Smell the fear

Exactly after one month of the attacks, I drop by the Taj for a walk down the memory lane. While the staff members put up a brave face, and smile as widely as physically possible, their eyes are blank and haunted. And the stench of death and fear is unmistakable.There aren’t too many visitors (this is prime time eve), the otherwise packed lobby is frighteningly sparse. Students from the National School of Blind sing Christmas carols with great energy (see pic), but there are only a handful of listeners. I have never in my life had the glitzy lobby to myself. The Christmas tree decorated mainly white (the classy Taj touch) looks forlorn and loveless. While the lady at the desk reports 60% occupancy, sadly, I don’t see the figure remotely close. Clearly, she’s been briefed to get the spirits up. And if the lady is right about the number, the guests are safely ordering in, no one wants to hang out at the refurbished restaurants and bars anymore.We devour chai and sandwiches at the old-fav Shamiana. Again, we have the 24-hour joint to ourselves, there are only a few other guests (see the pic of a nearly vacant Shamiana). Grenades were lobbed exactly where we are seated. While the tea is as delicious as always, can’t seem to get the image of destruction out of my mind. It’s going to take the Taj a lot more time than we thought to reach normalcy.Equally, the shops are deserted. The Nalanda bookshop (seldom have I dropped by and not ran into a friend/acquaintance) has turned into my personal library. The Starboard bar, thankfully, has a few patrons. I quietly slip into the smoking lounge (the Taj tower pic has been shot from there), and notice two young girls puffing away and guzzling down wine. They don’t seem too upset, they don’t suss me out for a suspicious back-pack, and seem lost in their own conversation. They are the only brave souls inside the hotel, wonder if it’s bravery or some great wine.Damn, even the loo has been exclusively reserved for me.And I don’t even want to recount the lonely walk to the old wing, by the pool. This is what I felt walking by the Nagapattinum beach days after the tsunami.Outside the hotel, I urge the Sardarji durban to allow us to walk by the heritage structure (totally closed to the public). After a moment’s hesitation, he kindly grants permission. So we solemnly walk by the ravaged, raped, desolate heritage wing, devoid of humanity, even the sea seems unusually quiet, as if in mourning. (And to think this is the stretch which finds common ground with taporis, tourists, peanut sellers, romancing couples, prostitutes, pimps and elderly walkers.) The room lights are kept on (to keep the faith intact), but the fear is palpable. And the exit into the streets of the bustling Colaba brings much relief. A joy to suddenly run into humanity.No, 26/11 won’t go away too soon. The scars are just too deep to heal. Maybe they never will. Bombay will never be the same again. The terrorists are winning this war.

Make a difference

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.
Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.
The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one."
Friends are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed. They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us.

How to appeal to the young?

Can you hold the attention of 800 youngsters from 9 am to 4 pm for 6 consecutive days? No one gets up, or uses the cell phone in between. They do not do anything even remotely associated with today’s youth. No chewing gum, no cat call, no small talk. This is not an utopian dream, but an event that took place in Chennai from August 5, 2008 to August 10, 2008.
Svanubhava - the event was organised by Matrka (founded by Bombay Jayashri and T M Krishna) and Youth Association of Classical Musicians. The event was held for students of classical music and dance. The first two days were at the Kalakshtra with its own unique ambience. The next two days were at the Tamil Nadu Music College on the banks of the Adyar river, in an open Shamiana. The last two days were at the Music Academy auditorium.
Every day was unique. In all 85 practicing artistes had participated in the event. How did they decide about the programmes? They had spoken to the students of the three institutions to find out what they wanted. Thus they knew exactly what will gel with the students. Thus they organised a mix of concerts, lecture demonstrations, video shows, panel discussions, interviews and quizzes. This list might read like a standard list but every bit came alive because of the way it was planned.
Let me give you an example. Sivasankari, one of the most well known writers in Tamil interviewed Nithyasri, a well known singer who has made her mark in Carnatic music and film music as well. They brought the roof down because Sivasankari asked questions that were in the minds of the students. Nithyasri answered them with candour, spontaneity and quick wit. Another such session was anchored by Y G Mahendra a well known comedian in Tamil films and an accomplished tabla player himself. He interviewed leading percussionists. T N Seshagopalan, a legend gave a scintillating 2 hour concert in spite of a viral attack. He received a standing ovation. His answers to questions from the audience were empathetic, useful and even respectful. These are just glimpses of a some of the programmes.
Jayashri and Krishna remained in the background and it was the young students who were in charge running the show. On the final day Jayashri and Krishna sang together on demand from the students.
I observed the actions off the stage as much as on the stage. Every little detail seemed to matter. No glitch. No faux paux. No embarassment or red face. Just wonderful. Of course J & K were there as coaches, ever available to guide, but it was the young students who ran the show.
The event has caught the imagination of the young students as well as the senior artistes. The senior artistes were overwhelmed by the interest, the attention and the adulation. They were moved by the genuine affection they enjoyed amongst the young students. There was magic in the air.
I wondered: what made Savanubhava tick? Why was it so successful? The first thing that occurred to me was that it was not by chance that this was achieved. There was hard work and Divine Grace. (Matrka & YACM earned the Divine Grace through their hard work). Here are are few things that must have helped:
1. Co-creation: Jayashri & Krishna did not just assume what students would like. (They could well have done that because they have a good pulse of the audience). They went to the three institutions and listened to the audience. They did not stop at that but invited the students to participate in creating and managing the event, along with Matrka and YACM.
2. Ownership: The event was owned by the students of the institution where the event was hosted! That was a brilliant stroke of genius. You could see the impact of this idea.
3. Entry Free: The whole event was free for students. Including a simple lunch and two cups of tea during the day.
4. Nothing commercial about it: You did not see crass banners of various companies sponsoring every event. If there was any sponsorship it was discreet. Even the caterer who provided food free did not display his banner! That was a welcome change.
5. Simplicity, clarity, elegance, sense of humour: There were no pompous speeches about Matrka or YACM and their vision. Announcements were simple, clear to the point. A little banter that brought smiles and injected laughter, especially during the quizzes. There was elegance and ordarliness as opposed to tough discipline and rules!
6.Focus: Give the young students a good time and an opportunity to learn. There seemed to be no other agenda - hidden or otherwise!
7. Eye for detail, emphasis on quality: The quality of sound equipment was outstanding. No annoying feedback sounds in between. There were enough cord-less mikes for question answer sessions. Enough large screen TV sets placed at the right places for every body to see the event well.
Finally there was a graciousness and warmth that one could feel - something one feels in a family wedding.
Throughout all the events there was one young man running around interacting with audience, artistes, volunteers, Jayashri & Krishna. He is busy but cool and unflappable. You find out out that he is Rithvik Raja the current President of YACM. This event is a feather in the cap of Rithvik and his cohorts.
Svanubhava is an example of a potent mix. A good idea, passion, attention to detail and ambition to excel. The result is that those who attended it will talk about it for years. Those who missed it and just read about it, would not want to miss it in future. And look forward to Svanubhava 2009.
Jayashri and Krishna have demonstrated their commitment to the art once again through Svanubhava. Last year they published Voices Within - India’s first coffee table book on Carnatic Music. Then they were bold enough to experiment with a concept and launched a Voices Within Business Creativity Workshop From what I hear they have several ideas up their sleeves. I do hope that they take their ideas beyond Chennai and reach out to the world. They may not know the difference they can make.

STRATCOMPLAN – HEADS OR TAILS

STRATCOMPLAN is no variant of the Health beverage COMPLAN; but is certainly a health supplement for us marketers who operate in difficult and declining volume/Market share situations.

Marketing Strategy or evolving one is nothing new for any Brand Management Team. Once the strategy is clear, between the Client and the Agency, evolving a Brand Plan is only a matter of detail. However, very often we find panic b buttons are pressed when the mix does not work of the plans go awry. In the resulting anxiety, core brand values and the organisational strengths are overlooked and new campaigns are created which don’t work.

Result – additional decline in volume and market shares and further panic. This is when STRATCOMPLAN works. Quite simply, STRATCOMPLAN stands for how to combine MARKETING STRATEGIES INTO A COMPREHENSIVE MARKETING ACTION PLAN THAT FITS IN WITHIN THE ORGANISATIONAL CONSTRAINTS.


The five axioms of STRATCOMPLAN are:

1) THE ORGANISATION IS A REALITY.

2) WE START MIDSTREAM.

3) LACK OF IDEAL CONDITIONS.

4) FORGET - NOT THE CORE BRAND VALUES AND

5) LOOK BEYOND CLASSICAL MARKETING/ADVERTISING ROUTE.

Thus STRATCOMPLAN may be defined as a time bound marketing methodology for a reckoning period and is a part of the overall Business Strategy marketing and related activities.

ORGANISATION IS A REALITY

With aggressive competition and the mounting warfare in the market place; we have not only witnessed a sharp decline of brands one considered strong – PROMISE, CIBACA, NIVEA, HORLICKS, WATCHES, CUTICURA, etc. but also corporations like TOMCO. Even giants such as COLGATE and SURF were under severe pressure at some stage. However, COLGATE and SURF bounced back in the nick of time thanks to resources not being a constraint and a CORPORATE PHILOSOPHY OF INVESTMENT SPENDING. But more often than not, all organisations are not in the league of LEVERS or a COLGATE and therefore volumes or there the accruals are important to find the resources to plough back. Here is where the first AXIOM Viz., that the ORGANISATION IS A REALITY come into fore.

When volumes decline, automatically this has an impact on the turnover and the MARGINS. Therefore, it is imperative that for the overall ORGANISATIONAL HEALTH this be corrected first. Unless it is a single product company you have a portfolio and it is important to look at the BRAND or the variant that can respond the fastest.

WE START MIDSTREAM

Seldom do we start with a new brand before launch or with a clean slate. The brands are usually taken over at some stage of their life cycle with their equity or its erosion thereof. Neither the American philosophy of selling off tottering brands is our Corporate Culture at present. Even if it were, tottering brands are unlikely to find suitors in our country. Given this reality, the success lies in careful evaluation of the relative strengths of the brands in the portfolio and converting them into a virtue or a money-spinner. It is worthwhile learning from CIBA-GEIGY effectively using their toothbrushes to expand the market penetration of toothpastes. Through adequate theme and scheme support to CIBACA brushes, the paste has managed to cling onto market shares in the wake of high audibility levels of competing toothpastes.

Another example is that of MILKMAID using the recipe route successfully for usage expansion and arresting its decline. MILKMAID is a premium full cream sweetened milk and was traditionally promoted as a milk substitute. Till the early 80’s when many parts of India was milk short, the going was good for the brand purely as a milk substitute/tea – coffee whitener. In fact in States like Mizoram, the brands turnover used to exceed the combined brand turnover of many reputed companies. However, in the 80’s with the success of OPERATION FLOOD and free availability of both whole and skimmed milk powders, MILKMAID was no more required as a MESSY & EXPENSIVE milk substitute and by 1983 the brand started declining. This was when the strength of the brand was skilfully exploited to reposition the same as a CONVENIENT CULINARY INGREDIENT with the theme “COOKING WITH MILKMAID”. In fact, as expensive milk substitute in culinary terms became a value for money ingredient. It entered new homes through this cooking route and is growing in value terms even today, despite significant price increases.

LACK OF IDEAL CONDITIONS

Ideal conditions are a utopia which exist only in the classrooms of the premiere’ Management Institutes and these days in not so premiere’ Institutions as well. Once out of the Institutes and on the hot seat this reality dawns on even the most hard core and idealist. The case in point is the TOMCO brands where the unreasonable overheads and the militant labor brought down the entire Empire. This was despite the capabilities of the Tata Administrative Services teams with strong equity such as HAMAM, MOTI, SUPER 501, O K, and REVEL. Although TOMCO’s turnover was significant, this low productivity of its militant labor and field force and the resultant high wage bills were slapped on to the brands. The result was overhead charge that the brands could not carry. This was despite growth in value and volume sales. Moral being however good be the marketing team, what lack of IDEAL CONDITIONS, could lead to.

Also, it is not uncommon to find organizations; wherein the support functions like FINANCE do the back seat driving through absorption costing procedures when it becomes literally impossible to revive brands under pressure or launch new ones. For most of the time in these circumstances; the Brand Management team struggle to find resources to break even rather than spending their time and energies in marketing activities. This is perhaps why; organisations following the absorption costing procedures never became active players in the consumer products business, despite their several attempts. One notable exception was WIPRO who shifted to standard and MARGINAL COSTINGS even before their entry into consumer products activity in a high way.

Last but not least is the operational freedom available to the team and its leader. The success and proliferation of the number of headhunters provide a better explanation as to why many of the so-called professional organisations are constantly on the look out for the same positions.

FORGET NOT-THE CORE BRAND VALUES

Forgetting the core values is a typical syndrome when panic buttons are pushed. Sometimes this happens out of sheer boredom with the current creative with the assumption that since it is boring to me so it must be to the consumer as well. And of course, not to mention the recently hired whiz-kid wanting to refurbish the good old brand. Whatever be the reason, the gainer is not the brand or the organisations.

Classic example that comes to the mind is that of PROMISE which moved away from the CLOVE OIL U S P to one of EXTRA FRESH. Fortunately, after two new commercials and almost 40 million rupees down the road the brand is back with the good old CLOVE OIL PROMISE. Similar was the fate of PONDS when it was extended toothpastes, which had to be ultimately withdrawn. On the contrary, WHEEL was well exploited by LEVERS from bars to powders to counter NIRMA. For that matter CLOSE UP was persisted with for a decade and a half due to the inherently strong core value and we witnessed a super success story, which took the COLGATE bull by its horn.

Of course, one must hasten to add that we have a fairly long and envious list of strong brands which have been around for many decades such as ANACIN, DABUR, PEARS, AMUL, PARLE, WOODWARDS AND READER’S DIGEST, to name a few. These are still going strong which reiterates the point that the Marketers have not forgotten the importance of the core values sometimes to defy the product life cycle parameters. In fact, this has been well bought out by Readers Digest in their supplement WHAT’S BEHIND THE NAME in February and March 2003.

LOOK BEYOND THE CLASSICAL MARKETING AND ADVERTISING ROUTE.

While there is no alternative to theme advertising for brand building, this may not always be affordable. Even when it is affordable if the field dynamics are not understood, results in sub optimisation. Fresh in the memory are Lipton’s, TREE TOP, Cadbury’s biscuits, RCI’s BINACA toothpaste. On the contrary, ZANDU and DABUR have skilfully and effectively exploited the distribution route to initially float brands like ZANDU BALM and NATURE CARE ISABGOL and once accruals start ticking in, supporting them with theme as well.

We have also seen through CIBACA example how competition activity can be overcome during a resource crunch through innovation. It should not be forgotten that field dynamics are as important.

THEREFORE THROUGH STRATCOMPLAN IT IS NOT HEADS YOU WIN AND TAILS I LOSE; BUT IT IS WIN - WIN ALL THE WAY.

Planning my retirement

Having a stressfull but always challenging career for over 25 years; I have another 7 years of stint left in me. During this period, I am pretty keen in handling Consultancy and Advisory roles for categories that I hadn't worked in the past suh as Food Processing, Aviation, Hospitality, Stock Broking, Cosmetics, Publication Entertainment, Media marketing (Future Media), Mobile Content, Mobile Consumerism, In Film Advertising, International Start Up operations etc.

By 2015, I would like to take a year long vacation with my guide, mentor and soulmate acroos the 6 continents.