We just had a presentation on the brand sustainence of "Harry Potter". The case talked about not only a marketing problem but a ubiquitous worry of us all. What's the future of Harry? Hmmm... interesting case. But I have better work to do.
I am here not to analyze what makes the book divine. I am here to explore how one can manage to win when he has all the world against him. Here's how it works.
I still remember the anticipation with which I used to wait for the next book to release. The killing chill in my body after seeing a teaser. Has it gone forever now? What can be done to sustain the brand image of Harry - the wizard? Well, I say I have no idea why to sustain the existing image. Why not enhance it further? Why not make it an epic?
This is the very topic that gave us (my group) a push to ride on the zeal to make it an epic. Obviously, Harry had Voldemort, so we had to have someone against us too. There was a faceless villain in our story also. He was no man (or a woman). It was a dark fear of impossibility among a few classmates of mine that came in our way to peacefully rest after our sweet presentation. The very feeling of peace in our ears did not match with the puzzled faces in the class. The sarcastic smiles (on some of the listeners) was trying to put curses just like the Death Eaters from the book. Although, their sarcastic smiles (read as curses) couldnt affect because of a simple reason. The number of people presenting the case were far more than the number of listeners. So we had victory on our side. To add further, we had the immortal power of magic - our point of difference, our creative slides. Just like the lightening scar, our slides were able to pull attention like the way Harry's scar used to pull the unwanted attention. Victory was pre-determined, we had to just act.
So what makes you be heard when you are in a herd?
Nice lines. Answer lies in the question. Not in the meaning, but in the framing. See the clutter in the para above the question. One would not feel like reading a damn whole paragraph like that. But the question was read and understood by you. Simply because it was different!!!
A rhyming sentence like that which is standing against a large mass of noise. So it had to be read. Therefore, its not in the soul always.... Common people having similar soul like us can afford to differ from the rest only when we show ourselves different.
Question arises here... How? Is this guy here to give all those Goddamn dealings on spirituality? Please no. I am not here for that either. I am a human and i can feel. So no spirituality from my side. Just some gyaan with supporting logic.
We all tend to follow the lazy way. We never force ourselves to run our grey machine situated on our top called "the brain". So the funda is simple. People will oppose you when they'll "think" that your ideas differ from theirs. Yes, they'll THINK.
So why make them think? You can do the same like the way we did in our presentation. Making Harry an epic was controvercial. But we gave interesting facts more than our actual analysis. We made the presentation beautiful with hell lot of creativity and animations (although the animations failed to run).
So in short, we did not let them think!!! They were so occupied in "seeing" the presentation that they forgot "hearing" it (Although we did that unknowingly, its only now that I sat under the Bodhi Tree to enlighten myself).
Look at the way this text is written. I do not seek any tap on my back but just see how it is organized. You are now able to gather what was the purpose of this writing. Being a subjective topic, this purpose of mine could have been counter-attacked too. Probably you would have attacked too.
Then I tried to give you other peripheral cues.
I am not an expert but I made a try to talk about sub-topics like my gyaan, THINK etc. Consider this, I rotated you round-and-round around the main purpose but never took you to the purpose. But because you took these rounds, you now know where is the centre and what lies there.
Whatever be the way.......the purpose is solved.
..
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Sunday, September 2, 2007
The Orkut Wave
Man is a social animal. We all need networking to communicate and to live. I believe that Social Networking is present in the homosapian cult even since man learnt to talk. Only difference is that the medium to communicate is changing. Orkut is one such social institution to communicate with long lost friends.
When I reached my college life phase, little I had idea about my old classmates. I had no contact numbers, no e-mail IDs of theirs. Now thanks to social networking sites such as Orkut and Myspace I am now in close friendship with even those people whom I had almost forgotten in course of time. There are people I've met who have helped me in one or the other way.
Because of the nature of the medium, social networking sites such as Orkut have their own set of strenghts and weaknesses. The recent murder case of Adnan Patrawala is just another example. The 16 year old Mumbai resident met three persons on Orkut. These three "friends" of Adnan kidnapped him for ransom and had to kill him when the police got close to them. There is another instance where some people in Brazil are planning to bring out a defamatory campaign against a leading MNC. One fine day, one of our famous politicians woke up to find her fake profiles on Orkut, some even mentioning objectionable contents. These are not just the only incidents but one of the many cases. Making fake profiles of girls and posting obscene material about them is "the thing" of the day among the teenage revengers.
Well, I am not here to criticize Orkut and MTV culture. These are not the areas I intend to go. For this purpose, I assume that our self proclaimed "moral politicians" are best suited. Our own Pune police, after getting fed up in failing to control the situation, had recommended to ban Orkut in India. Their take was that Orkut is unknowingly providing a platform for anti-social activities. Please someone tell them that such incidents have happened not because information is freely available on the internet, but because of the misuse of information.
It is very easy for us and the moral police to put blame on Orkut and walk away. But why are we ignoring the fact that the misuse of information is prevailing in our culture many years before anyone even conceptualized internet. How do the thieves steal? How are the scams done? Is there not any misuse of information by the police officers themselves? Orkut is just a small medium which is being exploited Mr. politician!
Who is crossing the line: the social networking sites or the people who misuse them? I believe that social networking sites are just the other version of people networking without which no culture can exist. They are only the messangers. Do we prosecute weapons because they were directly responsible for someone's murder? It's only the intention of the person holding the gun which determines the intention of the gun. Can't we say the same for Orkut? I say why not?
24 year old Manish Thakur, a naval officer based in Goa, has been arrested because of Orkut, the same social networking site. The police say that he was behind the killing of his girlfriend Kaushambi Layek. Meanwhile those self-sufficient netas were busy in critisizing the murders of Adnan and Kaushambi, Hundreds of people offered their "online condolences" through the same social networking site. Majority of the people were those who never knew the victims before the news was brought in the media. Without being irrational, I want to say that Orkut is definitely bringing our own culture in a new form. Every culture has its own pros and cons. If our Indianness is being digitalized, so are our weaknesses. Hence, the onus should lie on us to correct our behaviour.
I am not championing for the status quo but what I suggest is to adapt our system to tackle such incidents. What about a full fledged IT police? Most of our population is technically illiterate when it comes to internet. As a result even the internet offenders leave a lot of clues unknowingly on the network which can be a bounty for the police. So the debate should shift from banning orkut to adapting to the new technology in a way to harness the freedom of speech on the internet.
We are already fortunate enough to witness the important shift from socialist economy to consumer led economy in India. Understanding the Indian mind is going to be an important career to most of us. We cannot afford to narrow down our thinking by discussing on how to ban these social networking sites. Marketers believe that the best suited strategy to tap in the consumer driven economy is to understand the psyche of Indians. The prime factors that directly influence on consumer's buying decision are:
1) Firm's own marketing efforts
2) The socio-cultural environment in which the consumers operate
Social networking sites such as Orkut provide the second factor to the served and the potential market. The social networking model is still evolving as a revenue model. The order of the day is not of slow and continuous improvements but of smart and rapid developments. Orkut and Myspace etc. are turning their members into brand advocates. The members gather themselves to form communities and social circles. This way, people segment themselves based on their likes and dislikes. We can find many survey reports that clearly suggest that online marketing is going to beat the conventional marketing techniques. What a best way to tap the pitch of your target!
In the end, I would also like to request all of those shouting to ban the social networking sites to see the clear picture and to adapt themselves. They should take the lead to guide the next generation to walk on the path of morality. Blocking the path to progress isn't the way to do things. And for Orkut, the very strong brand equity of Google will make the closing difficult.
When I reached my college life phase, little I had idea about my old classmates. I had no contact numbers, no e-mail IDs of theirs. Now thanks to social networking sites such as Orkut and Myspace I am now in close friendship with even those people whom I had almost forgotten in course of time. There are people I've met who have helped me in one or the other way.
Because of the nature of the medium, social networking sites such as Orkut have their own set of strenghts and weaknesses. The recent murder case of Adnan Patrawala is just another example. The 16 year old Mumbai resident met three persons on Orkut. These three "friends" of Adnan kidnapped him for ransom and had to kill him when the police got close to them. There is another instance where some people in Brazil are planning to bring out a defamatory campaign against a leading MNC. One fine day, one of our famous politicians woke up to find her fake profiles on Orkut, some even mentioning objectionable contents. These are not just the only incidents but one of the many cases. Making fake profiles of girls and posting obscene material about them is "the thing" of the day among the teenage revengers.
Well, I am not here to criticize Orkut and MTV culture. These are not the areas I intend to go. For this purpose, I assume that our self proclaimed "moral politicians" are best suited. Our own Pune police, after getting fed up in failing to control the situation, had recommended to ban Orkut in India. Their take was that Orkut is unknowingly providing a platform for anti-social activities. Please someone tell them that such incidents have happened not because information is freely available on the internet, but because of the misuse of information.
It is very easy for us and the moral police to put blame on Orkut and walk away. But why are we ignoring the fact that the misuse of information is prevailing in our culture many years before anyone even conceptualized internet. How do the thieves steal? How are the scams done? Is there not any misuse of information by the police officers themselves? Orkut is just a small medium which is being exploited Mr. politician!
Who is crossing the line: the social networking sites or the people who misuse them? I believe that social networking sites are just the other version of people networking without which no culture can exist. They are only the messangers. Do we prosecute weapons because they were directly responsible for someone's murder? It's only the intention of the person holding the gun which determines the intention of the gun. Can't we say the same for Orkut? I say why not?
24 year old Manish Thakur, a naval officer based in Goa, has been arrested because of Orkut, the same social networking site. The police say that he was behind the killing of his girlfriend Kaushambi Layek. Meanwhile those self-sufficient netas were busy in critisizing the murders of Adnan and Kaushambi, Hundreds of people offered their "online condolences" through the same social networking site. Majority of the people were those who never knew the victims before the news was brought in the media. Without being irrational, I want to say that Orkut is definitely bringing our own culture in a new form. Every culture has its own pros and cons. If our Indianness is being digitalized, so are our weaknesses. Hence, the onus should lie on us to correct our behaviour.
I am not championing for the status quo but what I suggest is to adapt our system to tackle such incidents. What about a full fledged IT police? Most of our population is technically illiterate when it comes to internet. As a result even the internet offenders leave a lot of clues unknowingly on the network which can be a bounty for the police. So the debate should shift from banning orkut to adapting to the new technology in a way to harness the freedom of speech on the internet.
We are already fortunate enough to witness the important shift from socialist economy to consumer led economy in India. Understanding the Indian mind is going to be an important career to most of us. We cannot afford to narrow down our thinking by discussing on how to ban these social networking sites. Marketers believe that the best suited strategy to tap in the consumer driven economy is to understand the psyche of Indians. The prime factors that directly influence on consumer's buying decision are:
1) Firm's own marketing efforts
2) The socio-cultural environment in which the consumers operate
Social networking sites such as Orkut provide the second factor to the served and the potential market. The social networking model is still evolving as a revenue model. The order of the day is not of slow and continuous improvements but of smart and rapid developments. Orkut and Myspace etc. are turning their members into brand advocates. The members gather themselves to form communities and social circles. This way, people segment themselves based on their likes and dislikes. We can find many survey reports that clearly suggest that online marketing is going to beat the conventional marketing techniques. What a best way to tap the pitch of your target!
In the end, I would also like to request all of those shouting to ban the social networking sites to see the clear picture and to adapt themselves. They should take the lead to guide the next generation to walk on the path of morality. Blocking the path to progress isn't the way to do things. And for Orkut, the very strong brand equity of Google will make the closing difficult.
123 to 420
Sagarika Ghose recently wrote a very interesting article in The Hindustan Times about the artificially created politics over the 123 agreement between India and United States. The deal, in simple words, can be explained in this way:
The pro-deal argument is that India will get supply of nuclear fuel from America without signing on the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. The supporters of this argument say that this is an enoromous concession given to India by the US. Given the fact that the NPT is a dominant concern for the US and the international arena, India surely is about to recieve a special treatment from America by getting this concession.
The argument against this deal says that India will become a slave to America once the deal goes through. This is because of the high dependency of nuclear fuel by India on the US. But what our so called "Leftists" are forgetting is the basic essence of the deal which facilitates India to get similar supplies from France and Russia. The deal will give India a new rise in its economy and catapult the electricity need fulfillment factor. What are you missing Mr. Leftists?
80% of France's electricity is generated by nuclear technology. China, which is already posing a challenge and threat to India in many fields like IT and Manufacturing etc., already has plans to convert its power generation from conventional to nuclear. Dont you want India to grow Mr. Yechuri?
The only point on which the opposition to the deal is being made is that this deal will become a costly affair given the history of America and its dependent countries. You say that India will have to support the US at all costs. Let us look at this fact: By the end of the cold war, a million Indian were residents of America as compared to almost zero in Russia (Courtesy: Ms. Sagarika Ghose). If India is a democratic country, then it is obvious that Indians have already chosen which country to favour. What else could be the reason that we Indians are choosing America as the most preferred studying destination? Why do we prefer to work in the United States than Russia or any other country? If the people of India have already spoken their mind then why are the "people's representatives" suffering from this strategic myopia?
Well the point remains that our politicians are making a mess out of nothing. They have forgotten the most basic aspect of service: Analyze the need of the people whom you are serving and take actions accordingly. Please do not waste our valuable votes in creating a political issue of this magnitude. Read the mind of people who have sent you to Delhi to do our good. A recent television show on a news channel has already shown what most of the MPs think of 123 agreement. Most of the MPs confessed that they couldn't tell the difference between 123 and 420.
There are a lot of problems that India is facing apart from the 123 agreement. Bihar is experiencing the worst floods in 30 years. 3 million citizens have lost their homes. 123 deal is all over the media and the parliament but on the flood issue the parliament could not even get a quorum. Another shocking report reveals that 836 million people in India are still living on a per capita income of Rs. 20 per day. For 40 million Indians per capita income has improved only from Rs 9 per day to Rs 15 per day. More than 40 died in Hyderabad blasts. Most of the deceased were students.
"Did I hear someone say government is for the people, by the people, of the people?"
The pro-deal argument is that India will get supply of nuclear fuel from America without signing on the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. The supporters of this argument say that this is an enoromous concession given to India by the US. Given the fact that the NPT is a dominant concern for the US and the international arena, India surely is about to recieve a special treatment from America by getting this concession.
The argument against this deal says that India will become a slave to America once the deal goes through. This is because of the high dependency of nuclear fuel by India on the US. But what our so called "Leftists" are forgetting is the basic essence of the deal which facilitates India to get similar supplies from France and Russia. The deal will give India a new rise in its economy and catapult the electricity need fulfillment factor. What are you missing Mr. Leftists?
80% of France's electricity is generated by nuclear technology. China, which is already posing a challenge and threat to India in many fields like IT and Manufacturing etc., already has plans to convert its power generation from conventional to nuclear. Dont you want India to grow Mr. Yechuri?
The only point on which the opposition to the deal is being made is that this deal will become a costly affair given the history of America and its dependent countries. You say that India will have to support the US at all costs. Let us look at this fact: By the end of the cold war, a million Indian were residents of America as compared to almost zero in Russia (Courtesy: Ms. Sagarika Ghose). If India is a democratic country, then it is obvious that Indians have already chosen which country to favour. What else could be the reason that we Indians are choosing America as the most preferred studying destination? Why do we prefer to work in the United States than Russia or any other country? If the people of India have already spoken their mind then why are the "people's representatives" suffering from this strategic myopia?
Well the point remains that our politicians are making a mess out of nothing. They have forgotten the most basic aspect of service: Analyze the need of the people whom you are serving and take actions accordingly. Please do not waste our valuable votes in creating a political issue of this magnitude. Read the mind of people who have sent you to Delhi to do our good. A recent television show on a news channel has already shown what most of the MPs think of 123 agreement. Most of the MPs confessed that they couldn't tell the difference between 123 and 420.
There are a lot of problems that India is facing apart from the 123 agreement. Bihar is experiencing the worst floods in 30 years. 3 million citizens have lost their homes. 123 deal is all over the media and the parliament but on the flood issue the parliament could not even get a quorum. Another shocking report reveals that 836 million people in India are still living on a per capita income of Rs. 20 per day. For 40 million Indians per capita income has improved only from Rs 9 per day to Rs 15 per day. More than 40 died in Hyderabad blasts. Most of the deceased were students.
"Did I hear someone say government is for the people, by the people, of the people?"
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