Month: January 2011

  • Appeasing consumers

    Last week, I had asked on twitter whether Indiatimes should consider buying/building a GroupOn clone and use its other media platforms to scale the business, especially since its also proxy advertising for their clients. In response, Shahid had wondered what prevented an Airtel from getting into it. The point (simplistically) being that, any platform owner with a ‘captive’ audience could get into the business.

    It made me think about the mobile as a platform, especially considering the app talk I’ve been doing on the blog for a while now. While appification across platforms is what I’d discussed last week, for the purpose of this post, I shall restrict my thoughts to mobile platforms. Even before I read and wrote about the appification across platforms, I had asked a question on qoura “Has any Indian bank considered a smartphone app?”  (http://qr.ae/GETp) I got 2 answers, and though I was looking for Android, they were still helpful – Robin Samuel pointed me to ICICI (I think Gopi had also mentioned it on Twitter) and Aditya Sengupta mentioned a Nokia Money + YES Bank pilot.

    Citibank, whom I bank with, had a few Android apps, I noticed. The Citi Hong Kong app was specially interesting, since in addition to location of ATMs, they also display offers nearby. I’d obviously like an app which will also help me transact, and they have that too, elsewhere. (they are by no means, the pioneers or only ones, as a google search would tell you). The idea here, though is a ‘commodity’ service (banking) increasing user convenience, and making a shift to another bank less appealing. This isn’t an ad vs app debate, but spreading this information would be simple enough (without mass media) during consumer acquisition, as well as later through digital and social platforms. Maybe even tie up with a mobile manufacturer and offer to subsidise the handset for the consumer in return for publicity. The point, platforms are exploding and brands need to think of new ways to associate and partner. These apps could itself evolve into a branding vehicle.

    And since that point is made, we can broaden the scope beyond mobile as a platform. Just in case you thought brands might be constrained with that as the only option, how about TVs, kitchens, laundry rooms, cars, tables? Check it out.  (via Avi Joseph)

    until next time, Applying minds 🙂

  • When you’ve no business doing it…

    Sometime back, I read this amazing piece titled ‘The Night I met Einstein‘ – how Albert Einstein helped Jerome Weidman discover his ear for music, step by step. I put that very simply, but the story has to be read fully to understand its depth and context, perhaps best summarised by its ending, Einstein’s words – “Opening up yet another fragment of the frontier of beauty.”

    I wonder if amidst prioritising our lives, we have lost the  ability to experience for the sake of experiencing, and to help others discover that magic. We have an entire web to discover content on any interest we might have, and yet even an Instant search does not mean that we can do something without an agenda, a purpose that goes beyond the sheer thrill of a new experience. Yes, I include the vacation – Facebook photos nexus (para 7) in this. 🙂

    When I watched the participants getting eliminated on MasterChef Australia, week after week, I felt sad for most of them. (there are perhaps only a couple towards whom I had taken a strange dislike) I felt sadder when they showed the ‘what do they do now’ and I realised that many had gotten back to their lives, and different lines of work that has nothing to do with the love for food. While the show gave them an experience they would cherish, it was also perhaps the best push they’d get to realising what they’re really meant to do.

    And that is perhaps a rare opportunity, especially when I look around and increasingly feel that the business of living has become the meaning of life.

    until next time, lifejacking

    PS: An insightful read in the same context “What does it mean to work hard?” via Mahendra

  • Mygola

    [scribd id=51587937 key=key-2lhcf0x75q45nhrn4a5u mode=list]

  • NE Diner

    The original plan was Zingron (NE cuisine), but a sudden burst of laziness, and the possibility of many birds with one stone, ensured that the plans changed and we ended up in NE Diner, for the promised ‘authentic North-East Multi Cuisine’. The place is easy to find, near Forum, on the first floor of a building opposite Raheja Arcade or the Vodafone store, depending on where you’re looking from. In the days of  yore, I think this used to be a mobile accessories store – the one where we went to get a ‘condom’ for the Nokia phones. Yep, that’s what it was known as, that rubbery sheath meant to protect the phone! 🙂

    Park at Forum and attempt the pedestrian crossing fear factor challenge or try one of the side lanes nearer the place. In terms of access, it is easy to draw a parallel with the North East in general. The place seems easy enough to find on the map, but don’t attempt that staircase if you have a problem with heights or narrow spaces. And if you expect a fine dining place as the light at the end of the climb, my condolences. This is a no-frills place, and you’re as comfortable as you make yourself. In what I took to be a hat tip to the old mobile story, the chairs still have their plastic covers on! Awesome! 🙂

    When we got there, we seemed like tourists, because everyone else seemed to be from the North East, but by the time we left, there were more tourists! 🙂 One thing I constantly envy about the kids (and actually older people too) from that side of the country is their superb sense of style. The service staff here are no different! Ok, I’ve digressed enough, let’s quickly get to the food. Here’s the menu (click to enlarge)

    Communication is a bit of a problem. Let me clarify that its not anything to do with the accent, its more to do with our lack of understanding of the menu items and their inability to express fully what the above were. Anyway, with some effort, it becomes a non issue. That, of course, didn’t help us access the Chicken Safale or its pork version. Ditto for chicken momos, all of which we were told, would take a long time. So we settled for pork momos, which thankfully, turned out to be the best item of the meal. The chutney and the ‘soup’ that comes with it complemented it beautifully.

    We had ordered a soup too, but that came long after the main course dishes were kept at the table. We should have known that we were probably the first to order a Chicken-Mushroom soup, because we were asked if it was actually on the menu, and we had to point it out. Meanwhile, with all the other items on the table, we waited for the mysterious soup. And when it did arrived, it proved to be a complete waste of time, so do avoid at all costs.

    For the main course, we ordered a NE Special chicken, which we were told could be as dry/gravy as we wished. So we chose the middle path- semi gravy. Also asked for was the Naga Dry Fried pork, and to help it all down, the NE special mixed chowmein – chicken/pork, veg and egg. We asked for the chicken version. We couldn’t resist asking for the King Chilly + fermented fish + herb chutney. The pork was too salty for our liking. The chowmein was pretty decent, though I wondered what oil was being used. The chicken dish, though with an inconsistent gravy, is also worth a try. The chutney, I think, is quite an acquired taste. Its perhaps the fermented (in bamboo shoot?) fish that gives it a sort-of pungent smell and taste.The overall theme that dominated though was chillies!! That, I loved. 😀

    All of that cost us just below Rs.600. Not a bad trip, considering that my sinus blocks were forced to vanish for a while. You should drop in if you’re in the mood to experiment, and if you have friends from Nagaland/Manipur, take them along for guidance and authenticity tests. 🙂

    #404, Opp Raheja Arcade, near Forum Mall, 7th block Koramangala Tel: 8861446753

    Trivia: One of the restaurant’s owners is Nelson (read Genesis here), and this is restaurant review #111. Get it? 😉

    PS: If you’re prepared to shell out some more, Zingron is indeed a better option. One of my favourites now!

  • All hands on deck

    Since tis still the season of predictions and ‘looking forward to in 2011’, and because I brought up the subject of brand agencies reshaping themselves for the future, I thought I’d share with you three of my favourite decks of insights from the many that I managed to scan in the last few weeks.

    We’ll begin with JWT’s ‘100 Things to Watch in 2011’. (via Surekha on Reader) While there are many things in this that you might already think is a trend, what I liked about it is its thinking outside of any specific prisms – brands, technology etc, but still managing to capture the  essence of trends in human behaviour, culture, consumption, the shifts happening therein, and thus, a good reckoner for marketers.

    JWT: 100 Things to Watch in 2011

    The second one I’d like to share is Edelman’s ‘Digital Trends to Watch in 2011’. Though there are a few commonalities with the JWT deck, this seems more focused. While this is definitely quite a sensible thing to do from a client perspective, I missed the “completely out of the blue, but damn, why didn’t I think of it?” moments that I usually associate with its creators. But that’s just a testament to my high regards for Armano and Rubel, more than anything else. What I liked most about this was the trend + best practice combining, that layering gives excellent perspective.

    The last one I’d like to share is Rohit Bhargava’s ’15 Marketing & Social Trends to watch in 2011′ (via Gauravonomics). There might be some overlap with the other two, but again, the idea of examples with each trend makes it a must-read, in addition to the overall quality of insights.

    15 Marketing & Social Media Trends To Watch In 2011

    While its easy to see that there are commonalities in these, I also noticed an interesting thread of thought that  resonated most with me.

    ‘There’s an app for everything everywhere’ is perhaps the underlying theme in #3 (Apps Beyond Mobile), #7 (Ubiquitous Social Computing, more specifically its best practice) and #9 (Appification of the web) in the JWT, Edelman and Rohit presentations. We then move on to ‘production of consumable content and experiences across platforms’  that connects #93 (Transmedia Producers – faint connection), #4 (Transmedia storytelling) in the JWT and Edelman presentations respectively. And at last, we move on to how it can scale which is brought out through #3 (Developer engagement) in Edelman’s presentation and #7 (Crowdsourced innovation) and #11 (Employees as heroes) in Rohit Bhargava’s presentation.

    While I may not endorse a brand strategy only basis tools, the ‘appification’ across platforms actually throws open the door for marketers to not just satisfy their ‘short head’ consumers in better ways, but explore the ways to reach the ‘long tail’. It allows them to blend or distribute their ‘story’ across platforms and if done well, raise the interest level of their consumers. And an agency or brand manager cannot do it alone. While the idea of crowdsourcing is looked down upon by many, there are enough examples to show that if targeted well and executed with clarity, it can deliver results. More importantly, here, the ‘crowd’ is not consumers, but developers who can re-create the brand’s experience on multiple platforms, and employees who can create a human story that will resonate with others.

    If these possibilities for 2011 don’t excite you, I’ll try again next week, but I really don’t have any more of these awesome presentations to back me up.

    until next time, slide rules!