Tag: Dr Bhaskar Das

So perhaps marketing was an incorrect word to use. Mobilisation would’ve been more appropriate. Be that as it may, here’s the August 16 edition of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. 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.  Har Ghar Tiranga is being hailed as a hugely successful marketing drive by the government. Your view?

A. I would not like to trivialise Har Ghar Tiranga campaign as a marketing campaign. Seventy-five years of freedom is a milestone for a country and it is natural for any government to ignite patriotic sentiments amongst its citizens during such a milestone. If there is a mass participation, it needn’t be construed as a successful marketing campaign, though the viral effect of the occasion might be a dream for any marketer.

This may have appeared as an attempt to provoke our Wizard with Words but it was indeed an issue that’s often asked in the media world. And we aren’t referring to only the big newspapers, but even smaller, but influential papers. Let’s read what Dr Bhaskar Das had to say in the October 16, 2019 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.

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. 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.

(First published at: https://www.mxmindia.com/2019/10/das-ka-dum-with-dr-bhaskar-das-are-indian-newspapers-not-run-professionally/)

This was indeed meant to provoke (or tease/ tickle) our Wizard with Words early on in the life of the series. But his response is, as always, amazing. Let’s read what Dr Bhaskar Das had to say in the October 22, 2019 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.

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.

(First published at: https://www.mxmindia.com/2019/10/das-ka-dum-with-dr-bhaskar-das-did-being-a-bengali-help-you-given-the-number-of-bongs-across-levels-in-the-advertising-media-and-marketing-fields/)

As our Wizard with Words, Dr Bhaskar Das, takes a break with the ever-so-popular Das ka Dum series, we are bringing you some gems that we have published over the last three years. Here’s what Dr Bhaskar Das had to say in the September 13, 2019 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.

Q.Are you really spiritual or is it a façade? After all, a hard-core ‘sale-oo’ like you can’t always be so philosophical in outlook… right?

A. It’s a very legit query in a world where façade can be attributed to anything. That we are all all spiritual beings is a default reality. In our perception of duality, spiritualism is perceived as a faç It has no connection with marketing/sales. Absence of customary evidence of one’s spiritualism is no evidence of its absence. But I empathise with the mendacity of such doubts.

(First published at: https://www.mxmindia.com/2019/09/das-ka-dum-todays-question-to-dr-bhaskar-das-are-you-really-spiritual-or-is-it-a-facade/)

So Das ka Dum takes a break after over 700 instalments. Look out for a bigger, brighter and meaningful Das ka Dum very soon. Meanwhile, here’s what Dr Bhaskar Das has to say in the August 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.

Q. There are days when we are struggling to find a question for you. Is there something you think we should ask? And why? And what would be your response to it?

A. I am humbled. The credit goes to you too. In fact I feel critical thinking is a function of asking the right questions. Having said that may I suggest that we take a break and get re-energised at both ends. It can be a Season 2 of DKD. What say?

We thought it would be an interesting question to ask, esp since digital appears to be the way the wind is blowing. Let’s read what Dr Bhaskar Das has to say in the August 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.

Q. Since you are now engaged with new age digital players, if they were to hire someone for adsales, would you suggest to them to hire all-new staff with no baggage, or old hands who are willing to experiment in digital

A. I don’t think one can typecast a salesperson by legacy or new age startups. I agree that for being an effective salesperson, appreciation and knowledge of digital media help. But fundamentally a good salesperson is also good storyteller and a persuader. These are soft skills and they are not easily available skills. Another challenge may be the expectation of compensation. Depending on the years of experience, a good salesperson can be a high cost item for a startup. So one can’t be oblivious of this challenge for a candidate. Hence one has to balance expectations on both the parameters and on both the sides.

Pertinent question, we thought, but as he does very often, Dr Bhaskar Das simply shot it off the park. Here’s the August 4 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.

Q. Isn’t it unfortunate that issues around gender parity in media (or the need for more of it) still need to get discussed in industry forums?

A. Why unfortunate? If the consciousness about gender parity has reached a saturation, then why is India Inc still so far from reaching an optimal level on the subject? And that’s why there have to be sustained deliberations on the same. Any significant shift in cultural mores in a male-dominated society needs time and hence reinforcement of the concept needs to be harped on at various forums.

A news item on Amazon’s ad revenues has been doing the rounds for over a week now. We asked our Wizard with Words a question based on it, and here’s his response. Presenting the August 3 edition of Das ka Dum by Dr Bhaskar Das. 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. Amazon is said to have generated more ad revenue in 2021 than the entire newspaper industry did globally. Unverified info, but why aren’t you surprised?

A. I am impressed that you could discern my response and incorporated it in the question. Yes, I am not surprised. It indicates the rising popularity of vertical search. (Vertical search allows users to find more precisely what they are looking for). On the other hand, horizontal search can be thought of as a “general” search. This type of searching goes through the whole web covering a wide range of topics and media subjects. A horizontal search would often produce a large number of results. This difference has given a distinctive edge to the Amazon platform. I understand that Amazon would be amongst the Top 3 advertising platforms in the world. Their leveraging of retail and subscription routes have empowered them to be compelling proposition for advertisers. The legacy players are far behind in this race and might find it difficult to catch up.

There are some who may say that we should first get our act together on television and print measurement and the absent digital measurement and then bring in one more monster. Perhaps. But we asked Dr Bhaskar Das nevertheless for the August 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.

Q. The Association of National Advertisers in the US is looking to set standards in influencer marketing measurement. Should we be doing that in India as well?

A. Ideally any campaign including influencer campaign needs to have some measurement metrics for calculating ROI. These numbers are essential in evaluating advertisers’ choices and plan their future campaigns on the basis of actual data-based insights.

Some of the standard metrics are quintessentially relevant for any metric eg quality of engagement, visibility of a campaign, leads from social media buzz – both organic and hashtag-led planned buzz etc. The monetisation metrics can be different but can be tailored to the campaign objective.

A data- and insight-led metric would always be relevant irrespective of geography. Having said that, the degrees of sophistication might differ for some time depending on the maturity of the martech industry in different markets.

We couldn’t not have asked this question, given the development of last week (where our Wizard with Words took charge of a digital marketing company as Chairman). Without any further ado, here’s Dr Bhaskar Das with the August 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.

Q. For someone who has spent a lifetime in traditional media, how has this dramatic switch (and shift) to digital been?

A. Your question conflates a sectoral atrophy, if you will, with individual discovery mindset. When one has a future-backwards mindset and a paranoia about irrelevance, future needs to be embraced seamlessly to enjoy the journey of life. So, I am a travelling student who leads the life of a gig worker to enable me to get future proof, unless the default end reality of the journey sets in early. The learning curve is the new relevance curve.

By now you know that we love these special ‘days’ observed through the year. So we asked Dr Bhaskar Das a question based on Friendship Day for the July 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.

Q. It’s International Friendship Day tomorrow. What does a day like that mean to you? An opportunity for gifting companies to cash in or a day when you sit back and reflect on relationships?

A. I feel real friendship is equivalent to love , without judgment. Friendship can’t be suddenly celebrated on a special day for optics, as is wont in the days of social media. It is not seasonal nor occasional. In that case, it’s only acquaintance and situational.

I agree with you, albeit with a small twist, that IFD is a day to sit forward (as opposed to sit back and immerse in the journey of friendship. Can you smile in the absence of your friend ruminating on some funny moments or can you seek guidance? Can you confide with a person your weakness as a human being without being judged? If these can be achieved, IFD can be celebrated every day. One needn’t amplify it on social media.