Tag: Jaisurya Das

By Jaisurya Das

 

Do readership studies matter any longer? I seriously wonder.

Ladies and gentleman, Welcome back to yet another edition of your favourite counselling column! This week, I received two letters on the subject of readership studies (one of which I have responded to in this column) and that set me thinking on their efficacy and need today.

From what I hear from my friends in the advertising world, they hardly ever look at them any longer and most media buying decision are back to the days of gut and clear market leaders. A lot of this is thanks to the muck thrown around each time a new study is published with warring factions disputing the numbers.

I don’t blame the media planners and buyers for not bothering about them any longer; it’s become a mockery of research anyway. That apart, today’s clients are far more informed than in the past and most often have their media options pre-decided. It’s more buying than planning that happens in most markets of our country. Some markets like Pune don’t even have media planners from the true definition point of view.

And so, we rely on gut like we used to close to two decades ago when both professional network and bonding moved campaigns more than numbers. The only difference is that the young media sellers of today do not have the relationship skills that a lot of the older generation had. Or they are just plain disinterested and market visits are more centred around comfort zones.

Well, the proof of the pudding is in eating it and hence only revenues will tell down the line. One thing is apparent though, the market is always ‘down’ for the current crop of sellers.

I rest my case.

 

Straight to our reader questions from Chennai, Mumbai and Hyderabad:

 

Sir, I am a student of advertising and marketing and have been shocked to hear of newspapers warring each on the readership survey findings. And it’s these very newspapers who sermonise on probity in public life and how politicians and governments are inefficient and ineffective. What right do they have when they can’t even run a measurement system in harmony?

Good question and a very valid observation too! Thank you for writing into us.

I completely subscribe to your thoughts on this. It is indeed quite ludicrous to see media companies getting into these matters which could easily be ironed out by discussion and implementation of checks and balances.

This is typical of a scenario that emerges when brands are in competition. You often tend to get carried away and lost sight of the macro picture and waste your energies on petty street fights!

What is needed is a robust system that all members accept as neutral and fair and then go about implementing that sensibly. The whole point of an independent survey is this and if members are unable to decide what constitutes a fair system, there really is no point in wasting energy and resources on a large survey like this.

Grow up and get your onions right once for all!

 

I have been seeing many advertisements for mass media programmes in all parts of the country. And in some of these colleges, a cursory enquiry made revealed that they don’t even have good faculty out there. How are they even allowed to function? Why doesn’t the media damn them from taking hapless students for a ride?

I agree and it is important for media brands to highlight this lacunae that has been fuelled with hundreds of institutes mushrooming over the country. Most of them are not even accredited and hence do not follow any laid down procedure or norm.

I have personally seen some of these institutes who don’t even have basic infrastructure and work with ‘briefcase faculty’ who are ill equipped to impart any serious learning. Unfortunately, students and parents do not always do a reference check and get carried away by the advertising and end up paying huge fees for qualifications which mean nothing more than the paper they are printed on.

It is an important issue and I do hope media takes this up seriously and more so since they are eventual employers and need high quality talent.

 

My brother’s friend from college was telling us how they have major gender discrimination in film production companies. That boys get a preference because they can work late nights etc? Is this really true?

I personally don’t think this is true. I know of several young women employed in production companies and they have never mentioned any such discrimination.

If at all, it must be an exception rather than the norm. Yes, it does increase the responsibility of the company to ensure there is adequate security and transport arrangements to take care of the women employed but that is about it.  Women are very much there in film production and work round the clock depending on the need.

I don’t think this is an issue nowadays and while there may be a few occasions that the men are asked to do the late nights, there is certainly no discrimination that I have heard off.  And if there is something like this you notice, then move companies!

 

So all is fair and handsome after all! On that note of equality, I shall get on with the rest of my week and leave you to your weekend planning! Till we meet again then, Sayonara and God Bless.

 

Jaisurya Das, maverick and media evangelist eats, sleeps and makes love to brands. His consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable. He is also the Contributing Editor of MxM India and Co-Founder of pune365.com. For more on his work visit www.xanadu.co.inThe views expressed in this column are his own.

 

By Jaisurya Das

 

Human beings must exit Earth at the earliest opportunity and Lunar travel must be made possible by 2020…

Ladies and Gentleman, Welcome back to Dear MxM, India’s largest counselling platform for the fraternity of media, advertising and marketing..

One thing is certain and that is the fact that Stephen Hawking knows what he is saying..

Given this piece of advice, all of us in media should be plastering our pages with this bit of news. But we will have nothing on it, despite this being tweeted by the world’s leading media companies over the past few days..

We somehow find so many matters of interest in our own country that we often forget matters of global importance. Matters of the bovine ilk seem to be highest on our media priority list now. Let Hawking say what he wants, nothing will shake us !

The larger point here is that Stephen Ol’ boy knows exactly when a lot of things will happen and there is sweet nothing we can do about that. It is hence sensible to pay heed to it .

And if this has to get greater attention, then our dear fraternity need to consider it important enough to cover; In ‘breaking news’ or whatever!

The other advantage is that a topic such can also provoke some heated discussions and the panel can have the usual brood of panelists with handlebar moustaches and without.

Table thumping and chair acrobatics can also be used effectively. 3D visualisation and special effects can also be deployed allowing channels tremendous liberty to innovate. You could even have anchors dressed in space suits and paraphernalia such for added TRP.

So much can be done but is this news worthy huh ?

if you think it is, then my friends, make the required noise. Let India know that Mother Earth may not be as friendly as we believe it to be and Branson’s Virgin Galactic may just have a longer waitlist than expected !!

For now, no more waiting, my readers… straight to our set of questions from the cities of Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad.

 

Sir, I am reading about GST everywhere. I also see ads saying that some day-to-day things will be cheaper or get more expensive. I hear my accounts guys saying that their leaves could go for a toss in August when all the filings have to be done. Tell me Sir, for us in the media is GST a good move?

Thanks for writing in to Dear MxM. It is honestly too early to gauge the possible impact of GST on media but I do foresee it resulting in higher DVC (direct variable costs) for the publishers and media owners.

All consumables will now cost higher than budgeted levels and these increases haven’t been planned for. Revenues on the other side are just about looking up and the gap would increase resulting in lower profitability.

And as we are all aware, the major cutbacks happen on manpower costs (which is the second-largest cost for media owners) when there is a profitability issue and hence this is an imminent danger. Yet, I wouldn’t want to sound an alarm without seeing how GST will pan out effective July.

So till then, let’s hold our comments and hope for the best.

 

I was reading with interest your views on the noise factor on English news channels? Other than using the remote and not watching the channel, isn’t there any legal or regulatory recourse available?

Unfortunately not. In fact I did make a serious recommendation on noise meters to BARC in my column. This was a feeble attempt of then being able to have the pollution control boards play ombudsman to curtail noise pollution 🙂

But this apart, as of now there is no regulation as watching TV and /or any channel is left to the viewer and there is no compulsion either.

Different matter that all of us are actually paying for this noise! So the only solution is good quality ear plugs. Amazon informs me that they have an interesting electronic one that has a built in noise cancellation feature. Maybe it should be offered bundled with the DTH package !

 

My office is undertaking repairs and we have been asked to work from home or cybercafes or coffee lounges. But there is no extra money being given to us for our communication costs, since we don’t have wifi everywhere and coffee at Starbucks or CCD is expensive. Would it be fair to expect my company to offer a special allowance for this period when we incur some expenses for office work?

Yes, I agree with you on this, A data allowance should be provided to all of you in this interim period and this isn’t a huge cost in today’s times.

Bereft of this, expecting employees to pay for official use is unfair, though I must confess that you are saving on conveyance to and fro to office during this period.

Additionally, you also get the option of the occasional nap since no one is watching ! So, either way, just enjoy it my friend.

 

On that note of promise, I wish you all a fabulous weekend. Do take good care of yourselves this season and for those of you close to the shore, may the tides be kind. Till we meet next week, It is me Jaisurya Das saying Sayonara! Stay blessed.

 

Jaisurya Das, maverick and media evangelist eats, sleeps and makes love to brands. His consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable. He is also the Contributing Editor of MxM India and Co-Founder of pune365.com.For more on his work visit www.xanadu.co.in.The views expressed in this column are his own.

 

By Jaisurya Das

 

Something is monumentally wrong with the current definition of ‘Breaking News’

 

Welcome back, Ladies and Gentleman to a fresh new incisive edition of Dear MxM, India’s numerouno sounding board for the fraternity. The real point here is that I seemed to have lost the plot and that is not good news, what with my decades in this funny business of media.. 

Till about an hour ago, I believed ‘breaking news’ and such ominous tags announced an important piece of information that made a difference to some of us, if not the larger interest of the country, world as the case maybe… 

But I was obviously wrong.

A national news channel that often features some brilliant minds had the amazing confidence to tweet a Breaking News alert of their coverage on…hold your breath!  

“Upma must be made the national dish” ! Yes, an actor said this but is this really a news break? 

Am afraid after seeing this, I am at a complete loss for words and find it extremely difficult to say very much more in this brief introduction to this weeks Q&A. 

Readers are this recommended to take my responses to these questions with ample seasoning… 

 

Sir, I am very interested in commercial art, and while I believe that working with newspapers and magazines is the ultimate high since there are challenges every day, I am told that the money and brighter future is in advertising. Please advise what I should do.

I wouldn’t entirely agree with you on this. It really is organisation dependent more than industry.Several media companies also pay handsomely though not at entry level. It also greatly depends on your area of specialisation i.e. graphic design, packaging design, web design etc. The institute or college that you have graduated from also makes a significant difference at the point of entry.

Hence to generalise would be incorrect. I would urge you to decide your port of call depending on the exact nature of work you wish to do and then zone in on shortlists.

I must however add that advertising agencies may give you more creative expression than newspapers and magazine who most often work with standardised style sheets and brand design.

 

I am in Class 11 in Bengaluru and want to pursue a career in sales. I don’t know whether I should look at advertising sales or sales for other goods or services. How can I decide on where I should look at?

For now, just look at your books at junior college. Why are you worrying about all this in Class 11. You have a long way to go before you graduate and hence it isn’t sensible to waste your time on deciding which segment is better for a sales career.

Get your scores going, complete your graduation and then decide. There is enough opportunity in both these industries and hence just focus on your academics young man !

 

My girlfriend and I work in the same ad agency, and are planning to get married. While the office doesn’t have any rules on married couples working, I think it’s healthy that we don’t work in the same place. What is your view – on the concept of a husband and wife working in the same organisation?

Personally, I don’t think it is a great idea though I have seen several cases such even within my own teams. It is fine as long as you are not in the same segment or function and there is no official interaction required beyond the regular coordination.

However, it isn’t always sensible considering the fact that irrespective of what anyone believes, there is always a bias that creeps in and more so if the two of you are at different levels in the hierarchy.

I have seen this kind of a scenario working well too so there are always exceptions to the rule if you still believe both of you must stay on.

 

For now, I must move on and hence it is time to wish you all a super weekend and much good cheer. Do take care of yourselves and be good!  Till we meet next time then, Sayonara and God Bless !

 

Jaisurya Das, maverick and media evangelist eats, sleeps and makes love to brands. His consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable. He is also the Contributing Editor of MxM India and Co-Founder of pune365.com. For more on his work visit www.xanadu.co.in The views expressed in this column are his own.

 

By Jaisurya Das

 

The good thing that has happened is the past month to media is centred around the science of cloning. Considering the state of affairs in the English news segment, this may herald a new revenue stream after all… 

Ladies and Gentleman, Welcome back to a fresh new edition of Dear MxM laced with our characteristic ‘in your face’ style. Yes, we enjoy it and the fun is part of our raison d’être…

Ever since I can recollect, several hundreds or scientists, genetic experts and researchers have been working tirelessly to be able to perfect the art of cloning. As luck would have it, we haven’t got too far with that or so it seems.. 

But what these wizards of science didn’t bargain for, was the Indian media springing up a huge surprise by entering the cloning arena! I am not sure whether this needs much explanation for our fraternity, but this is increasingly worrying… 

Slowly but surely. every anchor is doing everything to become a loud avatar with rapid fire retorts, high decibel ‘nays’ and more. Deriving inspiration is acceptable but blindly adopting histrionics isn’t a great idea, more so when you keep positioning yourself as sensible. But, who is listening? After all the noise is getting the numbers as of now, LCN or whatever!

I was wondering if there was a possibility of a kind media soul who would just give us a good news bulletin every day. Just news- unadulterated and honest. 

No opinions either,  Leave that to us.

For now, its our readers questions all the way from Delhi, Chennai and Chandigarh.

 

I don’t know if this question has been asked earlier. I am an advertising professional. While working on a project recently, I realised that I don’t know enough about the country. So I have decided that I am going to undertake a six-month ‘Bharat Yatra’. My concern is that my bosses say I just can’t take off for six months. What should I do, Sir? I know the ‘Bharat Yatra’ will enrich me majorly, but I can’t afford to lose my job. Please advise

Hi ! Thanks for writing in to us at Dear MxM! Am glad you are concerned, my friend. No employer is going to stroll off on a ‘Bharat Darshan’ for six months. That is far too long a period for them to manage without a resource in your function!

There is enough material available to read on and hence save the travel bug for later when you can afford to take a sabbatical. As of now, going on this trip may necessitate you also finding employment in the travel trade at the end of it..

Just hold your horses and work the butt young man!

 

My father is going to retire later this year, and he was just told last week that his services will not be required by the company because he would’ve passed retirement age. It is so unfair, because he lives ad breathes the media. Shouldn’t the rules for employment be revised and people until 65 be allowed to work?

Well, you have a point and I have also wondered how good people aren’t utilised beyond the stipulated 55 or 58 years of service. I have personally worked with several excellent resources who were among the best at their respective functions and age never stopped them from exceeding expectations year on year!

However, companies today have a different view and wish to have themselves powered by a much younger lot. It is also about the persona of the company that they wish to project and hence the salt and pepper hair and receding foreheads often don’t fit in anymore.

If you ask me, large companies ought to find a way to use a lot of the skills that the seniors have in one way or the other. If not anything, they could be used to train the younger lot, handle compliances, management audits etc on a contractual basis. I hope the companies are listening!

 

I’ve been a journalist for the last two years, and am now making a switch to marketing. Do you think it is right for my bosses to say that I have to start from scratch and that my two years don’t really matter?

I think they are right in saying so. You have good experience but it isn’t relevant in the next role. Relevant experience is valued more than anything else. Yes the fact that you know the industry and have worked as part of it does have an advantage but that isn’t enough.

If you are passionate about marketing, you will do well to make up these two years so just forget about all this now and focus on becoming a good marketing professional. Your content experience will only be an additional skill at marketing to power your business presentations, collaterals etc. So think of it as a blessing and move on.. ! I wish you all the best !

 

On that note of promise, it is time for get back to what I am best doing which in this case is eating a good breakfast! Enjoy your weekend in the rains and stay healthy. And yes, do keep sending in your questions on editor@mxmindia.com and we promise to answer them all! Sayonara and God Bless !

 

Jaisurya Das, maverick and media evangelist eats, sleeps and makes love to brands. His consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable. He is also the Contributing Editor of MxM India and Co-Founder of pune365.com.For more on his work visit www.xanadu.co.in The views expressed in this column are his own. 

 

 

By Jaisurya Das

 

Ladies and Gentleman, Welcome back to yet another edition of Dear MxM, the fraternity’s very own sounding board! PwC’s Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2017-2021 was released this week with an encouraging estimate that the Indian Media and Entertainment industry will cross Rs 291,000 crore by Year 2021.

While internet will remain the fastest growing in percentile points, the bit that caught my fancy is that globally internet advertising has already surpassed TV. While this was expected, I didn’t think it would happen this quick. 

What does this hold in store for the mainline players of our country? That is the question that will soon demand soul searching. Internet advertising is poised to grow at a robust 18% + vis a vis a worrying 3% for publishing or 11 %+ for TV. 

There is speculation however that the aftermath of the GST regime may unsettle things. If this happens, we can expect a fair degree of variance in these projections by PWC who have hitherto been more or less accurate in their predictions in the past. The challenge will however be faced by the smaller players in mainline print and TV who may find themselves unable to balance the cost equation.

Downsizing is already here so the obvious cut will then be on quality and marketing expenditure, both of which are lethal to play around with… 

One thing is certain and that is the fact that the digital space will garner significant shares of the advertising pie and the sensible will wait for this to happen. It isn’t easy considering the costs of running media platforms, yet to build a successful enterprise, the entrepreneur must distinguish between a cost and an investment.

For now, let’s just invest in our readers queries for the week, this time from the cities of Pune and Mumbai:

 

Sir, I read Dear MxM of a few weeks back where you had written about the job security or the lack of it in a new English news channel. How long should one wait to figure if a new media enterprise is successful?

Good question! In today’s world there remains no stability and hence it is tough to classify any one company as

safe and stable to work for. This is the element of risk one has to take.

However it is advisable to wait and see how their first year pans out ( if you are cautious kind ) and their year end numbers which may give you an indication of their performance and assets. Normally the first 12 months is a good indication of where the media firm is headed.  Yes, launch expenditure and marketing costs remain high in the first year but that can be discounted to give you a more realistic picture before you take the plunge.

Additionally, checking their market equity is recommended as often their performance depends highly on how the market perceives the company and the brand in question.

 

I am a sportsman, but I also interested in an advertising sales job. But do publications or channels encourage sportspersons to take up sports and represent the company and later state and country in a sport? There are various organisations which do it, hence the question.

Yes indeed! There are several firms sponsoring sportsman and promoting sport in a big way, though I must confess most of them are public sector or very large business conglomerates. I haven’t seen too many media and advertising companies going hammer and tong about their sports talent ( beyond participation in smaller tournaments ) save one or two in South India.

It would be advisable for you to check this in detail with the concerned HR departments in order for you to be able to leverage your sporting talent. If you are serious about your sport and have the skill then i would pick a company that seriously values this. A career choice is important to make and hence take a firm call now.

 

I have seen your answer to the question on creativity in digital advertising. As someone employed with a digital agency, my view is that while clients and agency bosses may look at the easier way out, there’s always scope for doing something out of the box. New ideas are always welcome.

May I draw your attention once again to my response. I didn’t think the clients adopted the easy route and my point was the mentality to just seek an adaptation of their mainline campaign to the digital medium. This obviously stems from the lack of finite understanding of the internet medium.

Digital offers much more than just new ideas and as you mention, creativity and thinking laterally can all be showcased effectively in this medium. To add to that, the medium itself is on a vertical growth trajectory and this in turn leads to several options being available for the advertiser.

I am more than convinced of its efficacy and ability to provide a vibrant platform to showcase great creative talent.

 

On that creative note, it is time that I move on with the rest of the week before I can put my feet up and soak in the onset of the monsoon! As of now, Pune has seen just about 14 minutes of rain over the past week. That doesn’t really translate very well into ‘mm’ and thus time shall be the measure for me as of now! And yes, enjoy your weekend, rain or otherwise.  Sayonara and God bless!

 

Jaisurya Das, maverick and media evangelist, eats, sleeps and makes love to brands. His consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable. He is also the Contributing Editor of MxM India and Co-Founder of pune365.com.

 

For more on his work visit www.xanadu.co.in The views expressed in this column are his own. 

 

By Jaisurya Das

 

Tom Peters wrote his classic ‘Thriving On Chaos’ around 1989 if am not mistaken and I remember being deeply immersed in it during the early 90’s like I was in any book that came my way. This one caught my fancy actually thanks to it’s title and my affinity for the chaotic world…

Ladies and Gentleman, Welcome to Dear MxM, the longest running counselling column for the media, marketing and advertising trade! 

Those of you who are in the trade will know the continuing action surrounding the English news channels and the consortium of sorts that seems to have emerged to take on ArnabGoswami’s Republic TV. It’s interesting how the worst of enemies can together to take on a competitor however weak or strong he may debatably be… 

And Republic TV seem to be ‘thriving on chaos’ and enjoying all this adulation by the hour. Immense coverage, debates, social media posts and huge numbers tuning in ( or so the BARC numbers suggest ) to add to it all. This is quite something isn’t it. They just trigger all this action around, sit back and watch the fun. 

Am not too sure how long the fun will last though, what with the courts stepping in and issuing notices etc but they certainly seem to be getting the eyeballs! For the right or wrong reasons is secondary here. The larger picture is using chaos as a method to grow and build brand and how artistically Arnab is doing this. I must hand it to this man. He has the public attention and so swiftly too. 

As an ardent media watcher am waiting to see how this shapes up but for now, I must focus my energy on perfecting the art of great PR at zero cost aka ArnabGoswami! 

Tip my hat to you for this Mr.Goswami ! 

 

On that note, it’s time to move on from Republic TV to our very interesting set of questions for this week from the cities of Chandigarh, Kochi and Bengaluru…

 

Sir, isn’t it shocking that news channels which are supposed to be watchdogs in a democracy are fighting each other. And to think of it, their association took an extreme step without even a discussion on the issue. As a youngster part of a news channel, I am dismayed, but as a friend said, I shouldn’t bother about these things. Your advice, Sir?

Typical of any media war when everyone just jumps in without thinking of the consequences. In my opinion both sides could have ideally had some dialogue rather than just going ahead and punching each other !

BARC exists to do a job and I see where they are coming from on this by going ahead with the results, yet when there is a new baby on the block some amount of dialogue may have helped. At this juncture BARC may not have too much to do with this so-called consortium pulling out and I doubt if they are affected at all since English news channels are a minuscule part of their membership across the country.

I am not sure if this will affect advertising revenues for these channels though as some media pundits predict. Personally I think media planners are smart enough to know which channel is doing well and will place their money there. Viewership data may not always be the decision maker and more so now.

I agree with your friend however and advise you to just absorb all this but stay unmoved. Controversy and fights are part of any large business and media isn’t any different. Soak it all in and enjoy the storm. All will be well my friend!

 

I am a little dismayed with the kind of work that is being done in a few digital advertising agencies.The emphasis is not on producing original work, but just adapt creative thinking to digital. Or do a banner ad with a funny involving Rajnikanth or Gabbar Singh. I have just done my internship and have 6-8 months before the final placement and I am hesitant about getting into digital directly. Please advise.

Good question indeed! As I see it, this is more a cultural issue starting from the client downwards. All think mainline and using digital is still to a great extent satisfying client curiosity more than anything else.

Clients want to be seen on the medium more because of his competitors presence than believing in the efficacy of the medium. Mainline is almost revered by clients that they often just want the digital agency to do adaptation than fresh work. From what my friends in digital tell me, it’s really upto the agency to break free and come up with creative excellence.

The medium does allow you to get highly creative even with the same objective and though. It allows you far more precision targeting and thus it’s also the responsibility of the digital team to push themselves into great creativity and delivery rather than just end up being a support mechanism for clients’ campaign.

Am not sure if I have been able to guide you on this, but I firmly believe that it is indeed a good space to be in provided you make effective use of the opportunity and push limits beyond what is apparent. All the best to you!

 

I am an avid reader of books, and as a kid I have dreamt of being a book publisher or work with a book publishing company. But now that I have grown older and am about to graduate, I am confused whether it’s the right profession to be in. Please guide me, Sir.

Tough question! The larger issue here is the death of the reading habit and more so with physical books. Yes, some authors sell and there’s a lot of noise all over but believe me, there isn’t big money coming in for authors or publishers.

Publishers end up making more than the authors in most cases, what with the large margins but the profits are diminishing with the cost of paper that is going skywards. Quality printing requires a lot of investment and the variable costs are unbearably high.

As far as you are concerned, my advise would be to try and intern with a leading publisher and understand the dynamics of the business before you plunge into it as a career. Am not sure at this juncture as to which area you are looking at within the publishing business but some good work experience would certainly help you take a firm decision.

 

That reminds me, I have a good book waiting and I better get set for my weekend ahead to be able to sit back, sip my beer and soak in some good reading! Awfully hot summer though but I am hoping the met bureau is right for a change and we do see some showers for Pune! 

Well, we all live with hope don’t we ? On that hopeful note, let me wish you all a terrific weekend. Be good, stay safe and take good care of yourselves. Sayonara and God Bless.

 

Jaisurya Das, maverick and media evangelist, eats, sleeps and makes love to brands. His consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable. He is also the Contributing Editor of MxM India and Co-Founder of pune365.com. For more on his work visit www.xanadu.co.in. The views expressed in this column are his own.

 

By Jaisurya Das

 

Welcome back, ladies and gentleman! 

It’s a balmy morning here in Pune and it won’t be long before the balmy turns unbearable what with the amazingly feisty summer we are having in Maharashtra…

I guess the heat is in the air and evidently in media too; Alleged misappropriation of proprietary content to scams that are being supposedly unearthed by the hour. Quite amusing to say the least!

While I have lots to say on these micros of media ethics, I shall hold my horses for another time, before my editor reminds me of the deadlines that I am very quickly approaching. But you will hear from me on this very soon since this involves a subject that I am passionate about.

Intellectual property is a goldmine that must be protected at any cost, be it media or the literary world. The gross violations that are unearthed by the day are blasphemous to say that least….

But for now, it’s the weekly questions from our readers in Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Read on…

 

Sir, I am interested in a career in auto journalism. I love cars though I do not have any education in automobile engineering or design. How do I become an auto journalist?

Thanks for writing in to us at Dear MxM. To be honest, I haven’t come across any course or specialisation for automobile journalism, however India does boast of a few excellent auto journalists..

This is a very specialised area and does require you to have micro understanding of how automobiles work and perform and thus it would ideally take some training in this regard. I am of course assuming that you already possess a fair understanding of automobiles and their mechanics.

It would probably be a good idea to try and get an internship assignment with an auto journalist and learn on the job. Alternatively you could also create your own blog for this subject and start marketing it on social media which would be a great testing ground.

This will in turn get you feedback which will help hone your skills further on this segment. You could then follow this up with contributions to magazine and auto websites to get noticed and then move on with your career! All good wishes on that.

 

I am a copywriter in a leading advertising agency, but enjoy social media. Is there scope for people like me in digital advertising?

Sure! There is scope for everyone in digital advertising provided you have the creative skills, analytical approach and good understanding of audience interests.

Since you are already in copywriting, you are familiar with the planning that goes into creating campaigns and this will certainly help you in digital advertising. All the growth that is happening is focussed on this area and hence the potential is huge.

I would advise you to start looking for a break in a good digital agency, ideally a smaller one to allow you the freedom to multitask and learn on the job. There are several smaller agencies that churn out some great work. Do your research and take the plunge.

Am sure you will do just great!

 

I have been handed over the pink slip last week, and this is only because the company has decided that it doesn’t want the division I am in because it’s “non-core”. I do understand that the company wants to focus and do away with the outdoor division, but since it’s no fault of mine, it should give me more than the standard severance pay of one month. What’s your view, Sir?

Am afraid not. Severance pay or notice issued to you will follow the clauses set at the time of employment unless revised otherwise.

Yes, severance pay does differ and from what I have seen now, companies offer three months’ pay as a token of good measure. While this in itself is low considering how much time it takes to find suitable alternative employment, it is best to accept it and move on with your life.

My personal view on this calls for a more moderate approach where people are given a window of three months to search for alternate employment and at the end of this term given the standard one month’s notice to resign/ leave etc.

This is however not always possible and as I mentioned, it is best to leave respectfully and move on with your life.

 

That reminds me, it is time for me to leave and get on with my day before I severe myself for reporting to work late everyday. But do have a super weekend and enjoy yourselves to the hilt. Be good though. It’s safer. Till we meet again then. Sayonara and God Bless you all!

 

Jaisurya Das, maverick and media evangelist, eats, sleeps and makes love to brands. His consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable. He is also the Contributing Editor of MxM India and Co-Founder of pune365.com.For more on his work, visit www.xanadu.co.in The views expressed in this column are his own.

 

By Jaisurya Das

 

For the record, India became a Republic on  January 26, 1950 but this isn’t what this column is about. This is about Zen and how essential it is for our country.

Ladies and Gentleman, welcome back to yet another edition of Dear MxM !

Today I shall very briefly explain the concept of ‘Zen and the Art of Television Maintenance’. As you may have figured, this necessitates meditation of the highest order…

Let’s start at the very beginning and this roughly translates to getting a new set of batteries for your TV remote. This is basic ammunition and must be kept in mind when you intend on braving the news. On a more serious note, there are better things to do, and TV news is only one section of the menu you see when you press those buttons.

However, if you still wish to adopt these medieval methods of harakiri, then go ahead and find yourself a decent chair and aim your remote. 

Soon, you will be presented with a huge bouquet of choices ranging from the absurd to the hideous. Mind you, all giving you the news 24/7. 

You will also notice that a lot of these news channels are attempting to be clones of one another with only their montage changing. This my friends, is when you need Zen. 

Breath slow and deep till you arrive at the new kid on the block…

Fiercely independent, hard facts and highly incisive. Don’t you dare get ideas now, I was talking about the National Geographic capsule on the tigers of Iindia… But this isn’t the point here. 

I am honestly very worried now, since I had this Zen and TV all sorted and suddenly I find, I am back to Square 1.

They’re crawling all over my social media timelines now and doing this live on FB thing too. I wonder if they’re soon going to crawl out of my bed linen next. It was bad enough to have 24/7 ranting and now it’s raised to the power of 2 with social media added. 

By the way, what were their stories about?

While I figure that, let me give you a chance to read our weeks complement of Questions from our readers in Patna, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

 

Last week, a friend was told that he needs to quit the organisation because of below par performance. And this is when he wasn’t ever told he had underperformed. The organisation HR said either you quit or you get fired. That’s so unfair. While the friend has now quit, what should one do when you are forced to quit? What happens if you don’t quit?

 

Sorry to hear this but management level staff are really not protected from such decisions since they all sign to a very well worked ‘terms of employment’ document on joining. Most of these agreements are water-tight and allow for anyone’s services to be terminated with a standard notice period or salary in line of notice.

Resigning is a better way to exit than being terminated since all this is recorded in your service record as well as in reference checks by the new employer. Yes, if you don’t quit. then the company will be forced to terminate with reasonable ground which isn’t really tough to prove with clauses and cases that could include anything from performance, to not following office procedure etc.

I am not in a position to comment on this case specifically but my honest advise would be to leave gracefully if the organisation does not need his services any longer. This way, any reference check will also go fine rather than irking them further. This is most likely part of a corporate downsizing operation and he must be among their hit list for this. As you are aware, we are seeing a lot of retrenchment and downsizing happening across media and other industries consequent to the drop in advertising revenues.

 

My organisation has now imposed a new rule that one can’t quit and join a rival organisation. The admin head said this is part of the contract. But if I don’t join an organisation in the same business, as a journalist what do I do. I can’t be running a restaurant now or selling insurance. Are these contracts legally tenable. Also, before you say, I should’ve read the contract before signing, Sir, you know very often you are very keen on a job and can’t really get contracts changed.

 

Am afraid I have to draw your attention to this very point all over again. Competitive protection clauses are tough to overcome and can lead to legal battles.

However, there have been cases where our competent courts have ruled in favour of employees under similar situations. This can be challenged in the courts of law since it really prevents experienced people from moving anywhere rendering them unemployed.

It must however be understood that legal battles call for a lot of patience and money coupled with a competent lawyer on your case. 

I personally am against such clauses introduced by several media companies and think it very draconian and in my opinion a violation of the Constitution of our country.

 

Sir, I work in Patna and I am in marketing and sales. After having worked for nine years here, I find that I can’t bear the heat and am falling sick often. What would you advise: taking up a desk job or move to a hill station or a city where the climate is less cruel.

Yes, a move to a more comfortable city would be the ideal choice for you, lest all this sales experience is not put to use.  The blazing heat is a curse for sales professionals and takes a serious toll on their health and performance.

I suggest you consider looking around for options in cities like Bangalore or even Mumbai where the summer’s are more bearable. The other option would be to have your employer take you off the field for a short while to help you recover and regain your health. This would also see Patna through with its harsh summer.

These are options am sure your employer can work around if your health demands it. It is advisable to speak with your superiors on this and then take a final call on the road ahead. Meanwhile stay cool, think cool and keep yourself well hydrated!

 

That reminds me, it’s time to move on to get my own dose of hydration for the weekend! Till we meet again, this is Jaisurya Das, your neighbourhood Agony Unclewishing you a super weekend. Sayonara and God Bless you all.

 

Jaisurya Das, maverick and media evangelist, eats, sleeps and makes love to brands. His consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable. He is also the Contributing Editor of MxM India and Co-Founder of pune365.com. For more on his work visit www.xanadu.co.in The views expressed in this column are his own.

 

By Jaisurya Das

 

This week’s compendium of questions I received, included one from Chandigarh, asking if it was ok for news anchors to scream “shut up”to their invited guests. In this case a Pakistani guest on the programme…. 

Ladies and Gentleman, Welcome to Dear MxM and the fall in decorum of our news media! While I have answered this reader’s question as best as I could, I thought it apt to provoke your thought on the subject of our and aggressive news anchoring.

We are probably going to witness a lot of heated discussions on news capsules now with a newer entrant standing by to air, but this is the larger picture.

Does decorum exist any longer or is it not necessary any longer.

Do audiences yearn to witness more of such unparliamentary arrogance or is it just the channels usurping this character? It baffles me honestly and hence this short introduction. Insulting someone you invite on the show is quite unacceptable and yet, taken quite lightly..

Does great news reportage require this? Is this about the genre we are in that necessitates constant titillation? I have far too many questions to ask and would love to hear all your views on this subject.

But for now, it’s sheer disgust from me. Fortunately, India can boast of better journalists who know where to draw their line and as for us, we ought not to lap this up like hungry canines. Protest and teach them how to behave if that’s what is required. Am sorry to sound like a prude but that’s how I feel about good journalism versus juvenile anchoring.

Anyway, it’s probably time to stop ranting and take you to this week’s Questions and Answers from our readers in Bengaluru, Mumbai and Chandigarh.

 

Sir, I was in Delhi last week and found that there are so many newspapers available on the stands. Much more than what we have here in Bengaluru. But are there enough people reading these papers?

Good question indeed! Now, this is for the newspapers owners to answer but in my opinion the situation is pretty much the same in all our metros.Reading per se is on a decline and more so with the younger generations and hence the problem is larger than just a choice of a newspaper. This is where the core of the problem lies and I don’t see this situation improving in the future. The advent of digital and the increased penetration of mobile internet etc is only going to move the young further away from reading physical newspapers or books for that matter.

Coming back to your question, yes Delhi has more dailies and this is essentially because of the seat of power. Industrialists want a powerful voice in the corridors of power and they believe owning media would help them make inroads into the chambers of the powers that be. Now, it’s a different matter that everyone will not be heard or even heeded but that is all relative and hence anyone’s guess.

Media is a powerful tool and it does make sense owning a slice of it, no matter how big or small it may be. Finally its about being seen in the right places and that’s all it takes to build perception for business houses and corporate czars…

 

Sir, I read your response to the sexual harassment question. When I complained to HR about my boss getting too close for comfort, calling me a “babe” and with a “hey sexy”, I was told that this is how it works in creative advertising agencies. A colleague even suggested I show myself to a shrink or come in a burqa. Please advise.

If you ask me, your HR needs dramatic change. In simple terms, they ought to be given the boot if this is the kind of reaction to a sexual harassment complaint. This is indeed appalling and If I were you, I would escalate this to the CEO of your company.

Every complaint must be taken cognisance off. Besides the fact that ignoring it can lead to judicial action and the company may be faced with serious legal repercussions. As for the HR who handles this indifferently, they can be penalised in the same provision of the Act and not taking cognisance is in itself a punishable offence.

I certainly think this needs to be taken up with your CEO and others since they certainly have a problem on hands, if their own HR department reacts in this manner. If you do not wish to escalate this, I suggest you move on and find a more employee-friendly environment to work for.

 

Sir, the other day, I heard an English news channel anchor tell his guest “shut up”. Now he was from Pakistan and was defending his country, but is it okay to lose your cool and say what every one want to? Is decorum in news media dead?

Yes, I did see this and it was quite deplorable on the part of the anchor. to say the least. There is a certain decorum that is to be followed on national TV and more so to an invited guest on the show.

This is typical of the immature arrogance of anchors who often forget where to draw the line in their effort to build TRPs. Little do they realise that such language and demeanour only turns people off and they stand to lose more in the bargain.

It’s certainly not cool or professional to behave such and I completely agree with your concern on this.

 

Cool is certainly what I want now, considering the damn summer were having here in Pune.. So while I search for the eternal coolers of the city, I wish you all a wonderfully hot weekend too!! I know that is being mean, but what the hell, I am allowed some liberty once a while and I don’t have a guest either on this column so… ! Sayonara and God Bless you all. 

 

Jaisurya Das, maverick and media evangelist, eats, sleeps and makes love to brands. His consulting interventions are aimed at making brands powerful and sustainable. He is also the Contributing Editor of MxM India and Co-Founder of pune365.com. For more on his work visit www.xanadu.co.in. The views expressed in this column are his own. Questions may be sent to editor@mxmindia.com with Dear MxM mentioned in the subject line.