Dense commentary on social media, PR, marketing, advertising and branding.
I buy fresh potato chips in one of the many ‘Hot Chips’ branded shops in Bengaluru. This one is the best on the Sarjapur Road stretch, in a tiny lane adjacent to the HDFC Bank opposite Springfields Apartments. I have been buying…
Amul and Arokya (from Hatsun) have gone behind the scenes of cow rearing as a way to endear their brands with consumers. Now Parachute, from Marico, does the same with coconut trees! This is a vastly interesting move and perhaps the first…
Note: I wrote this last night fully hoping for a reveal today/Friday. And the reveal happened today. If you are in Mumbai (and read either Hindustan Times or Mumbai Mirror), you may know the secret already, but if you are not in…
Ola has just launched in London. The news was out in the newspapers yesterday. And today, Ola has a splashy front-page ad proclaiming the same across 3 editions of The Times of India and 2 editions of Hindustan Times. We may have…
As a kid growing up in Bhubaneswar, Bhopal and Srirangam (near Trichy) in the 80s, my playtime included playing street cricket, bringing home stray puppies and cats and feeding them, watching Doordarshan and reading a LOT of comics and children’s books. I…
KFC wanted to launch its new Kentucky Burger in the Middle East. So their agency in that region, Memac Ogilvy & Mather recommended an intriguing idea: partner with 3 famous music artists in the region – Flipperachi, Moh Flow, and Shébani. Sounds…
Google Maps was launched on February 8, 2005. It turns 15, today! And it is also one of the few apps that I’d pay to use on my phone; I find it that indispensable! But, this is one of those ‘How did…