Art inspires life or life inspires art - The Ashwin Uber 25 Rs for 3 Kilometres Ad

The argument goes on and on, but the cause–effect relationship is not clearly known. In my view, the knife cuts both ways — that is, both are true.

Take, for example, movies and advertisements. Many argue that movies inspire people to act in a particular way, and many times movie makers have claimed that it is the incidents that happen in real life that give them inspiration.

 A case in point is Hyderabad, the capital of the Telangana state. It is a Thums Up guzzler. There is a predominant leadership for the brand that is unmatched anywhere else in India. Why? There is a popular belief that after partaking an oily, mutton- or chicken-filled biryani, a Thums Up will magically wash away the ill effects of oil intake and aid in digestion. Is this true? Doctors disagree and say that a cold drink after a biryani harms more than it does any good.

But the belief is steadfast — and the Coca-Cola Company does not mind it one bit. Hence, it was not a surprise that Coca-Cola did an advertising campaign where Shah Rukh Khan very proudly says: “Miyaan, biryani ke Baad soft drink Nahi… Toofani (Thums Up) Peete hain.” Meaning, after a biryani, one does not drink a soft drink he has a Toofani (Thums Up).

Similarly, I have always wondered about the concept of using one’s own bike or car in a country where ride-hailing apps are a dime a dozen, the rates are competitive, and they arrive in a jiffy. I have been a big fan of public transport and ride-hailing apps, and in fact, I call myself an MMTS (Multi-Modal Transport System) guy.

I find metro train travelling very convenient, and not having a personal vehicle forces me to walk and keeps me healthy. I have been using ride-hailing apps and find that most of them are convenient, reasonably priced, and can be used whenever we want. Unlike owning a car, they are not a dead investment when they are not being used.

Yes, human beings are status conscious. I am not very bothered about what others think of me. In a way, it is: “I live my life as I like it.” That is why the Uber ad featuring Ashwin and Dhoni (or is it a Dhoni look-alike?) resonated with me.

The ad features a suave  and obviously a well-educated South Indian  Ravichandran Ashwin, who is on an Uber motorcycle, asking a Dhoni look-alike who is admiring his new bike:

“What is the cost of this motorcycle?” A taken-aback Dhoni look-alike answers: ₹25 lakhs. Ashwin, with a smug expression, responds: “These Haya Vayas are all a waste. Why don’t you use Uber Bike? It is only ₹25 for 3 kilometres.”

I did some quick math. Should one buy a superbike/car or use ride hailing apps. 

Uber Bike vs Owning a Superbike / Car (Suzuki Hayabusa)

Background: Ramesh, a professional working in an Indian metro city, travels daily 40 kilometres for work and errands. He is considering whether to continue using Uber Bike or fulfil his aspiration of buying a Suzuki Hayabusa on EMI. The decision is analysed purely from a cost perspective.

Option A: Uber Bike Usage 

Daily cost                                            : Rs 400 (at Rs 10/km)
Working days per month                     : 25
Months per year                                  : 12

Monthly cost                                       : Rs 400 × 25 = Rs 10,000
Annual cost                                         : Rs10,000 × 12 = Rs 1,20,000

Total annual Uber Bike expense         : Rs1,20,000

Option B: Owning a Suzuki Hayabusa/car

On-road price                                    : Rs 20,00,000

Down payment                                    : Rs 2,00,000
Loan amount                                       : Rs 18,00,000
Loan tenure                                         : 5 years
Interest rate                                         : ~8.5%

Monthly EMI                                      : approx. Rs 39,000
Annual EMI cost                                 : Rs 4,68,000

Running Costs

Petrol price                                          : Rs 110 per litre
Mileage                                               : 25 km/litre
Annual usage                                      : 5,000 km

Fuel cost per km                                 : Rs 4.40
Annual fuel cost                                  : Rs 22,000 

Maintenance & Ownership Costs

Insurance                                             : Rs 25,000
Servicing & maintenance                    : Rs 20,000
Tyres & wear                                      :  Rs15,000
Miscellaneous                                      : Rs 10,000

Total maintenance cost                       : Rs 70,000

Total Annual Cost – Hayabusa

EMI                                                     : Rs 4,68,000
Fuel                                                     : Rs 22,000
Maintenance                                        : Rs 70,000

Total annual cost                                 : Rs5,60,000

If one adds a driver for a car @ Rs 25,000 per month, that adds another Rs 3,00,000 per year.

Comparison Summary

Uber Bike annual cost                                     : Rs 1,20,000
Hayabusa / Car annual cost (with driver)       : Rs 8,60,000

Difference                                                       : Rs 7,40,000 per year

Mind-boggling, isn’t it? One can save roughly Rs 7.5 lakh per year, and this amount can be invested  maybe in mutual funds, gold, or even real estate. It can be used as a down payment to buy a flat.

Even from a plain savings point of view, Rs 7,50,000 per year would amount to ₹75,00,000 in ten years — an amount with which one can decently purchase a flat in Hyderabad.

Learning Business Strategy from the Streets: A Real-World Lesson in Pricing

Relearning in life comes from practical observation and learning. Take the case in point: Chinese food, which is tremendously popular in Hyderabad. In our colony, a single plate of Veg Manchuria costs around Rs 60–70 at roadside shacks, and even in small roadside restaurants it costs around  Rs 80–100. Along with a normal roti or rumali roti, a plate should be Rs 150 - 180, and it will go up to  Rs 200 with mineral water and tax.

No surprise that most eaters throng roadside shacks and not the restaurants. To learn how business is run, one needs to go to the KPHB shops near the KPHB metro station in Hyderabad. This area is a popular hangout for students, employees, and has heavy footfall.

Here, the prices are jaw-dropping. A single plate of Manchuria is sold at  Rs 30 and a double at  Rs 40. Manchuria with rumali roti is sold at  Rs 50. Chicken Manchuria with rumali roti is  priced Rs 80 and at the same place another stall sells it at  Rs 74! Chicken Manchuria is either  Rs 60 or  Rs 55. Chicken Pakodi is Rs 45 only.

This is penetration pricing at its best, high volumes, low margins, but they earn decent income per day. And all the joints are side by side, yet they remain amicable. I don’t find anyone fighting with anyone else. They all seem to have loyal customers who come for the taste not necessarily for the slightly lower cost that the next shack is offering. 

Keywords: Chinese food Hyderabad, street food pricing strategy, penetration pricing example, Hyderabad food business, roadside food stalls Hyderabad, real business lessons, pricing psychology Indian market, Manchuria price Hyderabad, KPHB food street, entrepreneurship lessons India, marketing strategy real life examples, consumer behaviour food industry, high volume low margin model, street MBA, learning business from street vendors, small business success strategies India, competitive pricing case study

From MRP to reality: How a Firecracker package could have sparked a lesson in Observation centric learning.

In the modern world, we are quick to “Google it” or, more recently, “Ask ChatGPT.” But real learning doesn’t always happen on screens. It happens when we observe, question, and experience the world around us.

I was reminded of this while conducting a session on Pricing. We were discussing how the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) system in India has, frankly, become a bit of a joke. Anything and everything is negotiable. The MRP, instead of standing for “Maximum Retail Price,” often feels like “Maximum Recorded Price”—something printed just for formality.

I gave my students an example that always puzzled me: firecrackers. Every Diwali, I noticed that the prices printed on cracker packets are outrageously high—no one actually pays those rates. I remarked in class how MRP laws are blatantly flouted and suggested that if anyone could bring a cracker package to the next session, we could have a live discussion.

As expected, most ignored the suggestion (after all, Diwali was over). But knowing Indians, I joked that some would have saved a few crackers—for post-Diwali celebrations or maybe for India’s next cricket victory!

One girl tried but couldn’t get the details. Still, I appreciated her effort at least she tried. Then, fate intervened. Yesterday, during Kartik Pournami, I heard loud cracker sounds near my home. Curious, I went downstairs and found kids from the next house bursting crackers. To their surprise, I asked if I could have the empty packages.

And there it was—proof of what I’d been saying. The total printed MRPs on just three of the firecrackers were as high as ₹3,400! Of course, no one actually pays that much. But that’s not the point.

The point is this: I confirmed something that AI couldn’t. When I asked ChatGPT earlier for pictures of firecracker packets showing MRP, it couldn’t provide even one real image. But walking down just a few steps from my house did the trick.

That’s the real lesson. In a world obsessed with virtual shortcuts and AI tools, don’t forget that real learning still happens in the real world. Step out, observe, question, and experience.

Students, remember this: If you walk that extra kilometre, you don’t just find answers—you earn insights, credibility, and stories worth telling. 

Key words: Observation, Learning, Management Education,  Experiential Learning Pricing, MRP, Indian Markets, Consumer Behaviour, Marketing, Business Insights, Firecrackers, India, ChatGPT, Artificial Intelligence,  AI and Education, Real World Learning, Life Lessons, Teaching Reflections, Critical Thinking,  Curiosity

Amul’s Sweet Marketing Play – Lessons Beyond the Obvious

Marketing always excited me because it is the only subject in management that is live, dynamic, and happening right in front of you. It’s always “in your face”. Brands are constantly talking to us, and it’s up to us to decode what they are really saying. 

Every day, we are dished out hundreds of live case studies. We have the lens to see them. Yesterday, when I picked up the Times of India, this full-page Amul Mithai advertisement instantly struck me. I decided to use it in my classroom session the same day. 

The question I posed to my students was simple yet powerful: “How much do you think this advertisement would have cost across all editions of TOI in India?”

The students’ jaws dropped when I revealed the figure – upwards of ₹3 crores! That’s when I told them why brands like a local Karachi Bakery would never think of advertising at this scale. Naturally, the next discussion was “Why such a big advertisement?”

Students came up with some good responses:

• It’s seasonal.
• Amul wants to highlight its presence in the sweets business.
• The brand wants to showcase its portfolio.
• Perhaps they are pushing online ordering.
• Or maybe they wanted to launch new SKUs.

All valid, but in my view, these answers were “seeing the trees but missing the forest.” The critical thinking was still surface level. Here’s how I see it:

 The Bigger Marketing Picture

1. A tectonic shift in sweet consumption: Amul is signalling the change in consumer behavior. For a country that once prided itself on having sweets for every occasion, consumption habits are evolving rapidly.

2. The ‘F-word’ of nutrition Sugar: Sweets are suddenly seen as the villain. With India on its way to becoming the diabetes capital of the world, consumers are cutting down or switching away.

3. From bulk to bite-sized: Ten years ago, a festival meant at least 5–8 kgs of sweets at home. Today, very few make sweets at home, and even when gifted, they’re either re-gifted (the infamous Soan Papdi loop!) or handed over to house help.

4. Quality over quantity: Indians are gravitating towards premium sweets. They don’t want 2 kgs of generic laddoo; they want a few pieces of Kaju Katli.

5. Smart price psychology: One student, Lahari, made a sharp observation: the ad makes Kaju Katli look affordable at Rs 230 for 200 grams. But when you scale it up , it’s  Rs 1150 per kg! Smart price framing. Why haven’t local mithai shops done this? Because they stick to the traditional “Rs/kg” display which feels unaffordable and pushes customers away.

6. Transparency vs. bundling: Local shops often sell ₹400–500/kg packs but fill them with cheap options like boondi laddoo, jalebi, or Rava sweets. Milk and khoa based sweets are minimized. With Amul, you know exactly what you’re buying a curated, premium range.

7. Convenience + Gifting appeal: The pack sizes are attractive, hygienic, and perfect for gifting. Small, manageable packs ensure there’s no guilt or wastage. Consumers perceive these as indulgent yet responsible purchases.

Why this ad works This is not just an ad – it’s a strategic brand play. Amul is:

• Repositioning mithai as modern, hygienic, and aspirational.
• Using price packaging strategy to make indulgence look affordable.
• Leveraging consumer psychology by shifting the focus from per kg to per 200 grams.
• Tapping into gifting economics where presentation matters as much as product.

In essence, Amul is telling us: “Mithai is not dead; it just needs to be reimagined.” As a marketing teacher, I see this campaign as a masterclass in consumer insight mining, price framing, and product portfolio communication. All in all – a brilliant move by AMUL. 

Keywords: 

Amul Mithai, Amul advertising, Amul sweets, marketing strategy, consumer insights, Indian sweets market, festive marketing, brand positioning, advertising cost India, Times of India ad, packaging strategy, pricing psychology, gifting trends, mithai consumption shift, premium sweets, quality vs quantity, sugar-free sweets, Indian consumer behavior, brand communication, FMCG marketing.

We Just Crossed the 11,00,000 Readers Mark!

 Our blog has just crossed the 11,00,000 readers milestone! 🎉

What makes this moment special is the speed of the last leg. The journey from 10,00,000 to 11,00,000 readers took only 81 days, which means we are now averaging 1,282 readers per day.

To put things in perspective:

The journey from 0 to 10,00,000 readers took 15 years at an average of just 183 readers per day.

Clearly, perseverance pays off. If you stay consistent and keep at it, results eventually follow. There is, however, a bittersweet side to this milestone. In the past 120 days alone, we’ve had 1,20,000 readers, and interestingly, 70% of them came from the USA, Brazil, Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore.

Only 2% of our readers are from India — a little disappointing, but I guess that’s the way the cookie crumbles. Still, every reader counts, and this milestone is a reminder that persistence, patience, and passion always bring rewards. 

Keywords: Blog growth journey, 1.1 million readers milestone, Blogging perseverance, Global blog audience, Blog success story, Readers from USA Brazil Hong Kong Vietnam Singapore, Indian blog readership, Consistency in blogging