Signs

Sent to me by a friend from Romania. Now, isn't this New Media too? (Though it looks like a Photoshop job, but hey, good idea nevertheless)

What say?

Interesting Change

This is really interesting. Reshma Anand was kind enough to mail me this picture. Now, Go Air has joined the bandwagon. Truly entertaining. And a very nice tactical execution as Blaiq would have said.

Manish has another good example of Brand One Upmanship on his blog. A similar marketing stunt by BMW, Audi and Subaru done sometime back.

Anymore on the offering fellas?

No one belongs here

I found this brilliant website (via Servants of Chaos) and let me tell you what a great way to promote a book.

Folks at Rediff Y&R, you should have thought of doing something like this for Midland Book Store to win real awards.

For Lungs

A good idea. Very nicely executed.

Via Adsoftheworld.

Change

The 'King of Good Times' is really having a good time. Kingfisher Airlines launched a new guerrilla campaign in Mumbai mocking Jet Airways. Overnight, this new billboard was placed above the Jet Airways billboard at a prominent location in Mumbai.

MC Saatchi, what's your reply?

Audience Matters

I had the opportunity to meet Aarti Razdan at Goafest. Yes, the same journalist who writes in The Economic Times and Brand Equity. She is the Editor-in-chief of Audience Matters - A website for all marketing and advertising related news, resources, white papers and Live Chat. And she promised to get famous Ad Guru's of our world every week for a Live Chat.

Watch out.

Urban Dictionary

Urban Dictionary is the place to visit if you are looking for new age lingo, slangs and meaning of phrases that most kids use these days. 'Bom Chicka Wah Wah,' the new Lynx campaign, has a meaning. According to Urban Dictionary it means, this.

So planners keep rubbing your P-spot and look for the Urban Word of the Day.

Goafest #5 - Party

Lovely party at Goa. Starry night. Hot babes. Wet bodies. High spirited. For more photos visit my flickr, here. And a small video here. Thank you, AAAI for putting up a great show.

(PS: I have on purpose not taken pictures of the winning entries and the award distribution ceremony. Now, don't ask me why.)

But yes, apart from the Scam Ad scandal, there were some real cream of creative works put up for judgment and viewing. I personally liked the entries in the Radio category. 'Sania' for Sprite, 'Safed Baal' for HDFC, 'Interview,' 'Babycry,' 'Match Stick Laugh' for Happydent were great inspiring work.

Happydent was the clear winner of the show. Hats off Prasoon.

Enjoy.

Goafest #4 - Being Brave

Thirasak Tanapatanakul, the celebrated ECD of Creative Juice\G1 showed us how to be brave. He showed us how he is 'Being Brave in Bangkok.' He has some wonderful, awe inspiring, great pieces of creative work in his portfolio. Something that was so thought provoking that the audience could not stop applauding, again and again.

How to be true to your cultural and create great works - should have been the ideal name of his presentation. And that's exactly what Trevor Beattie mentioned later to us in his presentation. No need to copy formats from the west when you have millions of indigenous cultural cues to bank upon. Being in the business of creative communication, shouldn't we do that more often.

His works on Bangkok Insurance, Chiclets, Wrangler Jeans are hilarious yet straight to the point. Strategy meets creativity and vice versa. That is the way it should be.

Goafest #3 - Free Ferry

Free booze, free food, free fun, free party, free spirit and FREE TAXI. Really thoughtful, our MSN. Made life easy for people to commute. This also gave me an idea. Idiotic, copycat idea though.

How about starting a Free Taxi Service in Bangalore? Great idea, isn't it? Well, if you don't want the service to be free, you have the option to make it a paid service. A cheaper commute service If Commute Easy can be an entrepreneurial effort and become successful, am sure this will become superhit.

Who should start it? A Motorbike brand. For example, Hero Honda Splendor - Hero Splendor Ka Bharosa. So, the Bharosa part of Hero Honda Splendor is taken good care off.

What do Hero Honda get our of it? Free publicity, a great cause and a long term brand property. The Free (or Paid) Taxi concept can provide employment to hundreds of uneducated people.

How will Hero Honda Splendor achieve it?
You require to provide them a Splendor Bike and two helmets (one for the rider and the other for the pillion rider). Create several Bike Taxi Points - where they can wait at busy Bus Junction/Stop. Brand the bike and the rider. And they taxi people around. Say within a 10 kms radius from the Bike Taxi Point.

This will not only ease the traffic congestion, help people move faster and allow Hero Honda to take up a good and a genuine cause upon which they can create a long term brand property for the future. Now isn't that a better scam ad? ;-)

Suggestions anyone? Splendor are you listening?

Goafest #2 - The Trevor Tremor

He came, he saw and he thrashed it all. Trevor Beattie of BMB was the star attraction of Goafest. Known for his fiery work and firepower words, Trevor in his true style thrashed the shit outta Indian advertising.

"Those who creates scam ads are nothing but cheaters. They cheat the client, they cheat the consumer and they cheat themselves," said Beattie. He criticized the work put up at the gallery next to the seminar section. And very true he was with his observation, 90% of the work entered were scam ads. And how much I liked him say that in a clear and loud voice.

The four important points that he made and I hope the Godfathers of our industry heard what he said:
1. Do Care - "Care for the idea, care for the client, care for the consumer and care about yourself. Doesn't matter whose baby it ('Baby' is his favorite advertising cliche) , if it's a baby, do care for it."

2. Scam Ads - "Makers of Scam ads are cheaters. Period. "

3. Commerce not Art - "Advertising is COMMERCE not ART. So let's be clear and make sure we do a good commerce out of advertising. "

4. Big Idea - "There are only two big ideas that I've come across in my life, the making of the Universe and Space Tourism. So there is no point searching for a big idea. What we can do in return is create a whole bunch of small ideas and present it to the client." (Faris, he is talking about Transmedia Planning here?)

The last point that Trevor made by giving the example of work done Thirasak of Creative Juice\G1, Thailand, "The time for Asian advertising is NOW. Be true to your Indian culture, ethics and values. Don't try to copy western culture or adopt western values in your advertising. The marketing fort in west is already shivering, so guys make the best of it NOW. "

Guys gear up and stop scam ads.

Goafest # 1 - Sorry

Clouds above Goa as seen from Flight IC919

I am extremely sorry about the live update thing. And I am truly disappointed with Reliance DataCard service. The promise of Internet - Anytime, Anywhere is false. For the last two days, I've been trying to connect from my hotel room to update you people on what's going on. Unfortunately, it was not working, leaving me kinda frustrated.

On the way to the Goafest Venue

Well, I've somehow managed to connect now, using the hotel's system admin's comp and here you goes things live. Oops, the highlights. Lots of pretty pics, just for you. Visit My Flickr.

The Entrance - Goafest 2007

I'm trying to rectify the my internet problem. Hopefully, you'll see more post and interesting notes about the fest, speakers, entries, people and parties. But that'll be today evening, once I reach Bangalore. So please bear with me and hang on.

Going Goa

Off to Goafest for the next three days. Promise to send you live updates from there. Photographs, seminars and winning entries. Happy wekend.

Coming, anyone?

Comical

The Comic Project is great website to visit. A great way to relive childhood memories, for those who like me, were brought up on a healthy dose of Indrajal Comics. Phantom, Mandrake, Flash Gordon and Bahadur. You have 200 such comics up for download. The site owners promise more surprises in the future. So keep visiting here for all your daily dose of Indrajal Comics.

Okay, how many comic characters do you read/remember? I was very fond of Tintin, Asterix & Obelix, Phantom, Mandrake, Flash Gordon, Henry, Mickey Mouse, Jungle Book, Archie and gang, Dennis, Amazing Spiderman, Batul, the Great, Nonte Phonte, ChaCha Choudhuri, Shikari Sambhu, Calvin and Hobbes, Dilbert, Blondie, Garfield, Hagar the Horrible and R. K. Laxman's Common Man.

What about you? Who are your favourite comic character/s?

Window Shopaholic

100 Ft Road in Indiranagar at Bangalore. The way to my office. And below pictures are the brand new Brand Flagship Stores that I pass every morning and evening. Total transformation of an entire road, a locality into a bright and a busy shopping destination. In just one year. Real estate value has sky rocketed. And these lovely looking Flagship stores are just another reason for so. Glass windows, open store fronts, bright brand colours and excellent signage materials. A world class shopping experience for all.
On the other hand, a bit confusing. Which brand to buy? Which shop to enter? Wondering if these Flagship stores are only to showcase the best architecture, brand offerings and attract only Window Shoppers? My question to you all. What is the basic difference between a shopper behaviour and a consumer behaviour? While walking down this street, how different will be a consumer's reaction vis a vis a shopper's reaction?

Anyone?

Get the glass

Am sure you all remember the famous Got Milk campaign by Goodby Silverstein . Now the latest campaign from California Milk Board is this new online Interactive Board Game called Get The Glass.Brilliant. And everything centered around life without milk. Now this is a real good example of interactive web2.0 work by a brand. All kudos to Goodby.

Our very own Amul can do so much. Huge potentials looming large. The Amul Girl is such a wonderful brand property which can be taken to new heights. Alas they don't think like me ;-) Maybe you (Amul) should hire my agency and give us the task to create something interesting.

Mail me soon. Am waiting.

Mama knows best

Observing my mother’s TV watching habit closely for over a month threw some good pointers. She is quiet a professional when it comes to handling the TV remote. Close observation will reveal she uses the sleep, mute and the swap button frequently. She doesn’t surf but remembers which number to press for what channel. At any point, she remembers seven to eight channels. NDTV on 24, DD Bangla on 64, 43 is Sony, 49 is Zee Cinema, 23 is Star Plus and 28 for Set Max, 39 for Travel and Living and something like that. Of course she was disappointed with India’s loss at the World Cup but that hasn’t restricted her from keeping a tab on what’s going on. The reason is simple, she’s doesn’t want to be left out in any cricket related discussion with my father or with some guests at home.
Seven pm news on DD Bangla is a must that’s because she is at Bangalore and wants to know what’s happening back at home. Maybe because of the Singur, Nandigram issue but that’s a must every evening with a cup of tea. Between 8.30pm to 10 pm it’s Zee, Sony, T&L or Star Plus. That means it either a K serial or a Bollywood flick depending on the content. Barkha Dutt’s show on NDTV ‘we the people’ is something she never misses. In the afternoon she prefers watching DD National, Bangla or Zee/Sony depending on the movie. Apparently, she sometime finds Malayalam channel like Asianet interesting because of the quality of movies they air. She doesn’t understand the language but makes a serious effort to understand the basic emotions from the moving visuals. If she sees something interesting, dinner time is when she clears her doubt or tells me the essence of the story.

So out of 75 channels that our cablewala provides us, she devours only 7. Okay 8.

Observation 1: Her viewership depends on the time of the day, likings and nature of relaxation. Afternoon is nap time. Sleep and swap button comes handy. Therefore she makes the most out of movies. If content is not good she’ll swap orelse sleep. Post her nap in the evening, its refreshing with tea, therefore news that too news about home. Later in the evening its light watching, so a K serial, movie or travel around the globe. At her age – She wants to relax, keep herself updated and travel. Her TV habits are skewed towards that.

Observation 2: She likes advertising (maybe because her son is into advertising) and tries to understand the meaning. She keeps asking me ‘what did they mean by that ad?’ That means most advertising in their bid to be creative don’t communicate in a language simple enough for people to understand.

She probably may not be the TG of most advertising but remember she makes most purchase decisions at home, at least when it comes to her domain - the kitchen.

Observation 3: Content drives her. Give her shit and she’ll swap. Content is her source of knowledge, topic of discussion. As long as she gets that she’s happy. ‘We the people’, ‘Foodie’, ‘Floyd's Cooking Show’ etc. proves that point.

Did you observe any interesting media habits recently? Share it, am waiting.

Snack'em up

Yes, Yes! It's hot and happening. The snacking category in India is a hot new subject of discussion among marketers at the moment. ITC Foods is all set to storm the Indian snacking market with it's new launch Bingo.

Switch-on any TV channel, you're bound to find at least two-three commercials of different brands trying to grab your attention. Leading the pack is Pepsico's Lays and Kurkure. While Bingo is the new challenger.

The dynamics of the Rs. 2500 Crores snack food market in India is fast changing. 85% of this market constitutes of salty Potato Chips. The market is growing at 25% per annum and that's a healthy sign. In India around 12 million tonnes of potato is grown which is about 4% of the total world production. However, the per capita consumption of potatoes in India is low. And surely there are many more opportunities for brands to tap in this segment. We Indians love our snacks. Jhal Muri, Batata Puri, Pani Puri, Bhel Puri, Delhi Chaat, Kolkata Chaat, Mumbai Chaat, Aloo Bhajji, Dal Puri, Bada Samosa, Chota Samosa, Kachori ...man, snacking itself is a gastronomic delight in India.

Pepsico was the first branded player to offer various products under its Lays, Kurkure, Cheetos, Uncle Chipps brand names. Haldirams, once a small time Halawai (sweet maker) saw huge opportunity and entered the branded packaged snack food market. And they are reaping the benefits of their past effort. P&G's Pringle is a niche brand in this segment. ITC is the latest entrant and am sure they will become a highly successful brand in no time. Remember ITC is one of the most admired companies in India which loves and has the reputation to build successful brands in whichever segment they enter.

Kurkure's Cricket Campaign - 'Jupp for Cup' was withdrawn after India dismal performance in the World Cup. So Kurkure decided to bank on the family summer holiday trips by creating 'Kurkure Express.' Pepsico's train thought started with the 'Blue Billion Express' for Pepsi to support the IndianCricket Team. Since it could not make much hay, Kurkure Express is the new avatar with a little twist. Manish has written a good article on this topic. I kinda share his sentiments too - Visual corruption. As if we don't have much and need another new one. Well, I understand that 50% of Indians travel on Indian Railways and long distance/local trains as an advertising medium is too good to resist. But why make so fuss about it. I would have given a thumbs-up if they were doing some innovative promotion in the platforms and train compartments. But slapping the logo on everything just don't make any sense.

To me Kurkure could have used those 'Garam Chaiwalas' and 'Bhelpuriwalas' effectively. They are the real competition, if you know what I mean, so why not bring them under your fold rather than spend huge money to colour code train compartments.

Well, is Kurkure also taking care to do the cleaning act of left over pouches within the train premise??

All about an Ad Man

There is an excellent article for all of you to read on John Grant's blog. Nice to know more about the man who has inspired us all at some point in our lives and our careers.

Also read the draft copy of JG's new book here. Remember 'Green' will become a major issue in India very soon. Read it, know it and be prepared to face it as and when it hits us. And thank John for opening our eyes.

On a bike trail

15:35: Watching Ten Sports, ‘Road to Beijing – Olympics 2008’ the bike event caught eyes. Thumb stop at the CH+ button.

15:37: Blink Blink Blink Blink

15:39: “Goddamn’ that’s it thats @#$#in’ it. Yippy, I’knw what me saying?”

15.40: What if? Brand X makes the first move? For 90 days? In any one relevant TG market. Is there any marked difference? What you saying man? Well well, how do you know that? “They’ve seriously taken to the sports. They’re practicing. Infact they have transformed into small groups. Hang around together. Trying out bike stunts, wheelie, free fall, twist, double twist etc. etc. Believe me boss, I saw it happening over these last three months.” “You got any pics? Footage?” “Yes, boss every bit of it.” Great! Send them over to me. Now!!

15.45: Snnnnnooorrrrrrr….ooorrrrrrrrr…..nnnnooooorrrr

I don’t remember a word once I got out of bed. A hot summer afternoon nap is truly energizing. Anyway. That thirty minute footage gave me some food for thought about a shrinking category. Bi-cycle has lost all its appeal. And you all know to whom they have lost it all.

How to bring back the appeal - an obvious question I asked to myself.
Make it eco-friendly – who cares
Make it a fitness tool – f@#$ cares
Make it a kid’s dream machine – are you kidding me

Cricket, as you all know is sinking. Hockey is limping. Tennis is pimping. Soccer, kabadi, badminton, athlete have turned into dumplings. New is India. New is the Generation. Why not new avatars of an old sport - Cycling???

Image via this.

Cycling clubs, professional training in cycling, build cycling velodromes, create state level, national bikers, sports events and competitions, send talented potential young ones to Asian Games, Olympics. Kartikeyan is the face of Indian Motor Sports; why not make Master Sandeep Srivastav (aged 14 yrs from Hubli) the face of Indian Cycling Sports? Huge opportunity for BSA and Hero Cycles, isn’t it? Somewhere you need to take that responsibility.

If you are stuck with your brand in a shrinking category like this and do want to create a real success story for your brand, contact me ;-)

Caffeinexperience

Found this interesting kiosk at a Cafe Coffee Day outlet in Bangalore. The Smart Digital Jukebox allows you to choose and play a song of your choice in the cafe. An interactive touch screen interface where you can browse from tens of thousands of songs and list them in the player. Then get back to your sit, enjoy your coffee and relax.

Cafe Coffee Day as a brand is very popular and enough has been written about them. Innovative marketing approach by CCD aka the 'Indian Starbucks' has made Coffee Day, the meeting, mating, greeting, relaxing, chilling zone for youngsters.

Probably the most innovative marketing programme of Coffee Day is doing co-promotion with other brands and space selling within the store. Coffee Day runs several successful in-store promotions for popular brands like Levi's, Fast Track, Radio City, Airtel and Sony Ericsson just to name a few.

On the flip side over the years CCD has become too commercial a space and youngsters have started gathering at places like Java City, Mocha of the world. Therefore, the CCD coffee experience of 'A lot can happen over coffee' is no more unique. Java City for example offers great service, great ambiance and live music. Mocha offers great food and an excellent puff of Hukkah.

Smart Digital Jukebox is one of the many things CCD is doing to get people back. I was wondering in a service category like Coffee Chains there are so many me too brands, how can one differentiate and remain relevant to today's disloyal and cynical young ones. Coffee Day, Coffee World, Java City, Java Green, Barista, Mocha, Qwicky's are some of the popular coffee retail chains at the moment. Starbucks will enter India soon. What will these brands do then? Good Coffee, ambiance, service, food, music are generic and given for this category. Together they sum up as a 'great coffee experience.' What more can they offer? When everybody starts offering the same 'great coffee experience,' will price become a deciding factor. Or will chains re-arrange themselves as premium and value chains.

Any caffeinated opinions from anyone?

Making life easy

Commute Easy is making news for all the good reasons. It's a collective effort to ease commuting to office. Started by a young entrepreneur, Commute Easy is redefining the old concept of Car Pooling. Started at Bangalore and slowly moving to cities like Pune and Mumbai.

Why Commute Easy is a great business concept:
1. Builds a community
2. Forces (though willingly) people to share and care
3. Helps in easing traffic congestion in cities like Bangalore which suffers from basic road infrastructure
4. Creating the right buzz among fellow office-goers

I previously wrote about this and Wassif is on his way to create a niche for himself. I'm looking for other good examples of innovative business/business ideas/entrepreneur doing the right things in India. Share one if you have any.

Busy

You will always find the right stuff at Gaping Void. Normal service will resume shortly.