Monday Blues: Be a promise keeper

You would be known be the promises you keep. As simple as that. The words you say will carry more weight and people will hang on to them if they know you are someone who can keep up with the promises. As a brand, it is about the things you stand by. The existence of anyone, a person or a brand is dependent upon how much value people give you. They need not be your customers and can be just observers.

Take the packet of lays for example. When I buy the pack, I am expecting the chips to be nicer, cleaner cuts and have a lot of 'air' too. When I buy the discounted packs or the ones with offers, I know that they have been second quality chips - broken, burnt, cut into odd pieces or even rejects from the batch. So my expectation is set accordingly. The same happens to Good Day biscuits and many such snacks. Organisations push these subpar, low quality products through the 'lower'/'cheaper' markets to help sell. So my expectations when I am buying these discounted or offer packs giving me more for less is always like that. I am okay with this model actually as it sets the story right, addresses the customers right.

When I buy a box of Pringles, I don't expect the chips to be broken, burnt or misshapen. In fact, it would really upset me when I find it is not up to the mark when I get a pack like that. Same applies to all our communication. The you set out to say you are the best, be the best or strive with everything you have to be the best. Without that you are not going the right way I setting up my expectations. Be a promise maker and promise keeper. If not, what is the use of just saying things anyway.

As a brand or as an individual, what are the promises you can afford to make and keep? Stick to those. In times of crisis, if you are downsized and cannot respond to my queries in  a certain time, tell me before. If you cannot be at 100% make the same promise - the one you can keep. Or else all the trust you built all this while is simply lost.

Damn! Now I am craving for chips. Pringles or Lays... bring it on!

Monday Blues: Command, conquer and captivate!

When Karl Elsener started working on the cutlery in his shop in 1884 little did he realize the gigantic trend he is starting in the genre of collectibles and pocket knives. Called the iconic Swiss Army knife, the multi-utility knife is known for its quality standard and encourages the spirit of adventure. This is exactly what it chose to represent when they were Gold sponsors for the IIM Bangalore Vista last week.

Nestled among the budding young leaders of the management students who carry on them a great amount of pressure to be the best in what they can, Victorinox offered a chance to experience handling tremendous pressure while being cool, sustainable and relevant even with the changing pressures, situations in the modern marketplace.

While the pocket knives were all time favorite, the luggage was a surprise choice for many. While most youngsters were captivated by the clean design, immaculate finish and simple corporate looks, the multi-utility theme was its best conquering element. Some of the handpicked items were given as gifts to the honored guests from the corporate diaspora who graced the workshops and the keynotes.

The gift hamper was chosen to accommodate the high-flying, traveling, rigorous usage clientele and had a passport organizer, backpack for the laptops and some pocket knives. My favorite being the huntsman and the rescue tool, the passport organizer can actually be useful for anyone like me. I prefer to travel light and this would make a perfect companion for your long distance travel across continents and handling various currencies.

Command, conquer and captivate, the theme of  IIM B Vista, pushes us to think beyond the current situations on our desk, our monday blues and our problems in general. The army officer who holds the Victorinox pocket knife or the trekker who uses it to cut his food, ropes for his tent or the hobbyist who adds them as his collectibles, try and push you to look at the next adventure with a fresh set of eyes and seek solutions that may not be quite obvious. This Monday, I urge you to look at the next problem and instead of moving away or finding a simple solution, seek to command, learn to conquer and strive to captivate. Yes, while you are at it, look at the message from the most loved knife designer - Build to quality, trust and deliver functionality and innovation. Have a nice Monday.

Mango Frooti Fresh and Juicy roaches

How easy it is for a consumer to walk out on a brand. How easy it is for a brand to lose a consumer? Just one mess up and a bad one at that. What does it tell me? It tells me to be extra careful, extra clean, extra passionate and ensure the experience with my clients is of the top notch and uncompromising. 

Blame it on the guy who stores it before it is handed over to you - the retailer. Blame it on the poor condition of his shop or the pathetic transport system you use but I am blaming you - the brand: Parle Agro!

I got Cockroaches in my pack of Frooti and I am shocked. I usually pick up packs of 8 that you send in one plastic bag and yes I use these straws to consume it. It is one of my childhood's best memories when long unending train journeys from North India to South were punctuataed by the five rupee Frooti packs that came our way to quench our thirst. This nostalgia makes me buy your drink though I don't want to. All these years you built a brand and in one single silly move you committed suicide.

I don't care who does what and who is to blame, I see that you haven't packed my drink properly and these cockroaches crept out of my packs, all eight of them, and they made me go crazy. I felt pukish and sick. You not just spoilt my day but also killed my expectations and as of now you are history for me. Oh yes... Parle Agro's Mango Frooti is fresh and juicy. Don't know about the drink but the cockroaches are!

Consumers... Behave!

You might say the service is bad, or the waiter should be more responsive or they should anticipate. I only agree on the word - anticipate. This is a beautiful contrast int he last 10 years that we didn't see seeping through. Wonderful read and some of us might be more considerate with what we do and how we behave as a customer in the shop. This is taken from The Meta Picture.

Open with a twist

Very rarely I am surprised by the ads that come out. Coke has one team that continues to amaze me with their creativity and charm. I like the way the team at Coke thinks outside the given arena of marketing and sales and moves on to branding. Here is one more example to see how you can overcome simple communications problem that many of us have gone through during campus initiations in college. Good job Coke.

The 9 mantras of Modi’s spectacular success

If Narendra Modi has made it to 7, Race Course Road, it is a triumph not only of strategy and commitment, but of the basic management and marketing principles that his campaign embraced. 

Right from the outset, the party under Modi set itself stretch targets – which focused the efforts of all the stakeholders to one central objective: Mission 272+. This was the ultimate goal of getting the BJP a majority of its own even while focusing on building the right alliances in the right states and voter niches. Equally important, the BJP was a perfectly aligned force from teeth to tail – from the one leader (Modi) who led the fight from the front, to the last karyakarta, the BJP and RSS foot soldiers, who felt they had a personal stake in this election. 

When there is such an alignment from top to bottom, it is no surprise that the end-results have been so gratifying. The chemistry between top and bottom was electrifying. Unlike the Congress, where the bosses kept themselves cocooned and the workers ran a disprited campaign, in the BJP the boss led from the front – driving the enthusiasm of the cadre. 

The boss put in a grueling 20-hour day, cross-crossing addressing over 450 rallies in a few months, and addressing even larger audiences with his unique 3D projection technology which enabled him to be in several places at the same time. In the run-up to the election, we had run a story on the management lessons we could learn from Modi’s campaign. It is worth recalling it again in the context of the success of the BJP and Modi today (16 May). These are some of the things one can learn from the success of the Modi juggernaut.

Modi’s march to 7, Race Course Road, is now a case study on how to uses the rules of management and marketing to lead and win.

1. Declare your ambitions and goals clearly
2. Set stretch targets and align your entire team to the final goal
3. Bbreak the final target personal targets into a set of smaller targets and milestones
4. Demonstrate strength, then invite stakeholders
5. Eliminate doubters and bring in team players
6. Plan meticulously and in detail
7. Set the agenda and keep control
8. Attack the enemy where he is weak
9. Never play to your weakness

Read more at: http://www.firstpost.com/india/election-results-2014-modis-9-mantras-that-helped-him-win-big-1527081.html/2?utm_source=ref_article