It makes me laugh sometimes... Is ' Destiny' for real... is Life ruled by RULES ???
I love to discuss about the inevitable! love to think about it, love to debate about it. I sometimes wonder if everything is 'meant to be'.
There are more questions than answers here ... Just pondering... thinking again... wondering... if someone somewhere knows whats going to happen next! Next is a big word, Next is also a mystery for most of us!
On one side, there are all these rules that exist, systems of nature ... there are days and nights, there is logic to existence - we need food to survive, we need to love and be loved, we need to take a dump (well its a reality), Things that are a part of these set of rules that are a necessity to our existence...
On the other side... well there is this Chaos... organised chaos where in Destiny is just a way of blaming our wrongs and hoping for rights to come soon.
But again... we never know ... Life is amazing, it leaves me in sheer appreciation of the Force... Some call it 'God'!
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Tuesday, September 30, 2008
India on Sale!!!
There is just such an influx of fashion in our country. And do not misunderstand fashion as only fashion in its true sense but instead lifestyle, as everything that you do wear, eat, dress, sleep, feel has to be coated with fashion or rather has to have fashion connotations. Tell me if it doesn’t?
India seats itself on the hot seat for everything now. The country that’s basks in the sunlight of brand attention be it in fashion, technology, service. India is the place to be. Everybody seems to find their niche among the 1.2 bn population that this country has to offer.
We see the latest auto cars which may be affordable by a handful of Indians make its presence felt in the country. Last 2 years we’ve seen the Rolls Royce, Porsche all pumping enough money to ensure they capitalize on the Indian boom.
We have magazines from the Condenast group trying to offer luxury reading to a select few who probably can read it but can’t understand it. I mean I read these magazines but in the most complicated formats and with pages galore that there is an information overdose.
The information is irrelevant and indigestible. First it was the great Vogue… synonymous with the bible of fashion and now it’s the GQ which is the ultimate luxury lifestyle magazine for men. It’s great but complicated. It can take you days to read through it. A great title to have either on your desk or your coffee table.
I understand the context of it being niche and luxury but the relevance to the Indian consumer is my question. There is just so much of it for the consumer to even fathom. Where are we even concerned of customizing anything for him? Be it in any genre of lifestyle.
The information that he receives is not customized, the product he receives does not appeal to him in totality either. The brands just believe that the consumer is a genius and will understand and comprehend all the information that brands have to offer. Do you think any human can sieve through 200 pages of fashion. Not me for sure. It’s impossible for any magazine to hold on a consumers attention for more than an hour and even more difficult for you to expect him to pick it up again after he’s gone through it once. I mean try and think hard when was the last time you went through a magazine for more than an hour and any content that induced you to pick it up again, please exclude the business & current affairs magazine. There is information loss due to lack of simplicity.
In the attempt to maintain the international appeal do not forget that the offering is irrelevant to him. Cool summer cardigans do not work in tropical Indian weathers, wearing dull pastel shades in the festive season never does work in this country where bright colours form a backdrop to everything in life. Black will never attain status of being an auspicious colour or Indian women will not suddenly grow tall to wear long flowy Gucci gowns.
Unlike in most countries where one city maybe a representative of the entire country, India is different & diverse and one needs to respect it. Bombay & Delhi are not representative of India.
I think what most brands forget to offer is simplicity. If they really understood India and its potential everything that the brands did would not be so superfluous.
There is such a small population that the brands believe that they need to address that they often leave out a huge potential. Actually the potential that you came chasing. The potential that you showcased in your presentations that helped your management decide that India is now ready as a market for my brand.
Simplify everything for your consumer, its not like he doesn’t understand it but he is so worn off time that he needs you to do it for him. Never under estimate the potential or over estimate your consumer.
India does have tremendous consumption capacity only if you have the right offering.
Technorati Profile
India seats itself on the hot seat for everything now. The country that’s basks in the sunlight of brand attention be it in fashion, technology, service. India is the place to be. Everybody seems to find their niche among the 1.2 bn population that this country has to offer.
We see the latest auto cars which may be affordable by a handful of Indians make its presence felt in the country. Last 2 years we’ve seen the Rolls Royce, Porsche all pumping enough money to ensure they capitalize on the Indian boom.
We have magazines from the Condenast group trying to offer luxury reading to a select few who probably can read it but can’t understand it. I mean I read these magazines but in the most complicated formats and with pages galore that there is an information overdose.
The information is irrelevant and indigestible. First it was the great Vogue… synonymous with the bible of fashion and now it’s the GQ which is the ultimate luxury lifestyle magazine for men. It’s great but complicated. It can take you days to read through it. A great title to have either on your desk or your coffee table.
I understand the context of it being niche and luxury but the relevance to the Indian consumer is my question. There is just so much of it for the consumer to even fathom. Where are we even concerned of customizing anything for him? Be it in any genre of lifestyle.
The information that he receives is not customized, the product he receives does not appeal to him in totality either. The brands just believe that the consumer is a genius and will understand and comprehend all the information that brands have to offer. Do you think any human can sieve through 200 pages of fashion. Not me for sure. It’s impossible for any magazine to hold on a consumers attention for more than an hour and even more difficult for you to expect him to pick it up again after he’s gone through it once. I mean try and think hard when was the last time you went through a magazine for more than an hour and any content that induced you to pick it up again, please exclude the business & current affairs magazine. There is information loss due to lack of simplicity.
In the attempt to maintain the international appeal do not forget that the offering is irrelevant to him. Cool summer cardigans do not work in tropical Indian weathers, wearing dull pastel shades in the festive season never does work in this country where bright colours form a backdrop to everything in life. Black will never attain status of being an auspicious colour or Indian women will not suddenly grow tall to wear long flowy Gucci gowns.
Unlike in most countries where one city maybe a representative of the entire country, India is different & diverse and one needs to respect it. Bombay & Delhi are not representative of India.
I think what most brands forget to offer is simplicity. If they really understood India and its potential everything that the brands did would not be so superfluous.
There is such a small population that the brands believe that they need to address that they often leave out a huge potential. Actually the potential that you came chasing. The potential that you showcased in your presentations that helped your management decide that India is now ready as a market for my brand.
Simplify everything for your consumer, its not like he doesn’t understand it but he is so worn off time that he needs you to do it for him. Never under estimate the potential or over estimate your consumer.
India does have tremendous consumption capacity only if you have the right offering.
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Sunday, September 28, 2008
The transcending lord
Someone once told me that in India there are 5 things that can never fail to connect with Indians, religion, bollywood, cricket, politics & humour. But one of these is something that transcends itself even beyond India and that is Ganesha. I have never ever seen any god have so much pull.
He finds his abode not only at the biggest and richest of pandals but also in little huts, to palatial homes of celebrities & industrialists. It doesn’t matter if you are a gujarati, maharashtrian, Punjabi or Sindhi. Then the communalism between Hindus and Muslims appears to cease.
I think its a great idol that has been converted into a great product by people which is marketed in whatever form to generate a lot of revenue.
He hasn’t restricted his presence only to the temples but also to cute idols which one wants to keep with him all the time. In his new car, new home, with a new life partner, while traveling. He is suddenly a mascot of great and cute gifts. He has made his space at all the gift shops from Archies, Satyams, Hallmark or any popular gift store. He transcends across mediums like music,art, television soaps, festivals, occassions.
It’s the faith that he has ignited of being a true vighna harta that we believe in. It’s just his presence alone that will destroy the evil. It’s the faith with which people walk to him after all their problems are accomplished, it’s the faith that makes people of Mumbai walk to Sidhivinayak on every Tuesday no matter where they live.
When is it that this little cute lord made himself so popular.
Is it faith or cult? I wonder!
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He finds his abode not only at the biggest and richest of pandals but also in little huts, to palatial homes of celebrities & industrialists. It doesn’t matter if you are a gujarati, maharashtrian, Punjabi or Sindhi. Then the communalism between Hindus and Muslims appears to cease.
I think its a great idol that has been converted into a great product by people which is marketed in whatever form to generate a lot of revenue.
He hasn’t restricted his presence only to the temples but also to cute idols which one wants to keep with him all the time. In his new car, new home, with a new life partner, while traveling. He is suddenly a mascot of great and cute gifts. He has made his space at all the gift shops from Archies, Satyams, Hallmark or any popular gift store. He transcends across mediums like music,art, television soaps, festivals, occassions.
It’s the faith that he has ignited of being a true vighna harta that we believe in. It’s just his presence alone that will destroy the evil. It’s the faith with which people walk to him after all their problems are accomplished, it’s the faith that makes people of Mumbai walk to Sidhivinayak on every Tuesday no matter where they live.
When is it that this little cute lord made himself so popular.
Is it faith or cult? I wonder!
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Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Global brands in globalization of emerging economies
India is the hot focus of many brands. Last year we had so many brands come in, in all genres of life like food, lifestyle, services, etc. Each year we keep on adding to the brands and the hungama that happens around it.
All international brands claim that they translate the best consumer experience for you from across the globe. But the truth is that brands still haven't been able to do it.
Do Indian brands service better? I remember when Hyundai first entered India while everybody loved the car, the service and availability of spare parts was still an issue to ponder. Maruti beat all the other players on account of best service and its accessibility & availability in the remotest areas in the country.
I am not here to generalize or make statements but the fact is that most of my experiences with global brands have made me believe and translate my beliefs into words. A recent experience that shook me and only strengthened my belief was Mac. Donald's. Promises smiles, fun a great family experience moving away from the platform of great yummy food as that has become a hygiene factor for them. Everybody probably knows what Mac food tastes like. But my smiles at Mac soon vanished when I found a living worm in my burger. I complained at the outlet, wrote to their customer service email address, but nobody heard me or even bothered to write back.
I was so disappointed that it just completely shook me and I narrated my experience to atleast 10 other friends. What amazed me was obviously the hygiene level that a chain of this magnitude operates at and secondly that they didn't even have the audacity to write back. Do they believe that Indians who want a burger for 20 Rs have no right to demand for quality products?
There are a lot of other brands that haven't particularly impressed me in their customer service one of them is the world's favourite Mac. A Mac customer is so passionate that he anyways knows his product and brand well but the store staff can still be atleast a little bit useful instead of being arrogant and having minimal product knowledge. All the customer expects him to do is share his passion
I’m sure all of us can think of lots of instances when we felt that global brands service standards vary from city to city, country to country and continent to continent. I would like to leave you with a question:
Is it because it's India that it doesn't matter?
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All international brands claim that they translate the best consumer experience for you from across the globe. But the truth is that brands still haven't been able to do it.
Do Indian brands service better? I remember when Hyundai first entered India while everybody loved the car, the service and availability of spare parts was still an issue to ponder. Maruti beat all the other players on account of best service and its accessibility & availability in the remotest areas in the country.
I am not here to generalize or make statements but the fact is that most of my experiences with global brands have made me believe and translate my beliefs into words. A recent experience that shook me and only strengthened my belief was Mac. Donald's. Promises smiles, fun a great family experience moving away from the platform of great yummy food as that has become a hygiene factor for them. Everybody probably knows what Mac food tastes like. But my smiles at Mac soon vanished when I found a living worm in my burger. I complained at the outlet, wrote to their customer service email address, but nobody heard me or even bothered to write back.
I was so disappointed that it just completely shook me and I narrated my experience to atleast 10 other friends. What amazed me was obviously the hygiene level that a chain of this magnitude operates at and secondly that they didn't even have the audacity to write back. Do they believe that Indians who want a burger for 20 Rs have no right to demand for quality products?
There are a lot of other brands that haven't particularly impressed me in their customer service one of them is the world's favourite Mac. A Mac customer is so passionate that he anyways knows his product and brand well but the store staff can still be atleast a little bit useful instead of being arrogant and having minimal product knowledge. All the customer expects him to do is share his passion
I’m sure all of us can think of lots of instances when we felt that global brands service standards vary from city to city, country to country and continent to continent. I would like to leave you with a question:
Is it because it's India that it doesn't matter?
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