The Big Ranga Shankara Mango Party

Despite the clammy weather and blistering heat there is one thing that we all unarguably love about summers, the mangoes! Be it a chilled alphonso, green mango with salt and chilli powder or grandmother’s home made mango pickle (stashed away in a traditional ceramic pot, kept in a dark cool corner of the house, to marinate in rich spices) we love it all.

To celebrate the king of fruits Ranga Shankara played host to a mango party this Sunday. Everyone was invited to the mango party the deal was to bring a kilo of mangoes and eat as much as you can from the pool. This way one gets to taste all kinds of mangoes. There was Neelam, Banganapalli, Alphonso to name a few.

This initiative created a community for mango enthusiasts to get together and share their love for the fruit. I suddenly lost all the real world inhibitions and found myself chatting with people I didn’t even know. There was child like happiness on everyone’s faces while they were blissfully relishing their mangoes and discussing their childhood memories. The Ranga Shankara menu also featured mango kulfi, mango ice cream, mango sandwich, mango shake and lassi (buttermilk).

In my house, it’s almost a ritual with the onset of summers, crates and crates of mangoes arrive. And for days after that the women of the house are bustling with activity sorting, cleaning and trying out every possible mango recipe in town ensuring every part of the mango is used. In a house of predominantly Mysorepak and Laddu (South Indian Sweets) lovers we suddenly find ourselves dishing out the most exotic of desserts. The fridge is mysteriously stocked with aamrus, mango milkshake, mango ice cream, mango cheese cake, sweet mango pickle and everything the season brings with it.

At Ranga Shankara it was one Big Mango Party and very messy too!

PROMOMOTO

It is really interesting to see brands participating in the cultural spirit of their key markets. In Russia, during the Russian Othodox Christmas week Motorola built the St. Basil's Cathedral as a part of their promotion.


St. Basil's Cathedral by Motorola

Here is a closer look. It is for real alright!

Way to go Moto! With their phone Moto Pebble, the company is going all out to woo their target audinence and what better way to do it than talking to them in their own language!

Source: Russia Blogs

Ask Guruji

India has now joined the bandwagon of International search engines after Google, MSN, Yahoo and ask.com, with its very own guruji.com. It’s the brain child of Anurag Dod and Gaurav Mishra and its too early to claim that they are India’s very own Larry Page and Sergey Brin but we sure can applaud their efforts.

Guruji differentiates itself from other global players by indexing only Indian content and by offering a local search product that delivers the phone numbers and addresses to users.

The founders say they have developed proprietary algorithms that are used to classify and identify Indian content. The web crawlers look for certain properties in the content to ascertain its Indianess.

Why guruji? India has been the spiritual guru/leader of the world, now it's seeking to become the guru of the IT space. I don’t think we are far behind. After all, we seem to be the hotspot for most foreign companies to set their shop.

A very interesting statistics report thrown up in a study conducted by IAMAI (Internet and Mobile Association of India) said that 65 million people use search engines everyday and the size of the search engine advertising is $50 million and fast growing.

Guruji, as a part of their ing effort, has also added new features like guruji in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam. This makes it more relevant to the Indian audience.

What is interesting to note is, unlike other search buttons this one reads ‘Search India’. In a way it truly helps you discover India, the content is very India specific and allows you to go right down to phone numbers with their city search engine section.

I like the guruji gyaan section it throws up interesting trivia about India which also allows you to understand this country better. They could use this as one of their marketing strategies since no other search engine has such a feature. Guruji’s Gyaan sounds almost sacred.

Here are some that I Liked

"Prem Nazir is the only actor in the world who has acted as the lead Hero in more than 600 films (primarily Malayalam)! In 1979, a record 39 films were released with the actor as the hero."

"The Mumbai city single handedly handles about 25% of the Domestic Airline and 38% of the international air passenger traffic in the country."

"The game of Kabaddi was introduced at the 9th Asian Games hosted by India at New Delhi in the year 1982."

"Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani better known as Dhirubhai Ambani,was born on December 28, 1932, at Chorwad, Gujarat. He began his entrepreneurial career by selling bhajias to pilgrims in Mount Girnar over the weekends."

"Karsanbhai Patel, the man behind the hugely successful 'Nirma brand, named the detergent powder Nirma after his daughter Nirupama "

I am sure like me there are many who didn’t know this.

The look and feel of this site is that of Google. Plain, clean and simple. The only difference is guruji is far more local, and you get a lot more Indian content. You can get phone numbers, addresses, road names and directions. In all, it also serves as your local directory.

Like Google they also have blogs and keep users and readers both updated on the latest on guruji.

I wouldn’t credit Anurag and Gaurav for being original, but more for being relevant. For someone traveling to India for the first time I think he would be better of asking Guruji and taking his advice than googling for information. Likewise, if I am looking for a restaurant in Bangalore, it would only make sense for me to ask Guruji rather than Google it.

Pied Pipers of Mumbai

For a city that is constantly on the look out for ideas with instant cash rewards here is a business proposition that’s made by the BMC - Kill a rat, and get Rs. 5 for it.

BMC estimates rat population in the city to be 9 crores, which means Rs.45 crores is up for grabs! That’s a lot of money to make out of rat slaughter. True it’s not really the best way to make money but I can only imagine how many people are going to benefit out of the program.

'BMC hopes that this revised incentive (it earlier paid 50 paise for every rat killed )will move ordinary Mumbaikars enough to participate in its campaign against rodents, which isn't going too far even with dedicated squads working through the night.’ - Source Mumbai Mirror May 3rd 2007

To claim the reward (and be the next Pied Pier of Mumbai) one has to produce the dead body of the rodent to the local ward office. And if you have mutilated the rat’s body beyond recognition and would feel squeamish to carry it with you, just show the civic officials the tails as proof.

Despite the BMC’s relentless efforts they are not able to match the rats’ formidable coupling strength. The gap is only growing wide with every passing year; statistics show that a pair of rats can have 700 offspring in a year. And this has been the cause of many health problems.

It’s a neat social cause incentivised, getting the city together to rid rats and many diseases while also providing livelihood for many. It makes people more consciuos and makes them look out for their fellow citizens. Other metros should undertake such a cause - Plastic recycling plants people could dump their plastic waste in specific bins and get cash for it in return like the good old raddi concept.

While the Mumbikars are all geared up to play Pied Piper why can’t all local municipal organizations think of replicating this idea in their own respective cities?

Life on Venus

“Bye sweetheart, don’t wait for me I’ll be out late with the girls.” Preeti plants a quick kiss on her husband’s cheek and she’s off.

“How are you drunkards getting back?” Aditya winks.

“Adi shut up, you should see yourself when you come back from those male bonding sessions, it’s a mess. Shital is bringing her driver, not to worry. Bye”

“Oh yeah and fill me in on all the gossip when you’re back.” Adi chuckles.

This dialogue is hardly uncommon anymore. Women are taking time out to be with each other. The old rules of socializing for girls now looks dated. The new rule is that there are no rules, you make them up on the way.

A woman is a woman’s worst enemy and the society (predominantly male) has reinforced this time and again. I have heard even my non chauvinistic male friends make such causal remarks. I nearly bit their heads off for saying that. It could have been true in the past, when women were not in a position to help themselves or be helped by other women. But that is changing. Because women now have both financial power and social independence.

I can see a world of difference between my mum and me. My mum was largely dependant on my dad, so where the other women from her generation. Now women have strong women to depend on. I can’t imagine killing my time discussing husbands children, in-laws and the troubles that follow or the latest development on Kyunki saas bhi…. My mum realizes this she doesn’t expect me to do everything she had to at my age, in a way she is trying to live her life through me. Her equation with her mum, 30 years back, was completely different. Today we bond as women first and then as mother and daughter, discussing my work problems, her menopausal troubles, and so on and so forth. She knows I am going to be around even after I get married and have a family of my own.

For my mum to be in close contact with other women was almost a norm, for me, it’s a healthy support system, an opportunity for me to unwind and relax. When a bunch of women get together they need a scapegoat to unite them – just for the moment and for the fun of it. It could be criticizing a movie, gushing about your colleague’s new hair do, a new job, boyfriend, bosses receding hairline, etc. What the world calls bitching women call bonding.

Just the other day I was at the trial room of Fab India, doubtfully trying on a new style top, picking out too many flaws despite many appreciative remarks from Vineet. Suddenly another woman walks past with the same design of kurta in her hand.

“I was so doubtful of the style but it looks wonderful on you, I am definitely going to buy it.” She said as she walked past. It was enough for me to make up my mind. Women instinctively bond with other women in temporary surroundings when they perceive similarity. Ladies compartments, restrooms, beauty parlors even gynecology wards make popular bonding grounds. It may not develop into lasting associations, but it substitutes for a therapy center. When women are emotionally charged it is imperative they talk – irrespective of where they are and who it is.

Women need to talk to get a problem out of their system, and I for one vouch for that. Through every new relationship, break up, change of jobs, career I want to talk to my closest friend. It makes things a whole lot clearer and is a great stress releaser. We believe all that goes wrong can be made right by talking about it. We hold the fort with words.

So now it’s ok to be bitchy, it’s ok to be neurotic, it’ ok to be giggly.

It’s okay to be a girl.

It’s not a new Lingo it's BINGO!

ITC has launched Bingo with a Bang! Just when you thought the ready-to-eat snack market was saturated with a whole lot of players, ITC launches 16 new flavours and makes you think otherwise.

The 4 broad categories of Bingo (Potato Chips, Mad Angles, Live Wires and Tedhe Medhe) each of which comes in 4 variants is colourfully packed and is a direct competition to Lays and Kurkure.

I picked up 3 variants (yup I have some junking capacity!) Paneer Tikka, Mustard Sting and Bindas Masal Chaas. New and interesting were my first reactions. What stood out were the names which were typical to homemade snacks that are unique to different parts of the country. Paneer Tikka is the flavor of Punjab while Mustard Sting is so Kolkatta. (ITC is based out of Kolkotta and I am sure they wanted to pay tribute to the people of the state and what better way to do it than glorify Mustard oil!)

After watching all the amusing communication built around the brand, I have been eagerly waiting for the product to launch. Just like the commercials I think the product is also quirky and kind of grows on you. ITC’s marketing pockets run deep and they aim to be the market leader in 3 years in a market that is growing 30% annually!

To keep their consumers well informed of their choices they have launched not one but 5 30secs TVCs, all at one go. Sunder Raman talks about tangy lemon pickle and chips between Tamil-speaking lessons; Spoof of Tele Marketing ads dubbed in Hindi with the same contrived enthusiasm about a product – unveils Mad Angles; Two friends are confused about 5 liars and Live Wires; or a ho-hum lecture on what flamingos have and do not have. And a CBI inspector clarifies the difference between the criminal Zango and Bingo Potato wafers.

They have launched a full fledged multimedia campaign with a website called http://www.bingeonbingo.com/ and also looking at the use of mobile and other new media. They also plan to build the personality of each flavour in future.

Yup, I am going right ahead and trying all the variants. What attracted me to the product was the attractive chips rack, it was a remixed version of all the other POPs we have seen so far. It comes with a zing, stands out and provides ample space for branding.

I am all thumbs up for the brand name, the names of the variants, the quirkiness, the packaging. True it would take a while for people to digest the all new flavours, but I am sure the risk of launching a product in an already well established market would eventually pay off.

"Bingo - No confusion. Great combination."

TVC Hots & Nots

Being in advertising I am in the habit of flipping channels to catch Television Commercials. So when the remote is in my hand there is a possibility that I annoy my co viewrs. Since this activity takes up most of my television veiwing time, I decided to start reviewing TVCs and I am calling it 'TVC Hots & Nots'.

Everything selling on boob tube is not a creative marvel some of the Ads on air makes you want to switch of your TV. Then there a few that are funny, intelligent, cute, sentimental or plain cheeky. I thought its worth giving some attention to whats selling on TV.

I decided to start with 2 very intriguing Ads that have been on air for the last copule of weeks.

1. Amul Macho

Probably the only men's underwear brand without a man in it. With media furiously accusing them of being cheap and vulgar, this provocative ad has been enjoying all the attention, doesn't matter if it's in bad taste. While the other brands are pegging on machismo and chivalry Amul Macho, with the tag line 'Crafted for fantasies' is based completely on a woman's most intimate fantasy.

I think this ad clearly screams different. Let's face it, The Indian male is no Superman whether he wears a Roopa, Lux Cozy or VIP and that is what other underwear brands portray him to be. They are constantly running around in their underwear saving women, dangerously hanging from a cliff to rescue a kitten or being completely molested by women.

The film opens on a new bride, coming to do the laundry, while the other women gear up to bully her. She faces the cold stares boldly when she decides to pull out her husband's underwear from the lot. The women are taken aback by its sheer size and they retreat to a corner. Thoroughly enjoying their expression she goes ahead to wash it with expressions that clearly indicate what a great time she had in the sack on her nuptial night.

Everyone is talking about this new ad on TV; and it has great recall. We have a problem because the brand had the cheek to be different and its not just the same old formula. The ad is being honest, men don't want to be known for saving kittens or pumping away at the gym ,they would much rather be know for their skills in the sack! Its much ado over nothing.

2. Pepsi Gold






Quick to respond and sarcastic. This ad is a definite take on the dismal performance of the men in blue at the Caribbean. Post the world cup, India is gripped with a sense of hopelessness and this ad in some way restores that lost faith. The ad tells you there is no dearth of talent, the next time around there will be a younger quicker and a more aggressive team.

A group of boys go to a tailor to get the Indian cricket team's uniform stitched for themselves. One of the boys tells the tailor to stretch the length of the shirt from 20 to 24. the old tailor is visibly perplexed and moves on to measure the next boy's chest "33 inches" he declares but the guy's friends ask him to keep it at 40. The old tailor obviously annoyed grudgingly obliges. He reads out an exaggerated number while measuring another boy's shoulder. The boys cheer in agreement. Done with them, the tailor asks for the delivery date. The guys inform him, "Chaar saal baad. Agla world cup hum laayenge!"

Pepsi launched a new product for the world cup 'Pepsi Gold', with India's defeat the whole nation turned its face away from the high enthusiastic feeling and so did Pepsi. This voices every Indian's dream to go back to the world cup 4 years later with a new team and win. With a ring of disappointment and lots of hope this ad is well written, executed and on the whole brilliant.

'Paris FREE' Wire

This piece of news should bring some cheer to you. The Associated Press has adopted a policy NOT to cover Paris Hilton barring anything major, even that will be subject to debate. The addiction was bad, she was covered on an average twice a week last year by AP till they finally decided to give this Vice up! So when are the rest going to join the league or is it too much money at stake?

Now we know Paris has been in the news for all the wrong reason and loves the limelight. I say 'Smart move, Can we add Britney to the list as well?'

What's really funny is that even ignoring Paris Hilton is making news, a typical Hilton trait I suppose.

Trevor ‘Wonder Bra FCUK’ Beattie

The advertising fraternity the world over knows him as a quirky Adman whose controversial campaigns marketed Wonder Bra and French connection UK.

This man had a huge chunk of his audience cheering for him at the Goa Adfest when he declared Scam ads to be ‘cheat ads’, and I was one of them. What made it less controversial in an industry that puts more than half its money in scam work was that he said it with the same nonchalance with which he guzzled his beer. It even got the creative heads applauding.

Everyone loves scam ads because they are always edgy, bordering on the sensational and loaded with oodles of attitude. In short they are plain cheeky, but when it wins an award its depriving a good honest ad that did wonders for a product, an Ad that has paid to be on the papers. Why can’t an Ad be both sales kicking and award winning?

He equated scam Ads to winning Oscars for a film that was never got released or for that matter never got made. He said, “Imagine going up on stage and collecting an award at a music or movie awards function, when it hasn’t even been aired. Scam Ads are just the same, they are created just to be shown at awards, you don’t pay to put these up in the media at all.”

“It is the joy of making a difference, of creating a great Ad, and then winning an award. Wouldn’t you be so proud then, when you see people appreciating your creativity rather than by cheating and winning awards?” he questioned.

Most of the work turned out by the industry is mediocre and we blame the client for it. We couldn’t care because we are of the mindset that the client will just shoot down great ideas. We spend our efforts in scam ads so that it could go out there and bring home the awards. Only if we apply the same amount of passion for our client, go through the trouble to think hard and come up with better ideas, care enough and walk the extra mile will we be able to deliver a true award winner. If all clients were terrible as we claim, then the few genuine pieces of work winning awards would never have existed.

Trevor was of the opinion that we are a bitchy industry and have very little nice things to say about each other. What we really should be doing is appreciating and encouraging great work and propelling the growth of the industry as a whole and not tie our own selfish interests in winning awards to it.

It was so evident at the awards, it was showdown time! No one was even applauding for winners from any other agency but their own। Why is it that all the other work churned out by the rest of the industry is terrible and by some sheer miscalculation they won the grand prix or the gold? Good work gets recognized immaterial of the agency and we ought to be able to realize and appreciate it instead of wasting pointless amount of time being snooty.

Trevor concluded by saying it was time we set benchmarks in the industry and create advertising the ‘Indian way’ instead of simply aping the west. He pointed out several examples like the ‘Happy Dent’ Ad and the ‘Coca Cola Train Burp’ Ad and declared that that was the way to go. Our work should make people from London and America want to come, work and learn advertising in India.

What dampened the whole seminar was his praising Prasoon Joshi till no end. With all due respect to Prasoon (whose creative contributions without a doubt have made the rest of the world take notice of India), I felt it looked slightly contrived and biased it was completely contrary to what he had spoken for most of the session.

I once read "Get noticed" is Trevor’s mantra and he will live upto it by being the first fare-paying space traveler on Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic Space Tourism Programme in 2008 (he also happens to be in charge of its marketing). I would be surprised if he doesn’t get noticed for accomplishing a stunt like that.

Sampling Parlours

How perfect it would be if I was allowed to try on the latest foot cream before purchasing it. Department store make up counters allow you to test beauty care products but not without having the sales girl breathing down your neck with special offers, or scanning you from top to bottom and telling you rather politely ‘Ma’am you can try the same shade for lesser in this brand.’ It absolutely infuriates me when caked up sales girls tell me that. I like to know what the white lily and pink coral do to my hair or how vitamin E enriched lipstick helps my lips. I like to read every fine print before I am thoroughly convinced and one can’t do it without the sales person interrupting you a zillion times in the process.

With new cosmetics flooding the market every day, and with the high price tags they demand, I am always wary about putting my money down. I don’t want to wake up with a face full of zits, or worse, discover I am allergic to a certain cosmetic I bought without trying it. Cosmetic shoppers in Tokyo are in for a special surprise with the launch of sampling salons like Club-C.

Customers at sampling salons are invited to take their time and try as many make-up and skin care products as they like without any pressure to buy. They can test-drive different brands and varieties side by side and make their purchases later at traditional sales counters or over the internet. While some salons employ a staff of knowledgeable consultants, there are no sales people onsite.

This is absolutely a delightful experience for both. On the Marketing front it not only helps understand consumers better, but also gives marketers a wide scope for research and development. While at the consumer end it allows people to leisurely try out products and helps build loyalty for brands.

The concept - a perfect interpretation of ‘Tryvertising’ – experiencing the product before purchase (still pretty unheard of in India). Salons get revenue from manufacturers who pay for their products to be displayed, market research organizations and sometimes from customers themselves, who pay modest membership fees. This concept has caught on quite well in Japan and will soon be mimicked the world over with probably minor variations. This can be extended to other product categories as well.

India is probably not mature enough to accept it but stores like Health and Glow, a hotspot for personal and beauty care products and L’Oreal run parlors could have small sections encouraging such trials (obviously with out nagging sales persons). They could have consultants who are pretty knowledgeable about products instead. Indian marketers should put some dough and thought into this concept because it has a great promise and even greater ROI.

In my opinion this is a brilliant concept, and I wish we could extend it to a whole lot of real life product and service categories – jobs, career, men. Now that’s whimsical fancy

Sources: www.springwise.com

Girly Games

Now let’s not get too imaginative. That’s Zapak’s new venture – zapakgirls.com an online gaming portal exclusively for women. Post their successful launch of zapak.com, this gaming portal’s database showed 10% of their users were women. In order to capture a larger chunk of gamers belonging to the fairer sex, they launched zapakgirls.com. Men have always been skeptical of women’s gaming skills and this site is like their echo. In their heads all women are terrible gamers just like they are bad drivers.

No denying, the number of male gamers on the cyber space out number the women, but no serious woman in her right mind would want to play Barbie!!!

When I indulge my sudden sporadic interest in gaming, I would much rather play mind-bending games and loose than help Easter bunny find his eggs. They claim ‘girls play smarter’ then why would any girl be on zapakgirls.com if that statement held any truth! Developing a gaming site entirely for women is as good as equating her talent to that of a nose picker and equating her IQ to that of an ant.

The portal’s main focus is games for girls, and hence the site has employed all the stereo typical (pink logo) and subliminal messaging (Astrology, girly forums etc.) to drive home their point.

Zapakgirls.com is looking at adopting 4 models of advertising - banner advertising, in-game advertising, advergaming and sponsorships. It will be interesting to see who would pay to advertise on this portal. We could probably spot damsels in distress / super woman / candy floss girl sporting pretty branded lingerie or waving their tangle free hair after using the newest serum in the market. And maybe when they pause in between their snowy adventures to catch their breath they could also discuss their boyfriends. How incredibly cute!

On the flip side maybe the website is intended for frivolous gamers who would much rather pelt paint pellets than wonder how to assemble an army and deploy resources and take the enemy by surprise, all this while grappling with various keys on the key board. If it’s a stress buster then I would much rather see cute teddies than gory mutilated dead bodies.

Since there are not too many women obsessed with gaming Zapak did the obvious, added astrology and girl talk. Like every other girl I read my astrology daily and it only makes sense to have it on the site, that way they are assured of footfalls from non-gamers as well.

This definitely is a first of its kind venture and is a battle of wits. The site has hosted its beta version and is yet to get fully operational. Are they flattering or infuriating? Only women with time on their hands to kill can tell.

Triple Action Formula

‘Triple action formula’ Chinmoye read out aloud. I turned around to find him holding my Renu lens solution.

‘You marketing types are obsessed with multi-attribute branding – Single Action doesn’t exist anymore.’ He laughed

‘A Mobile phone that serves as a camera and mp3 player too. Mosquito repellent that also serves as a room freshner. Toothpaste that not only gives you good breadth and great smile but also protects your teeth from decay, gums from bleeding and whole lot of other things, at least so the ad claims! I dread the day I would pick up a toothpaste which also claims to be shaving cream!’ He pointed out.

I can’t disagree with what he said, but I don’t blame marketers for this multi-attribute branding either. Consumers are constantly seeking value and novelty in everything they buy, use or get exposed to. Even if it’s something as trivial as toothpaste.

For instance, if jeans had continued to remain shop floor workers’ clothes (practical clothing), none of us would be interested in them. Levis and its competitors would have long shut shop. Their decision to reinvent themselves time and again for fashion conscientious youth has kept them alive and kicking. So now we have not one but many pairs of jeans that are not only practical but also fashionable, makes you look thin and have oodles of attitude to them.

That’s what they did to our good old toothpaste as well – They decided sparkling white teeth was not good enough, so they converted it into an orahealer – an answer to any problem remotely related to your mouth be it teeth, gums or tongue.

So is there no market for specialty products? You can no longer go to the store and pick up a tape recorder, you get 10 Disc changer, a VCD/DVD player and a home theatre thrown in, all for a few thousands more. Oh yeah! It may or may not have a slot for a tape. Products that didn’t innovate ceased to exist – Pagers were out before they were in, transistors although lasted long went out with a whimper. Sadly no one ever missed it. (Except my grandmother if she counts)

There is a flip side to it. Many strong brands went down under when they tried their hands at multi-attribute branding.

Lifebouy soap, an inexpensive and reliable soap that removed the grime and dust suddenly became the family soap that offered the same protection with a gentler wash and cure for acne. (Really now a new colour and packaging can con very few)

Dettol a germ fighter suddenly went to become a germi-check formula for you body – with their soap and body wash. The thought hardly sounds pampering and that’s what a body wash is supposed to do!

This explains that specialities do exist. iPod for instance, revolutionised the portable music industry. Dettol should continue to be a germ fighter and launch a new line of products accordingly and defend its leadership position from a whole lot of other me too products instead of trying to do a whole more and defeat its sole purpose of existence.

The thought of using 2 different toothpastes to protect my teeth and 3 different solutions to protect my eyes sounds so horribly tedious. I would rather stick to a product that offers me more for less.

So what’s all the gung-ho behind multi-attribute branding? Well for one it addresses the needs of many pockets of consumers and it’s sure to work with a few if not with all. Exclusivity has its own charm so large corporates should think before hastily jumping into the bandwagon of multi-attribute branding even though it might seem to have the promise of green.

Cheaters

In our own discreet lives we are all ‘peeping toms’, there is nothing that gives us more satisfaction that scooping up juicy gossip about our neighbour, colleague or our least favourite relative. We sincerely follow scams and scandals that revolve around film stars, cricketers and anyone else in the limelight. We simply enjoy watching people falter in front of a gazillion cameras.

On the other hand we also feel a sense of self pride when television puts ordinary boys like Abhijeet Sawant in the spotlight, changing their lives, careers, addresses and bank balances forever. Our eyes well up with tears whist watching a small town boy dreaming big and achieving it all despite the odds. Tales of Rags to riches, heroic deeds and heart wrenching stories never fail to move us.

Reality TV has obviously understood this contrast and has reeled out hours of entertainment that floods our television screens, taking up a huge chunk of our viewing time. There have been a zillion reality shows based on despicable, degraded voyeurism. Temptation Island was one such show where 14 couples who have vowed to each other to remain together till death do them apart. The stay on the island lasts longer than the vow.

In the name of reality television channels and shows get away with anything, there have been shows on cheating partners, swapping wives, betraying lovers, and one such show is Cheaters (its not telecast in India yet). Among the huge clutter this show definitely takes the cake. The show follows couples closely till their ugly separation, atleast that’s what the case is most of the times. It’s got every element of a bollywood flick – drama, action, comedy, emotion, and melodrama; it’s even got a villan. The only things missing are probably the typical song and dance sequences. The plot is quite simple, you let loose the cheaters team on your spouse. Cheaters with their hidden cameras monitor their every move. And bang! Guess whose bed you found him/her in? Anyone from his beer buddy, to his secretary. The footage is aired as it is; nothing is edited, right from the humiliation, the deceit, the sadness to the break up! Nothing is removed.

I refuse to accept this show as reality. Who, in their right mind would ever want the whole world to know they are being cheated? And how do we know this whole thing is not being staged. Who would want to watch such a show? Obviously I am wrong, much to my shock and surprise a lot of people watch the show with avid interest. The show has a strong viewership.

Watching cheaters is probably like watching a Saas Bahu saga where the drama unfolds slowly, the tension increases with every passing minute, we edge closer and closer to the seat until it all comes to a nail biting finale. We soak-in every detail and discuss it over the phone, in trains and across balconies.

The debate is endless for what is right or wrong, good or bad is extremely subjective. The censor board in India has been raging a war on what can be aired and what cannot be since time immemorial, and nothing really concrete has ever been churned out.

Is India ready to accept a concept like cheaters? I don’t know. The closest we have come to aping the west is with a show called Big Boss. It’s a replica of a UK based reality show Big Brother, the difference being, we have celebrities.

Only time will tell if we are willing to go any length in the name of entertainment. Until then I guess peeping and creeping can carry on, all in the name of good entertainment.

A Konkan Escapade

I spent a good 5 days discovering Ganpathipule - a virgin beach on the Konkan coast. It was a thrill to discover a beach absolutely unpolluted by tourist traffic. I knew instantly this was going to be one of the best holidays (not that I have been on too many) I have had. The endless stretch of silver sands and sparkling blue water dancing merrily under the warm sun was intoxicating.

Maharashtrians say traveling to Ganapatiphule by road is a vacation by itself. The entire 'Konan' region is a paradise. There is something new to discover in whichever direction you go.

Our trip started out to be a disaster, for thrills we had decided to take the Maharashtra state transport (we obviously weren’t thinking). The driver had some crazy sense of punctuality I suppose, for he refused to stop anywhere on the 12 hour ride up and down the western ghat. Had he looked back or even glanced at his rear view mirror just once, he would have realized half the bus was throwing up.

The creek that that facilitates water sport and one can walk across it during low tide

After the roller-coaster-tummy-turning ride I got off the bus feeling wobbly, a fleeting glimpse of the beach was enough to replenish all my lost excitement. A huge beach blanket, beer and a lovely colourful sarong; I was ready to hit the beach and watch the gallant sunset (this became a ritual of sorts for the next five days).

We where put up at MTDC resort in one of their colourful miniature circus tents. Now I have never stayed in chirpy little tents so for me it was an adventure in itself. These tents were equipped with four beds, a cupboard, and a mirror. The washroom was common, however unlike most public places this was really well maintained and clean.

It is a 400-year old land of the swaymbhu ganpathi, that’s how it got its name Ganpathiphule. There are lots of places to visit in and around the place. We went to the Jaigarh fort, which is on a cliff, at the entrance of the Sangameshwar River about 35kms from Ganapatiphule. Jaigarh served as the naval base for Shivaji, the great king of the Maratha’s. He was the one of the first kings in India to have a naval base with a fleet of 500 ships.

This sun kissed maharashtrian beach sure is a place worth visiting once. I loved the tan I sported for weeks after the trip not only was it a pleasant reminder but also made me look wonderful, like some foreigner put it ‘A bronze statue’.

How to get there:

BY ROAD: Mumbai to Ganapatiphule (via Mahad) is 375 kms. Pune to Ganapatiphule (via satara) is 331 kms. Kohlapur to Ganapatiphule is 144 kms.

BY RAIL: The nearest railhead is Ratnagiri, 50 kms on the Konkan railway.

Pun Intended

Marketers resort to creative routes / puns / things positively gimmicky to out shout competition and here is the proof. This is a hoarding outside Coco Cola’s corporate office on TTK road, Chennai.

This hoarding obviously gives onlookers a reason to smile at Pepsi’s cheek. Most brands today employ reactive advertising ribbing at a particular person or subject that is extremely topical. Amul has been adopting this strategy since time immemorial and it has been very well received by the Indian audience. None have been spared by them, be it Hollywood, politics or Major brands - Amul has an opinion about everything and everyone. Now a lot more brands are adopting the same trend. Think Pepsi blue Billion campaign.

Reactive advertising provides quick relief and catches the eye of the consumer, however its shelf life is limited. When a particular topic looses steam the ad serves no purpose. In my opinion it doesn’t contribute to the brands growth although it creates a high, but temporary, brand recall that may or may not affect sales.

After the recent media attacks on both the cola brands (the pesticide presence issue), it only makes complete sense to rebuild their bond with their customers. What better way to do it than cricket, a sales kicking idea indeed.

Sizing Up The Competition

‘She has no dress sense whatsoever’, I crinkled my nose.

‘I know, to top it all she is carrying such a tacky bag’, Renu nodded in agreement.

‘She’s a mess’ I concluded.

We went into a lengthy discussion about this particular girl’s clothes, her ill fitting bras, the men in her life, etc. Basically we were being super bitchy.

Women complain that men stare at all the wrong places, but women do too; at other women!

We notice and pass our remarks about all women. Nothing misses our eye from a bad haircut to a badly concealed panty line.

Most women in reality dress to impress other women, rather than men. They try hard not to repeat their wardrobe; make up, jewelry, or shoes. Each time they want to look like they just had a makeover.

Just this evening Prabhu and I were having coffee when this really plum woman walks in.

‘Oh, she’s got knockers’, Prabhu was drooling.

‘She carries them very vulgarly, too much cleavage is bad’, I was quick to respond.

‘Excuse me! The more, the merrier. Are you jealous?’ he winked.

‘No way Prabhu! Besides that was a lewd comment. You men are so cheap’, I retorted.

‘Oh me? Cheap? What about you girls? You totally claw other women apart. You could go on endlessly being nasty.

‘Oh she’s got terrible clothes’
‘Her make up looks hideous’
‘God knows what he sees in her’
‘What a bimbette!’…he mimicked my voice.

I was offended but I couldn’t argue with that.

After looking at my stung expression he cracked up laughing.

‘Chill! I had no intentions of picking a fight with you’

That conversation sure got me thinking. Women check out other women! It comes naturally to us. Weddings are a perfect example of this. My mum checks out what jewelry and saris other women are wearing and discusses it for days after the wedding. Even poor news readers on TV are not spared.

Women are under constant scrutiny by other women. It’s funny how we enjoy doing that. Like many other women, my generosity in displaying contempt for something as silly as a bad hairstyle has no bounds.

With men it’s completely different they want to constantly see you in the same attire. In their opinion if something looks phenomenal on you it only makes complete sense to wear it every time you want to look your best, why go through the hassle of finding the perfect attire. This line of thought makes my life far less complicated. Men like to experiment a lot lesser, but dressing up for your girlfriends can be the hardest thing. To get an approving nod from them is almost close to impossible.

Every time I dress to go out for dinner or clubbing, in my head I am thinking what I wore last time or the time before that or 10 times before that and try hard not to repeat. Each time I walk in to a restaurant or club I want heads to turn – not just men’s heads but women’s as well!

‘Ok I’ll try and be less bitchy’, I told Prabhu.

Prabhu looked skeptical ‘We’ll see…’

I cut him short.

‘Yuck! What a strong perfume! It’s too flowery’, I turned around to catch a young woman walking in.

‘Old habits die hard’, Prabhu burst out laughing.

ABSOLUT DESI

Absolut is nothing short of a legend, both the vodka and the ad campaigns. People in the Ad industry swear by it. Absolut’s campaigns have been ranked among the top ten in the twentieth century by the Advertising Age magazine, winning hundreds of awards, and have also been honoured in the American Marketing Association's Hall of Fame.

The brand’s courtship with the ad agency TBWA in New York ignited a spark of creativity which is still burning intensely even after 25 years.

ABSOLUT PERFECTION was the first ad that was released in 1980, and ever since their product centric advertisement recognised a new standard in creativity. Their Campaign is based on the local nuances and flavour of a country.

In India however, the brand hasn’t witnessed its true potential whether through on-ground activities and promotions.

Taking off on India’s top three passions - Bollywood, Cricket and Politics amongst others here are a few idea starters. I agree the execution is rather hurried (half an hour) but I like the thought.

Indians Love the Star power. The industry is attributed to wealth generaeration in the country.

Cricket in India is a religion. We dicuss cricket in great detail and a lot of our emotions are attached with the game.

This is my personal favourite. Politics, its our lifeline and this ad mocks the corruption that prevails

Courtesy: Amrita Sarkar

People Leave People

I once read a very interesting article somewhere which said ‘People leave managers not companies’. I couldn’t agree more.

Companies constantly strive to keep people turnover low through pay raises, perks and training, when in the end turnover is usually a bad boss issue. A bad boss is the worst of workplace stressors. It directly impacts the productivity and enthusiasm of his team. The consequences could be severe when you loose the best talent at higher levels.

Advertising, or for that matter the media industry itself, is constantly starved of talent. One pet complaint for most employees is that they are poor pay masters. This means they attract little or no talent and they make no efforts to retain the existing ones. To top it up, they do not have any employer friendly HR policies to boast of.

It’s my passion (ok I am an enthu cutlet) that keeps me in this industry. Loosing a Management Trainee would hardly leave a dent. I was contemplating a change in job ever since my boss recruited a new manager.

A couple of months back my boss told me a Mr J was joining us. He told me he was moving on to bigger projects and that I would no longer be reporting to him on a day to day bases. To say I was disturbed would be an understatement, the floor had crumbled under my feet.

After the initial teething period for both of us (for me because I was reluctant to welcome a new person on board) I clued Mr J on work, brought him on to the same page as the rest of the team and welcomed him to our organization by introducing him to the rest of the company. My soon to be ex boss clearly identified our distinct purviews of work so that we would take onus of our work and not pass the buck to the other.

As a management trainee it was amply clear to me I was to coordinate the back end and handle all the operational work (it is a grind no fresher is exempted from) while Mr J was to handle client facing. We were a weird duo and it was soon evident to me I was right in being apprehensive.

Right from the first day, he simply refused to take onus or initiative on any projects leaving me accountable for both our duties. I could never go to him with some grief for he would always say it was my look out and refuse to help me.

I was reaching the brink with late nights, material deadlines, artworks and just about anything was my look out. I was dreading each day, all my enthusiasm dried up, deadlines slacked, client complaints was pouring in with a renewed vigor and each time I would be pulled up and told the same thing. The last day of my career was fast approaching, either I was going to put in my papers or I was going to get thrown out.

I was angry and let down because my boss didn’t inspire me to work, didn’t make work fun for anyone and lacked the passion and drive for creativity. I seriously registered on to every possible job portal. I would shamelessly look for jobs while at work!

Eventually Mr J quit and his replacement was brought in almost immediately, a woman! Well it just took her less than 5 minutes to win my respect (not because she was a woman, I am not a sexist). She came in at a time when a wrong artwork had been printed and client had sent a howler. I seemed to be a major cause for it. I was sure this was the final blow, I had received a hundred warnings already. She came in, sorted half our problems, and I didn’t loose my job! I made an effort to spruce up and bring back the old tautness in meeting timelines. We make a great team. She put enthusiasm back in my work and made me change my mind about quitting.

The author said, ‘Beyond a point, an employee's primary need has less to do with money, and more to do with how he's treated and how valued he feels. Much of this depends directly on the immediate manager.’

Most of the senior management is too busy traveling the world, signing new deals, and raking in revenues, little do they realize that deep within an organization that otherwise does all the right things, one man could be driving its best people away!

Chivalry

I am mighty pissed, not because I worked till past midnight tonight, but because the world today has forgotten what chivalry is all about. I for one believe in equality of the sexes, I oppose separate queues for women at a ticket reservation counter, I am against gender bias of any form except probably in a Mumbai local train (and everyone knows why).

I am pissed because it was late and this particular colleague of mine didn’t offer to drop me home. I stormed out of office thinking, “what an insensitive being, how un-chivalrous of him”. After all the cussing (in my head of course), I began to think. My house is just five minutes away from office, why was I throwing such a fit and getting all agitated over nothing. That colleague of mine has been anything but un-chivalrous.

Most women have some distorted meaning of the word chivalry, for them it’s this preferential treatment that they have been subjected too.

I don’t need men opening doors or pulling up chairs for me, neither do I want them to drop me home after working till late, but just like every other woman in India I am a hypocrite and I admit I love it when they do all that. I am a big sucker for this preferential treatment that I have been subjected to – tax benefits, shorter queues, lesser crowds, opening doors, holding my chair and millions of other small benefits that I have taken for granted, so much so that I think it’s my birth right.

It has been ingrained so deeply into us that, any accidents on the road we seek to attribute it to the women-are-bad-drivers phenomenon. It allows any woman to walk away scot-free, after having run over any animal / person / thing, without bearing damages (that’s why I am so kicked about driving).

The world has witnessed many waves of feminism that has not just empowered women but has spoilt them as well. How am I ever going to grow up if the men folk flatter me by feeling me up in a public train or if a financial institution honors me with a free credit card? When can I tell myself the world is truly unbiased towards both sexes, for wherever I go there are special fast track queues for women or the woman’s double-discount-dhamaka plasters on every store?

Holding doors or bags etc. are such archaic definitions of chivalry. For me chivalry is in the heart. It’s in the manner of speech. You just know the man is chivalrous when he treats you with respect, he never addresses you condescendingly and his remarks are not derogatory.

When I turn around at my doorway after a long dinner to catch that final smile and wave before he drives off, I know he is truly chivalrous.

Sometimes I think I will make an effort to be this spoilt brat, its totally worth it.

The Name in Flame - Zippo, a Tribute

Until the first time I laid my eyes on it, I never fully fathomed its true worth. I always wondered why the men folk would relentlessly discuss it for hours just like they would analyze in detail a Manchester United - Arsenal match of the UEFA championship.

One evening my eyes caught the glint of shiny metal twirling between my friend’s fingers, which in my opinion he seemed to be quite adroit at. He brought it to a smooth halt and opened his palm to reveal a smart looking burnished case. That was a Zippo and this post is a tribute to it.

An all American cult brand of nearly 75 years is not just an obsession with most smokers but the non-smokers as well.

The Story of the Zippo Manufacturing Company is a remarkable tale. It’s the story of its people, from the founder - George G. Blaisdell, to the many Zippo employees, customers, and collectors who have played a part in its history. Their loyalty to Zippo has made it one of America’s great companies, one with a vivid history which is detailed here.

In 1933 Mr. Blaisdell remodeled a utilitarian Australian lighter and named it Zippo after his liking for the sound of the work ‘zipper’. Little did he realize then that this rectangular case would become iconic.

This rare Town & Country transitional Zippo from 1969 depicts George G. Blaisdell who invented the Zippo lighter in 1932 and who founded the Zippo Manufacturing Company in Bradford, Pennsylvania. He named the Zippo after the then recently invented zipper.

From the very beginning it was backed by Mr. Blaisdell’s unconditional lifetime guarantee – “It works or we fix it free(TM).”

The Zippo history is an interesting marketing case study. To delve deeper one has to go back to the days of World War II, which had a profound impact on Zippo. Upon America’s entry in the war, Zippo ceased production of lighters for consumer markets and dedicated all manufacturing to the U.S. military, for which they made a special black ‘crackle’ finish lighter.

Millions of American military personnel carried the lighter into battle which was a significant catalyst in establishing Zippo as an icon of America throughout the world. Stories of the Zippo, nestled in the breast pocket, saving soldiers lives by biting bullets raised its reputation from being an iconic symbol to a religious cult.

Producing Zippos for the military market helped Zippo set up a full fledged manufacturing unit and made it a financially viable company.

Post war the company resumed selling Zippos to peace time America. To fuel this in 1947, the Zippo car was born.

Zippo has been cast in 1500 Broadway shows, movies, television shows over the years. To enhance the collecting experience, Zippo began hosting the Zippo/Case International Swap meet which is held every year at Bradford and Japan alternatively.

Music and Zippo have been a lethal combination since 1960. Theirs is a relationship of mutual respect and admiration. Zippo launched special lighters with music maestros engraved in them while the lighters themselves have been featured on album covers, tattooed on rockers’ skin, and wielded in Rolling Stone photo shoots.

The Zippo slim introduced in 1956, primarily to appeal to the women was another major milestone in the Zippo history. It appealed to both the sexes and a lot of men own Zippo slim.

Zippo Click the official collectors club has registered members from over 60 countries. Zippo has captured the world history in its lighters with special tribute to American presidents, Hollywood, sex icons, Music, countries, science and moments that changed the course of mankind.

1963 slim Zippo commemorating the European Trip of President Kennedy in June 1963, the same year JFK was assassinated.

This beautiful 1948 Zippo commemorates the War Crimes Trials held in Tokyo from 1946 to 1948 in which General Tojo and other Japanese World War II leaders were convicted. The lighter was hand tooled in Japan for Jake Schneider

Companies use Zippo lighters as an advertising medium and Zippo “advertiser” lighters continue to be among collectors’ favorites. This trend was first started in mid thirties by Bradford’s Kendall Refining Company who placed an order for 500 Zippos and branded it.

The official website of Zippo says, ‘The lighter is ingrained in the fabric of both American and global culture. In marketing parlance, the brand enjoys an unaided awareness rate of more than 98 percent. That means 98 out of every 100 people surveyed have knowledge of the Zippo name and lighter without being coached in any manner – an astonishing recognition factor.’

The company is currently owned by the W R Case and Sons Cutlery Company and despite almost 75 years the Zippo is still backed by its famous lifetime guarantee, “It works or we fix it for free.” Since 1933, no one has ever spent cent/paisa/penny on the mechanical repair of a Zippo lighter regardless of the lighter’s age or condition.

The number of antics one could do with the Zippo amazed me. My favourite and the only one that I learnt that night, lighting it by creating friction between your jeans and your Zippo. I dropped it a zillion times in the bargain much to my friend’s disgust, but what the heck, it’s got an unconditional warranty.