Tag: anil thakraney

  • Anil Thakraney: Lazy Indian print media

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    One would imagine that the print media in India is on the ball in an effort to put out fresh content. Now that the internet is very busy writing its obituary. But some recent examples indicate to me that our newspapers and news magazines are still in a state of slumber. This must change very fast if print wishes to be around for a longer time than expected.

     

    First, the magazines. I was completely disappointed by the manner in which Thackeray’s death and Kasab’s hanging was covered by the news mags. The editors might well have been aware that both the stories had already been sucked bone dry by the internet and later by television and newspapers, and they had been covered from every possible angle. What was therefore needed was some serious creativity from the magazine desk to supply red hot content to their readers. Instead, the same old stuff was regurgitated, the same people were asked to write the same opinions, even the already overused pictures were repeated. Absolutely no attempt was on display to tell us that the editors were trying to think differently. This is amazing, really. Isn’t the death of Newsweek a shrill alarm bell for these people to get their act together?

     

    And today morning as I write this post (Thursday), I can’t help but feel that the ‘glowing’ tributes in the daily newspapers to Pandit Ravi Shankar were hastily put together, only because the story had to be covered. I can even visualize the editor quickly deciding on the person in the team most likely to know a bit about music, and then ordering him/her with this: “Listen, put a huge spread together. Get some quick quotes and write the biography’. And, of course, the result was dull and boring. No new insights on the legendary man, no interesting copy… a crime when you consider that the man lived a totally happening life on both, personal and professional front. These were like huge obit ads disguised as rich tributes.

     

    Now compare the Indian work with this extremely interesting tribute to the musician in the New York Times. (See link below.) And you’ll get an idea of the lethargy that pervades our print newsrooms. Lethargy that shall one day cause the desi print media’s premature demise.

     

    http://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/12/13/arts/music/ravi-shankar-indian-sitarist-dies-at-92.xml

     

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    PS: And as if to push the hurtful point further, here’s a fantastic letter contributed by a reader in the British Guardian. Even this little prose tells us much more about the master than all the tripe we read in our dailies. Time to wake up and smell the coffee, people.

     

     

  • Debrief: Hajmola: Devgn hazam nahin hua!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Hajmola is just another of the many, many brands that cannot do without riding on a celeb’s shoulders. Oh well, such is ad life in India! But one good thing they have done this time is to cast an unusual celeb. That at least promises to bring some novelty to the ad. Macho star Ajay Devgn (his spelling, not mine) has been signed up to do the honours.

     

    However, the manner in which they have used him is all wrong, clearly someone wasn’t thinking out here. It’s a wedding set, with all the accompanying noise and action. Yet another take-off from ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’. Devgn is seen playing the harmonium (aren’t movie stars paid to dance at weddings?), and he suddenly spots a kid carrying a Hajmola bottle. Our hero chases him all over the place, and this nonsense goes on.

     

    I have two problems. One, Hajmola is a digestive, and this factor seems to have been totally downplayed in this communication. This is more like regular candy advertising, and if children overdose on Hajmola, is that such a good thing from the point of view of health? Needs to be checked out. Secondly, the brand hasn’t bothered to build on Devgn’s popular public persona of a tough guy with balls. Instead, he’s been made to play a bumbling bumpkin out here. So then why use him at all? They may as well have signed up Paresh Rawal or any of the other movie comedians, who would have come at a much lower cost.

     

    In short, the casting is poor and the treatment very boring. Even when I put myself in the shoes of the sort of people who would consume Hajmola.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ko4OqIRZ8W4[/youtube]

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 1. Devgn wasted in a forgettable ad.

     

  • Anil Thakraney: mxmindia to blame for cricket debacle!

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Haha. I am sure the editor-in-chief of this portal had a minor heart attack when he read this headline. Sorry Pradyuman, couldn’t resist it! The point is: While many theories are being belted out on this subject, I am entirely convinced it is the media and marketing in India which is behind the poor show of the Indian team.

     

    Let me explain: Regular readers of this blog might remember my post in March this year, on Virat Kohli, after the young man’s excellent test cricket performance in Australia. In a nutshell, this is what I had warned about: Imagine the excitement inside corporate boardrooms as brand managers salivate at the prospect of signing multimillion dollar contracts with the lucky dude. And also inside the buzzing rooms of editors and programming heads, as they plan huge spreads for the new-found hero. Too much adulation and quick riches can easily go to Kohli’s head, he’s still very young, a 23 year old lad. We have finally found a real match winner in the cricket team, a player who doesn’t get intimidated by huge targets, and it’s in the nation’s interest that we carefully nurture this rare talent.

     

    Well, no one listened to me (as usual!), and Virat already looks like a pale shadow of himself. And indeed this is the malaise with the entire Indian team. It’s foolish blaming the IPL for all the problems because international cricketers also play that format, but it hasn’t affected their test cricket skills. It’s a clear case of loss of appetite for success. When you are already being worshipped in the media, if you are already signing lucrative endorsements deals, why would you crave to do better on the cricket ground, why would you push yourself hard?

     

    I think Indian cricket is paying a huge price for the obsession this nation has with celebrity. We don’t give people time to evolve, we don’t give them time to showcase their real talents, even minor performers quickly become stars. As an example, consider the case of starlets like Sonakshi Sinha and Parineeti Chopra. A couple of films down the line, and they are already in the glossies and in the ads. This is a recipe for disaster.

     

    It’s easy to see many careers have been damaged due to premature attention. The same thing will happen to Cheteshwar Pujara, and frankly, I see no way out of this morass. Our cricket team is destined to be inconsistent; we have to live with that. And it’s we who are to blame for this.

     

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    PS: For fashionable women, landing up at a Page 3 party in the same dress as another guest can be a disaster. This emotion is captured very well in this Harvey Nichols ad. Sure, some women can even get murderous in this situation. Enjoy!

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWxK4ZqW4tw[/youtube]

     

     

  • Debrief: Groupon: Craziness pays off

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I like all the madness in the new Groupon commercials. The online portal needed such sharp clutter breakers in order to get noticed.

     

    The positioning is that Groupon offers a wide array of deals. This is not an exciting proposition, but the creative treatment gives it the much needed punch. The idea is that Groupon offers really crazy deals, and this makes the TVCs quite humorous. One ad talks about karate lessons. A granny is shown peppering a couple of thieves with killer karate chops. In another one that hawks an unlimited buffet lunch, a pot-bellied man sets off chaos inside the restaurant as his under pressure belly button (of the shirt) takes off like a bullet. And there are more such rollicking ads.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9BYxUIwMqg[/youtube]
    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwfmzuR3rBQ[/youtube]
    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3. Correct strategy. Fun ads.

    Good one. In the television medium that’s booming with ads, a new entrant has to create a splash immediately. Especially if the ad budgets are limited and there’s no scope for a long-term brand building idea. And once it’s decided to go with the humour route, the idea should be to go all out. More the ads get bizarre, better will be the noticeability. And Groupon ads meet that expectation. They are entertaining and will lead to quick brand recall.

     

    In fact, I would urge their ad agency to push the insanity envelope even harder. And the team should enjoy all the fun while it lasts. It’s not every day that creative people land up with such hot ‘deals’.

     

  • Anil Thakraney: Australian radio jocks should be jailed

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Abetment to suicide will obviously be an unfair charge, but the two Aussie radio jockeys whose wild prank led to the suicide of an Indian-born British nurse must definitely be made to face at least some prison time.

     

    For those of you not in the loop, an Australian station’s radio presenters, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, made a hoax call to the hospital in London where Kate Middleton is being treated. Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse, took the call and believed the lie when the jocks claimed they were members of the Brit royal family. When Saldanha later discovered she had been made a global fool of, the sister apparently took her own life. In short, a joke gone horribly wrong.

     

    Following worldwide outrage, the two RJs have been sacked, but I don’t think that’s enough. The two should be charged under the relevant Australian law, and they need to pay for their crazy antics. Some of you might argue that the jockeys were having a good gaffe, that they did not intend for the nurse to die. Yes, I buy that. In fact, I believe our radio stations should learn a lesson from these guys, our RJs are specialists at annoying listeners with mindless chatter. I also accept that Cyrus Broacha had been doing stuff like this for MTV, and many unsuspecting souls were made ‘Bakras’ by him. However, there’s a huge, huge difference in the case of the dead nurse.

     

    The difference is that the idiotic RJs messed around with a hospital staffer. This simply cannot be defended. A hospital is not a place where you make ‘Bakras’ out of people, it is a place of the sick and the dying. This is not just completely unethical, it’s bloody insensitive. And the worst-case scenario happened; someone committed suicide. Clearly, all this nonsense is a direct result of excessive competition in the media. Which compels some personnel to cross the line of control. And these rubbish deeds need to be clamped down upon, the offenders duly punished. Whether it’s journalists taking money for news or RJs risking people’s safety, some prison time would set the right example for both kinds.

     

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    PS: What’s with Twitter? It seems to get the worst out of people, many end up with foot in the mouth. The latest victim is British Airways. An airline staffer allegedly retweeted a highly racist message, and the airline is in trouble for that. BA claims that someone hacked their Twitter account, though I won’t be surprised if that turns out to be untrue.

     

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2234688/British-Airways-apologises-retweeting-racial-abuse-customer-angered-flight-cancellation.html

     

  • Anil Thakraney: Are corporates pushing Sachin?

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    There has been a lot of talk in the media (and on the streets) over Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement plan. Or indeed the lack of it. Further fuelled by Ricky Ponting’s decision to hang up his large boots. Obviously there is merit in this discussion, even if Tendlya himself doesn’t wish to be a part of it. Cricket is a young man’s game, and a 40 year old batsman does sound like a misfit. This is further confirmed by the master’s consistent failure to perform. Of course, he’ll play the odd decent inning, but that doesn’t take away from the point.

     

    So then why is the Rajya Sabha MP unwilling to leave the pitch? Part of the problem I guess is the state of living in denial. Your mind says you can rock it, but the ageing body isn’t falling in line with that thinking. This can happen in any field of activity (even sex!), but it becomes a huge problem in sport. Sachin may still be as tough in the head as he was two decades ago, but that won’t improve his reflexes. He also gives me the impression of being a stubborn man-child. Notice how Sachin continued with that shoddy new hair style of his for months together despite all the criticism in the media, even from his diehard fans.

     

    However, there’s another theory doing the rounds, and this one is far more sinister than a bad hair job. Sachin is mindful of the endorsement contracts that are still alive, and the impact of his retirement on these deals. Naturally the contracts become null and void if the man suddenly retires, and hefty refunds (possibly even penalties) will become payable. It’s very likely that these financial matters are playing on the MP’s mind. And preventing him from walking away into the sunset. If so, this is terrible. Because this means Sachin will play for a few more years, causing problems not just for the team but for his own self. A billion Indians would hate to watch the old master make a fool of himself on the cricket ground.

     

    I think for the greater good, all those advertisers who have signed up Sachin should release him from the contracts immediately. There are enough young guns in Indian sports, they can fish elsewhere. In any case, Brand Sachin is no longer as potent as it used to be (this factor deserves a post by itself), so it’s better to move on.

     

    Perhaps with this weight off his shoulders, the master will do the right thing. Which is to join the commentary team. And also focus on how he can make this nation a slightly better place.

     

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    PS: Ah. Just another day in the entirely stressful advertising life. 🙂

     

  • Debrief: IDEA: Honey, it isn’t funny

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    After the recent good campaign on Indian festivals, here comes a complete shocker from IDEA. The new TVC wants to communicate that the whole nation uses IDEA. The promise itself is highly yawny, wonder if there’s any brand left in this nation that doesn’t use the ‘Desh ka favourite’ platform. To make matters worse, the execution is so poor, you actually miss Small B, and that’s saying a LOT!

     

    The idea IDEA has used is a highly irritating, totally juvenile ringtone that belts out ‘Honey Bunny’ trash when the phone goes off. And as you can predict, this nonsense happens all over the country. As usual, the Kashmiris, the Bengalis, the Southies, the Sardars, etc, all make a comeback. As they go ‘Honey Bunny’ in their respective accents.

     

    Completely boring and a tired piece of work. A trainee copywriter would do better than this at a hurried copy test. What is even more appalling is that it comes from a team that usually does good work. Well, let’s just say they had an off day, it can happen to the best of us. Folks, immediately kill this ad, have some beers, and go straight back to the drawing board.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”200″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aaPMBXKQLI[/youtube]

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 0. Zero entertainment. Full-on irritation. Section 66A applicable.

     

  • Anil Thakraney: Television’s pseudo patriotism

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Hate to see the Indian media go ballistic when NRIs land up in trouble in the nations they have chosen to migrate to. Whether it’s about the desi blokes who got attacked in Australia or the lady who lost her life in a maternity ward in Ireland or those cases where couples in Norway have been found guilty of bad parenting. In each such case our media has been demanding blood of the firangis, and have been pressuring the Indian government to act.

     

    This is not only illogical, it’s completely unfair. All those Indian citizens who’ve opted to live in foreign lands HAVE to follow the laws of the land out there. As well as adopt the local culture. Remember that oft-repeated proverb, which our media conveniently forgets: When in Rome, do as the Romans do. One peculiar trait amongst us Indians is that we tend to bond only with each other in foreign countries, and we put little effort into mixing with the locals. And this leads to isolation and often discrimination. Can we then really absolve ourselves of racism? Also, we must understand that Australians would be more worried about attacks on Asians on their soil; it hugely harms their image in the world.

     

    As for the Norway-based families, Norway did not put a gun to their heads to stay in that nation. But now that they have decided to stay there, Indian parents must follow the Norwegian way of bringing up kids. And if they find that unacceptable, well, they should buy themselves a one-way ticket on Air India and return home. None of this is being recognized by our chest–thumping ‘patriotic’ TV anchors.

     

    And what’s truly galling is the hypocrisy. If foreigners who live in India don’t follow our culture, if they refuse to obey the Indian law, if they insist on special treatment, the same anchors would go all out to crucify them. Imagine the scenario if a Brit were to complain about the noise created by Diwali crackers. Even such a minor issue would be treated with outrage in the media.

     

    Chill down, my dear colleagues in the news channels. Do not forget the Roman proverb. And also remember that an Italian lady dutifully follows all the laws, customs and practices of India. If Ms Sonia Maino can do it, our people better ditto in other lands. And when they won’t, let’s leave them to their fate.

     

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    PS: Haha. Hot, hot male underwear ad from France. Notice that they have followed the typical us-versus-the rival routine, but it’s sizzled in this case.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KG8M02ECKyU[/youtube]

     

  • Debrief: Tanishq solitaires: Correct tone and manner

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Interesting approach from Tanishq for their solitaires collection. It’s a dinner conversation between middle aged partners inside a fancy restaurant, and this sort of an intimate conversation based ad is hard to come across in India, we usually prefer noisy advertising. This route immediately makes the commercial attractive to watch.

     

    The couple is celebrating their tenth anniversary. From their body language, it’s easy to notice some degree of the expected boredom of togetherness has set in. (Conversations can dry up to an extent after a decade with the same person, it’s normal.) The usual middle aged banter goes on, discussion on work, life, etc, till the man surprises his missus with a Tanishq solitaire ring. And naturally a few smiles follow.

     

    Good one, mainly because the treatment is refreshing. Also the direction is very good. The body language, the maturity of emotion, the setting, the casting, it’s all done well. Upper class folks would connect with this one, and they would be the target audience of a thing that costs over a lakh of rupees. So over all, a good show.

     

    However, I do feel the ad would have really sparkled if the conversation had been a little wittier. Not over the top, just a dash of subtle humour would have added a little more entertainment value to the TVC. After all, one has to enjoy repeat exposures. But I guess people seem to like this one a lot, the YouTube version has already scored over one lakh hits, and that’s not very common with Indian ads. Nopes, can’t argue with numbers, therefore high marks for this one.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTNLNbG4ELs[/youtube]

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3.5 Engaging communication. Good direction.  

     

     

  • Anil Thakraney: Decoding 66A. (And losing my head!)

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    I was watching Kapil Sibal battle with NDTV’s Barkha Dutt over Section 66A of the IT Act. Unfortunately, Barkha wasn’t able to nail the minister down, and that’s not her fault. Sibal is a seasoned lawyer and is in top form when it comes to debates on legalities. To me, it’s a no-brainer that this section needs to be completely re-written, and that making only a senior policeman in charge of slapping this law isn’t good enough. Simply because it’s too damn vague. And this vagueness and the recent arrests have already sent a chill down social media timelines, most tweets and updates seem to have lost their sting. And the diehards are busy opening up fake accounts to escape accountability.

     

    The problem is the three key words in 66A. They are so broad-based, William Shakespeare would have found it impossible to decode them in terms of intended criminality. These words are Offensive, Annoyance and Inconvenience. So here’s what I did, assuming that the confused policeman would most likely do ditto to find some answers in terms of interpretation in law. I consulted the good ol’ Collins Thesaurus. Here’s what it says:

     

    Annoyance: aggravation, anger, bedevilment, bother, displeasure, disturbance, exasperation, harassment, irritation, nuisance, provocation, trouble, vexation.

     

    Offensive: abominable, abusive, annoying, detestable, disagreeable, discourteous, displeasing, disrespectful, embarrassing, impertinent, insolent, insulting, irritating, nasty, objectionable, odious, repellent, rude, uncivil, unmannerly, unpalatable, vile.

     

    Inconvenience: annoyance, awkwardness, bother, difficulty, disadvantage, disruption, disturbance, drawback, fuss, hindrance, nuisance, trouble, uneasiness, upset, vexation.

     

    If the policeman (who I don’t envy at all in this case) has to take a call on this, he’ll either go crazy, or we’ll all have to forget about taking any further part on the internet. Because anything even slightly naughty can easily fall under any of these definitions. This is so bloody annoying! Oops, oops!!

     

    Ergo, our lawmakers need to put their thinking caps on. And re-write Section 66A in such a way that even a havaldar is able to interpret it without any difficulty. I am quite certain if Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar was alive today, he would have dealt with this in minutes. Sadly, we are stuck with the likes of Kapil Sibal. Great television debaters but not much else. (Hope the distinguished neta doesn’t charge me under 66A for this, er, inconvenience.)

     

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    PS: Fabulous public service idea from students of a Miami school. You can donate your iPhone apps to charity through a digital donation box that’s been enabled in partnership with Apple. So much better than ‘gifting’ torn clothes, which we famously do back home. Also, please do share this idea with your bachchas, who might still be burning those idiotic crackers long after Diwali is done and dusted.

     

    [vimeo width=”400″ height=”200″]http://vimeo.com/52902206[/vimeo]

     

  • Anil Thakraney: Law needs to be tougher on journalists

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Since I am not a television anchor, I shall refrain from speculating on the Zee versus Jindal case. We have courts to decide who’s the guilty one and who’s the victim, therefore we must leave that task to the judges. I have only one comment to make on this particular issue, and this too I state purely from a journalistic standpoint: If the Zee News journalists were indeed out to entrap the Jindal managers, then common sense suggests sting operation cameras and audio devices would have to be employed. Else, there is no evidence of the ‘expose’.

     

    However, I want to make a broader point: It is often said that if the entire nation is corrupted, why must we expect the media to be any different? The media, after all, hasn’t descended from Mars, it’s an offshoot of the same rotten system. This is a logical explanation, therefore one can’t refute it. However, my own view is that BECAUSE the nation is so corrupted, it’s critical that the media, which is the only voice ordinary citizens have, must remain clean. We have to create structures and processes that encourage and reward integrity. If the media turns corrupt, there’s very little hope for the nation.

     

    In that context, I have to say I am deeply dismayed by all the scandals involving the media. As long as sponsored ads were being palmed off as editorial entertainment pieces, one didn’t really mind. But then we got hit by the scourge of paid news, and this was really alarming. If editors are doctoring news in exchange for money, then it is pretty shameful. In fact, it’s a criminal act because such media outlets are playing with the nation’s future. Radiagate, to me, was the last straw. Because it told us that senior, much respected journalists were busy betraying the profession. And now comes the Zee/Jindal scandal of epic proportions.

     

    So what’s the way out? Well, there is a lot of talk going on about media regulation, either from within or from without, but I am not entirely sure this will help. The news media boom has attracted many businessmen to the party, and some of them treat news as a commodity that needs to be traded for profit. So these worthies aren’t going to be keen on cleaning up the mess. But good luck to those who believe in the idea of regulation.

     

    My own belief that fear factor is probably the only thing that will reign in corrupt media practices. Journalists have to be worried about the ramifications of their shady actions. If the court cases are allowed to drag on for decades, this fear isn’t going to happen. The judiciary, in conjunction with the executive, must evolve a process whereby judgments related to trials involving the media are done and dusted inside one year. That alone will put the fear of God in the media. If Britain could deal with Murdoch’s phone hacking scandal so quickly, clearly we can do it too, if the will exists.

     

    Net net: The legal process must be swifter on us journalists. Even more so than on hardened criminals. Because criminals are a threat to an individual or to a group of people. We journalists have the power to damage an entire nation’s future.

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views expressed here are his own

     

  • Debrief: Tata Nano: In the right direction

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    At last, the lost little Nano seems to be finding its way. It’s taken the Tata guys a few years to realise an important truth, but as they say, better late than never. In the past they made the huge mistake of projecting the Nano as the poor man’s vehicle. This strategy was never going to work, because it scares the aam aadmi away. A car is the single most visible possession of an individual, and its image rubs off directly onto the owner.

     

    Course correction seems to have been done in the latest commercial. Nano is now being positioned as a fun drive-out for the trendy urban youth. In fact, they make it a point to tell us the protagonist is an engineer, so there must be something special about Nano’s performance. Mr Engineer is seen exploring the countryside, helping damsels in distress, playing tour guide to foreigners, etc. And he ends up on a beach with his friends.

     

    This is not the sort of creative that would send award juries into a tizzy, but it does manage to dilute the Nano’s ‘poor car’ image. In fact, they need more such ads. The TVC also brings out all the usual car benefits: toughness, mileage, manoeuvrability, etc. So all the boxes can be checked.

     

    But it’s the change of strategic focus that will bring the Nano dealers some much needed footfalls. This was very critical to happen. Sure, the creative needs a spark, but that can be dealt with along the way.

     

    [youtube width=”400″ height=”220″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc1x8LY1yVg[/youtube]

    Rating: (On a scale of 1-5): 3. Gets the right image. At last.