Manage- Mentally 4

You have come a long way, babe.

(I write this article looking at the number of high incidence of female births in this generation. I have 2 nieces and most of my friends are now proud parents to baby girls… hmmm… looks like it is going to be Women Power in the future)


Circa 3345 AI (AI – Stands for After Internet; ‘inspired’ by Aldus Huxley – AF: After Ford)

Mumbai, India: It is almost midnight and there are a few men hurrying to reach home. A few drunken women walk out of the bar laughing aloud. The men hurry faster towards the tube to catch the next local. The ‘Newspods’ -(no jokes here – I’m sure that in the future the news will be transmitted to you every day/hour to your newspods, which can be Wi-Fi connected to your computer, TV, Audio, or special LCD screens - the size and weight of an ordinary newspaper – Author) daily carry news about the male abuses submitted upon the meeker sex.

London: 18 men have been arrested and put behind bars for 1 year. Their crime – had been masturbating secretly. UK has strict laws with regard to wastage of sperms as their male population is scarce. All the eligible men are fitted with micro-analyzers that transmit their ejaculation status. UK, unlike its other European counterparts do not believe in technological advancements in reproduction, and still relies on POTS (no, no,… it does not stand for Plain Old Telephone System; but, Plain Old Tedious Sex)

New York: 6 women are killed and 10 injured in a deadly gang war. Police say that the fight erupted between the 2 groups after when one member of the group tried to molest the brother of a member of the other girls group.

L'Institut d'Habilitation Féminine, Paris: The scientists are on a breakthrough research. They are finding a way of changing the reproduction mechanism in a female. Anthropoids usually reproduce by intercourse. Now the scientists are working to change the sexual metabolism so that females can reproduce without any physical intercourse. Though there is ban against such research, a lot of Women Organizations across the world secretly fund it.

Tokyo, Japan: Expectant parents are now paying extra monies at private clinics to have their children’s sex changed, while in the fetus stage. This has become a big time business in Japan and other far-east countries.

Kinshasa, DR Congo: Africa, the last bastion of Male dominance. Due to regress in development and technology, for many years there were female feticides. Today, Africa has become the ‘out-sourcing’ capital for sperms. Almost 40% of world’s sperm demands are met by African countries. You can say that the men here are ‘milked’ out properly, and ‘call-boys’ have to work pretty late into the night (no pun intended to any Outsourcers).
Indian Television:

Some of the famous soap operas in this century are:

ZDK: Zindagi Damaad Ki (Life of a Son-in-Law)
KSBKDT: Kyonki Sasur bhi kabhi Damaad Tha (..because, Father-in-law was also a Son-in-law)
The Meek and The Handsome
Zeda – The Warrior Prince, et al


The movies are multi starred – with handsome hunks being wooed by bold and deadly females. A typical storyline of a Bollywood movie is – 2 females separated at birth; one grows up to become a cop and the other a gangster. They both love the same guy, and they get together to kill the villain (of course, a female), and in the process the bad girl is killed and the good girl gets the guy…. We some stories work on the simple philosophy of ctrl C, ctrl V, ctrl H, etc… (Guys familiar with MS Word will understand)

However, there are some things the will remain unchanged – A female still will cry for no reason. They still will talk and talk for hours before they get to the point. And they still like guys getting them roses. AND GUYS STILL KEEP THINKING ABOUT SEX.

Truly, you have come a long way, babe… but some things rarely change.


- The End.

Manage- Mentally 4

You have come a long way, babe.

(I write this article looking at the number of high incidence of female births in this generation. I have 2 nieces and most of my friends are now proud parents to baby girls… hmmm… looks like it is going to be Women Power in the future)


Circa 3345 AI (AI – Stands for After Internet; ‘inspired’ by Aldus Huxley – AF: After Ford)

Mumbai, India: It is almost midnight and there are a few men hurrying to reach home. A few drunken women walk out of the bar laughing aloud. The men hurry faster towards the tube to catch the next local. The ‘Newspods’ -(no jokes here – I’m sure that in the future the news will be transmitted to you every day/hour to your newspods, which can be Wi-Fi connected to your computer, TV, Audio, or special LCD screens - the size and weight of an ordinary newspaper – Author) daily carry news about the male abuses submitted upon the meeker sex.

London: 18 men have been arrested and put behind bars for 1 year. Their crime – had been masturbating secretly. UK has strict laws with regard to wastage of sperms as their male population is scarce. All the eligible men are fitted with micro-analyzers that transmit their ejaculation status. UK, unlike its other European counterparts do not believe in technological advancements in reproduction, and still relies on POTS (no, no,… it does not stand for Plain Old Telephone System; but, Plain Old Tedious Sex)

New York: 6 women are killed and 10 injured in a deadly gang war. Police say that the fight erupted between the 2 groups after when one member of the group tried to molest the brother of a member of the other girls group.

L'Institut d'Habilitation Féminine, Paris: The scientists are on a breakthrough research. They are finding a way of changing the reproduction mechanism in a female. Anthropoids usually reproduce by intercourse. Now the scientists are working to change the sexual metabolism so that females can reproduce without any physical intercourse. Though there is ban against such research, a lot of Women Organizations across the world secretly fund it.

Tokyo, Japan: Expectant parents are now paying extra monies at private clinics to have their children’s sex changed, while in the fetus stage. This has become a big time business in Japan and other far-east countries.

Kinshasa, DR Congo: Africa, the last bastion of Male dominance. Due to regress in development and technology, for many years there were female feticides. Today, Africa has become the ‘out-sourcing’ capital for sperms. Almost 40% of world’s sperm demands are met by African countries. You can say that the men here are ‘milked’ out properly, and ‘call-boys’ have to work pretty late into the night (no pun intended to any Outsourcers).
Indian Television:

Some of the famous soap operas in this century are:

ZDK: Zindagi Damaad Ki (Life of a Son-in-Law)
KSBKDT: Kyonki Sasur bhi kabhi Damaad Tha (..because, Father-in-law was also a Son-in-law)
The Meek and The Handsome
Zeda – The Warrior Prince, et al


The movies are multi starred – with handsome hunks being wooed by bold and deadly females. A typical storyline of a Bollywood movie is – 2 females separated at birth; one grows up to become a cop and the other a gangster. They both love the same guy, and they get together to kill the villain (of course, a female), and in the process the bad girl is killed and the good girl gets the guy…. We some stories work on the simple philosophy of ctrl C, ctrl V, ctrl H, etc… (Guys familiar with MS Word will understand)

However, there are some things the will remain unchanged – A female still will cry for no reason. They still will talk and talk for hours before they get to the point. And they still like guys getting them roses. AND GUYS STILL KEEP THINKING ABOUT SEX.

Truly, you have come a long way, babe… but some things rarely change.


- The End.

Manage- Mentally 4

You have come a long way, babe.

(I write this article looking at the number of high incidence of female births in this generation. I have 2 nieces and most of my friends are now proud parents to baby girls… hmmm… looks like it is going to be Women Power in the future)


Circa 3345 AI (AI – Stands for After Internet; ‘inspired’ by Aldus Huxley – AF: After Ford)

Mumbai, India: It is almost midnight and there are a few men hurrying to reach home. A few drunken women walk out of the bar laughing aloud. The men hurry faster towards the tube to catch the next local. The ‘Newspods’ -(no jokes here – I’m sure that in the future the news will be transmitted to you every day/hour to your newspods, which can be Wi-Fi connected to your computer, TV, Audio, or special LCD screens - the size and weight of an ordinary newspaper – Author) daily carry news about the male abuses submitted upon the meeker sex.

London: 18 men have been arrested and put behind bars for 1 year. Their crime – had been masturbating secretly. UK has strict laws with regard to wastage of sperms as their male population is scarce. All the eligible men are fitted with micro-analyzers that transmit their ejaculation status. UK, unlike its other European counterparts do not believe in technological advancements in reproduction, and still relies on POTS (no, no,… it does not stand for Plain Old Telephone System; but, Plain Old Tedious Sex)

New York: 6 women are killed and 10 injured in a deadly gang war. Police say that the fight erupted between the 2 groups after when one member of the group tried to molest the brother of a member of the other girls group.

L'Institut d'Habilitation Féminine, Paris: The scientists are on a breakthrough research. They are finding a way of changing the reproduction mechanism in a female. Anthropoids usually reproduce by intercourse. Now the scientists are working to change the sexual metabolism so that females can reproduce without any physical intercourse. Though there is ban against such research, a lot of Women Organizations across the world secretly fund it.

Tokyo, Japan: Expectant parents are now paying extra monies at private clinics to have their children’s sex changed, while in the fetus stage. This has become a big time business in Japan and other far-east countries.

Kinshasa, DR Congo: Africa, the last bastion of Male dominance. Due to regress in development and technology, for many years there were female feticides. Today, Africa has become the ‘out-sourcing’ capital for sperms. Almost 40% of world’s sperm demands are met by African countries. You can say that the men here are ‘milked’ out properly, and ‘call-boys’ have to work pretty late into the night (no pun intended to any Outsourcers).
Indian Television:

Some of the famous soap operas in this century are:

ZDK: Zindagi Damaad Ki (Life of a Son-in-Law)
KSBKDT: Kyonki Sasur bhi kabhi Damaad Tha (..because, Father-in-law was also a Son-in-law)
The Meek and The Handsome
Zeda – The Warrior Prince, et al


The movies are multi starred – with handsome hunks being wooed by bold and deadly females. A typical storyline of a Bollywood movie is – 2 females separated at birth; one grows up to become a cop and the other a gangster. They both love the same guy, and they get together to kill the villain (of course, a female), and in the process the bad girl is killed and the good girl gets the guy…. We some stories work on the simple philosophy of ctrl C, ctrl V, ctrl H, etc… (Guys familiar with MS Word will understand)

However, there are some things the will remain unchanged – A female still will cry for no reason. They still will talk and talk for hours before they get to the point. And they still like guys getting them roses. AND GUYS STILL KEEP THINKING ABOUT SEX.

Truly, you have come a long way, babe… but some things rarely change.


- The End.

Management- Ally: 3

The Art of being Invisible


Would you like to be invisible? And if yes, for how long? Hours, days, weeks, months, or for years?? Well, most of us love to be invisible for a short period, especially when you haven’t finished that important project your boss gave last week and he is giving you a blasting.

Or maybe for a few hours to take a peek into the ladies toilet at the office to take a ‘closer’ look at what your female colleagues has inside.

Or maybe for a few days to be in the bedroom of Mallika Sherwat, or maybe Aishwarya Rai…

For past few days I was wondering, if I were to be invisible, how long would be enough for me, and what I need to do during that period… thinking further about it, I realized that I AM INVISIBLE, whenever and wherever it mattered.

School Years:

All that matters during your schooling years is the Report Card. The monthly unit tests, the quarterly, half yearly and the annual examinations. Other things that mattered were the remarks of your teachers, and of course, not to forget - the sports and the dramatics.

If today, I were to go back to my old school, I am sure none of my teachers might remember me, and if they do… it would be because, I ‘knocked’ down the wig of Mr. Philip, our science teacher during a basketball match. Or maybe as the guy who put ‘chewing gum’ in Ms. Cecilia Prasad’s chair.

If you ask me, except for a few classmates who considered me a friend (esp. Manish, Kiran, Rajesh (hope he remembers me), and a few others) others would hardly remember me…

But in school, what mattered were not friends… but reality. And the reality was the report card - a judgment paper. The day I used to get it, I wished I was invisible, I wished I was invisible when I went home to face other reality – the stick or belt, which ever came first in my father’s hand. And trust me – Reality does not bite. IT HURTS.

College Years:

For a student, who spent more time in the college cafeterias, movie halls, and the beach, I was the ideal Invisible to ALL my lecturers and professors. A motley group of friends who helped me in identifying the ‘pleasures’ of college life, and who taught me that college days are not meant for preparing for IITs or Engineering Colleges, but how to open a beer bottle with your teeth and how to blow cigarette smoke rings. I for my teachers I was Roll No. 814 – Absent.

Most importantly, and unknowingly, I was learning in my college years – the art of remaining invisible. Especially, when you had in your group, friends who got into fights for none and every reason. I also learnt how to slip into and from the house without disturbing my parents, and go out for late night drinking binges. I also learnt that you need to be invisible throughout your college days, for if your lecturers come to know about you, then you lose marks at the “Practicals”. You also learn that to pass your final year examinations you need to either have a sharp memory or all of these –

1. Good at signature forgery or know someone good at it
2. Money to be paid to office employees for your attendance register
3. sharp eye – so that you can copy from your neighbor, or copy from ‘slips’
4. and most importantly remain INVISIBLE when you do any or all of the above

Yes, I was Invisible during my college years.

Work Years:

A senior colleague of mine – Suresh, at my first job in The Hindu, told me once – “If you are a tree you might get chopped, and if you are grass you are trampled.” Sums up my idea of being invisible in the organization.

The ancient Chinese Zen Masters talk about invisibility in their own confusing way. Sun Tzu in his book “The Art of War” speaks about – An army is to be seen, and yet remain unseen. They talk about a balance of emptiness and fullness – which I can sum up as to be invisible and visible.

When you are employed in any organization and working away from the corporate office, you are usually invisible. You wish that you do something BIG and great and come to the notice of the top management… but realize the futility, because your immediate boss is there to take the credit. Same were the situations with me… and I remained invisible.

When I got an opportunity to work in the corporate office, I was elated. At last I was getting a chance to be visible. Few months at the corporate office, like the Dilbert character, I wished I was invisible.

The Identity Johari Window:

.

From the window you realize that 50% of the chance you are invisible. And if you are known to others but unknown to yourself (grey area) you are considered a lunatic… so there is 25% chance that you are Visible, the way you want to be seen.

What I realize is that in most of the big organization, the top management work under ‘zero – visibility’. The rely more on the radar senses which they get from their immediate group.

Invisibility, like Management, is neither an art nor science… it is a combination of both. As the shroud of invisibility is slipping away from my body… I realize that everyone is invisible at some point of time in their life. Sometimes you are MADE invisible by others, and sometimes you MAKE yourself invisible. Your visibility is limited to your ‘sphere of influence’… (A subject I might discuss in another MANAGEMENTALLY topic)

Whether you like it or not, invisibility will be a part of your life… maybe for a few minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years. And remember God is invisible.

Management- Ally: 3

The Art of being Invisible


Would you like to be invisible? And if yes, for how long? Hours, days, weeks, months, or for years?? Well, most of us love to be invisible for a short period, especially when you haven’t finished that important project your boss gave last week and he is giving you a blasting.

Or maybe for a few hours to take a peek into the ladies toilet at the office to take a ‘closer’ look at what your female colleagues has inside.

Or maybe for a few days to be in the bedroom of Mallika Sherwat, or maybe Aishwarya Rai…

For past few days I was wondering, if I were to be invisible, how long would be enough for me, and what I need to do during that period… thinking further about it, I realized that I AM INVISIBLE, whenever and wherever it mattered.

School Years:

All that matters during your schooling years is the Report Card. The monthly unit tests, the quarterly, half yearly and the annual examinations. Other things that mattered were the remarks of your teachers, and of course, not to forget - the sports and the dramatics.

If today, I were to go back to my old school, I am sure none of my teachers might remember me, and if they do… it would be because, I ‘knocked’ down the wig of Mr. Philip, our science teacher during a basketball match. Or maybe as the guy who put ‘chewing gum’ in Ms. Cecilia Prasad’s chair.

If you ask me, except for a few classmates who considered me a friend (esp. Manish, Kiran, Rajesh (hope he remembers me), and a few others) others would hardly remember me…

But in school, what mattered were not friends… but reality. And the reality was the report card - a judgment paper. The day I used to get it, I wished I was invisible, I wished I was invisible when I went home to face other reality – the stick or belt, which ever came first in my father’s hand. And trust me – Reality does not bite. IT HURTS.

College Years:

For a student, who spent more time in the college cafeterias, movie halls, and the beach, I was the ideal Invisible to ALL my lecturers and professors. A motley group of friends who helped me in identifying the ‘pleasures’ of college life, and who taught me that college days are not meant for preparing for IITs or Engineering Colleges, but how to open a beer bottle with your teeth and how to blow cigarette smoke rings. I for my teachers I was Roll No. 814 – Absent.

Most importantly, and unknowingly, I was learning in my college years – the art of remaining invisible. Especially, when you had in your group, friends who got into fights for none and every reason. I also learnt how to slip into and from the house without disturbing my parents, and go out for late night drinking binges. I also learnt that you need to be invisible throughout your college days, for if your lecturers come to know about you, then you lose marks at the “Practicals”. You also learn that to pass your final year examinations you need to either have a sharp memory or all of these –

1. Good at signature forgery or know someone good at it
2. Money to be paid to office employees for your attendance register
3. sharp eye – so that you can copy from your neighbor, or copy from ‘slips’
4. and most importantly remain INVISIBLE when you do any or all of the above

Yes, I was Invisible during my college years.

Work Years:

A senior colleague of mine – Suresh, at my first job in The Hindu, told me once – “If you are a tree you might get chopped, and if you are grass you are trampled.” Sums up my idea of being invisible in the organization.

The ancient Chinese Zen Masters talk about invisibility in their own confusing way. Sun Tzu in his book “The Art of War” speaks about – An army is to be seen, and yet remain unseen. They talk about a balance of emptiness and fullness – which I can sum up as to be invisible and visible.

When you are employed in any organization and working away from the corporate office, you are usually invisible. You wish that you do something BIG and great and come to the notice of the top management… but realize the futility, because your immediate boss is there to take the credit. Same were the situations with me… and I remained invisible.

When I got an opportunity to work in the corporate office, I was elated. At last I was getting a chance to be visible. Few months at the corporate office, like the Dilbert character, I wished I was invisible.

The Identity Johari Window:

.

From the window you realize that 50% of the chance you are invisible. And if you are known to others but unknown to yourself (grey area) you are considered a lunatic… so there is 25% chance that you are Visible, the way you want to be seen.

What I realize is that in most of the big organization, the top management work under ‘zero – visibility’. The rely more on the radar senses which they get from their immediate group.

Invisibility, like Management, is neither an art nor science… it is a combination of both. As the shroud of invisibility is slipping away from my body… I realize that everyone is invisible at some point of time in their life. Sometimes you are MADE invisible by others, and sometimes you MAKE yourself invisible. Your visibility is limited to your ‘sphere of influence’… (A subject I might discuss in another MANAGEMENTALLY topic)

Whether you like it or not, invisibility will be a part of your life… maybe for a few minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years. And remember God is invisible.

Management- Ally: 3

The Art of being Invisible


Would you like to be invisible? And if yes, for how long? Hours, days, weeks, months, or for years?? Well, most of us love to be invisible for a short period, especially when you haven’t finished that important project your boss gave last week and he is giving you a blasting.

Or maybe for a few hours to take a peek into the ladies toilet at the office to take a ‘closer’ look at what your female colleagues has inside.

Or maybe for a few days to be in the bedroom of Mallika Sherwat, or maybe Aishwarya Rai…

For past few days I was wondering, if I were to be invisible, how long would be enough for me, and what I need to do during that period… thinking further about it, I realized that I AM INVISIBLE, whenever and wherever it mattered.

School Years:

All that matters during your schooling years is the Report Card. The monthly unit tests, the quarterly, half yearly and the annual examinations. Other things that mattered were the remarks of your teachers, and of course, not to forget - the sports and the dramatics.

If today, I were to go back to my old school, I am sure none of my teachers might remember me, and if they do… it would be because, I ‘knocked’ down the wig of Mr. Philip, our science teacher during a basketball match. Or maybe as the guy who put ‘chewing gum’ in Ms. Cecilia Prasad’s chair.

If you ask me, except for a few classmates who considered me a friend (esp. Manish, Kiran, Rajesh (hope he remembers me), and a few others) others would hardly remember me…

But in school, what mattered were not friends… but reality. And the reality was the report card - a judgment paper. The day I used to get it, I wished I was invisible, I wished I was invisible when I went home to face other reality – the stick or belt, which ever came first in my father’s hand. And trust me – Reality does not bite. IT HURTS.

College Years:

For a student, who spent more time in the college cafeterias, movie halls, and the beach, I was the ideal Invisible to ALL my lecturers and professors. A motley group of friends who helped me in identifying the ‘pleasures’ of college life, and who taught me that college days are not meant for preparing for IITs or Engineering Colleges, but how to open a beer bottle with your teeth and how to blow cigarette smoke rings. I for my teachers I was Roll No. 814 – Absent.

Most importantly, and unknowingly, I was learning in my college years – the art of remaining invisible. Especially, when you had in your group, friends who got into fights for none and every reason. I also learnt how to slip into and from the house without disturbing my parents, and go out for late night drinking binges. I also learnt that you need to be invisible throughout your college days, for if your lecturers come to know about you, then you lose marks at the “Practicals”. You also learn that to pass your final year examinations you need to either have a sharp memory or all of these –

1. Good at signature forgery or know someone good at it
2. Money to be paid to office employees for your attendance register
3. sharp eye – so that you can copy from your neighbor, or copy from ‘slips’
4. and most importantly remain INVISIBLE when you do any or all of the above

Yes, I was Invisible during my college years.

Work Years:

A senior colleague of mine – Suresh, at my first job in The Hindu, told me once – “If you are a tree you might get chopped, and if you are grass you are trampled.” Sums up my idea of being invisible in the organization.

The ancient Chinese Zen Masters talk about invisibility in their own confusing way. Sun Tzu in his book “The Art of War” speaks about – An army is to be seen, and yet remain unseen. They talk about a balance of emptiness and fullness – which I can sum up as to be invisible and visible.

When you are employed in any organization and working away from the corporate office, you are usually invisible. You wish that you do something BIG and great and come to the notice of the top management… but realize the futility, because your immediate boss is there to take the credit. Same were the situations with me… and I remained invisible.

When I got an opportunity to work in the corporate office, I was elated. At last I was getting a chance to be visible. Few months at the corporate office, like the Dilbert character, I wished I was invisible.

The Identity Johari Window:

.

From the window you realize that 50% of the chance you are invisible. And if you are known to others but unknown to yourself (grey area) you are considered a lunatic… so there is 25% chance that you are Visible, the way you want to be seen.

What I realize is that in most of the big organization, the top management work under ‘zero – visibility’. The rely more on the radar senses which they get from their immediate group.

Invisibility, like Management, is neither an art nor science… it is a combination of both. As the shroud of invisibility is slipping away from my body… I realize that everyone is invisible at some point of time in their life. Sometimes you are MADE invisible by others, and sometimes you MAKE yourself invisible. Your visibility is limited to your ‘sphere of influence’… (A subject I might discuss in another MANAGEMENTALLY topic)

Whether you like it or not, invisibility will be a part of your life… maybe for a few minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years. And remember God is invisible.

The relevance of being different

BRANDS and, if one may add, branding, are creating a buzz not only in the market place but in media as well. A far cry from the days when people had difficulty in pronouncing the word, leave alone understanding the concept.
Today, there are seminars on branding, columns in the business press on the subject, and television programmes airing the views of experts, not to forget three credit courses on branding in every management institute in the country. A variety of definitions of branding are doing the rounds — from the exotic to the functional.

So where lies the importance of a brand?

According to Fortune Magazine (in 1977), "In the twenty-first century, branding will ultimately be the only differentiator between companies. Brand equity is now a key asset." This prediction has considerable merit and highlights "equity," which is really what everyone who is concerned with brand management is attempting to maximise all the time. While on the subject, it would be valuable to understand what makes brands successful.

The relevance of being different

Today, brands live in a world of extreme and unprincipled competition. Every category is crowded. Every channel and newspaper is cluttered. The brands that are successful are relevant and therefore, different. Relevant to consumers and different from the competition. The question is how does one differentiate? Sadly, it appears easier to put it up in lofty (and similar sounding) mission statements than to actually practise it.

Think about it. How different is your brand? If you try and answer the question honestly you will find that unless you are one of the fortunate few, it is well nigh impossible to be different from the welter of competing brands in your category.

Think different

Apple, the original Silicon Valley company, is a wonderful example of a company that "think(s) different." The tagline was not a mere advertising slogan but a guiding philosophy. And that is certainly worth remembering.

Brands must have a raison d'etre. And the essence of the brand has to permeate every thought, strategy and action concerning the brand. Apple's guiding principle of "thinking different" results in products that are different — whether it is coloured monitors or iPods. Starbucks makes a difference to the average American's life. And the difference comes from the philosophy. Charles Schultz, the founder, wanted his retail chain to fill a gap in consumer's lives. He realised that the average American had two important places in his life — his home and his place of work. He was confident that his retail outlets could be "the third place" in the average American's life. The rest, as they say, is history. So, the inference is simple for aspiring brand managers and owners. Start right. Get the brand's essence right. And you will see and make a difference, to the one person who really matters — the consumer.

Be different

There are several elements to any brand — name, packaging, identity, shape, touch and feel of it, the colours associated with the brand, its positioning and so on. At the risk of sounding obvious, one must still say that crucial to brand success is a strong product/service. A very significant element of the brand, though, is clearly the name.

Does the name stand out? Clearly an Apple in computers or an Orange in mobile services will stand out. And yet it is important to bear one fact in mind. If the name cues the category (Airtel, for example) that's fine, but if it doesn't, there must be a communication on what the name stands for. There is a cost to this. And yet one would like to believe that it is an investment that we are talking about.

The packaging can be another point of difference. Sadly, packaging does not get the attention it deserves. Advertising can be glamorous, creative and fun. So it gets senior management attention and involvement. Packaging in real life is often enough relegated to junior management. This is probably why packaging revolutions like the sachet, which brands like Velvette (initially) and Chik (later) exploited are relatively few and far between. The packaging of brands such as Absolut Vodka or Harpic comes to mind. Speaking of Absolut, one must mention its advertising appeal, but that would merit an entire column and not a mere passing mention. Related perhaps is the product form. Toblerone, for example. I should be the last person to speak about chocolates (people my age are better off ignoring the entire category) and yet Toblerone's shape makes it different enough to capture my interest and even be a temptation.

Look! It's different

Symbols engage intelligence, imagination, emotion, in a way that no other learning does. The logos of a few brands clearly beat the clutter, because they are different, in styling, look, feel and colour. While no two people seem to agree on their favourite colour, most people are in agreement with the need to give their brands a distinctive identity. Brands like Pizza Hut, Citibank, Shell, Chase and IBM come to mind. Whether it is "Big Blue's" Venetian blinds or Citibank's distinctive colours or Coke's vibrant red, they have one thing in common: they are distinctly different.

Brands try to own colours. Coke tries to own the colour red, Pepsi the colour blue. As the wag said, "Just whisper the word blue and the Coke guy will see red... . And if you whisper the word red, the Pepsi guy will go blue in the face. The Nike swoosh is so distinctive that you don't even need the brand name.

The question, therefore, is how distinctive is your brand's identity?

Think Small

Brands are built by advertising. And what better example can one think of than Volkswagen, the original small car? A German car in post-war America! A midget in a land of giants! Crucial to brand success is advertising that stands out. Not for nothing was the Volkswagen ad voted as the best ad of the last century.

Not far behind is the campaign for Avis, the car rental company that "tried harder because it was No. 2." Very often brands suffer because their positioning is fuzzy, resulting in hazy advertising that leaves consumers cold. Lazy strategies will not deliver. Focus on differences. Be the coolest one if you must, but for God's sake, be something.

So what is your difference? Can you create one if you don't have it naturally? But very often the fault lies not in our brand but in ourselves. We are too easily satisfied with the status quo. We don't rock the boat. We accept mediocrity. We breed more of the same. The future is in creating successful brands. Quickly. And while we have many successful examples behind us they are nothing compared to what lies ahead of us.

The time to be different is now.

Ramanujam Sridhar
(The author is CEO of brand-comm.)

The relevance of being different

BRANDS and, if one may add, branding, are creating a buzz not only in the market place but in media as well. A far cry from the days when people had difficulty in pronouncing the word, leave alone understanding the concept.
Today, there are seminars on branding, columns in the business press on the subject, and television programmes airing the views of experts, not to forget three credit courses on branding in every management institute in the country. A variety of definitions of branding are doing the rounds — from the exotic to the functional.

So where lies the importance of a brand?

According to Fortune Magazine (in 1977), "In the twenty-first century, branding will ultimately be the only differentiator between companies. Brand equity is now a key asset." This prediction has considerable merit and highlights "equity," which is really what everyone who is concerned with brand management is attempting to maximise all the time. While on the subject, it would be valuable to understand what makes brands successful.

The relevance of being different

Today, brands live in a world of extreme and unprincipled competition. Every category is crowded. Every channel and newspaper is cluttered. The brands that are successful are relevant and therefore, different. Relevant to consumers and different from the competition. The question is how does one differentiate? Sadly, it appears easier to put it up in lofty (and similar sounding) mission statements than to actually practise it.

Think about it. How different is your brand? If you try and answer the question honestly you will find that unless you are one of the fortunate few, it is well nigh impossible to be different from the welter of competing brands in your category.

Think different

Apple, the original Silicon Valley company, is a wonderful example of a company that "think(s) different." The tagline was not a mere advertising slogan but a guiding philosophy. And that is certainly worth remembering.

Brands must have a raison d'etre. And the essence of the brand has to permeate every thought, strategy and action concerning the brand. Apple's guiding principle of "thinking different" results in products that are different — whether it is coloured monitors or iPods. Starbucks makes a difference to the average American's life. And the difference comes from the philosophy. Charles Schultz, the founder, wanted his retail chain to fill a gap in consumer's lives. He realised that the average American had two important places in his life — his home and his place of work. He was confident that his retail outlets could be "the third place" in the average American's life. The rest, as they say, is history. So, the inference is simple for aspiring brand managers and owners. Start right. Get the brand's essence right. And you will see and make a difference, to the one person who really matters — the consumer.

Be different

There are several elements to any brand — name, packaging, identity, shape, touch and feel of it, the colours associated with the brand, its positioning and so on. At the risk of sounding obvious, one must still say that crucial to brand success is a strong product/service. A very significant element of the brand, though, is clearly the name.

Does the name stand out? Clearly an Apple in computers or an Orange in mobile services will stand out. And yet it is important to bear one fact in mind. If the name cues the category (Airtel, for example) that's fine, but if it doesn't, there must be a communication on what the name stands for. There is a cost to this. And yet one would like to believe that it is an investment that we are talking about.

The packaging can be another point of difference. Sadly, packaging does not get the attention it deserves. Advertising can be glamorous, creative and fun. So it gets senior management attention and involvement. Packaging in real life is often enough relegated to junior management. This is probably why packaging revolutions like the sachet, which brands like Velvette (initially) and Chik (later) exploited are relatively few and far between. The packaging of brands such as Absolut Vodka or Harpic comes to mind. Speaking of Absolut, one must mention its advertising appeal, but that would merit an entire column and not a mere passing mention. Related perhaps is the product form. Toblerone, for example. I should be the last person to speak about chocolates (people my age are better off ignoring the entire category) and yet Toblerone's shape makes it different enough to capture my interest and even be a temptation.

Look! It's different

Symbols engage intelligence, imagination, emotion, in a way that no other learning does. The logos of a few brands clearly beat the clutter, because they are different, in styling, look, feel and colour. While no two people seem to agree on their favourite colour, most people are in agreement with the need to give their brands a distinctive identity. Brands like Pizza Hut, Citibank, Shell, Chase and IBM come to mind. Whether it is "Big Blue's" Venetian blinds or Citibank's distinctive colours or Coke's vibrant red, they have one thing in common: they are distinctly different.

Brands try to own colours. Coke tries to own the colour red, Pepsi the colour blue. As the wag said, "Just whisper the word blue and the Coke guy will see red... . And if you whisper the word red, the Pepsi guy will go blue in the face. The Nike swoosh is so distinctive that you don't even need the brand name.

The question, therefore, is how distinctive is your brand's identity?

Think Small

Brands are built by advertising. And what better example can one think of than Volkswagen, the original small car? A German car in post-war America! A midget in a land of giants! Crucial to brand success is advertising that stands out. Not for nothing was the Volkswagen ad voted as the best ad of the last century.

Not far behind is the campaign for Avis, the car rental company that "tried harder because it was No. 2." Very often brands suffer because their positioning is fuzzy, resulting in hazy advertising that leaves consumers cold. Lazy strategies will not deliver. Focus on differences. Be the coolest one if you must, but for God's sake, be something.

So what is your difference? Can you create one if you don't have it naturally? But very often the fault lies not in our brand but in ourselves. We are too easily satisfied with the status quo. We don't rock the boat. We accept mediocrity. We breed more of the same. The future is in creating successful brands. Quickly. And while we have many successful examples behind us they are nothing compared to what lies ahead of us.

The time to be different is now.

Ramanujam Sridhar
(The author is CEO of brand-comm.)

The relevance of being different

BRANDS and, if one may add, branding, are creating a buzz not only in the market place but in media as well. A far cry from the days when people had difficulty in pronouncing the word, leave alone understanding the concept.
Today, there are seminars on branding, columns in the business press on the subject, and television programmes airing the views of experts, not to forget three credit courses on branding in every management institute in the country. A variety of definitions of branding are doing the rounds — from the exotic to the functional.

So where lies the importance of a brand?

According to Fortune Magazine (in 1977), "In the twenty-first century, branding will ultimately be the only differentiator between companies. Brand equity is now a key asset." This prediction has considerable merit and highlights "equity," which is really what everyone who is concerned with brand management is attempting to maximise all the time. While on the subject, it would be valuable to understand what makes brands successful.

The relevance of being different

Today, brands live in a world of extreme and unprincipled competition. Every category is crowded. Every channel and newspaper is cluttered. The brands that are successful are relevant and therefore, different. Relevant to consumers and different from the competition. The question is how does one differentiate? Sadly, it appears easier to put it up in lofty (and similar sounding) mission statements than to actually practise it.

Think about it. How different is your brand? If you try and answer the question honestly you will find that unless you are one of the fortunate few, it is well nigh impossible to be different from the welter of competing brands in your category.

Think different

Apple, the original Silicon Valley company, is a wonderful example of a company that "think(s) different." The tagline was not a mere advertising slogan but a guiding philosophy. And that is certainly worth remembering.

Brands must have a raison d'etre. And the essence of the brand has to permeate every thought, strategy and action concerning the brand. Apple's guiding principle of "thinking different" results in products that are different — whether it is coloured monitors or iPods. Starbucks makes a difference to the average American's life. And the difference comes from the philosophy. Charles Schultz, the founder, wanted his retail chain to fill a gap in consumer's lives. He realised that the average American had two important places in his life — his home and his place of work. He was confident that his retail outlets could be "the third place" in the average American's life. The rest, as they say, is history. So, the inference is simple for aspiring brand managers and owners. Start right. Get the brand's essence right. And you will see and make a difference, to the one person who really matters — the consumer.

Be different

There are several elements to any brand — name, packaging, identity, shape, touch and feel of it, the colours associated with the brand, its positioning and so on. At the risk of sounding obvious, one must still say that crucial to brand success is a strong product/service. A very significant element of the brand, though, is clearly the name.

Does the name stand out? Clearly an Apple in computers or an Orange in mobile services will stand out. And yet it is important to bear one fact in mind. If the name cues the category (Airtel, for example) that's fine, but if it doesn't, there must be a communication on what the name stands for. There is a cost to this. And yet one would like to believe that it is an investment that we are talking about.

The packaging can be another point of difference. Sadly, packaging does not get the attention it deserves. Advertising can be glamorous, creative and fun. So it gets senior management attention and involvement. Packaging in real life is often enough relegated to junior management. This is probably why packaging revolutions like the sachet, which brands like Velvette (initially) and Chik (later) exploited are relatively few and far between. The packaging of brands such as Absolut Vodka or Harpic comes to mind. Speaking of Absolut, one must mention its advertising appeal, but that would merit an entire column and not a mere passing mention. Related perhaps is the product form. Toblerone, for example. I should be the last person to speak about chocolates (people my age are better off ignoring the entire category) and yet Toblerone's shape makes it different enough to capture my interest and even be a temptation.

Look! It's different

Symbols engage intelligence, imagination, emotion, in a way that no other learning does. The logos of a few brands clearly beat the clutter, because they are different, in styling, look, feel and colour. While no two people seem to agree on their favourite colour, most people are in agreement with the need to give their brands a distinctive identity. Brands like Pizza Hut, Citibank, Shell, Chase and IBM come to mind. Whether it is "Big Blue's" Venetian blinds or Citibank's distinctive colours or Coke's vibrant red, they have one thing in common: they are distinctly different.

Brands try to own colours. Coke tries to own the colour red, Pepsi the colour blue. As the wag said, "Just whisper the word blue and the Coke guy will see red... . And if you whisper the word red, the Pepsi guy will go blue in the face. The Nike swoosh is so distinctive that you don't even need the brand name.

The question, therefore, is how distinctive is your brand's identity?

Think Small

Brands are built by advertising. And what better example can one think of than Volkswagen, the original small car? A German car in post-war America! A midget in a land of giants! Crucial to brand success is advertising that stands out. Not for nothing was the Volkswagen ad voted as the best ad of the last century.

Not far behind is the campaign for Avis, the car rental company that "tried harder because it was No. 2." Very often brands suffer because their positioning is fuzzy, resulting in hazy advertising that leaves consumers cold. Lazy strategies will not deliver. Focus on differences. Be the coolest one if you must, but for God's sake, be something.

So what is your difference? Can you create one if you don't have it naturally? But very often the fault lies not in our brand but in ourselves. We are too easily satisfied with the status quo. We don't rock the boat. We accept mediocrity. We breed more of the same. The future is in creating successful brands. Quickly. And while we have many successful examples behind us they are nothing compared to what lies ahead of us.

The time to be different is now.

Ramanujam Sridhar
(The author is CEO of brand-comm.)