Read Between the Ps

2 months back, I had mentioned about the Interest that Wal-mart has been showing in the Indian Markets and Indian visits by some officials . Till now, India was a country for sourcing and procurements, with procurement centres established in Bangalore for the South Asian countries. But, with a huge luring market of approximately Rs. 900,000 Cr. , and ease of govt. regulations in sight, the 95% of the unorganized Retail Market is surely in for a great time ahead. In his latest visit to US, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to meet with Lee Scott , the CEO of Wal-Mart. Though official Press Releases allude to the " purchase of Goods " from India, Industry Experts aver that there is more to the meetings than sourcing. "Wal-Mart in recent months has upped the ante in its campaign to woo the Indian government and Indian consumers. Retail analysts say Wal-Mart needs to look for new international markets to fuel growth, especially as its U.S. market becomes incre...

It is natural human tendency to complain. We do not have any qualms in complaining, as long as we are on the " giving " sites, but it vexes us and spoils our day, when we get on the " listening " side of the complaints. Be it Employee Relations for the HR or Appraisals in the Corporate world , Complaints are a natural way to give and get Feedback in any sector. In the Marketing world , the feedback is classified into " Customer Complaints " and is a source of some of the major Marketing decisions. Most of the Customers are apprehensive of the complaints being addressed, and that is why, most of us end up as Disinterested Customers. But there is a proportion of us who want things to improve, who think that our feedback counts. Believe me, it DOES! and that is the very premise of this entry - Communicating the Negative Perception and Feedback to the Marketers... How to appease the Customer to GIVE feedback is another story altogether, but right now, let me...

Another week! Another set of 20 Brand pills – the last one before I enter my Post-graduation Era! Here they are – Which Indian movie was included as a case study in Leadership Skills by IIM Indore? (Lagaan) Philip Morris produces many of the world’s best-selling cigarette brands, which include Marlboro, Benson & Hedges. Which is the parent company of Philip Morris? (Altiria Group) “Mortein”, “Harpic”, “Cherry Blossom” “Dettol” are brands under which company? (Reckitt Benckiser) Pop Star Britney Spears launched a new fragrance. What is the name of the Fragrance? (Curious) Harmony is the name of which companies textiles? (Reliance) What factors are involved in calculating the Human Development Index (HDI)? (Longevity, knowledge and standard of Living) HDI is a summary Composite Index tat measures a country’s average achievements in three basic aspects of human development : Longevity, Knowledge and a decent standard of living. Longevity is measured by life expectancy at birth; Know...

Finally, I get time to update my baby. The last few days have been slightly hectic, so couldn’t put much time into it. Now, am in Delhi – plan to do some bit here, before the College starts. During my journey, I read an interesting e-book – “ How to be Creative ” available at changethis.com It is written by Hugh MacLeod . Hugh MacLeod is a brand consultant, copywriter and cartoonist. This edition has been taken from his Website – Gaping Void The book gives some very useful tips on how one should be creative, and for one to be creative, one need not first understand the implications and the market, and then exercise and customize his creativity. One just needs to be himself, and make sure it is his inspiration that drives him to follow his passion! If something is your passion, you pursue it not for others, but for yourself. Hugh has given 26 tips on the subject, elucidating each of them pertinent to specific sectors. Though it is a must read for Artists and writers, it is relevant fo...

Talk of Cannes Lions and not talk of the star Attraction..! The Winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes this year was the “ Honda Grr” Commercial in the Film as well as the Titanium Category. It also won the Film Journalists' Award , and is considered as one of the best pieces this year in Animation and sound track. According to John Hunt , the President of the Jury and worldwide creative director of TBWA Worldwide, the 22-person jury arrived at its decision with very little debate. "In the end, because there was the sense that 'Grrr' was probably the Grand Prix, I asked the jury to write secret ballots for their first and second favorites for the award. Seventeen chose 'Grrr' as their first choice. For second, the Adidas spot, 'Hello Tomorrow,' and a few others were also mentioned. But there was no discussion about the Grand Prix. It was way mathematically ahead of anyone else." The Ad has been designed by Wieden and Kennedy Ad Agency , with spe...

Cannes Lions 2005 was held in London from 19-25 June. The International Advertising Festival was held for the 52nd time this year, and invited 22000 entries from 82 countries, in spite of skyrocketing charges commanded for the entries. According to the news posted on their website, "A total of 22,101 entries will be competing at this year's Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, an overall increase of 18 percent versus last year. There were 6699 entries in the press section, the category with the largest share of entries." Broadly, the categories were – - Media Lions - Lions Direct - Press - Outdoor - Cyber Lions - Film - Radio Lions - Titanium (Integrated) Radio Lions and Titanium were the New Sections. Cannes also added a new Section - A design section this time in the Festival. I do not intend to cover the entire festival as such, but what I want to specifically mention is the winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes – The Honda Grr Commercial – one of the b...

The dose needs to be given regularly. Put the Brand-aid on! Here are the 20 pills for this week: The first product made by this company was a car record player. They gave themselves a name similar to the name of the market leader in record players in those days. Name the company and the rival Company (Motorola and Victrola) Which automobile brand is named after the Spanish word for `grace'? (MERCEDES---It was named after the daughter of Emil Jellinek, an Austrian businessman who promised to buy a fleet of cars if they were named after his daughter whose name `Mercedes' translated to `grace' in Spanish) Which Company was originally named as “Computer-Tabulator-Recorder Company (C-T-R)? (IBM) BSA SLR is a popular name in the Cycle Industry. What does it stand for? (BSA SLR – Birmingham Small Arms Self-Loading Rifle. The symbol of 2 rifles arranged in a A formation on each bike) Donald Duck is a famous cartoon personality in the Disney World. What is his complete Name? (Dona...