The 2018 Cannes Advertising festival, reporting a lesser number of entries and higher networking attendance is over. The powerful statements made by the speakers and the knowledge shared over drinks is slowly starting losing its impact.

The social media post of short-term legal immigrants to Nice are becoming sporadic and slowly getting buried in the digital history.  However, the award celebrations will continue for some time, and then the year 2019 will be around the corner.

Post the festive revenue season, and the creative teams will start focussing on keeping up with the fast approaching cut-offs for 2019 awards.  Unlike the Maharashtra plastic ban on ‘Single Use Plastic’, the jury and award organisers will fail to catch and penalise the award special  ‘single use creative’.

CLIENT BAILOUT.

Saatchi won awards in spite of the parent holding company’s ban on entering awards. ‘Client is paying the bill’ made it possible. It reflects a client’s confidence, desire, agency relationship and hypocrisy in approach. Moreover, there is nothing more to discuss on the subject.

However, it gives an idea to the creative teams who feel deprived of awards recognition due to organisational or leadership misguided point-of-views and egos.

INTROSPECTION IS ALWAYS A GOOD THING TO DO.

Here are few creative expressions and solutions from Cannes that you must watch. Quite a few of them must already be discussed, dissected and coloured with multiple points of view. Give them another see, just because they are part of this column.

You will agree, most of them are simple and straight in your face. Most professionals in the field will feel embarrassed for not being the first to exploit them for the brand. Many will say their constraints, and mainly the clients never bought such ideas. Maybe they were laughed at when they first presented such ideas. So that was the end of it.

If that is true, then they must introspect. Such ideas take strong relationship, mutual professional admiration, ownership, understanding of a client’s pain points, self-confidence, an internal infrastructure that encourages such thinking and perseverance of a different level.

LET’S CELEBRATE THE IDEA.

These EIGHT works speak and represent the agency ownership and understanding of the situation. It shows their belief in living in a beta version and believing that perfection is work-in-progress.

I feel collective pride in it and think of the possibilities that exist with such work.

So without naming anyone, I share the top ones that made my day. Here to celebrating ideas in some kind of order of preference and impact on me.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TIDE AD.
Wow, fantastic, brilliant, sustainable and so very simple.

GOOGLE MY LINE.

Give it to the brand for taking their business seriously and not remain confined to the digital constraints but exploiting the very constraint to deliver a solution.

BLINK TO SPEAK.

It is, one of the outstanding global solutions from India.  It’s definitely a solution that makes every one of us proud.

TRASH ISLAND.

WOW, it is not only the idea but the execution and amplification that makes it a star.

PALAU PLEDGE.

How a small country with a tiny population integrated their solution with tourists that outshout them in numbers.

TAG WORDS.

A campaign, which makes it possible for the brand to show what it can otherwise never be able to do. Look out for how they took the idea to its logical end and did a 360-degree campaign.

THE ARCHES.

They remind of Martin Lindstrom talk and need to be confident and to be able to SMASH the BRAND. It is simply interesting and hugely powerful. It can be implemented globally without worrying about possible socio-cultural differences.

CORRUPTION DETECTOR.

Now, this is a bit of technology and idea, and everything else put into it. I can bet, it is needed, however, we will never see this in India before the 2019 election.

…………………………………………………………………..

PARTING SHOT.

After ages saw a brand0building print ad ‘811 Kodak Bank’. It has a decently long copy by today’s standards. However, it is well-crafted around the core proposition. The art director has done justice to the concept and lines. No doubt it lured the reader to read it.

It is not a large picture from TVC with the brand logo. For a change, the celebrity choice does justice to the campaign idea. It is good to see a client not objecting to a reduction in the size of the celebrity picture in the print ad. In the 811 TVC, the star is upfront and is the spokesperson for the brand. In outdoor, the brand presents multiple faces across socio-economic strata to amplify the  #IndiaInvited concept.

Ramki of Cartwheel, the agency for the brand, tells me 811 derived its name from the date Modi announced demonitisation – 8 Nov. “An event that galvanised Kotak into taking leadership in the digital banking space. 811 was India’s first downloadable account, enabled by Pan+Aadhaar verification. The process itself eliminates any chance of judgement. It inspired us to take the high ground of a brand that believes in equal opportunity and inclusiveness. The fact that today’s world appears to be getting more divisive, polarised and insular only made the message more relevant. Ranveer helps to amplify this message with his mass popularity. He is an outlier to the mainstream in many ways, and the message seems credible coming from him.’  I agree with him.

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SANJU an EFFIE winner.

Yes, I have a polarised view of ‘Sanju’ the movie. You need polarised reaction while sharing a review. You like it or hate it. The middle path or diplomatic talk is of no use to your readers.

I loved the movie. And I can watch it again.

Raju Hirani has once again done the magic. Sanju is a smartly done emotionally charged film. There are some brilliant humour soaked scenes too.

Sanjay Dutt, the Bollywood’s Original bad Boy is not an easy subject to dramatise on screen. I love the tight, focused script by Hirani and Abhijat Joshi. They have managed far more than the time permits.

If It Was A Commissioned Project, Sanju will win EFFIE*.

If at the end of the movie you are on the side of Sanjay Dutt. You think you understand his logic and reasons for what he did. You forgive him for his wrong judgement. You find him more vulnerable than yourself. You give him the benefit of the doubt. You love your Sanju Baba. While you are laughing or weeping with him, the movie in its first weekend does 120 Cr of business, breaking all records.

Un-naturally High Expectations.

It is a Biopic. And the treatment at the very start settles the case. It is a story that the protagonist Sanjay Dutt is sharing with the writer for his biography. There is a clear, objective of presenting his side of the story. He wants no one to refer to him as a terrorist.

I understand people have a different take. It is the curse of deep familiarity and high expectation from a biopic on the original bad boy of Indian cinema. They felt cheated by a very focused narrative that had no space for many things in his life.

You need a series of films to cover every wrong decision made by Sanjay Dutt and its repercussion in the ecosystem. I am sure; there is no scope for Sanju-II to cover what is left out of the movie. The audience misses reference and masala of his other well-known affairs, marriages. They want to know how his actions affected the lives of his first daughter. Where was the Industry standing on the subject? Why are Kumar Gaurav, Namrata, Madhuri, Tina, Rhea, Richa, Mahesh Bhatt and many more absent from the narration?

The questions will remain. Hirani and Sanju may have all the answers they choose not to share. The audience should also grow up to realise that this is a Biopic with big Cinematic Liberty license and not a documentary.

Superb All Round Performance And Excellence Narrative.

I always thought Ranbir is hugely talented. In Sanju, it is more than acting in the genes. Ranbir has morphed into the character. He is inseparable. In some frames, you do a double take. Not sure, if it is the original Sanju Baba or the actor. If you force yourself to catch a chink in his armour, the mask does slips in a few rare occasions of nano frames.

If Ranbir Kapoor does a great job of being Sanjay Dutt, watch Paresh Rawal (Sunil Dutt) give a masterclass in restrained acting. Paresh Rawal powerfully amplifies the pain, understanding and resolve in his character of Sunil Dutt.

Vicky Kaushal (Kamesh), the new Yorker Gujarati and a big fan of Nargis and Sunil Dutt. He is the best friend of Sanju. Kaushal has exceeded the demands of the character. He has been superb.

Ironically Women Find Less Screen Time With Sanju In Sanju.

Manisha Koirala, as Nargis Dutt has her moment. The shot at the dining table when she is hiding her illness from her son and the scene in-flight while they are returning from treatment belongs to her.

Dia Mirza plays Myantra Dutt, Sanjay’s current wife. Sonam Kapoor plays Ruby, Sanjay Dutt’s teenage first love/crush/infatuation. They don’t have much to do in the film. Anushka Sharma stands out in a short role as Winnie the writer entrusted to do the biography.

In the end, somewhere having seen him from his first movie to his jail days through the eyes of news, gossip & scandal reporting magazines, one does feel that on screen was a much-diluted version of Sanju Baba. Sometimes you think, you don’t even know him. There is no scene is much of the fan adulation or the extra-hot-air that the Indian stars carry with them. It is a bit disturbing to miss.

Slapping The Media For Creating The Terrorist Image.

In my view, journalism is an honourable profession.  In Sanju, it is clinically subjected to generalised stereotyping of racy journalism and trash reporting. It is blamed for hiding behind unknown sources and rumours.

I am not surprised that unlike Doctors, Rajputs and lawyers, the newspaper is taking the slaps without a mummer. There is no media voice against the film purposive demeaning of the media. We know that it was needed to grip the audience emotionally.

Maybe what they show about news is the reality.

The director cleverly avoids any masthead with all the claimed sensational, wrong, racy news. The sharp business producer is sensitive. They realise that showing a brand name will jeopardies the situation. And the media happy for not being names.

So, people end up tapping their feet to the iterative scream of Original ( Sanjay Dutt) and Actor ( Ranbir Kapoor) as the titles roll down.

‘Baba Kahata hai, Aab Bus Kar’ – Baba Says lets stop, that is enough.

STARCAST: Ranbir Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Vicky Kaushal, Dia Mirza, Manisha Koirala, Anushka Sharma, Sonam Kapoor, DIRECTOR: Rajkumar Hirani

*EFFIES awards by Effie Worldwide honour the most effective marketing communications ideas. Effie Worldwide’s mission is to encourage effectiveness among the marketing communications industry through education and recognition. In India, the award  The Advertising Club manages the programme.

Blog/40/movie/5/2018

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MALISHKA Mumbai Khadyaat, the cry-anthem of Aamchi Mumbai.

It is no surprise that Malishka has done it again for Aamchi Mumbai

Last time she did the song ‘Mumbai Tula BMC War Bharosa Nahi ka’ (Don’t you believe in BMC). We appreciated her song more than the efforts.

This time she has done a song on post rains Mumbai. ‘Zingaat- Aata Mumbai Atakli, Aamchi Satkli’. (Mumbai has stopped, and my mind has gone crazy).

In the song, she asks ‘Kitney Gaane Banaye Haa’? (How many songs should we make?).

I think the question is both to the administration and the citizen of Aamchi Mumbai.

What have we done to support her initiative? Zilch.

We shared her song, watched it on YouTube, marked our likes and sent a few thousand tweets.

That’s all we did. And, it counts for nothing.

I moved to this city in 2004 and saw the big rains of 2005. I was horrified and surprised that Mumbai woke up to another working day. We saluted the spirit of Mumbai and life was back to square one.

It happened again and again.

Have we accepted it as our fate?

The disciplined highly optimistic tormented citizen of Mumbai, live through the annual ritual of havoc creating rains. Wrong. The showers do not produce the chaos.

The people responsible for managing our lives do. The people we elect polarised with caste, language and religion politics.

PIC INDIA TODAY

How come the Mumbai has found no solution to this problem through the decades?

Trust me; it will happen again in 2019 and 2020 and 2021 and so on.

For things to change if the admiration sleeps the citizen have to wake up.

The bridge falls, and we bear it all.

The car goes into a ditch, and we joke about it worrying NASA.

Potholes lead to accidents. People lose their loved ones.

When we leave home, we don’t know if we will be back.

You could be the next one sucked in an open manhole that does not worry us.

The wall falls, and all we do is talk about corruption.

The roof cave in and we share pictures of the tragedy.

It’s not that we are not concerned.

Along with one of the richest civic body busy investing money into things that do nothing to improve the living standards, we too have become equally insensitive.

The Malishka song counts for nothing unless we do something about it.

On one side as a truly responsible citizen of the city, we must also contribute.

We must stop throwing garbage out in the street.

We must stop the use of plastic.

We must help in keeping the sewerage de-clogged.

we start a relentless pursuit of action.

Stop tolerating inaction and half-baked promises.

Adapt this song by Malishka as the cry-anthem of Aamchi Mumbai.

Refuse to step out and drive or move on these potholed roads.

Play Malishka song full volume through the rains and the potholes.

Play it at every red light while you wait for the green signal.

Play it bindass on your phone without headphones.

Play it near every government office responsible for this state of Aamchi Mumbai. Continue playing it through the Ganapati.

Let the media show its power to bring about a change.

Let all radio stations in Mumbai play only this song for one day.

Let the newspapers co-create the call for action and unite for what the city needs.

Let them rediscover the front page.

Let the OOH devote some space and bring alive the situation to the blind administration.

The administration must wake up and start working immediately.

We need an extra-constitutional civic body of responsible citizens to monitor the plans and their implementation.

Malishka alone can’t make it happen.

To me, she is the citizen Ambassador of Aamchi Mumbai.

………………………………………….

And just as a reminder – watch the ‘Mumbai Tula BMC War Bharosa Nahi ka’ in case you have forgotten about it.

BLOG/44/2018

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Hyundai, celebration, When you just see a story unfolding before you.

Thank you, Whatsapp. Otherwise, I would have missed seeing this beautiful, touching advertisement from Hyundai 20 year celebration in India. It ’s served on WhatsApp with a cleverly planted introduction that remained unchanged by the lazy forwarders.

‘Almost every advertisement depends upon half-nude females to propagate the sale of products but just this one… It’s a class in itself. Hats off to Hyundai- what a fine advertisement.”.

I agree the Hyundai ad is brilliant, and there are no half-clad females.

Jokes apart.

Hyundai 20 year celebration ‘Brilliant Moments with Hyundai’ idea is not new. Many brands have tried finding emotionally charged life stories. However, most have failed to get the right insights and stories or mucked it up in the presentation.

However, Hyundai ‘Army with Santro’ is a great example of an advertisement that does not seem like one. It is an engrossing story. It is slightly exaggerated and dramatized, but that is acceptable. One should applaud Innocean for this work.

The second film ‘The deal with Accent’ is not as engrossing as ‘Army with Santro’. Something is missing. It seems stretched and somewhat unnatural. For me, it failed to touch me emotionally.

I hope the brand team and Innocean does justice to the selection of REAL life stories. The long format storytelling is an art in itself. Remember once you commit to a format or a series, it becomes that tough to surpass the expectation. Some succeed and some fail. I am waiting to watch many more powerful stories brought to screen in future.

The Hyundai 20 year celebration communication is working with all car owners. There are instances and episodes of life getting refreshed in the memory box.

I never had a Hyundai car, and I don’t think Hyundai is interested to hear my story. However, that does not matter. While writing this, I remembered my first car Maruti Zen, which was a hand down office perk, my first and second Ikon, my Innova, my Mahindra SUV and now the Honda BRV. They were a part of my life.

THE REUNION

While talking about advertisements that do not seem like an advertisement, I must talk about Google Reunion series.

Father-Son reunion by Google is not a new DVC, but it has a special place in my heart. My father passed away in September 1992. As with most of us, I too am full of memories. I will be lying if I said, I remember him every moment of my life. However, there are moments when his absence is felt very strongly. In those moments I miss him a lot.

No, my father never wanted to be a Bollywood hero. However, I know he would have been the happiest person with whatever I have achieved in life. In turn, my happiness too would have been amplified. I grew up in Jabalpur, and my mother lives there alone. She is rooted in the city. It seems, there is nothing that can make her move to Mumbai.

Today, if my father was alive, he would have been with us in Mumbai, even if my mother decided to remain in Jabalpur. That would have been a tricky situation and impossibility.

This Google Search DVC hits me on a very emotional level.
The whole search experience is smartly woven into the script.
Knowing it is a Google ad, you still engage in a different mindset.
It is more content than an advertisement.

The best advertising is one that does not feel like advertising.

This Google DVC (2016) and its previous avatar Indo-Pakistan Reunion (2013) were referred as one of the best product service integration. And I would tend to agree with it.

It’s the simplicity of the complicated situation that grips you as an audience. The highly charged emotions demand your attention.

In Indo-Pak reunion was about friends separated during partition living with a hope of meeting once before they die. Similarly, Father-son reunion DVC is an emotional cocktail. There is retirement, recalibrated aspirations and parent’s fixation with the small town. There is this uniquely friendly but unexplained relationship grownups have with their parents.

Search is not glorified here. It remains a conduit. The audience, empathise with search being a facilitator and not a magic wand. The Google search does not remain just a transactional service.

However, when the brand tried stretching the story, weaving in functional knots in a charged emotional tale, the equation changed. It missed the sensitive touch. The magic was lost. It is no surprise that the audience remembers Indo-Pak or Friends reunion but forget fennel, Cricket or Anarkali from the same series.

………………………………………….

Blog/45/2018

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I remember the moment on Guru Purnima. It was late at night.  I was returning from the IAA Leadership Awards. I had just popped in another chewing gum when I opened the winner envelope I have been holding tight.

The 23rd winner.

At IAA Leadership Awards last Friday, fourteen leaders were identified across categories and given the ‘North Star of Industry’ award. There were seven ‘IAA Person of the Year’ awards for exemplary iconic, inspiring work in their category. Mr Sam Balsara was inducted into IAA Hall of Fame. That makes it 22 awards. I was the last winner, the 23rd winner.

IAA Past and Current President with SAM BALSARA

I won the prize, not an award. It was for an online quiz. It seems I was the lucky one who had answered three tough questions from a leading newsmedia group.

So, why share it.

I must share the incident for two reasons. One, it was after a long time I was on stage receiving an award. Yes, I know it was just for an online quiz. Two, I thought I must share with many who gave me those envious looks guessing what I won. People must not get the wrong impression.

How it all started.

I was moving through the narrow pre-function area when an ever-smiling IAA India President Ramesh Narayan caught hold of me. He introduced me to a lady from this news media group. She shared a secret. I had won the ‘Quiz’. She told me how happy and relaxed she was to see me. They were not sure if I was going to be present to collect the prize.

Wow, it was good news. I was getting something for reading an event mailer, noticing the quiz and answering a few simple questions.

However, that is not the story.

Surprisingly, it was not a secret. People at IAA and this newsmedia group knew. Some of them congratulated me for the win.

I have been envious of people winning prizes at the events. The prizes usually are generous for such a contest. Typically, they are about a fully-paid-treated-like-a-royalty vacation to one of the destination in the newsmedia territory or a smartphone or an I-pad or substantial cash.

It was an auspicious day. Guru Purnima.

The Moment.

The event was a tightly packed session. Kubra Sait, the Cuckoo of Sacred Games and the host of the evening was right about it. I was feeling good.

Midway through the event, I felt the bio-pressure. However, I held on. What if the organisers decide to announce the prize while I was away? I was not willing to lose the opportunity.

So I held on till the talented violinist came on stage. I knew this was the window I could use I made a quick exit, and I was back before she changed the song. I enthusiastically clapped for her and myself; the prize was safe and secure.

The seven Leadership awards were given, and Cuckoo hinted it was all over. I could see the crowd slowly getting off from their seat. I thought my day was ruined. Have they made a mistake? Were Ramesh Narayan and the lady from the newsmedia group joking?

Suddenly I hear Kubra Sait calling my name. The quiz winner was announced. I proudly cut through the crowd, climbed five steps to fame and received my prize.

I was an envelope, too thin to have anything significant unless it was a cheque. The cameras flashed while I stood at the centre of the stage.  I heard the presenter tell me. It was a Crossword voucher or vouchers. I read many books, so the Crossword vouchers were okay. I smiled back.

The Discovery

It was half an hour into my ride back home, when I finally decided to check my prize. I opened it with soft hands, and then I saw it. It was a 1000-rupee crossword voucher. I thought maybe I was drunk and was missing a zero. I checked for more vouchers. There were none. I had been on stage basking in the glory of winning a 1000-rupee crossword voucher!

Saali Saab Uttar Gayi!

It looked like I have answered a contest on FM radio. The situation was such that I was not sure if I should laugh at myself or complement the brand team at the newsmedia group for stretching their event mileage with another dash of 1000-rupee crossword voucher.

I am sure. Only the marketing team at the newsmedia group knew what prize I got. They were happy the winner was in the crowd. The winner was delighted having won something. The other invitees congratulated me, but, they never knew what he won. The brand got the mileage it wanted and I the 1000 rupee Crossword Voucher. I am sharing as many such winners may not have shared -ashamed of their win.

…………………………………………….

Remembering my many Gurus in advertising, marketing and communication on Guru Purnima.  I have learnt by directly working with them, reading their books, hearing discussions on their approach and work. Quite a few are my colleagues, and my juniors have also taught me finer nuances unintentionally too.  So did the team from the newsmedia group. Happy Guru Purnima.

Blog/46/2018

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The Advertising Club calendar added D-Code, the digital review to its two existing properties Media Review and Creative Review in its annual schedule of events. It may be a late addition. However, the new format Ad Club adapted for D-Code was worth the wait.

WE ARE GETTING THERE

In the last two years, one must acknowledge that the functions planning, relevance and execution has much improved across the active bodies like The Advertising Club, AAAI and IAA. It takes much fun out of reviewing.

No, we did not start on time, and all the speakers did not adhere to time limits.  Some players did not use the time allotted, and that is as much of a crime as exceeding the allotted time.

No the third umpire and the timekeeper (Vikram Sakuja) was not ruthless enough in cutting the speakers who went overboard. I could sense his desire to stick to timelines and the hesitation at times in deciding to interrupt the speaker. However, then he had to play with the performance and sense the crowd interest. The onus of sticking to time rests with the speakers.

We started at 6:15pm, with the invitation card reading 5:30 onwards. If we cannot manage some sort of timeline adherence, people will start treating the ‘Onwards’ on the invite as a ‘plus one-hour’ indicator.  The early networking with the bar open made the wait a lot easier.

11 SPEAKER, 22 CASES, 33 LEARNING.

The format was excellent. 11 speakers* 10 minutes each. The presenters shared one of their successful Digital Intervention. It allowed a decent plug-in of their brand. They then shared another successful digital intervention that was not their doing. I do understand the dilemma speakers would have gone through while selecting the other digital intervention and presenting it with grace and respect they deserved. Additionally, each speaker shared three tips or learnings that have been working for them.

MY TAKE-OUTS

POINT 1.  Don’t throw away what you have learnt from traditional marketing practices. Don’t trust anyone who says they know everything about digital. POINT-II. Be more meaningful, don’t live in an ‘Industry bubble’.

POINT-III. Content should be opinionated, extreme (pro or anti).

POINT-IV.  Listen to what the consumer is saying in real time. Look for truth in humour and humour in the truth. Merge tech with ground-level consumer insights.

POINT-V.  Have a start-up mindset. Ask yourself what you would do if you weren’t allowed to make a film. Challenge the establishment. Always stay in Beta mode.

POINT-VI.  Invest in the right mar-tech tools, talent and partnerships.”

Always read the comments under your content/on social media.”

DON’T LISTEN TO NAYSAYERS.

I must compliment the organising team on the selection of the speakers.

We will always have people commenting on what was excellent and what was terrible. What did they like? What did they not like? What kicked them? Who was a bore?

When anyone from the audience tries analysing the selection of speakers (including me), organisers, please ignore them and keep the good work. One will never be able to satisfy everyone, as the selection of speakers and their delivery is purely subjective.

Someone may not have liked Anupriya Acharya’s detailed presentation or Rahul Johri rambling. It does not make their contribution any less. Tanmay Bhatt’s presentation floored most of the audience.  He is a stage presenter who knows a trick or two and has a licence to present in a way most corporates would not be able to do.

THE FOLLOW-UP.

The list of presenters is already up at the Ad Club site. It will be a good idea if these case studies and links are available on the site. In fact, these in any way represent the best India has to offer, so a compilation as an e-book will not be out of place.

NET RESULT. GREAT FORMAT. ENHANCED EXPECTATIONS.

The format is excellent and the ultimate winner. Most of the audience had at least a few examples and learning’s that made them think. Maybe it’s time that Ad Club revisits and does a clinical rethink on the Media Review and Creative Review formats. You have raised our expectations, and we know you will once again surprise us by making the reviews that more relevant and impactful.

The format being celebratory, it did not has space for discussing issues like wastage, talent, fake news, bots, advertisers warnings and darknet or what the advertisers are now expecting from Digital media.

…………………………..

* INAUGURAL D-CODE SPEAKER LIST.  This list is subjective. It is in the order of impact they made on me and hence debatable on many counts. Arun Iyer. Siddharth Banerjee, Ajit Mohan. Juhi Kalia. Tanmay Bhat.  Sapna Chadha. Sam Singh. Anuradha Aggarwal. Anupriya Acharya. Mohit Kapoor. Rahul Johri.

BLOG/47/2018

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THE START of TIRANAG STORY.

2004, I resigned from Mudra and was all set to join Dainik Bhaskar at Mumbai. It was during that period a few of us decided to take an all-male trip to Naukuchital, Nainital. All of us were from Mudra; Arun Mahajan, Ajmer Singh, Maan Saab, Manoj Papneja and me. It was going to be my farewell trip with the gang.

We started in the morning of 14th August. As we had a delayed start and it was raining, it was late in the evening when we finally landed at  ‘Kumaon Vikas Mandal‘ Guesthouse. It is right at the edge of Naukuchital.

It is a place you can fall in love at first sight. There were three rooms for us on the second floor, which was also the top floor. Thanks to Arun Mahajan’s ability to easily connect with people, we got an additional room. This room was under repair, but the sweet talker Arun managed the front-office to give it to us for our evening drinks. We were all set.

THE PARTY.

It was a perfect place to enjoy our drinks. There was a large majestic window opening out to a grad view of the lake and surrounding hills. This is where our bar was set.

We carried our stock from Delhi. The glasses were out in no time. The kitchen at the guest house was instructed to provide for mixed pakodaas and ensure they were served hot. The Bhaiya ( help), the helper-waiter all rolled into one was sent to the nearby market to get some nankeen. A 100 rupee note suddenly making everything happen.

We were sure that with the number of snacks being consuming, dinner was going to be unnecessary. Drinks were more important. I do not remember what time we went to sleep that night. But sure enough, we never asked for dinner to be served.

THE MORNING AFTER.

I was woken up in the morning with a hesitant polite knock at the door. I was irritated at being woken up early after the last night drinking. I opened the door to find it was the front-office manager. He was wearing starched white Kurta Pyjama. I was confused. Maybe there was some festival. I could see the faint hint of a forced smile on his otherwise un-welcoming face.

My first reaction was almost to close the door or ask him ‘Now what’. Then I realised that he was really smiling. Direct inference, there was nothing wrong.

THE REQUEST

He with hands folded in a namaskar mudra requested if I could come down and hoist the Tiranga. ‘National Flag Hoisting – Tiranga- me – why’. I was confused, but I was slowly coming back to reality when he explained. Sir, today is 15th August (How could I forget and that explained his kurta pyjama), and as you are the only guest in our hotel, we want you to do the national flag hoisting- Tiranga lahrangey sir’.

‘Oh, no, no, I can’t do that’.

For some unknown silly and till date unexplained reason, my refusal of his request was an almost involuntary response. I was just not interested. There was absolutely no reason for me to act in the way I did. It was not a standard request. I have never before been honoured with a request to hoist Tiranga.

RE-DISCOVER YOURSELF. 3N4D Workshop at Cottage Nirvana, Uttarakhand. 31st August – 3rd September.

I suggested that he could try with my friends in the other rooms. The reaction was no different. Every one of us behaved in the same way. The same set of people who buy the double taped plastic flags at traffic red light and put them on the dashboard of our cars, as a symbol of patriotic impressions did not want to hoist the national flag.

He moved from door to door. I dread to think, what he must have been thinking. However, Arun Mahajan jumped at the opportunity. He requested for five minutes to get ready and join them at the flag-hoisting site.

Arun soon joined the hotel staff at the lawns. He was wearing his white Kurta Pyjama. It looked as if was aware that such an opportunity to hoist the Tiranga may come his way.

Some more people from surrounding shops joined the guesthouse staff at the lawns. I remember, we stood at the big window on the upper floor looking at the activity and never thought of going down to join the assembled crowd. We were reluctant to leave the comfort of our rooms. And we call ourselves patriotic.

That year, Arun hoisted the Flag Hoisting at ‘Kumaon Vikas Mandal’ Guest House. He saluted the Tiranga and joined rest of the crowd in singing the national anthem. We on the balcony provided him with the encouragement he never needed.

IT CHANGED THE MOMENT THE NATIONAL ANTHEM STARTED.  

Each of us had our own silly excuses for declining the opportunity to hoist Tiranga. Every one of the excuses was completely stupid and irrelevant. However, the moment the national anthem started, we stood up in attention to join them from the upper floor.

I know I was wrong.

There is no explanation or excuse for the behaviour.

Deep within me, it is something that I will never forget and forgive myself.

It was an opportunity and honour I missed. I am not sure if I will ever be again invited by complete strangers to hoist the flag.

Today, I am hopefully wiser. I am reasonably logical in my approach; the patriotic feeling is no longer dependent on the 26th January or 15th August to demonstrate. In fact, it is not something you can prove. It is not a ritual to complete. Whenever the Anthem is played anywhere including in the movie hall, or I can hear even a faint impression of it, I stand up in attention and sing it loud and clear.

The post I regret not hoisting TIRANGA that year. appeared first on Sanjeev Kotnala.

31st AUG-3rd SEP 2018. Special offer for Women, Students a young under 35. Click here to register. KNOW MORE.

On the 72nd Independence Day, I am sharing a review of ‘SPONGE: Leadership Lessons I Learnt From My Clients’ by Ambi Parameswaran.

I was thinking, how different the country could be if all of us behaved like the sponge. If like Ambi, we too could reflect on our mistakes and learn through our experiences. Maybe our collective efforts could initiate a new movement.

‘Becoming a sponge while interacting with a wise customer is something that can transform life. Absorb the words of wisdom. Learn from their behaviour. Look beyond what is obvious. And like the colourful sponge inhabiting the ocean floors, you too will red yourself of impurities and get enough nutrients for you to develop into a better leader’– Ambi Parameswaran in the introduction of his book ‘Sponge’.

I read his books ‘Nawabs, Nudes, Noodles’ and ‘For God’s sake’  and loved them. Ordering ‘Sponge’ was an involuntary reaction to the release announcement. There are two reasons for me taking the time to read. One I follow FIFO method in sequencing the books I read. Two, the format of ‘Sponge’ allowed me to read it in parts.

I enjoyed reading ‘SPONGE: Leadership Lessons I Learnt From My Clients’. I loved the stories and anecdotes. The anecdotes were brilliant. We all will find our favourites.

No one is complaining, but for me, the book references supporting Ambi’s experience and observations broke my rhythm. I felt I would have enjoyed the book more without validation of learning’s from some published theoretical frameworks.

I would have wanted Ambi to do better justice to the stories and spend a bit more time in developing each of them. They are too summarised. They finish before you warm up. I am not cribbing. As no-where, you lose on any details.

I loved him naming characters in successful adventures. However, I am not hugely surprised that he decided not to call the characters if the experience were not right, proper or in case they went wrong. I felt a bit cheated by this vagueness. It diluted the impressions for me.

The book, a light reading, but delivers big time. It is a perfect plug for active listening, reflection and learning. You can pick and start with any chapter and pace your reading. Serious readers are welcome to check the books referred in the chapters and just for records lengthen their ‘to-read’ list. It is at times interesting for a reader, to see if you can reflect and distil some other learning from the same incident.

Most of the book, in many ways, ends up celebrating the famed glorious years of advertising. Some of us have been fortunate to be in the industry when the relationship was of partners in Brand building and not a vendor. They had conviction in their team and efforts. The fee was enough to hire and retain talents. The teams were willing to back their work and understanding, instead of trying to read the clients mind. They were willing to learn from the client. The loyalties were first to the Brand, Agency and then the client. Ambi has been able to capture them well. Most of them are the goody-goodly-good type of episodes. I fear the gentleman Ambi is; he will never share the juicy bits.

The book had me nodding in agreement at a lot of places. One of them is there on page 27. I quote. “I think if we see more and more ex-service people in the Indian start-up and corporate world we might see some new churning of concepts and strategies. …Getting them into operational positions can provide Indian corporates with a great new window into how to work and how to get work done”.

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SPONGE- Leadership Lessons I learnt From My Clients. Ambi Parameswaran. Westlandbooks. INR 350. Pages 180

Blog/50/book/4/2018

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I saw the Akshay Kumar traffic cop communication ‘‘Kyunki Sadak Kisi Ke Baap Ki Nahi hoti.’ on road safety. The traffic cop with ironed spotless dress, nice newly painted road signs and the road where you could land a chopper.

I laughed at another ‘Tide’ advertisement and started thinking, where can I find such roads? Ok, more about it later.

It is a rare advertisement. An advertisement that is executed by a government department that makes you smile. It is simple and focussed.  This campaign by ‘Ministry of Road Transport and Highways’ featuring Akshay Kumar is sharply focussed on stopping people from breaking traffic rules.

However, It Seems Another Effort In Creative Satisfaction And Ticking The Box.

It is Road Safety Week, and we have managed to release a smart, focused ‘road safety communication’ that the masses like. Job well done.

The storyline is simple. Akshay Kumar plays a traffic cop. He catches people breaking traffic rules. Once he does that, he starts talking about their father and how well they have contributed to the nation or how well he knew them. When the person is confused on what is going on, Akshay points to the road sign and is surprised that the person on whom the road is named is not the father of the driver.

A simple question gets asked.   ‘Sadak tere baap ke nahi hai?’. When the road does not belong to your father, why break the rule.   The series talks of No-entry zone, talking on mobile and non-use of the helmet.

Earlier communication efforts by the ministry had Minister Nitin Gadkari providing a data-based foundation to the road safety initiative. Now we have a strong creative expression, and hopefully, the government will support it with sufficient media exposure.

Expect No Change

Even then, I can bet, there will be no positive change in behaviour. We are like that only. We follow the rules because of fear, not logic. Remember the Ogilvy created Transgender Seat-Belt crew communication. It won many awards. It’s different that we don’t know what it has contributed to the cause. There has been no ground level visible change. Not that we expected it.

This traffic cop act of Akshay may remain a campaign that is appreciated because of its humour and the star cast. The government need to support it with visible dedicated rule enforcement on the ground. It may include licence cancellation, high monetary penalty or possible legal action.  It will be interesting if the government (as other clients) share the campaign goal beyond awareness and provide a measurement index for the same. Otherwise,   waste of my tax money is no laughing matter.

I know it is asking for too much. There is corruption in the police force. There is a lack of moral compulsion in public. There is a complete lack of implementing policy directives. Otherwise how come people keep driving without seatbelts and helmets?

It will only happen with a dedicated effort not only by the police but also the citizen. We need to stop waking up on Road Safety Weeks and ticking the boxes. There is a need to look beyond. SAAM DAAM DAND BHEDH. (Logic, price/value, penalty and differentiation) All must operate in sync to make the change. Maybe the passenger or the surrounding ecosystem is the lever that needs to work, to be the navigator and rein the rider blatantly breaking the rules?

Focus On One Habit At A Time.

Remember, in Mumbai, the drunk-driving campaign has worked in the past. There is a visible change in the number of cases and people behaviour. Remember how Swachh Bharat has changed the look and feel of some of the cities and railway platforms. It has to be a 360 degree (I am not too fond of this word- but use it for impact) – inclusive communication.

Focussing on one habit at a time may be right. Say, go after not-wearing the habit or speaking on mobile while driving. There is no reason to confuse the audience. Here the net takeout is light-hearted ‘Sadak kyat ere baap ki hai’, and the central message is lost.  It is a very North-India statement. I am sure that are similar statements in various languages.

Still, now that we have invested in this communication. What fun will be for the traffic cops to start the conversation with ‘Sadak kyat ere baap ki hai’.

More Is Needed Than Just Akshay As A Cop.

Remember that ‘Road safety is more about highway ( read any road) engineering and vehicle architecture than mere over-speeding and drunken driving.’   I agree with Praveen Chandra  Shetty (motor insurance surveyors and loss accessor) from Mangalore who is on a 2 month trip across India understanding the road safety status. ,

Road deaths are not caused only be people breaking the rules.  Every effort is a waste unless there is a marked improvement of infrastructure. The roads are worth driving. Malishka does not have to sing another Khadiyat song.  There are traffic lights where they must be, and they operate in sync with the speed limits. The road breakers break the ride, not the rider. The driving license is given after adequate evaluation of driver capability to drive not bribe.

Otherwise, in no time, the drivers will react differently to the question and tell the Government, ‘Nahi, aisee sadak mera baap kabhi nahi banata.‘

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Here are the other two ads in the AKSHAY- SADAK TERE BAAP KI series.

BLOG/52/2018

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Sometimes you see advertising touches your heart, many times, it has to work really hard to stir an emotion and mostly there is nothing new in it. Here are three examples doing just that.

The Kerala floods have been a nightmare and a warning in many ways. As the water recedes and rebuilding starts, it’s time for each one of us to collectively support and help Kerala. #DibbaLautaao is a simple communication from Zee to do whatever’s possible.

I love it for its simplicity. It beautifully uses the tradition of filing a container before returning it to the owner.  Moreover, it leverages a powerful regional connect connection of banana chips.

Here the thought ‘Extraordinary Together’ is a perfect match but somehow think that it could have been better if the last frame of ZEE social branding was not there on your face.

The Three-way Three-Day Weekend.

It was bound to happen. The opportunity was always there. Metro citizens and corporate workers are taking more number of shorter breaks with friends. The idea of extending the weekend to three-four days by taking leave is a regular practice.

An extra day can add so much fun to the weekend, more so if the ‘d’ is naughty silent in ‘Let’s have a Three-day’ is a bit interestingly naughty advertising. It’s all in the audience mind what the three friends are referring to. Anything is possible between consenting adults. ‘Hotel Tonight’ is not responsible for the possibilities. The app is more known for last-minute hotel bookings. Unfortunately, it currently does not cover hotels in India but promises that they are getting there.

Milton Kuch Naya Soochte Hain

Milton has been a household name in India as a brand of household products from bottles, Tiffin, and plug-heat-tiffin. A few of their products are really innovative. I remember the plug-and-heat tiffin, oil-separating pickle jar, insulated plastic tiffin and easy-to-close airtight containers.

I frankly expect a lot more from the brand Milton.  ‘Kahan Ka Piya’ is seriously a disappointment in advertising terms. Is this a representation of ‘Kuch Naya Sochte Hain’?

Travel and the flask is an active link. Experience and travel too are strongly linked. Then there is the capability of the thermosteel flask to retain the temperature of the fluid up to 24 hours. Layer that with the saying ‘Ghat Ghat Ka Paani Piya’ referring to have travelled and experienced a lot. However, the end result ‘Kahan Ka Piya’ is neither refreshing nor Nai Sooch.

It is a montage of travel shots, supported by uninspiring melodious lyrics and music. This music reminds one of MP Tourism advertisement!  There are frequent shots of the thermosteel flask in use. Must appreciate someone laboriously trying to integrate it with a story seamlessly. A story that simply does not exist. Milton, Kuch Naya Soocho.

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Blog/53/2018

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SECTION 377 is out of contention. A brigade championing the cause has finally found a verdict it was wanting. LGBT community has a sense of relief.

The battle begins now.

A lot more need to be done within the legal system. There is a need for sensitising police, public, Romeo brigade and the religious groups full of ill-founded definitions. Then there is the issue of same-sex marriage, acceptance and inclusiveness in housing societies and employment, new definition of relationships and adoption to name a few.

We have recently witnessed an onslaught of rainbows and pride in social media. Was that a case of spontaneous expression? Alternatively, should we read a lot more into it?

Everyone has used the permit to celebrate and mark his or her presence. Many of them are misplaced social activist pushed to celebrate the Supreme Court decision. Many have been happy stamping a token sense of approval.

Vh1, Flipkart, Indigo, CCD, Durex, Ola, Pringle, Duroflex, Dinshaws, Mother dairy, twitter, Amul and Swiggy are some of the brands going multi-coloured in their calculated overtones.

SECTION 377 – The real situation is very different.

What do the masses think of it? How acceptable is it to the new generation? What about the older generation that looks at it differently?

Not many are comfortable with this open sense of legalisation. Many fear the winds of change. Most of them are uncomfortable with the thought of what if? What if, their son or daughter came out in the open with their skew of choices?

The truth remains that social pressure and the so-called family respect have forced many couples to live a life of masked heterosexuality. It is foolhardy to think; it is going to change soon.

One thing is sure. No one will be able to object to such communication to ASCI. Chapter – III of the ASCI states that no advertisement shall be permitted that derides any race, caste, colour, creed, gender or nationality, it now gets a broader scope. Press council has a stated stance of avoiding references to caste, gender or sexual orientation and not to reinforce stereotypes about sexual minorities including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT).

THERE IS ALWAYS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INTENT AND REALITY.

There is a provision that the Supreme Court can review its judgment, this decimalisation and removal of SECTION 377 is itself an example. But, we don’t expect another reversal in future, at least on this subject.

It is not that Indian brands had not breached the barrier. Some of them have skillfully  walked the thin line when it existed as a legal constraint.

Myntra (Bold is beautiful), Anouk ( The Visit), Vicks (adoption), Urban Clap, Red Lotus (Mazhavil meaning Rainbow sarees), e-bay (#Thingsdontjudge),  Virgin Mobile (#ThinkHatke), Red Label (Hum Hai Happy), and Fastrack (come out of closet) are some of the most reported and quoted brands depicting a same-sex relationship. The Indian film always had a slapstick caricature of LGBT community. Maybe it will also change.

These brands due to their expression were seen as progressive. They were, before time. Many eyebrows were raised when such communication hit the screen. However, times are changing at a faster pace, and there is a higher degree of acceptance of what was earlier called a deviant behaviour.

Are the brands willing to walk the road? Will they be opportunistic and try to leverage it? Alternatively, will the brands remain conscious and cautious of the over-riding sentiment and not risk taking a stance.

The question remains, after SECTION 377- which brand will be off the block?

Which brand will take it seriously and endorse the new expression? Which brand will succumb to the lure of trying to leverage the opportunity under the garb of social relevant? Who will be willing to risk alienating a large segment, which thinks otherwise?

As per Government statistics, 2.5 Million was the reported Gay population in 2012. However, we know the figure is a misrepresented considering the entire LGBT community- closeted and open.

Many hope the brand custodians will not raise the dreaded question. It is not going to be an easy question to answer in Indian markets.

Blog/56/2018

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The much-awaited BiggBoss12 is now on and facing the audience test. ColorsTV has always been high on experimentation with concepts, props and tasks. The host Salman Khan on the opening night did what he does best, enhancing audience engagement, involvement and entertainment. I hope that Bigg Boss12 is going to be a lot more entertaining.

BIGGBOSS12

THE EXTENDED FRANCHISE OF BIGGBOSS.

Bigg Boss post its inaugural night on November 3, 2006, has come a long way. The franchise now extends to Kannada, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Malayalam. I see the show as classic glasshouse experimentation in human behaviour and endurance.

It’s a magic pot with unpredictability in its core. It is like an extended amoebic family that keeps changing its definition and membership. Members that throw an open challenge on the face and keep scheming behind your back. The contestants are completely devoted to achieving their ultimate objective. A will-do-anything for avoiding nomination or getting the captainship that comes with immunity and powers.  The constant chatter and natural bitching, fight. There is an irreversible irrevocable omnipresent loop of fight-makeup-friendship-offence-defence-fight. There are minor variations and lot more than what’s going in the mind of loyal viewers. Romance and dictatorial democracy. Moreover, tasks are testing the contestant’s mental and physical capabilities.

BIGGBOSS12 HIT MOVE.

The channel has acceded to the unified audience demand of early telecast timing. The 9 pm slot is going to add to audience interest and resultant viewership. However, the channel may be forced to drop some real spicy incidents and beep some words.  For watching the uncut you have Voot.

Humans gyrate towards like-minded others. In the pressure cooker called the Bigg Boss house, Jodi and at times even Tikri (threesome) has been on display in earlier seasons. So, Jodi or ‘Vichitra Jodi’ as the channel brands it, is a natural extension.

BIGGBOSS12 MISSES A TRICK.

One noticeable miss was the representation of LGBT representative among the contestants after the Section 377 being decriminalised.  Calling them Vichitra Jodi would have been so politically incorrect. Not sure how it could have been handled.

BIGGBOSS12 BLIP.

The not-so-humorous treatment doled out to Anup Jalota and Jasleen was not in good taste. It’s also okay for people to say that once you sign for Bigg Boss, you are a mere contestant and should be expecting this treatment.

It’s okay for the contestant to raise the issue inside the house, which they have already done. However, the Bigg Boss stage with Salman Khan should have remained neutral to the vichitrata of the age gap.

The other miss was the omnipresent never smiling Jallad. He is a brand in himself with a fan following. Hope we see him during the first weekend in his new avatar.

THE RELEVANT QUESTIONS AT BIGGBOSS12.

Who will join Rahul Roy, Ashutosh Kaushik, Vindu Dara Singh, Shweta Tiwari, Juhi Parmar, Urvashi Dholakia, Gauahar Khan, Prince Narula, Manveer Gujjar and Shilpa Shinde as the next BiggBoss Winner?

Will Bigg Boss 12 break the earlier season records in popularity? The stage is all set. The spread of the contestant is bubbling with energy and ideas. The contestants are smart and determined with their strong views and idiosyncrasies. A bit more of celebrity content would have always helped. I believe this season is going to be a lot more entertaining and will gain from the 9 pm slot.

THE EARLY PREDICTION IN BIGGBOSS12.

Many may wish for him to win, but I don’t see S Sreesanth ever surviving long. Urvashi Vani will have not much to play but a lot to play for in the show. The Fake Vs. Real people drama started on Day One will have many more takers and episodes in time to come.

I will be surprised if Shivashish – Saurabh, Roshmi – Mital, Sabha – Somi and Anup Jalota – Jasleen, Karanveer Bohra or Srishty Rode were to win. Jodies will not find it easy in the show, as expected by the public and the contestants themselves; Biggboss will play them against each other. However, Romil Choudhary – Nirmal Singh and Surbhi – Kirti seem to be two strong Jodies in the show.

Deepak Thakur, Dipika Kakar and Neha Pendse could be that surprise package. However, I have the right to change my mind at any phase of the show. Yeah to abhi trailer hai, picture abhi bahut baki hai mere dost.

MY COMMITMENT AND DREAM.

Out of some 1039 hours of the original telecast of the Hindi version, I would have watched at least 1000 hours, that’s like 41 days of viewing. The most extended version has been Season 8 of 133 days with 29 contestants.

As of Season 11, approximately 185 contestants have been part of Bigg Boss spending more than 24 hours in the house, excluding the star guests.

I have been to the audition in Season 10 and regret not making it to the final. I blame it on my uninspiring, noncontroversial, unexciting and harmless life story. However, dreams do not die early. Anup Jalota has made it to the show with Jasleen, and so there is still hope for me. Give me at least 72 hours to test myself in that environment.

Till then I will manage with my yearly pilgrimage to the sets of Bigg Boss at Lonavala.

MISSED BIGGBOSS12 EPISODE. GET ON VOOT.

Last night, I thought I could catch the show on Voot as my flight from Nagpur was at 2155 hrs. However, Voot does not carry live. When I checked it at 2340 Hrs on the way to home from the airport, I realised episodes are not loaded immediately after the telecast. Maybe this is something channel may want to reconsider.

BLOG/57/2018

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IAA LAUNCHES ‘THE GUTENBERG GALAXY’

“The Gutenberg – A Book on Case Studies in Print Advertising”  launched by IAA India Chapter aims to make a point. It has 24 print-centric case studies and 14 interesting articles.

I appreciate the effort and the intent behind it.  I am biased as I failed to launch a similar initiative when I was with  Dainik Bhaskar.  Though the group did work on an initiative like  MOSAIC– a collection of best of Print in India’ for few editions.

I know the problems such projects face. The quality filters one start with, slowly become constraining. Political neutrality and egos come into consideration. The concept gets tweaked, and plans were redrawn to accommodate new thinking. However, one can’t fault the intent.

PRINT HAS BEEN WRITTEN OFF MANY TIMES.

The book “The Gutenberg Galaxy’ focuses on the print media. Many young marketers and myopic media planners enamoured with screens of different sizes have prematurely written off and buried it many times. It not only survives but also thrives with growth in circulation and readership.

Fortunately, in the media, life is never binary. It’s never an either-or situation.  Traditional media along with new media will continue to grow for a long time. The technology change spurring the growth in digital will also affect the traditional media not necessarily in a negative way.

Print media has enough power to deliver beyond expectations. What it lacks is the existence of enough willing minds to see it from a new perspective. It needs collective thinking. If media agencies and the marketers involve print owners and custodians in the creative process, they will have brilliant results to show. Trust the media owners are waiting for such opportunities.

STOP CREATING COLLECTOR ITEMS

‘The Gutenberg Galaxy’ is wrongly tagged as a collector’s item, a  coffee table book! Maybe, if it was conceptualised as a reference book, the format and perhaps the content would have been curated differently. However, I am not complaining.

Print suffers from a collective apathy of creative teams. It stopped being glamorous, exciting and buzzy. When the slide started, media owners failed to recognise the enormity of the situation. They refused to see it as their problem.

Today, the print industry stares at an exploding negative spiral triggered by ineffective print advertising.  It inevitably has been downgraded to sales, discount and offers. No one sees the potential and it possibly contributing to the brand building process.

Print industry needs to come together and collaborate. They need to see the future, not as my brand vs other brands but print as a media. The noticeable absence of large turnout of print media owners and professionals at the launch of Gutenberg Galaxy demonstrates it.

Does ‘The Gutenberg Galaxy’ represent the ultimate?

‘The Gutenberg Galaxy’ does not represent the best of print. There is some serious flaw in the process of collecting, curating and selecting of the featured case.

Each of the 14 articles by media, marketing and creative dons are interesting and appealing. They are what the audience seek, strong personal views. However, something is missing. Maybe I have far higher expectations from authored articles in a collector’s item.

Article after article you get to read familiar thoughts. There are no surprises. The immediacy factor, focussed localised readership, high topical value, minimalism, smacking content, leverage print, the best medium for the call for action and content integration. Growing circulation on the back of increasing literacy.

Print media was trustworthy, believable and credible. Its identity has eroded in recent times. It is in the best interest of media owners to collectively address the issue, or there will be nothing left to fight for.

OVERDEPENDENCE ON ADVERTISING

The over-dependence on advertising with stagnant cover price is an issue. It gets amplified when the reader fails to find rich engaging exclusive content. Newspapers today are too many pages of not-so-relevant articles, biased news items, and skewed thinking. It adds to an unnatural pressure on the sales team and decreases the publication capability to say ‘No’ to unreasonable demands from advertisers and agencies.

Moreover, the print industry has been sticking to the old approach to space selling. The print owners have been least innovative in pricing strategies. They still expect an annual rate hike in a scenario where the marketers perceive decreasing effectiveness and returns for their investment. They have built around themselves the complex, confusing grid of non-transparent revenue models and differential pricing. Maybe they should seriously pay attention to what Sam Balsara wrote in his article published in the book (also carried on MxMIndia on September 24).

Observations on ‘The Gutenberg Galaxy’.

To showcase the brilliant use of print, it needs to be a lot more ruthless in the filters it uses to select the content.

It is interesting to note the range of brand featured in the case studies. Agriculture: Mahindra Agri. Automobile: Tata Motors featured thrice with Nexon, Zest and Tiago. Banking: BOB, IDBI and SBI. Clothing: S.O.I.E and  Fuel. Confectionary: Mondelez. CSR:  Greenpeace Durables. Ion Exchange. Education: NPAT. FMCG: HUL featured thrice: Comfort, Dove and Rin. Media:- Two examples of ‘Star Sports’ with a very similar approach and Times Group Mobile: Huawei. Paints: Asian Paints. Real Estate: Kanakia. Others: Technical drying Services and Western Railways.

More interesting is the list of participating agencies. Congratulations to Cornerstone Communication, Deadline Advertising, FCB Ulka (two examples), Goldmine Advertising, Inter Publicity (two examples), Madison, McCann Worldgroup, Mindshare (five cases), Motivator, Ratan Batra, Ronak & Thinkers, Sai Advertising, Taproot, Starcom and Ventures Advertising.  I don’t think I have to stress the point.

The articles by Ajay Kakar, Amar Jaleel,  Anupriya Acharya, Ashish Bhasin, Chandra P Dhobal, Lakshmi Narasimhan, Karthi Marshan, Nandini Dias, Ravindra Pai, Shashi Sinha, Santosh Padhy, S Narshiman and  Vikram Sakhuja are interesting. They appear in the same alphabetical order (interspersed with cases) in the book.

There is no link between the articles and the cases. It affects the experience.  However, what I miss most is lack of articles by an important stakeholder in the print ecosystem: the clients.

The future of ‘The Gutenberg Galaxy’.

The next edition is planned for 2020.

I hope it will be far richer, invasive and inclusive with global cases too. I hope it becomes Industry reference. For that to happen, the team must rethink format, content and distribution. The project team must be ruthlessly quality conscious in what finally makes to the next edition.

The real success is when the marketers ask their agencies, why their work failed to make to ‘The Gutenberg Galaxy’. Otherwise, we all know, what happens of coffee table books.

BLOG/58/2018

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Juggernaut, Digital Book Reading Vs. The Real Experience. 

ReDiscover Yourself- Workshop at Cottage Nirvana. 31 Aug – 3 Sep 2018

It is still taking me time. I am slowly getting there with help from Juggernaut. The Kindle-wielding population may not see what is exciting about this. It is just another app.

I never liked reading books digitally. Somehow I miss the feeling that comes with holding a book on hand. There is something unreal about the experience.

I love flipping through the pages. I take notes on the margins. I freely underline statements and even complete paragraphs I wish to read again. The smell of fresh sheets is intoxicating. And there is a different kind of pleasure when you doze off with an open book on your chest. Reason enough to delay my introduction to digital books.

I hate the idea of a library on the device. I fear I will end up not reading any. I will be confused and spoilt for choice. I can start any book whenever I want. On top of it, I will carry one more device. It was a definite no-no.

My failed experiment and experience.

I downloaded Kindle for Mac. It remained another program in the background. I filled it with books I planned to read. There were always other critical jobs prioritised on the Mac. It was a bad experiment. I was anyway not comfortable reading more than a few pages on the screen. However, I was not going to give up without first-hand experience.

Then Juggernaut happened to me.

I was searching for a publisher for my novel ‘Chimera of Lansdowne’. Someone suggested I should check out Juggernaut. The deal did not work out, but somewhere I ended up downloading the app.

It is like many other book-reading apps. You build your bookshelf, pick-choose and buy from their ever-growing collection of books. The books are available offline and online for reading. The books are reasonably priced. Some of them are even available for free. Many books allow you to read a few sample chapters before you decide to buy them.

Juggernaut, yet another book-reading app!

All is good. Still, my first reaction was no different. Just another app!

The experience was positive and promising. The big question was, will it be able to make me shift to digital book-reading?

I have read many books on Juggernaut.

‘The Crazy untold story of Bollywood’s bad boy- Sanjay Dutt’ by Yaseer Usman was interesting enough. So, I ended up also reading ‘Rekha the untold story’. It was in Juggernaut that I read ‘A century is not enough’ by Saurav Ganguly and  ‘Goodman to Tycoon- the untold story of Baba Ramdev’ by Priyanka Pathak Narain before it got banned. Recently, I completed ‘Half the night is gone’ by Amitabha Bagchi ( will be reviewed separately) and ‘Murder at the temple’ by Madhumita Bhattacharya.   It seems I am getting there.

‘The Mahabharata Murders’ by Arnab Ray and ‘Pyjamas are forgiving’ by Twinkle Khanna is downloaded for the next flight.

Juggernaut the Serialised Novel experiment.

I was introduced to the concept of a serialised novel in Juggernaut with ‘Hush a bye baby’ by Deepanjana Pal ( Liked it and will not be reviewing separately). One chapter released at a time.  They were short and crisp. I could read them in no time. It had a lovely narrative with a strong storyline.  It kept you guessing. You were hooked in a different experience.  I knew I was going to fall in love with it.

Content is finally the king-queen-joker and the whole pack. Serialising exciting content can help inculcate reading habit in the new generation.

Think about it. What if, Harry Potter released one chapter on a day?

If you failed to read it on time, the chapters would magically disappear from your screen, forever. No, there is nothing like that at Juggernaut.

The Budding Writers Nursery in Juggernaut.

The best part in Juggernaut is the writer’s section. Here the authors share their creative expressions, be it a novel, story or even poems. Most of these are available for free to the registered users.

I find it exciting. Everyone has some story to share.

I fell in love with short stories. My Juggernaut experience is exceptional. They are short stories by not-so-well-known or emerging authors across a broad spectrum of subjects, situations and genres. Wow, you have to read them to experience it.

I download these stories for an offline experience. I read them whenever I want. They are short enough, and it does not take long to finish them. Best part, there is no ‘what next’ question.

Most of them are fairly decent.  Few worth mentioning are ‘The leopard of Bageshwar’ by Arun Fulara, ‘Ratified Murder’ by Cuni Popi,  ‘I don’t need any shoes’ by Saurav Somani, ‘The killer in the room’ by Stuti Changle, ‘One night in Mumbai’ by Indira Bisht,  and  ‘The window seat’ by Anita Chatterjee.

The best of the lot and I recommend reading them were  ‘The Blouse’ by Perumal Murugan (The plot sounded similar to something I read a long time back- but so what), ‘Kannagi’s Anklets’ by Anita Sivakumaran, and  ‘Arun Mathur Hindu Nahi Hai’ by Chirag Tulsiani.

No, you don’t get it right every time. Few stories leave you with undernourished reading experience. However, you should appreciate these works by new authors. ‘The remains from Last year’, and  ‘The Seer’  by Shinoj Dings. ‘My boss got fired’ by Ritesh, ‘My Lyfe Misspelt’ by Ranjani Rangarajan, ‘The boys I forgot to kiss’ by Dipu, and ‘The case of Universal prisoner of war ‘ by Roopal Kewalya.

Distraction Galore At Juggernaut.

There are enough distractions at Juggernaut. Under the genre erotica, there are stories and chapters best read alone. I ended up checking out Sunny Leone franchise as an author. I read ‘Dancer’, ‘7E’ and a few others. They are not worth the charge. I was expecting a lot more.

In the same genre I read ‘An erotic massage’ by Rati Banerjee, ‘The Hot Housewives’ by Malini White, ‘The ultimate fantasy’ and ‘My Friend’s hot mom’ by Khushbu, ‘Cuffed by the cop’ by Shevlin Sebastian, ‘Swipe right for the boss’ by Sanjana Chowhan, ‘Boss is always right’, and few other excellent erotica short stories. They are fun to read one at a time.

Now with SEC 377 gone, stories in this arena will most likely get a new flavour.

My JUGGERNAUT, My RULES.

So, I am hooked to Juggernaut. However, I use the app under an SOP that helps me. I read books on the First-in-first-out basis. I do not read more than one book at a time. Simple, I don’t think I can parallel-process storylines. I try keeping the number of unread books on the app under three.  Till now I have read more than 35 books on Juggernaut within a short span of time. The only issue, these are mostly non-serious reading.

Blog/59/book 5-30/2018

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Suddenly the unwelcome realisation has hit us. Social media is flooded with it. Don’t think that the malice of sexual harassment is beyond our belief. We just never spoken about it. #MeToo is gaining ground in India is an understatement. There is no surprise at the depth and width of this malice. Look at the list of predators. Judges, Comedians, Stars, People with clean Sanskari image, Directors, Authors, Reputed influencers, Editors, Agency owners, Brand Managers, Event organisers and colleagues across the professions.

Saying Sorry Won’t do. 

‘We are Sorry’, ‘We failed to address it’ are stupid shields of excuse. Let, the corporates know that this is the time for them to come out in the open. Let them accept and acknowledge cases where inaction and silence have overtly or covertly encouraged such behaviour and discouraged the victim. There must be transparency.  The public will no longer accept a late waking up of any corporate however big or small with apologies after they are exposed. #MeTooGuiltyOfSilence

Think of women in the work environment. For long she has been forced to accept there is no escape. She must be one of the men. She must bear jokes and conversations with sexual overtones. Many of them created a shield of known people around themselves. Many find ways to stay away from such situations. Most in such a situation give up in one of the two ways. Some choose to leave the job, some succumb to the lure and demands of their ambition. Few ever fight.

It’s constraining, but it is a way to survive. Rarely are complaints raised. And hardly many find the right ears. Inaction and silence are seen as a covert approval of actions and encouragement.

Every Act Is Not Harassment.

It is not that every act can and should be seen as sexual harassment. I personally think that some of the situations reported are trivialising the issue.  It is definitely sexual harassment if an objection is raised, feeling of discomfort is communicated or felt, if the predator fails to understand what does ‘No’ means and the action continues. Sexual harassment is not only physical. It can be verbal abuse or plain intimidation.

#meTooGuiltyOfSilence

Stop Blaming The Victim and ensure no one is falsely accused.

There was always a  ‘chalta hai’, ‘kuch Kiya toh Nahi na’, it happens attitude. Everyone sees the women’s fault.  There are enough experts in the game of sexual harassment who will tell her what would/could/should have instigated and encouraged the man. There is blatant victimisation of the already suffering woman. victim. It ensures rarely someone finds the courage to report it to the relevant person in the organisation, forget about filing an FIR with the police.

The predator roams free. He gets an additional chip on his shoulder and confidence to mark the next victim.

People in the surrounding ecosystem fail to raise their voice and questions the behaviour. In such a situation, is it right to expect the victim to have the courage to raise an alarm?

Still, we must give benefit of the doubt to all the women who are sharing their experience. More so, when they have taken a big step in no longer remaining anonymous and also named the person.  However, before the media trial that can ruin someone’s career, family and life, give everyone a chance to respond.

You Must Be Blind And Deaf Not To Seen or Heard a #MeToo incident.

We did not need #MeToo to know how common sexual harassment is in the workplace. Naturally, there are far too many of us who never acted or rised voice. Our inaction and silience further encouraged such behaviour.  Sexual harassment like any other act of oppression feeds on such inaction, silence and fear.

It may seem I am speaking of men only. The women in the ecosystem are equally guilty of this silence and inaction.

Are You Man Enough To Say #MeTooGuiltyOfsilence Or #MeTooGuiltyOfInAction.

Do you have the guts to acknowledge when you were wrong? In case you have consciously and unconsciously, knowingly or unknowingly supported or indulged in what could be considered now a sexually inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, then you are  #MeTooGuiltyOfSilence or #MeTooGuiltyOfInAction

In case you can cross your heart and with all honesty seriously and sincerely believe and conclude that you have never been a part of sexual harassment, exploitation or indirect encouragement of it. #NotMe are the brave ones who you have never even closed their eyes and walked away from the scene because of inherent threat,

Every man knows,  what is an inappropriate behaviour and what makes women uncomfortable. Most of them have knowingly or unknowingly contributed to creating an environment that accepts and encourages such inappropriate behaviour.

Lookback at your life and evaluate you actions and inactions. Then say  #MeTooGuiltyOfSilence or #MeTooGuiltyOfInAction or #NotMe 

Have you ever been part of an act that could be termed sexual harassment or could have made women uncomfortable? Have you shared explicit jokes in the presence of women?  It does not matter, what your intent was. It did not matter if they were not crossing the line.  Have you never glanced at cleavages and other body parts of women? Have you never comment on colleagues dress sense and body type in sexist tone? Have you suggested/commented on women character without any evidence?

have you remained silent knowing someone was being harassed? Have you suggested/hinted/recommended sexual favours as an offer/solution to any issue/problem? Have used position and power to feel, kiss, brush, press, caress, touch, dance or hold women against her wishes in those warmly hugs? Encouraged the women team members to break a hard client deal, knowing that it was more than just the talent that was being used?

Be honest in your thinking and intent. Share #MeTooGuiltyOfSilence or #MeTooGuiltyOfInAction or #NotMe after evaluating your behaviour.

BLOG/60/243

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Are there books caged in your bookshelves. Are there books that you will never read or refer again? I fail to understand why book lovers cage books when they can UNCAGE BOOKS so that others could also enjoy reading pleasure.

By keeping books displayed like trophies in graveyards called bookshelves, we do not do justice to their potential.

Many professionals like doctors and lawyers are in perpetual learning mode. They have books that they need to refer with high frequency. New theories, processes and continued learning necessitate the need for recent publications. Keeping such books of regular use is absolutely essential.

WHY CAGE BOOKS WHEN YOU CAN SHARE THEM?

I urge you to UNCAGE BOOKS you no longer need. I am doing so this week.

Give them to people who want to read them. They could be your friends, relatives, neighbours or even juniors. Or some library will take them.

Extend the life of these books. Help them realise their real potential. I am asking you to share and surrender not resell. Let the person who wants it to pick it up from you. You could be extra generous. You could send it using the Indian Postal department services. They have encouraging rates for printed material including books and periodicals.

Go ahead personalise this sharing with a message. Ask the recipient to be a part of this chain. Ask them to un-cage the books they no longer need. And if nothing else, after reading, UNCAGE THE BOOK they received from you.

Maybe you will inspire them to keep the BOOKS BURIAL GROUND least populated.

Then go ahead and buy more books to read. Fill that haunting empty space in your bookshelves. Or ask friends if they want to un-cage their books.

UNCAGE BOOKS- MY FOURTH YEAR.  

In the first year, the sheer act of picking the books to UNCAGE was emotionally draining. These were the books that I had enjoyed reading and displayed as my collection. They are the reflection of my choice and preference. Some of the books actually moved stations with me.

The second year was more comfortable. And now, it is a lot more satisfying. I look forward to this time of the year. As an annual ritual UNCAGE BOOKS.

Till now I have UNCAGED 220 books in the last three years. This year another 22 books are being UnCaged. This is in addition to some two years of National geographic and Traveller, which has already found a new home with a friend of mine.

I agree the toughest part is selecting the books you want to UNCAGE. I encourage you to keep the books you think you will refer, are your treasure of knowledge or have some emotional value attached to them. They have a utility. They are not dead.

Rest is easy.

I use social media to the advantage. I am like every other year posting pictures of 22 books I am uncaging this year. It’s on Facebook, Instagram and my blog. My experience shows that it takes not more than a day or two to be claimed by new readers. I even send then by Indian Post to readers who request them from outstation. So send me your choice and address in the comment box or send me a tweet on my tweet handle S_kotnala. I UNCAGE books of first-come-first-served basis.

Someone picks it for the office library, few picks for own reading. Trust me out there are readers with a vast appetite for reading across genre. I found readers even for books by Chetan Bhagat and Sobha De.

Sometimes, I have left books tucked in nicely in the seat pockets of aircraft. I leave the book with a cheeky note for the next passenger who may find it.

Come to think of it. You could be starting a chain reaction. A movement that is worthy of being a part of.

Move on, share the books, un-cage them from their graveyard.

UNCAGE BOOKS- A SILLY BUT PRACTICAL IDEA.

What if IAA India Chapter of the Advertising Club of India, participates and encourages this sharing of knowledge. All they have to do is to make a table available at the next event, where people can bring the books they want to UnCage and leave it there. They can also pick any of the books already deposited others. Simple but sounds silly. And every corporate can do with such an in-house event. Any help you need to kick-start it- let me know.

BLOG/62/2018

Simultaneously published in MXMINDIA.com under Kot Martial 

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It took me time to pick ‘Catalyst: The Ultimate Strategies on How To Win At Work And In Life’ by Chandramouli Venkatesan. Reading it, I realised, I cover a lot of it in two of my workshops ‘Brand-I’ and ‘Re-Discover Yourself’, but from a different perspective.

On the other side, I have that sinking feeling that if I had access to such a book in the first half of my career, I could have avoided the mistakes I made.

CATALYST is no corporate Gyan.

It is a transparently synthesised AAPBEETHI (self-experience) by Chandramouli. He candidly shares his life learning’s and pleasingly never projects them as Gospel truths or well-researched truism. Catalyst makes a lot of sense.

Eight take-outs from CATALYST I personally endorse.

• Experience cannot be equated to time spent.
• Need for a learning approach in life.
• Keep moving forward with the learning’s that should help you improve your decision-making algorithm.
• Keep questioning- how could I have done this better?
• Maximise the learning cycles. Work within your area of control and influence.
• Invest in the first half of the career to get the depth of experience.
• Do not mix quitting and joining decisions in your career.
• And the biggest one that will help you a lot ‘Win where it matters’.

CATALYST

I am with him when he says: “Great success requires you to drive great change, great change requires you to have great leadership impact and to have great leadership impact, you need to have great values.”  However, this part of the book drags a bit and lacks the convincing punch and delivery of the earlier sections.

The catalyst is a book that is bound to have a differential impact on every reader. The impact it will have on you depends upon your frame-of-mind, receptivity towards new thinking and willingness to absorb what the author shares from his experiences. Moreover, he has managed to capture all of it in a simple language that makes excellent reading.

The catalyst is a book I want you to read.

Here is the most crucial takeout for me. Convert your time spent in any project, action or event into a learning outcome. It will help you to fine-tune the decision-making process, professionally or personally. Keep asking, how you could have done it better. That is what ‘experience’ is all about.

I do not agree with everything in Catalyst.

There is one area where I agree to disagree with him. You will have your own point-of-view on it. He says: “So folks, go out and build interest or develop a hobby that you are passionate about, that gives you a sense of achieving something. Then see how it changes you as a person at work and how much more successful you become; as a result, go for it.”

I agree. This is true for people hungry for achievement they are missing in life. As he later layers it by saying, ‘pick a sport or a hobby – where there is a degree of striving involved? And ask, does it help met your achievement need?’

I propose, you must have a hobby, passion, play a sport or have an act, that allows you to escape the pressure of combative, competitive corporate pressure cooker. Have something that will enable you to immerse so deeply into it that you lose connection with reality. You remain passionately engrossed in it for hours, and when you come back, you are highly recharged and rejuvenated. You will naturally find yourself more at peace with yourself. It will magically change the way you interact and engage with the ecosystem surrounding you.

CATALYST IS A MUST READ.

It is a book that forced me to rejig my list of 10 books I recommend everyone to read. Am sure, it is not going to be UNCAGED from my library for some time.

A side note. I have ordered 10 additional copies of CATALYST. It replaces two other books, ‘Tuesday with Morris’ and ‘Think and Grow rich’ that I usually gift out. For some time, it is going to be the book- I will give away in my workshops.

‘CATALYST: The Ultimate Strategies on How To Win At Work And In Life’ by Chandramouli Venkatesan. Published by Penguin Random House. Pages 189. Rs 299

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There has to some logic behind the magic of multiple false covers in dominant newspapers across the country. Come festival time, and suddenly you have to wade through a barrage of the false front page to reach the real front page with news.

AM I THE ONLY ONE MISSING THE LOGIC OF MULTIPLE FALSE COVER?

There must be some science behind it. Is there a magic formula only known to smart agencies and clients who are willingly splurging on the nth front jacket / false front page.

I ask this with sinking confidence. It is questionable wisdom.

My question is not a result of social media questioning the non-conventional wisdom. I have observed readers interacting with these fattened newspapers. They do notice the first and the last false cover. In between false covers are just flicked. They seem to ignore many such pages jumping to the real news. No media audience is interested in the advertisements. The reader is only interested in the content. Am I missing something? Has the conventional wisdom changed? Are the advertisements the new content?

The brands are using these false front page as a reminder catalogue for the message already amplified in TV and digital media.

A lot goes into selecting the products featured in these vibrant cover catalogues. Self-evolving algorithms and many tetra-byte of AI lead big-data mining decide what to highlight. Major buying agencies consciously punt on it. Reputed brands approve such plans.

Publications now have a new magic wand of false cover/jackets to convince otherwise rational buyers and planners. Maybe brands and agencies are trying to mirror consumer expectations.

Pic – mxmindia.com

MULTIPLE FALSE FRONT PAGES ARE NOT TOO OLD A PHENOMENON.

In the late nineties, the clients hated being on the second front page. They would not even consider a front-page advertisement if there was a false cover. Something changed.

False covers are today a rich cultural tradition among brands. Clients believe in their delivery. They are simple to plan and execute. The print owners are not complaining.

E-commerce, malls, electronics, durable, mobile and real estate dominate false covers. They have access to the best brains in the business.

IS A SIMPLE ANSWER TO EXPLOSION OF FALSE COVERS?

There is a simple answer. Mr Anoop Verma, my mentor voice and an avid print reader explain.

“Kotnala, it is simple. Just like Hallmark cards created days we ritualistically celebrate. Print created Akshay Tritiya and the colour code for Navratri. Multiple false covers are another such creation. Truth is that the print has managed to condition the readers and the advertisers”.

He added “Today, readers expect big sale ads on the front cover. They see the dominance and popularity of the newspaper in the number of false covers it manages to publish during festivals. No Brand managers want to be criticised for missing on such opportunities”.

While I was contemplating on his line of thinking, he simplified it for my understanding. “You must give credit to the printsellers. They have managed to redefine the resistance of not featuring on the second cover to false cover at any cost. It does not matter if is the nth false cover”.

It makes ample sense.

I would like to know if there is another explanation, how brands are measuring the effectiveness and how they agree to feature in the nth false cover?.

The question has bugged me for long, and I do not have a plausible answer.

BLOG/67/2018

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HAPPY DIWALI.

Festival time is advertising time.

There are many region-specific windows of festivities like Bihu, Onam, Durga Puja, Holi, Makar Sankranti, and Kojagiri etc. Alternatively, the same festival celebrated under different regional IPR across regions. However, nothing beats Diwali as the festival of advertising nationally. Brands know festivals are the time to indulge and buy. They go out of their way to facilitate it with sale and discounts.

Diwali is also the time for caring, sharing unity, togetherness and appreciation. Some brands see this as a different opportunity to present a differential thought or Idea. Many of these ideas are stretched or forced implants. They lack a direct functional link or the cause-binding message. Such brands and messages leave no impression. But, there are always a few of them that are worth sharing. Here is my pick from 2018.

The 8 Diwali Films That Caught My eyes.

AADHI AADHI DIWALI. In Indian families, the daughter-in-law gets time to celebrate Diwali with her parents, even while staying in the same city. The new family priorities define her life. AADHI AADHI DIWALI is a playful reminder; marriage is coming together of two families. The parents of daughter-in-law have as much of a right to expect their daughter and son-in-law to celebrate festivals with them as the parents of the husband.

COKE comes to help of working singles. Ayushman Khurana is the young Dilliwaal ladka working somewhere in the south. He complains he is missing Dilliwaali Diwali. The girl living next door (relations beautifully left to the imagination) overhears him. Magic happens. The South Indian family comes together to create Dilliwaali Diwali for the young neighbourly bachelor.

Tata Tiscon (Joy of Building) comes to aid of the lonely elders. It’s not new. It’s a universal phenomenon. The idea is nice but not well executed. It is as forced and weak as the Brand association.

The HP film. One of the best. Here, the kids use HP printer to make posters. These posters pasted all around the society helps the elderly diyawaali aama to sell all her diya. Now she can also have a happy Diwali. The product and its ease of operation are seamlessly woven into the story. It makes you think.

“Anchor Electricals’ MCB for the ‘Naye India ke Badhte Load ke Liye‘ campaign delivers benefit, product superiority and brand trust. All in a humorous take on the situation.

Legrand electrical fittings try building the community of electricians, their last mile of connectivity with the consumer and strong influencers. They go through a template approach demonstrating how the goody good electrician is busy during the festival. Festivities at his home must wait. The good guy, our hero, the electrician is helping to light his customers homes while.

GREENPLYWOOD seeks your help this Diwali. It asks you to think of what the pets go through when you burst crackers. They also share that dogs hear the sound 4X multiplied, and that will be huge. Simple message. The product is in the centre, but there is no forced selling.

The last one to get a mention is Ghadi detergent for the dignity of labour. This time the film addresses the work and contribution of the maid.

NOT IMPRESSIVE ENOUGH.

There is no real magic other than in the HP printer ad. There is some element of curiosity and engagement in the Coke- Dilliwaali Diwali and the AADHI AADHI DIWALI of Schmitten Luxury Chocolates. The Legrand electrician is also a beautiful story. Unfortunately, most of the other brands cut through the creative clutter but miss on the brand relevance and association.

BLOG/68/2018

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CINEMA SELF REGULATION!

Cinema must learn from other media and how self-regulation has helped to keep the Government intervention to a minimum. To a large extent, television, radio and print are self-regulated. Digital too is trying with new matrices, technology, transparency, and consumer freedom. The ‘Gold Standard’ is one such effort.

ASCI on the other side has done a decent job of ensuring truthfulness in messaging.

Self-regulations in media helps streamline consumer experience. It is a proactive behaviour. It is a responsibility of the industry associations. It is for them to ensure self-regulation guidelines exist and evolve with the changing consumer expectations and media engagement patterns.

NO SELF-REGULATION IN CINEMA ADVERTISING.

I am an avid movie watcher. I see a positive change in cinema experience.  Unfortunately, it is more of lounge, ambience, seating, sound and projection system.

The filmmakers are also experimenting with cast and subject. Movies like Badhai Ho, Vicky Donor, Pink, Mary Kom, Padman, Piku are finding audience and success.

The question of self-regulation emerges out of my traumatic experience with the 11 pm Show of ‘Thugs of Hindostan’ at a PVR screen. Not only the film was terrible for which PVR cannot be held responsible, but they contributed to prolonging the agony.

Pic Pexel-nathan-engle

THE AUDIENCE CAN’T COMPLAIN ABOUT EVERYTHING.

Multiplexes have evolved with the changing consumer engagement. However, they don’t control the complete movie experience. The consumers anyway have the option not to avail of the new offerings.

The late night and early morning shows reflect the changing lifestyle. You get the option of multiple titles and a show that matches your timing. The weekday and weekend represent Uber surge pricing. The eatables come only in large sizes.

CINEMA ADVERTISING NEEDS SELF-REGULATION.

The movie I last saw, started at 11 pm. It had some 10 minutes of advertisement followed by National Anthem. This was followed by another set of advertisements and movie trailers. The audience was restless waiting for the movie to start.

01:00 a.m. it is interval time. The audience is comforted with five minutes of blank screen. Time for buying the exorbitant priced eatables and bio-break.

No one is ready for the near barbaric traumatising onslaught of advertisements that is let loose on the captive audience. Advertisements keep rolling in, immune to the audience receptivity. The messages stop making sense.  15-20 minutes of advertising at 01:10 a.m.! That too after the audience has suffered uninspiring first half of ‘Thugs of Hindostan’.

The audience hoot. The voices rise in protest. The audience demonstrates their frustration. Good sense prevails, and the movie is back on screen.

EVERYONE IS A LOSER WITHOUT SELF-REGULATION.

The proposition of Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan sharing the screen time was intoxicating. It was the release of the year coming on the extended Diwali weekend. No brand with cinema in their media plan could afford to miss the opportunity.

Net result. The audience was served an infinite set of ad-films in a movie that was long with least engagement.

• Are the brands getting their return from such advertising?
• Do the brands know how many advertisements are being screened in every show?
• Who is making these advertising buying decisions?
• Do the brand custodians and media planners watch movies?

And why is no one worried about it?

IT’S TIME FOR CINEMA ADVERTISING SELF-REGULATION.

It’s time for a proactive self-regulatory framework. Maybe like television 10+2, we need a 7+5 approach. 7 minutes of advertising before tailors and start of the movie. 5 minutes of advertising during the interval or any guideline that the association decides.

• Define the maximum duration of ad breaks.
• Should the duration of ad break be a function of the length of the movie?
• How should the ad break be split between ‘before the start’ and ‘during interval’?
• Should stitched tailer be counted as an advertisement?
• Should the ad not allowed on TV before 11 AM be permitted with a ‘U’ certificate movie during the daytime?

MAKING UNREASONABLE DEMANDS AND RASING FEW QUESTIONS.  

• Water and packed eatable should be at MRP.
• There must be three sizes ‘small-medium-large’ available for drinks.
• What percentage of space in a lobby should be made available for the activation?
• How many activation representatives should be in a lobby per 100 seats?
• How many activations be allowed to run simultaneously at a multiplex?

TIME FOR CINEMA SELF-REGULATION OR DON’T COMPLAIN LATER.

It’s great that the audience has returned to theatres. They are enjoying the experience. Their option for entertainment is expanding exponentially. Theatre life of a movie is decreasing. The window between theatre release and TV premiere is shortening. Soon we will see simultaneous digital and theatre release. The movie experience at multiplex must be a superlative experience for it to keep pulling the audience. A great experience will help the industry grow. Otherwise, we all can debate the possibilities.

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