Off with the mask you!

Masks. Masks everywhere. Each of us have masks we wear and act out scenes in our daily life. The funny part is when people see you and see you through. This farce act gives out when you are trying to live a life that you are not. It is really interesting when you want to be in my good books and behave in a particular way and when you don't need help, you have a different mask. 

In every team there is someone who plays out the others for their advantage. Unfortunately, people fall for this. In life brands also try the same. They try to put up masks and act out in a peculiar way to win your confidence. They talk like they care, act like they care and lure you to believing, but when the act comes down, what do you do? You boycott the brand like a dreadful plague and it takes immense confidence building to get back the consumer psyche to like you again. Strange as it sounds, there may be a momentary gain when you play out to the audience and not be truthful but you lose this game. 

As a marketer, if you pick the best mask to wear, pick the most truthful one, the one you don't need to act out to and you are etched into the consumer psyche. 

Applies to people too. Alas! Only few live to learn this. What mask are you wearing today?

Make peace with traffic, try #OLARental

When you have a long list of things to get done across the city, you don't have time to drive, you choose to take a cab. But the hassle of time taken to get your stuff out, waiting, using different vehicles and many other things are a headache. So, when on this particular day, I had to take kids to school, had a hospital appointment and a couple of other things to do, I was stuck with Ganesh travels which I regularly use. Hiring a taxi from known contacts wasn't working out too. I have had some bad experiences with billing and so on. They came back saying that I had to choose either a 4-hour option or an 8-hour options which weren't working out. I couldn't choose to drive my self as I had to be with the baby alone. Then I stumbled upon Ola Rental. I use Ola all the time for travel but that has always been one-way travel. Wifey reasoned why we shouldn't try Ola rental and so I did!

When wifey said there was an option in the Ola App, I checked out the Ola App and picked the rental option. It was so simple. It has several options to choose from, like point to point pick up, changing destination en route and many more. You must explore the app more to see what options are available. The app has many options and time frames to choose from giving you the flexibility to hire from point to point and even for one hour. Here are some pictures. 

You can pick a ride to suit your need and how heavy or light your wallet is that day. Picking a better set of wheels is not going to lighten your pocket as the prices are just too good.

This makes a lot of sense as you are hiring based on your requirement and the price is so much better than the travel agents in the market. I picked one, that made sense to me!

Now that I was familiar with the app and the options, I summoned the cab for 8 hours as I did not know how long my work would take. The package was decent and what makes it really interesting was that the cab was available just like the normal cab, in 6 mins! This is simply incredible as in normal circumstances, I had to call in advance and book at least a couple of hours before and that too I had limited options about the type of cab available as the fleet was limited. I could choose a basic car, a luxury sedan and even a high-end vehicle for just few thousand rupees. 

  

We were ready in few minutes and soon enough a well-dressed driver turned out at our location and I was really happy to see that the car was very clean and nice. We pushed off to drop my child at her school and could carry all the bags - school bag, laptop, one other bag I had in the trunk and we could comfortably sit in the seats without worrying about the luggage. Once she got off at school, we went off to the hospital appointment. Here is where the comfort comes into the picture. I need not carry my bags or worry about them! That is a huge luxury when you have to collect reports from various departments and lug all the bags along. I left my bags and told him the approximate time I would take and go away. Now I know the GPS location of my cab and see where he is and how much time it would take to come back, in case I needed him to be back. 

Once I finished my work, I called him and got him back by the time I reached, all the while I could track the cab. Once I am back in the cab, I could change the destination and pick up a friend who wanted to meet and there was not even a word of resistance from the driver about the location, traffic, distance and anything else. It was just too comfortable, just like your own car. We picked up my child from school, grabbed something to eat, went shopping, practically filled the car up. I could do all this at my own pace, no nonsense from the usual banter. I could play my own songs, watch to sitcoms and pick up where I left off. The Ola Play tablet was easy to use and had enough content to keep me entertained in case I need to be.

The behavior of the driver was exceptionally good. He let me take my calls, be silent and think, no too many questions, no discussion on pricing, bargaining, no directions as I could control the path through my app, and best of all, he was happy to serve! Complete professional and crisp. By the way, Ola Rental drivers are called Partners and he was truly one. The car was cleaned after my child dropped few crumbs of biscuits and it was a pleasure to be served that way. 

Once we were home, I had some 3 hours left on the clock and wanted to go away to a place we all wanted to visit. I requested the partner to have lunch and we were ready in half an hour to go again. We weaved through traffic, five of us and it was again a professional drive. I actually dozed off while my family chatted up and the drive was swift, clean and safe. And the trip back was awesome too. I could spend time with my family and friends, finish my chores for the day, catch up on work and a bit of sleep, being free all the while not concentrating on the driving. I got the best car to travel thanks to OLA Rentals. It is indeed a cool option to try out the #OlaRental solution. 

Monday Blues: Be comfortable

As we grow up, society makes us perceive in certain ways and makes us think we are not good enough. We are influenced by people, things, culture and everything possible around us. We must realize that you are unique and specially made by God and he loves you whatsoever. Be comfortable and be real.