tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-114353052024-03-23T23:28:08.723+05:30Ray-DeoFinger finger!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.comBlogger145125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-28059096893645355722012-06-29T11:56:00.001+05:302012-06-29T11:56:13.415+05:30Ok. Fuck You.<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>- Hey, let's go have some fun</p> <p>. Fuck You</p> <p>- Hey, let's work on our dream</p> <p>. Fuck You</p> <p>- Hey, let's bring about transformational shifts in our lives</p> <p>. Fuck You</p> <p>- Hey, let's create something beautiful</p> <p>. Fuck You</p> <p>- That was great, now, my turn</p> <p>. Yeah, ok</p> <p>. So, want ro go fuck around with reality?</p> <p>- Aaaarrrggh</p> <p> </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/ok-fuck-you">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-35589066606817107592012-06-23T11:15:00.001+05:302012-06-23T11:15:11.928+05:30Two Couplets Make A...<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>This couplet is by a friend</p> <p>"Inn bigade hue dimaagon mein khushiyon ke lacche hai</p> <p>Hume pagal hi rehne do, hum pagal hi acche hai"</p> <p>That reminds me of a one by Kazmi</p> <p>"Apni hi dhun mein rehta hoon</p> <p>Main bhi tere jaise hoon"</p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/two-couplets-make-a">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-13633079329274359052012-06-23T10:29:00.001+05:302012-06-23T10:29:37.652+05:30Feelian<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>Fraakaa freezum koilima</p> <p>Keng pushnita naifistu ola gigam</p> <p>laramoskiri poro naikom</p> <p>eegam taansufam hube dyoob</p> <p> </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/feelian">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-46141715993645549992012-06-17T11:06:00.001+05:302012-06-17T11:06:28.519+05:30Colours<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>big and tiny blobs of</p> <p>scaaarlet</p> <p>floats by a smug face</p> <p>that trudges alone in space.</p> <p>sooooeeeesaaaaide</p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/colours">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-64119992849350721082012-02-20T21:46:00.001+05:302012-02-20T21:46:47.559+05:30Time To Curtail My Screen Time<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>On the local train, while on my way from work, I was standing behind a man at the doorway. He was fiddling around with his mobile phone and I found myself, repeatedly, staring at his mobile screen. There wasn't any salacious SMS to be read or anything else that might interest me. It just seems that any screen in my field of vision, with its hundreds of thousands of flickering pixels, has the ability to hold my gaze, even if it is for a little while. I guess it is time to start defining screen time by the hour and make a conscious effort to cut down the time I spend washed in the warm white glow of one. I could also restrict the number of screens I expose myself to and also the hours I will spend looking into one. Maybe I'll go with a policy of three screens on a weekday (the work computer, my mobile, and the home computer or television or a cinema screen), not exceeding 12 hours a day, and two screens on weekends, for less than 6 hours a day. Let us see how this goes.</p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/time-to-curtail-my-screen-time">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-37202189570559398422011-12-10T17:33:00.001+05:302011-12-10T17:33:15.959+05:30On Our Rights & Freedom<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>While we debate our 'constitutional rights and freedom', which always exist within 'reasonable restrictions', in the light of the latest attempt by the government to 'screen' and 'take down' material generated and published by users and groups on the Internet (social publishing platforms, to be precise), it is interesting to read the following passage.</p> <p>"<span style="font-size: small;"><em>Political rights do not originate in parliaments; they are, rather, forced upon parliaments from without. And even their enactment into law has for a long time been no guarantee of their security. Just as the employers always try to nullify every concession they had made to labor as soon as opportunity offered, as soon as any signs of weakness were observable in the workers' organizations, so governments also are always inclined to restrict or to abrogate completely rights and freedoms that have been achieved if they imagine that the people will put up no resistance. Even in those countries where such things as freedom of the press, right of assembly, right of combination, and the like have long existed, governments are constantly trying to restrict those rights or to reinterpret them by juridical hair-splitting. Political rights do not exist because they have been legally set down on a piece of paper, but only when they have become the ingrown habit of a people, and when any attempt to impair them will meet with the violent resistance of the populace . Where this is not the case, there is no help in any parliamentary Opposition or any Platonic appeals to the constitution.</em></span>" — <strong>Rudolf Rocker, Anarcho-Syndicalism: Theory & Practice,</strong> 1947</p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/on-our-rights-freedom">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-76413100324940261002011-11-18T17:47:00.001+05:302011-11-18T17:47:48.543+05:30Why You Should 'Like' It.<div class='posterous_autopost'>While exhorting people to 'Like' the India Against Corruption page on <br />Facebook I'm aware that merely 'liking' or 'following' a digital <br />presence does not make a big difference. The hope that I hold out is <br />that it could be the start of a bigger change, one that makes each <br />person even more mindful about herself and the world that she creates. When I 'like' a page or perform any such synonymous action I allow for a <br />deluge of data and opinion to be pushed my way; for eg. last night the <br />IAC guys put up a very interesting document online, via Facebook, one on <br />the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. Getting access to <br />material of such a nature will allow us to go beyond spouting rhetoric <br />and jargon. This direct channel is the reason why many people have <br />actually read the Lok Pal bill, as proposed by GOI and the one put forth <br />by IAC. Few may have undertsood the legalese but the 'page' on Facebook <br />and the Twitter account gave them a forum to ask their questions. Social <br />media is an effective tool to generate many layers of conversation and <br />dialogue, which is what we need to start with today. <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/why-you-should-like-it-8968">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-29540235486334484912011-10-19T00:44:00.001+05:302011-10-19T00:44:18.152+05:30Building Blocks<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>What I feel earnestly about and will be found acting on</p> <p>- The environment and ecology</p> <p>- Socio-economic theories, the existing conditions around us and their impact</p> <p>- Music and Movies (I'm not sure if I can be an effective creator here)</p> <p>- Information freedom and decentralization of media</p> <p>- Disruptive models in information 'ownership' and dispersion</p> <p>- New models of power production, management and distribution</p> <p>- Sustainable living</p> <p>- Writing (Fiction and non-fiction, poetry, scripts etc)</p> <p>- History</p> <p>- Travel</p> <p>- Books (reading, collecting and gifting)</p> <p>- Philosophies</p> <p>I hope to rebuild using these blocks. </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/building-blocks">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-71207300643519398232011-09-08T15:03:00.001+05:302011-09-08T15:03:42.699+05:30That's Settled Then<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>. You don't feeling like talking to me nowadays, do you?</p> <p>- No</p> <p>. Y U NO FEEL LIKE TALKING TO ME??</p> <p>- because of that</p> <p>. Ok</p> <p>[silence for a w h i l e]</p> <p>- Will you stop asking me that question again and again</p> <p>. Yes, but I feel insignificant, I feel the need to know why you stopped</p> <p>- Insignificant? You are a dot</p> <p>. There is more to me</p> <p>- Then let everyone see that more instead of you venting your angst</p> <p><div class='p_embed p_image_embed'> <img alt="Untitled" height="80" src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2011-09-08/olsbFaeoHwCJBspneswljpjDIIqbEcahyGasvEwBboHrBHDGsqxnIbzrHjrn/Untitled.png.scaled500.png" width="110" /> </div> </p> <p> </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/69050837">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-35396525552057294492011-08-26T00:42:00.001+05:302011-08-26T00:42:42.185+05:30Jousting With Inertia<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>Something should gnaw at this ugly, rigid edifice and break it down with a big, nasty crash and when the dust settles you will see the pasture from where ideas and stories and other such forgotten things will sprout. They could be blue, square, irreverent, incorrect, baroque, transformative, factual. They will all be tedious in parts, especially the middle. The end, however, shall always be a rousing triumph, inspiring even. They will be 'tweeted', 'liked', shared and 'plussed', at least once, but they must not be 'tweets', 'likes', 'shares' and 'pluses'. Brevity is great when time is running out (or when you run out of analogies) but not here.</p> <p>Inspite of all it machinations, 'The It' spews out character limited ideas and thoughts. The something that must gnaw at it has been summoned. If you listen carefully you can hear the sound of a chisel tapping away, or maybe they are just muffled keystrokes from a rather rigid keyboard; either way the end of inertia is near. A pity that it can't save itself by running away.</p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/jousting-with-inertia">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-11155797119400938532011-07-30T11:48:00.001+05:302011-07-30T11:48:51.261+05:30Outsourced To Bob Dylan<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>When someone else can say it better, I cede ground.</p> <p>Ladies and Gentlemen, here's Bob Dylan</p> <p><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px;"> <h2 class="title" style=""><span style="font-size: small;">"If You See Her, Say Hello</span></h2> <div class="content"> <p><span style="font-size: small;">If you see her, say hello, she might be in Tangier</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">She left here last early Spring, is livin' there, I hear</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Say for me that I’m all right though things get kind of slow</span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">She might think that I’ve forgotten her, don’t tell her it isn’t so....."</span></p> <p> </p> </div> </span></p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/outsourced-to-bob-dylan">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-11370568383028653922011-07-13T12:54:00.001+05:302011-07-13T12:54:27.581+05:30Dot and Dash - Try Me<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>- She tried it, she didn't like it so she discarded it. Fair?</p> <p>. Of course</p> <p>- Can I do the same to you?</p> <p>. Of course</p> <p>- Woah, are you attempting to flex some muscles there?</p> <p>. Go ahead, try me. I dare you, I double dare you</p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/dot-and-dash-try-me">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-23608251889967736602011-05-12T00:50:00.000+05:302011-05-14T02:04:30.263+05:30O Soma, Where Art Thou?<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>I like going off to sleep nowadays, it's when no one can trouble me anymore, not even me. The pit in the stomach is not felt, the pangs neither. Best of all your life moves towards its end and you lie there unaware of the fires that rage around, limp for a few hours, to wake up and resume fighting again but with the knowledge that soon sleep will come visiting and all that troubles will be lost for a few moments. I wish I could sleep all through. I wish I had Soma.</p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/o-soma-where-art-thou">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-66887517214515518382011-05-02T01:53:00.001+05:302011-05-02T01:53:04.871+05:30Exordium<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>If I could weave stories that sound as good as what I am about to tell you then I could be a racounter who could earn his keep. I do not, ergo, these are not stories. Of course, you can choose to believe otherwise. However, if you take my word, then I would like to bind you to a diktat, that when you do, you will pass on these narratives as you have heard them and not with any embellishments, additions or omissions. If you refuse to abide by that then I'd beseech you to ensure that your identity is hidden, for if you are found out the consequences of your action will scar your legacy. Some of the narratives sound too bizzare to be true, but it is their peculiar nature that should convince you that neither I nor anybody, who isn't a lore-master, could have imagined them into existence. To those who have embarked on this journey with the belief that these are just tales and nothing more, all I would say is that I sincerely hope that from now on you would live in interesting times. </p> <p>This is exactly how it happened...</p> <p> </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/exordium">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-74625877096516433802011-04-08T14:47:00.001+05:302011-04-08T14:47:19.211+05:30Why You Should Like It<div class='posterous_autopost'><p> <p>While exhorting people to 'Like' the India Against Corruption page on Facebook I'm aware that merely 'liking' or 'following' a digital presence does not make a big difference. The hope that I hold out is that it could be the start of a bigger change, one that makes each person even more mindful about herself and the world that she creates. When I 'like' a page or perform any such synonymous action I allow for a deluge of data and opinion to be pushed my way; for eg. last night the IAC guys put up a very interesting document online, via Facebook, one on the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. Getting access to material of such a nature will allow us to go beyond spouting rhetoric and jargon. This direct channel is the reason why many people have actually read the Lok Pal bill, as proposed by GOI and the one put forth by IAC. Few may have undertsood the legalese but the 'page' on Facebook and the Twitter account gave them a forum to ask their questions. Social media is an effective tool to generate many layers of conversation and dialogue, which is what we need to start with today. </p> <p /> </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/why-you-should-like-it">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-19317303560875947492011-04-08T14:44:00.001+05:302011-04-08T14:44:37.296+05:30Why You Should 'Like' It<div class='posterous_autopost'><p> <div class="CodeRay"> <div class="code"><pre>While exhorting people to 'Like' the India Against Corruption page on Facebook I'm aware that merely 'liking' or 'following' a digital presence does not make a big difference. The hope that I hold out is that it could be the start of a bigger change, one that makes each person even more mindful about herself and the world that she creates. When I 'like' a page or perform any such synonymous action I allow for a deluge of data and opinion to be pushed my way; for eg. last night the IAC guys put up a very interesting document online, via Facebook, one on the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. Getting access to material of such a nature will allow us to go beyond spouting rhetoric and jargon. This direct channel is the reason why many people have actually read the Lok Pal bill, as proposed by GOI and the one put forth by IAC. Few may have undertsood the legalese but the 'page' on Facebook and the Twitter account gave them a forum to ask their questions. Social media is an effective tool to generate many layers of conversation and dialogue, which is what we need to start with today.</pre></div> </div> </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/why-you-should-like-it">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-3926219111222442152010-12-20T00:20:00.001+05:302010-12-20T00:20:26.837+05:30To Hell With The Hygiene<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>Some months ago I had written a rather impassioned piece on why Digital Advertising in India was in a rather sorry state. It was as much an observation as it was start of a philosophy for me. Don't accuse me of 'intellectualizing' as yet, you'll have your chance to do that later.</p> <p>The notion that digital/online/internet advertising can be considered an adjunct, or even a parallel to traditional forms of advertising has been dealt with, and put to rest, quite effectively by a host of far more qualified and informed professionals than me, so, I shall steer clear of that. What I have here is a simple suggestion. Digital advertising allows brands and people to communicate with each other, in three out of the four possible permutations, unless you call the Mac vs PC ads a from of brand-to-brand communication, but it doesn't stop there. This medium also allows you to track and analyse this chatter. So, here's my question. Shouldn't communication agencies create more interesting ways to facilitate, grow and listen to this conversation for the brands they represent, this rather than hopping on to Facebook and Twitter as a quick fix every single time?</p> <p>Maybe they could do that by creating new platforms or by undertaking activities that will make sure that the consumer/audience/user talks. This maybe the time, in the Indian context, more so, to embrace the complexities that come with creating new platforms or communication models. Maybe they ought to think like a startup garage where small micro-apps, that allow for the talk to go on, are created. As I had said earlier, brands, in India, have a sandbox of less than a 100 million users to engage as of now, now is the time to experiment with ideas rather than follow a set standard. </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/to-hell-with-the-hygiene">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-20296441219314455062010-07-31T19:48:00.001+05:302010-07-31T19:48:34.437+05:30Why Digital Advertising In India Sucketh So?<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>After much posturing and putting off I finally decided to pen down my thoughts on what makes a lot of digital advertising in India <span style="color: #ffcc99;">(1)</span> so bad. The stimulus was a comment on <a href="http://whatisaninsight.blogspot.com/2010/07/where-digital-agencies-are-fucking-up.html" title="Samit's Blog" target="_blank">this post</a> on Samit Malkani's blog. I'll come back to that in a bit, comment and all. First, let us hold up a mirror. We (I used to) construct these campaigns. We're the ones who come up with these ideas, the shoskeles, the 'viral videos', the microsites etc. Who are we?</p> <p>If you look at the digital creative bunch closely you'll see a motley mix of people, not to be confused with an eclectic mix. A lot of these 'creatives' have ended up doing digital advertising because (it is going to get harsh here, so get a bit to chomp on):</p> <p>a) They couldn't make it big or through to, what is called, 'mainline' (TV, Print, radio) aka traditional advertising. This holds true for both copywriters and art guys.<span style="color: #ffcc99;">(2)</span> </p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">OR</span></p> <p>b) They started off by writing content or doing design work for websites and slowly migrated to this sphere called advertising because a 'digitally savvy' person was needed.</p> <p>By no means am I saying that 'creatives' working on digital ads are second class citizens of the ad-world, but face it, you've always felt that the digital medium is an under appreciated one and you carry that baggage. It shows in your work. If you don't love the Internet, the Internet won't love you. Didn't you get the memo about the Internet being a two-way communication medium? 'Digital' is another animal altogether, bytes upon bytes have been used up explaining that, so I'll give it a skip and come back to the people involved.</p> <p>As a copywriter it is your job to think of ideas and then adapt it to your canvas but to do justice to them you must first know how to write well and what your canvas is capable of displaying. I've got a question for every copywriter out there. Do you have a blog? A copy person (and a design person too) without a blog is highly suspect, more so if you claim to be a 'digital' creative. Why? I'll elaborate on that in bit.<span style="color: #ffcc99;">(1) (3)</span> Now, let me turn my attention to the client servicing bunch, sitting there, chatting about nothing relevant. Most of these chaps start off as servicing managers or executives in the Direct Marketing arm of an agency. Then a few clients ask for a website/microsite/'viral like the Webchutney one'/banner campaign and the agency, in all its wisdom, can't justify hiring a dedicated, informed, client servicing-business development person for the work and so asks the DM (or 'mainline' advertising, if it is a 'integrated' campaign) servicing guy to double up on 'this digital project'. If it is a pure-play digital firm they hire greenhorns just out of college to save on costs and these guys will fuck things up in all innocence. What happens then is that a few quick slides are added to the final presentation and this passed on as a digital, or worse 360 degree strategy. I've seen people at positions as high as President, Client Servicing-Biz Dev etc be completely oblivious to the facts about the digital space and in some cases be in downright denial about what can be achieved out here. This is where the downward spiral becomes fast and steep because the blind can't lead the blind.</p> <p> </p> <p><span style="color: #ffcc99;"> </span></p> <p>There is some good work happening, but more often than not it is because of individual brilliance or a cracker of an idea, rather than a large scale awakening within the industry. Right now everything is thrown at the consumer and whatever sticks is feted and awarded. Can't you hear your own echoes in that chamber full of awards? You're not in a position to inspire young minds, who'll want to take up a job in digital advertising because of the kind of work you churn out, no sir.</p> <p> </p> <p>Every person in the team that is working on the latest TV-print-radio-blah blah campaign has at some point gone into the history of traditional advertising and had a <em>dekko,</em> heard what Ogilvy had to say, read what Neil French wrote, tried to memorize all of Burnett's truisms. They've read about historic campaigns, heck, they've lived through and experienced <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UNgDR0T418" target="_blank">historic campaigns</a>. So has every person working on the digital campaigns. The mistake is you've been looking only at a part of the history. You should have picked up as much as you could about your medium, the Internet, while you were at it. Only then would you be able to observe the evolution, understand the curve, and appreciate and adapt to the changes. Isn't advertising and branding an exercise where you are a step ahead of the curve, riding it, predicting where it will hit terra firma, where you are enticing the consumers by standing at the edge and describing the experience in the most eloquent (glib, if that's what your brand demands) way possible? However, wouldn't you always be chasing the wave if you never knew where and how it originated?</p> <p> </p> <p>The clients need to be educated about the medium and where things on it are headed, ergo where they should place themselves. As a consulting agency that's your job. Are you good enough to teach them that? In my experience I've seen that you're not. What the agency has failed to learn is the philosophy and the history of the medium. This precisely why the client wants a 'viral' and agency upon agency promises them one. This why the snake oil trade called 'Social Media Marketing' exists and is made up of three words, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs. <span style="color: #ffcc99;">(4)</span> </p> <p>The digital medium, whichever way you look at it, is technology heavy. As a creative person or a client servicing guy you need to understand how things work under the hood. You needn't know how to code but you should have an idea as what type of code could possibly do what you want. Don't go around saying you'll need an HTML programmer and such. To someone who can call your bluff (and a lot of people today can) you come off as an idiot. This is why I say, sink your teeth into applications around. Know how things work because these along with the words and the colours are the tools of your trade. Ask the Copy Supervisor working on the latest television commercial, if he's any good, apart from a compelling tale, he'd also tell you how the screenplay pans out and what lights he'd like. This is why I'd ask all the creatives to start blogging or at least use the Internet to air your thoughts. Use the social media tools as users first before pimping it to the client. Realise that Facebook and Twitter are not the be all and end all of social media and understand why the Internet business today is thinking more and more about <a href="http://www.quotecosmos.com/quotes/5107/view" target="_blank">William Dillard's quote</a>. Finally, ad networks, heard of them?</p> <p>Now, it's time to see what can we make of this digital shebang. There is a line of argument (and Samit's post shows that he subscribes to it too) that says, for Digital Advertising to make an impact, in India, and to improve, we need to descend on every user's mobile in whatever way is appropriate (handset, location, SEC status etc considered), this because number theory says that 617.53 million > 81 million. Greater reach means greater impact. True, but not greater positive impact. Think of it this way, we've had a test bed of 40 million users and we've made a bad impression. Do you really want to reach out to 15 times that number with a mediocre service offering?<span style="color: #ffcc99;">(5)</span></p> <p>We, as creators of these campaigns need to educate ourselves first, better our work and then reach out to as many people as we can, very very carefully. For example, when dealing with mobile phone users, what needs to be acknowledged is the subtle shift in the user's mindset. When I switch from a Nokia 3310 to a 'Smart phone', I've told myself that, this a device that is personal when I need it but is also a gateway to what much of the Bible belt calls the 'Interwebs'. When on the 'Interwebs' I am open to information. However, when I'm still on a Nokia-I-Don't-Have-The-Hardware-To-Do-Justice-To-The-Web phone, or using my 'smartphone' as a pureplay telephone, I'm thinking, "This is a personal device, all the information on this is solicited by me and I'm in control." Haven't you noticed how people vent all their aggression on tele-marketers? I'm sure no brand wants to be treated like that. </p> <p><a href="http://observerphenomenon.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ahbid-d</a> a commentator on Samit's blog had this to say in response to Samit's post, "<em>Rural folk definitely won't mind a bit of invasive advertising, if great offers at their local Apna Bhandaar store or mandi are made available. FMCG and home appliances are good candidates. Also, if I'm not mistaken rural folks do get weather updates/warnings and fertilizer tips through state-run channels on their cellphones. They'd surely wouldn't cringe like us urbanites if an Ad is inserted within them.</em>" Apart from being downright condescending (which is what an advertiser or marketer must never be) the comment reeks of what I'd call 'The Union Carbide Mentality'. I'm sure Warren Anderson & Co. said something similar when they set up a plant with sub-standard safety equipment in the 'third world'. Name me a brand who wants to be in their shoe. That comment, if subscribed to by Internet Advertising-Marketing experts, is symptomatic of what is wrong with 'digital advertising' in India. As you noticed, there is a part where Ahbid-d says that, 'rural folk' get weather updates/warning and fertilizer tips through state run channels on their cell phone. Surprisingly, Ahbid-d is right, they do. However, it is information that THEY SUBSCRIBE TO, much like how Ahbid-d and his rather posh urban ilk would subscribe to dating tips and movie listings. There is an element called consent at play here and it should be sacrosanct for all marketers in the digital space, irrespective of the demographic you are talking to, else it is called...what's the word for it...oh yeah, spam.</p> <p>As advertising guys we need to take a good hard look at ourselves and realise that things aren't rosy because we have skipped the philosophy and history course completely, bunked the tech and engineering lecture, forgot the language and psychology notes and have turned up with a marketing presentation that says mobile is future and has 3 slides dedicated to Social Media Marketing.</p> <p> </p> <p>Notes:</p> <p>(1) Many countries who have a digital presence of our size have first taught themselves the technology that makes this medium tick. Creative agencies such as CP+B and W+K etc have strong <a href="http://hire.jobvite.com/CompanyJobs/Careers.aspx?c=qlX9Vfw6&page=Jobs">technology and 'culture' teams</a>. In addition, there is a lot of chatter coming out of these international digital agencies. <a href="http://www.wk.com/blogs">They blog</a>, prepare case studies and blog some more. The Ogilvy Truffles network exposed us to that. We added next to nothing to it in terms of knowledge. I am guilty as charged.</p> <p>(2) This is true in my case as well (the first stone I chuck will be at me). I worked with a small ad firm for a couple of months before it folded up and then out of some desperation I took up my first digital advertising job. I never knew much about digital ads then (some 6 years ago, that's the pre Web 2.0 era), I wanted to script television ads and write print copy, it's just that the economics didn't work out. All copywriters would know what I'm talking about.</p> <p>(3) There is a great post <a href="http://nathanmarz.com/blog/you-should-blog-even-if-you-have-no-readers.html" title="Keep Writing" target="_blank">here</a> about why you must keep writing. </p> <p> </p> <p>(4) Why do I call 'Social Media Marketing' a snake oil trade? I have a - completely locked down deep in the bunker - product, which has almost 350 'fans' on Facebook, most of who 'liked' it way after we had stopped giving out test invites, that's why.</p> <p> </p> <p>(5) The other day <a href="http://www.mannukikahaniyaan.com/?clkid=me2w_4c5415b135dd2" target="_blank">this</a> was pushed into my social stream. Another 'viral'. I have a problem with the thought, the execution, and the idea that, even today, one poorly animated sketch is being pushed by agencies as a 'viral'. I think I've seen the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dr4dJD-wnBw" target="_blank">TV ad</a> for this insurance provider, it was the guy falling through an open window in an office, while talking on the phone. So, I have some questions. Is the 'viral' a better story? Nope. Is it made using some better production techniques? Nope. Does it have anything novel and unique to say? Nope. Does it do justice to the medium that it is on? Nope. Has it added anything more to the TV commercial or the product? Nope. Would anything have changed had this video been replaced by the existing TV commercial? Nope. Then, how does it justify its existence?</p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/why-digital-advertising-in-india-sucketh-so">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-73275396783487151612010-07-29T18:30:00.001+05:302010-07-29T18:30:58.338+05:30It's All Happening In Real-Time<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>. You seem to be spending a lot of time surfing the net these days.</p> <p>- Yeah, it's a great place to catch up on all the information and news that matters. Now, take a look at this, <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1298205/Linda-Hogan-engaged-21-year-old-toyboy-ex-Hulk-Hogan-insists-hes-ecstatic.html" title="Hulk's Wife Gets Herself A New Toy" target="_blank">Hulk Hogan's ex-wife is engaged to her 21-year-old boyfriend</a>, the Hulk loves the idea and..and, the toyboy is actually Hulk and Linda Hogan's son, Nick's friend.</p> <p>. Whoa! That's right out of a MILF fantasy. Well, I guess 'Part Deux' to this story would be secretly shot and highly scandalous sex-tape.</p> <p>- Nah, that is very Web 2.0. I'm betting it is a live, real-time stream via <a href="http://chatroulette.com/" target="_blank">ChatRoulette</a> with the requisite 'tweets' and 'checking ins'.</p> <p>. Haha yeah, 'Charlie just checked into Linda.', and 'Linda <a href="http://www.howcast.com/videos/386406" target="_blank">unlocked the Bender badge</a>'.</p> <p>- You better shut up before the Hulk decides to check his fist into you.</p> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://mithunk.com/its-all-happening-in-real-time">Are You Off Guard?</a> </p> </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-73408819899372391112009-12-21T21:57:00.004+05:302009-12-21T22:31:44.682+05:30Why Work Is ToastThe barren wasted land is not visited much these days. Blogging itself may be dying, at least blogging by the likes of me, ones who can't write beyond 4 sentences. I've been tweeting a lot of late though, both as <a href="http://twitter.com/mithunk">mithunk</a> and as <a href="http://twitter.com/projectoffguard">ProjectOffguard</a>. It's easier, 140 words, bam, you're done and out of there...no wait, what does that last tweet say? oh, this is so funny, I have to retweet it, bam, done, out...wait I've got another 140 characters to say...and now ProjectOffguard has an update to give...hello little birdy. So, it goes on, killing time, killing productivity, being so wonderfully 1960's. Facebook's pretty much the same the only difference is, on Twitter, more often than not, you end up airing your view or the news or some such thing that's good when aired (old shoes included), whereas on Facebook you let the world know that you just grew virtual soyabean, made a killing selling it and are now the Capo of the dreaded Backstreet Mafia. You also tag photos, stalk old flames, 'like' someone else's soya crop and organise raids on the nearby grocery stores owned by rival mafia gangs. 'Oi, babbo, hand over all the freshly cut lettuce without a word...cosa nostra'.<br />There are other ways to bleed your work time as well. The usual suspects are chat on Gmail and Facebook. These two more than others because the chat lists will be full of people who are glued to Gmail and Facebook and ergo waiting to kill time. Stumbleupon is another one, click, click, click...oooh this page is so cool, let me tweet and facebook this, done, click, click.<br />Now, if you start thinking that the web is the devil and must be put behind the thickest firewall possible then slow down a little button, there are productive productivity killers as well, Google Reader for one. I got hooked onto it pretty late, the whole process of searching for feed urls and then subscribing to feeds used to put me off. Google Reader solved that problem, they gave me simple search and then they gave me 'Bundles'. So, now my reader has topics as diverse as 'Culture' and 'Web 2.0' and there are always a 1000+ unread articles. An IBM ad says that we produce as much information in a day as is available in all the libraries of the United States, well, it seems all of that information is also funnelled through to my Google Reader. You still expect me to work?? By the way, now you know why I blogged last sometime in May.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-90974793078543870862009-05-02T13:30:00.002+05:302009-05-02T13:38:42.587+05:30Your Soul In Mime- Kerflunk<br />. What's that?<br />- A sound<br />. A sound that denotes?<br />- A mime<br />. Right, and how do you mime a 'Kerflunk'?<br />- Recursive problem, is it not?<br />. One of the biggest facing the world todayAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-74426109571404209312008-11-04T00:04:00.003+05:302008-11-04T00:16:35.670+05:30TitulusHow many times do you think that your day has gone into a tailspin that you wished to avoid? How many times have you wished that feeling the way you want to feel would be easier? How many more questions will you need before you finally feel that you don't need to ask anymore? How many questions are there anyway (minus the recursive ones)? The world needs a bloody day off.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-47275710133204029882008-10-21T20:17:00.001+05:302008-10-21T20:51:31.590+05:30When Things Happen<span style="font-weight: bold;">Are you bored, pissed off or simply vacuous? </span>Then we've got just the right tonic for you. Its called the <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-weight: bold;">Rabbipure juice</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span> Extracted from the <span style="font-weight: bold;">oldest rabbi in Jerusalem</span>, yes you read it right Jerusalem, the very same holy city where the followers of Christ ate the followers of Mohammed and then went to the wailing wall to ask for forgiveness. Anyway we digress, so the oldest Rabbi teased and squeezed just for you, to get you the purest rabbipure. Increase your stamina and also heighten your kabbalah center. If you don't believe in kabbalah then you don't have to worry, you can select any of the centers given in the drop down menu and heighten that. With over 2000 faiths supported, Rabbipure is you best bet against the travails of an ordinary life. So mail us your response or better still call us on our special hotline and have the tonic of hairless, enchanted life delivered to your doorstep.<br /><br /><img src="" alt="" /><span style="background-color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >This Special Offer lasts till </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >the Rabbi is alive, so hurry</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" > because he is too old and </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >also a major pain in our </span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:georgia;" >asses</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-40196411255622602262008-10-19T20:43:00.002+05:302008-10-19T20:45:35.257+05:30What I hate about my connectionMy connection keeps tripping every 20 mins or so and then takes its own sweet time to come back on. So when I'm having a conversation with someone online, I'm the rude one who signs out without notifying. It's very bugging. Reliance Wi-Max, you are making my online entity a rather uncouth person.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11435305.post-49734612141712559192008-10-17T19:48:00.006+05:302008-11-09T22:22:01.764+05:30(S)TumblingIf anyone has tried walking up a hillside with a pair of loose denims on you'd know how I felt a week ago. 'I am a proud man, I am a proud man, Dancing to the beat of a mother coming down'...that's not my line, that's Cloud Cult (does it have MILF connotations or is it about The Holy Mother). The name's really nice...Cloud Cult. Another name that really gets me all trippy is Random Charas.<br />A few days ago someone told me about the metaphors from No Smoking. The chopped fingers depicting the hold of the censor/society on an artist, a society that decides what's good for you etc. 'Oh, ok', I said.<br />Coming back to Cloud Cult, the band works out of an organic farm set up by the band's founder and records in a studio powered by geothermal energy. They have their own record label called Earthology Records. The other interesting thing is that while the band performs there is a live painting done on stage, which is auctioned at the end of the show. I like these alternative expressions, I fully support art for art's sake, only please don't pontificate and tell me the deeper meaning that lies in your piece unless I ask.<br />My sentences will be disjointed for a small while and my posts abrupt. I hope to post far more regularly now, I'm just getting back to writing after a long while. If there are any readers please bear with me or mail me and ask me to shut up, I'll give you songs for free.<br />(Small publicity note, new blog I came across <a href="http://www.insatiablepit.blogspot.com/">Insatiable Pit</a>, has promise. If you hate me or think this blog is pretentious and waste etc etc, you'll love them.)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13468108524365916006noreply@blogger.com0