Tag: Jaisurya Das

By Jaisurya Das

 

Jog my memory if you can, but I just can’t seem to recall any brand in media that has become a leader showcasing one human being; the one that did it, came with huge monetary muscle that went beyond acceptable marketing budgets and hence…

Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls, welcome back to a fresh edition of Dear MxM!!

Now that all I have your attention for a few minutes, let me ask you this one question that is of immediate relevance…

In the media space, do brands make giants of people or do these faces make giant brands ?

The answer to this would probably decide the fate of the famed ArnabGoswami vs Times Television war that is panning out across the country!

I have reason to believe that the first few weeks will hold the key to sustainability and the larger concern for both players would be the diminishing audiences for TV news per se. I for one have stopped watching TV news for long now and am not certain if one man or one channel can get me back with the same vigour that I enjoyed a few years ago.

Time is our biggest nemesis and TV news isn’t spared it’s wrath either and it will need a very elevated level of content and rhetoric to overcome the madness of racing against the clock.

I guess for now, it’s best to sit back and soak in the excitement as these companies and people pull out all stops to gain the winning edge… !

 

Read on for our Q & A for the week with our readers from Mumbai

and Delhi:

 

Sir, am interested in getting into an agency that specialises in photography for the media. Is there a future for these? Please help 

Thanks for writing in to Dear MxM. To be honest, am not sure how many agencies exist in this space purely for photography services. Yes. there are professional photographers who supply their work to advertising agencies etc but they are most often independent people with a few assistants.

As companies go, there are very few large established ones in this space and hence growth and lateral movement may become a constraint for you. You have not specified your specialisation and beret of that my advice would be more generic.

There is a future for all creative work but it’s all about getting the right mentors and ideal opportunities to showcase your talent. My honest advice to you at this stage would be to meet with a few professionals in the photography space and weight your options on the road ahead. All good wishes to you!

 

I know this has been asked before. I have been reading a lot about sexual harassment cases in the media and not much is been done despite all the furore. Why don’t sites like MxM and columnists like you do something about it?

Why are you singling out media? Almost every space sees cases of sexual harassment and both women and men go through situations such. Media probably is more in the news and gets all the exposure and hence the belief that this is rampant in this industry.

This isn’t the reality though and there are numerous cases that come up in other industries including the evergreen IT industry among others.

I have personally written on this subject several times on this website and others as well to draw attention on the concerns.

This very website has covered various views on this subject but the problem lies elsewhere and it’s character-related. If you have a rotten egg in a basket, you will end up with a bad omelette, no matter what spice you use!

People need to be sensitised constantly on treating each other with respect and more so at work!

Time to get real and rein in those hormones collectively!

 

Sir, recently I read about a leading media group restricting employees to be active on the social media especially Twitter. Is it fair?

No, I don’t think it fair to restrict basic social freedom, though yes some amount of restraint may be sensible.

As long as the employees don’t use these mediums to badmouth their companies and/ or their colleagues etc, I see no problem with this.

Most often these restrictions come into force, when people take freedom for granted and start abusing it. Corporate decorum is important and striking a balance is the key to being active on social media and yet not overstepping the line as a corporate citizen.

 

This also means it’s about time I restrain the length of this column and move on to my weekend! Have a lovely weekend my friends and take good care of yourselves. Till we meet again then, its #JD saying Sayonara ! 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

 

Ladies and Gentleman, Welcome back to this edition of Dear MxM, India’s largest online sounding board for the fraternity…

With mercury rising to a blistering 42 degrees celsius in my city of Pune, the only thing I have on mind is a cold shower and ideally six times a day. And yes, a good glass of beer at the end of work is also a sound objective that I work towards this season. 

Media is seeing its share of heroics, semantics and rhetoric that is typical of the ensuing news war on Indian Television and this promises to be delightful for all of us in the industry. 

So while we take stock of what has happened in the past 24 hours on this subject, you can have a go at this week interesting bouquet of concerns from our readers at Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai. 

 

Sir, A colleague of mine suffers from severe body odour and bad breath. While we have been able to fix the breath by organising a medical check-up thanks to a large toothpaste company, but how do we tell her about her BO. The thing is she very good at her work, and is indispensable to the team, but it’s a struggle to be in the same enclosure as her in the summer.

Ufff! This is tough and so very sensitive but it needs to be tackled in the greater interest of people around. One way would be to have a good friend of your colleague speak to her about it.

This is normally the best way to be diplomatic with such an issue. If that doesn’t work then a few e-mails about this condition and details on how it can tackled is the way to go.

 

Yes, that is the in-your-face method but if you are left with no option, then resort to providing information ! In the interim you could use a good room freshener!

I have recently been offered a job via my campus placement with the outdoor division of a leading advertising agency. I have heard that outdoor is all about hustling and operations, not much of creativity. Though I think, you’ve got to be very creative to catch the eye of a motorist or even a pedestrian. Should I take up the offer or look at opting out and going to a regular creative agency?

Am not too sure which side of the business you are targeting to be able to give you a defined view on this but for now, am assuming it to be creative.

The outdoor business is a different ballgame, though from a creative perspective it’s pretty much as good or bad as any other medium. It does call for innovative thinking especially with clients who are ready to stretch the rupee beyond traditional hoarding flexes.

Hence, it’s important to be at the right outdoor agency and work with good clients with largish budgets that will allow for innovative thinking.

All the best !

 

I know you have answered this question earlier. I was always very influenced by Mr ArnabGoswami and his aggressive brand of journalism. I am 24, and identify with his brand of aggressive news anchoring. But I am worried about how stable the company is since it’s not a traditional media ownership. What do you feel, Sir?

Indeed he is a fine journalist and exceedingly aggressive as you rightly said, but running his own company will be a different ballgame.

I can’t really comment on the stability of his new firm or any new baby on the media horizon for that matter, since it’s all finally how the audience reacts.

I would think, the first few weeks post launch would be the most critical from a content perspective. He will have to have a solid bunch of stories in the first few days to get those eye-balls.  If he misses the initial phase, it’s going to be really tough to gain any loyal readership

However, to answer your question, let me assure you that this firm or any other firm is as good or bad as the other in the current patch that media is going through. Revenues are getting hit by the day and costs spiralling too so all firms are on a tough wicket.

Stability is a thing of the past, and if that is what you seek, I suggest you look outside media !

 

On this note of unstable stability, may I now take leave for you, till we meet again. Take good care of yourselves, be good and enjoy the summer! 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

 

This world doesn’t care for columnists. I am convinced of this now and hence decided to share my grief with all of you, my readers.

Ladies and Gentleman, welcome back to YET ANOTHER meaty edition of Dear MxM! Damn, I don’t even know how many columns I have written so far and my kind Editor doesn’t do the maths either. Tsk Tsk, apparently the maths may lead to some serious depletion of corporate funds or so I am told.

The only hope in hell is the imminent possibility of making it to the Guinness. and with this utopian faith, I hammer on relentlessly at my keyboard. I must confess I often wonder, when the world will realise my contribution to the virtual world, week after week, column after column…

It’s now begun to feel like ‘P.C.Sorcar’s Water of India’ ; Each time you think its all done with, it fills up again. Serious issue this is, considering that the assumption one is making right through this pursuit, is that these columns are actually read by normal human beings.  And if you are one of those, actually reading this, you are doing reasonably well for yourself and have the liberty of time to read banter.

I know we all have this desperate need to amuse ourselves every now and then and in the absence of the comic books of my generation, this can be prove to be fairly tough to put it mildly. But let me tell you, that this serious stuff and is designed to empower you with a plethora of skills.

But for now, all that you need to know is that you are being empowered and amused all at one go, albeit at this colonist’s expense. And yes, in case you have forgotten, the Editor is still doing his maths.

And should you wish to keep yourself empowered and entertained in the meanwhile do read our famed Q & A for the week. For the record all the questions this week are from readers in Mumbai and Kolkata. 

It’s seething hot there apparently…

 

Sir, we often have to stay up late in office for work, but this gets tough in April-May every year as my team wants to watch IPL matches. I raised this with the CEO and the HR department and asked them if we can put a big TV in the office so that people can watch the matches along with doing some work, and my proposal was shot down. 

Not only that, they’ve even blocked WiFi access to HotStar and some other websites airing it live. While I understand that IPL isn’t work, but why are HR departments so stuck up on things like these. They say we track the score on the internet which also distracts. But how about facilitating a work environment where people don’t have to stay after office? Sorry, a long question. What’s your advice?

Very long question! But, yes, I shall attempt to answer this with a similar manuscript!

Pertinent point you have made on this trend of keeping people late in the office. This seems to have become integral to a lot of industries and more sour fraternity or advertising, media and marketing.

It is considered sacrilege to leave office on time. I am reminded of my own experience with this during my corporate days. I remember having moved to this city and taken over the reins of the advertising department at first. Unfortunately, my work ethics didn’t allow me to sit back or hold back my team beyond what was absolutely necessary. I remember having received a curt call soon after taking over asking me if I was in office. This was at the hour of 8pm and I emphatically said no. I remember the boss asking me If i had forgotten that I was the head of an important department and was expected to be there at work like him and the others, including my predecessor.

Well, I stood my ground and refused to wait back in the absence of work. Time healed this and eventually the boss realised that work was happening and probably even faster than earlier despite me closing office at the hour of 6. This is a cultural issue and unfortunately a lot of people don’t have it in them to be upfront and change these mindsets. Leaders are used to wasting time in unnecessary meetings to deliberate every piece of paper that comes to their table..

I seriously believe this trend is taken head on by the young professionals today and beaten to death. People must work and effectively but not at the expense of personal/ family time. And yes, if you are being kept back inordinately, you ought to be given a chance to watch your match too!

I know this may sound ludicrous but I seriously think this disease must be controlled before the generations to come move in to work with sleeping bags and anti-depressants.

 

Sir, I find my boss is always hesitant in clearing my cash vouchers as if he owns the company. Why should there be such stringent measures for checking if things are legit?

Well, if he does he think he has ownership of costs, he must be a very loyal boss and the company ought to be proud of him. This is a dying trend and protecting and saving your company’s money is far from priority today…

Having said this, it is important to understand that by signing your vouchers without giving it a look could lead your boss to trouble too. Please do not forget that a faulty claim need not be engineered and is often caused by silly human error. It is thus important that this is scrutinised by more than one person to ensure it is appropriate and of course legitimate expense as per your company policy.

I don’t think you should be taking this so personally. If you have a just claim, forget about the process, collect what is due to you and move on. No one is doubting your credibility or honestly. It is a process and it must be respected.End of Story.

 

In my appraisal this year, I was told that I need to brush up my spoken Hindi and Bengali as my company plans to eventually only retain those who are trilingual. But, Sir, i am not a native Bengali speaker and have come to Kolkata from Bihar. I love my job (and my bosses are happy with my work), but I can’t get myself to be reading news or conducting interviews on camera in Bengali. Please advise.

So linguists are in order now. Well, cost-cutting measures call for almost anything now. So have the same team handle all genres and all languages.

At this rate, it won’t be long before you are asked to learn Hebrew and Spanish as well! But then, the company is always right.

Now that roughly translates to “stop cribbing about your company when you are still there”. Leave or just soak in the trend.

The job market is terrible now and hence finding a great job isn’t as easy as it seems. While i do understand that languages aren’t like buying yourself a pack of chips but is there an option?

If you do find another interesting job, move on. Else take the grind, attend language coaching and prove your mettle. It’s a tough world and an even rougher patch with media revenues not at their best, so am afraid I cant give you a more consoling answer.

I do take this opportunity however to wish you the very best ahead.

 

And now, if you will excuse me, I need to go and replenish my stock of beer for the weekend. It’s Vishu and good Keralites like me do justice to all that the state is famous for… So till we meet next time, 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

 

Exciting time for Media Watchers and Commentators (read: my breed) as the stage is set to witness an epic battle that will unfold on our TV screens and off it.

Ladies and Gentleman, welcome back to Dear MxM, India’s broad shoulder for the media, advertising and marketing fraternity. 

Yes, prepare for a blitzkrieg that will be unleashed for the Arnab vs TOI or Arnab vs the Rest of News Media as he would probably term this! Interestingly, I don’t think this is about one against the other as much as it is about a very interesting case study of a David vs Goliath, as some of the fraternity term it.

However, as my friend in the hot seat said, there is no David’ and Goliath in a market battle. It’s one brand vs the other and who aces it finally. The market offers equal opportunity in terms of an interested audience and this I agree with completely.

What is interesting however is the strategy that will be adopted and this is the whole point of my column today. I notice that the basic ingredient for a successful strategic plan i.e.’paranoia’ missing in all the rhetoric that ArnabGoswamihas been taking around forums.

#Paranoia is essential for a great combat plan and even the toughest of Generals in War approach the war-room with an inherent paranoia on when the rug will be pulled right under their feet.

I love Arnab for his in-your-face approach and for his imminent love for his craft; both these are extremely significant characteristics for winners, yet this may fall short of a home run, if there isn’t paranoia.

On the other hand, I see closely guarded statements from MK Anand (MD, Times Television Network) on this scenario unfolding. He is am sure, working stealthily on their combat plan and annihilation roadmap, yet he isn’t over-confident;  And If I know him right he would be approaching this with the same integral ingredient, paranoia!

It’s exceedingly simple for the fraternity and others to term this a war between David and Goliath and so on, but I can tell you that this isn’t going to be as simple as it seems. Out in the market, its equally tough for both.

Yes, there will be noise and more noise and money being thrown into the ring several times over. Hopefully, it won’t end up being a battle of one button vs the other on your remote?

Time will tell, but do remember, paranoia is essential for success. And yes, paranoia isn’t an anxiety disorder here.

It is just the 5th ‘P’ in the marketing mix.  ‘P’ for #paranoia !

 

Sir, I have just learnt that the owners and my bosses have decided that our agency office will shut shop and merged with a bigger office. And that means that I may be out of a job or will have to relocate a big city which will take away all my savings. Thankfully nothing will happen for another six months. What should I do… relocate or look for another job in my small town? (sorry, I don’t want to reveal my location as it will be a giveaway).

And hence, you are sitting there and ruminating about stuff that may not happen at all! Rumination is often the cause of much dissonance, anxiety and even depression.

Stop overthinking my friend. As of now, nothing has happened and you are not out of your job.. Moreover if you have the right skills, what is there to work about. If not one, another employer will give you the right opportunity..

But if you don’t have the craft, then you ought to seriously ruminate on your next steps. For now, I am assuming you do.

All the best, friend !

 

Sir, you wrote about Hindustan Times coming to Pune, but the paper just closed a few editions. Is it safe to look for a job there, or would you say that no employer is a 100% safe these days?

Absolutely! You got that right. No employer is safe and it would be exceedingly foolhardy to expect any job security in an era that is struggling to decipher what the world has in store…

HT Pune is as safe as keeping your hand in close proximity of an induction cooker top. If its on, your in serious trouble, and if its not you may just get no traction at all!

But this is the world of media and nothing can change it. The unpredictability is it’s essence and for those who want to swim along, this will remain a river rafting ride that is never ending.

So stop overthinking and move on, be it Pune, or anywhere else.

 

I am a BMM student in Mumbai. While my college schedule is hectic, I have some time available to get into either a computer course or learn a foreign language. I don’t know what to do. Please advise.

Hi, and thanks for writing in. To be honest, I wouldn’t know the difference either of them will make ! These extra highlights are good for your CV but rarely help build on your core competencies.

I would much rather suggest a course on digital marketing and subjects that are more aligned with the current market scenario. More importantly online and digital is going to be the main source of learning and consumption in the next decade so it will be worth your while..

 

The other option is to do French, German or Mandarin for that matter and pray that there is a good enough career opportunity that comes with it.

Either way, you have my good wishes my friend.

 

On that note of hope, it is time to carry on with my knitting and leave all of you to prepare for your weekend…Do take good care of yourselves and stay hydrated for this horrid summer that is draining our electrolytes by the minute. Keep the mails coming in ateditor@mxmindia.com. 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 Contributing Editor of MxMIndia 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

 

Correct me If I am wrong, but I have a strong feeling that the era of the media sales professional is dead.Ladies and Gentleman, welcome back to your favourite weekly ‘in the face’ column for the media, advertising and marketing fraternity.

Now if you will excuse my intended digression during this moment of nostalgia. There was a time I remember well when there was such a flurry of sales people in the market that apparently executives from the same group were introduced to each other at agency and client offices.

Today, it’s all virtual I am told.“Sirji, business is all happening, We are fully connected with the market but now the market is down Sir. You know situation”

I reply quite earnestly “ Yes yes, I understand “ Now we are connected, and clients are also liking your FB posts. So business will happen but the market is down.

From cavorting and ever smiling CEOs to selfies enriched with the right political signals, this breed has evolved into a new genre of megalomaniacs. Do these immensely popular ( read FB likes ! ) CEO’s, Managers and the like contribute to surviving the downturn??

Am afraid. I don’t think so. And in this holocaust of ineffectiveness brands like HT prepare themselves for an august entry…

Go with the old bandicoots.

They may seem like ‘deadwood’ and spent, but I can assure you, they are far more acceptable and will work their backsides off to compete against this breed who believe business will fall into their august laps. No more coat or selfie will help.Advertising and revenue generation needs effort and it’s about time media houses realise the folly of hiring a generation that is too full of themselves.

Get your act together. Hire people who can make a difference. They receding hairlines and dignified salt and pepper only add the sex appeal that these kids can’t give your brand..!

 

Back to my knitting.  Presenting our Q & A for the week from readers in Chandigarh, Delhi and Mumbai.

 

Sir, I know there have been several questions on appraisals here. But my agency says that its revenues have dipped post-demonetisations and we can therefore not get any appraisals this year. But how come the bigwigs are going to Cannes for the annual advertising festival? Why splurge? The reason given to me is that if we don’t go to Cannes, we won’t even get the business we are getting. Any logic?

No logic, my friend. As I always say: ‘ Every law has a sister-in-law! ‘

Cannes is today a cult and it’s much like wanting to own a Harley. You may not be able to afford it but you still want it. It is  about being seen at Cannes and being ‘in sync with the times’Being able to afford it is secondary here. It’s about being conspicuous with your absence…!

Why would I cut back on my brand persona? Not being there, would probably imply, we aren’t doing well, so why take the risk. Blow up your reserves and be seen. Appraisals and employee motivation doesn’t stand a chance against the fine art of packaging all that you have, and don’t have !!!

Honestly, not much business happens at any of these conventions and conferences. It’s just about positioning. End of Story.

 

I am in my final year of engineering at a NIT and want to become an ad-film director. When I told this to a few of my batchmates, they screamed that it’s not a good decision as my engineering degree seat could’ve been given to someone who would use the knowledge to good use and not jump careers. I agree that what I have done is not right, but I am not the first to have done this. Sir, please help me feel less guilty!

I must confess I am biased thanks to my own experience with careers and the huge shift I took from the hotel industry to the madness I call media.

Honestly speaking, this is your life and probably the last chance you will get to decide a significant part of it. Think no more.If you know your calling, just get after it like there is no tomorrow. The rest is immaterial. The world doesn’t run your life.

 

Sir, I find a number of courses available in mass media at the undergraduate level. But is it better to do a BMS or BBA rather than a BMM? (I want to get into marketing of music radio stations)

Essentially graduate level niche courses in media studies, media marketing etc have all been created to give job opportunities to those who wish to start work soon.

Yes, these specialised courses do help you get the right perspective and also ( in good universities ) help you find immediate employment. The rest is really case dependent and can be structured if need be.

I would think it’s better to do bachelors in media studies in order to be equipped for your career ahead.I wish you all success!

 

Ladies and Gentleman, it’ss time for me to say ‘Sayonara and God bless’! We will, however, be back next week, same time, same space…

 

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 visitwww.xanadu.co.in. The views expressed in this column are his own.

 

By Jaisurya Das

 

Ladies and Gentleman, welcome back to an all new edition of Dear MxM, India’s premier counselling board for the advertising, media and marketing fraternity!

Yet another landslide victory for PM NarendraModi, now that he has pocketed UP with elan. Not surprising though, considering the wave in favour of Modi and the sheer mass support he gathers on social media.. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of those viral WhatsApp messages are well thought off campaigns disguised as individual posts. Quite recently I saw one from a leading doctor who was narrating his chance meeting with Modi (well before he was in the hot seat ) on an international flight.. 

I haven’t had the good fortune to personally meet this man yet, but there is certainly something that is triggering such positive social response. Is it his oratory skills or the fact that we are seeing much more of the PM and he’s more ‘in the face’ unlike his predecessors ? 

Yes, I have seen changes happen in government departments and the much-needed speed coming in, but is this the only reason for such overwhelming response to everything that is being done?  The critics are still very much around, and yet, I haven’t see anyone scoring so far. 

They are most often steam rolled by the immediacy of support from the world around him. 

Charismatic Yes, Orator ,Yes, Ability to reach out to different wave lengths Yes, ability to call a Spade a Spade, Yes, but so was Indira Gandhi for that matter. Did she garner such positive impact ? I don’t think so.. 

There is an inherent brand strategy (that is almost endogenous) that he manages to weave people with. A strategy that isn’t easy to come by. 

Every word, every action carefully falling into place. Apparent change isn’t enough; The change needs to be known and perceived and this is the difference. This is sure an interesting case study for brands to learn. 

Product attributes must be top of the line, packaging excellent and coupled with this, an inherent strength in the brand to overshadow competition if any. 

It’s probably time this strategy is used to build ‘Brand India’ within our own country ! 

 

Q & A with readers from Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai  

 

My colleagues had organised a Holi function which, as I should’ve expected, got rowdy. While it’s nice of organisations engage employees with parties and bonding evenings, these invariably get to become drinking sessions where many – men and women – can’t hold their drink. My question to you is: how do you ensure that you forget all of the stuff that happened in the party and let it be business as usual with the guy/gal who was acting funny with you?

Do you really have an option? You cant brood for the rest of your life and remain in the same place. Of course this is entirely dependent on the nature of misbehaviour that you had to face during this company party.

If it was nasty or seems like a case of sexual harassment, my advice would be to take this to your HR department and report the same. It is often easy to get away with almost anything in such a situation and hence, there must be a clear line drawn on this. Parties such must be supervised to avoid any nasty altercation of incident that can upset other colleagues attending.

However, if it was all in jest and good spirit, it’s best to ignore it and move on with your work and not waste precious man hours discussing a non-issue.

And yes, the next time, It would be best to avoid attending such gatherings rather than be put through any unruly behaviour if at all.

 

I am a senior head of marketing and sales in my organisation. I wanted to incentivise need-based education and training taken by my team members to make them better at their jobs and hence contribute more to the organisation. But the promoters say this is not the job of the organisation. The bosses aren’t bad but they don’t want to spend too much money. Are there some article or case studies that I can show them so that they change their mind?

Absolutely and it is indeed the need of the hour. Work-based training and regular skill development is an imminent need today and I am indeed very happy to see you taking such initiatives.

I am surprised at this reaction from your superiors who have obviously been disconnected with the world around them. Most companies have very structured programmes both in-house and external and a lot of investment goes in these training initiatives.

The best way would be to have your HR Manager take this up on a more formal note with the superiors since this is very much part of the HR departments role. Organisational Development, Training etc are core KRA’s for any discerning HR professional and am sure they would be ready to have this implemented at a corporate level.

All the best to you !

 

Last week, we saw a lot of tokenism across the media on women’s day. Just so many ads. From a branding point of view, does all of it make a difference?

Well, it all depends on the kind of brand you work with and the basic brand message that exists in the market place. Using levers such as special occasions do certainly help and often draw immediate attention to your brand and brand message.

Tokenism is relative; The proof of the pudding is in eating it and there are several brands that have gained in popularity and recall with their specific occasion campaigns.

However, creativity is the challenge here and not everything works. This is where the brand manager needs careful planning and research along with their advertising agency to arrive at something that is not only arresting but has the ability to stay top of mind, beyond that one date or month.

So to answer your question, yes this does make a difference but only if its well planned and executed, not to forget backed up with a sound brand that delivers its promise to the customer. This remains the most important aspect of any brand success.
So here’s to a successful weekend for all of you. As always, I shall be back with a bouquet of fresh concerns and solutions, next week, same day ! Till then, keep mailing on editor@mxmindia.com and enjoy yourself to the hilt! 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 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… After much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that “silence” from my part would be the best tribute to all my wonderfully beautiful women friends.

I was told this entire week is devoted to the #woman and that I am required to be on my best behaviour and so on..

Hence without further adieu I must take you straight onto our reader questions for this week.

And yes, thank you my readers from Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai !!

 

Sir, March 8 is celebrated as International Women’s Day. Do you think that in the name of gender equality, men in media often get a raw deal?

My friend.. Life is complicated already !! Why are you seeking answers to questions that are so politically incorrect? It is important to understand that, irrespective of what you may think, the woman is always right.  In the context of this universal truth your question is totally irrelevant!

But since you ask, yes, men in media get a raw deal but so do the women. So this raw deal stuff has really got nothing to do with the gender. It’s more company oriented.

And as principal shareholders of media companies would say: Tsk tsk, raw or ripe, it is all so relative.. !

Hence in the interest of global peace, you may like to join in me in wishing all of the female species much happiness and so on.. !

 

Last week, my manager asked me to present travel vouchers which she would sign and then asked me to give her the money. I think it is a corrupt and incorrect practice, but if I report to the HR head, my boss will make life miserable for me. To be fair, she takes us out for lunch with the money, but I think it’s a wrong practice. How do I wriggle myself out of this mess, without upsetting her.

Ha ha, this is one ingenious Boss you have there!! Taking you out on fudged vouchers isn’t acceptable at all…

It’s company money this way or the other but trying to gain brownie points from the team and in the process encouraging fake vouchers is just not done!

May I suggest that you speak to all your colleagues in the team and take a collective decision not to sign any fake vouchers despite what your boss tells you..

And, yes, If it gets nasty, report it to the HR and the CEO. Do not encourage such practices. It’s not going to get you anywhere !

 

I find salaries to analysts and writers in financial research and broking firms much higher than the business media. How can I as a journalist get a job in a broking firm as an analyst or editor?

So it’s all about the money, honey ! To get into broking firms you need to put your best analytical foot ahead and start applying..

However, it’s important to understand that this isn’t journalism or the business of content any longer… If you are fine with analytics and sharing space with the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst ) who will be eventually run your life, it’s all good!

Eventually it all culminates in the eternal question from the Cheshire Cat in Alice and Wonderland…. “ So, Where do you want to go”…

 

Have a smashing week ahead my readers… And yes, all my wonderfully pretty friends .. This is your week !!!! Enjoy it to the hilt !  See you next week, same day, same space !!  Till 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

 

Ladies and Gentleman, welcome back to a fresh new edition of your favourite counsellor Dear MxM!

Today, there is much good cheer thanks to all the ominous reports that are being churned out on the growth of digital.

Personally, this is something that we all expected to happen. The advent of portable media changed the way people consume news, information, entertainment and trivia.

The research gurus and soothsayers have established that digital is expected to grow at breakneck speed and consequently digital advertising will only see further growth.  Now this also means that the print medium will see renewed sluggishness that will translate to hard decisions.

We are already faced with severe downsizing be it media, e-commerce, startups or otherwise and this isn’t something we are particularly equipped to handle both mentally and physically…

So, boys and girls, please do not give room to lethargy, indifference or just plain complacence, for now, there is no bandwidth to accept all this Companies are only waiting to trim numbers respectfully and

any slip will cost you more than the cup and the lip put together.

Moral of the Story:  Lie low, Hang in there and Keep chanting … !

On that holy note, let me take you straight to our reader questions for this week… from our readers from Chennai, Kolkata and Mumbai.

 

Sir, I know this is not a question on media, but would you advise something that I can do to not get distracted and manage my time better?

 

Ah, the eternal distraction bug. I must ask as to what interesting aspect of life is so distracting or should I say attracting 🙂

Jokes apart, being unable to concentrate must be tackled early as these are often signs of mental unrest. Please work on memory games and exercises in concentration. There are plenty available online and you can select some of them and make it a point to spend half an hour every day on these exercises.

They will help you focus while improving your cognitive functions. Another simple exercise is to take a random newspaper article and start striking off any one alphabet that you choose. Do this from every line and every paragraph of that article. You can decide what alphabet and then start striking it off. For a start, take a print out of this page and use your pencil to strike off the alphabet “a” from every sentence.

While this may seem quite easy, you will soon notice that its quite a task and requires concentration. This is a simple exercise that works very well and is used as part of CBT (Cognitive BehaviouralTherapy) by clinical psychologists.

Am sure within a month of starting these mental exercises you will find a marked improvement in your cognitive functions and power of concentration.

 

We have been told that there is going to be no increment in the annual appraisals this year. And last year I was told that my increment can’t exceed a certain amount as others may have a problem. When I was speaking to a colleague last week, I was advised that I shouldn’t crib too much about it and be happy that I still have a job in the newspaper company I am in, given large-scale retrenchment. What will be your advice, Sir?

I have reason to agree with your colleague. While I do see reason for your discontent, the current environ is far from bright and chirpy.

Over 10,000 people have been rendered jobless over the past one year in the so-called burgeoning industries. Media has followed suit now and over 2200 people have been laid off by media companies in the past 60 days.

Please do understand that advertising revenues have taken a huge beating over the past few months and media companies are finding it difficult to sustain costs that are proportionately rising. To top this, employees expect a raise year on year irrespective of overall company targets being below achievement.

As of now, I don’t know of any existing media player hiring more than absolutely critical resources. In this scenario, displaying your discontentment may not be particularly well received. I would this advise you to forget all these issues now and focus on bolstering revenue for your company and gain limelight through your unstinted efforts in such times.

This will surely be rewarded besides it being a challenge for any discerning professional. All the best!

 

I think you have answered this question earlier, but I can’t seem to locate the answer: Is there a dress code in media organisations? And why is it that even people who work in the office and do not interface with outsiders (like sub-editors) can’t wear shorts? How different are we from the Banaras Hindu University??

Right, I was in fact considering coming to work on boxers but my washing machine didn’t get them ready this morning. Wonders will never cease, will they?

No, there isn’t anything wrong in sporting shorts but there is unfortunately something called decorum that must be maintained. Offices aren’t parks and they are supposed to foster good work and not a relaxed environment. It’s important to have your clothes befit the environment. This is true fashion. Adapting yourself to the environment and wearing things that go with the mood and ethos of the place and its people.

Shorts are associated with leisure, comfort and sport, all of which are typically away from routine office work. Media organisations have both written and un-written dress codes but more than that, its about you and how you wish to be perceived.

Well, as for the BHU, that is left for you to research and decipher but my personal advice to you would be do ditch the shorts and look your role at work. It may just help build your perspective and common sense if I may add.

Amen.

 

And it’s time to sing the old time favourite: “So long, farewell…”

For most of you this must sound like Greek and yet for a lot of us, classics like the ‘Sound Of Music’ with the von Trapp family will always remain etched

in our memory….

And it’s true tradition of the farewell, Sayonara it is from me, JaisuryaDas !

Till we meet again then.

 

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 Dear MxM, India’s Premier Counselling Forum for the Media, Adversing and Marketing fraternity.

It’s indeed heartening to see that the dark clouds of gloom post-demonetisation is now clearing up albeit slowly. Advertising is seeing carefully guarded growth in key markets and the soothsayers predict good tidings in the year ahead.

I personally feel that spend levels will be on the rise, but this time only through well-researched media plans. Mainline media will only see advertising that is absolutely necessary. The dune bashing will happen only in digital media.

Extravagance is more cost-effective here after all!

Advertising agencies are likely to buffer their revenue shortfalls in creative charges that clients will be coerced to pay.  Cost control measures will soon become integral to most of the fraternity in order to keep their bottom lines protected from further erosion..

So it would make sense to hang onto your jobs boys and girls and stop fantasising about those fat pay packets for now. Don’t forget ‘a bird in hand is better than two in the bush’ and more so when the bush is beyond the nakedeye.. !

On this note of caution, I take you straight to questions from our readers for the week…

 

SIr, we have been missing you over the last few weeks. Please do not orphan us. My question to is very critical and I seek some urgent advice: The owner’s son has taken charge in our organisation and he is behaving like a true ‘lala’, bossing around and imposing his word as law. I have worked in this company for seven years, and I don’t want to quit in a hurry. So I have given myself six months. Is this the right route to take, or should I start looking for a job (which isn’t very easy to get)

 

Ha ha! Thank you, my friend. To be honest, it was a well-planned strategy to have my readers “get fonder” 🙂 No more orphaning, as you call it. Am back, live and in colour!

Coming back to your concern: The second generation taking over the reins isn’t a new phenomenon and has been the cause of much discussion for the past few years. Media organisations across the country have witnessed this

with keen interest.

What is worrying however is the trend with the younger generation to herald change all too quick. To add to this, they come with fancy international degrees to justify every word they speak. Unfortunately, not all of them have the perspective to understand what is good for the organisation and its people who have given their lives for its success.

And this is where it all starts. My honest advise to you would be to wait for a few months to see how the cyclone behaves. At times, you see it all watered down when faced with the reality of the marketplace. If this continues for beyond half a year (as you rightly imagined) it may be prudent to take your learnings and move on. Meanwhile, keep those eye wide open for good options that may come your way! Best of Luck.

 

I remember reading your views on Medianet some months back, but now we find many/most newspapers doing it. There is also Native Content in digital media. Are your views the same on paid-for content, or have they changed?

 

No, my views remain the same and I am certainly not for flogging of core content space. Yet, I do understand revenue imperatives are forcing a lot of media houses to follow the erstwhile Medianet example. For the record, this is now handled by a BCCL company OMS (Optimal Media Solutions) which, from what I hear, is doing phenomenally well even in a sluggish marketplace.

Content that is paid for can certainly be featured across media as long as it is clearly identifiable as sponsored. Now this is where there is a thin dividing line.

Native content and advertising online is a good example of how targeted paid promotion can be used effectively and yet is tagged sponsored for all to see. While most often these are all algorithm defined it is clear to the reader that this is paid for.

But do newspapers and media houses want to be upfront about it or is the market pushing them to obliterate any mention of paid content? I would imagine that revenue objectives take precedence here. Journalism in its literal sense is a long gone skill according to me.

Today, it’s the Content Producer and the Consumer. No reader, no journalist. Amen.

 

My appraisals are coming up and in order to upgrade myself, I have been doing a part-time MBA and have also done a course in digital marketing. But, Sir, you know it’s difficult to move within an organisation, however progressive it may be. I don’t think my existing boss will relieve me. What do you advise should be the strategy? In this day and time, I don’t want to threaten to quit….

 

Am really happy to gather that you are acquiring fresh skills. Learning is a continuum and will always hold you in good stead be it in this organisation or any other.

As I have always said, the stronger your craft, the better your career. Honestly, Idon’t think you ought to worry about all this. Do your course, get fresh learning and empower your CV with this added qualification.

 

You will soon notice that you will have several job opportunities coming your way. Meanwhile, it would be good idea to meet with your HR head and other members of the senior management and share your future objectives. It’s important to give them a chance to value your skills as well before you look elsewhere.

You may be surprised with the positive feedback that you receive. And if it’s to the contrary, the world outside is always there for good talent.

I take this opportunity to wish you all success!

 

And this brings us back to the end of another edition of Dear MxM, short break notwithstanding. Till next Thursday then, it’s me, JD saying Sayonara and God Bless!

 

PS: Keep writing in with your concerns. Mail me ateditor@mxmindia.com (do superscribe the subject line with Dear MxM ) and I promise to address all of them as quick as possible.

 

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, visitwww.xanadu.co.inThe views expressed in this column are his own.