Continue reading »]]> I don’t always agree with him, nor do I like his blatant style of pushing his own agenda, but for once I agree with Mahesh Murthy in this tweet of his. All those years of building up credibility, threatened (not dashed to the ground) by keeping bad company!

I will add, this is true in both our professional and personal lives. You have to know who the people you hang out with, hang out with. Because their reputation and what they do, can imply you do the same. And more importantly, your secrets with them are at risk, if they share secrets and secret dealings with others as well.

Related Articles

• Twitter Has A (Secret) Reputation Score For Every User (techcrunch.com)

Continue reading »]]> Here’s a post I first wrote exactly five years ago to this date, on 4th November, 2005! And yes, I’ve been blogging since before most people had internet in India!

I am republishing it today, because I think it is still very relevant here in 2010, as it was in 2005. Because while technology has evolved, people haven’t as much since then. And it is always good to get back to timeless basics every now and then!

Continue reading »]]> Every now and then I spot incoming links to my blog, from a site called Business Way which I discover is using my content as is, to attract traffic. And I am not alone in getting my stuff streamed without credit – there are other sites too – there are sites from the US and elsewhere whose content is being streamed here.

Business Way is some wierd link farm with no apparent source of revenue, except for the credit links at the bottom which lead to some finance and brokerage firms, which I think also keep changing.

They seem to be drawing a lot of traffic and comments, and by talking about them and by linking to them I am probably doing what they wanted in the first place.

Whatever it is they’re up to, looks like no good. So if anyone has an explanation, do let me know.

Related reading from a previous similar experience of intellectual theft:
Stop Thief! & Update: Content Theft

Continue reading »]]> 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 name… but instead the box read “UttamBrand” (name changed). Seeing my confused look the guy now looked at me with disdain… “yeh naam aapne suna hi hoga..? best quality hai… sab bade-bade company inhi se letey hain aur apna chhap lagate hain…” (you must have heard of this brand… it’s the best quality… all the big companies buy from them and brand them as their own).

“Yeah right” I said, then realising I had no other option and I needed it urgently I asked about the warranty/guarantee… and quick came the response “Main hoon na!” (I am here as guarantee).

I stared at the guy like I stared at the plumber, the tile repair guy, and the local kirana shopkeeper before him who tried to pass off something of dubious lineage and quality to me as quality “guaranteed by them” !

“There’s this crazy Indian belief that you have to take someone’s word – even if you don’t know them. How often we see it abused by people who haven’t met before and will never see again…”

I think this is the same belief that drives some brands and their CEOs to star in their advertisements and endorse their brands – “Buy my brand, main hoon na!” they claim.

Admittedly, when the late Dhirubhai Ambani did so, he did with a lot of credibility and the stature of a company that had done very well. And when a packaged masala company shows its patriarch in their advertisements there is some credibility because the brand and its patriarch are well known.

For the rest, I think its just absurd self-promotion.

Here’s my list of the adventures and misadventures of CEO brand endorsers.

CEO Brand Endorser No. 1 – Masala Man

The Old Man in the MDH Masala Ads. He’s lovable, likeable and seems credible enough to appear in their packaging and ads.

He’s okay, way to go old man!

CEO Brand Endorser No. 2 – Thumbi

note the thumb!

I call him “Thumbi” for his trademark action in every ad he appears. If you look closely at his photo in the press ads, you’ll find his name and designation in small type.

Yeah, I am talking about the CMD of Country Club, “thumbing” his way through the end of each of his ads.

His sudden, out-of-the-blue-and-context appearance in each ad is a bit absurd… But being the CMD of a club where you expect personalised attention even from the top guy, you get used to it, and can live with it.

CEO Brand Endorser No. 3 – Colonial Leftover
Okay, so here’s this white guy talking to us from a television commercial. And he says that we don’t have to spend any money on maintenance with his cars, because his company will take care of that. And then, he puts his hand on his heart!!!

Whoa! Whoever recommended that the expat CEO of GM should appear in their ads needs to get their brains examined.

I can imagine it working for Rattan Tata and Tata Motors,  but know he never will take this road. But has anyone heard of this guy (Sorry sir, nothing personal)?

What’s his context – market leadership, innovative thinking, celebrity status..? Do you think his being a “gora” is going to impress people? I remember another senior guy from the same company also appear in ads before. What’s the plot??

I know agencies need to suck up to their clients… but I am sure there are less obvious ways to do it!

CEO Brand Endorser No. 4 – High on attention
Thankfully liquor brands are prevented from advertising overtly on television. Or else we’d have to see this dude in our faces a lot more.

I am speaking of the head of a liquor company who used to appear in their radio ads – giving his name and all – and asking people to drink responsibly. “Yeah dude. Where’s your responsibility to common sense?”

Why should I listen to you? Is it because I see you hanging around models and famous people in Page 3 parties and pictures? Is it because they pose with you because your company sponsors the events and for no personal connect with you?!

CEO Brand Endorser No. 5 - Pehle Khushi, Abhi Gham
I almost forgot about this one… But there was this marriage between Karan Johar’s company and NDTV or something. So we had the lovable Karan (who we all love as a film-maker) appearing in ads talking about how this relationship was like “family” and that their channel was going to really make us happy…

Is that family still around..? I have no idea, but would love to know…

But I think Karan should stick to making brilliant feature films. Leave the ads to the lesser mortals.

EndNote to myself:
I have to remove the “Blatant Self Promotion” tag on this blog.

Continue reading »]]> Legend has it, this is what a senior PR person once told a top US politician who was complaining about the bad press he was getting, and about how people talk badly about him.

“If you don’t want people to say bad things about you, don’t do bad things!”

It applies to all of us too, doesn’t it? As individuals, or corporates… we are subject to perceptions of people, and the damage this bad talk can cause, depends upon the credibility and perceived agenda of those doing the “bad talk”.

Naturally, individuals who speak on behalf of say ‘the common man’ and ‘all of us’ have more credibility than ‘bad talk’ coming from ‘corporate leaders’ and so called ‘company spokepersons’ because they’re usually seen as people with agendas!

Either way – the point comes back to “If you don’t want people to speak badly about you, don’t do bad things!”

So if you’ve done anything ‘bad’ today, just think about the targets/witnesses of your actions… and then imagine how it can backfire on you! Because it usually does.

Continue reading »]]>

Why do people in advertising and public relations shift jobs a lot? Quite simply, because it is a ‘people business’ where the products and services we deliver are really ideas and thoughts of individuals, and an extension of their personalities.

The absence of “one right answer” in our business leads people to put their own thoughts, ideas and feelings on the line in the form of campaigns – and these thoughts and ideas then land up in the pulpit of subjective judgement - by peers, bosses, clients, and of course the target customer.

And in a context of a bad working relationship, the absence of “right answers” and presence of “subjectivity”, leads to angst, dissatisfaction, and overall bad work… and eventually attrition!

Some might argue that attrition sometimes has nothing to do with bad relationships, but all to do with great opportunities elsewhere.

Admittedly, there is some merit in the ‘opportunity’ argument. But let’s face it, how many “great opportunities” are there?? Most places are the same with the same kind of people, and the same kind of clients. And you would only consider something elsewhere, if you’re unhappy with where you are, and see no prospects of growth! Period.

Some companies try to overcome subjectivity with process – which is good. But if process takes over completely, and the ‘people’ part of the business is ignored – viola! you’ll have increased attrition!

So how do relationships go sour, prompting people to leave? Quite simply, with bad management. Bad people management.

It is truly said, people don’t leave companies, they leave bosses.

• Insensitivity, Incompetence and the Inability of Bosses to manage expectations is the main cause – this usually happens with bosses with good intentions. These bosses usually lose people at the lower levels of their companies. Because senior people can deal with the above.
• On the other hand, you have Arrogance, High-handedness and Aggression – typical of bosses always shouting, getting angry, being abrupt and rude, snapping their fingers at people… you know the drill! They’re the worst, and lose people at senior levels, because they’re the ones they come into contact with the most.
• There is a third kind of boss too – the creepy, huggy, i-love-you type.Who talks of his (yes, his – i’m not being sexist here) sexual exploits in mixed company often commenting on – among other things, what he likes women to wear! Thankfully today this type is fast reducing and restricted to a few crass neanderthals! But simply because today there are enough laws which women can use to defend themselves (In India, you can get details and complain here)

And God help you if the company you work for, has a combination of the above three at the helm!

Can money, perks, or regular office parties compensate for the above? Not for long, and not if you have any self respect.

Is this just about personalities? Not really. If you step back objectively, you’ll realise this is about true value systems, and code of conduct. Which form the basis of any company, the define the culture of an office.

At an individual level, if you find your values do not allow you to live in such an environment, you leave. If your values match, you stay forever!

At the organization level, the equation is disastrous – Bad Boss = Bad Culture = Bad Company. Eventually everyone leaves!

And if the rare scenario, you actually manage to do good work with a bad Boss around, it will only delay your exit, not eliminate the eventual.

Any HR expert and organizational guru will ratify the above. But then, it’s also common sense, isn’t it?!

 Also see: Talent & The Boss’ Perspective | Talent? What Talent??

Continue reading »]]> The phrases “No, can’t do!” or “thanks, but no thanks!” don’t quite figure in the vocabulary of advertising, marketing and public relations people, do they? And I mean when it is in the context of standing up for what we believe in, or refusing business because it goes against our values, professional instincts, and the interests of our people.

 Well that’s the power of money, and the sad-but-true belief that “if i don’t do it their way, someone else will”.

I am perhaps the most flexible of professionals when it comes to listening to the other point of view (more now, as an independent). But I am also a strong believer in saying “no, can’t do” (and have done so, again more as an independent).

The point is however, saying “no” for the right reasons:

• If you’re culturally mismatched or professional work styles differ, it is the obvious thing to say no.
• If the client has a history of “bad relationships” say no, there’s no way you’re going to change that.
• If there is no mutual professional trust and respect, say no. Note, personal trust and respect has nothing to do with the professional side – he/she may make you feel good at an individual level, but professionally you and your teams will suffer.
• If anyone treats your people badly (being rude, unfair, aggressive, etc) stand up for your people. And don’t work with companies who think people are transitory and meant to be used (typical lousy statement: hey, if they can’t handle it, they shouldn’t be in the service industry!)
• If you cannot take on something, due to lack of resources/time/whatever, say no and  state the reason honestly (leave a window open). Don’t say yes, because then everyone will suffer.

I am sure everyone has good reasons to say “no”, and “thanks, but no thanks!”

But it’s not just about saying “no”, you have to be sensitive about it, and do it right:

• Lay out the groundrules in the very beginning of a relationship. Outline your expectations and belief systems from the beginning. Understand the other side as well.
• If you see a crisis coming, or know you’re going to say no, give the client a ‘heads up’ as soon as possible, so they can make alternate arrangements. It would be worse, if you leave them in the lurch.
• Say it to the point person in the client’s side, not down the line and expect them to carry the word upwards. Say it one-on-one, with dignity.
• Don’t go public with messy stories or gory details. State differences of values if you have to in press and the public at large. Take your people into confidence, make them feel proud of what you’ve done, but discourage them from tom-tomming the act in public.
• Don’t do it at the drop of a hat, do it after great consideration and talking to your people to know how much is too much. Let your people decide how much they will take, before they risk being broke!

And to the above, I personally work with the target that my biggest client should never exceed 30% of all my business. If it does, I am in deep shit! The point is then to build other businesses, to ensure I’m never being used, or live in the fear of having all my eggs in one basket!

And that, is the greatest support you will have, if you ever want to say “no” …yes??

Continue reading »]]>

I (like a whole lot of us) have been following the abovementioned story from the time Draft-FCB got the Wal-Mart business… when George Parker exposed the internal memo at Ogilvy… then when Draft-FCB ‘released the lions’… right up to the discovery a couple of days back that Wal-Mart fired Julie Roehm and has put the business up for a pitch again!

Well, between comments and opinions from George Parker and (in George’s words) a whole lot of other ‘wankers’ the story rivals any Sidney Sheldon plot, or for those familiar with India it resembles bollywood masala, minus the singing and dancing around the trees (though in this plot we do have certain cats doing it in the bushes!).

But if you’re finding it tough (as I did) to figure out the real meat of the story minus the masala – then Bob Garfield is the one to bare it all for you – including the whos, whens, and insights on the whys.

As a communication professional, this plot offers plenty of learning (besides what Bob explains):

• Business partnerships aren’t any good, if you’re mismatched culturally.
• Don’t hire people just because they did (or are supposed to have done) a great work elsewhere. Question if they can deliver similar results, and not just deliver similar campaigns for you.
• And finally, as we all know – winning an account is usually easiest part of our business – keeping it and keeping it happy is the toughest part!

Read the Bob Garfield perspective here. And the George Parker perspective here.

Continue reading »]]> Okay, I’m back on wordpress and the issue of illegal mirroring has been sorted out. Here’s how:

• On discovering the illegal mirroring of my wordpress blog at byindia, I wrote an email to both byindia and web2corp, a  US based company that recently bought byindia.
• Within a couple of hours, I received an email from no less than the CEO of web2corp, expressing his concern and desire to fix the problem.
• I pointed out the mirrors to my site, as well as the mirrors of bothack, my treasure and ekawaaz – bloggers like me who faced the same problem.
• Within an hour of my second email, the offending mirrors disappeared and I got another email from web2corp saying they’d identified the problem, and I quote - “a script, a webbot spyder, that in fact was attempting to scan content of bloggers and create accounts in ByIndia. That is also the reason it was so canned looking (ie. carlin, cala, cais, etc.) and why they were new blogs in ByIndia. The only possible reason here is sabotage assuming that bloggers such as yourself would be angered by the activity and bash ByIndia verbally. We have immediately patched the platform to reject such auto-posting. ByIndia’s blogs are not new, as they were established in early 2005 and have always been the most popular aspect of the product before our involvement just a few months ago.” He goes on to add that he will hope me and other Indian bloggers will visit ByIndia as they’re proud of the products and hope it wil become a destination they will be proud of in years to come.

Okay, so we give them the benefit of the doubt – that they did not realise this script was running amok in their system. let’s say we’ll believe the sabotage theory that some external force (competitors) managed to slip this into their system to anger us bloggers. And let’s just appreciate the fact that they responded so quickly and efficiently to fix the problem – and leave it at that.

Though I would double-check every new and existing blog on ByIndia (which incidently I hadn’t even heard of until yesterday!) to see if it isn’t a Mili Vanili!

So back to my role as Noshtradamus (the real one), let me sum up the learnings here:

• It’s very easy in this day and age for content to get ripped off, so you got to keep your eyes and ears open – also enlist the help of online support/protection groups such as Creative Commons
• Do a web/blog search on your own subjects every now and then to scan for plagiarism and as I discovered – blatant rip offs! (use copyscape for example, as idle thoughts helpfully points out!)
• If you have a problem, spread the news, and you’ll more often than not discover you aren’t the only victim – get together and act!
• Always contact the offending party immediately and give them the first chance to explain. If they’re multinational, or companies based in the US or Western Europe, they will most likely be quick to respond and sensitive to your angst – hence they will do something to help you out (unless they’re shady bastards who had done it deliberately).
• And finally, if you’re investing in some company operating half way across the world – do your homework well. Because if you don’t do due dilligence, you could just end up acquiring a lot of crap! That’s common sense, isn’t it?!

Now I can get back to my regular posts, and try to recover the time lost in clearing this mess!

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Continue reading »]]> One of the largest new business opportunities in India is Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).And one of the largest ethical and legal issues we have in India today, also has to do with BPOs – which is Privacy and Identity Theft.

A lot has been written about the issue, with many companies and even the government talking of measures to curb this menace which is irritating at its harmless best, and is dangerous at its criminal worst.

While there are international laws, and all the right noises being made about action being taken in India, I would like to comment upon it from the social and cultural perspective, and address the “harmless irritating side” of BPOs and telemarketing.

At the basic physical level, India is a very crowded and overpopulated country. There are people constantly around you, nudging you, rubbing shoulders with you, and poking their noses into what you’re doing. It’s an accepted fact of life.

At the next and higher level, is Indian culture of being friendly (even to strangers) and being hospitable (a guest is equal to God). The belief and oft used phrase “Hum unhe jaante hain” (“we know them/him/her”) is a great bridge between family, friends, and even strangers.

Which is why it will not be amiss if you drop in at your neighbour’s house unannounced, or have relatives move into your house without advance notice, or for that matter if you offer water and food to even strangers that knock on your door in India.

The result is a society that believes in no personal boundaries, no personal space, and basically no right to privacy.

Now this mindset is very well when it comes to a society and a way of life (even though you may hate it) among friends and family, but is a disaster when it comes to doing business and operating in a professional world.

But most people (companies as well as telemarketers) don’t know where the boundaries lie. And that is first and foremost an issue of culture and organisational ethics, rather than the law.

For example, for the past four years I’ve been getting calls on my cellphone from people asking from my wife. On probing, I always discover they’re all telemarketing calls from a bank, auto insurance, or car dealers.

The first time it happened, I remembered that when my wife bought her Mitsubishi car, for some forgotten reason, she had given my cellphone number as hers. On further probing the callers, I discovered the first caller on behalf of the auto-loan company, had previously worked for the Mitsubishi dealer where my wife bought the car! Subsequenly the lady moved on to (and shared the list with) other companies who added my number to their database!

The point to note is, the lady wasn’t apologetic, but tried to make small talk and act familiar, just because she’d spoken with us once in the past!

It’s not amusing anymore!

Moving on from irritating, is the next danger of familiarity – which leads to loss of business for many companies.

The other day in Gurgaon, I was in the same elevator as two well dressed young execs. They were going to meet the CEO of a company in that building and this is how the conversation went:

Exec 1: So you know this guy!?

Exec 2: Yes, he was my Platinum Card client at A***

Exec 1: Wow, that’s cool! So he will take the card?

Exec 2:Yeah sure, I call up all my A*** clients and tell them I’m now with A** **** and get them to meet me for five minutes… “Woh hame jaante hain” (they know me). And I force them to take the new card!

Exec 1: Wow!!

It troubled me to no end, that here was this guy, boasting aloud in a crowded lift about something that wasn’t just unethical, but illegal as well!

If either of the banks have figured out the *** names and want to know more, write to me, I’ll give you the guy’s name and place of visit as well!

The first bank obviously spent a lot of money to acquire that client (or maybe not), and here was this jerk washing it down the drain! It also troubled me because I am a large customer of the second bank, and I feared that my personal information could be sold further as well!

It’s obvious that neither the first bank (or auto company) or the second had made any effort to establish the concept of data theft. And that what these people were doing is illegal. Perhaps they’d even let slip in their interviews that they had the database, which is why they were hired in the first place!!

I believe these two incidents reflect the core issue behind our porous BPOs. Of how core human belief systems, if not put the right context, can mess with organisational and business values.

Moral of the Story:If India and Indian BPOs want to be taken seriously by countries, companies, and customers, they have to first put a culture, work ethics, and belief systems in place.

Organisational and Social pressure, will prove a better preventive deterrent than the law.

The law should at best used as punishment for error!