MxMIndia

Category: BLOGS

  • In short, IDEA fails this time on all counts. What a mess! They may as well have chosen hell as the setting. That may have been apt

    Debrief: IDEA 3G: Sirji, it’s not working!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The IDEA guys are back with another set of ads featuring Small B. This time to promote their 3G smartphone apps. There is one app which apparently drives mosquitoes away, and no, I didn’t make that up!

     

    The problem IDEA has been facing with its advertising is: They have taken on two tasks. One, to change the world. And two, to make you laugh out loud while they are at it. This is a rather dicey deal, and it’s no wonder that IDEA’s advertising is highly inconsistent. When they get the balance right, the effort shines, as was the case with the ‘mass migrations’ ad. And when they go wrong, they go badly wrong, as is the case with the new campaign.

     

    The idea this time is: ‘An IDEA can change your afterlife’. And so, Small B is seen selling 3G apps to creatures in heaven. I watched some commercials and was left scratching my head on what in heaven’s name is going on. Who is Small B? Is he the god of death? Or an angel? Or an earthling who’s taken a non-stop flight to heaven? Why on earth has heaven been chosen as the setting for this campaign? (I am all for surprising solutions but not for senseless solutions.) Is this not creating confusion instead of adding clarity to the communication? Also, what’s the public service message out here? And as if all this chaos isn’t enough, there is zero wit in the scripts. The forced humour leaves you totally irritated.

     

    In short, IDEA fails this time on all counts. What a mess! They may as well have chosen hell as the setting. That may have been apt.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 0. Confusing & boring

  • Anchor: Rahul Jauhari’s 5 must-do’s on the Web

    1. You Be You:

    Having five different aliases won’t help. Sooner or later you’re going to go nuts trying to consolidate them. It’s easier being your own self. And while you’re at it, avoid the Alpha Male 97 kinds. It may be cool when you’re a kid. But try mailing your CV from Alphamale97@gmail.com and see if you get a response. Unless you hate your own name, a NikhilKapoor@gmail.com is perfectly fine.

     

    2. Look before you like:

    “RIP Dad. You will be sorely missed.” – 75 likes.

    Sheesh. I mean I do hope you know there’s a thin line between liking a statement and liking a sentiment.  The same rule applies to “No water in the loo for the second day in a row.”

     

    3. Take care when you share:

    Content rules. And the content you put out, original or shared, pretty much defines the kind of person you are. Online reputation is built over time, destroyed sooner. Pretty much like in the offline world. Tweet crap and in no time you’ll be on lists that go ‘avoidlikeplague’

     

    4. Check out before you check-in:

    So it’s cool to be all over Foursquare. So cool that your boss is on it as well. Right? So think twice before checking into Blue Frog the same evening you killed your best friend for a bunk. Nothing is as private or personal as you’d like to believe. Especially with the likes of Twitter, FB, Linked-in, Foursquare, cross-sharing data/updates etc.

     

    5. Do unto others as…

    Hate spam? Don’t spam. Detest daily pokes? Don’t poke daily. Hate being stalked? Don’t stalk. And so on and so forth. Yeah. It sounds preachy and biblical, but it’s true. A good citizen of the online world will be liked, respected and tolerated longer than others. Patience runs thin here. No one likes to suffer jerks. Be kind to others. Be kind to yourself.

     

    Rahul Jauhari is National Creative Director, Everest Brand Solutions

     

  • In Freaking News, which will now appear every Tuesday and Friday, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare in the morning papers and the nightly news. And sometimes the afternooners, the newsmags and all that's on the Web

    [MJR] It’s all about how the media operates

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    The most serious news programme on TV sometimes is The Daily Show by Jon Stewart, aired every week night on Comedy Central at 11.30pm. The only show that comes close is, of course, The Week That Wasn’t on CNN-IBN with Cyrus Broacha.

     

    On Monday night, on The Daily Show, Stewart was all ready to discuss the fact that the Trayvon Martin case was finally going to trial. He was ready with the legalities of the case. Only, his reporters all vanished on him. There they were in Florida, standing outside the courthouse, because story was now no longer about George Zimmerman shooting Trayvon Martin: it was about the media and its reactions.

     

    A programme with a 24-hour discussion on whether the media was over-reacting was proposed. As Stewart had fits in the studio and ordered his reporters to get back to New York, they refused saying that this case was already being called the “case of the century”, “case of the millennium” and “case of the millennia” and they were not going to lose out.

     

    What a fine exaggeration of the way the media operates, I giggled to myself.

    Then, at midnight, I shifted to Times Now. Only to see Arnab Goswami in fine form, as he held forth on morality and the nation and the alleged sex CD featuring former Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi and a lawyer. Some mention of becoming a high court judge as a result of this slap-and-tickle was made.

     

    The panel was three journalists (four, if you count Goswami) and Siddharth Singh of the BJP. The BJP was, as far as I could understand, upset that Singhvi had resigned from his posts. They wanted him to explain the CD in the house (presumably not in a sex education way but knowing the BJP’s penchant for porn in legislatures, anything is possible). If the CD was real, then a probe (not like that!) was required. And if it was not real – as Singhvi has said – then another probe was required.

     

    Vinod Mehta, guiding light of Outlook said it’s all over and done with, Singhvi has resigned and let this remain a private matter. Vinod Sharma of Hindustan Times said the BJP was trying to squeeze every last drop of political mileage out of this, in spite of their own transgressions and once the Pandora’s Box was opened, they would not be safe. Arati Jerath said if this is the way high court judges are appointed, it is shocking and the matter should not be ignored.

     

    Goswami said that politicians can no longer as for privacy when their private lives are made public by the media, given the BJP’s demands.

     

    If this wasn’t fascinating enough, the next debate turned to the rift within Team Anna. Here the viewer was spectator to an incredible public squabble between three Team Anna members as Goswami and Hartosh Singh Bal of Open magazine watched with their mouths opening astonishment. Truly it was jaw-dropping stuff. All sorts of internal problems and ego battles were revealed.

     

    At the end, Goswami sternly admonished Team Anna that the fight against corruption was not anyone’s monopoly!

     

    At the end – 1.30 am — there was only the terrible truth of The Daily Show to think about. I didn’t sleep till about 3am as a result.

     

    * * *

     

    There is plenty of cyber rage over Press Council chairman Markandey Katju’s “proof” that 90 per cent of Indians are fools. People, get over this. The man is entitled to his opinion!

     

  • But the point I am making is that while I have no love lost for the politicians, the enraged filmi types must also examine the channel’s role in this mess

    Anil Thakraney: Dirty Picture, Dirty Mess

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    The movie world is pissed off over the I&B Ministry abruptly stopping the telecast of the raunchy flick, The Dirty Picture. This was scheduled for screening last Sunday.

     

    Yes, they have every reason to be angry. First, because the film had to undergo as many as 59 cuts in order to make the dirty picture ‘clean’… as in suitable for family viewing on television. This is crazy to begin with. All those unlucky kids who were kicked out of the multiplexes (which is a rare occurrence these days), would have made sure to get hold of a pirated DVD, and would have already enjoyed Vidya Balan’s ‘show’. In that context, the cuts make little sense.

     

    The film frat has also reason to get riled because the I&B Ministry’s sudden intervention renders the censor certificate useless. Nothing more than a meaningless rubber stamp. May as well dismiss the censor board and let the politicians decide what we must or must not watch at home and in the movie halls. So far, so bad.

     

    However, in all this din, everyone overlooked the channel’s role in this dirty drama.

    The Central Board of Film Certification’s guideline clearly states that a UA certified film can be shown only AFTER 11pm. In which case, why did the channel slot the film for primetime viewing? Carelessness or lack of knowledge of the rules or pressure from the sponsors and the advertisers? You can decide the reason, I don’t know.

     

    But the point I am making is that while I have no love lost for the politicians and loathe their unwanted interference in our lives, the enraged filmi types must also examine the channel’s role in this mess. Before they tweet off their collective anger.

    Clearly, the picture is pretty dirty from all angles.

     

    * * *

     

    PS: An author has written a horror story on Twitter. No kidding! And he’s picked up a huge number of followers. Amazing and interesting. Makes me think: This could be a medium for putting out fantastic, engrossing ad scripts. Those with engaging stories.

     

    Consider this: Cost: no issues. Production headaches: zero. No need for expensive celebs. And the 30 second duration killed. Copywriters must give this brand new medium a serious thought.

     

    Link: http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/r-l-stine-posts-a-horror-story-on-twitter_b47126

     

     

  • No more political propaganda, saas-bahu rona dhona, and flash warnings which vanish in a flash says Madhu Trehan

    The Anchor: Madhu Trehan on 5 things on TV that must be washed out quick

    By Madhu Trehan

     

    1. Remove all partisan propaganda placed by party in power from Doordarshan

    This is a television channel funded by tax payers’ money. It is used as a private channel by all parties in power, promoting themselves and their self serving “news”. It has the largest reach and must be used for public benefit, not for any political party’s propaganda.

     

    2. Remove soap operas that promote women who are subservient to in-laws and husband.

    Kill the demure, sly intrigue and show strong women who stand up for themselves and call the shots.

     

    3. Remove ads that show speeding cars and motorcycles as cool.

    Make it hip to drive slow and carefully.

     

    4 .Remove ads that require “Don’t try this at home”.

    Warning is flashed so fast that you can’t read it and many are too young to read. Too many incidents where kids have tried stunts at home and died.

     

    5. Remove ads which show you can buy affection by giving gifts of diamonds, cars, etc.

    It inculcates a distorted image of what relationships require and degenerates into propaganda that promotes crass materialism. Creates shallow values instantly.

     

    Veteran journalist Madhu Trehan is now Director, Newslaundry (www.newslaundry.com)

     

  • It's quite painful to watch the ad. And given that Katrina Kaif is the protagonist, that's a criminal thing to happen

    Debrief: Slice: Ras nahin, boredom barsa

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Slice is back this summer with another ‘Aamsutra’ ad. And it again features Katrina Kaif. ‘Ab Ras Barsega’ is the idea, and that line is pregnant with tantalizing possibilities.

     

    Sadly however, nothing really happens. The pretty lady is seen gallivanting around in a garden, as she alternately consumes lots of mangoes and lots of Slice. A qawwali track plays in the background to give the ad film a movie song feel. Nothing wrong with that per se… after all we do love watching film songs… but the script is so weak, the commercial leaves you high and dry.

     

    Two big problems. For the song treatment to have worked, the TVC needed a little storyline. If romance was the intention, the ad needed the presence of a lover for Kaif, or at least an indication of a lover. If Slice is playing the lover, no wonder it’s a flop show. Secondly, if Kaif had to go solo, which means the entertainment factor rests totally on her shoulders, the ad needed to pack in a lot of raw sensuousness and oomph. But even that doesn’t happen, maybe the advertiser chickened out of it. Kaif looks pretty plain and boring in this TVC.

     

    Net net: It’s quite painful to watch the ad. And given that Katrina Kaif is the protagonist, that’s a criminal thing to happen.

     

    Rating: (On a scale of 1 to 5): 1.5 Good qawwali. Dull video.

     

  • It is possible that Digital inIndiamay follow the West and completely overtake traditional media. It is also possible that like Retail inIndia, it may never take off beyond a limited scope, says Rajan Narayan

    The Anchor: Rajan Narayan on 5 reasons why ‘Digital’ isn’t the only way forward

    By Rajan Narayan

     

    1. Data says so

    Yes, digital advertising is growing rapidly at 28 per cent but then its base is small at Rs7.7 bn and surprisingly despite print and TV being more than 13 times the size of digital advertising, both are clipping at 14 per cent growth rates with Radio matching digital advertising in size and growth. The traditional media will still account for more than 75 per cent of the industry in 2015. (Source: The PWC report on India Entertainment and Media 2011)

     

    2. TV and print still reaches out to many more people than digital

    TV/Print/Radio reach 57/20/18 per cent of India’s total population. Internet is at just 3 per cent. Even in urban India penetration for TV/P/R/I is loaded against digital at 82/36/22/9 per cent. (Source IRS 2011 Q4)

     

    3. Every medium plays a unique role that is irreplaceable

    Try reading from a laptop on your hammock, or keep your family glued for 3 hours around your tablet. And we won’t discuss what to read in the loo here. Got the picture? Our habits are so deeply entrenched within us that changing it would mean re-ordering the entire process. Much easier to stick to the habit. Digital is creating new habits but not at the cost of others. Digital is very personal: It’s you and your pc/tablet/laptop/phone connected to the world. By that very reason the sender is made physically lonely. On the other hand, a theatre or your TV is media that bring the world to you and your dear ones to share simultaneously. Here your happiness is multiplied by the shared joy of your close ones. A sensation digital can never replicate.

     

    4. People consume digital differently from other media

    The big plus about digital is its interactivity. It’s the place where you put out your ideas and share things. But where do you get the stuff in the first place? From other media! The songs you like you first hear over the radio, the films you watch on the big screen, the game and contest you follow on TV. You then download or share this on the digital platform. So there are these two roles of media: one that gives you the information and another where you put out what you like. Put in which will remain largely traditional and put out media which is and will largely be digital.

     

    5. The idea of the brand is what people connect with; the medium is created to serve this end

    The start of the American War of Independence was spread to hundreds of thousands of people in the course of one single night. The medium? Word of mouth. The medium had nothing to do with the speed at which the message spread. It was the message itself that was galvanizing enough to get people to ride and walk hundreds of kilometres to spread it. The message was Liberty. WOM is still what sells iphones and ipads in a single night!  Never confuse the medium for the message. ‘Let’s do a viral!’ is the wrong way to begin digital activity. Choose digital if it is the most cost efficient or most penetrating of media among your consumers. Keep in mind that no medium can help a weak message.

     

    These views have a current context and a three-year horizon. It is possible that Digital in India may follow the West and completely overtake traditional media. It is also possible that like Retail inIndia, it may never take off beyond a limited scope. Or India may yet surprise us by evolving an entire new method of consuming media unlike anything the World has seen. Wait for the magic to unfold.

     

    Rajan Narayan is President, Quadrant Communications

     

  • If it gets established that the man compromised his powerful position, Singhvi ought to be sent to jail, no less. Only then must he become a topic of chat shows

    Anil Thakraney: Singhvi’s colourful CD

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Ok, so the TV studios are yet again buzzing with excited chats on how to censor the social media. The same issues are being gassed upon. Law, freedom of expression, ethics, morality, blah blah. The trigger this time is that horny CD of Congressman Abhishek Manu Singhvi in action, which has gone viral on the net. Singhvi, of course, says the CD is fabricated, but then that’s what they all claim when naughty folks are caught with their pants down.

     

    I watched the video (carefully, hehe) and here are my observations on it, as well as on the television chats.

     

    The English television anchors appear very keen that Singhvi is quickly proved innocent and is re-instated as the Congress spokesman. They aren’t saying so directly, but their arguments and concern for the man is easy to see. This is what happens when you bond with the politicians… you get attached to them. And this sends objectivity for a toss. TV journos based inDelhisimply HAVE to find a way to remain detached and dispassionate.

     

    Yes, a ‘sting operation’ conducted by a disgruntled driver cannot be trusted. Therefore, all speculative discussions on the mass media must immediately end. And we must wait till the forensics guys give us their verdict. This is the fair thing to do.

     

    However, let’s get one thing clear: The chatter on the social media will go on for a bit, one cannot control it; there is no chance of the law finding a way to beat new technology. So instead of frothing over it, it’s best to let it be. Very soon the restless Twitterites will get bored of Singhvi, and will find a new bakra.

     

    Next, the CD itself. Because the audio isn’t clear, as a lay viewer, one cannot ascertain whether Singhvi compromised professionally with the lady lawyer. And if it’s later proved that he did not, and was simply having fun in his office, then the sex romp becomes his wife’s problem, not ours. In which case he should be left alone to sort out his domestic mess. And I say this despite the fact that the man works for a political party. Every individual has the right to his/her personal life. All the more reason the TV debates are being unwittingly unfair to him.

     

    On the other hand, if it gets established that the man compromised his powerful position, Singhvi ought to be sent to jail, no less. Only then must he become a topic of chat shows.

     

    On a lighter note, I have to say Singhvi finally found a way to entertain us. For years he’s been plugging his stained leaders on TV, and boring us to death with his desperately unconvincing arguments. So, a big thank you is in order.

     

    Lastly, wish the driver had done a stint with Tehelka before he decided to trap his boss. No, I have no issues with the poor quality of the video, that’s fine. But the camera angle is ridiculous, it conceals the significant parts. 🙂

     

    * * *

     

    PS: If you are an aspiring copywriter, here’s the link to a recruitment ad. I would vouch for The Creative MaterClass only because it’s run by an ex colleague, Ramesh Ramanathan. And I recall him to be quite a bright and sprightly chap. Though how one can teach creativity is beyond me. Guess I need some whiskeys (in small batches) to figure that.

     

    Link: http://www.creativemasterclass.com/?utm_source=bpb+subscribers+-+site&utm_ campaign=35e5ba6171-Test_Email_II9_10_2009&utm_medium=email

  • In Freaking News, which will now appear every Tuesday and Friday, Ranjona Banerji reviews the fare in the morning papers and the nightly news. And sometimes the afternooners, the newsmags and all that's on the Web

    Murdoch inquiry: the murky side of media highlighted

    By Ranjona Banerji

     

    The questioning of Rupert and James Murdoch in the Leveson inquiry into media ethics in the UK was undoubtedly the highlight of this news week. Both the BBC and CNN showed major portions of the inquiry live and it was fascinating to watch these two very powerful men being closely questioned on their closeness to British politicians as well as on the way they ran their business.

     

    James Murdoch followed the line he had had at the earlier Parliamentary inquiry after the phone-hacking scandal broke which led to the closure of The News of The World: he remembered nothing. This is, even though he had been the recipient of a chain of emails which explained what was going on. Murdoch the younger claimed he had not read any of the emails.

     

    Two days were devoted to Rupert Murdoch who seemed far sharper than he had been during the Parliamentary inquiry. However, he also claimed to remember nothing, in spite of there being sufficient documentary evidence to prove his various meetings with various British prime ministers. Murdoch claimed that politicians always wanted to meet editors and proprietors but that did not mean that he wielded any influence.

     

    However, by the end of the second day of questioning, Murdoch admitted that there had been a cover-up of the practice of phone-hacking in his newspapers, which went at least up to the editor and beyond. He apologised and called it a failure.

     

    The venerable and respected Harold Evans, the one editor of the Times who Murdoch sacked, was scathing in his criticism of Murdoch’s testimony and his supposed inability to remember anything significant at all, in his piece in the Guardian on Thursday.

     

    In the backdrop of this questioning were the revelations that a close aide of British culture secretary Jeremy Hunt had been leaking secret information to the Murdoch organisations about the BSkyB deal, which has since been scuttled. But with both sides of the political spectrum in Britain being in the pockets of the Murdochs, finger-pointing is going to be a little difficult. In Prime Minister David Cameron’s favour is the fact that he commissioned this judicial inquiry.

     

    The parallels with India are fascinating, if at the least because media tycoons here remain shady figures, lurking in the background, pulling strings and manipulating policies. Also, despicable as phone-hacking was, it is hard to remember the last time any newspaper really spent any effort on news-gathering. We, in India, follow the other Murdoch model – use PR agencies to get everything done.

     

    Needless to say, Indian TV was not much taken with the Murdoch case, although newspapers gave it the mandatory space on their international pages.

     

    * * *

     

    The one story which got almost no space in the Indian media, in spite of the verdict being shown live on the BBC and CNN on Thursday, competing with Murdoch, was the trial of Charles Taylor. The former Liberian president was charged with war crimes for his role in the brutal and bloody war for power in the neighbouring Sierra Leone. Although the film Blood Diamonds got considerable media attention in India, the man who was part of that horror story, was obviously not worthy of too much space. For example, The Times of India had nothing, the Hindustan Times, a brief and The Indian Express a story on the international pages.

     

    * * *

     

    Instead the Indian media had absolute hysterics about Sachin Tendulkar accepting a nomination to the Rajya Sabha. One would imagine this was the first time anyone had ever accepted a Rajya Sabha nomination (12 distinguished persons are appointed every term) for all the hot air expended on TV. Newspapers also saw this as headline news.

     

    So far of course no one knows whether Tendulkar will be a good, bad or indifferent Parliamentarian. Therefore, tedious before-the-fact discussions and camera-inspired rage are pointless. Much time was spent on why Tendulkar was joining politics. It occurred to no one that being nominated to the Rajya Sabha is not “joining politics”. That would be when Tendulkar fights an election. Many nominated members gone back to their distinguished lives after their terms finished.

     

    The only benefit of such discussions is that you see just how stupid some people are.

     

    * * *

    Sometimes I find myself in full agreement with Press Council chairman Markandey Katju that 90 per cent of Indians are fools. And most of those fools find their way to TV studios.

     

  • The MSLGROUP India Social Co-Lead on why all marketing campaigns must have a social media initiative planned.

    Narendra Nag on 5 reasons why no marketing campaign can do without social

    By Narendra Nag

     

    1. Your audience is online: 58 million Indians are on Facebook and half of them log in everyday. Younger people, usually the most attractive demographic for brands, spend more time on Facebook than they do reading the newspaper or watching TV.

     

    2. People don’t easily believe what brands tell them any longer – but they do trust what they hear/read about from real people. So, a blogger or someone of Twitter has more influence on purchase decisions than an ad on TV.

     

    3. Apple, mobile phones, health and wellness products/services, luxury brands and car/bike brands have it easy – people like to say nice things about them. For everybody else, pretty much the only time somebody mentions their washing machine or microwave is when it isn’t working. To combat all that negative sentiment, your marketing campaign needs to be social in nature – connecting with people over something they care about.

     

    4. Social stretches out each marketing rupee to the max. That event you’re doing at the mall, promote it on social and you’ll get a lot more people involved and engaged. That ad campaign on TV – don’t just show the ad on YouTube, create a social campaign that goes on a lot longer than the four weeks your ads on TV.

     

    5. If you’re not social, you’re dead. Brands no longer get to tell consumers what to make of them, audiences who’ve never bought the product are defining what a brand stands for. If you’re still thinking communication, your brand is dying a slow death. Start listening and participating in conversations to get a handle on what your brand truly means.

     

    Narendra Nag is Co-Lead, MSLGROUP India Social

     

  • With the baggage of 'STAR News' off their back, they can re-engineer the channel, and ABP News can become that one Hindi channel that takes news very seriously

    Anil Thakraney: Will ABP News eschew sensationalism?

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    So, STAR News is ABP News. Now the two partners have decided to separate. Cool! But my question is: Will this just be an exercise in name change, with all else continuing to be the same? Exactly as the messBombaycontinues to be after the name changed to Mumbai? Ditto with Bengaluru and Poschim Bongo. (As for the last, it’s getting messier with Didi in charge, but I shan’t say more, else she’ll get me arrested.)

     

    Well, I hope not. Now that Ananda Bazar Patrika has total control, I hope the Bengali group, known for its ‘respectable journalism’, extends that respectability to ABP News. STAR News, along with the other Hindi news channels, has always thrived on speculation and rabid sensationalism. It’s almost as if the category owners had decided that Hindi news watchers are restless morons, folks who will only come back if the content is absurd and outlandish. This is obviously not the case.

     

    The problem is, the channel owners DECIDED to be sensational; in their war for ratings, they chose that route. The viewer never asked for it. And in this march of madness, all the Hindi channels fell like nine pins, as each struggled to beat the other guy on dishing out dramatic stuff. Net result: There is very low credibility with the Hindi news channels. We visit them for tamasha, not authenticity.

     

    The point I am trying to make is this: ABP has that chance now to set things right. With the baggage of ‘STAR News’ off their back, they can re-engineer the channel, and ABP News can become that one Hindi channel that takes news very seriously. It can break the cycle of sensationalism, and position itself on the platform of credibility. In any case, with all the hair-raising content on display amongst the various channels in the category, this will provide ABP News a clear brand differential. So it seems to make sense from the marketing point of view as well.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcOpfqEamrY[/youtube]

    Yup, India badly needs a Hindi news channel it can trust. And hopefully ABP News will try to be that. One sincerely hopes the name change doesn’t only mean a change of name. Like when Bombay became Mumbai. And continues to be a filthy slum city.

     

    * * *

     

    PS: Cute commercial from Audi. It’s inspired by the fairytale of how the ugly duckling changed into a lovely swan. Superb execution.

     

  • In Mediaah!, Pradyuman Maheshwari recounts a story on how some marketers had once wanted to shift the Mother's Day date and comments on Siddharth Varadarajan's outburst in The Hindu, Hoshie Ghaswalla’s advice to his editors and how Taproot ought to have won the Grand Prix at Goafest for Airtel.

    Mediaah! The business of Akshaya Tritiya & the plot to shift Mother’s Day to make money!

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    Many years ago, the CEO and promoter of a well-known consumer product company came to meet me at my office at Mid-Day. He brought with him a large volume and said he wanted to seek my advice.

     

    He said that a group of varied Indian organisations had got together to find a solution to a problem: find an appropriate ‘day’ for mothers. While Diwali and Christmas-New Year were good occasions for gifting,  Valentine’s Day had become a great success thanks to “their collective efforts”. There ws a long gap between Feb 14 and Diwali which falls in October and November. Now, the study conducted by a well-known market research firm said the person whom Indians love the most is the mother. So, what’s the problem, I asked.

     

    Well, he said, the issue is that Mother’s Day falls in May in India and that’s when most schools and colleges are shut. And then he dropped the bombshell. So, we were wondering if we can shift the Mother’s Day to sometime when educational institutions are open as kids pick up the maximum of cards and soft toys etc?

     

    I must confess I was struck by the ingenuity of the idea and how some of the most discerning names in Indian industry had got together to consider this.

    The CEO-businessman wanted my views on the issue, and whether the media would pan the move. They had even looked at alternative dates and were considering August 28 since it coincided with Mother Teresa’s birthday.

     

    This meeting happened sometime in June and I wondered how it could be done since we had already had a Mother’s Day that year? No problem, he said. We’ll have two this year, and told me that the group spearheading the move had considered this and didn’t think it would have any problem. We then spoke of how Shivaji Jayanti was observed on two different dates in Maharashtra and it didn’t bother people.

     

    After this meeting, I kept waiting for a fresh date for Mother’s Day that year and in the next, but figured that wider sense had prevailed and the companies didn’t change the date.

     

    A few years later, when I had relocated to Pune, I discovered that Akshaya Tritiya was being celebrated in a big way.  I was told that it was the next auspicious festival after Gudi Padwa for Maharashtrians, and thought it was essentially Pune thingie. Two years later, when I was back in Mumbai, I found that the day had taken roots here too. And now we have most of the country celebrating it. A festival had come out of nowhere.

     

    I have been somewhat radical with some of my religious beliefs, and had faced some heat from colleagues. I think Karva Chauth is regressive and since this occurred to me a decade-and-a-half back, I have ensure that all the publications that I have worked with didn’t carry any pictures of the celebrations. But I was quite pleasantly surprised to read this outburst by Hindu editor Siddharth Varadarajan (courtesy Sans Serif).

     

     Read this carefully:

    “We carried a ‘jacket’ on Monday in our Tamil Nadu editions that featured a message – laid out in the form of an in-house advertisement – to readers on the occasion of Akshaya Tritiya on behalf of “The Hindu”.

     

    “Neither I, as Editor of The Hindu, nor anyone from the editorial side, was involved in the drafting of this message. Nor did we know of, let alone approve, its contents.”

     

    Makes sense, you would say. But the clincher is Para 3:

    “For the record, it is not The Hindu’s editorial position that Akshaya Tritiya, an occasion that has risen to prominence only relatively recently, is one of “the most auspicious days in the Hindu religion.” Nor can we possibly endorse this statement – “The belief that buying gold on this day would make you prosperous throughout the year is shared by one and all” – or others contained in that message.”

     

    One doesn’t have to dream much to figure what Siddharth Varadarajan’s sentiments are on Akshaya Tritiya. And I don’t think he’s incorrect. I don’t read Hindu since I don’t get it in Mumbai, but am surprised that this announcement was carried. So while it would be interesting to know what CEO Arun Anant has to say on his editor’s comment on what his marketing team would’ve done, there’s no denying that the festival has become as big as it has today thanks only to the collective zeal of some marketers.

     

    **

     

    I am delighted to inform that not all business-to-business publications are giving in to the demands and diktats of advertisers. Especially when it comes to editorial content.

     

    Hoshie Ghaswalla

    My friend Hoshie Ghaswalla, recently appointed CEO of the Cybermedia group (publishers of Dataquest, PC Quest, CIOl etc) has now issued an advisory to all his editors that they oughtn’t worry about the whims of large corporations who love bullying trade media. Note: these are my words, not his.

     

    Hoshie and his editor noticed some misgivings among employees of a laaaarge software corporation on salary raises even as the company had declared huge dividends to shareholders. CIOL went to town on the issue a fortnight back, and if the corp hasn’t done it already, it will soon announce wage revisions.

     

    Hoshie tells me that he has advised his editor on a similar story with a large international computer hardware company. “The problem,” he confesses is “that journalists have for far too long been not wanting to upset large companies who are also big advertisers”.

     

    I jumped to defend his editors and said this must be because of his editors who’ve worked in the past would’ve on their own or were told by his predecessors on not damning the big advertisers. Puff pieces only.

     

    Hoshie didn’t agree. I didn’t complain at all. It’s good to see a sales-driven CEO ask his editors to screw erring companies (who may be existing or potential advertisers). This especially in the trade media where there are many who are known to compromise on editorial integrity and ethics.

     

    ***

     

    Agnello Dias

    It’s been over a week since Goafest happened. While I am happy that the Abby went through peacefully, I was surprised that Taproot didn’t win the Grand Prix for the Airtel ad. It deserved every bit of it, and although the Agnello Dias and Santosh Padhi were pretty cool about it when my colleague spoke to him soon after the awards (see link), he has shared his disappointment in an interview with Anil Thakraney (see link). Though not in so many words.

     

    I sincerely hope that Taproot continues to bring us great advertising, attracts some $$$s (okay, let’s make it $$$$$$$$$$$$$s!) from the Big networks and is always rooted to the real world.

     

     

    Buzz me if you have a story to tell. Confidentiality assured. There are various ways you can reach me: pradyumanm[at]mxmindia.com, BBM 23050B5D, Gtalk pradyumanm@gmail.com, Twitter @pmahesh and of course the mobile: 98338 76278.

     

    Disclaimer: Although he is CEO and Editor-in-Chief of this site, Pradyuman Maheshwari’s views in Mediaah! are not necessarily those of the rest of the team and MxMIndia.com. And decidedly not those of the sales team 🙂