It’s a Friday so that gives us the licence to go a shade flip. And personal. We are sure you are saying: as if we don’t get personal on other days. Well, whatever. Enjoy today’s edition of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…
If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.
Q. What’s the secret sauce that you consume to stay so young and energetic – in terms of your thinking and your demeanour?
A. I presume you have tried to compliment me. If so, I am humbled. Perhaps it’s the elixir of life (which you are a part too) have been continuously energising me to remain curious and naive. And that has influenced my persona, as appeared to you. I can imagine that’s not a universal perception. So I can’t rule out bias in perception.
Oops. An earlier version of this had a dated introduction. We start the new week with a soft question in today’s edition of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…
If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.
Q. A Filmfare award in Guwahati was a super idea and a big success. And more importantly BCCL managed to pull it off and get all the stars in attendance. Would you recommend other media events and Conclaves to also take to, say, Arunachal Pradesh or Nagaland, or even an Ichalkaranji?
A. I agree with your observation. Tentpole properties, when they travel to new destinations, enhance not only the brand salience of the experience, but also improve the ROI for the event partner as the brand gets exposure to new markets and new consumer.
Now one obviously wouldn’t expect BD to fall for the obvious references that are made in some of our questions. Nevertheless, we try. Without any further ado, today’s edition of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Much fun and joy. Read on…
If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.
Q. There are so many awards in the media and entertainment and marketing services sectors that one finds there isn’t any fun and joy in winning them. Some of them are also dubious, with many shades of grey. What’s your view?
A. I wonder how you could sense the joy/ sorrow of the winner of awards, whatever may be their number. Acknowledgments are always welcome by the winner. Everything need not be the Oscar or Nobel prize variety in standards. An award is supposed to energise the performer to excel. So long as it does that, the principle can be more the merrier. Having said that the principles of selection ought to adhere to the accepted principles of jurisprudence and transparent logic.
Serious question, interesting answer. Now we hope he doesn’t think we have a monkey’s mind. Without any further ado, today’s edition of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…
If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.
Q. The Pitch Madison report says adspends in traditional media grew 6% last year and will degrow further in 2020. Burre din aanewaale hain?
A.The human mind is like a monkey. It loves to jump to conclusions to avoid taking appropriate action to mitigate negative forces. So your conclusion about burre din is at best a speculative one. Secondly, any projection is directional and not deterministic. Supervised learning can counter this trend in case of a specific organisation. The variability of growth differ by sector and company. So I can’t agree to your suggestive conclusion. In fact this is the time when men will be differentiated with boys.
Complex problem, simple answer. Here’s today’s edition of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…
If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.
Q. If you were asked by a news/business to help in its future planning for survival, what would your #1 advice be?
A. My proposition would be first plan to disrupt/ destroy yourself (obviously a metaphor for destruction of business model, defy industry and cultural gravity etc).
Short question, long answer. As you can figure, we’re having fun doing Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…
If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.
Q. A Friday question: You don’t seem to be the type who has ever had a fight with anyone? Have you ever…?
A. Fight is too strong a word. A fight is an external expression of inner turmoil that believes in the binary logic of ‘I am right and others are wrong’. Violence of expression dwindles the nuances of a dialogue. I also have differences with my ecosystem stakeholders but when ego/infallibility syndrome is kept out of the spectrum of engagement, no violence is required. Actually love is a better receipe for peaceful coexistence.
It’s Trump Day in India, and we asked BD this question, in jest of course. Without further ado, Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…
If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.
Q. If you were given the chance of spending four-and-a-half minutes with Donald Trump, what will you speak to him?
A.First one minute star struck, second minute I exchange Namaste (so many viruses these days, so don’t want to affect him). Third minute I shall ask him how is he liking India and one and half minutes how his liking for our PM converges with our national dominant predilection. By the way, if wishes were horses…
Okay, this is a stupid question… you could also call it a waste of question. But then it’s a factor in many a candidate selection. So when we heard last week of the gender being a factor in a leading media organisation, we thought we should ask the Wizard with Words for his view. So without further ado, Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…
If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.
Q. If you have two candidates to choose from – both excellent, similar educational achievements, great to speak with… and one is a pretty young thing and the other is tall, dark and handsome, who would you select and why?
A. one can’t simulate an answer for selection of a candidate on the basis of your parameters. The key consideration that I would focus is skill , attitude and openness to learn. All other considerations, as mentioned by you, are socially incorrect and irrelevant for a successful organization.
A simple question, a simple answer. With one tough word used. Without further ado, Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…
If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.
Q. Soon two months would’ve passed in the new year. Your 20-20 view on how the year has been for M&E so far?
A.Sub-optimal. And if I quote Sam Balsara: MUTED. Since media is predominantly a derived business and the dependence on advertisers is very high, any eco-political (including global headwinds) vicissitude impacts sentiment and thereby business. The only positive point is that from here on it has to go up. As an eternal optimist, I would like to think like that.
PS: Being an entrepreneur yourself you must be experiencing the same.
Yes, not all questions have to be provocative. This one’s simple. And gets a simple answer. Presenting: The February 27 edition of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…
If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.
Q. You are a voracious reader… can you recommend an essential read to anyone wanting to get into the media?
A.I am in search of learning but by no means I’m a voracious reader. But thanks anyway. Media is such a dynamic field that there is no book which remains contemporary for long. So observation, practice, annual report of strategy consultants specialising in media sector are useful routes to remain at the cutting edge of development. One book I liked for a conceptual understanding of the media is Content Trap by Bharat Anand. A must-read for all aspirants who want to work in media sector.
Of course we were seeking compliments. And who better to receive them than the man himself. Presenting: The February 28 edition of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…
If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.
Q. Aren’t you surprised that the flow of our questions appears never-ending? And we haven’t yet lost steam?
A.The credit goes to you and I am not flattering. While we are having fun, but neither your question, not my answer are frivolous. Even if I am, the inner messages are there for readers to know it. The only restraining factor is political/ social correctness to be maintained for public domain exposure.
An all-new week of Q&As, and most of them this week are around talent and human resources. Here’s the first edition of March 2020 of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…
If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.
QIf a leading media group asked you for a name for a revenue head, what kind of a person would you recommend: a career adsales honcho or someone from another field, like from an ad agency who could also work wonders?
A. Any speculative question is difficult to answer as I can’t fully empathise with the cascading of choices made by any legacy media (an assumption as you mentioned a leading company) organisation is a palimpsest — approaches made and unmade many times, justifiably and in sync with the then prevailing realities. Every new leader has to inject his/her acquired wisdom (experience ought to be a norm) to move the corporation to an orbit-shifting trajectory of business growth. I presume no decision is taken on archetypes of sector, company, personality etc. I am sure the dominant logic of selection would always be capabilities, empathy, leadership ability ( ability to inspire a team, problem solving ability and lead by example), fluid business intelligence in consonance with a constantly turbulent ecosystem, that is the hallmark of the new gig economy. Since acting mediocre is no longer an option in the 2020s, one has to act odd to stay ahead in the game. To be successful, ultimately any leader – wherever s/he is located – needs to be at Level 5 as per Jim Collins’ taxonomy of leadership style.
It’s a Friday so that gives us the licence to go a shade flip. And personal. We are sure you are saying: as if we don’t get personal on other days. Well, whatever. Enjoy today’s edition of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…