MxMIndia

Category: ADVERTISING

  • The bestselling cola dumped its creative agency of 24 years… but can this help gain back its thunder, wonders Prabhakar Mundkur

    Is Thums Up losing its Thunder?

     

    By Prabhakar Mundkur

     

    When Coca-Cola launched Thums Up Charged with great fanfare two years ago, they might have consciously ignored what was happening to the cola market in general.  The signs of decline in colas has been a global phenomenon for some time now. An increasingly health conscious population, especially amongst the millennials, has meant that colas in general might not be the preferred beverage. Consumers are increasingly moving to juices and non-cola beverages and colas are no longer as ‘cool’ as they were even a decade ago.  The logic of therefore launching a extra fizzy Thums up Charged defied the logic of a cola market already under pressure. If fizz was unhealthy then extra fizz was likely to be even more unhealthy!

     

    The government has also held the health banner to cola products by classifying them as ‘sin products’ and have taxed them heavily.  As with most other harmful products like tobacco, colas attract 28% GST and a 12% cess or ‘sin’ tax. It is unlikely that colas could have carried this new burden in addition to a shift in consumer attitudes to more healthy beverages.

     

    So the prediction of $1 billion revenue announced with the launch of Thums Up Charged may have been a little premature.  The company has not yet announced if it met that target.

     

    So, what happens when brands don’t do as well as they are expected to? Typically, they change agencies. After all advertising agencies are the easiest scapegoats for CMOs when they have to answer to their superiors.

     

    What then might have taken the Thunder out of Thums Up?  Toofani Thanda or Taste the Thunder which evolved to Main Hoon Toofani,  Live the Thunder and Aaj Kuch toofani karten hain was a classic positioning that the brand has held for years and made it the leader in the market for the last few decades since it was first acquired by Coca Cola in 1993. Thanda in Hindi has been the generic label for all colas.

     

    The Thums Up Masculinity Model

    The earlier masculinity model projected by Thums Up represented pure machoism with Salman Khan. There was something raw about it.  In this, model men were expected to be muscular, drink a few gallons of alcohol without getting intoxicated and strong enough to be heavy smokers. Ian Fleming’s James Bond in his books represented this kind of raw masculinity. Typically, men projected toughness and independence and seemed invulnerable.  Brands and marketers projected this masculinity by finding appropriate role models and celebrities and for Thums Up it was Salman Khan. For other brands like Cinthol in the old days, it was Vinod Khanna that represented this kind of masculinity.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCqG3FTdEMw

     

    When Thums Up made the change from Salman Khan to Ranveer Singh, they made a conscious effort to change the original masculinity code of Thums Up.  The launch of Ranveer Singh with Main Hoon Toofani theme, had Ranveer in a feat where he helped schoolchildren out of a bus that was about to fall in to a gorge.  Heroic and a social do-gooder yes, but was it masculine enough? Probably not.  Earlier commercials for Thums Up had shown Salman go to any lengths to get his bottle of Thums Up and in the process overcome several hurdles.  In comparison the new Ranveer film did not have the same purpose. Also, variant advertising is not easy. How do you differentiate variants adequately in advertising so that the classic variant is different from the new variant?  Did the Ranveer commercial achieve this distinction of differentiating Thums Up Charged adequately from the classic Thums Up? I am not sure.  It was not clear what the emotional benefit the extra fizz resulted in for the Ranveer commercial.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgEVNWdfIEo

     

    Cutting to the latest commercial in November 2018 for Thums Up lacked both a theme and any substance.  Ranveer Singh seemed to be running away from thugs and finally escapes them with a swig of Thums Up before he jumps into some rapids.   Heroic again but not particularly masculine.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KPjy_6pX9wA

     

    Contrast all this advertising with the Salman Khan advertising of yore.  Maybe it was time to bring the real Toofani back to Thums Up. Which might explain the change of agencies from Burnett to Lowe.

     

     

  • It has lined up an integrated marketing campaign to support the launch of the product

    Jadeja appointed brand ambassador for Bajaj Cool Almond Drops Hair Oil

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bajaj Consumer Care has appointed Ravindra Jadeja its brand ambassador for its new Bajaj Cool Almond Drops Hair Oil. A new TVC, conceptualised by Mullen Lintas, has Ravindra Jadeja focusing on the new product as a cool oil that does not leave your hair feeling sticky.

     

    Commenting on the new launch, Sandeep Verma, President Sales and Marketing of Bajaj Consumer Care: “Bajaj Cool Almond Drops Hair Oil is the ideal hair oil for the approaching hot summers. There are other cooling oils in the market too, but we found that there is a genuine consumer need gap for a cooling oil which is non-sticky and light. Being the pioneers in the light hair oil segment, we decided to take up this challenge and provide the consumer with a product that provides the benefits of a cooling oil without the hassles and problems of stickiness . We are glad to collaborate with Ravindra Jadeja for this campaign. He is the ideal brand ambassador since he has always kept his cool under high pressure situations.”

     

    Sharing an insight on the TVC, Priya Balan, Senior Vice President and Branch Head from Mullen Lintas added: “The campaign is based on a simple product truth that most cooling oils give you cooling but may make your hair look sticky and “chipku”. Unlike Bajaj Cool Almond drops hair oil that is a light cooling oil, and not only helps you keep cool, but also look cool. It was wonderful collaborating with Ravindra Jadeja as our brand ambassador, who we believe is a perfect fit for the brand philosophy”.

     

     

  • ASCI’s Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) upheld complaints against 230 advertisements from a total of 290 advertisements

    ASCI takes corrective action against 125 erring ads

    By A Correspondent

     

    In December 2018 and January 2019, ASCI investigated complaints against 415 advertisements, of which the advertisers ensured corrective action for 125 advertisements. ASCI’s Consumer Complaints Council (CCC) upheld complaints against 230 advertisements from a total of 290 advertisements evaluated by them. Of these 230 advertisements, 106 belonged to the education sector, 61 to the healthcare sector, 32 to the food & beverages sector, nine to personal care, and 22 were from the ‘others’ category.

     

    Among several advertisements that were examined, the CCC observed that in two separate cases, renowned cricketers were endorsing liquor brands that did not meet the ASCI Guidelines for Qualification of Brand Extension of Product or Service. Additionally, a famous Bollywood celebrity was seen endorsing two face cream product variants of the same brand, both made absolute claims of removal of skin marks which were unsubstantiated and hence misleading. Advertisements for two hair oil brands featuring celebrities were also considered misleading. Claims regarding mosquito repellent product by a famous Bollywood celebrity and claims regarding an online pharmacy endorsed by a cricketer were considered to be unsubstantiated.

     

    A significant number of complaints looked into by the CCC pertained to Education sector arising out of suo motu surveillance activity by ASCI followed by Healthcare products and services. The most common reason for upholding complaints were unsubstantiated and exaggerated claims that exploit consumers’ lack of knowledge.

     

    Said D Shivakumar, Chairman, ASCI: “Being a self-regulatory organisation in advertising, ASCI’s efforts have always been towards protecting the interest of consumers. In order to create mass consumer awareness about objectionable advertisements, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) issued an advisory for a scroller to be carried by all TV broadcasters in support of self-regulation for grievance against objectionable advertisements that refers to ASCI. With more and more TV channels carrying the ASCI WhatsApp number 77100 12345 in a scroller, there has been over a tenfold increase in consumers reaching out to ASCI.”

     

     

  • Bhadkamkar will now also be responsible for driving operational excellence in business and oversee support functions including HR and IT in India.  He will continue to report to Ashish Bhasin

    Dentsu Aegis Network expands Anand Bhadkamkar’s role to CFO & COO South Asia

    By A Correspondent

     

    Anand Bhadkamkar, CFO, Dentsu Aegis Network – South Asia, has been given additional charge of Chief Operating Officer India. This follows Dentsu Aegis Network’s (DAN) announcement to promote Ashish Bhasin to the expanded role of CEO Greater South, Dentsu Aegis Network and Chairman and CEO India. With this announcement, Bhadkamkar will now also be responsible for driving operational excellence in business and oversee support functions including HR and IT in India.  He will continue to report to Ashish Bhasin.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, Bhasin said: “Anand is exceptionally dependable, comes with strong leadership capabilities and has a very strong understanding of our markets, clients and services. Dentsu Aegis Network India is currently standing amid enormous market opportunities and with my expanded role and new geographies to look after, it was imperative for Anand to take up the operational responsibilities. Anand has always been integral to DAN operations and, in some ways, this is a formalisation of this duty. I strongly believe that Anand will successfully implement and integrate our strategies to take this growth forward.”

     

    Commenting on his new role, Bhadkamkar said: “I am extremely excited and honoured to take on this additional responsibility. I look forward to embarking upon a new chapter in my career, having been part of the company’s journey over the past 10 years now. Dentsu Aegis Network India is very well-positioned in today’s digital and transformational environment. I look forward to supporting the Group in its next growth phase and continue driving operational excellence across the organisation in South Asia.”

     

     

  • Does the Droga5 acquisition mean we are closing to writing the epitaph on the ad industry, asks Prabhakar Mundkur

    Accenture snaps the Jewel in the Advertising Crown

     

    By Prabhakar Mundkur

     

    While the consulting and ad agency pot has been boiling for some time, some people claimed they couldn’t still see the bubbles. Now with Accenture announcing the acquisition of Droga5 the pot might well be boiling over.  This seems like a coup for Accenture. They are not only buying into a creative agency of repute, they now have one of the most celebrated creative directors in the world with David Droga.  He is the most awarded creative director at Cannes and rounded up his string of achievements by being recognised with the Lifetime Achievement award at Cannes in 2017. Also, he is the youngest person to be inducted into the New York Art Directors Club Hall of Fame.  In 2017, Adweek named him one of the top 100 most influential leaders in marketing, media and technology for the third year in a row.

     

    Droga5 has been named Agency of the Year 13 times, recently by Ad Week and the Cannes International Festival of Creativity.  It is also one of the only agencies to be named in Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies list and the only agency to appear on Advertising Age’s A-List for over seven consecutive years.

     

    Quite clearly Droga5 was the jewel in the crown of the ad industry as far as Accenture is concerned.  Much more attractive than buying a limping old advertising agency. With Droga5, Accenture seems to have focused on creativity rather than scale and size which is a wise move, because the consulting firm has been accused of lack of creativity more than anything else. So far, most advertising groups had been in denial about the inroads made by consulting firms, but the Droga5 acquisition will no doubt becoming a turning point.

     

    Of course, the sad thing is that Droga5 will lose its identity and merge into Accenture Interactive, not necessarily a good thing.  While David Droga will continue to be Chairman of the combined entity, one can’t help feeling that Droga might have sold out. For Droga selling to Accenture may have been a result of his healthy disrespect for ad agencies in general. After all, when he set up Droga5, he wanted to escape the traditional ad agency model which was perhaps stifling him.

     

    Also, Droga5 becomes a part of a fairly large unit since Accenture Interactive claims to be already a fifth of Accenture’s revenue proving that consulting firms are treating this diversification as an important one.

     

    Of course, people are questioning the fit of the two cultures and if they are consonant with each other.  While many management scholars have eulogised on the question of culture in mergers and acquisitions, my own experience is that the excitement of acquisition or being acquired typically blinds respective owners on the question of culture fit.  There is too much money involved for merging companies to take culture seriously.  They think it is a bridge they will cross when they come to it.

     

    In the meantime, of course, Brian Whipple of Accenture Interactive has stoutly defended any doubts about a culture fit. Although one can’t help thinking that consulting firms are essentially left-brained and creative shops like Droga5 are essentially right-brained. And the twain shall never meet.

     

    What might be upsetting for the advertising industry might be Accenture Interactive sweeping the awards at the Cannes Lions in 2020.  With Droga’s reputation there is little doubt that he will create a dent as usual in most of the prestigious award shows around the world.  Does that mean we are now close to writing the epitaph on the advertising industry in general? We just have to wait and see, but the end does seem uncomfortably close. In the meantime, I am sure Droga’s compatriots will hate him for selling out to the enemy!

     

     

  • They offered a solution to devotees via the Bajaj Platina Comfortec 110

    Ogilvy and Bajaj offer bike service for devotees at Kumbh

    By A Correspondent

     

    Ogilvy and Bajaj saw the Kumbh Mela as an opportunity to connect with people and create a difference in a unique way. The Kumbh sees a lot of elderly and physically challenged pilgrims who find it difficult to walk the last few kilometres to the ghats for their holy dip. They found a solution to this problem in Bajaj Platina Comfortec 110.

     

    Together they introduced a free ferry service for the elderly pilgrims in the Kumbh city called the Aaram Rath sewa. Designed with specially fitted backrest, Platina Comfortec 110 was converted into Platina Aaram Rath, custom made to offer a comfortable ride for the needy.

     

    Said Narayan Sundararaman, Vice President, Bajaj Auto: “With the new Bajaj Platina Comfortec 110, our focus has been to deliver the most comfortable ride experience in the category. No doubt that the motorcycle has much better power, acceleration, pick-up, and braking. But a Platina stands for comfort. When we encountered this opportunity, we were clear that this activity will bring relief to people in need of help to reach the ghats, and that Platina is the right vehicle of choice for it. From there on, we worked on retro-fitting a secure two-sided backrest specially made for the audience. We are thrilled that this activity has been so well-received. I can only imagine the countless blessings we have gathered along the way.”

     

    Added Sukesh Nayak, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy West: “People come from across the country to take the holy dip at Kumbh. By running this free Aaram Rath service on the most comfortable motorcycle, we are happy to have helped so many elderly people get to the ghat in the most comfortable manner.”

     

     

  • … even though many of the Big Boys have stayed away again. With less than a week for Goafest 2019, we speak with Abby Awards Governing Council chief Shashi Sinha

    Some good work, some surprises…

     

    With less than a week to go for the Goafest, the annual convention of the advertising and media industry, all eyes are on the Abby Awards. While some of the big names are missing, the overall numbers are roughly the same with a new set of entrants in the digital, publishing, broadcast and PR domains. MxMIndia spoke with veteran industryperson, CEO of IPG Mediabrands India and Chairman of the Awards Governing Council of the Abby Awards to get a feel of the Abby this year

     

    You’ve headed the Awards Governing Council in the past. And we know it’s perhaps one of the most thankless jobs in the media association ecosystem. So why did you get drawn into it again?

    I am part of this great industry and I’m very fond of Ad Club and the fraternity. I realised there aren’t too many people willing to take on the responsibility and someone with the wherewithal had to take it on. So when the President asked me, I said okay to it.

    Getting to the critical question upfront… participating in the awards is at a new low this year. Other than Lowe and Ogilvy and a few other biggies staying away, even last year’s #1 Social Street isn’t participating this year

    While I will give you the exact numbers in Goa, broadly they are in the same ballpark. Last time, it was 2700 entries, this year it may approximately be 30-40 entries less than that. But there is at least a 15-20% increase in media, and unlike last year, this time we have managed to get all agencies. So media has gone up dramatically this year. Similarly, the other categories that have gone up are Digital and PR. Yes, the drop has been in Creative. And that is primarily because of one agency which has come in which is, like you correctly said, is Social Street. They had some 300 entries last year. But there is a surprise entrant which has come in a nice way, and that’s Dentsu.

    But Taproot isn’t entering…

    Yes, Taproot hasn’t come. But other Dentsu creative agencies have entered

    While you say that other categories have grown, isn’t Goafest and the Abby all about the Creative Abby?

    I did try reaching to almost all agences, and we met the big boys who didn’t participate. And I am unhappy to report it that despite my meeting them 3-4 times, they didn’t come in. But no one is going to fault me for not trying. I went to Lowe, McCann, Publicis, JWT, Taproot… I went everywhere. Without giving names, some said we wish to participate, but we don’t have work this time. Someone said that you came late, you should have come earlier. Someone spoke of scams. So various people have their points of view. I can’t argue with them.

    Is it because of the rankings, since you now have the ‘Agency of the Year’ title?

    Well, even when we did not have the Agency of the Year, people would still put out the ranking.

    It’s possible to bring India and Pakistan on the discussion table, one can get North and South Korea to talk, but it’s not possible to get all the agencies here.

    I can tell you with all honesty, I put my might behind it. As I said, I met most people many times, and they were very receptive. But we have some clients participating directly even though their agencies are staying away.

    Like we saw in the Effies, where Hindustan Unilever participated directly since Lowe was staying away. Moving on, how was the judging with the second year of the Master Jury. How do you find the quality of entries?

    Very good. This year, we had the Master Jury for the Media Abby also. All the agency and network heads. There are basically two points of view: One, like every year, some have said the quality wasn’t as good. But there were others, who said the work was much better than last year. I am also delighted that many production houses and TV channels have entered some amazing work.

    Is it?

    Yes, and I hope they win. It will be a slap to some of the naysayers. Because finally it is all about content. Good content will and should win.

    On the composition of the Master Jury, we didn’t have anyone from Ogilvy yet again?

    I reached out to Sonal Dabral. He did not come back to me. There were a few who had agreed to be there, but couldn’t make it because of some last-minute engagement.

    Any surprises, stand-outs this year?

    Overall you will see good work. I don’t know who the winner is because I have not done the tally… the auditors do it. Guess there may be scams this time too, but I saw a lot of real work. I saw some films which were excellent. While I would like you to be there and see things for yourself, but I was mighty pleased with some of the digital work and the entries of the television channels.

    Any surprises?

    Who knows, you could well see some.

     

     

  • Aims to power client transactions on the platform

    Dentsu launches its own blockchain engine

    By A Correspondent

     

    The data sciences division of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) India has announced the launch of its own ‘DDLCoin’ with an aim to power transactions on DAN Data Labs.

     

    Commenting on the launch of the ‘DDLCoin’, Vivek Bhargava, CEO DAN Performance Group said: “Trust and transparency has become almost a necessity in the way we enter into contracts with our clients. The recent wave of distrust in the advertising ecosystem has provided many in the industry with sleepless nights. With the use of trust-building technologies like distributed ledgers – known as the blockchain, the adtech industry has the unique opportunity to rebuild trust by creating a more transparent ecosystem for all. It gives me immense pride to be a part of a network that has the capability to service this modern need of clients and be pioneers in adopting this technology.”

     

    Added Gautam Mehra, Chief Data Officer- South Asia, Dentsu Aegis Network: “DAN Data Labs has been known for being the industry gold standard in driving innovation in the way we plan and execute campaigns in the modern-day digital ecosystem. It has been our vision to provide a solution for whatever the need of our clients may be when it comes to data driven marketing. The product has been known to be swift to adapt to the changing environment by being constantly updated with the latest tech, advancements in Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence and now trust systems like the blockchain.”

     

     

  • Pizza Hut is also launching an aggressive TV and digital campaign highlighting the offer

    Pizza Hut offers pan pizzas starting at Rs. 99

    By A Correspondent

     

    Pizza Hut has announced the launch of ‘Wow Everyday Value’ accompanied by a TV and digital campaign created by Ogilvy.

     

    Commenting on the announcement, Prashant Gaur, Chief Brand and Customer Officer, Pizza Hut India Subcontinent said: “Ever since Pizza Hut entered India, customers have consistently given us a lot of credit for serving the tastiest pizzas and giving them a great experience. No surprises that we have been adjudged as the Most Trusted Brand by a reputed media house for the 13th time in a row.

     

    With changing times, the needs of consumers have also changed, with pizzas evolving from being just a special occasion treat to an everyday home meal replacement.”

     

    Talking about the launch of the advertising film, Gaur added: “IPL is a very critical time for brands to invest and dial-up visibility. That brings in immense clutter, making it imperative to come up with unique and distinctive creative route for high customer recall. Breaking the norm of traditional category advertising was our key motivation behind introducing ‘Agent Pizza’ and we are confident that his character will make the film stand-out from the rest.”

     

    Said Kapil Arora, President – Ogilvy Group Companies, North at Ogilvy & Mather: “In the world of Pizzas, where value often comes at the cost of quality, Pizza Hut is the exception. With its Wow Everyday Value offering, consumers can now feast on the tastiest pizzas, at an accessible Rs 99 price point. Naturally, that makes Pizza Hut the destination of choice for pizza lovers. Our communication simply dramatises the same.”

  • The campaign aims to target millions of MSMEs, small business owners to cast and make their vote count

    Instamojo unveils its ‘IAMMSME’ campaign this election season

    By A Correspondent

     

    In a bid to encourage MSME players in the country, Instamojo has launched the IAMMSME campaign ahead of upcoming General Elections 2019. The campaign is purposed towards encouraging the MSMEs of the country to exercise their right to vote and contribute towards building a promising future for the sector.

     

    Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Sampad Swain, CEO & Co-founder, Instamojo said: “While we are constantly working towards empowering the MSME businesses by helping them go digital, we came up with the idea of ‘IAMMSME’ campaign for the upcoming elections. Apart from encouraging them to go out and vote, through this campaign, we want MSME players and small business owners to voice out their top priorities from the government for next five years. The next five years will be crucial for the sector as digital disruption will continue to take place and government will have a pivotal role in enabling and empowering them.”

     

     

  • The festival is a precursor to Cannes and every year many Cannes aspirants test their work at Montreux

    Montreux fest entries closing date extended to April 17

    By A Correspondent

     

    The 30th edition of Golden Award of Montreux Advertising Festival is scheduled this year at Montreux in Switzerland on April 25. Well, we’ve already written about that. The last date for entries has now been extended to April 17.

     

    The 2018 Golden Award of Montreux received more than 3,400 entries from 38 countries last year. The jury members include Ajay Chandwani, Director – Percept Ltd, amongst many others.

     

     

  • Sanjeev Kotnala has attended every edition of Goafest, and is looking forward to yet another edition

    Upclose view of a Loyalist

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    I was recently telling someone that I am one of the few who has attended every season of Goafest since inception.  I was stumped when she asked, what has changed and what should change at Goafest. Moreover, she wanted to know, why should someone attend Goafest? In spite of my being a loyalist, the questions pushed me rethink. It would have been different thing if Miss2016 was to ask me the same questions.

    I have been part of Goafest in all possible avatars. As a delegate, sponsor, sisrupter, award-winner, jury and Ppress. Have witnessed it morph from the Special-Invitees-only-Conclave on Day One to a three-day festival where delegates have the choice of days they want to attend.

    I felt the pain of few classical Goafest properties slowly vanishing from the festival radar. I remember the days when beer was freely available. I also remember the year when delegates were given coupons restricting the number of pints they could get, to now when with sporadic availability of beer.

    There used to be stalls lining your way to the knowledge hangers on the beach. Now we have replaced them with technology activation ports in the corridor and lobby area.

    The open-air after-parties on beach Cavelossim used to end early and continued in hotels, shacks, casinos and restaurants. Now they stretch to early mornings in closed halls.

    I know the delegates enjoyed rain dance. It is no longer a part of the fest.

    The knowledge seminars have moved out of humid hangers to air-conditioned halls. The knowledge seminar mix slowly morphing to spirituality, celebrities and authors, they say, everything swad anusar.

     

    Goafest, Not Everything Has Changed.

    Everything has not changed. Few things have retained their historical perspective.

    The association with Goa and festivity has further strengthened without any efforts.  The ticket counters have the same standardised looks. You still have to come back to collect the conference kit.

    Even with some large agencies deciding against participating in the awards, the enthusiasm and excitement along with the noise levels have not decreased. It’s best to stop asking such questions of award participation and just celeblrate Abby.

    The lucky draws along with other promotions have failed to increase visitors in the display area.

    The core teams organising the event has remained wel-represented by dedicated industry people with very low infusion of fresh blood.

    The delegate mix has moved towards smaller and digital agencies. However, marketers are still trying to find the answer to the big question; why attend Goafest? And while things were finding their coordinates in this flux, the media owners and brands continued to sponsor Goafest.

     

    Changes, I Wish To See At Goafest.

    This will not be the first time I am sharing my wishlist. I have been contributing my suggestions  through my blog and my column. I am thankful that few of them have even implemented.

    I will start with time management. There have been tremendous efforts on this agenda. And the results are apparent. However, we have a long way to go.

    I wish the organisers were stricter with the speaker’s time slot. I wish they were blunt and if necessary rude enough to end the session if it was exceeding time limit. Personally, I will respect them more if they are bold enough to start the morning sessions irrespective of the attendance. Why should the delegates who wake up early so that they are on time for the session be penalised?

    I wish Goafest introduce extra premium chairs and seat reservation for the session(s) or the day. I know many will be more than willing to check them out. May be introduce exclusive seating (with table) for the press to help them file their stories and cover the event better. If you do so, make sure there are enough seats.  More essential, ensure that these are occupied by media people accredited for the event and not people from media.

    I wish that the moderators are better prepared for discussion with the speakers and don’t sleepwalk through the proceeding. Someone trains the panelist on how to face the audience and not show them the shoulder.

    I wish the questions-answer sessions are not cancelled because of the speaker over-running his or her schedule. And, if possible, the panel that selects the questions for the speaker does not know the identity of the persons raising the question. There have been some low-level mummers of selection panel bias.

    If it’s Goafest, add some local flavour in food, welcome kit, side tours, entertainment and games. Goafest hardly has any Goa in it, and everyone has to make his or her own efforts to add Goa to the festivity. So, don’t be surprised that many continue to wear extra wide cane caps and floral shirts to the event.

    It will be great if the speakers do not overtly plug their services. If possibly a team should vet the presentations before the session to see the delegates are getting their dues.

    Hopefully, we will not have any speaker known to question advertising associations ethics and self-regulation. You know how touchy I am on this subject.

     

    Why Attend Goafest?

    Some questions should be left unanswered. Attending Goafest cannot have a logical answer. You like it, you attend Goafest. It’s that simple.  It got nothing to do with Goa, beaches, Feni, parties and festivity. Goafest almost always met expectations and promised to deliver more. It is still evolving!

    The jam-packed schedule of interesting knowledge sessions, the evening entertainment and the after parties at Grand Hyatt leave not much time for you to explore anything else. In fact, I will not be surprised if you think it was GrandHyattFest and not Goafest.

     

    On the other hand, I can suggest that you attend Goafest for precisely five reasons:

    (1) Knowledge seminars. And if you get just three seminars that work for you, you are done.

    (2) Networking. It all depends upon you, how you work it out

    (3) The After-parties. Best enjoyed with a group of friends and they go late at night

    (4) Work Display. Go through the shortlisted entries. Maybe you will pick some idea subliminally, expand on it, improvise it and morph it into something even better.

    (5) Relax and if you have an unfinished story– just wait for it to find its ending.