Tissue Issues

The few good ones from India

2011-12-26T06:06:00.005+05:30

2011 is coming to an end. So I thought, I'll keep a record of some of the good work that happened from India for future reference. Some really did wonders to the brand, few were just okay while others didn't cut much ice with me. Anyways.

1. Indigo Airlines:

Brilliant work from W+K, India. They indeed raised the bar since they had to continue with what they started with. The brief was simple - Indigo Airlines - Always On- time. What W+K managed to do was further their previous creativity to newer heights.

2010

2011

2. Vodafone:

Great work as usual from Ogilvy, India. However, the 'Blackberry Boys' had a far better entertainment quotient than 'Always on Facebook.' Unlike Indigo, Vodafone fell in the trap of format for creative excellence and that why "Always on Facebook" was a little setback.

2010

2011

3. Airtel:

Since Airtel left Y&R, they lost their previous creative edge however, JWT India managed to create one decent commercial that connected well with the youth. "Endless Goodbye" was a nice execution however it didn't do much for the brand which already enjoy top of mind awareness. The "All friends are important" TVC by Taproot however was different and did the job. So 9 out of 10.

2010

2011

4. Coca Cola:

Always happy. Always entertaining. McCann did a great job and the advertisement did the job wonderfully. Link scores were the highest. Strangely when the global "Brrrr" commercial was adapted for the Indian market, the magic disappeared and the link scores were lower. Anyways. The point still remains when its a Television commercial, the only thing that matters is the entertainment quotient.

2010

2011

There were plenty more. but honestly none of them were up to the mark. So the winning formula in India is still Bollywood. Song and dance does work however if the context is right. As we move forward to 2012 and IMC becomes the buzz word for agencies in India, the one thing to remember when only thinking of creating TVC is the Entertainment Quotient. TV is a medium for entertainment, keep it that way. Give all your product details, functional benefits, brand intrinsic's etc. on another appropriate medium.

Well, too many 2012 trends floating around all over, so I'll spare you with my thoughts on that. Enjoy your holidays, have tons of fun and do great next time. Happy New Year to you all.

Cheers.

Demographics of Social Media in Infographics

2011-05-24T01:24:00.003+05:30

Interesting. Check it here and here.

Thank you for smoking

2011-05-23T13:21:00.002+05:30

Good work from India.Don't know the name of the agency though. I smoke and I want to quit.

Fashion Tags

2011-05-20T19:00:00.003+05:30

Facebook Tags can be an effective device for marking fans for a brand. This is what is referred to as Social Currency of a brand. Good work by Duval Guillaume. Now though the idea has become common, they managed to find a sweet spot for Flair magazine.

Hacking screens or the future of stealth media

2011-05-20T18:17:00.003+05:30

This is brilliant. Tough time for traditional media agencies indeed.

Can you imagine the possibilities. If only we had a small device that can be attached to our Smart Phone and then beam our personal classified ads on any screen? Fucking George :)

Travel together

2011-05-19T22:41:00.002+05:30

Good work Duval Guillaume.

The Bubble Sheet Recession

2011-05-15T12:11:00.001+05:30

A friend shared this video and asked me a very smart question - When crisis is beyond what the text books teaches us, how do you handle it the most effective way?

Having seen the video, I was wondering if the media agencies, traditional media companies, and content production units are well equipped to tackle the monster called digital integration into their core offering and recover from the media crisis?

Sharing happiness for 125 years

2011-05-12T18:39:00.000+05:30

I love Coca Cola. And I love sharing their stuff. Period.

You can also check out the Very Best of Coca Cola and all their best works for the last 125 years. Icons are made of such stuff. Enjoy.

The future of Shopper Marketing in India - Part 2

2011-05-12T16:16:00.000+05:30

In my previous post on the Future of Shopper Marketing in India, I started with asking some questions. Some are random questions which came to my mind, some were questions from the observations I had, few from all the time I spent visiting stores, some from all the travel I did in the recent months and more questions about how as marketers and communication strategist we're tackling the moment of truth - when a shopper is inside the store to buy you?

Shopper marketing is a huge mash-up of engagement, experience, convenience, intelligence, insights, design, architecture, aisle browsing, visualization, technology, mobile apps, QR codes, shopping coupons, vouchers, loyalty program, bargains, and plenty of other things in between. So it becomes difficult to describe in few words. But if I had to explain shopper marketing to my mom, I would say its "the energy spent in giving you an experience to engage with brands inside the store that makes you browse, choose or buy things that was not in your shopping list." Ha, am sure mom will give an unconvincing nod and get back doing her stuff. Anyways.

If it is all about the experience to attract, engage and make a shopper buy, then trust me, technology has to be your biggest ally. What I mean by that is, you need to understand, tinker, experiment and play with different kinds of technologies to achieve your objective. And here's what I mean by that:

"la bulle": bar éphémère Coca-Cola (/W&Cie) from W & CIE on Vimeo.

Hell, we're now talking about 3D holographic boxes to seriously tamper with your realities. Via (Bit Rebels)

Well, I'm not even half through my research and I kid you not, its a bloody huge subject. Your mind is completely fucked at the end of it but you do emerge enlightened. Watch out for more. Cheers.

Fun social media tools for you

2011-05-12T09:59:00.000+05:30

Now if you're a social media cool hunter, here are some interesting tools which let's you explore different things.

Evernote: This is your moleskin notebook on the cloud. make notes, stick photos, add videos, scribble your thoughts and access it anywhere. Works on any device, works from anywhere and its fun. Try it.

Klout: Klout let's you understand your clout on social media. Type in your twitter username and you can see the level of influence you have on others. Neat analysis.

SocMetrics: Similar to Klout, SocMetrics helps you understand the key social media influencers' and how to engage them in various social media marketing plans.

Rypple: Tool for HR Managers and teams to stay connected with their work. Pretty useful I must say after using it for almost 10 days.

Sustainable Design - How it works in India

2011-05-06T14:45:00.000+05:30

Here's a lesson and advanced learning to all budding designers, architects and sustainability thinkers. How people in India, use their common sense to create the most practical and sustainable design for things that really matters.

Strangler Fig living bridges in Meghalaya, India from Christiaan on Vimeo.

Simplicity is next to godliness.

Stay hungry. Stay foolish

2011-05-03T20:31:00.001+05:30

The changing pace of media

2011-05-02T10:12:00.004+05:30

Just a quick observation on how I got the news of "Osama Bin Laden killed in US operation" started featuring in media. I first received it on Twitter, then on Facebook, then I received an SMS, then I turned on the TV and the same will appear on newspaper tomorrow. Ha.

Interesting times indeed.

Future of shopping in India

2011-04-29T09:19:00.007+05:30

The whole concept of 'going shopping' has changed. 'Shopper Marketing' is fast changing too. Significant shifts has happens in shopping. Mall crawling with credit cards in wallet to home -delivery to e-commerce and internet shopping to m-commerce and mobile shopping. These days we're talking about Social Shopping which is a giant leap in itself. Google just released some interesting statistics. And here the Fast Company talks about the future of shopping. So what is the future of shopping?

In India, unfortunately we don't discuss or debate important issues like these anymore. We in India are still a developing nation and hanging around in malls is increasingly becoming a nation past-time. So obviously the question comes in my mind, how will shopping change in India? What consumer behaviors will drive shopper marketing and how will brands and retailers adapt technology? How will Indian consumers use technology for their benefits? How will shopping for daily usable items change compared to shopping for luxury items? Will smart apps replace the joys of leisurely mall crawling in the afternoon? Will we shop with our smart phones and get charged for the door delivery service? Will we see a Phoenix Mills Mall in Mumbai apps available on Smart Phones, where we pre-select and buy things and just visit the mall to pick-up those on the way back home? Or Big Bazaar Apps (They created FutureBazar, the online version of the store however, it ain't easy to navigate and the user experience is relatively poor) that still allows consumers get the cheapest deals without the crowd, chaos and long queues? Will we have to wait for international brands like Zara & Gap & Diesel to change things or can we write our own future? How will cashless shopping will become the accepted norm? When will we start flash our smart phones and walk out of the store?

SO THE QUESTION IS: HOW WILL TECHNOLOGY HELP EVOLVE SHOPPER MARKETING IN INDIA? HOW CAN WE REMAIN AHEAD OF THE CURVE?

No doubt the future of shopping and shopper marketing will be mobile apps trying to recreate the experience of shopping. Product catalogs for smart phones is already the new thing for big retailers and billions are being spent on providing a flawless user experience to shoppers. RFID technologies, Location based services, mobile payment gateways, social shopping will truly transform the way we look at shopping in India.

Now these are serious issues staring at the face of marketers and retailers in India. However, I do feel we lack the conviction and courage when it comes to experimenting or challenging the status quo of providing simplified solutions for the future where people are converging towards.

I'm doing some serious thinking and research in these subjects, so please feel free to share your views and comments and point to interesting articles, blogs, books that you might stumble upon. Cheers.

Smart moves by Smart Phones - The Mobile Movement

2011-04-28T21:21:00.003+05:30

Google just released a some statistics about Smart Phones and where it is leading us in the future. Nice.

Now everyone is on sale

2011-04-28T11:23:00.006+05:30

Holy Shit. Now we have a Social Media Exchange called Empire Avenue. It means we can all become millionaires by trading our friends and families to earn virtual money and grow our portfolio and find out our net worth on social media and stuff. Which means we're all on sale. Damn.

Now why on earth would I want to trade my friends and families for virtual money and trading them like equity shares? Am sure there are plenty of people who would do that but ewwww... why? Anyways. I have to sign in and check out to find out more, how it works. They've a detailed FAQs which explains how things work. Maybe there is something in this which will transform our future. You'll never know until you've burnt your fingers. And that's exactly what I'm going to do now. You can check out too.

Star Work - Heineken Star Player

2011-04-28T11:02:00.007+05:30

You know what, I'm super impressed with AKQA. This agency is breaking barriers every time and their work is simply amazingly breath taking. The best part, Heineken is indeed one brave, clever client who believes an buys into great bold works. You can read more about the work here.

AKQA developed an application for Heineken which can be played online on Facebook an on mobile phones and allows players to bet live on actions during Champions League Games. Now this is truly exploring an integrated multi-media and making the brand culturally relevant with trends. Borrowing from Adverblog, "In the US alone, to understand how web, mobile and social channels are changing the TV viewer experience : 74% of consumers say they multitask while watching TV; among them, 42% browse online, 29% talk on cellphones or mobile devices, and 26% send instant messages or text messages, according to a Deloitte survey."

Good work AKQA. Wish I was part of this campaign.

Using secrecy to create a brand aura

2011-04-26T20:40:00.003+05:30

Sean Brennan talks about how secrecy can be a potent tool in building brand aura in the age of information. Interesting point of view.

However, I have just one point to make:

A secret is not a secret when its revealed. Ultimate aim of a brand is to communicate and propagate its products and services to make profits through consumer connection. So how can a brand keep its offering secret? In most cases brands will use secrecy as a launch tool the way LOST or Gmail started or even some high-end designer luxury brands does - by invitation only but that remains a smart marketing move. Brands have used teaser campaigns to launch themselves since the early days of advertising to create an aura and hype. Therefore how different it is from what Mr. Brennan is trying to say?

I do agree that brands need to create an aura around them. I also agree that it pays to create a buzz of mystery around it. It pays to create a mystery which in turn can lead to premium pricing and the demand - supply game. But a brand cannot remain secret. There is a fundamental flaw in that argument. The purpose of a brand is to propagate hence secrecy can never become a long-term competitive advantage for a brand.

What do you think?

Storytelling and the role of media

2011-04-25T10:04:00.005+05:30

There is an interesting debate brewing up about the role of media. Media - Multi, cross or trans, Henry Jenkins debunking the myths of Transmedia and Faris presents his point of view on Media is one system. Well, while the role of storytelling still remains the fundamental building block, how the story is delivered and how the story unfolds over a period of time is the burning question. In the era of collaboration and participatory media, how media strategies are executed in the future is an interesting perspective. Most marketers and clients in India are still bothered about the perfect creative execution of the television commercial and their media plans revolve around that but the world is changing fast. Therefore it is important to get an understanding of these changes and start experimenting.

In the Indian context, what are the examples and what can we learn from it. How can brands use their media strategies more effectively. Why do we often confuse multi-media as transmedia? When message is the medium, what is the role of the media? How does content and context be used most effectively where people are most vulnerable? Can content alone do the job without any context or is it that context will enable us to create better content? Does new media play a role in transmedia strategies and how to use them? These some of the questions bugging me at the moment. Though I'm spending lot of time reading, understanding and analyzing local examples from Bollywood, the music industry, adverting industry etc, for more clarity.

1) To my understanding most brand advertising campaigns in India are Multi-media planning and executions. What it means is that once a creative idea is executed (mostly likely it is the TVC), the same is adapted to different medium like print, outdoor, web banners and social media. It is the same story and image that is reflected across mediums. No scope for conversation or participation.

2) Bollywood movies deploys both Multi-media and Cross-media planning and execution. What that means is often a book is made into a commercial feature film. The songs are released in CD's and youtube much before the actual launch to create some hype. Making of the film crops up after sometime and finally the film is released in a theatre for public viewing. Somewhere in the scheme of themes you're allowed to share videos with friends and comment on the video or interact with the stars on TV or on a internet chat room etc.

3) However the recent case of Anna Hazare and millions of Indians raising their voice to stand up for India Against Corruption is a great example of Transmedia Planning and execution. A seamless synergy between cause, context, content and community engagement.

Cause: Corruption is a disease that is affecting us all Indians.

Context: Anna Haraze, a social activists aged 72 years going on an indefinite fast until death unless the govt. of India passes the Lokpal Bill in the parliament.

Content: Create your own protest march across all the cities of India and raise your voice and opinion.

Community Engagement: Involve every Indian who cares about India and wants to eradicate corruption. Participation is the content.

Now what happened over the next few days is an amazing set of events which started unfolding themselves independently. Every news channel beamed the events live, millions of Indians took to the streets of almost every major cities in India, every news paper and editorial columns were filled with different opinions and point of view, millions of people signed up online and pledged their support. The govt. filled agreed to draft the Lokpal Bill in the monsoon session of the Parliament. Objective achieved. I can't think of a better example of Transmedia execution from India in the recent past. I guess this is the fundamental characteristic or inherent property of what is being described as Transmedia.

I would love to hear your comments and point of view on the same. Please feel free to share them.

Cannes 2011 - Is it the year of Independent Small Agencies?

2011-04-22T15:09:00.008+05:30

Cannes 2011 is coming and am sure you're all waiting for good news. 2011 seems like the year of small agencies. Small agencies with big, bold and brave work.

Here are some of the best works of 2011:

1. Adidas: Sid Lee, Amsterdam

2. Chrysler: W+K, Portland

3. Volkswagen: Deutsch, USA

4. Jim Beam: Strawberry Frog, NY

5. DirecTV: Grey, NY

6. All State: Leo Burnett, Chicago

7. BBC Books: Unknown

8. Ray-Ban: Cutwater, San Francisco

9. Method + Virgin America: Unknown

Enjoy. Btw, which one do you think will walk out with the top prize?

KIA Motors kicks some ass

2011-04-20T23:12:00.003+05:30

David & Goliath is kicking some serious ass with KIA Motors. Great work guys. Here is an interesting interview of Colin Jeffery, Managing Partner and ECD of D&G, LA.

Awesome. More please.

Together

2011-04-20T19:57:00.001+05:30

Well its funny but still don't understand what Bacardi got to do with it? Anyways. Good creative work.

BACARDI Together Manifesto from Devon Hong on Vimeo.

Facebook Studio - Check out the good work

2011-04-20T10:38:00.002+05:30

All you digital folks wanting to break the digital barriers, here is Facebook Studio. Watch the great campaigns on Facebook so far and learn from it. They also have a Learning Lab. Enjoy.

Soles with Souls - Great work Contract

2011-04-20T10:13:00.006+05:30

Finally Contract Advertising India did something I'm proud off. They finally realised the potential of Green Initiative and where it can take their brands. JK Tyre's Soles with Souls is one such initiative. A project well done and worth mentioning at every global forum.

It is not just about recycling and meaningful recycling. Shoes made with waste tyres. Collaboration with the Footwear Design and Development Institute of India, young footwear designers and creating objects of desire from scrap tyres. Amazing.

All the best guys.

A story of hope and dream, an inspiration to us

2011-04-19T20:17:00.003+05:30

The story of Anil. India is truly incredible in many ways. Here is just one of the billion stories. Planners often talk about empathy but they forget what is empathy made of. Enjoy.

Mumbai Golf - ESPN E:60 from Evolve IMG Films Ltd. on Vimeo.

Future.ly - Mapping global innovations

2011-04-19T11:32:00.005+05:30

Here is Future.ly. They are mapping global innovations from everywhere. Great initiative. If you're an innovation freak and wanting to find out what cool things happening around the world in sustainability, social causes, CSR, Green projects etc., Future.ly is the place to be in. Good work guys. Cheers.

Square - An apt thing for India

2011-04-19T09:30:00.004+05:30

When you look at services like Square, you feel very optimistic and good at the future. But then you get this feeling, how can this service work in developing countries like India or Nigeria etc.? The potential of services like this are immense in India, however there are some practical concerns for a service like Square to start operating in India. So Square's India entry strategy should consider having the following points in mind:

1. 90% of India's 740mn mobile subscribers use a basic phone.

2. 70% of mobile subscribers in India use their phone only for talking and short messages.

3. 14mn is the total size of smart phones at the moment though its growing at 30% y-o-y.

4. Only 20% of urban mobile subscribers use m-banking. Though mobile banking transactions are even lower.

5. 40% of mobile subscribers in rural India are illiterate therefore regional language IVR services fare well compared to text based services.

6. 50% people living in rural town don't have access to bank account. Having a credit or debit card is still a distant dream and a luxury in life.

So how does Square overcome these barriers to enter India? This size of the market is phenomenal and growth potential is unimaginable. What are the changes that needs to be done on Square to make it India specific? Can Square tie-up with all the small mom-pop stores for cashless transaction? Can Square drive change in the buying behavior of small town Indian people? Can Square partner with local Indian banks to distribute it card readers to its bank customers?

These are very real and practical questions that needs to be answered. Innovation can often break barriers. India can become a hot seat for micro-innovations like this only if the banking sector had a long term vision of the future and took meaningful steps to make the changes take place for the betterment of people.

EpicMix - This is cutting edge

2011-04-19T09:20:00.004+05:30

When I first saw EpicMix, I was really surprised and shocked. This is bloody brilliant. This is cutting edge innovation that is build on playfulness, sharing and seamless integration of work and fun. Integrating social media, Foursquare, Facebook and outdoor activity into one simple application is simply amazing. Well done guys.

Wish I was a part of such innovations in India. We need more meaningful innovations like this in India rather than wasting time creating more crappy television commercials.

Foreplay and hiphop

2011-04-17T10:20:00.000+05:30

You wake up in the morning, sit down with a hot cup of Darjeeling tea and turn the pages of the newspaper, the first thing that catches your eyes are some stupid print ads of some unknown brands. Hair Removing Cream for Men. It can't get better than this. I think its the most creative product and the product descriptor itself opens up so many creative thoughts in your mind. But what the ad agency managed to create is some nuisance. God save them.

Broadband is your birthright.

2011-04-14T19:00:00.006+05:30

India's telecom policy is strange in many ways. Though the govt. has good intentions but the way policies are formed, implemented and executed are rather chaotic and anarchic. A lot has has been written and said about the recent telecom scams that rocked the Parliament, the nexus between ministers, bureaucrats, corporates and other lobbyists. The spectrum allocations and pricing, the corruption and bribery etc. etc. A vicious circle that engulfs the good intentions into one deadly evil virus. Well let me not get into that side of the story.

3G has been implemented. Most telecom operators have rolled out their 3G services and purely focusing on speed and the mundane features that accompany 3G. Mobile internet, high speed browsing, high Speed mobile gaming, mobile TV, video calling etc. But sadly no one is talking about the great social change that 3G services can bring in India. No one is talking about why high speed Broadband shouldn't become the birthright of every Indian. Indeed it comes at a price just like education, eletricity, clean water, clean air. But real problem lies in handing over information and knowledge to the common man, to the poor people. Broadband is the gateway to information to people's life. Now this is where the core problem lies. When people become more knowledgeable from the information available on the internet, politicians will have a problem manipulating people and securing their vote banks. It's a power game here in India. Broadband will enable more transparency. Broadband will enable e-governance and along with it reforms in the banking and financial sector. Macro issues at a policy level.

Look at some of the figures and you'll be surprised:

Today, total internet subscriber base is approx 70mn compared to 740mn mobile subscriber base.
India is expected to have 120mn internet subscribers base by the end of 2012.
Penetration of laptops and notebooks will rise from 4.91mn at present to 9.87mn by 2013.
10% increase in India's internet penetration will lead to 1.4% increase in GDP.

So where can telecom and broadband service providers play a role for the betterment of society? How can broadband service providers really help elevate lives? Can they become the true change agents of Indian society and not just restrict themselves with few features as means to make profit?

Let me give you some examples:

In Dhanbad, the Old Age Pensioner's Payment and Monitoring System pilot project has brought about much required reforms in a system marred by graft, fraud, long delays and complete lack of transparency. No connectivity to beneficiaries is provided through kiosks, with biometric recognition and RFID cards. The pension is now credited directly into a post office or bank account and payments are dispersed within five days of the transfer of funds. In the past, getting pensions was a pain in the ass and not to mentioned the large sums of bribery involved.
In Chhattisgarh is a similar case where the public distribution system and the implementation of the NREGA is transforming lives in Jharkhand.
In Karnataka, Narayana Nethrayala rolled out the country's first tele-ophthalmology programme in infant blindness prevention in 2007, called Karnataka Internet Assisted Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity or KIDROP. Today KIDROP provides timely and affordable treatment by screening as many as 3400 infantts and successfully treating 328 kids.
Moving from healthcare to community development, Chanderiyaan or the Chanderi Weavers ICT Resource Centre is another case in point. Set up in 2009 in Chanderi, MP, the resource centre has demonstrated the extent to which internet and broadband can make a difference, affecting livelihoods directly. Eighty weavers retailing their products using Chanderiyaan have seen their incomes double. They have been trained in computer-aided textile design, apparel design and tailoring new patterns and designs have been developed, looms have been set up for poor weavers, an in-house showroom is functioning, an e-commerce website has been recently established and a digital design library has been set up too.
In Kerala, the tele-classroom initiative by Edyounet technologies aims at reaching out to college students in rural areas. Dealing with the problem of lack of interactive virtual classroom training in tier 2 and 3 cities, the programme is a network of digital classrooms equipped with LCD TV's, computer and internet connectivity. Students can visually and verbally interact with teachers and can even write or type on the LCD screen. using high speed 1 Mbps pipe, the programme facilitates delivvery of lectures from 'education studios' in prominent cities that have no dearth of high quality faculty.
Unilever India's Project Shakti now reaches to more than 80,000 villages in India covering 15 states and providing employment to more than 25,000 women who are earning an average salaary of Rs. 10,000 per month.

Examples like these are plenty in India. Small, significant changes are indeed taking place and happening at the grassroot level. Real meaningful work is being carried out by unknown individuals. Pity the telecom and broadband service providers are busy in their pursuit of profit margins and market shares. What bothers me more is their inability to see competitive advantages beyond tariff plans and boring advertising. They could have made a big difference to society and building themselves as a social brand rising driving changes at the bottom of the pyramid. Driving these kind of changes for the betterment of society is not about ticking the CSR box or fulfilling their obligations as an organization. These changes help create long term value creation. It creates a sustainable source of revenue for them too. Alas, broadband providers don't think that way. Hope it changes for the good very soon.

Tropicana - Natural Energy. Lame and such wastage

2011-04-14T15:47:00.002+05:30

Well, I've nothing against brands or agencies doing gimmicks as part of their marketing communication. Call it Alternative Marketing or whatever shit you want to name it but the whole essence of communication should be meaningful. Tropicana's - Natural Energy is just lame and really wasteful. I would have rather gave those oranges to poor people to eat/ juice up and drink. Am sure some will think it's a cool idea. But sorry I think otherwise. Total wastage. Bad show DDB Paris.

What do you think?

More apps and Webby Awards

2011-04-13T11:11:00.002+05:30

If you want to see some of the latest apps and everything digital, visit the Webby Awards website. They have some pretty cool things up for vote. Check out and have fun. Don't forget to vote for the stuffs you like.

App for Interns

2011-04-13T11:03:00.003+05:30

Well, now we have an app for interns. All kind of interns from all over the place. A place where you can find them, interact with them, find their skill-sets, hire them, talk to them... yes. An iPhone App that brings interns at your finger tips. The website says - The world's first mobile grads - available for internship in your area. Kewl.

Design with a purpose

2011-04-13T10:52:00.006+05:30

Design has always fascinated me. Especially when it's sensible design with a meaningful purpose. Here is BU Potato Chips. The pack unfolds into a Chips bowl. Isn't that wow. Designed by three young designers Edda Gylfadóttir, Guðrún Hjörleifsdóttir, and Helga Björg Jónasardóttir, the pack looks like a Chinese takeout container and works like origami. Strategic design innovations often contribute a lot to the bottom line. A fine example here. Great job from Co. Design.

Blue Star's cool thinking

2011-04-12T11:06:00.004+05:30

Summer can be horribly hot and sweaty in India. Temperatures sore and so does heated debates and egos. Summer is a time when the AC brands in India also get active. They spend millions trying to persuade consumers to buy their AC's. But like most categories, the AC category, which is a sub-class of the White Goods category has its own conventions and cliches. You will notice that the moment you turn on your TV. Brands like LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Voltas, Onida are all fighting for market share with some really boring, unexciting propositions. Nothing much has changed over the years. The creative executions are even more pathetic.

The top three propositions are often:

1. Equal cooling at all corners of the house.

2. Anti-germ, anti-bacterial and clean air.

3. The most energy efficient AC for your home.

Cut to Blue Star. Blue Star, the AC brand has been the market leader in office cooling or air-conditioning solutions for commercial complexes. They created some memorable advertisements claiming their expertise in cooling solutions.

Blue Star recently ventured into the home cooling segment. And they brilliantly integrated their proposition of being an "cooling expert" from offices to home. Now that's the brilliance of good strategic thinking. When you're positioned as an expert, you build on that. You don't look for lame propositioning which leads to boring creative communication to persuade consumers. Blue Star found an excellent proposition that builds on their expertise at office and smoothly integrated that with the task at hand - home cooling. The result - Get office like cooling at home. Now thats refreshing. A nice execution helps you stand apart too.

Good work Blue Star. Look forward to some more refreshing creative work from you.

The Bombay Elektrik Project picks up Abby's

2011-04-12T10:55:00.003+05:30

Good work JWT India. The Bombay Elektrik Project picked up two metals at the Abby's 2011. The whole initiative has been an excellent endeavor. Hope more agencies come together more often to create something beautiful like this.

You can check out more about The Bombay Elektrik Project here and here and here and also here. Great show guys, you can give Coke Studio a run for their credibility.

Messages for Japan

2011-04-11T10:52:00.003+05:30

Excellent initiative by Google. Go to Messages for Japan, share your message, make a donation, do good. That's I love'em so much. Good work.

Make your grill shine

2011-04-11T10:30:00.005+05:30

Nicely done though the idea is cliched. Anyways. I likes. Via Tim Ho.

Did Tata Tea miss out it's biggest opportunity?

2011-04-07T10:45:00.003+05:30

Tata Tea made news in India when they launched their 'Jaago Re' campaign. Everyone started talking about Tata Tea and their bold stance against corruption.

But today when Anna Hazare at the age of 72 yrs is going on a 'Dharna' and pledged to 'Fast till Death' to make India Corruption Free and pass the Lokpal Bill, it seems Tata Tea itself is suffering from TBTC (Too Busy to Care). Ha. Social media is buzzing with the news, news channels are beaming live, the events. But Tata Tea is nowhere to be seen.

Words like 'Brand Movements,' 'Social Brand,' 'Doing Good' sounds good when it comes to pick up metals and Effies. Brands often fall into these traps of finding a cultural insight and doing good. They stand up for something which is often superficial and when the right opportunity comes, they duck. Today is the biggest day for Tata Tea's 'Jaago Re' but they've missed the boat. Will the people of India ever believe in 'Jaago Re' anymore?

Anyways. Corruption is indeed eating up India. Corruption has been institutionalized in India and at every level, in every department, in every govt. bodies. It's the biggest hindrance to our nations growth. So stand up. Log on to India Against Corruption and make yourself heard on their Facebook Page. Support the cause, the right cause, a good cause for yourself and your future generation.

Stand up India. Do good.

Space, Sky and now Underwater

2011-04-07T07:48:00.005+05:30

Virgin is one of the greatest companies in the world. Sir Richard Branson is no doubt one of the best thinking minds in business. After conquering the sky, then the space now Virgin is all set to conquer the mysteries of the deep blue. Virgin Oceanic. More I read about Virgin the brand, more fascinated I become of them.

The sub is made of a material called Unobtainium 235. I honestly want to work with Virgin.

Give it when you're done

2011-04-07T07:43:00.003+05:30

Honestly, this is brilliant. Very touching. Makes you uncomfortable, makes you think and do something about it. At least I feel that way.

Who's using your picture online?

2011-04-05T09:46:00.003+05:30

A very interesting campaign by Save the Children in Sweden that teaches young people the dangers of posting pictures of themselves online. The project called Picture Protect lets young people share and spread the word to their friends and other young people. Great effort by Save the Children. Have a look.. brilliantly done.

Crowdsourcing for disease surveillance

2011-04-05T09:34:00.003+05:30

Using the internet to predict and prevent epidemics in developing countries? Wow. This is indeed Doing Good. Using technology and innovative research for genuine betterment of people. Research has shown that what people search for and say online can reflect and even predict outbreaks. Now we know internet subscribers and users in India will grow to more than 240 million by the end of 2012. Can we extend the reach of internet and technology to stay ahead of infectious diseases?

Can we see Ranbaxy, Dr. Reddy's, Astra Zeneca, Sanofi Aventis playing a lead role in collaboration with Google, Microsoft Bing etc along with the WHO, UN and local govt. It will indeed be a breakthrough development in countries like our Indian Sub-continent and the Sub Saharan Africa.

Even Bollywood can re-define distribution

2011-04-02T10:48:00.008+05:30

Just read this interesting stuff - Mobile Cinema. Nothing new but I was wondering, this can become a new distribution channel for Bollywood producers or even INOX, Big Cinema or PVR Cinema wanting to expand their footprints in rural India. Villages in deep rural India hardly have any entertainment zones. So this can become an alternative channel altogether.

All you need is an old bus, comfortable seats for 40 - 50 people, a projector, 5.1 Dolby Surround Sound System and a big screen. Viola.

Random thoughts.

Cool infographics

2011-04-01T15:35:00.001+05:30

Here's where you can find all the cool infographics on various topics and subjects. Enjoy.

Why formulaic ads don't cut ice anymore.

2011-04-01T15:01:00.004+05:30

Now we all know that the ad world is filled with cliches. Cliches in strategy, usp, proposition, execution.. long list. but this is heights. JWT India created a good ad for Kitkat, I mean the squirrel one. It's good because it had some insight and proposition that strongly connects with brand KitKat - Take a Break from your work to see/observe and enjoy the finer things of life. To the point. Clutter breaking execution. Refreshing communication and fun to watch.

But they just had to spoil an opportunity with Nestea by blindly copying the same formula. Animals, animation, an old remixed Bollywood number. No insight, no observation, not refreshing at all and definitely not funny.

I don't know why but this is a good example of being lazy. Oh the client already bought the previous execution idea, so let's do something similar again and it will click. It might click with the brand manager but surely not with the consumers.

Opportunity lost. Amen.

Making money from doing good.

2011-04-01T14:46:00.002+05:30

I really like and believe in what Mr. Noam Kostucki (Co-founder of Seeducation) says at TEDx. It only reinforces my belief that the sole purpose of making profit is for doing good. Period. Exactly the same point I mentioned in my ATTICUS paper.

Well, watch out. Companies who still don't realize this simple fact is bound to have larger problems later. Do Good or Die.

The Internet Wishlist

2011-03-29T22:09:00.003+05:30

This is amazing. The Internet Wish List. It is the future of technology. Go ahead. Explore it. Make a wish. Make it happen.

Elizabeth Taylor - Tribute to the legend

2011-03-29T11:29:00.002+05:30

Lux Radio Theatre was a classic radio drama anthology series that was first broadcasted in the 1930's and continued for more than 20 years before making the transition to television in the 1950s.

It was the sponsorship of radio dramas by soap manufacturers that gave birth to the term 'soap opera.' JWT created the video that includes archive photos and rare footage of well-known moments in the actress' career, including the Lux soap ad from 1956.

The next level of Interactivity

2011-03-28T17:22:00.005+05:30

Microsoft's XBox Kinetic is one of the most fascinating device in the recent history. A lot has been written about how motion sensors and interactive screens will change the face of communications but this article from Mashable explains the role of Kinetic Technology beyond consoles. And how it will become a key technology platform for brands to communicate with people in the near future.

In the future, it's conceivable that consumers who're scanned into the system could theoretically interact with three-dimensional models of products. Moreover its a technology that heightens the level of fun and consumer interactivity for a brand that goes beyond any form of traditional advertising or communication. Imagine the 3D tours, interactivity and all kinds of shit possible on the Kinetic platform. People talk about Kinetic Branding - this is the true form of kinetic branding. The amount of response it can nurture, the excitement of self-discovery a person can have, the immersive shopping experience it can create, boy oh boy, my brain hurts when I think of the possibilities. However, leveraging the platform will remain a challenge for brands as well as agencies who are still grappling with insights and television scripts. Anyway. Thats another story. Good times ahead, indeed.

Digital Life Study

2011-03-28T08:02:00.003+05:30

Digital Life - a very interesting study done by TNS. throws up lots of interesting facts about the Digital Life people lives. An useful resource for understanding and planning your digital strategies.

Account Planning School of the Web - Cultural Strategy

2011-03-28T07:40:00.006+05:30

Northern Planner Andrew H, has a very interesting project up for grabs. All you budding planners, do read the brief and am sure you will find it interesting too. Account Planning School for the Web is one of the most challenging thinking exercise for all planners. In the past I've taken part in several assignments and my work got assessed by great planners like Russell Davies, Gareth Kay, Rob Campbell. Understanding the underlying cultural tensions, the cultural differences or cultural nuances that binds people in society often becomes the most powerful tool for creating an effective brand strategy. Especially so when you live in India. And here's a great assignment which does exactly the same. Infact I'm thinking of participating this time too provided I can take out time between my relocation, moving house and taking up new challenges of the new job.

Give it a try. Do participate, doesn't matter whether you win or not. Atleast you'll get your work/thinking reviewed by great minds. And you'll make new friends. All the best. Cheers.

Nestle Head Emphasizes Profiting from Doing Good

2011-03-25T12:29:00.005+05:30

Further to my ATTICUS 2010 paper called "Do Good or Die," here's an interesting article on how Nestle is emphasizing on making profits from doing good.

Chief executives should not use shareholders' money for philanthropy, says Nestle Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, who instead focuses the world's biggest food maker on making money by doing good. The growing corporate trend has been dubbed "creating shared value" and Nestle now publishes an annual progress report on goals such as increasing the nutritional value of products and reducing its use of water and quantity of greenhouse gas emissions.

Brabeck spoke about the concept at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on Tuesday. He said Nestle concentrates its efforts on rural development, water and nutrition. "Creating shared value has a big attractiveness because it really takes into consideration the interests of both sides (business and society)," Brabeck told Reuters on Tuesday. "We have integrated this now into the purpose of our company.

"Philanthropy basically is doing good for no other reason that doing good," he said. "This you can do with your own money but I don't think you can use the money of your shareholders to do philanthropy, to do good."

Brabeck said creating shared value certainly had its challenges, such as dealing with issues like deforestation and child labor, a problem that Nestle was trying to address by providing education for the children. "If they have the access to good schooling, then the child labor as such if it is helping the fathers in the field and helping with the harvesting, I don't think this is a problem," he said. "The problem is when you use the children only for that and don't allow them to go to school."

Charitable contributions by corporations were valued at $14.1 billion in 2009, according to a Giving USA Foundation report researched by The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. Two-thirds was cash and in-kind contributions from company budgets and the rest grants by corporate foundations.

Five years ago Brabeck said he stunned global and business leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos when he declared that corporations did not need to give back because they had not stolen anything from the world. "I was just shocked that in a very short period everybody started to say, 'Yes, I agree we have to give back to society,' and I was thinking, 'Well, we're creating value for society,'" he said. "If you have to give back it means you have taken something that doesn't belong to you."

Since then Nestle has established a Creating Shared Value Advisory Board, which includes Michael Porter of the Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness at Harvard Business School, who is responsible for the creating share value concept. Brabeck said there are 600,000 small poor farmers around the world who work exclusively for Nestle and the company has helped them produce higher yields and quality, increase their income, reduce their environmental impact and boost Nestle's reliable supply of good coffee.

Most of Nestle's 443 factories are in rural areas and more than half are in poor countries. Nestle said it was working to provide skills training, clean drinking water for communities, literacy and numeracy programs, and infrastructure, among other things.

"It was always difficult to justify the spending of an important amount of money when you had this old concept of corporate social responsibility," he said. "Should the company get into a nonprofit situation and do it as a business purpose? I don't think my shareholders have given me money to do this."

The Pot Market. Bu

2011-03-25T11:48:00.003+05:30

The Fast Company has recently released the most unusual study I've come across. The Market of Legal Marijuana - The Business Potential of Medical Marijuana. Amazing.

So stop smoking pot and do something meaningful ;-)

DO GOOD OR DIE

2011-03-24T12:01:00.002+05:30

This is my second attempt at writing another ATTICUS paper. Do Good or Die is an attempt at understanding the paradigm shift from branding to service. The shift from making profits to being ethical and doing good to society and people. This paper explores how Return on Investment is making way for Return on Involvement. How Social Media and Social Responsibility is changing the way brands are marketed and its future impact on Earth and people living on the planet. How Social Media and Social Responsibility will help brands become more acceptable to people and society. It also explains how Sustainability will become the core focus of brand marketing in an era of increased globalization.

Do Good or Die

View more presentations from Roop Mukhopadhyay.

Falling Angels

2011-03-22T16:33:00.002+05:30

Amazing work that truly engages people. Hats off to innovation.

Cheers.

The smell of the place

2011-03-18T22:00:00.004+05:30

Honestly, its stinks in most ad agencies in India. We need more sweet fragrance. Prof. Sumantra Ghosal at the World Economic Forum. Must watch for managers and senior management speaking about leadership and change.

Bring back the smell. Change the Contract first. Cheers.

Sony Ericsson's Product Strategy

2011-03-15T14:43:00.007+05:30

The new Xperia Play from Sony Ericsson is another wonderful example of Sony Ericsson's product strategy that I mentioned here in 2007. Sony which realised long back that mobile or handheld devices will be the key driving force for all the gadgets in future, was quick to integrate it's sub-brands with its mobile phones. Walkman, Cybershot, Playstation, Viao, Bravia are all well-established brands from the house of Sony. However, in the mobile phone category, there was no strong differentiation for Sony when compared to Nokia's and Motorola's of the world. iPhone came much later if you remember. So why not integrate and leverage the brand equity created by the sub-brands and create a distinctive competitive advantage in the mobile phone category. Wonderful product differentiation strategy. We saw the birth of Walkman Phone followed by Cyber Shot Phone and now Xperia Play which is Xperia + Playstation.

With 4G in place, personal entertainment and watching video on the go is becoming even more popular, its not too far when we'll see a Bravia Phone soon. The Bravia Phone can even be Sony's answer to Tablets. Unlike iPad, the Bravia Tablet can strongly position itself as an On-the-go Entertainment device with all the goodness of Bravia TV inbuilt in it. Am dead sure as and when mobile computing becoomes mainstream, Viao Phone will be made available too. Anyways. Let Sony do what it does best. Build great brands.

Here's the new Xperia Play commercial.

Cheers.

80% children between 0 - 5 yrs are on internet

2011-03-15T09:21:00.003+05:30

Nearly 80% of children between the ages of 0 and 5 use the Internet on at least a weekly basis in the United States, according to a report released Monday from education non-profit organizations Joan Ganz Cooney Center and Sesame Workshop.

Via Mashable.

Google - how thoughtful.

2011-03-11T19:10:00.002+05:30

To everyone in Japan, to everyone who has someone in Japan. Please try this new Google Person Finder. Google - you're a good brand. And we love you.

MIT - The Dynamic Logo Design

2011-03-10T19:43:00.002+05:30

Am sure you heard of Dynamic design solutions. Plenty of examples floating around on the internet. The core principles of design combined with different shapes that revolves around flexibility and movements to create different permutation and combination in a nutshell. Though I'm not an expert in Dynamic Design but the new Pepsi logo evolved from the same principle.

The new MIT Media Lab's Logo is a brilliant example of this new emerging principle called Dynamic Design. "MIT Media Lab tapped Brooklyn-based designers (and erstwhile Media Lab rats) E Roon Kang and Richard The to dream up a fresh visual identity. The result is pure, unadulterated Media Lab: an algorithmic logo that generates a sui generis image for each of the Lab’s sui generis brains." For the first time algorithmic logo that generates 40000 in 12 different colour combinations, providing MIT Media lab an estimated 25 years of personalized business cards. Whaooo.

MIT Media Lab Identity, 2011 from readyletsgo on Vimeo.

VW mixes media again

2011-03-09T19:07:00.000+05:30

Good work VW. Atleast you're mixing different media and managing to engage people, again and again. Exactly what great brands do.

Scarlett Power

2011-03-08T18:45:00.000+05:30

Scarlett Johansson can indeed sell champagne. That too Moet & Chandon. Thats celebrity power and luxury branding. Personally, I do love her legs.

But then, I thought Dom Perignon said a better story in this Karl Lagerfeld directed movie.

Well, for luxury brands, the better the story it says, the better the aura the brand creates around itself. enjoy

Honesty sells

2011-03-07T18:37:00.000+05:30

Here's a great example rather social experiment by a brand. Not only does it capture human behavior but also brings out the brands core value out to people in the most engaging manner. They're not the only one however, Innocent did similar feats long back. But I love the way they turned an on-ground promotion into a social experiment which in turn became earned media for the brand. Now thats interesting.

World's 50 most innovative companies

2011-03-05T21:51:00.001+05:30

Here's a great list of the World's 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2011 by the Fast Company. These companies have made innovation the core of their DNA. Interestingly W+K features at No. 25. Now thats something. When will the others learn?

Considered Design - The Next Wave

2011-03-04T09:49:00.003+05:30

In the beginning of 2010, when I was writing my thesis paper on Sustainability and intelligent ways of using resources, how it is becoming the most important and critical factor is developing a global brand, seldom did I know that Nike was actively creating a Considered Index Calculator as part of their Environmental Apparel Design Tool. You should also check out their Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability report, one of the best data visualization report I've come across.

I was so happy to find out that Nike is playing a leadership role in this area and together with brands like Patagonia, Adidas, Espirit, Levi Strauss, JC Penny, Walmart, H&M, M&S, Target, Timberland along with Outdoor Industry Association, Duke University, Environmental Defense Fund and US Environmental Protection Agency and many others in creating the first Sustainable Apparel Coalition. The new Sustainable Apparel Coalition will establish a common index setting industry wide benchmarks for ecological credentials of clothing and footwear.

Am sure we'll see more companies, universities and govt. bodies coming together from across industries to create coalition indexes and benchmarks together. Personally I think in India, the telecom giants should come together to create an Index that delivers meaningful Value Added Service. I also think all the Life Insurance companies in India should come together to create a Claim Transparency Index. Its seems like a great proposal but the later is highly impossible given banking and transparency don't go together. But when you give it a serious thought, you will see, how deeply it can impact the lives of our people.

Do share your thoughts and comments.

21 things that will be obsolete in 2020

2011-03-03T20:05:00.000+05:30

Here's an interesting article that predicts 21 things that will become obsolete by 2020. Scary but really interesting. Wonder what the kids of 2020 will become. They might just make us obsolete.

Cleaning up Egypt

2011-02-25T11:09:00.004+05:30

Barely 10 days since the fall of Hosni Mobarak, people of Egypt have joined hands to clean the city ravaged during the protest march. Henkel and TBWA\RAAD has joined hands to get things clean and back on track. How amazing feat that can be. Henkel is doing this as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility initiative and not a brand promotion. Highly appreciated.

Hope more brands join hands to bring real meaningful change in Egypt.

London Olympics vs ICC World Cup

2011-02-24T19:11:00.008+05:30

Just received a spam mail asking me to submit my CV for the London Olympics. So I went to the website to figure out more. The official website of London Olympics 2012 also has a section where they're seeking involvement from people to collaborate and participate in making the 2012 Olympics a grand success. They also have a dedicated section, giving details about tickets sales. Clearly someone is doing the right thinking and going about executing it to perfection. The best part, they're transparent, like it should be.

Now look at us in India. We're holding the ICC World Cup. Go to the website and you see the difference. Bad website. Hardly any information. Poor user experience. Absolutely no buzz. Not much talks about cricket in the cafes or college canteens. BCCI/ ICC didn't bother involving people before the games. No collaboration, no jobs for talented young people for making the games a grand success. Instead cops are beating up people waiting outside the stadiums to buy tickets. I mean, come'on. Even sports is corrupt in India. But why on earth is has to be like this? Why?

You see, success of a game depends as much on the level of involvement the organizing committee can create even before the games start. Thats why FIFA/ Wimbledon/ Olympics are so successful every time. the passion and dedication of the organizing committee to involve people right from the very beginning. Simple lessons for us to learn and then implement those learnings. Sports engage people. Sports brings people together. So why take that extra effort in alienating people and driving them away instead of making them partners? Yes I do feel very sad at the state of affairs in my country.

Our home in the future

2011-02-24T15:41:00.003+05:30

Awesome. I want it in my house.

Social health and free condom apps

2011-02-23T20:00:00.013+05:30

Well things like this happens. But not in India. You don't need smartphones. You just to send a text message to people. You can even segment those people for precise targeting etc. Drivers, construction workers etc. Condom brands in India don't think this way nor does the govt. health dept or local municipal bodies. The telecom companies don't say anything either. But honestly so much good could be done, if only brand managers cared about doing good. I mean the other two P's apart from Profit while our Govt. stays busy cleaning its own mess from the scam.

Social health is a high potential, growth segment for the next few years. Imagine a future when Social Health + Mobile Health join hand to create an unique platform in India. Imagine if the Dept of Health + Hospitals + Pharma Companies + Health Insurances + University Research Dept come together? Imagine creating a (RED) equivalent using different platforms and technologies to do good REAL, TANGIBLE GOOD for poor people? Joining hands to eradicate poverty and illness from India. Doing what the Govt. is failing to do. Well, only if they really want to make any meaningful contribution other than making profits. Ha. Only if the marketing teams in India, understood how to approach the concept of doing good.

Happiness strikes again.

2011-02-23T17:58:00.004+05:30

I just can't stop praising Coca Cola. They are so brilliant. Here's another great example on how they spread happiness.

There are some more examples here and here and here. Awesome. Who won't love a brand that does all these, all the time.

Cheers.

The Influence Index

2011-02-23T11:12:00.009+05:30

Creating a benchmark or a measurement Index on the popularity and level of involvement of the most influential people in Social Media was long overdue. The need to quantify the kind of influence a person exerts in the social networking platform and understanding the breadth of a person's brand. The good thing is we do have an interesting Influence Index to refer now. However, the index needs further development to create a robust measurement model. Time Magazine recently conducted the most Influential People of 2010, who can affect our world.

The formula for networking index = (Twitter Followers) x 2 + (Facebook Connections) / 2

Now don't ask me what that's supposed to mean and how this calculation can give a precise Index of Influence but at least expert are working on it.

In my 2010 Atticus paper, titled "Do Good or Die," I proposed a measurement Index to understand the Return on Involvement of Brand in context to the level of Involvement a brand has with its fans, followers and people in Social Media. Now how do we go about doing it.

Step 1: Conducting a Social Audit of the Brand.

This audit includes understanding of the Digital Footprint of the brand where it gives us a clear understanding how deep the brand has managed to penetrate in the social media sphere, the Social Identity Audit that lets us understand how does consumer identify with the brand, then conducting a Social Engagement Audit that lets us understand how well the brand manages to engage with people on the Social Media. This leads us to understand the Social Capital Opportunity that a brand can gather in the Social Media platforms. The Social Capital of a brand is the most important component for a brand to play with.

Step 2: Engagement vs Involvement.

This step lets us understand the level of engagement vs level of involvement. It helps us identify and understand the process of involvement and where it arises from. Is it individual driven or community led process? Is is about collective responsibility or individual Maturity? Is it at the awareness level or concern level or at the edge to change consumer attitude/ behavior?

Step 3: The shift from ROI to ROIn

Return on Involvement is the measurement to ascertain the efficiency of a company's value in involving its stakeholders, shareholders and consumers to evaluate its social goals. To understand Return on Involvement of a brand we need to understand how transparent a brand is in it's entire value creation process. Second, how much Social Capital it can gather through collaboration and co-creation and finally how does the brand share its value to people of the world.

Step 4: Calculating ROIn.

This is conceptual formula to calculate Return on Involvement. Like most index and formula is needs more clarity and better statistical and mathematical model to create an universal unit as reference and measurement.

The Formula= (Total Audience Size on Social Media Platform/ Implementation cost of Social Activity) x Average Time Spent.

ROIn is a reflection of consumers' sense of belonging and feeling of being valued. ROIn is about bringing people together for a common cause that creates a ripple effect in the market place all contributing to social accountability. It is the measurement of the rate of productive output by collaborating with people on social media platforms.

Coming back to Influence Index, I think it will become an important measurement index in the near future as more brands join the social media platform. Just like TAM, GRP. TRP, INS etc, we do need a strong Index which will bind all social media activities and the level of influence and involvement a brand/ person has on the medium.

Please do share your thoughts and feedback. Maybe we can collaborate to create a robust measurement index for the Influence Ripple and Involvement.

Cheers.

Coke Studio

2011-02-22T21:19:00.007+05:30

Coca Cola is the best brand. I don't care what others think, but they know their marketing skills. Coke created Coke Studio in Pakistan. Such a wonderful property. Their Youtube channel is filled with such great content.

The world however did't know about its existence until their Facebook fan page popped up.

If you notice Coke is still silent and not fast enough to spread the concept of Studio in other countries. This is the flip side of global marketing. Response time to identify and implement cross market learnings is so slow that often the impact is lost. Imagine the impact Coke Studio could have in India especially during Aman ki Asha & World Cup or in Myanmar or in Egypt for that matter. Give the youth a platform to express and the use social media to spread the message, spread the love. Such a simple idea that nicely connects back to Coke's core belief of Open Happiness.

I think 2011 will be an year of consolidation by global brands. We'll see lots of Digital Content aggregation happening this year. Content Optimization to be precise. You should check out the work AKQA has done for Heineken, if you haven't yet. So expect global brands like Coca Cola doing lot of content aggregation and optimization this year. Maybe McDonald, Dove, Pepsi, Cadbury etc will jump the bandwagon too.

Cheers.

Good times indeed

2011-02-21T19:12:00.008+05:30

The wave of change has hit the MENA nationals hard. What an amazing time. People power at its best. But I didn't know John R. Bradley, author of Inside Egypt (2008) predicted long ago, a social revolution is about to happen in that region. I haven't read the book yet so I cant say much but it makes me wonder, planners should have the ability to predict changes with precise timelines too. Over throwing regimes vs. over throwing market leader. It's all about the marketplace end of the day. Ability to predict doesn't mean writing trend reports, ability to predict means doing/ implementing tangible social experiments to judge the socio-cultural undercurrents. From precise prediction to visible ripples in the market. Then comes the strike rate of correct prediction.

Makes me ask so many questions about the changes we're going through. People actually haven't come to terms with the chain of events happening around us. Will the MENA/ GCC region create its own currency now? Will GCC truly become an effective Union? Wonder what role will Iran play? What about Turkey and Saudi Arabia? What will be Israel's role in the whole game plan? OMG... things are quiet fucked up.

Ha. Planning is fun.

Get ready to face the challenges of future.

2011-02-21T12:29:00.006+05:30

PHd Worldwide, the Future of Media Agency as they like to call themselves has put this video. It is indeed shocking for marketers and communication professionals. When computers become more intelligent than human beings and everything under the sun is interconnected, the consumers of future will indeed demand more. Not only will they demand but they will in fact guide brands, the way they want it to be. Tough times. Be ready to pull up your sleeves.

Change is always good. but its important to keep a tab on the pace of change and anticipate how it will change. Neuroplanning will become the most essential planning tool in a globally connected world. We hardly understand the functioning of Neuromarketing and Neuroplanning - things that will change the future of marketing. Solution will become easy when you can identify the changes about to take place. Here's an excellent speech from Dr. A. K. Pradeep (CEO - Neurofocus)

Be prepared. Cheers.

2045 - Man becomes immortal

2011-02-18T22:30:00.005+05:30

Man becomes immortal, says Time. Yeeehaaa. Read it.

One Pass

2011-02-17T14:08:00.002+05:30

Google launched One Pass. A simple payment system that enables publishers to set the terms for access of their digital content.

I think Google should work on the One Pass platform and also extend it on the mobile. I hope will work on the One Pass platform and make it into a M-commerce gateway that will serve us better and not just for publishers. Now that will be a breakthrough imperative. We need one integrated M-commerce platform for India and Google has the capabilities to transform M-commerce into a viable transaction mode.

Land of the Stupid & Home of the Braves

2011-02-17T13:58:00.004+05:30

When you're stupid, you would want to go to the Diesel Island. Now Diesel is indeed doing some radical work. Go check out here, Diesel Island.

Well, go to the stupid island, be brave and have tons of fun.

The changing role of Packaging Design

2011-02-14T13:47:00.006+05:30

We all know the importance of packaging and design. Well, I won't get into the details but here are some uber cool examples. And here are some more cool designs.

Design has its own language. Design as visual art can often transform brands and its perceived imagery, even increase salience. Unfortunately we hardly get to see clients in India, experimenting more in this space. Am sure things will change for the good pretty soon.

Have fun.

Beat your Monday blues

2011-02-14T09:29:00.002+05:30

Well, if you're bored or want to beat the Monday blues at work, try Mixyourface.com. Have fun and don't stress much about work. Cheers!

Victory finally

2011-02-12T10:27:00.004+05:30

People of Egypt indeed managed to bring down the regime. All started with this video on Youtube. People responded, people came together and bring down the gov.. Viva la Social Media Revolucion. More to come from the region, as experts are predicting.

Anyways, down with the dictators. Am not a political science expert but I do get an idea that social media will play a big future role in hatching mass gatherings for a common cause, one that will actually bring change. Networking online, offline demonstration - will be the delivery model. Though its been happening since the birth of internet but the difference now is people are demanding absolute transparency. Yesterday might as well be remembered in history as the day of Social Media Enlightenment (a modern version of Age of Enlightenment) and more people from that region will aim to achieve the same goals of freedom, breaking free from poverty, exploitation and social security.

Well, I don't know how democracy will take shape in Egypt but young people has managed to pull it off without much bloodshed and they used technology and social networking to their utmost advantage, against which the govt didn't have a chance. These lessons are applicable to brands and companies too. I want to see what happens to Yemen in particular.

Walk like an Egyptian.

Live the language

2011-02-10T15:15:00.003+05:30

EF's new campaign is beautifully shot. A serial campaign done brilliantly. It's a wonderful mix of city branding plus learn the language plus watch the pretty gals. Gives you mixed feelings, makes you smile, makes you warm. For all of you who haven't seen it yet. Enjoy.

EF - Live The Language - Barcelona from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

EF - Live The Language - Beijing from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

EF - Live The Language - London from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

EF - Live The Language - Paris from Albin Holmqvist on Vimeo.

Cheers.

Nokia's Burning Platform

2011-02-09T16:32:00.008+05:30

Nokia is expected to bring some radical changes to revive the fortunes of the company, says new CEO Stephen Elop in a memo to all his employees. The memo says, "The company's situation is that of a man standing on an oil platform in the North Sea and facing a raging fire on multiple fronts - who has no choice but to jump into freezing water to survive."

"...there is intense heat coming from our competitors, more rapidly than we ever expected. Apple disrupted the market by redefining the smartphone and attracting developers to a closed, but very powerful ecosystem."

"They changed the game, and today, Apple owns the high-end range."

"Google has become a gravitational force, drawing much of the industry's innovation to its core."

"We have some brilliant sources of innovation inside Nokia, but we are not bringing it to market fast enough. We thought MeeGo would be a platform for winning high-end smartphones. However, at this rate, by the end of 2011, we might have only one MeeGo product in the market."

"...Symbian is proving to be an increasingly difficult environment in which to develop to meet the continuously expanding consumer requirements..."

"Our competitors aren't taking our market share with devices; they are taking our market share with an entire ecosystem."

"We poured gasoline on our own burning platform. I believe we have lacked accountability and leadership to align and direct the company through these disruptive times. We had a series of misses. We haven't been delivering innovation fast enough. We're not collaborating internally. Nokia, our platform is burning."

Nokia has become just another handset manufacturer from being the world leader especially in the Smart Phone category which is now being dominated by Android and Apple. Well, I was wondering what is W+K doing with the Nokia account? Couple of months back, I met someone from W+K Amsterdam office who works on the Nokia account and uses an iPhone. When I asked him why not the N5, he was utterly embarrassed. I guess, that's why I didn't get the job. Anyways.

Nokia needs a miracle to survive the onslaught launched by Apple IOS and Google's Android. God save them. This is a perfect example of how a market leader is reduced to nothing when they lose focus on competition. Apple and Google on the other hand has managed to create strong eco-system around themselves. Brands that manage to build stronger eco-systems around their core offerings will not only be successful but drive consumers along with them in the future.

More on Brand Eco-system coming soon. Cheers.

Its better in bed indeed

2011-02-07T12:24:00.002+05:30

Lol. Here's the new Sealy's Mattress Ad for Superbowl. Simple, clear message and very nicely done.

Cheers again.

Xoom to the future

2011-02-07T12:11:00.004+05:30

Motorola launched their new ad for Motorola Xoom. In between all the white, expressionless people with Apple iPad lies the new powerful product that forces iPad users to take off their ear-plugs. Works well when you want to differentiate.

Enjoy.

Philips make sense again

2011-02-05T08:52:00.002+05:30

The ‘My Baby & Me’ app made for Philips’ sub brand Avent can help you keep a log of your baby’s growth, weight, sleep, and feeding. The app also allows moms to upload photos, register milestones – like first time crawling – and gives practical tips. Here you can see the instruction film.

With this newapp, created by Muse and Ice Mobile, Philips is yet another step closer to the simplicity in its own pay-off ‘Sense & Simplicity’. It shows that Philips (finally) understands the importance of intuitive software that enhances the functionality of its hardware. Welcome to the future of consumer electronics.

Via Amsterdam Ad Blog.

Why can't you make the Angels more social

2011-02-05T08:17:00.006+05:30

Facebook is indeed amazing. They've just introduced Sponsored Stories as part of their Marketing Solutions. Are agencies and clients in India listening?

Sponsored Stories from Facebook can open a floodgate of opportunities, if only marketers are willing to invest and involve themselves in this platform. Social Media is an essential part of the marketing mix but most brands from India who have a Facebook fan page for some reason restricted themselves to stupid status updates. Here's an example:

Axe started Axe Angel Club with more than 1,117,965 people liking the initiative. But when you look at the activities, you just cant stop and laugh. Mindless trivia and questions to get people to respond. That's hardly involving people to start a conversation. On the other hand if Axe started recruiting Angels among the 1117965 fans, it would have created more buzz than the brand could ever imagine. Now thats Return on Involvement. A great example of right brand, right medium but wrong message or maybe the digital agency of Axe India is too naive to think of better ways to engage their fans. Anyways. Facebook page of a brand is not to send stupid status updates but engage fans in a more meaningful way. Especially when you've created such a wonderful property called Angel Club.

Good Luck. Cheers.

14 awesome iPad Apps

2011-02-05T08:09:00.004+05:30

Go here and see some of the best designed iPad apps. With Tablets becoming the default handheld device, immense opportunities are waiting for us. Especially for the newspaper/ media companies as the early adapters in India. Anyways. Thats another debate all-together.

iAds twice as effective as TV.

2011-02-03T23:39:00.011+05:30

Media companies and agencies, watch out. The truth is out. Campbell's an early adopter of iAds along with Apple conducted a study. The reports says - Those exposed to one of Campbell's iAds were more than twice as likely to recall it than those who had seen a TV ad. Indeed the five-week study, conducted by Nielsen, showed that consumers shown an iAd remembered the brand "Campbell's" five times more often than TV ad respondents and the ad messaging three times more often.

To quote from Adage.com, 'Now that the first iAd campaigns are over, Apple is looking for data that would persuade existing marketers to renew or increase their initial investment as well as win over new advertisers standing on the sidelines. The problem Apple is facing is for their high cost of entry -- a reported $1 million minimum for first-run advertisers -- many other options exist for mobile advertising, including rich-media competitors like Medialets that look and feel a lot like an iAd.'

iAd era is here. God save the copywriter. Amen.

Egypt - The rise of Social Media Revolution (Update)

2011-02-03T22:47:00.006+05:30

In less than 1 hour, of me mentioning about the Social Media Revolucion, we indeed have "The Virtual March" on Facebook. Go ahead. Bring a revolution. I mentioned here how Egypt is turning to be a great example of social change using social media, rather a regime change. This is a live event happening around us. I just hope more clients in India start listening to what people are saying in the social media platform, before they go out in the streets screaming, 'Viva La Revolucion.'

On a different note, I was wondering, the Communist Party of India is indeed stupid. They couldn't manage to use social networking and social media to their advantage, both online and offline. Am guessing a similar event about to happen in Kolkata very soon. Or maybe not. Didi ain't transparent either. Anyways. Change will prevail upon the regime. May the force be with you.

VW - Awesome work

2011-02-03T21:42:00.002+05:30

Some ads are just amazing. You love to see them again and again. You love to show them to others. download them, share them, talk about... well here's two new TVC's from Volkswagen.

Wish I was part of these projects. Alas. Great work. Keep'em coming.

Honda Jazz - Binding communication and interaction.

2011-02-03T21:11:00.005+05:30

Wieden + Kennedy are claiming a TV first by supporting the spot with an iPhone App that turns a regular TV ad into an interactive viewing experience. Created in conjunction with Gravity Mobile, London, it allows viewers to interact with the TV spot on their handset, catching the animated characters as they appear on screen.

Amazing example of how effectively technology can be used to bring together communication and interactivity. But I still ask the same question, how many people will actually engage, having engaged will they purchase the car? Or maybe people up north have plenty of time. Or maybe it's targeted at kids to pester their parents buy the Honda Jazz. Who knows? Anyways.

Back home you get to see this on telly

When I see these two TVC's from the same brand, coming across from two different countries and agencies, I believe its a better marketing strategy for Honda to use 'teenage-pester-power' to persuade the actual buyer who is often the father (stereotype though :-). iPhone App + Interactive TVC + Teenage Pester Power = Dad buying the car. Ha!

Good job W+K. Welcome to optimism.

Egypt - The rise of Social Media Revolution

2011-02-02T17:13:00.011+05:30

The latest developments in Egypt can become the new face of Social Revolution in the ear of Social Media. Surprisingly with several instances of people and society coming together to raise their voice against oppression, corruption and government wrong doings signifies an emerging trend - Social Media influenced Revolution.

Examples like:

The Red Brigade taking over central business district of Bangkok, Thailand last year.
Uprising in Tunisia against Ben Ali and people using social media to spread the word.
The civil unrest in Kyrgyzstan and the spreading the news through social media.
Suu Kyi's supporters using Social Media to raise awareness of the oppression and her house arrest.
Thousands of people gathering near The Gateway of India after the 26/11 Mumbai attack coming together after spreading the message on Social Media
Thousands of people sending Pink Chaddi's (Pink underwear) to RSS & VHP supporters against their inhuman action on Valentine's Day in Bangalore.
Finally Wikileaks taking on Govt. of the world by releasing tapes and classified documents.

What is the new role of Social Media? Can Social Media become the most important channel when it comes to raising voice against wrong doings? Can Social Media become the platform for Social Revolutions? How will Social Media affect Govt. branding? How will it impact government functioning? Will Social Media finally bring in transparency at every level?

Well, these developments are serious issues with greater impact on the way we live our lifes, the code of conduct for govts., the economic state of affairs, etc. Think over. And please do share your views with me.

SBS brings out the truth of Australian Immigration

2011-02-02T10:58:00.003+05:30

I absolutely love the way these three ads were crafted and created by SBS. Clear message, brilliant execution and indeed funny. Dark humour. Ha. Enjoy.

BMW activates the future

2011-02-02T00:24:00.008+05:30

BMW Films brought a paradigm shift to brand communication. Now BMW Documentaries will usher another change upon us. They're are back with another series. Perfect execution of a perfect strategy. 'Activate the future' is all about the Future of Mobility for the all new electric BMW ActiveE. Four new films - The New City, The future just isn't what it used to be, reinventing mobility and Stop worrying and love the future.

The website says, " From the minds of some of the most influential scientists, academics, pioneers, and entrepreneurs of our times, this four-part documentary paints a unique picture of technology, culture, cities, our past, present and how it all relates to the future of mobility.

BMW Activatethefuture.com is created to get users actively involved in the ever-evolving conversation on the future of mobility. Over the coming months, this site will continue to explore new ways to shape the future of mobility and encourage users' opinions and participation along the way.

So go ahead. Check out the website and start sharing your opinions or become a fan of their Facebook profile

Go ahead. Explore yourself and spread the joy. Cheers.

3D Audi

2011-01-22T11:42:00.004+05:30

Good effort, innovative and new. Otherwise it is just an expensive, auto parts demo of Audi A8. Don't give you goosebumps though. I was more looking for some hair raising action packed commercial that people just won't stop talking about.

But again full marks for the effort and that's what counts the most. Good work.

The brilliance of choice

2011-01-20T23:53:00.002+05:30

Just couldn't stop laughing after seeing this tvc. Indeed great execution. The script might be clichéd but the casting and execution is neat. Good work.

Can we see more of them please?

USD 133000 movie shot with iPhone 4

2011-01-16T09:10:00.002+05:30

Acclaimed South Korean film director Park Chan-wook is wielding a new cinematic tool: the iPhone. Park, director of the internationally known "Old Boy," ''Lady Vengeance" and "Thirst," said Monday that his new fantasy-horror film "Paranmanjang" was shot entirely on Apple Inc.'s iconic smartphone. "The new technology creates strange effects because it is new and because it is a medium the audience is used to," Park told reporters Monday. Bloody amazing.

Excite the sexy boy

2011-01-12T15:48:00.001+05:30

Axe does it again. The latest one from Portugal. They get it right most of the times. Good work.