I Also Want to Write About Barack Obama!/Article in adage.com/14.11.08

Lessons Learned in Learning Lessons From the Most Spherical Campaign Around

The marketing fraternity gets excited when there are lessons to learn, especially when these lessons come from outside the corporate world. So of course, when someone like Barack Obama becomes president, we can pick up many new instructions in management and marketing, mainly from the marketing gurus who love to rush and write about them in the papers. The faster you can figure out the lessons, the better. Now don't get me wrong, they are really good articles. It's just that being somewhat connected to marketing, and also an occasional writer of articles ... I also want to write about Barack Obama.

The first step in Writing About Barack Obama is figuring out whether you have five, seven or 10 lessons. Then you discern who these lessons could be for. CEOs, marketers, organizations and brands have already been targeted.

I'm a planner by trade so my first thought was to reach out to my ilk. But Umair Haque, who wrote "Obama's Seven Lessons for Radical Innovators" for Harvard Business Publishing, beat me there. Sample: "Obama's campaign took a scalpel to strategy -- because they realized that strategy, too often, kills a deeply lived sense of purpose, destroys credibility and corrupts meaning." So "Six Lessons Strategic Planners Can Learn From Barack Obama" was out. As was "Seven Lessons for Radical Innovators."

Also, you need some new concept words to make your lesson unique. You know, like "blue ocean," "flat world," "long tail." According to Mr. Haque, "Obama's organization was less tall or flat than spherical." That's right, spherical. And his organization was "self-organizing." Gosh, I need something like that for my article too.

In this regard, Al Ries' "What Marketers Can Learn from Obama's Campaign," published on this website, was not very helpful. He says Mr. Obama teaches us "simplicity, consistency, relevance." No new concept words there, just good old horse sense. And not at all what I'm looking for. In fact, Mr. Obama does not really teach us any new lessons; he has simply applied the lessons Mr. Ries taught us long ago, but we never learned. (He also says something sarcastic about chief marketing officers who keep changing jobs and slogans, but never mind that for now.) As Mr. Ries points out, we learn from Mr. Obama that we shouldn't change our slogans often; our slogan itself should be about change. And as they all point out, it's not about small changes. We have to change the world itself.

Then there was John Quelch's "How Better Marketing Elected Barack Obama," also for Harvard Business Publishing. The lessons from here include: Be charismatic, be a great public speaker, convert empathy into tangible support (read: money) reach out to all, have consistent messaging, combine functional with emotional benefits, use new media, outsmart the competition, fight the ground war brilliantly and have an excellent marketing and campaign team.

Phew ... if only.

Even still, that leaves me with many brands for which I have no world-changing ideas, no compelling biographies, no funds and, worst of all, no concept words. It also leaves me without a title for my article.

I suppose it could have been "Three Lessons the Advertising Industry Can Learn From Obama." (Just three should do, because some feel the advertising industry takes a long time to learn its lessons.) But apparently Mr. Obama put his money where the ad industry's mouth is now -- in digital! (In this regard, there are anything from 23 to 52 lessons.) He has taught us lessons in logo design, website design, messaging, twittering, mobile alerts. He has schooled us in how to build social networks and e-mail lists, to distribute widgets and to bring in the under-30s. And most of all, a key lesson in domain names. It's not barackobama.com but my.barackobama.com. That's right. Co-create, put the customer in the center of the universe. (See, he has only done what the advertising industry has been saying for five years now.)

And of course the ultimate lesson is his central message: "I can't change anything, only we can." Actually, no. The ultimate lesson is getting that "we" get to pay for his campaign.

Aha! An aha moment. A lesson. If the competition runs expensive TV ads, and your client does not have the money, raise funds from your consumers -- through the internet! That's co-creation. That's the 21st-century organization. That's spherical, surely.

See, we don't want to just run a great campaign with our client's money. We want to change the world ... by launching My.consumerspayforads.com. Ahhhh. There's the title: "One Lesson on Marketing Budgets From Barack Obama." And for all you disbelievers in advertising out there, who think we can't pull this off, there is of course only one message. "Yes we can."

Original article at http://adage.com/campaigntrail/post?article_id=132545

Giving Fairness Creams a Fair Shake/Post in Adage.com - Global Idea Network/28.10.08

How the Messaging Surrounding the Controversial Product Has Evolved

Women's fairness creams -- which work to lighten skin color -- is a large product category in India and has from time to time attracted the attention of feminists as being a regressive offering that perpetuates fair skin as an yardstick of beauty, a symptom of our "colonial hangover." Over the years, the promise of these creams has moved from you can find a husband if you are fair to the idea that a lighter skin tone will get you a job. Progressively, ads have shown women having the upper hand in choosing partners, and the jobs they can get have moved from air hostesses (traditionally a "modern" profession according to the large Indian middle class) to cricket commentators, reflecting a more recent male bastion that the Indian woman has stormed! Meanwhile, realizing that a fair (pun unintended!) percentage of users were men, the market has seen the launch of new brands of fairness creams for men, like Fair & Handsome. Lowe's latest ad for Unilever's Fair & Lovely, the largest brand in the women's fairness creams category, has moved the needle further. The story revolves around a man who is pushed to extreme measures to get his bulging waistline into shape because of the effect the woman has on him, with the tagline "The power of beauty." Surely, a telling comment on the changing status of women in Indian society. From "I'm worried about whether the man will accept me" to "See what an effect I have on the man." You really have come a long way, baby!

Original post here
http://http//adage.com/globalideanetwork/post?article_id=132070

Indian Women to Get Tools to Break Glass Ceiling/Post in Adage.com - Global Idea Network/15.10.08

New Program Trains Unskilled Indian Women in Trades

From breaking the glass ceiling in boardrooms to using micro-finance at the grassroots and driving rural entrepreneurship, from working night shifts in BPOs to teaching foreign children online from home, from biking in the Himalayas to being employed by banks to recover loans from defaulters, Indian women are breaking into so many male bastions -- even as the better-off spend more and more on looking more beautiful and showing more skin! Here is a small news item in The Hindu dated Oct. 13 that made me salute the gender, one more time. Take a look. They are now being trained by the Building Association of India in electrical work, painting, carpentry, plumbing. Said M.K. Sundaram, chairman of the Builders Association of India: "The women have been deprived of the opportunity to effectively contribute to the industry. As they are unskilled, they get low wages. This initiative of providing training in painting, plumbing, electrical and carpentry work for women unskilled laborers will help them earn more. It will also contribute well to the construction industry." May the idea spread. This is not just a positive step forward from women carrying heavy loads in construction sites. Maybe our problems with the slippery tribe of male household maintenance jobbers will come to an end!
Original post here
http://http//adage.com/globalideanetwork/post?article_id=131743

Bollywood's Oscar Submission: A Film With a Message/Post in adage.com - Global Idea Network/30.09.08

Bollywood has the largest film output in the world, making at least twice as many films as Hollywood does in a year. And that's only the Hindi-language films -- there are at least five other thriving vernacular-language film industries in India. So you can imagine how difficult it is to choose just one entry for the Oscars! First, the arguments: Was it really the best? Were politics involved? Did the right movie's team lobby well enough? ... And when we don't win: Are we really not good enough, is it racism, is it lack of marketing, or is it that "they just don't get it"? But this year, all Indians will be proud of the entry "Taare Zameen Par" ("Every Child Is Special"). The choice reflects two trends: the rise of "message movies" and the rise of the film star as activist. In this movie, actor Aamir Khan -- known to do fewer films than others because he chooses his themes with care and also known for supporting causes offscreen -- pulls off an outstanding directorial debut. "TZP" (we like to abbreviate our movie names) is the story of a dyslexic child and how a sensitive teacher transforms him and opens the eyes of the parents. At a time when Indian parents are increasingly "pushing" their children to higher academic and all-around performance, the film makes more than one statement. The last time Mr. Khan was at the Academy Awards, in 2002, his movie "Lagaan" lost to "No Man's Land." His "Rang De Basanti" didn't make it to the shortlist in 2007. Now, India crosses a billion fingers and waits with bated breath, hoping the phrase "third time lucky" is true!

Original post here
http://adage.com/globalideanetwork/post?article_id=131359

Equanimity and enlightenment: can brands play a deeper role?/Published articles, Financial Express 7

Article in The Brand Wagon, The Financial Express, August 5th, 2008
Chakra Watch 7: Survival, Pleasure, Power, Love, Creative Expression, Transcendence, Spirituality: these are the seven basic life themes - based on the seven major chakras in the human body - that drive all human behaviour.
Sahasara or the Crown Chakra is about enlightenment, wholesomeness, positive transformation, inner peace, enthusiasm and fulfillment. The seat of psychological maturity, it is said to develop when we face difficult choices in our personal lives and external challenges. The Brand Chakras framework calls this life space “Surrender to Spirituality: Mental and Intuitive Intelligence”. It does not require as was thought in earlier days, renunciation of the world. Rather it is about being aware of a higher force at work, balancing worldly pursuits and spiritual thinking, remaining grounded, and even healing and transforming others around us.

Strong crown chakra people have a clear idea of who they are and what they want to do, have no illusions about life, like to do things flawlessly, stay peaceful in any situation, and are in general, satisfied with their present life. Their strategies in life include acknowledging an inner voice, cultivating humility, disciplined living, an ability to tone down expectations and a willingness to put others before self. As a result they seek or experience a higher quality of living and being.

The classic crown chakra archetype is the guru, while the negative archetype within the same space is the egotist – excessive crown chakra can manifest as egotism, superiority, overly intellectual, intolerance of the spiritually immature, self denial or superstitiousness.

Traditionally religious and ritualistic, India of course became the spiritual fountainhead in many ways to the materialistic West. While in India we now have magazine cover headlines that say “Tango with God” and ads like the recent one of Tata Sky ad that takes a light hearted dig at spiritual channels and people who watch them. Advertising, in general has used spirituality in a lighter vein, or to strike an emotional chord - like the Reliance mobile ad in which the young lady connects with her grandmother by calling her so that she can hear the temple bell. The third type can be found more in serials and films - the fake guru or purohit, who every now and then, makes newspaper headline too. The endless scenes of prayer in our soaps, and the villains’ disregard for rituals underlines the Indian concept of “good people are religious and bad people are not”.

The larger point in India today is of course that spirituality has actually merged with day-to-day physical and mental health, and a search for achievement and realising potential as against a search for divine truth. The focus is on a greater sense of what we are capable of and a search or realization of what our individual higher purpose might be – and this is indeed a Spirituality Chakra focus.


Brands – or products and services - wanting to offer Sahasara payoffs can explore payoffs like: helps me to face life with equanimity; helps me to reach the divine; helps me achieve my potential; helps me to get my inspiration from within; helps me to resist pleasure. Brands that offer enlightenment, self realisation, actualisation, perfection, inner peace and infinfite enthusiasm, emotional healing and positive transformation will fall into this space.


The best examples of Spitiruality Chakra offerings would be books – from Deepak Chopra to Neale Donald Walsch to Rhonda Bryne, even Stephen Covey and Jonh Maxwell in their own ways. And a hundred others in between. Life skill courses, religious channels and magazines, and of course mythological serials and movies, all offer Sahasara payoffs. Holiday brands and spas too offer shades of equanimity, relaxation and peace, though not enlightenment.

The implication that emerges is: as brands proliferate should we be asking deeper questions of our brands to help differentiate? Each of us could ask of our brands questions like: Is there anything about the brand that seeks to connect with our soul? Does the brand have a spiritual quotient? Any possibility of a nobler association? Can associating with this brand bring about any transformation in our lives? Does the brand believe it has a larger mission beyond its apparent functionality or the more traditional “emotional benefit”? Given that stress is increasing in a hundred ways, can brands help to face life with equanimity? Given that all Indians are seeking to raise the bar on achievement, one way or the other, can brands help us to achieve our potential? Inspire from within? Help bring about transformation in the world around us?
Given that India is at heart a highly spiritual nation, have brands explored this space enough?

10 reasons why brand building is the hottest business in the subcontinent/Published article in Campaign UK, July 4, 2008, Insider's View/India

There are many reasons why it is so exciting to be in the business of brand building in India today. I’ll give you ten.

Because Lalu Prasad Yadav, the rustic Hindi-speaking minister, the butt of jokes on his nine children and rural background, engineers the financial turnaround of the Indian Railways which was going bankrupt and takes it to a massive surplus.

Because, in cricket, the Indian Premier League is rewriting marketing. Drawing inspiration from global football formats, the IPL is creating world sporting history by taking Twenty20 cricket in India to dizzying new cost structures, sending media dynamics into a spin; bringing sports authorities, businessmen and Bollywood together; and transforming the fan base - that is used to cheering the country to cheering for clubs – or better still, cheering for performance.

Because new consumer groups are emerging every day – from the global Indian to the working woman; the health and fitness conscious to the new mother and child combination; the IT executive to the socially reponsible citizen.

Because anything and everything, anybody and everybody is a brand – film stars and gurus to politicians and socialites. And they are each doing an excellent job of shaping their identities, planning their activities and planting their messages - teaching brand builders a lesson or two.

Because of the unboxing, as it were, of the world of products and services. For example, health is now not just health and hospitals, but health and spirituality, health and tourism, health and psychology, health and music, health and beauty, health and dance, health and sports.

Because advertising and branded messages are becoming ubiquitous – even the tiny 2-inches-by-2-inches paper packet with holy temple ash is branded – by an educational institute, among others.

Because Lead India, a direct marketing programme based on citizen governance, for India’s leading daily The Times of India, wins a Cannes Grand Prix.

Because a lot of advertising declares that it is “Good to be bad”. Revenge, selfishness, coveting, lying are now all ok! So are manipulative children, cheeky bold brides, naughty old ladies and unabashedly sexy wives.

Because the contrasts continue. Indians are the third largest group on Orkut, though fewer than 4% of Indians are online. Tha Tatas buy Corus – the largest Indian takeover of a foreign company, while Ranbaxy, the biggest Indian pharmaceutical success story, sells out to a Japanese brand – just like that. India builds the world’s first $2500 car. And Indians are waiting to buy Swiss watches worth $250,000.

And because the biggest brand getting built is Brand India. From snake charmers and holy men, to chicken curry and software engineers, to confidence, optimism, hard work and ambition.

Inspire me, make me wise/Published articles, Financial Express 6

Article in The Brand Wagon, The Financial Express, July 2, 2008
Chakra Watch6: Survival, Pleasure, Power, Love, Creative Expression, Transcendence, Spirituality: these are the seven basic life themes - based on the seven major chakras in the human body - that drive all human behaviour.

The Ajana or third eye chakra is higher up in the great Indian spiral, in the territory of active intelligence, wisdom, will power, and the ability to direct. Articulated as the Transcendence Chakra, this is in fact a much sought after payoff in India today.

India is moving away from the original meaning of transcendence – intense peace and tranquility, feelings of detachment, and strong emotions of tolerance and non-competitive co-existence. Today, there is a clear adaptation of spirituality for day-to-day living – a coping mechanism to manage stress rather than a true seeking of the divine. And more - from the merely neutral to the positive - a desire for mental evolution, in a way that inspires superior performance in the work arena, and takes you closer to achieving your potential. This has been both initially fuelled and further enhanced by spiritual leaders reaching out with more user friendly religion, as it were. This has been a big shift for India.


The roots of Transcendence people come from self awareness of a very high degree, an aptitude for spirituality, some life transforming experience. Ajana people have a maturity that belies their age, use the ability to be a witness to their own lives, have a keen knowledge of their own emotions, the ability to act in a measured manner, follow high standards of physical and mental discipline, and effectively use spirituality in day-to-day living. As a result, they seek equanimity, stress free living, look forward to being of moral guidance to others, are good with perspectives and therefore problem solving abilities, and have a higher intuition that guides their actions. Perfection, abstract thinking, will power, discernment, striking a balance among various facets of life characterize the Transcendence consumer.

Active intelligence in India today therefore needs to be seen as demonstrated by people who have clearly left the survival stage far behind, climbed through power, and now wish to use it all to shape a higher order contribution, give back to society and guide others. Successful and well established businessmen for example, who have run the race, are showing the urge to create something new and different, raise the bar, transform and inspire. People with strong personal vision are reaching out to others, from positions of power and leadership. Excellence in problem solving, right perspectives, intuitive leadership, and high quality living that
does not necessarily rest on tranquility but starts on a path to pioneering and visionary work.

Another proof of communication that appeals to our Transcendence Chakra is the surfeit of column spaces like “God in Gucci” and the fact that Sunday papers and magazines are now full of articles urging you to live in the now, let go of past baggage, find spirituality in all activities - cooking, gardening or running a company. Books like The Secret, and the entire body of self-help books which urge us to develop the power to invite luck into our lives, offer this payoff.

Payoffs for brands in this chakra include : inspires me; appeals to my love of perfection; helps me understand deeper aspects of life; makes me believe obstacles are stepping stones; reflects my strong will power; reflects my leadership qualities; recognizes that I am a discerning person; encourages me to do things that have not been done before; gives me mental calmness; helps me make my own decisions; helps me realize God.

The Yin-Yang of Technology Payoffs, a Brand Chakras study with technology workers, revealed that they sought personal evolution and knowledge advancement even through technology gadgets. The study revealed that technology is no longer just about convenience and greater efficiency, its influence on the average individual is more profound and life defining. Technology brands could be a powerful agent of mental evolution and therefore offer Transcendence Chakra benefits.

“Cause brands” and “purpose brands” that seek to rise above the day-to-day and find a larger wave to ride, seeking to influence, change, and transform, operate in this space. The Power and the Glory, a Brand Chakras study on the global Indian revealed that brands that stand for more elevated, inspiring, larger life purposes, brands that aim to transform economies, societies, and the way individual lives
are lived, will find greater relevance than brands that offer transient payoffs, or operate in the area of just reflecting his personality, attracting female attention or being a statement of style and
achievement.
In fact, when asked what they want from relationships, global Indians clearly sought “inspiration” and “encouragement to do things that have not been done before” from every relationship – be it spouse, parent, employer, or friend.

Interestingly, consumer groups held up Abdul Kalam, and Manmohan Singh as examples of good Transcendence Chakra people, whereas Sage Viswamitra they said was excessive transcendence, because pride of wisdom and anger crept in!