AMRITA, Chennai- The nth love

This is a tale of my nth love... can term it as n-2 with respect to business... most of the earlier ones were love at first sight, not a preferred form of sensible love. is it? Some of the well planned ones didn't take off due to reasons that I still can't exactly pin down to, some of them now seem to be no-brainer in the hindsight. 

Well AMRITA (Yeah, we are looking into alternative names, something more novel, which doesn't give you all sorts of unintentional results on Google, not yet registered and a parent company name) took off amid bit skepticism. Frankly, Rural healthcare and that too in TN (no offense, but i just wanted to migrate from South if opportunity presented) doesn't sound heavenly at first! But reality strikes sooner or later, there are no magical ideas; it boils down to the application and doing it. No amount of scenario analysis, ifs and buts will drive you to right answers. As Mr. Brensan puts it - Screw it lets do it. Answers come hand in glove with new questions, new problems. 

Memory lane: Some 6 months ago: College was coming to an end, one is expected and wants to act as a grown up, given that the real life is going to start soon. Yeah working in a startup with a business profile, connecting with the right people and being hell-bent on NO MBA did sound cool but is it the best one can muster esp. with every employer looking for experience and the usual Catch-22 of responsibility-experience-work? So to start with, I was just praying for an idea, some sort of a lightening and start on my own. And out of the blue: all the good intentions and networking pays off and with quite muddled intentions, no one knowing where the road will take us; a new venture was born.
Some deus-ex-machina does help the cause (Issues such as MBA, CFA, extensive job hunt got resolved by themselves) and i do believe in alternative universes : So when the going is right they fuse into one and only ultimate goal. Sometimes people who care got worried, but as always their questions were met with answers, not necessarily with the most eloquent ones but all they had was enough faith. When they ask about the progress of the venture I feel proud but not without a sense of obligation, long way to go. 

You start exploring, meeting new people; and the calling takes you to new places and then a new set of possibilities open up, eyes lit up, adrenaline pumping, oozing. Every time you look back, there is certain anguish at all the late discoveries, time lags. But the game is not won or lost in a day and with time we gathered bits of wisdom and moved ahead. It always feels like why didn't we get it right before, not rocket science is it? Doubts did creep in time and again, as a matter of fact the very quantum of success which used to be so sweet sometime back now became second nature and with stakes having gotten even bigger, hunger and frustration due to stagnation kept pace. 

I am ready to move heaven and Earth for this love. The journey is not a fairytale, but it will sure end like one. 
 
For more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwkX6DhXvrg

I like-2.0

The list of top 33 movies, with additions to previous list.

1. Blood Diamond
2. Cinderella Man
3. Shawshank Redemption
4. Godfather series
5. The Matrix
6. Se7en
7. Catch 22
8. Snatch
9. Lock, Stock and Two smoking Barrels
10. Cicade De Deus
11. Memento
12. Eternal Sunshine of Spotless mind
13. Before Sunrise/Before Sunset
14. Casino Royale
15. Aviator
16. Requiem for a dream
17. Schindler's list
18. Gladiator
19. Hotel Rwanda
20. Saving Private Ryan
21. Gran Torino
22. Million dollar baby
23. The Bourne Series
24. Rang De Basanti
25. Away from her
26. Enemy at the Gates
27. V for Vendetta
28. 12 Angry Men
29. The Graduate
30. The Truman Show
31. Dil Chahta hai
32. Mystic River
33. Donnie Darko

 Again full marks to IMDB for this and more.

NIKE+TIGER: New Ad

How about the latest ad with Tiger's father (yes dead father) in the midst of all? For those of you who haven't seen it: A voice questions Tiger: "Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything?"

For video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NTRvlrP2NU

WHOSE VOICE IS THIS FIGURATIVELY? I bet it is all those hypocrites with tons of skeletons in their closets but proclaiming "yours is worse than mine". Does it soothe their thrust? I am afraid not! The question has to be answered, not in another ad, but on the golf course, in the marriage, a new Tiger, with sobs, interviews also sandwiched in between!
 
The verdict-A bold move and I dare say bit risky! They have stuck out their neck too soon for him? Also cashing on redemption using the voice of a dead father! They have put all eggs in one basket with Woods and take it on themselves to repair the Image. Is it over the top? Dead guy in a commercial… well may be we haven't yet warmed up yet to the trend of using deceased people in ads. I am personally sold and with the timing matching with his announcement of return, following his practice session at Augusta; It is Ideal on professional level.  What about the family front? Are we done with revelations?

Tiger more than anyone would understand the importance of this ad campaign. So there is little chance of hiccups on his end. But restoration of his relationship and faith with everyone will be altogether more difficult.

Marketing as i dare say, should be!

MY IDEA OF A MARKETER: How I term myself as one:

Please note this is no sales pitch, but you would not believe that, would you? Anyway I will take care of that, a good marketer has to! But the fact remains no matter how poor or how good your product is, it has to be marketed!

Marketing is (read should be) beyond the so celebrated acronyms; from 4Ps to its customer-centric counterpart SIVA.
It is about ego, vision, creativity, mischief, outrage to attract attention, secrecy, flirt and understanding yet not overstating market scenarios i.e. being a loose planner, playing hard to get with the customer, suppliers and all those involved in the product chain when it becomes all too boring. But of course it is not all rosy in the enigmatic land of marketing, things invariably go wrong; discovering, swallowing the ego and being quick on feet rather than sulking behind closed cabins are the core mantras.

This is the brand equity of an ideal marketing firm – the ability of human mind. And yes there are lots of things which can be learned from experience (read books) and the for-your-eyes-only, makeshift intellectual reports and papers,  but at the crux are things, one is only born with (or cultivated at early age). One, who doesn’t have it, can’t learn it. 

It all starts from how you marketed yourself in and out of trouble in school and college to how you got through various interviews to how you became part of million dollar startup’s campaign to how you marketed funding to the tune of half a million (of course Rs) that too out of government funds for your own startup to how you take people along this adventure and get the excitement going.

Funda: look beyond the wisdom of books and intellectual case-studies(serving none in practical realm) into limitless ability of human mind. 

 Thanks to Scot Adams for nearly always making me laugh like a drain. www.dilbert.com
  I find them too funny as exhibits and this is really viral.  

 

The Indifferent need a voice

SRK: Recently he was up in arms against Maharashtra manus rather it was the other way around. He was heard taking a stance with people vouching for him against the common enemy the "Manuses". 

 
The icon: If you haven't noticed SRK (No i'm not a fan, just with tired fingers) always misses to take any stand on issues not concerning his petty business. His no comment strategy after Mumbai Attacks and when quizzed for more, Pak being a good neighbour just go forth to show his nature to please-them-all, a person with no stance, no values ulitmately little credibility.

The following is the made-up converstation with one of the scores of SRK fans-





Fan: Well what have you got to do with it? Isn't it his life, you people never let them take a breather, always after their blood.



I: I know it is his life, but the fact that disturbs me the most is the very SRK who is an icon and has so much untapped power(thanks to his cult status) just lets it flow down the drain and doesn't wield influence one bit for a good cause.

It is the combo of his impact potential and his nonchalance which makes me hate his guts.

And i know there are tons of Indians like him and they need a voice to "unair their nonchalance".  So they want to make him president. KHAN FOR PREZ. Voila!