the days gone by have brought about a sudden awakening in the people of the country and especially those in mumbai. with a spate of editorials burgeoning, and everyone having an opinion of how we should deal with the terrorists....there is not a single concrete action being taken. and what may have started as a movement toward being proactive, has, as usual, been overturned in its fervour and become an anti-country, and an anti - religion movement. Here, is movement to big a word for what is happening, not if you look at it in the traditional sense, It is the organization of an opinion that seems to be taking the masses by storm, and reinforcing itself as the only opinion that matters. That is the thing, if you scream out something loud enough, it does not matter what you are saying, all that matters is that you have something TO say. And that seems to be the tone that all the literate (but educated? that's debatable) seem to be chanting. And while we have had the newspapers flooded with editorial after editorial of how a great landmark such as the Taj has been lost....and how they could have been sipping their cup of tea(which could buy a small meal for an impoverished family at the same price)when the terrorists attacked. And this whole term "terrorists" is a very ambiguous term if you ask me. Convenient when they are not fighting for what you believe in.But if the fight is for what you believe in, or even to right a supposed wrong, or to teach someone a lesson....or even to just show some muscle so that no one in their right mind would even think about taking a "panga" (in street parlance..) But if we look at this issue from a broader perspective, the whole deal is governed by class. The discrepancy is largely evident in very reportage taht has been made available to the public. Again Im back to the same point illustrated by the earlier example, or personalities like Shobhaa De, who wept for woe on the loss of Wasabi, and how she and her high brow friends will have to give up gossiping over tea and crumpets at the Taj, and may have to (shudder to think) settle for tea in fake silver teapots and Italian fake leather couches. Oh the sorrow that the upper class endures!!!! All this while, the bomb blasts and the attacks were someone else's problem. Hey, after all, we are the residents of
Saturday, May 30, 2009
a piece on the pieces on terrorism...(and a bit of my own thrown in...)
India Inc looks to draw from IPL's success as a brand
India's corporate world is looking to draw from the DLF Indian Premier League as a brand that bases is strength on innovation in people management.
"The most important point was to make believers of non-believers. The brand is so strong now that the second season is under way and even non-believers of the success of IPL 2009 will eventually raise their hats and acknowledge the strong emotional bond that IPL has built with its fans," says, Vibgyor Films Founder Sandeep Kaul. "Last but not the least, the whirlpool effect would mean that IPL can be held in any cricketing nation and still be a successful brand.
"Knowing the iconic popularity of cricket in both the countries namely South Africa and India, IPL ensured that the followers of the game would enjoy the clash anyways and, by default, local brands get international exposure," says Kaul. "This is like a boon to our local brands. So the lesson was not to be fazed by the circumstance but spruce the turkey and enjoy an early Thanksgiving."
Thomson Foundation Asia Project co-ordinator Savyasaachi Jain recalls one other brand name that Indians associate with South Africa. "It is quite rare to see a brand exercise in India gaining momentum so speedily and then managing to get eyeballs. A brand that I can recall in ties with South Africa was Mahatma Gandhi but then it is quite notable that it took years to establish" he says. "It is a concept that that has notably reacted very fast to specifically Indian market conditions that too in such a short span of time."
McCann Erickson National Creative Director Ashish Chakravorty says IPL has made the most of what some considered a grudge purchase. "First was a decision whether to spend money on development or not - they chose to spend (the potential grudge purchase). Significantly, this was converted into an investment by making it not just short-term spending on players training but rather turning it into a real investment that generates returns for the future," he says.
"But then the cherry on top - the system they have built not only makes this investment (growing young players by exposing them to the international stars) but also, as an entertainment spectacular, generates huge revenues and value," says Chakravorty.
"It is simply a mixture of the old and the new," says Tag Worldwide Chief Operating Officer Chetan Sachdev. "The age-old game of cricket plus fairly established professional sports marketing and a new exciting format adds up to a brand new product. Very simple in theory but it hadn't been done before like this. They weren't afraid to try it." Euro RSCG Associate Creative Director Nikhil Pandey says IPL has shown that in business, as in sport, it is the innovators who would survive fierce battles. "Questioning the paradigm and breaking the convention are the norms to follow," he says. "The most notable feature is resource utilisation. BCCI's contracted players were a resource. When the demand was created, the value of the resource went up. It is novelty in creating demand that is the highlight of IPL."
Blogworks Founder Rajesh Lalwani advises that it would be advisable to evaluate IPL in its third season for its sustainability. "But IPL as a brand surely is a significant property. The most interesting fact about IPL is it has given a new aspirational wing to parents who were always hesitated thinking about cricket as a prospective career for their kids, now they are ready to back their kids," he says.
"The most important point was to make believers of non-believers. The brand is so strong now that the second season is under way and even non-believers of the success of IPL 2009 will eventually raise their hats and acknowledge the strong emotional bond that IPL has built with its fans," says, Vibgyor Films Founder Sandeep Kaul. "Last but not the least, the whirlpool effect would mean that IPL can be held in any cricketing nation and still be a successful brand.
"Knowing the iconic popularity of cricket in both the countries namely South Africa and India, IPL ensured that the followers of the game would enjoy the clash anyways and, by default, local brands get international exposure," says Kaul. "This is like a boon to our local brands. So the lesson was not to be fazed by the circumstance but spruce the turkey and enjoy an early Thanksgiving."
Thomson Foundation Asia Project co-ordinator Savyasaachi Jain recalls one other brand name that Indians associate with South Africa. "It is quite rare to see a brand exercise in India gaining momentum so speedily and then managing to get eyeballs. A brand that I can recall in ties with South Africa was Mahatma Gandhi but then it is quite notable that it took years to establish" he says. "It is a concept that that has notably reacted very fast to specifically Indian market conditions that too in such a short span of time."
McCann Erickson National Creative Director Ashish Chakravorty says IPL has made the most of what some considered a grudge purchase. "First was a decision whether to spend money on development or not - they chose to spend (the potential grudge purchase). Significantly, this was converted into an investment by making it not just short-term spending on players training but rather turning it into a real investment that generates returns for the future," he says.
"But then the cherry on top - the system they have built not only makes this investment (growing young players by exposing them to the international stars) but also, as an entertainment spectacular, generates huge revenues and value," says Chakravorty.
"It is simply a mixture of the old and the new," says Tag Worldwide Chief Operating Officer Chetan Sachdev. "The age-old game of cricket plus fairly established professional sports marketing and a new exciting format adds up to a brand new product. Very simple in theory but it hadn't been done before like this. They weren't afraid to try it." Euro RSCG Associate Creative Director Nikhil Pandey says IPL has shown that in business, as in sport, it is the innovators who would survive fierce battles. "Questioning the paradigm and breaking the convention are the norms to follow," he says. "The most notable feature is resource utilisation. BCCI's contracted players were a resource. When the demand was created, the value of the resource went up. It is novelty in creating demand that is the highlight of IPL."
Blogworks Founder Rajesh Lalwani advises that it would be advisable to evaluate IPL in its third season for its sustainability. "But IPL as a brand surely is a significant property. The most interesting fact about IPL is it has given a new aspirational wing to parents who were always hesitated thinking about cricket as a prospective career for their kids, now they are ready to back their kids," he says.
IPL fans coming to terms with withdrawal symptoms
A cartoon in a leading English daily newspaper captures the nation's mood quite eloquently. It shows a man lying exhausted before a television set that has a blank screen and he is seen asking his wife: "It is 8 o'clock. What do I do now?"
A cricket crazy nation is slowly coming to terms with the fact that the curtain has come down on DLF Indian Premier League 2009. Tens of millions of cricket fans are twiddling their thumbs, soaking in the after-glow of the 37-day long extravaganza that combined excellent cricket and entertainment to engage cricket lovers and more in an addictive spell.
Indeed, for over five weeks, 22-year-old Sanjid Dutta's evenings were booked. From 7.30 pm to midnight, the marketing professional stayed in his couch, glued to and mesmerised by the high-voltage cricket. The Royal Challengers Bangalore fan says he now has no option but to wait for the start of the ICC World Twenty20.
Chartered Accountant Karan Malik, 23, says he started feeling bored right from the morning of May 25. "The reason is obvious," he says. "There were no more matches, I'm now playing an online T20 cricket game. I wish to win some prize there."
Nimai Joshi, 26-year-old marketing head of an educational consultancy, waves goodbye to IPL in a poetic tone. "The memory of IPL still makes my adrenaline rush, am enjoying the after glow of the month-long treat. The Yuvraj Singh hat-tricks, Manish Pandey's century they made us gasp, made us shout and left us to dream till the ICC World Twenty20 gets under way," he said.
"I never thought I would miss IPL," says telecom company project manager Kumar K, "but the fact is that I do. Indian sport has never seen such a spectacle in a foreign land. "I miss IPL. It was such fun and yes, unknowingly yet subtly, it became an addiction."
"Am I going to miss IPL? Well, yes and no," says MBA student Bhavna Chawla. "Yes because I love cricket and players over any other lure IPL offered. And no because, since I am pretty busy with my exams, I will let studies keep my mind occupied. I'd rather choose a middle path. Nonetheless, IPL is the best thing to have happened to cricket in ages."
Copy-writer Disha Joshi has a different reason to miss IPL. "It helped extend city loyalties that can help broaden horizons all around. Cutting across socio-economic-religious boundaries, Indians saw the cricket and I know I will surely miss it for this reason alone," says the 27-year-old Joshi.
"IPL was a persuasive mixture of 40 per cent cricket 30 per cent glamour, 20 per cent team effort and 10 per cent soap opera," says TV journalist Tabhish Hussain. "I now feel a vacuum these evenings. The saving grace is that IPL 2010 is not far away."
Rajeev Arora, 69 and retired, cut his yoga sessions short, skipped his evening walks and conversations with friends to settle before the TV set at 7.30 pm each evening. "I did not even miss the toss," he says, witfully. "In fact, by the toss I would decide which team had the edge over the other. "Would the bhajia and chai taste the same?"
He has a friendly suggestion that comes from his son, Akshit. Aware that his father doesn't know what he's going to do, Akshit said he has hinted that his father should return to erstwhile routine, read a book once in a while and go to bed early.
Well, that, as Rajeev Arora and countless others know, is easier said than done.
A cricket crazy nation is slowly coming to terms with the fact that the curtain has come down on DLF Indian Premier League 2009. Tens of millions of cricket fans are twiddling their thumbs, soaking in the after-glow of the 37-day long extravaganza that combined excellent cricket and entertainment to engage cricket lovers and more in an addictive spell.
Indeed, for over five weeks, 22-year-old Sanjid Dutta's evenings were booked. From 7.30 pm to midnight, the marketing professional stayed in his couch, glued to and mesmerised by the high-voltage cricket. The Royal Challengers Bangalore fan says he now has no option but to wait for the start of the ICC World Twenty20.
Chartered Accountant Karan Malik, 23, says he started feeling bored right from the morning of May 25. "The reason is obvious," he says. "There were no more matches, I'm now playing an online T20 cricket game. I wish to win some prize there."
Nimai Joshi, 26-year-old marketing head of an educational consultancy, waves goodbye to IPL in a poetic tone. "The memory of IPL still makes my adrenaline rush, am enjoying the after glow of the month-long treat. The Yuvraj Singh hat-tricks, Manish Pandey's century they made us gasp, made us shout and left us to dream till the ICC World Twenty20 gets under way," he said.
"I never thought I would miss IPL," says telecom company project manager Kumar K, "but the fact is that I do. Indian sport has never seen such a spectacle in a foreign land. "I miss IPL. It was such fun and yes, unknowingly yet subtly, it became an addiction."
"Am I going to miss IPL? Well, yes and no," says MBA student Bhavna Chawla. "Yes because I love cricket and players over any other lure IPL offered. And no because, since I am pretty busy with my exams, I will let studies keep my mind occupied. I'd rather choose a middle path. Nonetheless, IPL is the best thing to have happened to cricket in ages."
Copy-writer Disha Joshi has a different reason to miss IPL. "It helped extend city loyalties that can help broaden horizons all around. Cutting across socio-economic-religious boundaries, Indians saw the cricket and I know I will surely miss it for this reason alone," says the 27-year-old Joshi.
"IPL was a persuasive mixture of 40 per cent cricket 30 per cent glamour, 20 per cent team effort and 10 per cent soap opera," says TV journalist Tabhish Hussain. "I now feel a vacuum these evenings. The saving grace is that IPL 2010 is not far away."
Rajeev Arora, 69 and retired, cut his yoga sessions short, skipped his evening walks and conversations with friends to settle before the TV set at 7.30 pm each evening. "I did not even miss the toss," he says, witfully. "In fact, by the toss I would decide which team had the edge over the other. "Would the bhajia and chai taste the same?"
He has a friendly suggestion that comes from his son, Akshit. Aware that his father doesn't know what he's going to do, Akshit said he has hinted that his father should return to erstwhile routine, read a book once in a while and go to bed early.
Well, that, as Rajeev Arora and countless others know, is easier said than done.
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