Contrary to popular perception (and current brand behaviour all around) you don’t pussy-foot around communication when you’re in the middle of hard times. In Hindi there’s a phrase ‘bolti-bandh’ which is quite like the English one ‘the cat got your tongue’. Which leads me to say brands that lie low in tough times, stand the risk of [...]
Archive for the ‘Brands’ Category
Hard times? Talk tough. Talk smart. Talk focussed.
Posted: April 25, 2009 by noshtradamus in Advertising, Brands, Internet, Marketing, New Media, Public Relations, Strategy1
India 2008: Working Harder, Working Smarter
Posted: April 1, 2009 by noshtradamus in Advertising, Brands, Indian Economy, Industry Review, Marketing2008 was a hard-working year for India. As perhaps it was for the rest of the world. Not only did businesses strive to keep costs down and revenue up, people worked hard to keep their jobs alive and companies afloat. The Economic and Industries Perspective In terms of the economy, some sectors did very well, [...]
Will SBI please stop wasting money?!
Posted: February 17, 2009 by noshtradamus in Advertising, Brands, Common Sense, Marketing, What Were They Thinking??Tags: SBI
“Ouch!” That’s the first thought that struck me as I picked up the newspapers this morning. No I am not referring to the coverage of the FM’s interim budget, but to the full front page ad for State Bank of India in the leading and very-expensive-to-advertise-in newspapers. The full-frontal assault hurt for two big reasons: [...]
Y’Obama – Learnings from the US Presidential Elections
Posted: November 7, 2008 by noshtradamus in Advertising, Brands, Common Sense, Learnings, Marketing, Politics, Public Relations, Strategy, UncategorizedTags: Marketing, Public Relations, Brands, Obama, Politics, Adverting, Agenda, Value Proposition, USP, US Elections, Voters
The election of Barack Obama as President of the United States of America is landmark in many ways. In fact, Obama’s slogan of “change” holds true in many more ways than perhaps even the man and his spin doctors would have imagined. But that’s not the point of this post. Enough has, and will be written about what [...]
Bharti wears new colours and showcases new corporate identity!
Posted: November 6, 2008 by noshtradamus in Advertising, Brands, Marketing, Public Relations, StrategyTags: Advertising, Bharti, Corporate Identity, Logo, Marketing
Wow. I just picked up The Times of India which I hadn’t read all day and *boom* it hit me – the full page ad revealing Bharti’s new logo and corporate identity. I don’t much care for the ad which is sweetly written with all the right things thrown in (amateur copywriter at work) but [...]
CEO Brand Ambassadors and the “Main Hoon Na!” syndrome
Posted: October 25, 2008 by noshtradamus in Advertising, Brands, Business Ethics, Creativity, Customer Service, Endorsement, Marketing, Public Relations, What Were They Thinking??The other day I was in small electrical shop in Shakarpur market, and was looking for an power extension board – “give me the best quality” I requested. The shopkeeper smiled with pride, and then with great flourish revealed to me his “best quality” extension board. No it wasn’t Philips, Bajaj, or any such familiar [...]
Bollywood Celebrity Endorsement in India: Khan you guess who is King!?
Posted: September 11, 2008 by noshtradamus in Advertising, Brands, Common Sense, Creativity, Marketing, Public Relations, Strategy, What Were They Thinking??Tags: Celebrities, Endorsement, Brand Ambassadors, Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Hritik Roshan, Shah Rukh Khan, Coke, Tata Sky, Titan, Motorola, Idea Cellular, Thums Up, Sony Ericsson, Acer, Parle, HP, Compaq, Nokia, Pepsi, Hyundai
In the battle for mindshare and market share, some companies in India have gone out of their way (way, way out sometimes) and hired celebrities to endorse their brands. While some celebrities have done a fantastic job (as actors and as endorsers), the rest have just ended up wasting a lot of money, and insulting [...]
Incredible India: Incredibly callous? Incredibly corrupt?!
Posted: August 27, 2008 by noshtradamus in Advertising, Brands, Common Sense, Customer Service, Debate, Indian Economy, Marketing, Public Relations, Strategy, Talent & Assets, Thinking AloudTags: Brands, Corruption, Democracy, india, Progress
I am not a negative person. I am not anti-India. It is in my blood to B+. And truly, I Love India. Which is exactly why I am writing this from the heart, with no holds barred. What is Brand India really about? What is the India beyond what we see in doublespread ads and [...]
Dubai Diaries, Part 3 – The Perfect BPO Model
Posted: August 9, 2008 by noshtradamus in Brands, Common Sense, Innovation, Learnings, Marketing, Public Relations, Strategy, Talent & AssetsTags: BPO, Brands, Dubai, Economy, infrastructure, Success, UAE
So there I was sitting in the office of a large financial institution in Dubai. I had just met Sandra at the reception. Vinod brought me a cup of tea. And I was about to sit in on a meeting with Gaurav, Rajan, Michelle and Aman* . As I looked at my fellow desis buzzing around the [...]
