tags: Out-of-Home,OOH Media,Brand