MxMIndia

Tag: Coronavirus

  • The power of collective praying could help to re-align global resources, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Sanjeev Kotnala: Coronavirus and the secret of collective Praying’

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi tried to harness the power of collective praying. He asked citizens to align their thoughts into the application of appreciation of the ‘Daily Life Heroes’ at 1700 hours on March 22, 2020.

     

    We know what happened. The instruction was incomplete. At the precise hour, at 1700 hours, people came out on street and started celebrating. It was not what Mr Modi wanted. But people were behaving as if Coronavirus was already defeated. There was no dictated dedicated focus.

     

    It made me think and I revisited the ‘Laws of Attraction’. Many call ‘Laws of Attraction’, a pseudo-scientific theory. My small-scale experiences have been different. So, I wondered if Laws of attraction in someway could help us in the war against coronavirus.

     

    22 March.

    On March 22, we were not in sync with the thought. We failed to take the moment and convert it into a powerful synchronised moment of collective prayer with conviction and determination.

     

    The Laws of attraction simply says: “like attracts like”. What we think is what happens. Whatever consumes our thoughts is what we will eventually get in our life. If we only think of all the things we don’t want in your life, we will only get the things we don’t want.

     

    We can cause nature or that unseen power to roll the dice in our favour if we totally dedicate ourselves to the desired outcome. And, it only works, if we have the confidence that it will happen.

     

    Now if I look back, the media news on Coronavirus is getting scarier by the day. We all have more negative emotions, feeling, fear and anxiety. The good parts are tucked somewhere. Moreover, good news is doubted and people refuse to believe it. We have active cases counts and the deaths. There is no focus on count of people who have recovered or people who have been saved.

     

    If we link ‘The Secret’ it to the power of collective prayers… not on an individual or regional level but something on a global scale, will it work?

     

    Prayer Is Our Way Of Communicating With Gods.

    A prayer re-establishes our dedicated, selfless service relationship with the undefined external powers, and even nature itself. Collective prayers and joint celebration exponentially raise the power of our prayers.

     

    Prayers and the Secret or the Laws of attraction have never been scientifically proved. However, there are enough people who do believe in it. Many have self- experienced the power of collective praying and dedicated attraction and devotion to things and events.

     

    Sustained Collectivism.

    Try this power of collective praying and laws of attraction. You are not going to lose anything. So every day at 5pm, we could take time out and tell ourselves with full conviction what we desire.

     

    The prayer could be as simple as ‘Dear God. Thank you for all we have right now. There must be something right in your will to make us bear the pain and pressure of Coronavirus. We may have got the message you want to deliver. The earth belongs to all of us. Forgive us for our greed and unplanned unsustainable robbing of Mother Nature. And please remove this Corona Virus from this world. Please make this world the same happy, chaotic place, and we promise we will now be a better citizen of this globe’.

     

    Secular Virus.

    The virus is the most secular thing you can find on the planet earth. It does not differentiate between caste, creed, colour, age, gender or social  strata. Don’t believe that nothing will happen to you. So follow the precaution and all instructions.

     

    Power Of Collective Praying.

    The power of prayer is not dependent on the strata of the person, the amount of donation or the number of times one prays, but only on the passion, dedication and the confidence with which you do your prayers. The words could be different if the summary and the intent remains the same.

     

    The belief that your prayers will be heard is the most potent part of praying. There is no problem if you use a different language, syntax, and grammar or make mistakes while praying. Remember, God is omnipotent and knows well in advance what you will b praying for.

     

    The Secret.

    On the secret and the laws of attraction, it is hardly complicated. You manifest your desires. You must precisely know what you want, and you must have the confidence that you will get it. It is then that you ask for it. Then the whole world around you will work in mysterious ways to ensure your desire is fulfilled. Remember SRK in Om Shanti Om, he summarises it as ‘Kehte Hain Ki…. Agar Kisi Cheez Ko Dil Se Chaaho toh Puri Kayanat Usey Tumse Milane Ki Koshish Mein Gag Jaati Hai’.

     

    People who believe in secret swear by it. It works every time with every person. But, it must be stated in positive of desire want and need. It does not understand the negative of Not’s and No’s. So, we must believe and think positive. We must look at the count of people recovering and for few moments ignore the number of deaths. See good comedy shows and not keep your mind cluttered with all the negative gloomy thoughts about Coronavirus downloaded from the university of WhatsApp.

     

    Focus With Positive Intent.

    Currently we are deep into negative thoughts. There is fear and anxiety. Nothing seems to be right. More rumour and fake news than something we could reply on. We are criticising and commenting on people without questioning our own behaviour. If laws of attraction works, we are walking towards doomsday.

     

    We need a positive mindset. And take every precaution that the government prescribes. Believe that the precautions are necessary and following them will keep you healthy and safe. And if you are following them, you are on a good wicket.

     

    Think of the time when this will be over. Think of that as present time. Pray that every person on this planet earth is safe and keeps away from the horrors of this disease.  That will be your secret. You with others will make nature align itself to your demand and ensure it is delivered exactly the way you want it.

     

    No Harm in Trying.

    Maybe The Secret and the Laws of Attraction work. Maybe they do not work. Perhaps the power of collective praying helps to re-align the global resources. Maybe they don’t. But nothing is wrong in trying and checking it out. Last time I checked the laws and worked on the secret, it worked for me.

     

     

  • Extends financial aid to daily wage-earners associated with all its shows

    Viacom18 pitches in support to help India fight Covid-19

    By A Correspondent

     

    In light of the fast spreading Coronavirus, Viacom18 has announced a slew of measures to ensure that audiences continue to remain entertained while being socially responsible. The company will be financially supporting all daily-wage earners engaged with the production of all its original content across India. Additionally, Viacom18 has partnered with GiveIndia to roll out a nationwide fundraising campaign to support daily wage earners across industries. Frontlined by contribution from its own employees, the company will be launching a social media campaign to encourage Indians to contribute, and will match the corpus collected.

     

    Speaking on the numerous efforts being made at an organizational level, Sudhanshu Vats, Group CEO and Managing Director, Viacom18 said: “Unprecedented times like these demand for measures that are special, generous and speedy. The Covid-19 outbreak has created tremendous disruption across the nation. Even during such times, constant efforts are being made to ensure that our viewers are being entertained while being educated about the situation. Despite the risks, a few of our employees have stayed back at our offices thus ensuring that viewers get their daily dose of entertainment. We have been ensuring they are safe and are following safety measures.  We have always believed that the onus rests upon us in giving back to society in times of need.  We have extended support to all those daily wage workers that have been supporting us round the clock during production schedules. As a media company, we will continue to play a responsible role in echoing the larger message and extend support in all possible manners to help curtail the pandemic.”

     

     

  • The NBF, the communique added, would also like to point out that viewership trends in news channels have significantly risen, as per the latest report on trends put out jointly by BARC and Nielsen on Friday morning

    News Broadcasters Fed asks ad fraternity for help

    By A Correspondent

     

    The News Broadcasters Federation has reached out to advertisers with a plea that news channels have emerged as the single greatest source of news and information at a critical time of the lockdown. Adds a communique: “Across India, broadcasters in all languages are doing non stop programming with an almost 100 % focus on battling the Coronavirus and ensuring the success of the nationwide lockdown. Besides the news on the latest figures of corona infected and the degree of spread of the pandemic, news channels have put hundreds of experts, doctors, public health experts, civil and police personnel, and government officials on air in a massive effort to disemminate the right information and counter the barrage of fake news.”

     

    Said Arnab Goswami, President of the News Broadcasters Federation, in a statement: “At a time when other media can scale down resources and expenses, news broadcasters are scaling up their effort, and going all out to scale up their resources on the ground. We, the news broadcasters of India, consider ourselves as a public and emergency and essential service at a time of national crisis, and are absolutely committed to play our role in ensuring that by reaching out to the largest part of Indias 1.3 billion people, we stall the spread of this dangerous virus. I appeal at this time to all my friends in the media industry, and our partners in all sectors to contribute to the efforts of the news broadcasters by supporting news channels in terms of advertising on this period as a preferred partner in thuis difficult time.”

     

    The NBF, the communique added, would also like to point out that viewership trends in news channels have significantly risen, as per the latest report on trends put out jointly by BARC and Nielsen on Friday morning. The press note said: “As per the report, the viewing of news channels had gone up in last week by 57 % and Hindi news channels by 67 %. Regional language news channels are also seeing a major spike in viewership and the increase in viewership has been across segments. Interestingly, BARC CEO Sunil Lulla had pointed out during the press conference that even the kids category saw viewership jump in news channel consumption by a whopping 87 % which is a clear indicator that the nature of informative and contextual news programming on battling Covid 19 among news channels is being received favourably across all segments of the TV audiences.”

     

     

  • Red FM is doing every bit to ensure mass awareness while maintaining safety of their staff

    Red FM encourages social distancing via latest ad campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    After launching a national awareness campaign ‘Care Karona’, 93.5 Red FM is now urging people to practice social distancing amid Coronavirus pandemic and stay at home. Red FM has come-up with a creative rendition of its logo to emphasise on the importance of social distancing.

     

    Notes a communique: “Whether it is exclusive interviews with medical experts, RJs doing 20 seconds speed links in their shows with an alarm that highlights the importance of hygiene, taking-up WHO’s ‘Safe Hands Challenge’ or giving Work From Home to all their employees, Red FM is doing every bit to ensure mass awareness while maintaining safety of their staff.”

     

     

  • It’s Day 3 of the National Lockdown and while there are some who are getting bored and feeling restless there are some others who are looking at using this opportunity to do stuff that they never really got the time to do. Our all-new all-new series called ‘Stay@Home’ that we introduced yesterday received tremendous response. We were overwhelmed. On Day 3, we have with Mainak Dhar, Region Vice President, Asia, Middle East, Africa (AMEA); Member, Global Marketing Council at General Mills and bestselling author, telling us about how to stay positive. Read on…

    Lockdown Day 3: Stay@Home with Mainak Dhar: 5 Ways to Stay Positive During the Lockdown

    It’s Day 3 of the National Lockdown and while there are some who are getting bored and feeling restless there are some others who are looking at using this opportunity to do stuff that they never really got the time to do. Our all-new all-new series called ‘Stay@Home’ that we introduced yesterday received tremendous response. On Day 3, we have with Mainak Dhar, Region Vice President, Asia, Middle East, Africa (AMEA); Member, Global Marketing Council at General Mills, telling us about how to stay positive.

     

    5 Things to Ask Yourself

    We are living through unprecedented times, the likes of which most of us have never seen in our lifetimes. To put it bluntly, we are at war, a war against an unseen and deadly enemy, a war that affects every nation. A war being fought on the frontlines by healthcare workers, law enforcement personnel, and others providing essential services like transportation, sanitation and retail. For the rest of us, the ‘civilians’ in this war, our lives have been changed in dramatic ways. A large part of the world’s population is living in conditions of restricted movement and in India we have entered a phase of total lockdown. In such a situation, anxiety is to be expected –  anxiety about our health, about the safety of our loved ones, and about what the future holds. As with any crisis we face in our professional or personal lives, I believe the best way to deal with whatever curveball life throws our way is to focus not on what we cannot control, but on what we can-  how we feel and the energy we give off. Here are five thoughts on how we can all try and stay positive and keep those around us positive during the lockdown.

     

    1. Plan, don’t panic: 

    Don’t be the guy lugging a suitcase to the grocery store to hoard essentials that others need. The first step in avoiding panic is to take a level-headed, objective assessment of things. So do the maths- how much do you actually need of what? What do you really need and what is just nice to have? You may be surprised by how many things we hoarded or bought are actually not essential at all, and how little we can get by with. Second, plan your days. Yes, I’m not going to office and I have a lot more time at home, but I use my calendar to plan what I’ll do (including paying bills, household chores, writing etc). Planning makes your actions more thoughtful, gives you small bite-sized chunks you can be in control of versus giving into blind panic about what is happening around us.

     

    2. Keep fit:

    One of the best ways of getting positive energy is to get regular exercise. Don’t let the lockdown be an excuse not to exercise. My regular routine is to wake up very early and jog for two hours every morning, and I’m still doing that even though I’m in the house (hint- put on music you love, plug in earphones and run around the dining table!). The dojo is closed but my son and I are practising Karate every alternate day so we don’t get rusty. Whatever form of exercise you enjoy – skipping, jogging, yoga – do it, and do it everyday. It’s the best start you can give your day in uncertain and anxious times. It helps not just keep you fit but helps calm your mind.

     

    3. Keep busy:

    They say an idle mind is the devil’s workshop, and it’s never truer than at a time like this. If all you do is watch the news on TV or scroll social media, you’re going to amplify anxieties, and the various rumours and quackery that seem to proliferate on social media only make things worse. So get off your backside and get busy. Some of us are working from home, but that still leaves a lot more time at home than we’d normally have (eg. Time we’d use for commutes). Pick up a hobby you wanted to, and spend some time on the things you’d say you never get around to because you’re ‘too busy’. I’m working on a new novel and writing about triple the amount each day than I’d do in ‘normal times’. Gain renewed appreciation for how much hard work goes into running a home, and help out at home by dividing chores. I’m the designated laundryman, dishwasher and while my cooking skills are not a patch on my wife’s, I’m cutting vegetables, helping prepare meals and also brushing up my own cooking skills (I made a veg biryani which seemed to have passed the ‘wife test’). Doing things together not just keeps you busy but brings the family closer (see point 5).

     

    4. Support and seek support:

    We are all human and it’s natural to feel stressed at a time like this. If you see someone among your family or friends stressed or anxious, offer words of comfort or a hug (a virtual one if it’s a friend in the age of lockdowns!). Importantly, be vulnerable. Ask for help when you need it, let family and friends know when you’re troubled by something. We’re all in this together, literally every single person on this planet- so don’t let your fears gnaw away at you alone.

     

    5. Strengthen connections:

    Spending more time at home with family should give us an opportunity to reconnect and strengthen bonds, and at a time of anxiety and uncertainty, take comfort from the one thing that is certain – our love of our families. As a family, we are spending more time having longer conversations, playing board games together which we hadn’t touched for months, and playing our own indoor Cricket league. Whatever you and your family like doing together, use this as an opportunity to reconnect with each other. None of us can control what happens tomorrow, but we can ensure we make the most of today with the ones we love. Also, connect with those around you in the community and strengthen those bonds and support each other. If you have staff working for you, ensure they’re paid in full even if they can’t work, so their families are taken care of. See how you can help support those who are serving at the frontlines of this struggle- donate or just share your appreciation. Help those around you in your community and seek help. In our apartment complex, with our typical fast-paced lifestyles, we’d barely get to know our neighbours, but now I’m amazed at how our WhatsApp group is buzzing with people offering advice to those who need it, sharing ideas and encouraging each other.

     

    We will prevail, and when we do, I hope that these days teach us something. In the days before this crisis, it was fashionable to talk of a ‘connected world’. I hope we now realise that being connected transcends how many Facebook ‘friends’ or Insta ‘likes’ we have. Being connected means that in the face of a worldwide crisis of the sort we face, we realise that we all share more in common than we might have thought. We are very good at dividing ourselves- on the basis of religion, colour, nationality or political affiliation, but this crisis should teach us that we are all more alike than we may have believed. We are all on the same side- against a common enemy. When it comes down to it, all of us are united by our love of life, of our families, of wanting to create a better tomorrow for ourselves and those in the community around us. I hope the legacy of this crisis will not be the memories of anxiety, tragedy and loss that are inevitable, but a putting aside of many of our differences and a renewed appreciation for our shared values, dreams and humanity.

     

    Stay safe, stay healthy and stay positive.

     

    Mainak Dhar is a husband, a father, a bestselling writer, a Black Belt in Karate and also leads the Asia, Middle East & Africa business for General Mills.

     

     

  • Spreading awareness about the easily affected (and ignored) sections of the population is critical, writes Shruti Pushkarna

    Coronavirus crisis: Have we Overlooked the Disabled Population?

     

    By Shruti Pushkarna

     

    Shruti PushkarnaIn my last column when I raised a question on whether the media really cares about the disabled population, I didn’t know two weeks later, we would face a more pertinent issue of whether the country is bothered about anyone with a disability in this time of crisis.

     

    Coronavirus has left the entire world panicking today. I’m not going to cite any numbers as there is enough data floating around the internet past few weeks. In fact, it’s exhausting to follow all the reports, statistics and even worse, speculation. Grounded in their homes, people are pulling out all kinds of conspiracy theories behind this global pandemic.

     

    Some imaginable, some outrageous, some totally inane. But underneath all of this, is a feeling of deep anxiety that no one is safe anywhere. Vulnerability is at the root, leaving all human beings equally exposed to an unknown enemy.

     

    I hate to say it like this, but this susceptibility has diminished the lines between the ‘able’ and the ‘disabled’.

     

    If you thought your ‘healthy’ and ‘able-bodied’ status makes you less prone to the virus, revisit some of the news reports and you’ll be shocked. Having said that, I must add it’s true that anyone with an impairment or an existing condition suffers a greater risk of contracting the virus. But unlike humans, Covid-19 doesn’t discriminate.

     

    However, the response mechanism continues to overlook the needs of persons with disabilities. We have been reading reports about other vulnerable sections like the elderly, patients with chronic illnesses but nothing on the disabled.

     

    It’s an established fact that this virus attacks the pulmonary functions of the body. People with certain disabilities like muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy or any other condition from genetic abnormalities are likely to have respiratory disorders. Catching coronavirus could seriously imperil their lives.

     

    Is our medical system equipped to deal with disabled people if they test positive or if they need to be quarantined? I’m afraid not. The horrific pictures of isolation centres circling on social media don’t promise ease of access for someone with a physical disability.

     

    On a regular day, doctors and hospital staff rely heavily on the disabled person’s next of kin (who is often the caretaker) to assist with any treatment, check-up etc. Persons with intellectual disability find it hard to stay calm alone or among strangers. What happens in this situation where the answer to everything begins with isolation?

     

    As for preventive measures, ‘social distancing’ seems to be the only way of reducing the chances of contagion. There are a zillion videos and posts on social media, both informative and funny on the various do’s and don’ts. But hardly anything (barring a few blogposts by disabled individuals themselves) on how to ensure safety of a disabled person locked down in his or her home.

     

    More importantly, can a disabled person who is dependent on a caretaker even exercise absolute social distancing? Blind people use physical contact to navigate around, how do we eliminate the chances of them picking up the virus in such a scenario. They rely on braille and tactile markings in unknown spaces, feeling their way through things. How can they exercise the ‘no-touching-surfaces’ rule? Likewise, individuals with certain physical disabilities are unable to wash their hands or sanitize their surroundings, as they are dependent on others for activities of daily living (ADL).

     

    While non-profit institutions and individuals engaged in working with persons with different disabilities have been circulating information, guidelines, advisories to small groups and communities, it took a few days for the government to realise that all important material needs to be released in an accessible format for people with blindness, hearing impairment or any other form of print disability. The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment has finally requested the central and state health departments to issue all Covid-19 related information keeping the disabled population in mind. Meaning, advisories to be made available in audio formats, braille, with subtitles, in sign language, with optical character recognition (OCR) etc.

     

    No doubt the administration is trying hard to counter and cope with this calamity, but we the citizens have an equal part to play. Spreading awareness about the easily affected (and ignored) sections of the population is one of them.

     

    Shruti Pushkarna is a former journalist (part of the founding team of MxMIndia) who has now moved full-time to the social sector. She heads operations of the New Delhi-based Score Foundation where she works as Director-Programmes & Communications. She writes for MxMIndia every other Thursday. Her views here are personal. She can be reached via Twitter at @shrutipushkarna

     

     

  • You have to refresh your approach and attitude towards work, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Sanjeev Kotnala: 7 Tips to make a success of Work From Home during the 21-day Lockdown

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    On 24th March 2020, the government, in the fight against Coronavirus, took another hard step of imposing complete LOCKDOWN for the next 21 days. Thus in effect extended your WFH ( Work from Home ) period. This lockdown is long and can be further extended, so it calls for another re-look at what all you can do to ensure a smoother curve when we all back to the new normal.

    I do hope you have read my earlier article on productivity during WFH and implemented a few of the suggestion. The Lockdown Watchlist on Alt-Balaji and Netflix will be of help in filling the gaps.

    I believe it is an excellent time to catch up on some reading. You may want to refer to my 2018 list of books that I will never UnCage  or 10 recommended books. You can also refer to my recommended reading lists 2017. There is also the list of books to read from 2016 and 2015, but maybe these lists are outdated.

    By now you have a first-hand experience of WFH first-hand experience. You have found your space at home and realised which part of the day best works for you. Life is changing. The new 21-day lockout has raised many questions about the new normal that will hit us after the Corona crisis is over.

     

    WFH – NO LONGER  EXCITING.

    WFH now may have outlived initial excitement. The advantages and disadvantages would be reasonably clear.

    The 24 hours of in-home experience is contributing to the different type of itch and stress that has started building up. You are missing the constant aligning and syncing of project development and thoughts with the stakeholders, teammates and colleagues.

    You are working in isolation physically and most of the time, even mentally. You have ventured into a space that has no sensors. It is an alien space for you. It is not comfortable. It is tough for when no one is nudging, guiding, discussing every step. The need to rescheduling work priorities time and again is breaking your new-found work rhythm. You have started noticing how much time does it really takes to complete a given task!

    Time to remind yourself of two simple things:

    WFH is just a change of location and not job responsibility. Your organisation’s expectation may be recalibrated, but they are unchanged. You as a person have not changed, and the team or organisational dynamics has not changed.

    Professional success is not merely a function of your performance, skill and talent set. How you are branded in the organisation is what majorly impacts your growth. This is the time to realign your Brand-i.

     

    WFH Demands A Change In Approach. 

    There are newly acquired pressures. You have been on calls, on chats and on groups and quite a lot on WhatsApp. You kept answering e-mails, and the pile of e-mails never seem to end. You now miss the instant praise, reprimands, feedbacks, approvals, colleague appreciation and the infectious smiles along with high-fives and much more. So, you have to refresh your approach and attitude towards work. Here are few tips to help.

     

    WFH Tip 1- Suffocate E-mails during Lockdown

    Here is a trick, it worked for me. Some of my friends adopted them, and they swear by how effective these are. it

    The first part is easy, open your e-mail box only thrice during the day.

    Once around an hour after your WFH schedule kicks in. Once post-lunch- when you are anyway more lethargic. And the third time around- an hour before your time to call it a day. Act and respond. Clean your inbox and then close the e-mail inbox.

    If you start playing e-mail ping-pong, you will be the loser. The best way is to call and discuss if it involves up to 3 people and kill possible e-mails. Be sure while addressing e-mails.

    You should use ‘TO’ to address the person who is expected to take action. ‘CC’ for the person who should technically be aware of the situation and ‘BC’ to the person who should be kept in the loop for CYAUYH. TO and CC never see the BC address and hence are unaware of the third party. Understand and accordingly act when you are addressed in TO, CC or BC part of the e-mail. Avoid reply all.

     

    WFH Tip 2- Restrict Social Media during Lockdown

    The second part is tough but equally important. Close your social media when you are working from home. Access social media profile for 15 minutes just before accessing your e-mails and then forget about it. So what if WhatsApp is the second most trusted brand. You are unnecessarily getting too many forwards, fake news, alarming nudge and hardly much of value in social media. Fix a time and apply, three times, 15 minutes each time visit to social media during your office hours while you WFH. And restrict the  TV news to 2-3 bulletin of 15 minutes each across the day.

     

    WFH Tip3- During Lockdown Invest in developing Network Over Phone

    The third is simple and easily doable. However, it may not make any sense right now. Network over the phone. Call your colleagues, teammates and talk to them. Call your business associates, family members and friends. It does not matter if you have any specific relevant thing to talk or discuss. Just keeping conversations going, hearing each other voices and knowing of their well being helps.

    Remember, there is a post-Covid-19 life, and your network during this period will lay the foundation for future success.

     

    WFH Tip 4- Take Breaks In Between

    Fourth and the last one is to take rest from time to time. Use that mobile phone. Build-in alarms for e-e-mail check as well as for resting. Take a break every hour. You are at home, but you are WFH. And now, life-work balance calls for a different strategy than taking the family out for a movie or dinner. Each one of us has to find our own keys to this balance. The only thing you must believe that the Key is there. Maybe this is the time to find it.

     

    WFH Tip 5- Deploy CYAUYH Protocol during Lockdown.

    Remember, the coronavirus threat is an extended one. Many things would be redefined by that time. Post-Covid-19 era is not going to be the same. Get ready for the new normal.

    Work styles, evaluation parameters and expectation, will get tweaked. Workforces will get realigned. New processes will be forced upon and maybe here is where most will learn what is synchronised aligned coordination is all about.

    Do not forget the CYAUYH protocol. For people who do not know it- it stands for ‘Cover Your Ass Using Your Head’. Document all the decisions and approvals. Be available for skype and facetime and any other way your team want to discuss things.

    If you are merely an observer, don’t be Sanjay of Mahabharat, the unbiased narrator. Nobody needs a Sanjay, take sides and make your stance clear. Before doing so, think things through. Keep on contributing to the system.

     

    WFH Tip 6- Its Lockdown Be Sensitive

    If you are responsible for the brand image, then it may be worthwhile to see how you are engaging with your audience. Remember, the customers will recall and brands and services through the new filter of Covid-19 experiences. Don’t push and don’t get too aligned to any forces. At the same time, do not quaratine the brand. Engage audiences in the new scenario with relevant brand-centric communication. Do not create realignment that reeks of commercialisation- the customer can smell it from far.

     

    WFH Tip 7- Use Lockdown to Develop Expertise

    Think of the new normal post-Covid-19 era and the probortunities it will force brands and people to face. Identify which of these could you best address based on your strong past experience. Now, every day, in the next 22 days – get into the digital world, search for articles, opinion, case studies and read at least 4-5 of them a day. Treat Digital as Dronacharya, and you be the Eklavya. No there is no Guru Dakshina of right thumb at the end of it.

     

    Two Simple Rules to Remember

    WFH, is just a change of location and not job responsibility. Your organisation’s expectation may be recalibrated, but they are unchanged. You as a person have not changed, and the team or organisational dynamics has not changed.

    Professional success is not merely a function of your performance, skill and talent set. How you are branded in the organisation is what majorly impacts your growth. This is the time to realign your Brand-i.

     

     

  • Introducing an all-new series called ‘Stay@Home’ with some of the biggies in the advertising, media and marketing fraternity. Hope you enjoy it. We start with Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Aditya Birla Capital. . In this article, the veteran marketing services executive writes on: 5 things to ask yourself. Read on…

    NEW SERIES! Lockdown Day 2: Stay@Home with Ajay Kakar: 5 Things to Ask Yourself

    Introducing an all-new series called ‘Stay@Home’ with some of the biggies in the advertising, media and marketing fraternity. Hope you enjoy it. We start with Ajay Kakar, Chief Marketing Officer, Aditya Birla Capital. In this article, the veteran marketing services executive writes on: 5 things to ask yourself.

     

    5 Things to Ask Yourself

     

    By Ajay Kakar

    1. Do you have a family album?

    Today, you carry all your pictures on your mobile. But what about the pictures taken in the era when photographs were clicked on a camera, films were developed and prints taken. And stashed somewhere. Your pictures are all over the place. Remember where all they are strewn. Find them. Collate them. Update them. Index them. Create your family album. Update your family album. Enjoy flipping through your memories.

    2. Do you know your roots?

    In today’s fast-pace world and nuclear families, speak to your elders, reach out to your relatives and enjoy creating a family tree that captures your roots. Add photographs to the names. Spend time with your immediate family and run them through your family tree. And familiarise them with their roots.

     

    3. Have you discovered your kitchen?

    Get to YouTube, discover new recipes for old favourites. And time tested
    recipes for new dishes. And try your hand at cooking your favourite dishes. Apne haath se bana hua khaana khaane ka mazaa kuch aur hi he.

     

    4. Have you updated your playlist with your old favourites?

    We all enjoy the “latest hits”, which have a short shelf-life. What about the “oldy-goldies”? Songs you grew up to and have been your all-time favourites? Exchange notes with friends and classmates. Compile a list. Enrich your playlist.

     

    5. Have you looked out of the window?

    We have a fixed routine. A predictable routine. A daily routine. A weekly routine. And our time passes running from one commitment to another. In air conditioned homes, cars and offices. When did you last open a window? Look out of the window? Heard the sound of silence? The sound of birds?

    Yeh mauka na milega dobara. Go for it!

     

  • It ensures that citizens of Mumbai swiftly take the necessary precautions

    Lowe Lintas partners BMC in spreading Covid-19 awareness

    By A Correspondent

     

    Given the threat of Coronavirus in Mumbai and the lack of awareness of its severity, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation took it upon itself to ensure that Mumbaikars too the necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus. And to help them do that was Lowe Lintas.

     

    Said Anaheeta Goenka, President, Lowe Lintas: “We had a single-minded brief on “no panic just prevention” from the BMC – to create awareness of basic actions across citizen profiles we needed a sharp active idea.”

     

    Added Sagar Kapoor, CCO, Lowe Lintas: “We created the simple idea ‘Corona Se Mat Darona’ which aims to calm the anxiety in this time of crisis, although by arming people with corona prevention methods.”

     

     

  • Will see a negative AdEx growth this year as we had seen in 2009, wonders Indrani Sen

    The Ripple Effect of Coronavirus

     

    By Indrani Sen

     

    A lot has happened in the last one week, when we speculated about how Covid-19 might affect the AdEx in 2020. As India fights against all odds to stop the accelerated outbreak of the virus through community transmission with the entire country is facing partial to total lockdown, there is no doubt that our economy will be badly affected like many other developed and developing countries. So, along with the rest of the world, India will be getting into a severe recession for the rest of the year. The point we need to speculate, will there just be a dip in the growth rate of AdEx or will we see a negative growth as we saw in 2009?

     

    The international financial crisis of 2008 which originated in the sub-prime mortgage crisis in the US and led to a severe recession in many countries over 2008 and 2009 also affected the Indian economy and we saw first a dip in the AdEx in 2008 and then a negative growth in 2009. However, AdEx recovered quickly from that recession and we saw a healthy growth in 2010.

     

    Source: Pitch Madison Media Advertising Outlook 2015

     

    The ripple effect of Coronavirus is going to create an employment crisis across the globe and India will not be an exception. We were already at a high unemployment situation before this crisis hit us. With industries experiencing forced shutdowns, many are asking their employees on go on leave without pay or with truncated pay.  Employees who work on the basis of contracts, as per terms and conditions of the contracts are often not paid unless they report to work and in the present situation are likely to lose financially. Financial loss will be experienced by the lower end of self-employed workers (Ola/ Uber drivers, auto drivers, rickshaw pullers, plumbers, electricians, etc.) as well as the daily wage earners. MSME sector which is known as the engine of growth and employment in India will also take a big hit. A combined effect of these muted wage or loss of wage will lead to decrease in consumer demand. In addition, there will be a disruption in the supply chain also due to temporary closure of production, lack of transport for distributing the goods, etc.  These changes in demand and supply will have adverse effect on the marketing and advertising budget forcing the advertisers to curtail their expenditure.

     

    Circulation of our print media so far has not been affected like global print media many of who have stopped the printing of hard copies, thanks to the last mile delivery by newspapers delivery persons and hawkers as against the sale through news-stands in developed countries. Indian newspapers managed to develop a schedule of work from home for their reporters and a system of rotation for other essential staff in order to reduce the number of employees present on their premises.

     

    The ‘Janata Curfew’ on March 22 followed by lockdown of some cities/ districts from March 23, may force newspapers also to take a call regarding their production as the distributors/ hawkers and the delivery boys will also get hit by the lack of local transport. Probably, newspapers from second-tier cities under lockdown will be less affected than the newspapers from metros facing a similar situation. So, some Indian newspapers may experience temporary closure and fluctuations in their circulation and readership and subsequently lose ad revenue as supplies of goods dwindle due to logistical issues related to production, transportation, etc. and consumer demand drops.

    There is going to be an increase in TV viewership, particularly the viewership of news and entertainment channels as people try to stay abreast with Covid-19 related news and entertain themselves with serials and movies during their stay at home. With all production of Film and TV industry closed till March 31, there is a chance that the serials will run out of their banked episodes which have been already shot and canned. Lack of new episodes will affect the viewership of serials adversely. Even if the viewership of GEC and Movie channels increase, ad revenue may go down due to demand and supply related issues as mentioned above in relation to print.

     

    Sports Channels are going to lose both viewership and advertising revenue with cancellation of sporting events and their telecast. As TV still accounts for the major share of our ADEX, the extent of loss of TV revenue will determine the fate of AdEx in 2020.

    Contributions of radio, cinema and outdoor to the overall AxEx are much less than Print and TV. However, ad revenue of FM radio stations will be affected as listening to car radio goes down with people being forced to stay at home. In the US, Nielsen is working on special analysis as well as a quick survey to give the advertisers some idea about how Covid-19 has affected radio listenership. Our Radio Audience Measurement is already affected by lack of financial support from the sector and it may not be possible for them to react in a similar way (http://www.insideradio.com/free/nielsen-to-release-study-on-covid–impact-on-radio/article_6c1e0246-6a81-11ea-8ab4-17d484c1eb56.html).

     

    Many of radio advertising deals are linked with on ground activities and consumer activations and radio ad revenue will see a decline due to curb on all such activities. With closure of malls and cinema halls, cinema will lose the ticket sales money as well as advertising revenue. Traffic on the roads, stations, airports will dwindle due to lock down of cities, social distancing and work from home which will have a negative impact on OOH advertising.

     

    Usage of digital as well as social media will increase during this troubled days as people are trying to get constant update on the pandemic, keep in touch with their friends and relatives while staying at home and opt for some entertainment of their choice on OTT platforms. There is a good chance that advertisers will try to utilise this opportunity by stepping up their budget on digital and social media till the ripple effect of Covid-19 force them to stop advertising.

     

    So far, we have seen only an estimate for loss by events and experiential industry which has been estimated as Rs 3000 crores with ten million jobs at risk which was published on March 17, 2020. (http://everythingexperiential.businessworld.in/article/Loss-to-events-experiential-industry-in-India-estimated-at-Rs-3000-Cr-due-to-COVID-19-ten-million-jobs-at-risk/16-03-2020-186335/). Other media sectors have not yet made any forecast of their probable losses.

     

    The ripple effect of Coronavirus will be directly proportional to the number of days that India takes to control the spread of the virus. In some European countries currently experiencing community transmission, economic analysts are already forecasting that at least 12 to 16 weeks period will be required to curb the virus. If India gets into a similar situation, it may take us longer to curb the virus given the expanse of our country and irresponsible behaviour of our citizens. In that case AdEx will end up with a negative growth like we experienced in 2009.

     

     

  • Given the delay in the beginning of the IPL, there is a pause on the roll-out

    Pause on Disney+ launch

    By A Correspondent

     

    Disney India has put on hold the launch of Disney+, which was all set to launch later this month post the beginning of the 2020 edition of Indian Premier League.

     

    Uday Shankar

    Said Uday Shankar, President – The Walt Disney Company APAC and Chairman, Star & Disney India: “We recently announced that Disney+ would launch in India through the Hotstar service in conjunction with beginning of the Indian Premier League cricket season. Given the delay of the season, we have made the decision to briefly pause the roll-out of Disney+ and will announce a new revised premiere date for the service soon.”

  • The decision was made in support of the government's proposals to prevent the spread of coronavirus

    Asianet suspends ‘Bigg Boss Malayalam 2’

    By A Correspondent

     

    In the fight against Covid-19, Asianet stalled the shooting of Bigg Boss in Malayalam and has been temporarily suspended from March 21 onwards.

     

    Notes a communique: “The decision was made in support of the government’s proposals to prevent the spread of coronavirus.”