Read Between the Ps

Marketing should have an ROI - or shouldn't it? An article from the recent publication of Harvard Business Review  (July 25th) by Amy Gallo highlights the right manner of driving the ROI from Marketing Investments. Though the article is largely generic, it does highlight the biggest challenge in calculating ROI from Marketing initiatives - what we should include in 'returns'! As per Amy, One of the downsides of marketing ROI is that it is easy to only recognize the incremental profits in short-term sales and underestimate the long-term benefits that marketing brings to brand value. While Customer Lifetime Value can rationally explain some part of ROI, overall this is still a tricky area to touch. On the other hand, Prof Byron Sharp does not believe in ROI for Marketing per se. According to him , Do you want to lift your marketing ROI OR grow your brand (share/sales)?  Because ROI is seldom a recipe for growth. or what he mentioned almost a year back , ...

Most men would have cribbed about the shopping obsession of the women in their lives (not just wives!). Men, who study consumers, (and not just their women) would describe this as 'retail therapy' - how you shop when you are stressed. Women shop when they are stressed. A student of CAT preparation would apply deductive reasoning or syllogisms on these statements and conclude that  Women are mostly stressed! (Wonder why is this not mentioned in any nuptial agreements!) That could be true. However, there probably is more to it. What is the secret behind this? Why do women (as well as men) shop when they are stressed? Shilpa Madan  has an interesting logic to address part of this quiz -  We earn moral credits by doing something interesting.  Mathematically speaking, when you earn moral credits, you spend them on supposedly 'immoral' activities or indulgence as it is called! So every time you do something good, you want to spend that on something you would n...

Every year this time, some strong force of energy pushes me to introspect about my passion for writing - as if part of me is still incomplete and it is high time that I do something beyond brooding to get it moving. Over the past few years, this introspection has entailed virtually one post reinforcing my commitment followed by few ramblings, followed by another resolve, and then few more ramblings, and so on, till the excitement tapers down. Just a simple plotting of posts over the past 12 years reflects my diminishing enthusiasm towards writing and expressing myself. Ironically, if I was to plot the number of books and deep articles I have read over these many years, it would just be the reverse pattern. As I wrote almost a year back... Lets Restart. For I am not done.  Not done to Let go of this passion of reading the world through my eyes  Not done to stop learning as I keep sharing - not to increase readers, but for the joy of sharing  Not done t...

Jonah Berger explains what it takes for ideas to be contagious in his bestseller of 2013. While there are some interesting use cases globally, India has its own share of small sucessess! Incidentally, the numbers in India favor the not so 'contagious' ideas as well, as little virality in limited circles also gives good enough numbers for marketers to drive 'promotions' (pun intended!).  While I won't go into the theory bit of it for now, there are some clear applications of the STEPPS (Social Currency, Triggers, Emotions, Public, Practical Value and Stories) framework in my recent readings! Here are some remarkable recent cases, which seem to be working – Surf Excel (Ramadan), Pepsi Pakistan What gets shared - Interestingly, two ads that struck a chord instantly are one from Pepsi   and the Surf Excel Ramadan ad that got viral on the social media -  Incidentally, if one were to go by the STEPPS framework, the former draws higher social currency ...

The fingers are indifferently dancing on the letters...the keyboard is double minded.....the eyes are reviewing dispassionately....as if all of them are staring at me questioning in unison.. Are you sure you are going to press the publish button today? Or is this going to stay like hundreds of those previous attempts that kept sitting in drafts till they became too archaic to publish, eventually succumbing to redundancy? Is this blog going to be another of those 'vegetative' ones? Not Yet! So - Maybe this doesn't make sense. Maybe this is out of turn. Maybe this is not worth a post at all. But its that tiny little itch that just made a hole and peeped out of the big black box called "busy life", inching its space out.....merely whispering that yes - I am inside, and am urging to come out. Yes, I have stories to tell and I have patterns to fill - and I am about to jump out. I will make some space soon, and I am putting my heart and soul to keep pushing - a...

Call it Gift Economy, "Pay it forward" or selfless, or just Social Impact - it has now been proven by Experts at Harvard also, that there is nothing more gratifying and nothing gives you more happiness than helping others and making them feel good! :) Though not sure of the connect with the brand, but would rate this high on the emotive appeal! :)

Legs are not an uncommon 'prop' to be used in advertising. Be it for epilators, skin creams, sports shoes and of course, erotic products.  Case in point is the series from Morphy Richards. Interesting Campaign by Morphy Richards on "Legs so beautiful" The campaign says, " Make the most of your legs with Morphy Richards Epilators, that gently remove your hair from the root leaving you with smooth and silky skin for long. Legs so beautiful that you just want to show them off"   In other parts of the world, Venus has also shown smooth legs. Not to mention few weird ones by Prestobarba as well. But Legs are not only used for selling epilators, but also skin creams as well as Shoes! Reetone campaign and Panasonic Glow are a proof of this.  Did you notice that in most of these campaigns, long legs are common..Do you know why? Well, firstly, legs are second most attractive part of a lady that men get most attracted to (any guesses what take...