BIG B blogged down

Respected sir.....


To sir with Love : Its called Branding

sirji writes Source :http://bigb.bigadda.com/2009/page/2/

A couple of hours, a few damp smelling minutes of those under the English Channel, self mobile operated pictures, early morning French countryside and PARIS..!!
The Salon du Cinema team meets me at the entrance to Paris-Nord station and after an exchange of greetings and flowers and video and stills, out into the wet and cold Paris streets, chased by a huge group of women, who scream and shout and clap, making you wonder what it is that I may have done to receive such an enthusiastic welcome in a country that hardly knows who I am. But, Fouad my driver and sincere personal guide during all my recent visits to the city, gathers me quickly into his car and drives off. They are migrants or asylum seekers from nearby or distant country and are begging he informs me. My ego brought into place I am saddened by their plight. Conditions the world over are so similar. Perceptions differ, but the reality of life and existence, unchanged.
On blog, comments for the film ‘SlumDog Millionaire’ and the anger by some on its contents, prompt me to say the above. If SM projects India as Third World dirty under belly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky under belly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations. Its just that the SM idea authored by an Indian and conceived and cinematically put together by a Westerner, gets creative Globe recognition. The other would perhaps not.
The commercial escapist world of Indian Cinema had vociferously battled for years , on the attention paid and the adulation given to the legendary Satyajit Ray at all the prestigious Film Festivals of the West, and not a word of appreciation for the entertaining mass oriented box office block busters that were being churned out from Mumbai. The argument. Ray portrayed reality. The other escapism, fantasy and incredulous posturing. Unimpressive for Cannes and Berlin and Venice. But look how rapidly all that is changing. Retrospectives in Paris and New York. Dedicated TV channels running Hindi cinema on prime timings. Premiers at Leiscester Square, the home of all Hollywood royalty, thronged by hundreds on the street in cold biting weather. Affable recognition at most corners of the universe… And a dear friend from Los Angeles wires in that Hollywood is abuzz with India and the phenomenal talent that exists there. We’re talking cinema still !
DAY 264, response 156, Pooja Srivastava Bannerjee, writes a long exhaustive capital led piece, dripping with sarcasm, undiluted cynicism, pride and arrogance on how their group of fans who visited the outdoor shooting of Abhishek in Orcha wilderness in Madhya Pradesh were denied a ’smile’ and a ‘wave’ from him ! They, who were the wives of Army personnel; personnel that laid down their lives for the nation. They, who bought tickets to our films so we could become who we are. They, that were the contributor to our riches and wealth. How dare, they, who have made us and who if they did not patronize us where we would be, be treated in this manner from Abhishek who, their commander informed was not the typical star but a well behaved individual.
I have given my response to said lady. Apologized on his behalf. Given a background to the lives of artistes and actors on set. Tried to explain the possible circumstances of the situation and left her with a pertinent query.
My endeavor in treating said incident with fairness and a semblance of democratic understanding, coerces me to put the matter up for the extended family to react, reject, advise, comment on it. Would you ?? Thank you.
‘Tis late now ! ‘Tis not so sweet as it was before..
Good Night and Namaskar
...........
comments : http://bigb.bigadda.com/2009/01/12/day-264/#comment-268002

Hi Sir,
Well. I agree about your saying about “a murky under belly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations” however I don’t agree that the movie should not get Globe recognition since SM idea authored by an Indian and conceived and cinematically put together by a Westerner, gets creative. The other way as you have mentioned would perhaps not, of course and I am saying this not because I am not proud to be Indian or I doubt the credibility of incredible India! But at the same time one should not forgo the power of Marketing & Brand Building that the WEST had always maintained and the REST has always applauded as when required.Don’t you agree we are so proud to associate our self from whatever walks of life we come from, from whatever fraternity we belong we love to associate ourselves with the WEST?Again let me reiterate what actually making a point is that we welcome and we are so used to welcome foreigners to give us the certificate on whatever we have and whatever we do. Hence SM is not the exception as they have the power of money and marketing ability to gain recognition. They are BRANDED …HOLLYWOODI think we need to portray BOLLYWOOD in the same way as they do and focus on our talent and rather than getting angry on the content of $M coz it is true …..Where are our politically correct people…..

Satyam Hang will be Over

After reading Satyam Hangover: Implications on India's Brand IT in ET http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Features/Brand_Equity/Satyam_Hangover_Implications_on_Indias_Brand_IT/articleshow/3975604.cms#write

An individual promoter cannot spoil the entire party ....exactly and why we are so concerned with the entire IT industry. Indians have a short lived memory.. what stays is the brand and the brand in the IT sector is not Satyam but the Brand INDIA which is promising and growing .
What has happen is an operational failure in Satyam, what should be remembered is the work which is to be delivered, the service export factor need to go on. Government and eligible officials need to ensure the job of nearly 55000 employees should not be taken. Whether it is Satyam or else who takeover the company should carry on the work...work that maters and the brand equity will be upheld.
I agree that the Big Three will take up the challenge to salvage Brand Indian IT.
As long the company serves the client better the show will go on.

GREEN room

Thanks for reviewing this message in e-form!

This would be the ubiquitous thanks giving sentence when we going through documents in the internet. And organizations are taking it very seriously so you need to take this write up and read this in e-form.

Be it a car manufacturing company or a IT company they are creating a alternate identity for their BRAND …the GREEN BRAND. This is not only an effort for looking for alternate energy or optimizing processes, I believe it will refresh their Brand as a alternate brand identity.
Well I perceives theirs lot of meaning in the word GREEN and the traffic on this road is leading to only prosperity for the future generation

G get
R resources
E energy
E efficient
N now


Get Resources Energy Efficient Now ….HOWZZAT

Get: companies preparing for the change , the way it operate to make it more energy efficient

Resources: the assets/ gadgets/ building/ servers/ products/ etc

Energy :) positive

Efficient: now here lies the challenge to make the above to the optimum /maximum level for better tomorrow

Now! (Enough of seminars)

Quick facts :
Brands need and some are communicating their social purpose investments. Only 40% of consumers around the world say they are aware of any company that actively supports a good cause, and only 33% are aware of a brand that actively support a good cause. In China, awareness of brands that actively support a good cause grew from 55% in 2007 to 68% this year, most likely because of the recent Olympic Games.

Consumers say that if two products are of the same quality and price, commitment to a social purpose (42%) trumps factors like design/innovation (30%) and brand loyalty (27%) when choosing one brand over the other.

Half (52%) of consumers globally are more likely to recommend a brand that supports a good cause over one that does not, and 54% would help a brand promote a product if there was a good cause behind it
----------------------------------------------------
India is also anticipating Green drive by big companies in all forms ….IT companies are banking on the Green datacenters /optimization of resources ..Banks are welcoming the e-formats and reduction of paper works… Car / bike companies are making engines more fuel efficient…
I feel its CSR in its green form and this making waves in its Brand image …
It is realized that consumers would remain loyal to a brand during a recession if it supports a good cause. Well! A person like me will support brand which is advertising for causes like Green and save the earth ….and I am sure there is market for people like me.

It is also seen people in all level and walks of life supporting green phenomenon...I have a quick example of www.potosynthesis.com/ and yes
No one can deny the fact that nearness to nature makes person feels very calm and relaxed.

There are many companies across the world that supports social causes in different ways and they are getting the benefits and consumer attentions. Few are mentioned:

1. innocent drinks "The Big Knit" –
“The Big Knit” has raised more than £370,000 in support of older people in the U.K. who struggle through the cold of winter, an estimated 25,000 of whom die from cold weather-related causes. Proceeds from the sale of special wool-hatted bottles of innocent drinks go to Age Concern, an organization that provides hot meals, room thermometers, warm blankets, safety checking electric blankets, and advice on how to handle rising energy costs.
2. American Express Members Project –
Amex re-launched the program (started in 2007) with the aim to fund programs that will have a positive impact in the world with $2.5 million dollars. The year-one votes were tallied and the winning causes were: 1st - Alzheimers Early Detection, 2nd - Help 100,000 Children Thrive in the Classroom, 3rd - Loans that Change Lives.
3. Yamamay –
Yamamay an Italian underwear brand launched their Yamazonia line by creating a special jute bag to be sold through Yamamay retailers. The proceeds from bag sales go to save the Brazilian Rainforest. The project was linked to the S/S 2008 underwear and beachwear collection inspired by Brazil.

4. The Times of India –
The “Teach India” campaign, organized by the Times of India in conjunction with the UN Volunteers Program, corporate partners and NGOs across India, has attracted 55,000 volunteer teachers – most of them people who give their leisure time to teach underprivileged children. The big brilliant idea is simply that just two hours a week can change a child’s future.

5. Marie Claire –
Marie Claire launched “La Rose Marie Claire” in France promoting education for girls. The campaign ran to coincide with the International Day for Women’s Rights. The campaign raised money to benefit “toutes a l’ecole” which builds schools in Cambodia and “a glance, a child” which awards scholarships.

6. Kiva - Kiva is the world’s first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs in the developing world. The website aims to help real people make strides towards economic independence and improve their own lives and communities.
7. CauseCast - CauseCast is "a one stop philanthropy shop" by TechCrunch where media, philanthropy, social networking, entertainment and education converge to serve a greater purpose. CauseCast enables people who want to do good, want to be inspired, and want to inspire others to connect with kindred spirits, leaders, nonprofit organizations, and brands that inspire them.
8. Google Maps - Google and Brazil's indigenous Surui people have taken mutual social responsibility for preserving threatened rainforest. Surui tribespeople, trained in IT with the help of non-profit Amazon Conservation Team, use sat-nav and Google Maps to record and report illegal mining operations in their territory.

9. Xbox 360 - Game design features for the first time in this year's Microsoft Imagine Cup, a technology design competition where students help address social issues with innovations in software, graphics and more. Competitors in the Xbox Games for Change Challenge can win the chance to have their games (which must feature a message about creating a sustainable environment) made available as downloads in the Xbox LIVE Arcade service or MSN Games.

10. Starbucks - In partnership with the RED campaign, starting November 27, every time you buy a special (STARBUCKS) RED product, a contribution will be made to the Global Fund, to help save lives in Africa.

Man is a Virtual Animal

We human beings are a social and animal sometime...was and will be...if not they we not man may b superman....the point i want to make is now with the pro advent of technology we have different ways of socializing ...however it is not restricted to being connected , its about we are now exposed to communication of all forms...be it sharing ..be it sending sos to the community around us...creating a platform and sense of awareness by being the first or the last person.

At the micro level:

as a busy office going person we hardly get time to know our neighbor next door (if thr are boring persons around..and in case of we see good chic/ chiken i might make wrong assumptions) . More over we have friends, school, college friends far away from our reach so we wonder hw should we connect them...and now we have facebook to orkut..to ibibo, ryze....etc etc so we are vertually connecting ourself and letting our friends and thr friends hw we are doin...hw cool am i and all other crap/ not so crap/ etc

At the macro level:

we are comming close to each other without being close. thanks to the virtual networking sites.
what i understand from the brand perspective ...we are making our presence from a network which has stong "clickfalls" like the retail footfalls and directly or indirectly getting part of the network brand.

Companies are also sensing the importance such social behavorial aspects and are entering into the next level of marketing '''"the viral marketing" inter network marketing.... i feel consumer behave the way want to behave physically and these virtual platforms will the , if not best ..a way to judge the personal orientation of a person ...his desires ...his virtual social connections , communities he/she is in ..will make a marketing judgements easy and it will gonna help the marketers to wooo consumers with stuffs...they like ...


The next time we log in the sites think we log-in the brand

:)

what TASTE better Branded or un Branded Aloo, Piyaanj, Mirchi

Did i say branded aloo (potato), piyaanj(Onion), mirchi (chilli)..........what the fish....
Actually the point here i was making is about consumer power, retail power, brand power. Logically can we brand vegetables (untill its preservative /processed - cames under CPG) . However it is getting branded under the roof of retail stores ..be it reliance fresh, spencer, nilgiris, .... and we i follow the reverse power chain:
Consumer power <-------- retail power <--------- brand power

sorry...will add soon :)

Brand mamta made amar

Na……….No I am not discussing about the killing field singur.
However, political branding is all we have seen all the while. It’s lean mean thin and is always here to stay in. Political rapture is not in the party brand but it’s the personality in the party which moves the brand image of the party. SP or TMC’s agenda who cares but the voice of mamta and amar maters in the market.

Branding in its most widely understood intelligence has always had a role to play in politics. It was the same apna lalooji who moved his party with his persona of nonchalant attitude is now moving the Indian Railways in the vertical limits of the profit. I wonder if anybody know /care about his party agenda but always look forward to his fund(a) he enjoys .

See I couldn’t resist myself from giving examples about Lalooji . I think he is the face of the modern politics Indian Railway sorry Politics have ever produced.
I wonder how many people remember the political party symbol in other word the Brand symbol of the party but we can relate with Singh, Modi, Mamta, Maya, Amma, Chiru, so on…… they are the heartthrob of the party. They are not the party people, of course they are not but they are more than the party.

In the end, it doesn’t even matter who is thinking about the progressive India or India progressing in the politically correct India. What matter is who’s line is it anyways which catches the imagination of the 2/3 rd of India and they decides whose gonna rule the PM/ CM chair.

Its about brand loyalty which pays royalty

More Brand per Brand

I happen to read an interesting article in the ET today. It had a curious title “ More Brand per Brand”.

I think it is creating market the MARKET. While technically we can say its bundling offer, which works and working well in India. We are very lazy people and want everything in one place so in this prospect it works to offer the double-edged sword.

Simple examples of brands extending into adjacent categories make complex dynamics in the mind of the buyer. Yes flip side has to be there but in a huge MARKET like India there is always a passenger for each bus.

I think its perfect to extend the product offering, also one should understand that the other brand is selling because of the original brand image and the original brand image is getting re-branded with new customers coming for that "new" offer and buys the original product in return (actually its the other way).

However the core competencies should not be diluted as this is the reason other products are getting sold not because it’s getting diluted but the original brand value is pushing the "new" products in the market making more n new customers to get in.

Taking the Crossword example , 70% sale of books and 30% from the rest I think it is a Retail concept which is catching up and yet to stay. As mentioned earlier people "Love all when you have all" in the same place.

I could find another example of TATA car showrooms /dealers name any in any city we find there not only car but the Accessories for car so you more in the total bill and get more margin and we don't have to go a special car Accessories shop if we don't want to. Also we getting the TATA value added services via the dealers. There are other examples.

Ok let me give some local example from a small town like Ranchi. Renowned Tailors in Ranchi enjoys the customer satisfaction benefits and have Clientele which includes top ministers and businessmen. These Tailors not only make pants and shirts over the counter but keep Textile for sale. Ya it works sometime. Here you will not only get better service instead you could get the best service.