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Posts from the ‘Advertising’ Category

Falling in love with Paris.

We’ve all dreamt about Paris, about the charm in strolling along the River Seine, about marveling at the city’s architecture, about falling in love in and with the most romantic city in the world. Perhaps like everyone visiting Paris for the first time, my heart flutters in excitement as my flight touches down at Orly (Paris’ budget airport) and I brace myself for my first Eurotrip. I haven’t anticipated that now is when I’ll start to think of the city with my marketing hat on. Read more

The coolest social media campaign in travel.

Ever since travel destinations have started flocking to social media, my travel wish list has been growing. It’s hard not to ogle at Visit Norway‘s eye-candy on Facebook and hatch secret plans of hanging out amid the Norwegian fjords. It’s easy to get distracted by Visit Jordan‘s teasers on Twitter, and be constantly tempted by the need for Spain. Read more

The world is a-buzz

When gmail meets twitter, we buzz.

Google is shrinking the world into a tiny little capsule, facebook is keeping it intact, and twitter is keeping it on its  feet. Brands have a lot of catching up to do to make their space in this compact new web of people.

Pepsi’s abandonment of 23 years of superbowl advertising for the refresh project, a massive social media campaign, is just a baby step for a multi-million brand in the big (not so bad) world.

I’m latching onto the social media buzz in the tourism industry soon. Can’t wait to get my hands dirty!

Advertising bites, 2009

Creativity can never be drained out of advertising. I don’t know if sales will increase post these ads, but smiles definitely will.

An incredible Incredible India TV commercial by Nirvana films.

A wonderfully executed TV commercial by TATA Communications for its foreign markets (hence not featured on Indian TV).

A glocalized Intel ad for an Indian audience.

An Amul billboard I spotted in Bombay, targeting the 90% reservation proposal for SSC students by the Maharashra government. Never doubt the power of the freedom of speech in a democracy!

Amul billboard ad

What are your favorites this year?

Social media

I recently discovered that a lot of people are unaware of the social media phenomenon, even though they are very much a part of it. As a believer in the power of social media, I owe this post to them.

Simply put, social media collectively describes all tools that enable people to talk online. Often interchangeably used with the term Web 2.0, social media consists of social networks like Facebook, content sharing sites like Youtube and Flickr, blogging platforms like WordPress and Blogger, and user-generated information sources like Wikipedia. The term, coined only recently, is creating waves in the PR world. It is a colossal avenue for people to share their insights, opinions and knowledge, through interaction with others like them on the World Wide Web. 

Currently, the size of the social media community is estimated at 400 million. According to a study by Strategy Analytics, by 2015, 1 in every 6 people will be users of social media platforms.

Billion dollar companies like Dell, Starbucks and Coca-Cola are reinventing themselves through social media and reconnecting with their stakeholders. Here is a comprehensive list of businesses that have forayed into the social media space. The days of mass advertising and spamming are behind us. 

My digital media class in college created a wiki that analyzes the past and future of social media in various countries across Asia. Even though my contribution to the wiki was Japan specific, my research exposed me to the promising world of social media. It’s when I began to look past my Facebook newsfeed, and at the bigger picture. I am a fan of Seth Godin’s blog and his ideas, and I ocassionally read what Guy Kawasaki and Mitch Joel blog about.

The following is the simplest video I could find to explain the concept of social media.

Advertising archives from India

Indian advertisements have a nostalgic, patriotic charm about them. Here’s my collection of some timeless Indian TV commercials:

The Airtel ‘Express Yourself’ Campaign, always a classic.

A brilliantly funny, witty, creative Camlin ad.

A really, really old one from Cadbury, something special :)

…..Can’t say anything about the next one…

A recent ultra-creative ultra-funny one by Happydent.

Another Airtel classic.

Of course, the list will be incomplete without this HA-HA funny one by Orbit White :D

What’s in your Indian-TV-commercials’ memorabilia?

Cadbury

For a month and a half now, all I’ve been hearing is insurance, investments, whole life plans and visa debit payment! Today, I go to Cadbury and honestly, it was like music to the ears: Their business structure is segregated into 3 divisions: Chocolate, gum and candy! WOW. What motivation! Who wouldn’t want to get up each day and go to work there? Yummy. 

At the Cadbury Asia Pacific office, the walls are all purple, inspired obviously by Cadbury’s Purple Reign. It’s classy, luxurious and very welcoming. Despite a corporate-ish atmosphere, the place looks so much more alive and happening than your usual office setting. I really felt this strange sense of belonging about the place. I hope someday, I’ll get to work there. 

Until now, I had looked at Cadbury only from a consumer’s perspective. It’s one of those brands that we all grew up with. With the Dairy Milks and the Perks and the Five Stars and of course, Bournvita. Today, however, I went through this transition and started to look at Cadbury from a whole new angle. It’s such a brilliant brand. Somehow, it’s become such a special, yet taken-for-granted part of our lives. And even behind the covers, it’s seems to look so full of its sugary ingredients. Probably one of those companies whose vision is equal to their destiny, and their destiny equal to the experience they create. “Brands that people love”, that’s it, their destiny, vision and experience.

Oh, I want to go work for Cadbury. I want to think of chocolate when I wake up and think about it all day, every day. 

A glass and a half full of joy.

Ikea: no tax, no threat

Mostly, we know Ikea for its good-looking, value-for-money, comfortable furniture and housing appliances. And for the layout of its stores, where all its products are arranged such that you can picture how exactly they’d look in your own home. I’m definitely not the only one who’d go in there to pick up a table lamp and walk out with a big bag full of things I don’t quite need.

Recently, I read an article in the Economist about Ikea’s accounts. The Swedish company plays around the weak policies of the Dutch corporate-registration system and manages to legally evade the major part of its taxes. Not just that, it’s complicated ownership means it pretty much rids itself of any fear of a hostile takeover. There are several layers you need to uncover before you can really know who owns Ikea, here’s how.

As a company, Ikea is divided between the actual manufacturing company and its franchisee arm. The manufacturing / operations division is owned by a Dutch company, Ingka Holding. Ingka Holding is in turn, part of Stichting Ingka Foundation, which is registered as a not-for-profit foundation in Netherlands. Meaning? NO TAXES!!! The best part is yet to come. The Stichting Ingka Foundation is controlled by the Kamprad family, who are indeed the founders of Ikea! The tax exempted profits are therefore solely and wholly reaped by the Kamprads.

The franchising part of Ikea (its concept and trademark), however, are owned by a separate company called Inter Ikea Systems. This further belongs to Inter Ikea Holdings, registered in Luxemburg. The next few layers of Inter Ikea Holdings’ ownership are apparently very complicated, but it can ultimately be tracked down to being owned by a company with the same name in Netherlands. This Netherlands based company further belongs to some trust company, based in an island of the kingdom of Netherlands. Who owns this trust company is pretty much unknown, although the Kamprads are the most obvious suspects!

The franchising arm does pay its taxes in the figures of millions, but these are not half as much as the amount they’re exempted from. The non-profit Stichting Ingka Foundation defines its purpose as dedication to architectural and interior design innovation. While a substantial amount is invested in research and some of it donated, the major part still goes to the Kamprad pocket-deepening fund. In fact, according to The Economist, if Ikea was publicly listed, it would easily surpass The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as the world’s wealthiest charity!

And we thought that that Ikea pillow we sleep on every night has no dreams of its own.

My third place

There are so many things I want to write about, but I get enough inspiration to write only when I’m at Starbucks! It’s sort of become my happy place, the third place if you may. I didn’t quite get the concept when Howard Schultz started out, or when I read about it. He wanted Starbucks to be the third place, the one you’d go to between home and work. I mean I got the idea, but I didn’t quite feel the need. Now I do! Home can get boring and monotonous and sleepy! And work, well, mostly people can’t wait to get out of there. So Starbucks it is. For a meeting, for hanging out, for blogging, or simply for overspending on a white chocolate mocha for a few hours of peace. Either way, Starbucks has just the ambiance for that break we all desperately need. And at this rate, I am well on my way to becoming a Starbucks’ ambassador!

The shooting Star(bucks).

The 5 minute management course

I’m not a fan of forwards, but I’ll make an exception for this one.

Lesson 1:

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.

The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs.

When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor.

Before she says a word, Bob says, ‘I’ll give you $800 to drop that towel.’

After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob, after a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.

The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.

When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, ‘Who was that?’

‘It was Bob the next door neighbor,’ she replies.

‘Great,’ the husband says, ‘did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?’

Moral of the story:

If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders, in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Lesson 2:

A priest offered a Nun a lift.

She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg.

The priest nearly had an accident.

After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.

The nun said, ‘Father, remember Psalm 129?’

The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again.

The nun once again said, ‘Father, remember Psalm 129?’

The priest apologized ‘Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.’

Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.

On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, ‘Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.’

Moral of the story:

If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Lesson 3:

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp.

They rub it and a Genie comes out.

The Genie says, ‘I’ll give each of you just one wish.’

‘Me first! Me first!’ says the admin clerk. ‘I want to be in the Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.’

Puff! She’s gone.

‘Me next! Me next!’ says the sales rep. ‘I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.’

Puff! He’s gone.

‘OK, you’re up,’ the Genie says to the manager.

The manager says, ‘I want those two back in the office after lunch.’

Moral of the story:

Always let your boss have the first say.

Lesson 4

An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing.

A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, ‘Can I also sit like you and do nothing?’

The eagle answered: ‘Sure, why not.’

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story:

To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Lesson 5

A turkey was chatting with a bull.

‘I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree’ sighed the turkey, ‘but I haven’t got the energy.’

‘Well, why don’t you nibble on some of my droppings?’ replied the bull. They’re packed with nutrients.’

The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.

The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.

Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree.

He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story:

Bull Shit might get you to the top, but it won’t keep you there..

Lesson 6

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field.

While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.

As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.

The dung was actually thawing him out!

He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.

Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story:

(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.

(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your

friend.

(3) And when you’re in deep shit, it’s best to keep

your mouth shut!

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