To make subcultures & sub-identities relatable for a younger marketing audience, I often use the example of Whatsapp groups. How we wear different ‘masks’ depending on the group we are participating in. The sensibilities differ and so does the appropriateness of content and jokes being forwarded, creating a whole group culture. With the Section 377...
As cultures shift, many ‘normals’ get questioned. Creating flashpoints between those for and against the existing norms. These flashpoints are the very lifeblood of emerging ideas and stories. Whether it is movies, any other form of media content, a movement, a celebrity standing for the viewpoint… Therein lies the dilemma Taking a stance on such...
Kya aapke brand mein contradiction hai? Ever noticed how powerful ‘brands’ combine seemingly contradictory values? Dhoni’s brute muscle power with his almost yogic calmness, Virat’s in your face attitude with discipline that would put most ‘good boys’ to shame… Take the same analogy to other brands – Maggi’s convenience combines with mother’s love (opposites, if you...
‘No one saw an ape turning into a man, so Darwin’s theory is flawed’ said someone providing much fodder for digital chatter and humour recently. There is a meaningful lesson in this conversation, however. Something that we often forget while looking at ‘new, emerging’ segments. Whether we talk of Gen X, Y, Z or millennials...
Our clients are often stumped when we say that insights are negative emotions. Their resistance to this takes some wearing down (for many, the acceptance is never complete). Insights & ideas work like lock & key. Insights are problems that ideas solve. However, the negative (insight) is not as evident as the positive (idea). Take...
What’s your summer vacation? 15 years ago at an ad fest at Jaipur, Ricardo Semler touched upon why schools have long summer vacations. (I had assumed it was to protect kids from the heat). Turns out, he shared, it is a practice from the agrarian era when kids were needed at the farms for harvesting!...
We don’t buy books, we buy wisdom …we don’t buy gifts, we buy love…we don’t buy gym memberships we buy health……we don’t buy vacation packages, we buy peace… we buy, buy, buy and then we realise…you can’t buy them…
Few years ago, during a lecture at Mica on emotional insights, a student asked me what no one had till then – ‘sir, isn’t this emotional exploitation and wrong?’ Taken aback, I responded that whether we liked it or not, emotional insights do drive human choices. And hence as marketers, not using them would be...