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Tag: Das ka Dum

  • As we end yet another week of Q&As with Dr Bhaskar Das, we ask him a soft question – but perhaps something a lot of people may be wanting to know

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das So what you do on a holiday… in your free time? What does your typical non-working Saturday-Sunday look like?

    As we end yet another week of Q&As with Dr Bhaskar Das, we ask him a soft question – but perhaps something a lot of people may be wanting to know. Have a great weekend

     If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

     

     

    Q. So what you do on a holiday… in your free time? What does your typical non-working Saturday-Sunday look like?

     

    A. I am free from the bondage of duality of Saturday-Sunday or working and non-working day.  Hoilday is required when work is a chore. When work is taken out of work, one is on a seven-day weekend when fun and quest for upgradation get seamlessly integrated.

  • Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das: When will the achhe din happen in Indian M&E?

    On the second working day of this rather short post-Diwali week, here’s a question uppermost in our minds. If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

     

     

    Q. According to you (given your market intelligence and inferences), for the M&E sector, kya achhe din aane waale hain?

     

    A. What is achhe din for the M&E segment? I presume your answer would be when monetisation would be facile? No inter-category/ format migration of attention and cash would happen? No rightsizing will happen? Double-digit growth would accrue to all leading  media companies, if not all, et al? Imagine ships are constructed to be anchored in the shore. As a result, no ship would get drowned.

     

    But is predictable and favourable wind the only indicator of acche din? I differ. I find that the M&E industry is going through the best of times. Technology and consumer culture are together tectonically shifting the topography of competitiveness. In this journey, headwinds might queer some pitches but when one remains perpetually paranoid and permanently in a beta state, one develops  agility, excitement and resilience during  navigation. Now if that’s not acche din, what can it be? Instability is the new stability.

  • Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das: If you and Shashi Tharoor are in the same room, who would use tougher words with each other?

    Bhaskar Das

    We hope you had a good Diwali weekend. We are back with a new (short) week of questions for Dr Bhaskar Das as part of the Das ka Dum series. Our response to his response today: “Holy Cow, whattan answer!”

     If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

     

     

    Q. Wonder if you and Shashi Tharoor in the same room, who would use tougher words with each other? My view is that on words, he may beat you, but on the turn of phrase, you can win hands down. Comment

     

    A. You are extra generous. I am no match for his flowery style of articulation. Needless to say. I am simultaneously  flummoxed and embarrassed by your epithet. Sometime no comment is the best comment. At least I can’t be sued.

  • We end the week with an all-new question answered by Dr Bhaskar Das in the Das ka Dum series. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das: Which work better in media – family-owned or professionally run set-ups?

    We end the week with an all-new question answered by Dr Bhaskar Das in the Das ka Dum series. Read on…

    If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

     

     

    Your view on family-owned organisations versus professionally run set-ups? Which can work better in the media sector?

     

    Your question smacks of availability heuristics syndrome where a chosen conclusion has been put into binary baskets on the basis of unrepresentative samples. Secondly, I strongly believe that there is no special qualitative difference between the two differentiated form of set-ups. Every business organisation has to be managed and there are examples galore where the share of failures are equally available in both the so-called clusters. And as if the media sector is something unique that requires extra-terrestrial skills. If business success is considered as one of the key litmus tests, it’s neutral to sectors and to  so-called family run or professional set-ups. The reason for failure happens for a variety of factors which can be clubbed under the broad categories of mismanagement and crisis of leadership. Period. Any other reason is merely a subset of that.

  • An all-new question answered by Dr Bhaskar Das in the Das ka Dum series. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das: Can you talk to us of a low in your career and as you look back, how would you have handled the issue differently?

    An all-new question answered by Dr Bhaskar Das in the Das ka Dum series. Read on…

     If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

     

     

    We all know of a variety of super-achievements in your professional life. But would you like to talk to us of a low and as you look back, how would  you have handled the issue differently?

     

    I have no high or low in life. I developed a stoic approach to everything. I knew that moving fro on peak to another has to pass through a valley, unless one is a superman or spiderman. When one makes peace with the flow of life, any feeling of regret is an anathema to the core belief.

  • Yet another provocative question we have asked Dr Bhaskar Das in the Das ka Dum series. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das: You have been into hardcore sales for most of your professional career. And then you went on to do a Ph D. And not one, but two. Isn’t a bit of a contradiction – the ‘saleoo’ & the ‘gyaani’?

    Yet another provocative question we have asked Dr Bhaskar Das in the Das ka Dum series. Read on…

     If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

     

     

    Q. You have been into hardcore sales for most of your professional career. And then you went on to do a Ph D. And not one, but two. Isn’t a bit of a contradiction – the ‘saleoo’ and the ‘gyaani’?

     

    A. This question suffers from the usual attribution myopia and stymies the human potential. Can you tell me who is not a salesman in this world? So I am not ashamed of being labelled a ‘Saleoo’. Academic interest liberates you from the darkness of bounded ignorance to the world of unbounded curiosity. In the process, one gets conscious of one’s imperfections and surges forward to an enlightened space.

  • Decidedly the most provocative (and some may say unfair) question we have asked Dr Bhaskar Das in the Das ka Dum series.

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das: Did being a Bengali help you in your career given the number of Bongs in advertising, media and marketing?

    Decidedly the most provocative (and some may say unfair) question we have asked Dr Bhaskar Das in the Das ka Dum series.

     If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar…

     

     

    Q. Did being a Bengali help you (in your career) given the number of Bongs across levels in the advertising, media and marketing fields?

     

    A. All generalisations are wrong, including this one. Ethnic classification as a contributing factor for success can at best be a symptom of intellectual impoverishment. Coincidences can’t be a base for a statistically significant conclusion. They can at best be treated as apriori. It’s ultimately an individual’s commitment and smart work that paves the way to success, material or otherwise. If accepted, it tantamounts to trivialising commitment to work.

  • Welcome to an all-new week of Q&As as part of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Enjoy! (And do come back tomorrow, for the most provocative question asked thus far!)

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das: If you could re-start your career, which media would you join? And BCCL again or an InShorts or Dailyhunt?

    Welcome to an all-new week of Q&As as part of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. (And do come back tomorrow, for the most provocative question asked thus far!)

     If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar..

     

     

    If you were given the option to start your career all over again – and in 2019 – which media would you join – print, television, radio, digital, outdoor or whatever else? And would you still like to join BCCL or would it be some other conglomerate? Or a company like InShorts or Dailyhunt?

     

    If wishes were horses… but I am not a dissatisfied soul to opt for an imaginary throwback. But then I can’t upset you… So: I would love to join Elon Musk and would love to be part of a voyage to a visionary future. Now don’t liberate me by saying: “Ja Bhaskar, Ji le teri Zindagi”

  • On the last day of the week, we ask Dr Bhaskar Das for advice that many professionals must be seeking as they turn professionals. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das: What’s your advice to media professionals turning entrepreneurs?

    On the last day of the week, we ask Dr Bhaskar Das for advice that many professionals must be seeking as they turn professionals. Read on…

     

    If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar..

     

     

    Q. Am sure there are several people who come to you saying they want to turn entrepreneurs. What’s your advice to media professionals turning entrepreneurs?

     

    A. In today’s context, it’s a very logical question where individuals want to make a difference and express their freedom outside the boundary of a monolithic structure and protocol. I usually don’t believe in giving advice as I might be needing it more.

    But I can share what would I have told to myself if the entrepreneurial urge came to me. Here it is: be conscious of the fact that three things viz consumer value, Business model and Ecosystem would keep you on your toes and they have to be based on robust data platform. A collaborative mindset and navigating a platform-based approach for business will be critical. Finally, it’s always good to start early (not necessarily true of course) and don’t forget to inculcate the agility to pivot in case there are signs of too much headwind for the relevant business.  And it’s not a bad idea if emotion and ego are left behind at home before doing business.

     

  • The Q&As as part of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das are a lot more than just fun and repartees. Like the question we have today, and BD’s response to it. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das: Why is it that there are no true blue creatives among the officebearers of Ad Club or the IAA or even the AAAI?

    The Q&As as part of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das are a lot more than just fun and repartees. Like the question we have today, and BD’s response to it. Read on…

     

    If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar..

     

     

    Q. Why is it that there are no true blue creatives among the officebearers of Ad Club or the IAA or even the AAAI?

     

    A. It’s not be design for sure. It’s a fact that most of the officebearers are from agencies, media houses and are marketers. All of them are creative in their areas. It’s not that in the past mancoms, there was no creative person. In fact they were very much there. And  through our various Industry award events, they play a seminal role in shaping and judging the awards. What is important is the presence of their wisdom in AdClub’s abiding principles.

     

    So far as physical presence is concerned, you must note that there is a lot of work happen at the backend which border on management and execution. All the officebearers do the same pro bono and beyond the call of their core job. I can imagine the life of a creative person is more cognitive and routine works create pressure on their calibration and expression of the same. It’s not that they are not interested, but AdClub over the years has been sensitive to their operating imperatives and mine their wisdom more than a symbolic presence. Incidentally this is my personal view and should not be taken as an official version. For that, the current President of AdClub is the best person to answer.

     

    Q. And what about IAA and AAAI?

     

    A. I am not competent enough to comment on other august bodies. But I have noticed human beings generally suffer from a syndrome called availability heuristics where they arrive at a conclusion and look for facts to support it. I am sure the aforementioned bodies have similar process like my thinking or more evolved imperatives to act in the way they operate.

  • The Q&A today is treading on delicate matters. But questions like these must be asked, and hence ought to be answered. Which we've done. Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das is as no-holds-barred as it can get. There are no holy cows, whatsoever. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das: Are Indian newspapers not run professionally?

    The Q&A today is treading on delicate matters. But questions like these must be asked, and hence ought to be answered. Which we’ve done. Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das is as no-holds-barred as it can get. There are no holy cows, whatsoever. Read on…

    If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

     

     

    Q. There is a sentiment that many Indian newspapers are very unprofessionally run or rather not very professionally run. You’ve spent a lifetime in the business. What’s your view??

     

    A. You want me to be objective is a subjective matter. The moot point is what is a professional approach or unprofessional approach. HBS or all business schools can write tomes on the subject. Besides, what is professional to one person need not be professional to another person. Do you dump unorthodox players in cricket because they are grammatically not impeccable?

     

    In the ultimate analysis, what works, what delivers. Market is the best arbiter and not text books. Even in the most sanitised professional environment, some whistleblower can crop up. Corporate world are replete with examples of so-called unprofessionalism. Leading  newspaper organisations have been surviving for years not just by happenstance. So far as my personal experience is concerned, I have always worked in a professional environment. I also believe that “I am the cause of everything i experience”. Consequently, when I remain professional, the world resembles the same.

  • Future backwards thinking in acquisition of skill is a critical variable

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das: Your words for those sacked by media organisations and your advice to owners/ bosses who have effected these pink slips?

    The Q&As as part of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das are a lot more than just fun and repartees. Like the question we have today, and BD’s response to it. Read on…

     

    If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar..

     

     

    Q. We’ve heard that many large media organisations have sacked a lot of people.  Two questions: 1. Your words for those sacked. 2. Your advice to the owners/bosses who have effected these pink slips?

     

    A. Rightsizing (perhaps euphemism for the alleged sacking in your question) has always been in the lexicon of business to shore up the bottomline. Any environmental air pockets only exacerbate that trend. I believe that one can’t question the rules of the game when one is playing the game. So with frequent volatility in business for a variety of reasons in the external environment (I am not saying that internal environment is sanitised like operation theatres  but that’s outside the ambit of my answer) and one has to be adroit enough to navigate such choppy waters.

    Here is what I have been following in life: one should work the hardest during peace time. This implies upskill oneself continuously when there is no air turbulence. It means one has to be anticipatory and positively paranoid about any future eventuality, be it sectoral or organisational.

    Future backwards thinking in acquisition of skill is a critical variable. And the skill has to be two dimensional viz horizontal and vertical. Horizontal for adjacent pivoting and vertical to make one remarkable and indispensable within an organisational set-up.

    So far as owners/ bosses are concerned, I won’t be able to empathise fully with their imperatives and imponderables. But if I were the person, I would have approached the subject from a different perspective (a soliloquy of course): every separation leaves a scar and affects their family. May we discuss individually their challenges and counsel them to mitigate emotional trauma. Plus keeping the job is important. So how about reducing the salary of those who would be jettisoned and expose them to acquire different skillsets to help the organisation. It’s as if one is recruting a new candidate where experience is not the logic of recruitment. Post that offer it’s the individual’s choice. Secondly, encourage people to be entrepreneurial within the larger ecosystem that is beneficial to the organisation and hold their hand for a fixed period for just enabling them to take off and in the process achieve the twin objectives of emotional stability and develop entrepreneurship in related areas of the organisation for its benefit.