• Lady Gaga, Identity and Flexible Persistence

    Though the Old Spice man campaign (earlier post) was famed for its creativity, the other important part about it was the near real-time operations involved. More recently, I read about Kraft’s plans to turn 5 chosen tweets into TV ads for its Macaroni & Cheese product. Even more interesting was Coke getting Maroon5 to compose a song in 24 hours, with “inspiration and collaboration from fans” on Twitter. They performed it on March 23rd and Coke released it for free on April 1st. On reaching 100000 downloads, they will also make a donation to an organisation working on providing clean water in Africa. (via, there is another example too, from the fashion industry)

    Real time can be cool, and then I read this article on ‘Accelerated Cool‘, an interesting take on how to keep up in a scenario where a trend is replaced almost as soon as you hear of it. Their answer – “be yourself”, because then “You are owning your identity and embracing the rawness of pure, unfiltered, self”.

    Is this an option for brands? An interesting perspective I thought of was a personal brand – no, not Bieber or Rebecca Black, thank you but (predictably) Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga, who wowed folks at Google and Twitter recently, interviewed by Ev and Marissa Mayer respectively, and answered a viewer question on “Stefani” (her real name) with “This is me. Gaga is just a nickname.” Her song “Born This Way”, viewed a record (until Black’s Friday happened) 24 million times on YouTube, is incidentally about identity. (via)

    But a Lady Gaga cannot scale beyond a person. So, with existing platforms in a constant state of flux, and new ones appearing with a unique set of rules regularly, the answer for a brand is not simple, especially when consumers have the tools to amplify the brand’s #win and #fail and the economics of attention do not usually allow second chances. There is always a choice – to take an example of logos, revert to the old logo like Gap, or stick to their guns, like Syfy. (via)

    I’d say that brands have to find their purpose, from it would evolve the identity, and its manifestation across contexts and platforms then needs to be planned, governed by what LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman would call ‘flexible persistence’. “The art is knowing when to be persistent and when to be flexible and how to blend them.” (via) The science would come from the tons of data – real time and otherwise (earlier post) that is being generated and will continue to grow in volume. The trick, as usual, is in balancing the identity and the context, and if that is done, the brand can play with real time as easily as Neo does with the Matrix. Damn, that example is a dozen years old!

    until next time, identity kits

  • Roleplay

    Jagathy Sreekumar, in my opinion, is one of the finest comedians actors to grace the screen. Probably THE finest. Since he’s acted only in Malayalam movies (over 1000 of them), he’s relatively lesser known to non Keralites. But you don’t have to go away, this is not about him or even Malayalam movies or even movies.

    Contrary to his usual on-screen characters, he’s a very serious person in his media interviews. He was once asked why he accepted all the roles that came to him, and why he wasn’t more choosy, especially since he could afford to. Pat came the reply “I’m a professional. Do you think a doctor should be allowed to choose which patients to accept?”The interviewer predictably moved on to easier pastures.

    This was sometime back, but I was reminded of it during the debate on Tendulkar ‘walking’.  (he walked away despite the umpire signaling ‘not out’) Both Jayawardene and Ponting were clear that they’d walk only after they were declared out. Though I have not always been a Tendulkar fan, I have been an ardent admirer for quite a while now, of the player on the field and the person off it.

    So it was quite a difficult question – the morality of a professional (?) ‘walking’ without considering his responsibilities to the team. (forget the expectations of a nation for now) Was he being selfish – keeping his ‘fair play’ image intact? (though Ganguly claimed Sachin hasn’t always ‘walked’)

    While the moral question lingers, I thought I got an insight into Sachin’s behaviour from this amazing article I read thanks to Roshni. It says that Sachin is a bridge, between two eras of cricket, and he realises the responsibility. As a sport, today’s cricket, both on and off the field, is vastly different from what it used to be, and yes, it is no longer just a sport. As the author quotes “The team’s rabid popularity, is a reflection of rising national ambition, of pride in national achievement.” Maybe Sachin realises a bit beyond this too, and is doing his bit to ensure that in the pursuit of success, a right set of ethos is also kept in mind. Playing the game to win, and playing it fair.

    Jagathy, legendary though he is, perhaps has it easier. There are bigger stars around him who are expected to be role models. He can get away with moral absolutism.  Tendulkar probably has the tougher job – as he charts new territories in terms of matches played, runs scored, centuries made, he also has to navigate new grounds in moral integrity, balancing his own stance with the expectations of a team, a nation and still ensuring that he’s a worthy icon in all respects.

    until next time, Godlike

  • Grassroutes

    Enabling the youth to look at society and their role in it from a different perspective, through a road trip, that’s the unique initiative called Grassroutes. In conversation with one of the founders Keerthi Kiran..
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  • Tandoori Hippie

    This review was first published in Bangalore Mirror, where some wise desk person also called it soul food. Sigh. This is a less maligned version. Peace, love and Tandoori Chicken. Tandoori Hippie is on the 4th floor of the Mother Earth building on Intermediate Ring Road. (map) They also run a lounge bar called Loveshack on the floor above. There’s valet parking, so you won’t have to wander about like hippies for that.

    The chairs in the reception area immediately grab your attention because each of them is unique – including a barber’s chair! The restaurant is divided into several sections – an alfresco area that offers an excellent view of the Ring Road, a second area which offers an excellent view of the day’s cricket match thanks to a giant LCD screen, and a third, more private area which offers an excellent view of various spices. A saxophone, a trumpet, an old radio, a gramophone, a grandfather clock and many such trinkets vie for your attention as you make your way inside into a bright ambiance that’s at once rustic and hip. All part of what they call  ‘Fun dining’.

    Despite the decor, the hearth is Tandoor, and only the soul is hippie. A couple of shorbas, and some salads make an appearance before we get into the meat of the menu. There are quite a few kebabs to choose from, including seafood. The main course offers some options for the vegetarians as well, in addition to the standard non veg Tandoori dishes. Tandoori Hippie has a lunch buffet and in the evenings, a Chai Bar that serves chaats, samosas, golas etc. They have a decently stocked bar, with a few cocktails too. We tried a Passion Martini and found it to be quite good.

    The special Zafrani Lassi, though priced a tad high, is excellent and quite filling. The flavourful and succulent Kastoori Kebab served on the seekh, as well as the Lahori Seekh Kebab, with just the right texture, are both good starters to try. The Achari Paneer Tikka was quite bland, and completely lacked the flavour it’s supposed to have. Among the main course dishes, the Macchi Hara Masala was quite a disappointment thanks to the spinach invasion and overly salty fish. The Aloo Chutneywala, with its unique gravy makes a good dish for vegetarians. They also did a good job with the Gosht Rogan Josh and the Hyderabadi Murgh Biriyani, the latter as pleasing to the olfactory system as it was to the palate. Desserts are available on paper, but do check their availability before reserving stomach space. The poor guy in charge of the table enthusiastically asked us to ignore the menu and reeled out a few options he insisted we try. But it turned out to be quite a sad affair as we were told that the Rajbhog and Cham-Cham we’d ordered were over, after confirming availability. The Phirni we got was actually sour and the Rasgullas way too rubbery. The Gajar ka Halwa was the saving grace among the desserts.

    But despite some delay in getting the main course dishes, specially the biriyani, and the dessert mix-up, the earnestness of the service has a way of winning you over. On the cost front, for Rs.1000, you could share a lassi, a starter, a couple of non-veg main course dishes, a few rotis and a dessert.

    Though the menu sticks to the tried and tested Tandoor fare, the ambiance and enthusiastic service staff give this place a uniqueness that warrants a visit. It would be great if the mash-up in the name could be translated onto the menu too.

    Tandoori Hippie, #541-543, Mother Earth Building, 4th Floor, Amarjyoti Layout, Intermediate Ring Road, Domlur – 70 Ph: 41500787

  • Weekly Top 5

    This week’s updates include Google + 1, Groupon and Living Social, Jack Dorsey’s return to Twitter, Hotmail’s new interactive mail and Facebook Questions.

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