Strange Love...

The height of creativity :-)

All it takes...

is just a day to turn life upside down !!!

Happy today !!

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Rahul Ki Life Badalni Padegi

After writing about a couple of great adverts, I just thought I'd flip. So here's a TVC, which in my view, would surely win the 'Advertising is a Joke' Award, had there been one. And I am sure that the agency, Percept, will still be happy to get an award, doesn't matter which one.

Watch this one and laugh out loud for all the wrong reasons.





Let's start the autopsy now. The commercial starts with Deepika consoling her friend, Rahul, on the phone (notice the thrills, courtesy: terrible background score) and then telling us how 'non-happening' is his friend's life. Non-happening?? Yeah. And then the viewer is introduced to what it means.

Situation 1: Playing a board game with his younger bro, and his younger bro complaining that Rahul never plays video games with him. You little poor kid, why did you sit with your elder bro with some board game in the first place. So that you can whine during the advert???

Situation 2: Girlfriend complaining that Rahul never shows her any movie. Madam, get a life. If your idea of spending time with your boyfriend is watching a movie on a cell phone, then he has all reasons to be 'non-happening' (arghh, i hate this word!)

Situation 3: Office, boss, tum kab sudhroge Rahul

Situation 4: Friends, party, let's go friends, he's so boring

BSNL 3G to the rescue..dhen ten den..it really changed his life, and mmm, should I say made it 'happening'. And hey, we didn't know that spectacled people get a pair of contact lens with every connection - may be that's why they used that ugly blue ribboned box.

The advert neither communicates to urban crowd, nor to rural junta. Terrible performances. Equally terrible score. Worse story boarding. And I can go on and on. Overall, one of the worst adverts I have come across in recent times.

@BSNL: Logon ki life badalne se pehle apni agency badlo !! It's time for you to wake up, like one of your PSU siblings, SBI, did to some extent.

The Goose That Laid Golden Eggs...

Then
Never kill the goose that lays golden eggs.

Now
Kill the goose.
Extract the last litter of golden eggs left in her stomach.
Divide her flesh into a thousand tiny portions.
Sell every portion, at a premium, claiming to turn consumers' normal geese into golden ones (the wow! factor).
Auction all but one egg from the last litter at a super premium.
Retire to some exotic place with a ton of bucks and the last golden egg.

Rosy miss ka doggy mar gaya...

A take on yet another brilliant advert. But first, kudos to the person/agency behind the idea which changed Surf Excel forever - Stains Are Good. An idea which is one of the best living testimonies to the concept of 'brand re-invention'. An idea which leaves almost nothing for competitors to exploit. An idea which, besides changing the brand, changes the category dynamics as a whole.

The Indian avatar of the idea continues to impress consumers and critics alike. And the latest in series depicts the story about a school teacher who is upset over the death of her dog, and how stains bring a smile to her face. The story is touching and the music is nice. The kid who plays the lead in the advert is too good with weird sounds and expressions, and it seems that he's actually having a ball in the mud. Cute.

Daag Achhe Hain, and so is this advert. Enjoy.

DCS

What do McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Shoppers Stop & Crossword have in common? A difficult question to answer unless you visit them all. I did, and the answer is Dwindling Customer Service.

A coke-float served in MacDonald's comes loaded with a hair strand, and when it's pointed out to the store manager, the manager says sorry. Period. I ask him to give me a feedback form, and he takes full 10 minutes to find one and hand it over. The form says "Did we make you smile today?". Nevermind. I send a mail to the email address given on the form which results in absolutely nothing.

Over to Pizza Hut. Placed my order and asked for water. Nothing happens. The salad and lemonade is served and I ask for water again. The salad is stale and when pointed out to the store manager, he safely assumes that it is my first trip to Pizza Hut and says that the salad is like this, all the time. To prove his point, he asks the waiter to bring another portion of the same salad and asks us to compare both. When the fresh portion arrives which is actually fresh and how it should be, the manager is nowhere in sight.

The water hasn't arrived yet, by the way. It comes while I am about to finish my pizza and is normal, opposed to cold as was requested. Serving normal water (in some cases, even hot) is a normal practice in Cafe Coffee Day, since they primarily want to sell beverages. But here, ordering a lemonade even before asking for water and not being served the same for half an hour is beyond layman understanding.

Similar experiences at Shoppers Stop and Crossword indicate that DCS is not about a couple of stores but a much wider phenomenon than one would normally expect. Has it got something to do with the recessionary times? Is it linked to some kind of a realization that Indian consumers are not used to a high level of customer service anyways?

Or this is just a part of the normal evolutionary cycle wherein new businesses will spring up to exploit such white-spaces and develop those into competitive advantages! And over the years create those white-spaces again. I wonder...

Loads-a-fun

I happened to watch this new commercial of Vodafone (Busy Message Tune) and I was bowled over. Completely. So much so that I decided to write a blog on it.

The advert starts with "I am taking....a shower....I am riding...in traffic" and when I first watched it, I wondered what it was. Until the Vodafone artwork showed up, I had no clue what was in store. The fact that one doesn't know what is being sold but is still mesmerized for full 45 seconds, is something to be acknowledged for.

Vodafone (or should I say Ogilvy India) has done it time and again. Be it the cute little pug, everyday i want to fly.. jingle, the cute little pug + cute little girl combo, or the unforgattable ZooZoos, Vodafone commercials are a living testimony to the fact that a)simplicity sells and b)talent trumps the 'celebrity status-quo'.

And, they are at their very best again. The new advert is a delight to the senses; great music and an equally good direction. Use of normal people with normal (read: unpleasant) voices makes the advert resonate with audiences at a much deeper level. Listening to such voices on the screen doesn't inhibit them from singing it aloud in public, which actually helps the brand spread virally among the masses.

Overall, it's a terrific advert. Take a look:

enimulli....

I saw a ship, a beautiful ship sailing by. One of my best friends had recently boarded that ship and told me how good it was - sailing towards an exotic destination along with a fantastic crew.

I, for one, until that time was busy building my own motorboat and decided never to board a ship again. However, circumstances forced me to board one, and quite influenced by my good friend, I jumped in.

I was given a job on the floor, and it was all well for a month. Until I started to stare deep inside. And voila, what did I discover: the ship was sailing without an engine. It did have a steering, but our captain just pretended to be driving an engineering masterpiece. All he did was give some instructions, to a dubious religious clan of people dressed in yellow and orange who were 'paddling' the ship forward.

The clan of paddlers also acted as fishermen who would barge into neighboring seas and steal food for the ship, and were paid in kind for their faithful act by the crew (some of them even had been noticed to lay down on floors to offer their services, besides listening to their crap). So the ship was rich, which means that they could easily afford an engine, but the captain didn't prefer to.

The captain believes he is supreme. (A little fact to prove this: his initials are VS, but he signs off the opposite on account of resonance with Swami Vivekananda's initials. Pity.) He likes to be surrounded by a group of loyal crew members who testify at least a hundred times in one day that he, indeed, is supreme and his ideas can change the face of humanity. Pity again.

The captain fears that the day he installs an engine in the ship, he might loose control over his ship; never mind if its for better. He believes in creating a vision for a destination which is as exotic as the birds of paradise; never mind if the crew has their own aspirations as well.

This beautiful ship doesn't have a hole. But having no engine is deadlier, for you don't want to spend a considerable amount of time on a journey and come back empty handed (I was lucky to find a good friend, at least). You need to dive off such a ship and find another which is headed to a destination, which even if not projected to be exotic, but is believable still. More importantly, a ship which draws its strengths from a great captain, great crew and great work.

I can think of only two words to end this - enimulli....beware/dive

A small tribute to Kajal...

Love at First Sight

My recent trip to the jungles of Bandhavgarh was fraught with mishaps - car breaking down amid the jungles at midnight, no electricity for one full day at our resort and a lot others. Add to that the growing frustration among the other members of our crew for not being able to see a tiger up-close. I, however, enjoy wilderness more than the animal sightings and hence was spared from the latter.

On the first day, we could only see a glimpse of two tiger cubs who were apparently very shy to come close to a million vehicles parked on their way to the pond. And their mother wasn't around, who could have taught them how to treat those vehicles and their inhabitants as lessers.

Our morning safari on the second day brought us close to a tigress lazying around near a water hole and we missed her by a paltry 5 minutes. We could see her going back to her den as the sun started to shine on her but she was as much farther as were the two cubs. The crew gave up hope, some even starting to believe that our trip on the whole was jinxed.

Our last safari, however, changed all that. For, we had the chance to watch the most beautiful tigress of the reserve up-close (according to our guide, Gupta). And this was the same tigress which we had missed by a whisker earlier that morning. And the moment I saw her, I fell in love with her. Her deep eyes, her splendid walk, her perfect proportions - everything about her was truly amazing. We watched her for a good 15-20 minitues, right from her descent from her den till she disappered in the grasses near the water hole.

She is 4 years old, and for some reason, is known by an insignificant name (chinchola-tigress or something like that, based on the area she inhabits). I feel she deserves a unique name and have named her Kajal, as a tribute to her ever inspiring eyes. If there is love at first sight, this was it. And that sight of hers will remain etched forever in my memories.

Air India

Kingfisher Red has stopped serving the Mumbai-Raipur route, which meant I had to fly Air India this time around. Not that I flew AI for the first time, but I was eager to fly it for a long time.

Whenever AI gets a mention in any discussion, one thing which never fails to pop up is how ‘ugly’ their air hostesses are. How those ‘fat’ ladies do not take care of the travelers and sometimes are even ‘rude’ to them. I, beg to differ.

First of all, the hostesses are not ugly. I agree that they are not sexy (and enticing!) as their Kingfisher and Jet counterparts, but beauty is beyond exhibiting skin in red or blue minis. Draped sarees, large red bindis smeared on foreheads and nicely braided hair – they all epitomize the Indian culture, and I believe that’s beautiful.

Secondly, many a times, the hostesses don’t behave in a way which most of the travelers think they ‘ought to be’. But have we ever tried to analyze what’s going on. Consider the situation from the hostess’ perspective. A traveler enters the aircraft and gives you a weird look (Oh my god, where have I come, those KF girls were so pretty) – his face says it all. Then onboard, he ‘orders’ you for the things he need, the way he is accustomed to doing it in other carriers. The difference here is that you are not like 20-22 year olds starting their careers; you are 42, serving for at least 15 years and expect some sensible behavior from the travelers.

I am no less ordinary. I am not against short clothes and I also like flying in KF, being served onboard by attractive women. However, I feel great about the fact that there is at least one airline which proudly upholds our culture. And it’s a thing which needs to be acknowledged by all.

Where are we headed

India’s growth story until now, as we all know, has been primarily due to one reason: cheap labor. Infys and Wipros hiring people like ants sort of prove this point. But here’s the catch, to play the cards of human resources, you need a dealer at the other end playing the card of innovation, which developed nations like the U.S. and other European nations did. Not any more.

With recession spreading its wings far and beyond, we stand on a crucial crossroad. One way leads to letting go of this opportunity and consequently spiraling perpetually into being a ‘cheap-labor economy’ while our counterparts like Brazil, China and Russia surge ahead.

The other way leads to shifting the role from a pure human resource treasure to a more pro-innovation role. I use words like ‘more’ and ‘pro’ because the demographics of our nation would never allow us to play a pure innovation role. Nano, is one of the biggest examples in recent times which offer a ray of hope. Companies like Marico and Amul are stepping up the ante as well, buy aren't we way too far to confidently claim that we have taken the right path.

The choice is ours. So are the pay-offs.

Back !!

Exactly a month since my last post...pheww!!

Past 30 days (or 31, whatever) have been adventurous, to say the least. I resigned from the job and finally launched India Interns. This month also marks my anniversary of return from the far east.

India Interns has been sailing well as of now; encouraging, if not exceptional. And I am looking forward to some even more interesting times ahead.

Am back! Back in business! Back to my blog!

It's a great feeling. And yeah, time flies ;)

Excuse No. 11 For Not Writing a Blog

Holi ke iss paawan avsar par aapko hardik shubhkaamnayen !!

Genius, and something else...

Rahman created history by clinching two Academy Awards past sunday at Los Angeles for Slumdog Millionaire - one for the best score and other for the best song (Jai Ho). Being the first Indian to do so speaks volumes about this legendary composer. From his humble beginnings as a music composer in early 90's with Roja (for which he won National Award as a debutant, another first), he definitely has come a long way. Much has been written about his genius and after his latest triumph, much will be written. I, however, would like to focus on a different matter.Lets examine the factors that may have played a part in the build-up to Rahman winning the Oscars.

Composition
No two views about it, the composition was absolutely world class. Score for the movie was fabulous, but I frankly think that the song Jai Ho was not something which can bag an Academy. Over the years, Rahman has composed so many songs which can make Jai Ho look like a pretty ordinary composition. One of my friends argued that Jai Ho has used such a variety of musical instruments and vocal pitches that it appeals to 'foreign junta' unlike the 'regular Indian stuff'. He has a point, but this is not the first time Rahman has used a variety of instruments and vocal pitches in a song. So what else might be at work here?

The Package
Its not only about the music, there were performances, technical aspects, direction, cinematography et al. - all handled and executed to near perfection. And such a package rightfully creates a media hype which benefits all the departments, especially if the department (music, in this case) is a contributing factor to the hype.

Rise of the Emerging Markets
India, in particular has been the darling of developed markets at various points in time. There was a period (1994-2000) when Indian beauties would win international beauty pageants very often. Looking back, does it mean that India produced women of exceptional beauty and talent back then, and the era is over now ? Now look at it from a different angle: 1992-1993 was the time when all the cosmetic biggies were trying to enter India and epitomizing Indian beauty on a world level was a natural precursor to creating a demand for cosmetics and allied products.
The same thing is happening now as well. An audience of a billion people, who have started to accept different forms of cinema (Spiderman, Matrix and many others were run-away successes), is a natural target for western film-makers and production studios.

Its startling - what may simply pass as a genius can comprise of so many other factors working together in harmony, which actually results in the recognition of the genius.

The sad part is that it takes a foreign director and crew to make the world sit-up and take notice of the phenomenon called A R Rahman. The good part, however, is that the world has taken notice and the benefits of the same are bound to trickle into many corners of Indian cinema. Long live AR!

Settling Down

Warning: This entry comes on the heels of a self-imposed rule, one that says I write a blog every week. And so, the text that follows might read like utter crap to some. I don't care.

I have been struggling to discover myself for quite sometime now. I had a start-up in college. I joined a company upon my graduation. I started out again. I freelanced as a designer. And now, I am working with a company. All in a span of 17 months! All to discover what I love to do and would do the rest of my life. I gape at the road and wonder where am I in my journey and how much time will I take to 'settle down'. But hey, is there something called 'settle down'?

The system which we have been brought up with advocates that we 'settle down' as soon as we can. There are rules and there are codes of conduct - a degree just after school, a job just after graduation, marriage just after job and so on. A person who denies to confirm to the above is dubbed a 'rebel' among the otherwise pool of the 'virtuos'.

I had a stimulating discussion with a person last saturday as to why Indians tend to become fat by eating even in moderation while our counterparts in other countries don't. And he pointed out that living in India which, historically, has been famine affected has caused our bodies to use a little portion of our diets and assimilate everything else as fats. I don't know if its true but it does sound logical to me. And today, when I sit back and think about our notion of 'settling down', I can very well relate to the same theory again. We have been conditioned to be opportunistic, to grab any chance that comes along and leave nothing to fate. Our counterparts in the west, on the other hand, have been brought up in abundance and have been allowed to exercise choices and pursue life on their terms. But does it mean that they do not have a concept of 'settling down'? I am sure they have one, for they also own homes, raise children and like to see smiling faces after work. The difference, it seems then, lies in the way they approach the steady state - no set patterns and freedom to explore.

Things have started making sense to me now. Instead of wondering how much time will I take to settle down, I need to think how would I get there. Instead of blaming it on the system, I need to explore how can I alter the patterns set in the system. And be confident that someday, my dots will also connect.

Watch this video of Steve Jobs' address at Stanford and be inspired ;-)

Tryst With Konkan

Konkan. The word conjures up so many images in people's minds - a splendid coastline with towering coconut trees, delectable cuisine, beautiful arekanut (supari) plantations and many more. And I had a chance to relish it all during one of my recent trips to Ladghar.

I happened to stay at a resort named Gaaaz (chaste hindi for the sound of waves), around 50 mts. further from the beach. It was a small place with four rooms, interestingly christened Agni, Jal, Vaayu & Aakash and styled accordingly. Close proximity to the beach and well laid rooms made for a good place to stay.

Sitting on a rock or taking a stroll, the beach with distinct stretches of rocks and sands was ideal for both. Observing sunset on the beach makes for a pleasurable experience and so does gazing at stars and meteors (yes, you do see them often at a place like this!). And if you like to spot dolphins, you can hire a ferry and raid the deep waters early morning - you may be lucky to spot a school of dolphins; I could only spot a lonesome though.

The next day, I visited a place (don't remember the name) situated around 5 kms from Ladghar. And, that was a revelation. The place is a small agrarian village, known for its religious connections. The adjoining beach is uncrowded, remarkably clean and comparatively less saline - a perfect place to get those man-made-materials off your bod and submerge yourself into the clear waters. After a refreshing bath comes an irresistible hunger which is best satiated by taking a wholesome meal at one of the many village homes who serve mouth-watering local cuisine (which you need to pre-order before proceeding to the beach). The food which I had at a home remains the most cherished memory of my entire trip - simple, honest and tasty food served with so much affection that it can put a 5-star restaurant to shame. Out of this world. A must have if you happen to visit this place.

And like all good things come to an end, it was time to depart. But I would come again, for this place beholds a magnificent blend of simplicity and peculiarity, leaving a permanent impression deep within.