Tag: Bhaskar Das

By now you know how much we love the Fifa World Cup. And how much our Wizard with Words tracks it. Here’s what Dr Bhaskar Das has to say on our question in the December 12 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

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. First, Germany and Spain. Then Brazil, Portugal, Netherlands, England.  Who are you betting on now?

A. I didn’t bet on any of the names that you mentioned. In fact, in my last week’s Q&A, on the same subject, I mentioned that this year’s Fifa World Cup has been dominated by disruptions from the Davids. But with a legacy (and emotional) mindset, I hazarded a guess for Argentina as I am a Messi Fan. So my preference for Argentina to lift the Fifa World Cup remains unchanged.

But now that the number of contenders of the World Cup has been limited to a few teams, and the Davids who are left in the fray, I can put forward a second guess and I would love that to happen: looking at the hunger and fighting spirit of two teams viz Morocco and Croatia, I won’t be surprised if they play at the final and Morocco wins the Cup. Let Africa enjoy a new glory. Rationally too, I think they have exemplary indomitable spirit to take on the best in the game and even if they have no so-called star/ nranded player, their collective commitment is palpable in each match and it continues to improve. Ultimately, I find it to be a clash of Entitlement Owners v/s Disruptive Insurgents.

Disclaimer: this answer is a personal analysis and may not actually be the reality. Even if it proves to be true, it would be a fluke. Any game is a testimony of skill and not an outcome of prediction of analysts.

Not the easiest of questions to answer, but we love asking these once in a while. Here’s what Dr Bhaskar Das has to say on the issue in the December 9 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

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. We now know the election results. As someone who has spent quality time in Gujarat in the early part of your career, and now as an academic and even a student, what’s your Wish #1 from the new government for Gujarat?

A. When it comes to Politics and Polity, Das ka dum bhi nikal jaata hai, as I am a very apolitical person. I only believe that any sustained delivery of consumers’ / voters’ (in this case) expectations can ensure success either in business or in elections. Incidentally, a few years of stint in a state market cannot impart any expertise in anyone to decode a definitive result where multiple expectations amongst various stakeholders play a big role in the voting pattern. In a big country like India, with so many factors at play in various states, the results are expected to be divergent , and national and local issues collide in impacting the verdict.

Now that the results are out, it is clear that the leading national party has delivered in Gujarat in spite of competitive challenges and no anti-incumbency theory has worked. It shows that customers have been happy with the delivery. There are other factors which have played a different role in impacting results. For that, one has to write an edit piece on that. I don’t want to engage in that.

Fundamentally, the basic principles of marketing/ business have also worked in those states, albeit on different strategies of populism, as it happens in sales-boosting incentives used by marketers. But that may not be sustainable for building brand loyalty for repeat performance.

Leadership is about delivery. And in these elections, delivery or promises to deliver have been reflected in the result and I am not surprised. Marketing principles also work in elections. One needn’t be a poll pundit to predict. The strategy of both the winners and losers needs a strategy that is dynamic and incorporates the rising expectations of the market.

Tough question given that the last few months have been not great shakes for revenues. So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das a question for the December 8 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

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. I know you have said it’s all continuum. But if you have to evaluate the progress of the adspends in the last 11 months, how would you rate it vis-a-vis the pre-Covid 2019?

A. During the last 11 months, the advertisement spend level has certainly reached the pre-Covid level, albeit it would differ by media formats and by industry sector. I agree that the growth has been led by digital and TV dominantly but growth has been experienced by market leaders of various formats except in movies. That has also been impacted by the rise of popularity of OTT consumption and fast adoption of connected devices. Besides, India could counter the global trend of stagflation through deft balancing of its economic and fiscal policies, as of now, is expected to maintain a GDP growth level of above 6% which isn’t a mean feat , given the VUCA syndrome in various operating environments, globally.

If it’s an election result, Dr Prannoy Roy always scored high with the results coverage and analysis. So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das a question on Dr Roy’s contribution to news television on the eve of Gujarat/HP/MCD results for the December 7 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

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. It’s difficult to think of election results coverage without Prannoy Roy and Dorab Sopariwala. We don’t know what they are going to be doing next, but a word on the contribution of the Roys to news television?

A. I think in the craft of news journalism, Dr Prannoy Roy’s name would always get a prominent reference. This may be my personal opinion but I shall stick to it as it’s my subjective opinion and detractors are most welcome to differ. Elections would come and go and the final verdicts would be a reflection of voters’ preference, irrespective of the quality of analysis. So the show would go on. But the real contribution of a craftsperson is setting standards of journalism in news television and how many professionals s/he could inspire to excel in their task. I think that most of the branded anchors of various news channels had at some point of time had worked with Dr Roy and NDTV. But as the adage goes, the old order changeth, yielding place to new. (‘The old order changeth, yielding place to new’ is a line from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s classic poem, ‘Morte d’Arthur’. These dying words of King Arthur were his realisation  that there would be a change in generations with views different from his. I found its relevance to your question, however inappropriate. This may be my frailty to relate appropriately).

Unfair question to ask, but then who said that we are always fair. He he. Let’s hear it from Dr Bhaskar Das in the December 6 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

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. You would’ve seen the performance of all the teams in the 2022 Fifa World Cup. So which team are you rooting for?

A. This would be a hazardous guess as in this Fifa World Cup as we have seen how some of the Davids (eg Belgium and Germany could not make it for the knockout stage) have inflicted unanticipated defeats on the Goliaths of world soccer. My guess is Argentina (may be I am biased as this World Cup may be the last for Messy) followed by Brazil with Spain, England and France not so far behind. Having said that, on the day of the final, how one team plays with strategy and luck (I believe in the luck factor a lot), would be very difficult to predict. From this point of view, this World Cup might have some more surprises left for us. Frankly speaking, this has kept us glued to the World Cup this year as no one is invincible. I can’t be more precise than this.

It’s perhaps something that ought to happen. Even if it’s not in the form of an ombud~. So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das the question for the December 5 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

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. There have been cases of ad agencies clashing over credit for work done. Do you think there is need for an ombudsman?

A. With the tight cash flow position in the market due to variety of factors in global and Indian markets, it’s a Catch-22 situation for both creative and media planning and buying agencies. When clients have business headwinds, they generally expect their agency partners to empathise with them. At the same time, agencies survive dominantly on intellectual capital/ right brain capabilities (without jettisoning left brain capacity completely) and that’s their real Capex. When there is supply-side squeeze, how would they invest in talent to offer superlative services?!

I wonder if a mutually agreed ombudsperson can mitigate the challenge completely. I wonder if an idea of credit rating agency evaluating credit worthiness of a client would be acceptable to both the partners.

But whatever may be the solution, it should be mutually agreed upon for genuinely appreciating the interdependence of their relationship and agencies need to be united in combating this challenge, if you may will. This is not the time of any frictional loss. It’s the time to be collaborative and symbiotically face the challenges of PERMACRISIS ( not my coinage but the chosen word of Collin’s dictionary to reflect the state of the business environment).

We won’t be surprised if this is a thought that has struck others as well. Well, even if it has, it’s not been very vocal, yet. So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das the question for the December 2 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

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. Will the fact that international media platforms like Meta and Google are so large and influential impact India’s geo- and socio-political interests?

A. Answering this question is challenging as in a flat world, where information and data flow are geography-neutral, the possibilities of its misuse, both for individual or nation-states, could not be ruled out. There are already enough empirical evidences of algorithm-led predictive analytics, dominating our choices across the spectrum of human life. Citizens don’t even understand the implications of every click. Countries have not yet been able to converge on a unified policy regime to mitigate possibilities of misuse of massive data flow that are gathered by tech giants. One can’t deny the benefits of the internet and social media in consumers’ life but they also, in its turn, create a vicious circle of surveillance of users’ choices.

But if the internet is expected to be a global public good, then its governance should also be globally conceived and shared.

A critical challenge is how to facilitate creation of publicly oriented enterprises to play an active role and ensure that internet becomes an egalitarian public sphere activity, as it was originally envisioned. But I wonder if there is any political and social will, globally, to move in that direction?

While I understand your concern, as expressed in your question, I have no answer to it.

It’s a question we generally ask closer to the end of the calendar and fiscal year. So here’s Dr Bhaskar Das and his response in the December 1 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

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. It’s the beginning of the last month of the calendar year. Your response (and why): Phew, Sob, Bring it on!

A. To me there is no difference between months (apart from a seasonal change). Philosophically, time is a non-spatial continuum in which events occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future. This is not my funda, but I believe in it. So, the end of the calendar year or financial year are part of corporate lexicon, and do not belong to the realm of philosophy.

I know you would not be satisfied with the philosophical jamboree. So another way of answering your question is: though December is the last month of the year, it also gets us excited about new hopes and possibilities of 2023. The last three years have been quite challenging for India Inc through various headwinds, but everyone hopes that the India Growth Story would augur well for the coming year and our collective wish would take India upwards in terms of prosperity. Amen to that.

Ah, we couldn’t not ask our Wizard with Word this question. Without much ado, here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the November 30 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

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. In an interview with Financial Times, Gautam Adani has said his acquisition of NDTV wouldn’t impact media independence? Should we believe him?

A. Why should we not believe him? We are believing Jeff Bezos for Washington Post, Rupert Murdoch for Fox News, Times of London and Wall Street Journals. The litmus test for success of any media organisation is its loyal audience base. So long the media organisation enjoys its stickiness, no amount of external criticism can justify the point of view of detractors. Please don’t underestimate the audience’s intelligence. As they say, yeh public hai sab janati hai.

Even in India a lot of media houses have interest in other industries but that haven’t affected their audience loyalty or market dominance. I would like to add that a media organisation has to be managed as a business also. There is nothing pejorative about it. The second richest industrialist knows the principles of managing multiple businesses successfully and the same principles ought to be applied for the media business too. And audiences are prudent enough to act as judge of the credibility of its content. And in the ultimate analysis, that’s what matters for any media organisation.

The question is self-explanatory, and the answer, well, puts an interesting spin on the entire issue. Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the November 29 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

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. A speech by a news media big boss has gone viral and it exposes heavy duty sycophancy towards a political party. While there may be business interests at play, should media owners stay away from such overt attempts to please political rulers?

A. I am an ardent advocate of freedom of speech. Hence any communication in public domain has to be respected. Human minds loves to dissect and deduct as per their proclivity towards a point of view. There is nothing right or wrong about a standpoint. So it is everyone’s fundamental right to align with a viewpoint that coincides with a political party. By your logic, the whole country is aligned to a political party, dominantly. What’s wrong in it if the electorates feel that the promised delivery has been happening? Other political parties are not barred from promising deliveries as per expectations of the electorates. They have been trying and biting the dust, more often than not.

The normative approach that you recommended about media owners abjuring the path of appeasement of ruling class, appears to me to be a case of realised perception and were not purported to be a strategic intent of the media owner. One can’t be objective in subjective matters. What say? I shall be happy if you don’t agree. That’s the Intoxication of Democracy.

The question is self-explanatory, and the answer, well, makes sense. Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the November 28 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

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. Small to big retailers went to town last week with a Black Friday sale. Bizarre isn’t it, with no Thanksgiving observed in India, and the fact that Diwali, amongst a few others, is bigger? So perhaps a month before Diwali…?

A. I understand from where you are coming. I agree that Black Friday is a western concept. But if one shifts focus away from geography to triggers of consumer demand, apart from the usual ones like Diwali etc, in the current context of tepid consumer sentiment towards consumption, I feel a periodic bahaanato splurge isn’t a bad idea. In a global marketplace, borrowing of ideas need not necessarily be a counter-culture.

These figures were highlighted in well-known journalist Vanita Kohli Khandekar’s column in Business Standard. We couldn’t not have asked him a question on this, which we did today. Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the November 25 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

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. Meta is said to be India’s largest media company. Should we surprised?

A. I am not surprised. It was on the cards for quite some time as India emerged as one of Meta’s biggest markets. But it’s an unfair comparison as Meta is a global company and has been pumping resources to increase userbase to a point that it could leverage the platform for  advertisers. This is the sunny side.

But even Meta has started feeling woes in Indian market due to dominantly male userbase and women reportedly avoiding it on content issues. Meta investors have also started questioning its dwindling revenues. I am not suggesting that Meta’s Number 1 status in India would get diluted by the aforesaid challenges. These challenges are encountered by any leader at some point of their upward journey and I am sure the organisation would respond to it to ensure market dominance.