Karthik S | beastoftraal.com

McDonald’s cheesy handling of a reputation crisis

March 7, 2024 by Karthik S

Let me start by confessing that I am a HUGE fan of McDonald’s. Not just the food there, but also the overall marketing of the brand, across the world. There is impeccable consistency in both, the kind and quality of offerings—food and…

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Culture eats safety for breakfast

February 26, 2024 by Karthik S

The new Air India inflight safety video is a wonderful idea, blending India’s cultural heritage—through the showcase of classical dance forms of India—and airline safety! The perfect mix of heritage and modernity! No. This is NOT my view. This seems like the…

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G mane… generous?

February 21, 2024 by Karthik S

If you say ‘G mane…’, chances are, someone around you may complete the sentence with ‘…genius!’. Parle G’s ‘G mane genius’ slogan made its pitch for the first time in 2004, thanks to the brand’s agency Everest Brand Solutions. The idea wasn’t…

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Death Becomes Her

February 5, 2024 by Karthik S

While a lot of people have faked their own deaths, Poonam Pandey may be the first person in the history of humanity to have faked her own death as part of an organized (marketing) campaign. The agency behind this initiative —Schbang, along…

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The stithapragya framework for personal branding

February 2, 2024 by Karthik S

You may have seen variations of this sentiment on LinkedIn quite often. I get this sentiment expressed during my corporate workshops on personal branding too. Someone may say: “I have no idea what works on LinkedIn anymore! I write something after researching…

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Colgate MinFresh

January 24, 2024 by Karthik S

There are broadly 3 kinds of toothpaste advertisements in India: ones that primarily pitch strong and healthy teeth, ones that mainly sell sensitive teeth protection, and ones that primarily promise fresh breath. Colgate’s MaxFresh variant is the third kind. The product competes…

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Insure your career by paying periodic premiums

January 19, 2024 by Karthik S

Personal branding is a form of insurance for your career. Not just your career, but also your identity. Most people not only confuse ‘personal branding’ and being an ‘influencer’ (See: ‘Personal branding’ vs. ‘Influencer model’), but also assume that personal branding is…

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