Read Between the Ps

Have been consistently inconsistent in blogging for while now; Would it would take a New year’s Resolution for me to be back to this forum again? Maybe…Maybe not . A bit of extra time would be just fine :). Guess, this is where most of the blogs lead to. Too much of thought and too much of dreaming. But little on execution. Incidentally, this place will NOT be like most of the blogs, and I am pretty sure about it. However, till the time I get into proving that part of the practical and actionable side of my thoughts, there ARE some great leaders, some living legends who have done it, and done it with some perfect finesse. So much so that they are now honored with the “ World’s best thinkers ” Awards People who have made a difference, people who belong to an elite class of thinkers, people who not only have thought about themselves, but have oriented the entire world by providing an altogether new dimension to their thinking, people…..who are probably underrated by being called “ pe...

If someone told you to keep a vegetable shop open 24 by 7 next to the busy bypass roads of Delhi, without a soul to guard it, and a tray kept for collections, even having change inside for the convenience of the customers, would you be interested? :) In all probability, you would mock at the idea itself or discard it as pure rubbish! Well, Delhi might be an extreme case, but most parts of the country would never function with a business model, that is based on unmanned shops for purchases. Surprisingly, such a model IS functioning in India currently, in the state of Mizoram, on the Aizawl-Champhai Highway . And not only is it working, it is expanding and scaling up, too! Just found this nice piece in the Hindustan Times – Keeperless shops . Interesting read – an interesting business model in Rural India there! Read the article to gain an insight into this business. Why and how is it possible to run this model, considering that poverty and honest means are perceived to be too difficul...

Was browsing through New York Times , when an article struck me – a new way to get voters to vote – by offering them incentives! According to the article , votes are being promoted as “lottery tickets” in Arizona , wherein a voter could win a million dollars by voting. They would be given ballot-cum-lottery tickets, which would be used for lottery post-elections. One lucky winner would get a million dollars , and many others would get 1000 dollars each! Funding would be done by the unclaimed amount of lottery winnings (around $2.7 million! ). Promoting “ very high odds ” as the underlying theme, this sort of promotion would definitely attract attention from majority of the population, who would not mind a “ free shot ” at the lottery. Meanwhile, they just have to go and vote alongside! One could argue that this is not a correct way of pulling voters, and that " socially conscious ” voters do not need such financial incentives. However, there was some convincing logic provided ...

Could you think of resolving the sectarian divide between Hindus and Muslims during partition in India through media? Could you make people conscious of the implications of the divide and the rationality behind it? Unfortunately, that did not happen... Probably, the awareness levels were never there…. probably, the resources were never there… or worst, probably the will was never there. But, if anyone believed that advertising is not a solution to religious conflicts and is ineffective, he needs to reconsider, and have a look at a small organization which is present in a small country called Lebanon, but is doing something that would make a difference to the larger part of the world. In a country, where every faction of social structure is based on your background, where intra-group affinity and inter-group animosity seems to be rising, where reservation is present in all domains of the political, economic and legal environment , sectarianism seems to be pervasive. This system...

"Then, a consumer wonders…. Is there is any place where I would not be noticed?? " Advertisers are no longer satisfied with the media they have for Ad exposures – the traditional media is history . Outdoor media is no longer restricted to billboards and road signs. Globally, the trend is changing. A few examples.. In Shanghai, China , a giant ship carrying an LED advertising board patrols the Huangpu River in Shanghai. According to a news item , " the LED board is 30 meters long and 8 meters high, more than half the size of a standard basketball court. During the sail, the board will display various ads. Currently it is mainly showing public service announcements, but the company is looking to sell time to commercial enterprises. " The medium has got mixed reaction from the public, with shopkeepers finding the bright light uncomfortable in the evening, while tourists are awed by the scenery. However, Even though there are complaints by the troubled shopkeepers, l...

Been ages since I wrote something. Something or the other kept me occupied. Am sure generations of blog-tourists would have come and gone. Though I have enough to self-justify for this absence, there’s no point in harping over it since it seems to be irrelevant and out of context at the place! A few days back, I came across an interesting piece in Pune Times that covered a rising trend – a trend that has entailed an emerging psychographic segment for the Tourism Industry – a trend that would evolve and be reinforced with the changing consumer mindset and maturing economy – a trend of women preferring to travel “solo” as independent tourists ! According to the article “ Go Solo! ”, Indian women are beginning to explore the country and outside on their own, in their own ways, on their own terms! “ TILL some time back single women exploring the world on their own was a rare thing. In a country like ours where holidaying with the family is a norm, traveling for pleasure was not somethin...