polka thoughts

Future

2010-11-03T17:23:02+05:30

Polka thoughts will now appear on the blog Mumbai Dropout. :)

I used to pay for the typepad platform to remind (or rather, push) myself to write regularly. I now find myself disciplined and motivated enough to write regularly without paying.

Guess it's a result of dropping out.

The Art of Naming

2010-10-15T19:53:26+05:30

Prateek just got out of the Safari to buy something when his mobile rang. I ignored the rings for a few seconds before I thought I should take the call. I missed the call but I couldn't miss noticing the name of the caller.

"Naresh purple shirt body builder bhl m p gym"

I browsed through his Blackberry and observed some more names:

"Vinod ji gattyani Honda shwrum ke upar ki property"

"Airtl net account paswrd Online bill payment"

"Akshay sharma financer ref khaan sab"

"Mr sharad green tea jaipur twinning dealer"

"Pankaj bhaia tendor ref manish bhaia"

You get the drift? These names give an idea of where/how the contact originated. When you name it like that, your memory will not fail you. If your memory doesn't fail you, most likely you'll be super efficient.

It's tough to appreciate this way of storing names but if you meet or like meeting a lot of people, this little bit will help a great deal. I bet.

Marketing is like Physics

2010-10-07T17:02:36+05:30

Siddharth Soni

Generosity is killing the publication

2010-09-12T14:34:59+05:30

Of course the title is inspired by Clay Shirky's Cognitive Surplus - Creativity and Generosity in a Connected Age.

Here is a screenshot of the homepage of a blogger-friend's blog - www.2wheelsindia.com - taken at around 2:00pm, 12th September 2010.

You can find some text encircled in the screen-shot above. It says:

MAHINDRA "DIABLO" A 300CC MOTORCYCLE..??

Yes, it's the latest buzz in the motorcycling world of India. Satadal Payeng has been doing this for quite a long time. His blog has become my first visit for motorcycling news, info and tit-bits.

Now compare this screenshot (below, taken at the same time as above) with India's leading motorcycling publication BIKE INDIA. The site is bikeindia.in.

It has no mention of the new bike from Mahindra. Why? One reason could be that it wants to save the news for its next monthly issue, which will hit the stands after 15 odd days from now.

Why would it want to do that? So that it can take motorcycling fraternity of India by surprise and generate good sales of its magazine!

Does it take too much brains to understand that internet means instant, quick, power? Even if the reason isn't what I've mentioned above, Bike India needs to do better if wants a presence online which matches it's claim of India's No. 1 Two-wheeler Magazine.

The problem also is that Payeng does it for free (apparently :)). Bike India doesn't. In that sense, to me, Payeng is acting out of a desire to share his passion, and in that he is generous. And this alone could kill whatever 'strategy' Bike India has deployed so far.

For those who are stuck

2010-09-04T07:43:29+05:30

Here's an acronym:

AMRAT

It stands for the formula ACT + MONITOR + REPORT + AUDIT + THINK in that sequence actually.

Apart from the function of addition, the symbol '+' also stands for the word 'then'.

Sounds like a typical acronym typically applicable to work/office situations? Here's one for personal contexts:

AMNOT

Stands for ACT + MONITOR + NOTE + THINK.

If you don't believe it can work, ACT. You'll come unstuck. Guarantee!

Slingshot!

2010-08-26T13:42:41+05:30

Nothing remarkable here from world's renowned motorcycle maker Suzuki. Why should it sell? Here are the specs. Find one great reason why people might lap this up...

Btw, look at the other bikes from Suzuki stable. And this is all that they have to offer to the great Indian Commuter.

Crime

2010-08-24T11:35:26+05:30

Talking about the importance of Vaastu in Architecture, a friend quipped, "It's like every building which isn't based on principles of Vaastu is a crime!" Of course, the remark is subject to a fairly conclusive proof of the impact of Vaastu or the lack of it.

Crime!

Legitimate and illegitimate, legal and illegal are more defined when it comes to Police or official-governmental institutions. There are rules which make one determine whether a thing is a crime or not.

And, like in case of many crimes, breaking rules is tough. People don't let you break rules coz their safety is compromised.

iPod seems to have made rules for MP3 players.

Blackberry seems to have made rules for business phones.

Asics seems to have made rules for running shoes.

I sense rules often apply at the category level. The brand that is able to establish the defining rules for the category, rules.

Mind you, what's legitimate in Saudi Arabia isn't necessarily legitimate in the US. Rules often become rules coz of a mass-agreement. So they have a certain 'universality'. What rules do your or your brand's audience agree on?

Alarm bell

2010-08-23T14:50:33+05:30

I am not here to ring one. But I want you to listen to me. For a few lines.

Like many friends and people around the world, I've been concerned about environment and oil shortage and recession and so on. Intuitively, from the way I've gone about living my life in Mumbai, I've always felt that some things are really not working out right. Not for me. Not for many others around me.

Debates can rage, but there are these things which are staring in the face and so f****** obvious that we can't deny or ignore. Here's an explanation of why we can't ignore. Why we can't deny.

Jeff Rubin shares his thoughts here. It is imperative you read this book Why Your World Is About To Get A Whole Lot Smaller. No other prognostications might give you a clearer idea of how it is going to turn out in future.

People are calling Yamaha's bluff. Why don't they seem to get it?

2010-08-20T08:29:37+05:30

Yamaha just introduced YBR 110 and SS 125. If I were to summarize the instant reaction of motorcyclists online, it would be:

"YBR 110 is a rehashed ALBA and SS 125 is a rehashed Gladiator!"

And in essence, this reaction sounds so true. Why? Just when you look at the pics or the actual bikes you get it. The upper pic is Alba, the lower one is YBR. Also, why did Yamaha launch YBR? Coz Alba wasn't selling. But people can see they are both the same! So YBR might also have a tough time selling.

Now motorcycles and motorcycling is a hot topic online in India. And thousands and lacs of motorcyclists or prospective motorcycle-buyers are active online seeking guidance, sharing info and in turn guiding others in what to choose and what not to. People can see what's the truth.

Pitch all the interactive noise online against the monologuish claims in mass-media advertising and check what wins. Why do you think Yamaha's motorcycles commuter/executive commuter segment do not work?

One might say, Hero Honda has also been an active rehasher and has been doing it successfully. My guess is, Yamaha rides on a premium image and Hero Honda is just too massy. A huge chunk of Hero Honda owners might not be aware or even interested in the buzz online. Yamaha prospects though would be keen to know what people are saying online simply because of the stakes involved.

Yamaha needs to acknowledge this fact and draw inspiration from their FZ16 and R15 efforts. They need to offer something genuinely new instead of just changed names and whistles and color-schemes.

Tu zindagi me karta kya hai be

2010-08-19T12:46:58+05:30

Yes of course, sounds like Jeeturaj on Radio Mirchi.

Am not a radio buff really. But on occasions when I've tuned in, I've heard Jeeturaj. Guess, what strikes me the most in his RJing?

The word 'Tu'.

No other RJ, I've had the chance to hear, uses the word 'Tu' to address the audience. To my mind, that's a big difference. And to my mind, that word encapsulates Radio Mirchi's strategy too.

'Tu' isn't the most polite way of addressing any person. While it is informal, many people might feel offended being addressed 'Tu'. But yes, among our closest friends, we do use 'Tu'. Whether young or old, good friends retain the habit of addressing each other with 'Tu'.

Now comes the other bit. Frequency. Comparing different age-groups, they are the young who meet their friends more often, who hangout more often, who are influenced by friends' more often. 'Tu' helps reach this cluster pretty clinically.

Given the context of Mumbai, and the people living here, and the kind of language that's spoken on the streets and locally, this word 'Tu' hooks the audience.

Socha kya tune, kitna dum hai 'tu' mein... :) Enjoy.