Nenu, Na Lokam

Microsoft ad

2008-05-21T06:52:00.002-05:00

I was a bit dissappointed with the dog ad of microsoft. The ad does not stand to the level of Microsoft's image. The ad is supposed to bring out the distinction between original and pirated software, but I feel it brings out more the distinction between cheap and costly software. Thus, indirectly microsoft is mentioning that its software is costly.
Though it is a known fact, I think microsoft (or its ad agency) should try to project the value of its original software, say, in terms of the benefits of warranty, etc.

Havell's Ads

2008-05-15T09:55:00.002-05:00

So many new ads got introduced since I wrote last...Let me start with Havell ads.
Havells is an equipment company with a wide range of electrical products (http://www.havells.com/) . They have a very good series of ads for each of these products. The ads seem to have improved after they changed their ad agency to Lowe (from I think Oxygencommunications). All the ads are nicely shot. Each of the ad tries to cover one aspect of emotion/feeling - cables ad portrays mother and son sentiment (the best of the lot), bulb ad tries to bring out fun using religion, fan ad (the one in which a fat man is tied to a chair) is purely on fun aspect. There are few bad ones too, such as the fan ad in which a guy uses a book with a picture of Havells fan to fan himself. But overall, I think Lowe has done a good job with the ads to capture the mind share of the customer.

Havells Cables:

Havells bulb ad:

Vodafone Alerts

2008-01-06T07:19:00.000-06:00

The recent series of ads for vodafone alerts is really amazing. The picturization is very simple and funny. It has that aura of mystery around it which makes the viewer to stick to the TV till the end of the ad. The ad agency for this campaign seems to be Ogilvy & Mather (source: http://www.agencyfaqs.com/perl/advertising/storyboard/index.html?id=2654). They also had handled the 'Hutch is now Vodafone' campaign. Their work on this is very creative.

I have seen 3 ads in this series. I like the 'Lift' ad the best.

(Source: www.youtube.com)

Other 2 ads:
Onions: http://youtube.com/watch?v=mvuCYqDWDJ8
Goat Milk: http://youtube.com/watch?v=5V471hvGErk&feature=related

Paint Ads

2007-12-18T23:24:00.000-06:00

Isn't it amazing how a small commodity such as paint can be associated to a person's lifestyle, occasion, etc? Long gone are those days when only the exteriors of the house were painted. Now, people spend good amount of time choosing colors for their walls, both exterior and interior. People have started preferring painting the walls of the same room with different colors, say, to bring out a theme. I guess the creative ads by the various paint companies have some contribution to this new trend. Most of us remember the campaigns such as 'Mera wala cream' or 'Wah Sunil babu!'. These will be remembered for long and the thought of painting a house surely flashes those ads in our minds.
Though not in the league of such famous campaigns, but I liked the recent ads of Berger Paints. Their tag line, 'Paint your imagination', has been well represented in some of their ads, mainly the below one. The music score supports the picturization very well. The ad very clearly presents the conflict that most of the couples face while building their houses, and hence will create the emotional connect very easily. Also, if you observe, few years back, the cement or paint ads used to show families in their late thirties or early forties. This ad, however, targets the latest customers - middle-class young people (late twenties & early thirties). Enough of my analysis, enjoy the ad now!

Other ads: http://youtube.com/watch?v=FGOLpVjc99g&feature=related

Buckley's Cough Syrup

2007-12-17T21:26:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I downloaded some Comedy Central podcasts and I saw an ad at the end of the podcast. This ad was so different and against trends that I couldn't think of not writing about it on the blog. Check the ads of this product. These ads stress on the bad taste of the cough syrup but mention that it works! I find it amazing how daring they were to pick such a campaign. It gives a 'yuck' feeling but surely puts the brand name in the minds of the customer. So, I guess they were trying to play the 'brand recall' game to increase the sales. It is a popular syrup in Canada and Saatchi & Saatchi, New York has led the campaign (http://www.canadapharmacynews.com/labels/Buckley). Other articles on it: http://www.buckleys.com/about/print.htm, http://www.boingboing.net/2007/11/12/gutsy-adcampaign-for.html, http://www.graphicology.com/blog/2007/11/12/131-ad-of-the-week-buckleys.html

Have a look at these interesting (but gross) videos of the ads (for more, search for "buckley's" on youtube):

Idea Ads

2007-10-17T13:33:00.000-05:00

The latest Idea Ad with Abhishek Bachchan uses the caste differences as background and tries to drive home that an idea can change lives. The concept is moderately ok, picturization was decent, abhishek bachchan's expressions were good.
However, while searching for the video of this ad in youtube, I came across one of the older ads of Idea. The main theme of the ad is that the idea connectivity is everywhere. This is a nice ad and the idea is good. The picturization could be better in terms of clearly showing how far the monkey had travelled and into uninhabited places. Check that ad too.

Ad with Abhishek Bachchan (courtesy: youtube)

Ad with monkey (courtesy: youtube)

Watching TV Ads - My Hobby

2007-10-16T13:46:00.000-05:00

It is amazing how the time flies by so quickly! I have completed 4 terms already, i.e., half of my MBA course!! However, the way the life is, I have to be aware that the tougher part is yet to come! Anyways, this post is not about the future troubles, but about my pastime - TV Ads.

I will be posting videos of some of the ads (both recent and old) and express my views/comments/critique on those ads.

I shall start with the recent Reliance Mobile's campaign - Bol India Bol. These ads are really amazing. I have seen 2 ads ('sawaal' & 'advice')from this campaign and both of them are really good. The best part of these ads is that the audience can relate with the ad right from the first sentence. The picturization, the characters, the music and the expressions of the actors really keep the audience engrossed till the end. The background voice is a perfect fit to the ad. You can watch it as many times as you want and still not get bored. Cool Ad! Watch it for sure by clicking the below video icon (courtesy: you tube)

"Sawaal":

"Advice":

'He' vs 'She'

2007-05-25T15:21:00.000-05:00

Disclaimer: This is not a sexist post and I am not a MCP!

Well, then what is this? This is just an observation on how the word 'She' has taken over the word 'He' in all references to common man (?) in articles, textbooks, etc.

I have joined ISB and more than a month has passed already. Quite a lot of things happening such as mid-terms getting over, GSB president getting elected, final term schedules getting published, etc. If you leave apart the gruelling class and assignment schedules, it has been a wonderful time interacting with an amazingly diverse group of people and learning from the very best professors from Wharton and Kellogg. This one year is sure gonna be a great year!

So, coming back to the topic, I first heard this usage in one of our classes from the professor. The first time I heard it being used, I was trying to figure out if the prof had said some woman's name before its reference. But no, it was a general reference to a consumer!

Few years back I heard this being suggested to us in one of the presentation skills training (or was it some other class?) in my ex-company but I never encountered it being really used. After this incident, I started to pay more attention towards the usage and I see it in quite a lot of places!

It's a nice development, I would say.

Here are few other thoughts on the topic (to smile about):
1. Can this extra letter ('s') in the most common word lead to cutting of more trees, since more of space will be used in the books, papers, etc? (Very far sighted...huh?)
2. Will there soon be an introduction of the word 'huwoman'? (Oh...some more trees gone!)

Have fun!

Last few days at the Company!

2007-03-05T03:26:00.000-06:00

A post after a long time...and yes, I am into the last days at this company! Its been almost 6 years working in this company, and now I am leaving it for a better purpose - MBA! It seems to be just the other day when we were standing eagerly at our Placement Office in the college, waiting for the interview results!
When I look back, there have been accomplishments & failures, joy and sorrow, fun and pain. I met many good people and some not-so-good people. But all in all, this was the company that showed what life is about and has given me a head-start for my future. It will be really painful to leave the company!
Only the excitement of getting back to studies at the premier institute ISB overshadows this pain.
I hope for the best to happen and expect to get into a company better than this company!

This gal beats Shakira!

2006-05-21T23:14:00.000-05:00

Check out this liquid lady! Shakira stands no chance in front of this lady...some special talent!

India 2020 - Will it be just a Vision?

2006-05-21T09:03:00.000-05:00

Today I came across this article and was stunned!! The practice of 'Sati' still exists in India?? Whatever be the case, either the wife jumping into the pyre at her own will, or the family members pushing her, the bigger question is 'are we on track for Vision 2020 for India'? With almost 70% of India's population in rural areas, the faster we develop the rural areas, the earlier we will be reaching our aim.
I hope Mr. Abdul Kalam can steer the government's efforts in the right direction in the right areas!

Unique practices of Marriage

2006-05-16T22:43:00.000-05:00

Recently, some of my friends were having a conversation about marriage, how it is followed at their places, etc. And I could not stop wondering how the practice itself started. As usual, I hit my 'all-info' site, wikipedia.org. Though I did not get the right answer for my question, I found some interesting stuff there. I have copied it below for your easy reference:

Unique Practices
Some parts of India follow a custom in which the groom is required to marry with an auspicious plant called Tulsi before a second marriage to overcome inauspicious predictions about the health of the husband. However, the relationship is not consummated and does not affect their ability to remarry later. One should note that this is not a norm found across the entire Indian sub-continent.
In the state of Kerala, India, the Nambudiri Brahmin caste traditionally practices henogamy, in which only the eldest son in each family is permitted to marry.
In Mormonism, a couple may seal their marriage "for time and for all eternity" through a "sealing" ceremony conducted within the LDS temple. The couple is then believed to be bound to each other in marriage throughout eternity if they live according to their covenants made in the ceremony. Mormonism also allows living persons to act as proxies in the sealing ceremony to "seal" a marriage between ancestors who have been dead for at least one year and who were married during their lifetime. According to LDS theology, it is then up to the deceased individuals to accept or reject this sealing in the spirit world before their eventual resurrection. A living person can also be sealed to his or her deceased spouse, with another person (of the same sex as the deceased) acting as proxy for that deceased individual.
Other unusual variations include marriage between a living human and a ghost (Taiwan), a living human and a recently-deceased human with whom they were emotionally involved (France), and between a human being and God (Catholic and Orthodox monasticism). Again, these lack the social meaning of ordinary marriage and belong rather to the realm of religion or (in the case of weddings of dogs to other dogs, Kermit the Frog to Miss Piggy, and the like) pure spectacle.
One society that traditionally did without marriage entirely was that of the Na of Yunnan province in southern China. According to anthropologist Cia Hua, sexual liaisons among the Na took place in the form of "visits" initiated by either men or women, each of whom might have two or three partners each at any given time (and as many as two hundred throughout a lifetime). The nonexistence of fathers in the Na family unit was consistent with their practice of matrilineality and matrilocality, in which siblings and their offspring lived with their maternal relatives. In recent years, the Chinese state has encouraged the Na to acculturate to the monogamous marriage norms of greater China. Such programs have included land grants to monogamous Na families, conscription (in the 1970s, couples were rounded up in villages ten or twenty at a time and issued marriage licenses), legislation declaring frequent sexual partners married and outlawing "visits", and the withholding of food rations from children who could not identify their fathers. Many of these measures were relaxed in favor of educational approaches after Deng Xiaoping came into power in 1981.

Howzzat for a marriage? I like the Na of Yunnan province ;-)

Near & Dear

2006-05-14T18:33:00.000-05:00

I have often come across some Indians who say (in a disgusting tone) 'I do not want to stay in that area because there are sooo many indians'. Pal, you too are an indian, what's your problem in staying with them? I got 2 kinds of answers to this question of mine:
Version 1: I do not like the Indians. They are very narrow-minded, intrusive, etc, etc

What?? Boss, you too are an indian. How broad-minded are you? You do not like indians, but you will behave like one (in terms of shopping, entertainment options, traveling, etc). You do not like indians, but will go for lunch with them. I bet, my friend, you would very soon go searching for Indian friends!

Version 2: I have come so far from India. I want to feel the US kind of living.

Reasonable. But, are you following the life completely. No. You stay inside the house mostly. If you go outside, it will be with your Indian friends. How many of US friends do you have? Have you matched their spending lifestyle? Their freak-out on friday lifestyle? I doubt.

I am clue-less as to why someone has to feel low about being near to their country folks. This is not an abnormal phenomenon. I don't think 'Birds of a feather flock together' would have been coined just like that. This will be the case with every national when they are in a foreign area!

There is nothing wrong in being with one's near and dear.

'These people'

2006-04-21T00:14:00.000-05:00

Have you ever come across the usage of the phrase 'These people'? I have come across this quite a number of times, and everytime it kinda sounds derogatory (not sure if the speaker intended to...). More importantly, I am surprised when I hear it from two groups of people refering to each other (obviously in different conversations)!! For example, today I heard my friend, who has come to US recently from India, asking me if 'these people' (americans) have 'bread' for all the three times in a day. I immediately remembered one of my US colleague asking me if 'you people' (Indians) have 'rice' all three times a day!! One might think it is because of the so-called vast difference between the cultures...no, its not the case! I had the same case between North and South Indians (obviously, this time it was between 'Roti' and 'Rice').
Don't 'these people' recognize their habits and behavior before asking questions about 'the people'???

Not the Highway!!

2006-04-19T22:40:00.000-05:00

Hey, long time since I wrote on the blog...well, I thought I will write once I get a bit of free time. Then when I got some free time, I started spending time on trivial matters and forgot about writing!!
Even now, I need to finish some work. But, what the ...., can't I spend 10 mins on writing? Yes, sure I can do. People across the world are doing great things...some one at this moment would have patented something new, a mountaineer would have reached new heights, some men in a conference room would have come up with a brilliant idea that is going to change the future of their company, etc, etc...can't I then spend just 10 mins on writing? Sure I can!!

Today, I would like to talk about the unconventional career paths. It is really amazing how people have taken various bold decisions and chosen a 'not-so-often-tread' career path. Few years back, when one of my friend's brother took Hotel management, I was stunned...I was inwardly smiling and thinking 'what a stupid decision?'. Now, I appreciate his thoughts. I am sure he will excel in his job and will have a good life. He will do new things, the things when said in a group will awe them (not because they are great, but just because they are different). We all should encourage such people and not force the youngsters to take up some common courses, just because some neighbour's son had taken that course and is now earning lots of money!!

Hope people realize the importance of these thoughts and take steps to nurture them, both in themselves and in others.

ఉగాది శుభాకా౦క్షలు

2005-04-15T22:01:00.000-05:00

చాలా రోజులు తరువాత మళ్లి రాస్తున్నను। ఇప్పుడే 'నీకు నేను, నాకు నువ్వు ' movie చూస్తున్నాను। ఇ౦దులో ఒక పాట ఉ౦ది, మోత్త౦ తెలుగు గురి౦చే!! చాల ఆన౦దాన్ని కలిగి౦చి౦ది।

Blog in telugu

2005-04-04T21:47:00.000-05:00

హమ్మయ్య!! ఆఖరికి తెలుగులొ రాయగలిగను॥।యెదొ పరవలెదు, అన్త సరిఅయిన తెలుగు కాకపొయిన॥చదవగలుగు తున్నాము॥।అది చాలు!!
ఈ మొదటి మెట్టు చాల ఆన౦దన్ని కలిగిస్తున్నది।ము౦దు ము౦దు మరెన్ని ఇలా౦టి blogలు రాస్తాను।ఈ రోజుకి ఇ౦తె। :-)

Na modati blog

2005-04-02T22:41:00.000-06:00

I have been hearing about blogs...blogs are this, blogs are good...blogs are that..
Well, finally I am also into blogs now. Lemme see how long and how good I maintain this blog. I am trying to get to write this blog in Telugu, but am not able to find how to do it. Once I find that, I will continue with this.