MxMIndia

Category: SANJEEV KOTNALA

  • The thirteenth edition of Goafest is scheduled for April 5-7 and Sanjeev Kotnala writes on his expectations, cribs and things that he’s looking forward to in a preview

    Sanjeev Kotnala: Getting set for Goafest

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    The thirteenth edition of Goafest and the 50th Abby is all set for April 5-7, 2018 at Grand Hyatt, Goa. It will be my thirteenth consecutive Goafest. I am one of the few people who has attended every edition.  Goafest delivers three days of pure fun, engagement, networking opportunities and celebration. It is, Bole toh, a Jhakaas Fest.

    The entries are all in. The shortlist is available on the site. KPMG is busy doing the final audits, and the trophy maker is waiting for the inscriptions.

    Time to compliment the AGC (Awards Governing Council) team and AGC Chairman Ajay Kakar for the promised transparent tally system, getting the ‘Master Jury’, enhanced inclusiveness with non-participant organisations representation and an apparent smoothness of the judging processes. So far so good.

    Goafest is all about delegate experience and buzz. Ashish Bhasin, Chairman, Goafest and his team are busy ensuring that Goafest 2018 sets up new standards and delivers a superlative experience to its delegates. Goafest is not just about the celebrity speakers and entertainment or the even the awards. It is a collective framework, and the delegates have every right to expect the best.

    MARKETERS STILL MISSING THE FUN. GoaFest remains a creative and media agency-centric festival. Marketing and clients are missing the fun.

    Speakers. We have a good line-up of speakers at Goafest. Baba Ramdev and Rana Kapoor Cameron Worth (SharpEnd), Dean Donaldson and Jonathan Tavss (Kaleidoko), Ramaa Mosley and Amelia Conway (Adolescent). Rosie Yakob (Genius Steals), Samuel Akesson (Forsman & Bodenfors),  Tim Castree (Wavemaker) and Wain Choi (Cheil Worldwide). I hope there are few more Indian speakers from the MAdTech world as I sincerely think that we must also celebrate Indian rise in the arena.

    ADDING A DASH OF CRICKET, SPORTS, BOLLYWOOD. Goafest is incomplete without cricket, sports and Bollywood. I don’t remember when this trend started. I hate it but have no answer to the enthusiastic crowd support to them. These are the most attended sessions.

    This year we have Sparsh Shah (child artist), Jonty Rhodes (Cricket), Siddharth Malhotra!!! (Bollywood), Sania Mirza (Tennis), and Nawazuddin Siddiqui !!! (Bollywood). It seems like we are balancing absence of Indian speakers from MAdTech with them. And are they not one-too-many in a 2-day event?

    Comments on the speakers and the content are best served uncensored post the event.

    MY CRIB.  Why should we invite a controversial person like Baba Ramdev to a festival led by AAAI and AdClub? We know Baba questions, breaks and challenges every ASCI guideline? It does not make sense to me. Where is the cause of collectivism? Will Baba share how and why not to abide by ASCI norms? He is one of the big advertisers and must answer his repeated frequent violation of the guidelines. I plan to attend his season and protest with a black armband.

     

    ENTERTAINMENT AND AWARDS. Surprise audience with the unpredictability of the entertainment during awards. Consider having it towards the end. It can prevent the predictable thinning of the crowd as the night progresses. No one enjoys watching awards presented in the presence of few organisers, winners and a handful of audience. May be a few subset categories need to be sandwiched between awards that make the crowd surge. Maybe do away with the entertainment show.

     

    TIME MANAGEMENT. We don’t start or close a session on time. It impacts networking and time management at the individual level. It is the most significant irritant (after low impact content) that scars the experience.  Make a small investment. Get a digital stopwatch mounted right in front of the speaker. Use red and green lights for the suggestion. Be rigid and consistent in behaviour.  Once we demonstrate the intent, the problem can be managed better

     

    GOAFEST APP. Everyone appreciates the app for collecting and managing Q&A sessions. I have heard delegates murmur about non-transparency in moderator selecting the questions and declaration of winners. Can we use the conflict of interest clause? May be we can physically show the open and close the window to enter the questions? The app should show all the questions in the order they were raised? Moderator must ensure the questions are selected on merit and in sequence.

    Here are few under-the-radar issues.
    Remember, 90% of delegates stay outside the venue hotel.

     

    EXTENDING THE SHUTTLE. It is not easy for the delegates to enjoy the famed after-parties with the shuttles closing by 11pm. Can shuttles be extended to 2 am?

    REST SPACE. I know no festival provides space for people to rest. However, that should not stop Goafest from thinking of doing so. What about having bunk beds or cocoons available for hiring at the venue? It can be enjoyable, and some brand could sponsor.

    KEEP IT FLOWING. Agree don’t allow beer and eatables inside the halls. However, can we have the beer counters open throughout the day without random, unannounced breaks?

     

    Join me at Goafest, the three days of pure fun, engagement, networking opportunities and celebration.  Bole toh, a Jhakaas Fest!

     

     

  • He has rewritten many A&M rules but has also shown utter disregard and no respect for collective self-regulation, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Why it’s not a good idea to invite Ramdev to Goafest

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    I am raising a voice because others have decided to conveniently remain silent. It must share with my well-wishers the reason for my proposed blackband protest against Baba Ramdev, keynote speaker at Goafest on April 5, 2018. The fest is the annual event organised by the AAAI (Advertising Agencies Association of India) and The Advertising Club. I am surprised that no one else sees it this way and is seeking an explanation for serious oversight by industry leaders?

    It is a demonstration of isolation and fragmentation in our industry. We fail to appreciate collectivism. We do not believe in, but subscribe to guidelines of self-regulation. These guidelines emerging under collective wisdom are supposed to be size, category and celebrity-agnostic?

     

    We will never see a NIRAV MODI or a VIJAY MALLYA speaking at a banking conference celebrating stringent banking security measures. Then why is Baba Ramdev invited to the celebration of creativity?

    Baba Ramdev has demonstrated incredible consistency in challenging, the collective wisdom of the fraternity. His organisation has knowingly taken chances and flouted guidelines. Last January, 25 our of 33 Patanjali ads were held to be false or misleading by ASCI. They have challenged ASCI scope in the court of law and called it unconstitutional.  It seems he and his team seem to suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) of poking ASCI.

    Though headed by smart well-intending seniors who have experience of serving across the industry bodies, we live a cocooned life of isolated celebration.  We rarely demonstrate a feeling of togetherness.  We must some time try and put the collective health of industry before glitter at individual associations. Goafest in my view is one such occasion.

     

    A time when we as an industry should isolate repeat offenders, stand together and strengthen ASCI, we are celebrating Baba Ramdev. What is the signal we are sending?

    I have no question for the yogi-turned-businessman, who has shown utter disregard, lack of respect and confidence in the collective self-regulation.

    He has re-written many rules marketing and advertising. He has made MBAs, marketing gurus and consultants rethink their strategies. He has taken on the might of MNCs in the dynamic marketplace and succeeded.

    There is respect for what he has achieved. However, there is no reason for him to be speaking the celebration of creativity,  the Kumbh of Indian advertising, a festival of ethics and morality in the business.

    It is a protest to show solidarity with ASCI, which has been doing exemplary work for the Industry. I see no reason why associations like IBF, ISA, AdClub, AAAI, INS and IAA should not support ASCI.

    We Have Two Ways To Show Your Support And Protest. Wear White Or Wear a Black Band. Even, if I am alone protesting on April 5 at Goafest, it will not bother me.  At least I would have made a beginning and remained true to self.

    I may be the only one protesting but I am surely not the only one who feels this way.

    I hope ASCI too questions the invitation to Baba. I hope CCC (Consumer Complaints Council) members raise their voice against the lack of overt support, understanding and collectivism in the industry.

     

    If Baba and team are misguided and don’t know of ASCI code, they can e-learn about it here. Please do watch this video to know what ASCI is and how it works. And if you can, do tell Baba what you think!

     

     

  • The s**t is yet to hit the ceiling, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Sanjeev Kotnala: Time for digital user-introspection

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    This Cambridge Analytica- Facebook, data security breach is the biggest crisis Facebook has ever faced. Many questions are being raised on Facebook and in turn Mark Zuckerberg’s statements have been like painting on the sand, changing shape every day. The latest stance is ‘nothing illegal’. Facebook may decide to play ignorant and paint a picture of being the victim of corporate fraud by Cambridge Analytica.

     

    I expect another #METOO moment in social media, more platforms to slowly report data harvesting and misuse.  It is bland to expect data farmers like Cambridge Analytics to only explore and harvest data mines on Facebook. We do not know of any such data misuse in the Indian context. It does not mean there is none.

     

    This is just the tip of the iceberg. Till the time, it remains a battle of technicalities I am afraid that there will not be much of gain.

     

    My friend Bhawani Singh Shekhawat says: “Legal system always lags behind because they are evidence-driven and hence corrective ‘after’ the perpetration. The first mover (exploiters) always gets away with BIG”. There is a definitive need for a moral code of conduct and application.  “The preventive code has to be a moral one.”

     

    What we are now discussing is the misuse of data collected under ‘Facebook quiz – This is Your Digital Life’ pushed by Cambridge Analytica. And all of us, the gullible, social enthusiasts will recall our willingly participating in many such quizzes and stunts.  We have for ease of simplicity used the convenient ‘Login with Facebook’ option in for many other sites and platforms. Each time agreeing to certain degree of profile data access and share.

     

    It is true that Facebook knows more about you. It can far better predict your possible reaction to situations. And they will most of the time right. It is all okay until the time that data is traded, accessed and used without the direct permission of users.

     

    If you trust Facebook, there is nothing to worry.  Google and Yahoo have always assured us of being proactive.  Remember,  ‘Koi Halwai Nahi Bolta Uski Mithai Baasi Hai’. No sweetmaker will ever tell that his ‘sweets’ are stale.

     

    The users always had some idea of how much the social media platforms know about them. It was clear that it is some of the best segmenting tool available for targeted addressing of a message. Along with a high frequency media and on-the-fly management, it creates a quick adaptive environment, a tool available for misuse. Human intelligence with self-learning algorithms and machine intelligence makes for best non-intrusive subliminal interference and influence.

     

    That puts the users in a tight spot. They have in many ways aligned themselves with the Facebook’s purported mission of global transparency. At every stage, they have been giving away rich profile data and easy access to 3rd party apps. They have set themselves for easy manoeuvrability.

     

    As expected, for some time people will stop using the option to use Facebook id to log in to digital interactions. There will be few #QuitFacebook #DeleteFacebook moments. All of this will die an abrupt death when some new shit hits the ceiling.

     

    The answer is not quitting Facebook, but intelligently managing controls on what you share. It is about not accepting the unwarranted requests.

     

    The era of self-regulation is dead. The consumer control that has been demanding and creating new social framework will define data use too. It will have to create far stricter and effective laws to protect from data misuse.

     

    We users must not lose the momentum. We must question every possible platform and practice before accepting any new definitions. We must reclaim our lives and avatars in digital space.

     

     

  • Will Goafest 2018 add a twist to this tale, wonders Sanjeev Kotnala

    Sanjeev Kotnala: An unfinished tale at Goafest?

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    I am attending Goafest 2017 on April 5-7 at Grand Hyatt, Goa. It is a place where many stories take shape, find an end, and some starve for the next chapter. I am waiting for the possible twist in my story that started two years back.

     

    GOAFEST 2016

    It was Saturday night, the last night of the Goafest 2016. The after party was in full swing. It was around 2 am. I was near to the registration area with few friends. I, of course, was a bit tipsy.

    There I saw her coming out. She realised she was short of cigarettes. I ask me, and I lend her one. We start a conversation. For the next 90 minutes, we cover a range of topics. Blame it on few more beers and vodka that night, I don’t recall her name, and most likely she doesn’t remember me. However, I know she was in the digital space and planning do an MBA from one of the IIMs. At least that’s what she said.

     

    PRE-GOAFEST 2017

    I use a 140-character tweet to announce my desire to meet her. ‘Dear young lady, if you are attending Goafest this year too, do connect. And yes, you can find me around 1230, you know where”.

     

    GOAFEST 2017

    I was not expecting much. The results were beyond expectation. There was a twist in the tale.

    My message, the invite and the desire were in the tweet, on my blog, and my weekly column on MxM. I was trying to address an audience of one. It was a wild swipe. Mission impossible in every word. However, few exciting possibilities kept raising nasty naughty unanswered questions.

     

    GOAFEST 2017. THE FIRST NIGHT. APRIL 6

    Nothing happened on Thursday night. I was at the reception area between 1130 pm to 1230 am. There was no one to meet.

     

    GOAFEST 2017- DAY 2. APRIL 7

    Next day I tweeted an update ‘Who Nahi Aayi’.

    My identity was open. My article carried my picture. And I had no way to tag her. All I had was a faint memory of an overtly tipsy lady in mid-twenties, standing in a light-coloured dress and sharing the smoke. She had a light dimple on her left cheek. Maybe I was a now imagined thing.

    In the afternoon, I got two emails. They were cryptic suggesting a meet-up. It confused me. Was someone making a fool of me?

     

    GOAFEST 2017. NIGHT 2. APRIL 7.

    I avoided the award function and slept in the evening. Later I went to the bait area; where the registration counters were. I killed time, taking small swigs from the beer bottle, and lazily smoking a cigarette while my eyes cautiously scanned the area.

    After three bottles of beer and four cigarettes, I gave up. I was sure; it was a prank. It took the long walk back to the room.

    A short SMS hit my phone. ‘Meet me tomorrow the same place. Do not reply or call. Have left for my hotel’.

    I checked Truecaller, the number belonged to Priyanka (name changed). I decided to follow the instructions. Tomorrow was the last chance to meet-up.

     

    GOAFEST 2017, DAY 3. APRIL 8

    The day went in a furry of sessions. I was waiting for the night.

    It was 1215 a.m. I checked my stock of cigarettes and then hurried to the reception area.

    This girl (Meeta) was sitting in the corner. I strategically stayed at a distance and lit my first cigarette. She walked up and asked if she could borrow one. It was like a code. My eyes lit up. However, I knew she was not my Miss2016. The conversation this time was smooth and unhurried. We spoke of work, Goa, IPL, creativity, knowledge session, women empowerment and many other uninteresting things.

     

    STORY ABHI BAAKI HAI DOST

    I did a double-take. Another girl (Priyanka) came out from the party hall. She looked around and approached us. She calmly said ‘Finally, so do you have a smoke to spare’. I smiled and pushed the pack forward.

    We did the introductions. Priyanka and Meeta were meeting for the first time. The girls were bored of the party and same set of friends through the last three days. I anyway was alone with no one for the company. They knew about the tweet. Surprisingly (I believe that), they had independently sent me the cryptic emails.

    Last night they had seen my harmless dedication to the cause and decided to meet. Maybe it was single re-tweet by Pratap Bose that did the trick.

    We ended up in my room. There were enough cigarettes and beer.

    We finally called it a day at 2:30 a.m. they had an early flight to Mumbai.

    I selfishly believe original MISS2016 did not attend Goafest 2017.

     

    GOAFEST 2018. Will there be a twist in the tale?

    I like meeting and sharing stories.  Miss2016, I will be there, meet me if you attend this year. It is true for Priyanka, Meeta and anyone else who wishes to catch up.

    If you have a story from Goafest or you want to just catch up, tweet at S_Kotnala or connect on Facebook.  You can usually catch me around 11 p.m. – 1230 a.m. at the same place.

    This is a true story. Not the complete truth. But the desire to catch up is true. Life anyway is perception adulterated with reality.

     

  • Sanjeev Kotnala is back with his annual detailed review of Goafest 2018

    Goafest 2018 Review by Sanjeev Kotnala: Meets expectations, promises to be better

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    The 13th edition of Goafest lived to its promise of being more productive and better than the last edition. There were visible, and determined efforts to make it a better experience. Goafest remains a work-in-progress with a promise of ‘Best yet to come’ – and I will take that.

    This article is not a Goafest report card. Like earlier articles in 2017, 2016 or even 2015, it is more of  a reflection based on personal observations and feedback from other delegates. Hopefully there are some inputs to make the next edition even better.

     

    WELCOME CHANGES IN ABBYs

    Based on the detailed discussions with industry leaders and more importantly listening t the young professionals, in its 50th year, the Abby Awards made impactful changes in the structure and process.

    The categories are rationalised from 250+ to 160-odd categories relevant to the current  industry ecosystem. Abby introduced the concept of ‘Master Jury’ across categories to ensure judging by the best in the field. And on popular demand, bringing back the often-hated and debated ‘Agency of the Year’ across the main categories in a far more transparent fashion.

     

    ABSENTEES

    I have been on record to say that we must not worry about who is not entering the awards. However, we must accept that other than the jury the competition also plays a definitive role in defining the awards. The absence of O&M, Lintas, Leo Burnett, JWT, Taproot, McCann, Creative Land Asia and Publicis does hurt the image and stature of Goafest. More so, there is not much left to damage when the absentee enters other awards.

     

    THE KNOWLEDGE SESSIONS AND INDUSTRY CONCLAVE.

    The industry conclave on Day One has retained only its name, and no longer serves the purpose.  Maybe we have realised that it is not the place to introspect and anyway we do not take any concrete action.

    The content mix of Goafest is morphing with intent. There is a lot less of advertising and increase in other elements like music, sports, glamour, and politics, Bollywood etc. Though these are essential to give the fest a wider perspective and delegates some breather, they must be like salt in food and not the complete meal. It is a dangerous shift. Let’s not blame the non-interest in advertising of delegates. Remember it’s all about content.

    Baba Ramdev, the natural performer, honestly played to the gallery.  He knows the pulse of the audience. His sense of humour and bold statements coming form success and confidence in the vision and purpose of the brand resonated with the audience.

    Baba resold Patanjali as a value-driven organisation set for definitive future growth and glory. Patanjali as per Baba is leveraging honesty, dedication, purpose, knowledge, experience and emotions for wealth creation. The fight for Made-in-India and hence anti-MNC ‘HUM MNC KO DHO DALENGEY’ found favour with the audience. Baba further pumped the sentiments with explanation ‘the blood in the veins is Indian, even when the majority of you all work with MNCs or have clients as MNCs’.

    His act was far better than any stand-up comedy. To have the crowd engaged and involved for 90 minutes is an art in itself. Hats off to him. He ended his session with the expected and much-seen trademark tips on KAPALBHARATI and SURYA NAMASKAR. More on him on Wednesday.

    Dean Donaldson and Jonathan Tavis of Kaleidoko made their presentation as a conversation. Like the Milton hypnosis language pattern, they laid the foundation with the known elements of digitalisation before unleashing the concept of Geno-targeting, Geno-segmenting and Geno-marketing based on the current understanding of DNA framework and genetic construct being predicting and defining similarities and differences in the global family. I am sure that it was a scope-expanding session for most of us.

    Rapha Vasconellous representing Facebook CreativeShop  yet again at Goafest) made the similar pitch on people needing to follow the 70-20-10 principle of immediate- interactive and immersive content for any idea,  building communities, experimenting and doing things differently. The end – a pitch and presentation of Facebook – Blueprint the free learning platform was a repeat too.

    Rosy Yakob, Co-founder GeniusSteals, pushed for collectivism in solution creation based on the argument that no solution today can be the result of a single person’s efforts. And for us to create the environment of collectivism, we must have mutual admiration and appreciation, willingly share knowledge for all to benefit, embrace diversity and distribute credit and seek the wilds and weirdest.

    Amelia Conway, directorm Adolescence, made a short but impactful presentation. Adolescence is based on a simple insight that only a teenager can best understand another teenager. The advertising fraternity attempts with the solution based on research and understanding are still what they want kids to want.  It does not come across as an honest attempt.

    There were some other presentations too. Pepperfry presentation by Kashyap Vadapalli was a journey through the evolution of the brand. Cameron Worth of SharpEnd presented the possibilities and a picture of IoT, a world of connected devices.   Faye D’souza delivered a crisp and impressive presentation of Mirror Now delivering on the promise of ‘You First’. Wain Choi, Chief Executive Officer at CJK-Valley in conversation with Rohit Ohri presented few cases and demonstrated that ideas and creativity are not dependent upon budgets.

    PERSONALITIES

    Too many sessions with non-advertising content make Goafest look less like an advertising festival.

    Sparsh Shah*, the 14-year old teenager who uses a wheelchair made the audience emotional. Born with 40 fractures and doctor’s gave him two days to survive. Today he is the face of differently abled people globally. His request of advertising community to be inclusive in their communication is a well-directed and timely reminder.

    Jonty Rhodes is a much-loved cricketer and cricket is a religion in India. Anand Narasimhan of Times engaged him in a conversation started with the latest Australian  ‘Sandpaper gate’ fiasco. Jonty was open in saying that most of the teams try to change the ball conditions within the acceptable behaviour but doing it the way Austrian team tried was pure stupidity.  The discussion on Choker tag for the South African team, politics within, his retirement world cup, ball tempering and leadership styles were engrossing.

    Colonel Rajyavardhan Rathore: Politician, Olympian and an ex-army man walked out as the winner of the session with Times Now interviewing him. He was open and straightforward enough (as much possible). He well-defended Times Now’s probing and incisive questions on Brand Modi (he likes referring to him as a phenomenon) and drop in the Lok Sabha seats with the bypolls. His conviction and explanation of Khelo India movement assured the audience of the government decisive initiative being productive in time to come.

    Sidharth Malhotra*,  representing the youth brigade, passed the test of brand and marketing. The Bollywood charm and openness in his conversation worked in his favour. Sania Mirza* I am told was open, straight to point in her session. Her comment ‘My name is Sania Mirza, and my children will be named Mirza Malik, not just Malik’ found much favour with the audience.  Nawazuddin Siddiqui in conversation with Anu Kapoor was a waste. It had some pointers and a recap of his journey from a humble background to stardom.

     

    PERFORMANCE

    Usha Uthap’s performance on the opening night of 50th edition of Abby’s was an apt audience, occasion. It was also her 48th year in the singing career. She performed a day after the sad demise of her elder sister demonstrating her level of commitment and a lesson on professionalism.  While Baba knew the pulse, she knew the beats to mesmerising.

    Neha Bhasin on the second day was equally bright and hardworking but somewhere the magic of the first night was missing. Towards the end of a long drawn performance though, she did get the crowd on her side.

    Khusboo Grewal on Day Three had the audience jiving and fully involved by her energetic medley of songs. Her moving into the audience and interacting with them made the performance that more engaged.

    AWARD FUNCTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS

    Well done on this front. Other than a few minor glitches, they were well-conducted. The ‘Master Jury’ did return few categories with no metal, which may be discouraging to some but good for the fest in being stringent in their evaluation. It was nice to see Publisher’s Abby sandwiched between Usha Uthap performance and the Media Abbys giving them a bigger audience.

    The Exhibition display area had a repetitive display of work across categories. May be we could experiment with mounting one integrated display for such entries and list the sub-categories it has qualified as a finalist.

    Awards must not go beyond 10pm even if we are forced to start a bit early and compromise on knowledge sessions. If I were a sponsor of the after-events party, I would want a penalty clause for delay in awards closure.

     

    DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITIES

    Being on time is as much delegate’s responsibility as it is of the organisers. The opening morning session, the post-lunch session and awards delayed start were primarily due to delegates entering or returning at their own pace. The organising committee made every attempt and would have been more successful in managing time with delegates support.

    Treat it as your festival and hence give equal recognition, appreciation and respect to the other awardwinners. Do not walk out of the hall after winning or if the category you represent is awarded. Or may be it’s time for Goafest to keep doors closed until the end of the function.

    WORKSHOPS

    I have heard good feedback on both ‘Facebook’ And ‘Mindscapes ’ workshops at Goafest, and we should look at increasing the number of workshops in the coming years.

    PARTING SHOT.

    Last week, I shared an unfinished tale from Goafest 2017, and expected the story to move forward in 2018. Sorry to disappoint, but there was no twist in the tale. No fresh encounter. However, I am an optimist. And who knows what happens in the next Goafest on 4th-5th-6th of April 2019.

    Thank you, Goafest Organising Committee, Awards Governing Council, Jury members, participating agencies, brands, AAAI, Ad Club, sponsors, speakers and the delegates for making Goafest successful.

     

    As I did not attend the sessions marked with *, the feedback is based on conversations with other delegates.

     

    Sanjeev Kotnala is a senior marketing strategist and educator. The views here are his own

     

     

  • If nothing happens to violators, it will lead to an end of self-regulation, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    How we failed to address the Elephant in the Room…

     

    Editor’s Note: When we invited Sanjeev Kotnala to write a weekly column for MxMIndia in August 2014, we did that for his unique all-round perspectives on the media. In recent weeks, Kotnala has had a point of view on Ramdev being invited to Goafest, and, frankly, it didn’t occur to us too. Perhaps only those indulging in financial irregularities are considered persona non grata. There are some who feel that by carrying his articles on the issue, MxMIndia supported Sanjeev Kotnala’s campaign. We didn’t. Though we supported his views. We support the institution of Goafest unconditionally and whole-heartedly. For us, it’s a point industry captains should take note of…

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    I campaigned for ‘Wearing a touch of white’ in support of ASCI at Goafest 2018 with a lot of conviction and less of confidence. It was also a protest against the apparent lack of collectivism in the Industry and Baba Ramdev’s consistent blatant violation of ASCI guidelines.

    We failed. We lost an opportunity to address the elephant in the room. With Baba liberally talking on the subject of Patanjali advertising and branding, the Patanjali-ASCI conflict was the most logical question. We let Baba get away. We surrendered to the power of a large advertiser and failed to force the issue.

    Baba answering something in his witty style and us failing to logically question and counter it was never the worry. May be, it was just the ‘Athithi Devo Bhava’ attitude of the wise men of the industry that helped the Baba cause.

    In my view, the support to a cause needs to be fearless, and it must come from within.

    I am excited that a large number of delegates including industry seniors acknowledged the need for collectivism and support for ASCI. The predominating black attire by some members of the fraternity did not dampen my spirits.

    I am thrilled with my discussions with delegates. Many delegates and friends humorously pointed to their white lanyards as symbolic  ‘Touch of white’. And I knew I had got the message across. When an industry veteran said ‘thank you, you have done something right and handled it in the right spirits’, I knew I was on the right track.

    My encounters with Goafest delegates raised many questions, and I don’t think I have all the answers.

    Before anything else, I accept my failure for not objecting to Acharya Balakrishna speaking in the same forum last year. They also questioned the purposive wisdom in having Baba Ramdev again from Patanjali as a speaker the very next year. I don’t have all the answers.

    Delegates wanted to know what ASCI has done to help educated Patanjali and wean it away from a behaviour that’s injurious to the industry? Why Patanjali, one of India’s largest TV advertisers, is not a member of ASCI? Is Vermillion, the agency, not an ASCI member? And did the Patanjali creative by one top agency too violate ASCI guidelines? Are the media that continues to run the campaigns objected by CCC not ASCI members?  Has Patanjali ever withdrawn or modified a creative after ASCI objection? Did ASCI member media organisations ever refuse to carry the tainted brand communications?  I don’t have the data, understanding or the answers.

    The new generation of advertising professionals questioned the scope and enforceability of ASCI decisions. They were surprised. Is the ASCI membership not mandatory before a brand turns an advertiser? Should ASCI certification not be made compulsory for everyone working in the industry? Who has the ultimate responsibility for ensuring right guidelines are created and implemented? Do management, communication and advertising institutes teach ASCI guidelines? I don’t have all the answers.

    Did Baba indeed sue ASCI? What is the status of the legal cases by Baba where ASCI is involved, or advertising is the centrepiece of debate?  I don’t have all the answers.

    Is Patanjali status as a significant advertiser holding industry guidelines to ransom? Is there more than what meets the eye? I don’t have all the answers.

    I tried seeking the answers from ASCI. And what I have is this “Many thanks for your email. We truly appreciate your support for ASCI. With regards to your request to respond to questions related to Patanjali, we would like to inform you that the matter is currently sub judice so, we would not be able to comment.’ I Understand, I will not have all the answers.

    In the absence of clarity and low in the awareness-interest-desire-action ladder, there are more questions and misplaced perceptions.

    Some point out to the recent ‘No condom ads before 11pm’ case. They see the ASCI act of reaching out to the ministry and getting the directive as constraining the industry. They want ASCI to find solutions and act as industry facilitators.

    People call ASCI a toothless tiger. May be it’s time ASCI starts a dialogue with the industry beyond the website, tweets and the ritualistic CCC (Consumer Complaint Council) press releases.

    Some did ask me if ASCI supported my campaign? Did anyone from ASCI contact me? Is my stance endorsed by ASCI? And I could only point to ASCI liking my tweets. Dammit, I don’t have all the answers.

    I work with conviction and commitment. I am personally for more powerful ASCI.  I am for every person, media organisation, media agencies and creative agency to be ASCI member. I am for detailed ASCI sessions at management schools. I am even for blacklisting, boycotting, shunning unrepentant frequent violator of the guidelines, be it the creative agency or the media organisation that continues to run them.  You can’t just blame the client for everything.

    Wishful thinking. Fantasy. The absence of compelling and binding action leads to frustration.

    If nothing happens to the violators, other brands will not be able to continue the battle in the marketplace and consumer mind space with their hands tied. And later it will lead to an end of self-regulation.

    I will have only one answer to give: I don’t have all the answers.

     

    Sanjeev Kotnala is a senior strategy consultant and educator. With a basic degree in engineering followed by a PGDM at IIM Ahmedabad in the ’80s, Kotnala has worked across advertising and media. Other than consulting a cross-section of marketers, Kotnala is also Adjunct Faculty and Advisor at MICA.

     

     

  • Smaller clients and NGOs are a fertile ground for creative expression, wrties Sanjeev Kotnala

    Are CSR and Socially Relevant Ads dominating Creative Awards?

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    ‘So we have a new agency of the year’… my chirpy greeting to an industry veteran while leaving Goa’s Grand Hyatt got an unexciting almost conversation closing reply  ‘You wearing a nice red shirt, and the jeans are good too’.

    I realised it was not a good subject to discuss. The dejection was complete.  The excitement of the IPL inaugural match came handy to bridge the chasm.

    But it is worth spending some time on the subject. We are pushing Creativity In Advertising into the list of most endangered art in business communication.

     

    RIGHTFUL WINNERS

    Abby is a transparent award system. The agencies earn points on legitimate advertising released within universally known rules. It is an award that is brand-, category-, size-, cause-, medium- and effort-agnostic. It aims to primarily focus and award uniqueness and relevance of the expression to the clients business.

    The Master Jury at Abby putting their name to the creative awards included Prasoon Joshi, Agnello Dias, Amer Jaleel, Arun Iyer, Alok Nanda, Abhijit Avasthi, ‎Bobby Pawar,  K.V. Sridhar,  Nitesh Tiwari, Prashant Godbole, Raj Kamble, Raj Deepak Das, Santosh Padhi, Senthil Kumar and  Swati Bhattacharya.

    Yes, like every other mega-award, there is no limitation on entering the work across multiple relevant categories and winning. And no restriction if a digital agency enters print craft. There are no restrictions and a debate on it will lead nowhere.

    You cannot fault an agency winning basis pro bono, legitimate just-for-awards work, campaigns for an unheard client or winning across categories that are not part of their perceived competence arena. If one has reservations about it,  then one must change the rules rather than find fault with the agency’s desire and ambition to win.

    I believe, the absentee agencies alone do not define the level of creativity in this country.  The issue is important but not good enough to cast doubts on winning agency’s efforts. I perssonally endorse Ashish Bhasin’s observation ‘Everyone who is going home with a metal from Goafest 2018 is truly deserving of victory and I congratulate each and every one of them for their incredible wins. It is definitely truly deserved.’

    The only solution is in making awards more exciting and challenging along with getting maximum agencies to enter their best work.

     

    PROBLEMATIC IMPRESSIONS.

    The net impression voiced by many is full of negativism. It seems creativity is confined to safe and presumably non-controversial ‘Cause Marketing’ and ‘NGO’ space.  The creativity in Indian awards does seem to be over-skewed at the moment.

     

    CAN’T BLAME THE CMOs.

    CMOs are under relentless pressure to deliver results. The QSQT syndrome and consumer shifting loyalties make them vulnerable to the extent of being creativephobic. Their ability to take a risk, amplify valid insight and to take punt creatively is severely restricted. And, if they do get a brilliant idea, that is relevant, original and impactful, they are professionally human enough to run with it.

     

    CAN’T BLAME THE AGENCIES.

    Creative agencies have multiple agenda. Their success and growth are linked to revenue results and is at the mercy of the client CMO and top management.  The weak spine makes no efforts to push the envelope.

    On the other hand, the brand buzz and awards are business leveraging tools. They also impact employee satisfaction and pride.

    Today, an ethical misadventure can lead to significant collateral damage.  The game is played and won, without breaking the rules. Hence, the question of ethics and morality does not arise.

    Not equating pro bono or social service campaigns with creative developed for corporate brands is being utterly myopic in approach. Every one of them is a brand and a client the moment they pay for their creative development and exposure. It does not matter and is never the criteria for evaluation, if the client is small or large, focussed or diffused, regional, local or national.

    Yes,  there is enough ‘only for awards work’ in the industry. Some clients appear to disappear after the awards season. There are new charities that are one-time wonders. The genuineness of work cannot be questioned beyond the specified rules. Where guidelines are violated with impunity, don’t expect unsaid norms, ethical and morality guiding agencies to enter what is loosely called genuine work.

     

    CAN’T BLAME THE ORGANISERS.

    The organisers cannot find a solution to a global problem. Please do share, if you have a solution. The organisers need to be fair in evaluation and application of rules. They need to create a jury that is respected and ensure that the voting is unbiased and uninfluenced by external factors. Hopefully, we do not have issues on this subject.

    There are rules, and then there are escape routes. Globally organisers have tried their best to avoid unexciting morale-dampening incidents. They can narrowcast the net on the size of business, time of exposure, value and frequency of exposure or any other parameter unless they redesign the complete awards. The advertising club has done so with the Marquees awards, Afaqs with FoxGlove awards, and IAA has successfully done it with the Olive Crown Awards, IndIAA Awards and IAA Leadership awards.

     

    BUT THE EQUATION IS  IMBALANCED.

    The smaller clients and NGO are a fertile ground for creative expression. They are willing to take a punt.

    One can’t fault agencies unearthing these wonderfully cooperative organisation willing to sing the tune and help them expose creatively powered expressions.  It becomes a release valve against the rationalised murder of creativity in many boardrooms.

    The only problem is a long-term issue. Such escape routes instead of providing an exponential positive upward shift can potentially force us into a downward spiral. If it happens, it will further mar the industry image and create rifts that will be impossible to fill.

     

    CREATIVITY SIZE CORRELATION AND A THEORETICAL ISSUE.

    It seems that size of the brand in the real marketplace and creative award-winning potential is negatively correlated. Even, if the high revenue brands win, they do so on tactical, festivities, CSR oriented Cause marketing, ground activation and sporadic non-revenue initiatives.

    There is a rhetoric question. Why does creativity die a natural death in regular brand building campaigns? Presumably, the brands address the same target audience with the award-winning creative and the brand-building campaigns. In that case, one of the approaches is not right. Or one of them knowingly ignores consumer understanding. And this is the birth of ‘Only for awards’ campaigns.

    It is acceptable to infer that the campaigns backed with mega organisational budgets and where the CMO puts the neck on the block is the right one.

    The argument that there are other awards for effectiveness, relevant and impact is misdirecting the debate.

     

    NO EXPECTATION. NO SOLUTIONS.

    I never said there is a solution on hand. The award has evolved via negativa. It’s all about knowing that something is wrong than to be able to fix it. Actions that remove are more robust than those that add because addition may have an unseen complicated feedback loop.

    While this is a fear that traps most organisations and Industry bodies. We must applaud the organisers to have taken some positive steps in the directions. Not all of them are popular with the industry.

    I do not expect an early solution. You can’t correct this situation with awards continuing to be a measure of creativity without efforts, inputs, longevity and results.

    I believe, there is enough reason to introspect and keep the debate alive. This is no elephant in the room. Maybe the churn will lead to moksha.

     

    PARTING SHOT

    Meanwhile, I heard the industry veteran say: I have told my team that the next three month agenda is to find, pitch and cultivate clients like the one that won. I refuse to play football with IPL rules.

    That was an entirely human reaction. I wish him success as it keeps the light at the end of the tunnel super bright.

     

    Sanjeev Kotnala is a senior strategy consultant and educator. The views here are personal

     

     

  • Whatever the reason, someone did seem to have a good time conceptualising and making these DVCs, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Sanjeev Kotnala: Can these DVCs help CEAT on talent front?

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Is Ceat facing issues with its talent management? Or are there work culture issues?

    In the current recruitment market, candidates are worried about the choices they make. There are numerous unanswered questions before them. Everyone wants to know more about the organisational culture and values in detail. Most of company culture knowledge is a result of feedback from friends, relatives and their network/ interaction/experience with the organisation. It does come with tremendous credibility.

    In few cases, company culture is so evident, overt and known that there is no need to publicise it. Tata and Reliance are two such examples. Each has reasons not to shout about it.

    Every organisation has values, norms, rules and processes. When internalised it gives birth to an accepted and acceptable way of behaviour which then gets immortalised as the culture of the company. Ceat, in one of the rare occasions, has taken to address some issues head-on and reflect the desired perception.

    Ceat #ThingsThatHappensAtWork starts with a premise that in most corporates, evils like gender bias, bureaucracy and lack of transparency or credit stealing is now an accepted and expected evil in the work environment. But, then sorry, it does not happen at Ceat.

    There is a stretched humour in execution. Purposely the simplest of examples have been used to demonstrate #ThingsThatHappenAtWork and that the only thing beautiful about the communication.

    Now ‘Does Not Happen at Ceat’  is a hard stance to take. It is hyperbole that is tough to believe. However, it’s hygiene promises that do have a chance to be a differentiating factor. Till not proven, the audience will say, ‘Tell me something new’.

    Ceat claims the subject of these themes is based on insights from employees. And, if these did make the final list, I as HR, would want to investigate more.

    The acid test of such a communication is usually with ex-employees. It works if and only if they endorse what is projected. Maybe Ceat is culturally perfect. Perhaps it is isolated and vaccinated against the known corporate evils.

    Anyway, the subject needs more than just a TVC. It needs further expressions to support. Otherwise, it will fail to cut ice.

    Low attrition rate, long induction process, humane policies, sexual harassment policy and implementation success, intolerance to malpractices, Gender ratio, training and development are some of the subjects that can be used to reflect the true reality.

    Anyway, Ceat does not feature in the Top 100 companies listed in ‘Great Place To Work’. May be it is not in their culture to participate in such surveys. Perhaps this is a step towards making the cut. Whatever the reason, someone did seem to have a good time conceptualising and making these DVCs.

     

    PARTING SHOT: A friend who is part of HR and Change Management in an MNC has a lighter take on this communication. She said, may be Ceat made this for internal communication as ‘What we Don’t Do/Tolerate’, and some smart marketing wired person flipped the whole thing! And why do I think her guess could be right?!

     

     

  • We have helped create a situation where we are under constant surveillance and hence remaining connected, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Sanjeev Kotnala: Will you pay extra to be UnConnected!

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Recently I was at Coconut Hut at Divegar on the Konkan belt. It is a small cosy resort with only 20 rooms and a swimming pool right at the centre. It has no WiFi. If I was to know it before arriving at the resort, I am sure; I would have cancelled the booking.

    Can’t think of life without emails, Internet and WhatsApp!

    One day into our stay, we realised how beautiful it is to be disconnected.  We as a family were having a far better conversation and real togetherness after a long, long time. We were redefining quality time.  Disconnecting to connect is the correct way to connect*.

    It’s impossible to be UnConnected in today’s world. People maybe lonely but are no longer alone in the virtual world of extended relationships. Availability, Accessibility and Affordability of the digital connectivity and services is hygiene factor in professional and personal life. We do crib about it. However, we are addicted to it.

    Even a temporary absence of digital connectivity can create withdrawal symptoms as we see in case of drugs and alcohol.

    In such a situation, will you pay a premium for being UnConnected? Can no WiFi and lack of mobile connectivity be converted into an advantage?

    So, You disconnect to connect with each other including self! There are restaurants that have banned mobile and laptops so that they no longer replicate the effect of office space and help create more face-to-face human interaction. Some of them have reported a revenue hike due to more effective use of space and orders. No one has been charging a premium.

    To gauge the magnitude of the problem, try searching for resorts and vacations ‘without WiFi’ or ‘No WiFi’ and Google keeps giving you results for free WiFi. I am not referring the Digital detox vacations, where you go for a forced disconnect. I am interested in judiciously preferring to UnConnect over the digitally connected world.

    Will you pay a premium for rooms that prevent the digital waves reaching you? Will digital proofing of rooms be as rewarding as soundproofing?  Will the digital detox centres open up just like Vipassana camps?

    I hint at more than just banning mobiles, laptop and a lack of WiFi connectivity. What about being super UnConnected without TV, Radio and newspapers? Maybe that in the real sense is a vacation**.

    Will you be willing to pay a premium for it, just like you do for Starbucks for giving you the third workspace after home and office?

    We have helped create a situation where we are under constant surveillance and hence remaining connected.  Our social media and digital signature are prints that can help anyone reach us.

    The digital giants know a lot more about us than we know about ourselves. In reality with data mining, self-evolving algorithms, super understanding of patterns and cycles and Alternate Intelligence, they are better at predicting your reaction in a situation. They know how we think, our rational behaviour and irrational impulses. Maybe they can predict even our involuntary responses to known or new situations. We are party to creating this web of knowledge.

    Maybe we will willingly pay for a VR/MR experience to taste and the  UnConnected before we subscribe to it.

    Will you pay a premium to be UnConnected to remain in a cocoon and away from everyone, A place where only you can reach self. Place where omnipotent advertising cannot stalk you. Where intrusive/immersive digital assault cannot engage you.

    Frankly, in a super pervasive digital era, UnConnect is the next premium.

    Have you been to such UnConnected places, do let me know so that I can add to the list.

    …………………………………………….

    If you are adventurous enough or one needing the real UnConnect Vacation, take few simple steps to decrease your anxiety. (1) Do Leave out-of-office messages on email. (2) Activate voicemail and leave the out-of-office message. (3) Provide a backup contact in case there’s urgent work. (4) Talk to your colleges and share plans for your vacation including the UnConnect part.  (5) Provide guidelines for expected emergencies. (6) Provide a circuit breaker; a way you can be reached in real emergencies and define them. (7) If you think you think the organisation cannot work without you- do slot in windows of connectivity. Schedule one or two check-in times with a co-worker so you can call for brief but productive updates.………………….

    * I will not lie. The detox was not complete. We found a triangular space near the reception area where you could feel the two bars of a 2G tower on your phone, if and only if you stood facing southwest and kept your phone 4 feet above the ground tilting towards the large coconut tree. ** Coconut Hut- Diveagar, Lotus Eco Resort- Konark, Ravla Khempur Heritage Hotel,  The Windflower Resort & Spa Bandipur and Den Corbett seems places with low connectivity and no WiFi.

     

     

  • We also need General Brand Image Protection Regulation’ GBIPR. Cribbing or negative consumer comments, be original, or add-on must originate from real experiences, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Sanjeev Kotnala: India Needs GDPR; Because A No Should Mean No

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Seeing the message ‘You have been unsubscribed’ gives that momentarily feeling of Moksha. You think you have won the battle against spams and personalised unwarranted e-mails.  It is Maya, an illusion. The same domain rises like a phoenix and starts spamming you sooner than you can say ‘Om Namah Shivaya’.

    Visiting any banking, insurance or automobile site for comparison or information gives birth to multiple product lines sending a barrage of emails flooding your inbox. You blink for a moment in your journey, and they tag you as a potential consumer who has permitted them to communicate digitally. You feel like Bhisma Pitamah in Mahabharat.  You are in unless you opt out.

    THE MARKETERS ARE THE BAHUBALI OF THE DIGITAL-LAND, TO THEM, A CONSUMER NO DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEANS A NO.

    Think India too need to have EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) equivalent. It is all about EXPLICIT CONSENT and POWER TO MANAGE. The companies collecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII) must do so with explicit consent for a well-defined purpose. PII includes information like email addresses, birth dates, government-issued identity numbers, credit card, bank account information, IP addresses, mobile device numbers, and biometrics.

    Under GDPR, the consumer must consciously OPT-IN instead of the current NEED TO OPT-OUT process. The marketer must not trap the consumer by any process that is not transparent or open to debate and misunderstanding.  in the process. The onus of making everything clear rests with the marketers.

    Expect the consumer who is already irritated with the relentless onslaught of unrelated irrelevant messages to be extremely strict and act pricy for the sharing PII information or give permission to connect.

    Marketers will need the consumer’s consent for sending discount offers, promotional messages, subscription feeds, newsletters, cross-selling offers, use consumer social media data and much more.

    FREEDOM FROM MASS EMAILS AND DIGITAL STALKING!

    Marketers need to work hard now and regain the trust and faith of the consumer or have an offer that is lucratively tough to refuse.

    GDPR came into action on May 25, 2018 and governs the area of European Council. In addition to the explicit consent, it gives the consumer the power to manage their preferences at any point in time.

    It will force the marketers to evaluate every consumer experience, in case they want the digital conversation or relationship to continue. May be it will make a few of them more responsive to direct consumer speak or on social platforms.

    A REAL WIN-WIN SITUATION IN MANY WAYS.

    Marketers will have to make that much additional effort to understand consumer needs, seek approval before proposing a business alliance and stop treating one time smile as a right to a life-long affair.

    Everything is not against marketers, it rarely is. It is merely a wake-up call. It hopefully will help differentiate and sharply define the emergence of a stronger real consumer-brand relationship.

     

    MARKETERS MUST SEE THIS NOT AS A HINDRANCE BUT AS AN OPPORTUNITY.

    It is time to make a difference. Time to deliver more and stop paying lip service of consumer experience and delight. Time for real big data analytics to provide options that make a real impact on consumer’s life. Deep dive, introspect and answer the most critical question, what will prompt consumers to say ‘Yes’ to keep digital channels open. Thus the art of niche segmenting may get a boost.

    Digital ads will have to work extra harder. They will have to be entirely relevant. They will in many cases become the marketers’ application to explicit consumer consent. The marketers will then need to consistently deliver ever an evolving competitive consumer experience that pulls the consumer to give progressive consent to enhanced touch points.

    POSTSCRIPT.

    We also need General Brand Image Protection Regulation’ GBIPR. Cribbing or negative consumer comments, be original, or add-on must originate from real experiences.

    Currently, travel and service review portals do it half-heartedly and on trust. A reviewer is asked to tick the box and thus certify that the review is genuine and based on real experience. Let’s push it a bit more. Let’s insist on proof of experience like booking reference/pictures etc. In the absence of valid evidence, the reviews should remain unpublished or be presented under unproven experience, and the reviewer is blacklisted.

    I know the consumer within all of us will react violently to such a suggestion.  But what’s the harm in doing a test run? Maybe reviews with proof will be logged under certified reviews. I think it will be a reason enough for the potential consumers to believe and push brands for a better experience?

    Here is the possibility of another win-win solution. The scorecard then will read Consumer -1- Marketer -1. What about turning the argument on its head. Make reviewing without a first-hand experience legally punishable. Why should consumer have all the fun.

     

     

  • Many brands want consumers to engage and interact with the two screens simultaneously, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    How Brands Benefit from Synchronisation of Twitter and TV?

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Most audiences engage with their mobile phones while watching television. There is always a second screen in play. This viewing pattern was earlier seen as a problem before someone did a deep-dive to understand the impact and use it to advantage.

    Recently after the hugely debated but successful Volkswagen second screen impact, we are seeing brands engaging TV audience with simultaneously or synchronised activity on the second screen.

     

    Volvo’s “The Greatest Interception Ever” asked its fans to tweet its #VolvoContest, during other car brands’ Super Bowl commercials and nominate a friend or loved one to win a new Volvo XC60 luxury crossover. The brand justified it with  ‘While other car companies are showing you what matters to them… we want to know who inspires you, who loves you, who matters most to you.’ More interaction followed by Volvo asking selective tweets why they nominated someone and finally selecting five winners. It won at Cannes too, and the brand said ‘a nearly 70% sales lift attributable to the effort.’

    Now, we have Goibibo with their GoCash campaign wanting you to keep the app open and  Vodafone wants you to tweet during the breaks of an IPL match telecast. There are 45 breaks. 45 questions. 45 fantastic prizes every match and that may not be the end of it all. Many other brands want you to engage and interact with the two screens simultaneously.

    The Second Screen effect.

    A Nielsen study initiated by Twitter showed a moderate co-relation between people using Twitter while watching television and a higher brand favourability and purchase intent. These audiences pay more attention to the advertisements on TV than people watching only the TV.

    It opens up an opportunity for brands to increase campaign effectiveness by engaging audiences on two screens simultaneously. It suggested that by synchronising TV and social media intervention (Twitter) and getting a second screen effect,  the brand can get better results than running the campaign on both channels independently.

    The second screen enhances the effectiveness of the first Screen.

    Twitter went further with neuro-insight to understand how and what of this second screen impact neurologically. The experiment looked at engagement (the emotional connection between content and viewer) and memory (how information is encoded and stored). The study showed that adding twitter makes the TV experience more engaging and memorable. Twitter users were able to correctly recall slightly more TV ads than those watching TV only. These matched another such study conducted by Neuro-insight in Australia.

    It observed that when the audience engagement with the TV programme dipped at some stage, the brain started looking for options and they switch to the second screen because they got bored or lost interest. They started tweeting about the show and the engagement than peaked while interacting with the personal device. And when they come back to the first screen (TV), they engage more actively- as the second screen has catalysed their mood, and they are interacting at a deeper level.

    It argues that Twitter provides incremental reach and more with the first view as the audience is most engaged when they are start scrolling through the content. It helps to reach to the younger audience primarily in the 18-24 year band. And this guided audience allows for higher on-target reach in comparison to other media with a more broad-based audience.

    Time for the brands to seriously relook at their social and TV campaign alignments and maybe reap enhanced benefits. Till then, happy tweeting!

     

     

  • There are many equations and variables to be balanced in an otherwise unpredictable environment, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Sanjeev Kotnala: Life is only worth living in a Beta Mode

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Life is crazy, demanding world of MAdTech professional; Media/marketing, Advertising, and technology. In addition to the pressure and demands of the organisation, there are many that are self-created. There are so many equations and variables to be balanced in an otherwise unpredictable environment.

    We live in a sea of uncertainties. There is with no assurance of outcome. Everything other than death is a mere probability. Moreover, that is not a comforting thought.

    We are busy chasing dreams and seeking perfection in our plans, actions, behaviour, reactions and output. We fail to recognise that outcome is merely a milestone in the journey called life. Everything is work-in-process.

    Honestly, just like your Brand-I, life is perpetually in a beta mode.

    Beta is the second phase of software development. In beta mode, everyone is busy experimenting and learning. It is about uncertainties, openness to feedback and willingness to find a solution. It is for seeking improvement in strategic thinking and enriching experience with enhancements.

    It is about knowing nothing is stable. It is about not expect anything and everything to work correctly or as per expectations. It is about not creating stereotypes and not taking a decision based on immediate impressions. It is about seeking repeat experience and data.

    It is about believing everything can be bettered. That there is no perfect version and there will never be one. It is about seeking not chasing completeness, knowing we will always remain incomplete.

    Beta is all about evolving with time.

    Beta version accepts things as they are. It relishes work-in-progress tag visualising the future. Still, there is no space for complacency.

    People who enjoy beta mode know, you die the day you stop learning and evolving. It’s different; you may still be alive.

    Once we accept a Beta environment of our life, it becomes easy to admit imperfections, mistakes and errors. There is an attitude change. It is no longer a blame game but a lookout for improvement. The barriers and failures are minor aberrations in the path to success. We welcome them with open arms.

    We create problems when we seek illusionary perfection.

    The beta approach is all about progress. It does not matter, what is the quantum of improvement, till there is progress. It teaches us to appreciate smallest of achievement and success. It forces us to seek a stronger foundation for our logic and assumptions. It pushes us to break assumptions, myths, mental blocks, norms and maybe rules, in the process strengthening our self-belief.

    Life in a Beta mode is relaxing yet exciting.

    It is no longer a wait for a disruption to announce our arrival. It is the newly acquired calmness in the sea of welcoming uncertainties; then it is easy to think strategically.

    You never fail in a beta mode, because you learn in every failure.

    Once we realise the advantages of the Beta philosophy of life and how it changes the spectrum. The more you think about it, the clearer we are of our Brand-I, the more happier we are, and then you realise: Life is only worth living when you are in a beta mode.