Category: DAS KA DUM

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Q: As a website which has carried content that was often critical of the ruling party, should we now be worried?

A: Unless one has any skeletons in the cupboard, why should one be apprehensive about any negative backlash from one’s coverage in a democratic country. If the reportage is fact-based and there is no agenda to opinionate or impose thrusted rationality to news consumers, one has nothing to worry about. Otherwise, elections would not happen. Or, the very fact that you are asking this question and I am answering it exemplifies that the threat is more perceived than reality. It’s a human frailty that we see things as we are , and not as they are.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

Q: Given that T20 matches are so very unpredictable, even strong teams can’t be sure of winning. Should there be a call for citizens from both India and Pakistan border to temper their emotions in case their side loses?

A: I understand from where your concern emanates. It’s a legit concern but in a ubiquitous social media environment, this trend of losing temper on the outcome of a match (irrespective of the type of sport) is increasing at an alarming rate. Perhaps this trend is also an offshoot of hyper-nationalism camouflaged as patriotism.  There are psychological theories which rationalise crowd behaviour.

1. First is Contagion Theory, which proposes that crowds exert a hypnotic influence on their members that results in irrational and emotionally charged behaviour,  often referred to as crowd frenzy.
2. Secondly, Convergence Theory that argues the behaviour of a crowd is not an emergent property of the crowd but is a result of like-minded individuals coming together. If it becomes violent is not because the crowd encouraged violence yet rather people wanted it to be violent and came together in a crowd.
3. Thirdly , Emergent-Norm Theory that combines the two above arguing that a combination of liked-minded individuals, anonymity and shared emotions leads to crowd behaviour.

Why am I going into a conceptual framework for a simple question? Simple, no amount of a clarion call on this subject would cause a change of heart of crowd behaviour as such. It should perhaps be combined with a mix of advocacy of the essential spirit of sports and a some punitive steps for the recalcitrant behaviour. There is no readymade solution to it. Only rational behaviour at every level can mitigate the rampant growth of such negative behaviour.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

Q: Whatever be the outcome of any India-Pakistan match, is the rivalry way too unhealthy – for the sport and the already soured relations between the two countries?

A: Rivalry in sports arena is normal. But it’s more evident or articulated by the so-called fans and hyped these days through social media and the legacy media. Hence the surround NOISE makes us feel there is acrimonious relationship between players of the two teams. I have observed that amongst the team members/ players there is no visible tension.

In case of India and Pakistan, there are historical prejudices and pandered generation after generation by interested parties, on both sides of the border, to further their own agenda.

Hence, sports rivalry/ competitiveness is normal and healthy- it’s there in all forms of sports- but when it is used for myopic agenda , then it becomes unhealthy.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

Q: Public memory they say is short. But given the negativity in the political campaign in the last six months, do you think all will be forgotten?

A: Yes, I agree with you that public memory is poor, generally. So, the public opinion moves from one subject to the next moment that triggers mass hysteria. Hence, negativity, if perpetrated by various actors on the political stage, is natural. I am not going into the domain of any moral judgment on the subject. These are changing times, globally, for political rivalry and in a professional sense, it is part of marketing one’s party/ affiliations amongst all the alternatives available to the electorate. The high decibel level of stridency during political campaigns follows the convenient adage of “everything is fair in love and war”. And today’s political arena is as good as a war zone.

I don’t think the fallout would continue, now that the new government has been formed and they would be busy in delivering the commitments to the electorate, rather than frittering away energy on proving browny points on competitive superiority. The electorate knows everything, as the election results show , every time.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

Q: If public service is the ultimate high for an individual, would you recommend embracing politics to senior A&M professionals in the run-up to 2029?

A: I wonder how I would give a normative answer to a subjective question. What an individual decides is, exclusively, her or his decision (whether it’s aspiration or desire to serve the nation) and no one is capable of giving a lecture on its rationality. Therefore, if an A&M industry professional opts for the journey, it’s his/her calling. Just a caveat: success in one profession need not get automatically transferred to another profession like politics as the grind is more rigorous and not meant for weak-hearted. As a final statement, I would add a motherhood platitude: it would be good news for the polity, perhaps, if more professionals get attracted to the political process of a country.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

Q: Do you think the increasing reliance on Artificial Intelligence (AI) might stifle innovation, or will it open new avenues for creative thinking?

A: The whole of Artificial Intelligence (AI, in short) is still an arcane subject lacking homogeneity of clarity. The perceptions range from stifling of innovation to need for regulatory intervention to prevent misuse for humanity to fostering innovation. Everyone has a confirmation bias and perhaps there are partial truth in every position.

I strongly believe that the clock of technology can’t be reversed. So, the best route is to treat it as a force multiplier through appropriate usage. When innovation is powered by powered by AI in business would help ensure that businesses could improve productivity, to start with just by sheer speed of execution and realtimeness. AI could enable comprehensive data research capabilities that facilitate effective decision-making and risk assessment. The possibilities for ensuring mass adoption of AI in business would increase only when it is realised that the value benefits of AI far outweigh its negative implications. It all depends on who uses it for what purpose. Beyond business, I can visualise it can revolutionise other field too, including healthcare, fintech etc. Regulatory might be required for AI’s misuse but regulators need to be alert that over regulation must not stifle innovation.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

Q: How do you react to the self-declaration order of the Supreme Court for all print. TV/Radio, digital ads? Do you think it will be a deterrent for advertisers?

A: I am in favour of such a self-declaration dictation from the highest court of the land. I am not sure if the solution is worse than the problem the decision wants to address. Frankly speaking, I have no visibility of the size of the actual problem. But given the number of incorrect claims or irresponsible advertising that one comes across, some concrete steps had to be taken to protect consumers’ interest. ASCI is doing a good job but its directives are not followed with full commitment. It can be a nightmare for advertisers to actually implement in real life, but let’s wait and watch.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

Q: Given India’s young demographics, do you believe Indian brands are sufficiently innovative in their approach to engage with the youth?

A: You haven’t defined the generational cohort of young demographics. My response would be different for different generational cohorts. For example Gen-Z would be different from Gen-Y.

I agree with your observation that the current approach of brands is not innovative enough for engaging with the youth irrespective of which generation the youth belong to. In the age of possibilities of tech-led hyper-personalisation, it’s quite a doable exercise, provided customer-centricity of any business goes beyond its purfunctory adherence.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

Q: The food and beverages industry in Maharashtra has been severely hit after the Pune Porsche incident. But the fact is rules were being flouted. Your sentiments?

A: What to say? It’s a grace matter of angst and the incident/ similar such (another one in Chennai recently) incidents shows that driving in an inebriated state affecting individual’s life is as good as an inalienable right of the privileged few (more often than not). What is more sad and pathetic is that the country’s law appears to be on the side of the affluentials.

Those who have access to the powers that be,  protect these individuals, ensuring they have nothing to worry about. We may also soon hear another ridiculous statement questioning the right of “lowly people” to sleep on the pavement in the first place (as in the film Jolly LLB or Damini—reel reflects real life).

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

Q: The killing of two youth in Pune by a drunk teen is being called the Pune Porsche case? In your view, what does this labelling do to Brand Porsche and Brand Pune?

A: My first response is “not necessarily”. We need to first segment the ‘highs’ and ‘lows’. For high identifiers with the brand and if their affinity with the brand is strong, surely the brand identifier/ affinity index won’t go down. Also, for those who are not in the catchment area of the brand, their affinity going up or down would be inconsequential for the salience of the brand.

So far as the brand value of a city is concerned, it is in effect absolutely inconsequential. By that logic, the whole of India would be unattractive for investors or tourists. A war or some black swan events like Covid can dissuade travel to a destination due to uncertainties associated with each eventuality, but an accident can’t erode the confidence of the city as a brand user.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

Q: India brought home just 18 metals at Cannes Lions 2024, its lowest tally since 2019. Does this say anything about the status of creativity in advertising in India?

A: It is too sweeping to conclude anything about the status of Indian creativity in advertising on the basis of how many metals have been won. It’s like saying that Australian T-20 team is worse than Afghanistan team. Sometimes it happens. But one can’t paint the universe of a country’s creative capabilities on a year of the so-called medal tally. During the last so many years, medal tally has gone up too on many an occasion. At that time, we never concluded that creative industry standards in Indian advertising had gone up. It’s all in the game.

If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar or click here: https://www.mxmindia.com/category/columns/das-ka-dum/

Q: At Cannes Lions, a PepsiCo CMO said that (ad) agencies must invest resources and get the best talent early on. But in India, agencies can’t really afford to hire top B-school talent. So, is it a lose-lose game?

A: Two instant questions that come to my mind: 1. How do you define best talent, and 2. Business school students are perceived to be an epitome of talent.

Talent is overrated, to my mind. Of course talent is important but without discipline, smart work and the right attitude, one can’t achieve sustained success. Talent needs to be nurtured and a culture of pursuing excellence in a sustained manner can’t be achieved by a few platitudinous intentions. One has to work towards it constantly.

Management education certainly helps but there is no guarantee that their presence would automatically ensure birth of an elusive talent in an organisation. A good MBA degree from a renowned institute could be good calling card , but on its own, it can’t guarantee success as context and challenges are unique to sectors and organisations. In today’s hyper-competitive ecosystem, one needs to constantly innovate (not necessarily disruptive) and adjust business strategy to the unfolding challenges. A business school can teach a process-rich framework, but in a world of future backwards strategy formulation, it is important to be flexible enough to work with multiple scenario building and navigate it adroitly and with cognitive agility. A business school can’t teach every possible eventuality.