Observation - The best way to learn!

 First Posted on Facebook on November 28th, 2020

Snap clicked at Miyapur Metro Station

The child is the father of the man. Being simple is the most complex thing in life. I keep telling students and don't know how much is internalized.

Some of the gratest things are very simple and many a times those simple things are taken for granted.

One thing I propogate and practice is the art of observations. Observe, learn and get inspired. After all imitation is best form of flattery!

I think I am a great observer when it comes to matters dealing with marketing. Another person with a keen eye to obseve and comment is Dr. Madhusudan Kota who for reasons only known to himself has become social media shy!

I came across this wonderful product, what is this product and why is the Marketer/ marketing teacher in me, so excited? First person to give a logical answer will be acknowledged.

Clue: 1913 is not time. The time is 1745 now!

Okay closing the game now, Bhaskar Nandula Chaithanya Muppavarapu Saibaba Sathyanarayanan, Kedar Kedareshwar and Rajeev Ranjan came up with excellent answers. Incidentally two of them are my colleagues and the other three are my students of Siva Sivani Institute of Management.

I really don't blame anyone for not getting exactly what I have in my mind because, I am sure that you don't use metro as frequently as I do (even in the prevailing pandemic times).

The biggest pain point is getting scanned and initially it was scary to get a forehead scan. Later it became a back of the hand affair.

A brilliant marketer married marketing with mandated action by combining footfall analysis with temperature scanning. What a great concept! 1913 is the number of travellers who have used Miyapur metro service today from the morning

I am not done, why not a small dash of sanitiser once the scan is done and why not a small printout with the temperature!

Why can't the printout carry a small ad of Dettol or any other company and why not use the LED panel to advertise health related services like diagnostic centres, sky is the limit!

Think on friends, every problem could be a curtain and a marketing opportunity might be lurking behind it.

Usually footfall analysis details are secretive and any one with analytical brain can get valuable data by simply visiting metro stations at the end of the day. Students could even get data on am hourly basis, so much free gyan!

Wrong timing wrecks Myntra Campaign

Timing is everything. With perfect timing, a word can become a missile, without it could become a missile that does not detonate! The recent Myntra advertisement is making waves for all the wrong reasons. (the credit for making me aware of this advertisement should go to my colleague at Siva Sivani Institute of Management, Mr. K. N. Srinath. It was Srinath garu who posted the advertisement on my WhatsApp).

The advertisement says “Grand clearance sale, 50 to 80% off, from 29th Feb to 3rd March”. It also says “SALE is LIVE, LOWEST PRICES EVER”. What a funny coincidence, the dates for the 2nd test match between India and New Zealand were from 29th February to 2nd March 2020. The Coup d’état was Virat Kohli in his undies extolling the lowest prices. Virat Kohli, the brand ambassador of Myntra.  

The sale was from 29th Feb to 3rd March 2020. Is a coincidence? Well, it is not. The creative people from Myntra and the advertising agency thought that they had a coup. The company would have planned and conceptualized months in advance, inventories would have been piled up, and Myntra’s warehouses spruced up, expecting a considerable inflow of orders.  

The creative hotheads at Myntra and the advertising agency did everything right. They thought that India would stream roll New Zealand. The widespread expectation was that New Zealand would whimper, curl up and surrender at the feet of the mighty Indians.

“We would emerge victorious. Virat Kohli would be basking in glory”. Myntra thought that they could bask too, in reflected glory. Boon of having a celebrity endorser – the rub-off effect. The positive energy, the glamour, the aura of the celebrity would create a spin-off to the brand endorsed. All Myntra had to do, was to wait and the see moolah roll in – at least in theory!

Myntra proposes and Indian cricket team disposes. Indians performed the way that most cricket experts were expecting. The performance was subpar and both the test matches ended in a whimper. The Indian tiger was tamed and was meowing like a tame pussy cat, and the New Zealand Kiwi’ sprouted enormous wings and became a deadly eagle – proud, stately and precise at execution of well laid out plans.

At the end of the tour, the Indians looked tired, dispirited, desperate to get away, and Virat Kohli was fuming. He was shouting at the spectators “I will show them (New Zealand) what it is when they come to India”. If it were not so tragic it would have been downright comical.

Virat Kohli own form nosedived, and his captaincy was in a scanner. His tactics of not having the inform K. L. Rahul and Wriddiman Saha were being questioned. Virat Kohli was at his low, and his stock had taken a hit, at least temporarily. He was the cynosure of all eyes, for all wrong reasons.

To Myntra’s horror, their campaign had suddenly become a butt of jokes. People started reading between the lines. The Indian team was in its lowest ebb. The advertisement says “End of the season sale”. It appears as if the Indian cricket team is at the end of the season and it is being sold off. And what is Virat Kohli saying “LOWEST PRICES GUARANTEED”.  Is Virat Kohli himself available at the lowest price?

Myntra learns a lesson, the hard way. Celebrity endorsement is a double-edged weapon; it cuts both ways. Just like a positive rub-off, there can be a negative rub off too. Myntra missed a trick. By the end of the first test match, the writing was on the wall. The Indian cricket team would get a dubbing. Myntra could have put the campaign on hold or cancelled it altogether. By going ahead with the campaign, they have created waves – for the wrong reason.  

Sometimes being simple is the most challenging thing in the world - Customer Delight at Starbucks and at a restaurant

.Most people in marketing think that CRM and customer delight is very academic and involves technology and a lot of planning. Given below are two incidents where technology was not involved at all. The service providers provided customer delight because they believed that the job they were doing was not for money or recognition. They loved their job and wanted their customers to enjoy the moment.

The first incident happened when we visited USA in 2008. Padma and I were shopping at Walmart for our daily staples. The Walmart that we went to in Rosewood, Pleasanton was huge. It would be the size of two football fields. We had a pleasant but tiring shopping experience, and our shopping cart was full. We took a pit stop at the Starbucks in Walmart itself.

We ordered coffee and were waiting. The Barista was within our vicinity. Suddenly Padma piped in, "Did you get bread? We have no bread at home". Seeing my crestfallen face, Padma gave out an exasperated sigh. "I knew it. Why don't you go and get it?"

The bull (Taurean) in me reared up its head. "No," I said and dug in. The bull had found its resting place.

Padma had a hard glitter in her eyes (Afterall, she is a Capricorn and the goat too can be stubborn). "Your wish" she shrugged her shoulders "you are the one" she twisted the sword deep into the torso "You and the children are fond of bread. I can always eat rice and be contented".

Hearing all this was the pretty barista. She walked up to us and set down our coffee. She enquired "you missed buying bread?" I nodded my head, slightly irritated. She said, "Enjoy your coffee" and disappeared inside. Within seconds she was out, and she was wearing inline skates. She took two dollars from me and off she went like a silver bullet.

She was back within two minutes and in her hand was a fresh loaf of bread. Without a word, she gave us the bread and went back to her serving station. We were so stunned that we could not even thank her for the service. She took a little more pain so that her customers loved the Starbucks experience. Even though the incident happened over twelve years ago, it is etched in my memory as if it had just happened last week.

The second incident happened to my facebook friend, Rebecca Forster, the famous novelist. Rebecca was partying on 31st December night at Hay 19, Redondo Beach, a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California,

They were at a neighbourhood pub/restaurant. Rebecca and her friends ordered food and our their darling waitress says "it's four hours till we ring in the new year".

Rebecca's group has a hearty laugh and tell her that they are too old to stay up until midnight and the waitress goes away. Rebecca and party had a great meal promptly at nine o'clock the waitress comes charging out of the kitchen blowing her horn and yelling "Happy New Year". Since it was New Year in New York, she decided to bestow it upon Rebecca and friends and in California. Rebecca writes "It was hilarious. She was so cute and made our night. Good food, drink and a fabulous waitress. It's the little things in life, that matter, isn't it? HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE". Wow, Rebecca, she made your day, and you made our day. Happy new year!

Marketing lesson for the day: Common sense is not common – Kohinoor’s - Meeta Pan, Kala Khatta, Juicy Strawberry and Silky Chocolate

My often repeated idiom -  Common senses is not very common. Kohinoor has introduced a new set of Condoms and to build up excitement and awareness of its new offerings, it gave them very saucy names, Meeta Pan, Kala Khatta, Juicy Strawberry and Silky Chocolate.

On the face of it, my readers might ask me, what’s the big deal? It is the worst deal. Kohinoor has every right to name the product as it likes and it is up to the Customers to like the products or not. But the product display in a medical shop raises the hackles!

As usual it was Madhusudan Kota who brought it to my notice. Let us remember it is not at a place that is secluded and away from the prying eyes of small children. But the display is right at the POS and very much in the face.

The product names appear innocuous but are very close to Meeta pan a toffee, Kala Khatta is a brand of ice-cream and worst of all Strawberry and silky chocolates look like brands of chocolates. Product categories that belong to the children and names that they are familiar with.  

What happens if the children demand these products from the parents? Imagine the embarrassment a mother would face if her small son or daughter ask for them seeing the product display! How does she explain the products to her inquisitive children?

Customers should not be put through such embarrassing situations, Kohinoor. Use some other media and don’t let your products embarrass people. In the modern world the possibility of a loyal customer changing into a virtual vigilante is just a Facebook post or a photo share away! You could become viral for all the wrong reasons!

Panasonic Mobile advertisement - When Corporate giants make mistakes

One of my oft repeated quote has been "Common sense is not very common". It is applicable for everyone including you me and all the corporates. Especially the corporates who spent crores and crores of rupees and yet come out with howlers. 

Let's take the case of Panasonic Mobile Phone T31 advertisement aired on all the  major TV networks recently. The Hinglish version of the advertisement goes like this: Two young men are comparing their phones, one has a Panasonic T31 and the other has a popular Phone (S4 from Samsung?). The popular phone  guy reels off the features of his phone and all the features are matched by his friend having the Panasonic phone. 

Then the Panasonic guy says "your phone has something that my phone does not have" His friend is very happy and before he could preen himself the Panasonic guy says "EMI" and roars in laughter and adds "I can go to Goa and take Leena there too". (Check out the advertisement).

The idea by itself is brilliant that Panasonic is as good as any other phone and that is very reasonably priced  and value for money at  sub 7500/-.  That we can get a phone that is comparable with a one costing 25,000/- (Samsung S4) the phone so costly that the buyer has to pay for it in installments (EMI).

But man proposes and god disposes. I saw the same version of the advertisement and this time it was in Telugu. To my surprise at the critical juncture of the EMI, the Panasonic guy says “Naa phone lo vokati undi nee phone lo lenidi (Translated it means – My phone has something that your phone does not have) and adds “EMI”. The entire punch of the advertisement is lost. HE IS SAYING HIS PANASONIC PHONE HAS TO BE BOUGHT IN INSTALLMENTS where as the central theme of the advertisement is exactly the reverse.  (Check out the advertisement).

What is surprising is that it went under the radar of Panasonic and got telecast! The way out is to get the advertisement translated and show it to people who know all the three languages (English, Hindi and Telugu). Even better show it to a total stranger and he/she would have told Panasonic about the goof up. These types of translation mistakes happen as most of these advertisements are made and dubbed in Mumbai and the dubbings are done in haste and by Mumbaites who might know a smattering of telugu and are not totally proficient.

The words should have been “Nee phone lo vokati undi naa phone lo lenidi” Very simple and very avoidable. 

The art of observation - learnings from Animal behaviour

The mother of all education is observation. I have learnt so much in life from observation. One of my favorite books is "How to read a person like a book". Let us discuss animal behavior especially dog behavior and what we can learn from it. 

Dogs gulp their food: This is a tendency that they have retained from their wild days. In the wild dogs are pack animals and they hunt and eat in groups. It is very important that a dog eats and eats fast. The dog that shows table manners by eating slowly will starve itself to death. Speed matters in eating if you are a dog. 

Dogs circle the place where they sleep many times before they settle in: Again a throwback to their wild days in the forest. In the forest dogs have to sleep on grass. The grass might be thorny, tall or might have unwelcome pests, small insects, bugs etc. By circling the grass gets crushed and so too all the unwelcome guests. That is why even domestic dogs circle many times before settling down. 

Dogs treat different people in the family differently: Very true. Dogs are pack animals and they tend to treat member of its family differently. The most dominating person (in many cases the father) will become the tribe leader and mother will become the feeder and the others will be the siblings. If the dog can dominate it will become the most dominant of the siblings and would dictate things to the children!

Dogs are friendly and are very social: Most well trained dogs are very friendly and can adapt to new situations very easily. A new dog in the surroundings would immediately gauze the environment and adapt. If it is possible the new dog would stiff leg (walking to the other dogs with stiff legs) and appears to be bigger than itself with raised body and fur. The dominant dog would growl. If the other dog does the same it could either led to a fight or one of the dogs will withdraw the aggressive posture thus defusing the situation.

The submissive dog would immediately tuck its tail inside its hind legs and make itself appear to be smaller and whimper. The entire posture is that of submission. If the aggressive dog were to approach the submissive dog, it would yelp and fall on the ground. It would lie flat on its back, expose its neck and look away. This  indicates total submission. The submissive dog is saying “I am totally at your mercy. Kill me if you want”. The dominant dog also has a code of conduct. The dominant dog would sniff the neck of the submissive dog and both would become friendly.  

Thus it is important to notice the play of body language in all situations including in sales and marketing. The customer might be saying something and the body might be saying something else. If there is a discrepancy of what is being said and what is being felt (through body language) the smart sales man who can detect and act on the discrepancy would emerge as the winner and walk away with the sale.

India - Poor Country – Rich in common sense and business sense – Part - II

6.       Street food that is tasty and very affordable:  In most places in the world street food is either not available or is simply too costly. But in India Street food is always easily available and that too it is very cheap. One can get a full meal of rice and dal or roti and curry or Poori and curry all for Rs 10/- rupees (at a jaw dropping price 20 US cents). The food is cheap, mostly hygienic, served fast and is incredibly tasty.

7.       Vada Pau: that is more than a snack and less than a meal. The iconic food that originated in Mumbai Vada Pau gives competition to Mac burger and beats it hollow. Vada Pau is intoxicatingly, tasty, is fresh and is incredibly cheap. Vada Pau costs Rs 10/- in most places and that is at least three times cheaper than the most basic burger served by Mac Donald. Vada Pau is so famous that it has caught the attention of MacDonald which wants to make it a part of its own fare and call it a Mac Pau!

8.       5 rupees ice-cream and 50 rupees shirt: India is one of the few countries in the world that serves food very cheap. It is very common to se Rs 5/- (10 US cents) cone ice-cream that is tasty and very very affordable. At the same time a customer can buy a shirt (popularly called Kumar shirts) at a surprising price of Rs 50/-. Is the Rs 50/- shirt durable? Definitely not but at the same time it makes buying new shirts for the innumerable Indian festivals very pocket friendly. At the same time the typical Indian customer is very fashion savvy, so why waste Rs 1500/- on a branded shirt when you can get 30 shirts at the same cost and enjoy the feeling of wearing new shirt and the variety of new shirts, fashions and color thrown in free of cost!

9.       Car for2000 US $: When Ratan Tata announced a car at less than 2,000 US $ all the major car makers laughed at him. Toyota CMD made a bet that it was not possible and has to eat humble pie the day the car was officially launched. Initial hiccups aside Nano is doing great guns and is showing the world the Indian way of making rock bottom priced utilitarian products.

10.       Dabbawalas: The world famous Dabbawalas have proved many points. One need not be highly educated or highly placed or earn a six figure salary to deliver quality service to the clients. At the same time the cost of service need not be exorbitant to guarantee flawless, 6 sigma quality. The humble Dabbawalas charge only 6 US $ to take the home made lunch to the destination (usually the office) and take it back every day for 25 Days in a month. That is 5 cents per journey. And the distance covered could be as much as 80 kilometers one way. The most Amazing way of delivery of service in the world.

India - Poor Country – Rich in common sense and business sense – Part - I

What do you say about a country that is full of contradictions? A commonwealth games that was doomed to failure becomes a beautiful butterfly that emerges from the cocoon of sleaze, controversy, charges of corruption and suspicion. End of the day India delivered a beautiful Commonwealth and the icing on the cake was the stupendous performance of India who emerged a creditable second in the medal tally. Doom day predicting Pundits were left wringing their hands in anguish “we (Indians) are like this only!”

So what makes India and Indians tick? I think it is the enormous pressure that our population exerts on the individual that leaves no choice but to fiercely compete and emerge as a winner – aka “survival of the fittest”.

1.   Old rice becomes vadiyum/Fryums: Rice or food is considered as manifestation of god in India. “Annam Para Brahma Swaroopam”. It is no surprise that Indian Homemakers are loathe at wasting rice. Yesterday’s rice becomes Vadiyum a sort of crispy Fryums like potato chips.

2.       Old rice becomes curd rice and Pullihora: In the same way yesterday’s left over rice becomes Pullihora (colored flavored rice that is very liked as a snack)

3.       Bread bajji: Indians are very fond of fried food. And what is better than mixing two different types of food items bread and bajji and this was born an extremely popular snack food bread bajji.

4.       Plastic containers become foot wear:  India is one of the countries that recycle most of the products and that too very efficiently and effectively. So it is very common to see old plastic bottles becoming footwear. The best possible branding exercise for the multinational giants and also serving the poorest of the poor, a photo-op for the CSR group!

5.       Sharing auto concept: 14 to 17 people in an auto rickshaw:  India is experiencing rapid urbanization and in most cases public transport is either too crowded or totally inadequate. The middle class and the poor are left to fend for themselves. Autos (three seater motorcycle like vehicles) and taxis are too exorbitant. In stepped the concept of sharing autos. All types of autos came into the picture to cater to this demand, regular three seater autos with extra space (Piaggio auto), seven seater autos, and Tata Ace. These can comfortable fit 7 to 10 people and tightly fit 14 to 17 passengers. Yes the seating is very uncomfortable but what the heck the distance is short may be 5 to 8 kilometers and the charge is only what is charged by the regular road transport buses. The sharing autos, seven seater autos, jeeps and Tata Ace do a yeomen service in meeting the transport needs of the poorest of the poor. And what do they get in return? Harassment by the traffic police. The police take bribes and this is the way we treat our service facilitators who make our life a little easy!

Ten Commandments of Common sense marketing practices

1. 
   
   Thou shall make the customer feel elated and important: In the modern marketing era the customer is a king and he is a fickle king. He flirts between products and companies and demands utmost attention. It is imperative that we treat him with butter gloves and make him feel that his patronage really means a lot to us. How about saying thanks next time you serve a customer and that too with a smile.
2. 
   
   Thou shall show that you care: The customer may come to you with any problem real or perceived. You shall not belittle him or try to show off your product knowledge on him. Remember that his product is new to him and it is better to educate him about the usage of the same. Wrong usage could lead to dissatisfaction and can result in negative word of mouth publicity.
3. 
   
   Thou shall listen to the customer: Listen do not interrupt. Good marketing people listen more and talk less. An irate customer should be allowed to air his grievance for as long as he desires. The more he talks the more he will vent his frustration and the more you will know about his problems.
4. 
   
   Thou shall try to help him solve his problem and aviod trying to sell an unwanted product: The customer might actually need a pin and ask for a stapler. Just because he asks for a stapler does not mean that you will sell him a stapler. Probe to find out real wants and sell only an appropriate product. A pin seeking customer  who buys a stapler might never return as he feels cheated at a later stage.
5. 
   
   Thou shall not fool a customer and try to pull wool over his eyes: Please do not confuse the customer with lots of Jargon and tech speak. Speak plainly, speak his language and use simple language. For example do not say 21" wing span for a ceiling fan instead say the fan wings are so big that breeze can reach the remote corners of the room.
6. 
   
   Thou shall be truthful and honest: If a certain thing is not possible simply say so. A marketer is a not a magician. He can’t pull rabbits out of a hat. It is better to say no and save the face for a future interaction. Remember you can fool many people many times, some people some times but you can’t fool all the people all the time.
7. 
   
   Thou shall try to fulfill all promises: Make only those promises that you can fulfill. The trick is to under promise but over deliver. This leads to customer delight. In simple words if the delivery of a certain item is 10 hours commit 16 hours. Delivery of the item even in the 15th hour will result in delight as the customer is expecting delivery only in the 16th hour.
8. 
   
   Thou shall keep in touch and network: The marketer who networks will be a very successful person. A good marketing job results in a satisfied customer. So what is stopping us in networking with the customers and soliciting his friends, relatives and acquaintances addresses? Your satisfied customer’s reference will open doors of opportunities and chance to generate more sales.
9. 
   
   Thou shall try to be faithful and show zeal to buyers and non buyers (window shoppers): It has been noticed that marketers fawn over customers showing willingness to buy immediately and show a cold shoulder to casual window shoppers. How does one know that the casual window shopper is not on the threshold of a major buying decision? Treat all customers as if they are about to buy the product.
10. 
    
    Thou shall be courteous and respectful towards competitors: One thing that all marketers should avoid is to bad mouth the competition. The best way to tackle competition is to say “Yes they are good, they have good products but we have better products. Better on price, better on features, better on service and we have more satisfied customers”. It has been noticed that bad mouthing competition has startling negative effect. Continuous bad mouthing will lead to the customer actually talking favorably about competition. The customer feels that he has to defend the competition as the competing company is not present to defend itself. So by badmouthing the competition you may actually be pushing the customer towards the competition!

Common sense is not very common

As customers and as consumers we come in touch and interact with different types of sales people and service providers. Most of the services provided leave a very bad taste in the mouth. Can these interactions be made better by using a little bit of commonsense? Let us see

Most of the shop keepers and small time vendors give a bill or an invoice which very boldly says “goods once sold will not be taken back under any circumstance". Even national level retail chains are very unhappy about returns and exchanges. They offer exchanges but put lots of pre conditions on the customer - the customer has to come only between 1200 hours to 1400 hours, they can only exchange in kind and cash will not be refunded.

Using common sense it becomes very clear that customers have to be pandered and pleased at all times. It is better to take back the goods and immediately offer to return the money. In USA there is an no question asking policy. The employees are instructed not to ask as to why the merchandise is being returned.

Next to buying a house Indians consider buying a car as the most important buying decision of their life. The entire family would troop into a car showroom and pour over the brochures and laboriously study all the fine print, discuss threadbare and finally after lots of hesitation and uncertainty would choose a vehicle.

What happens next is in many cases a true horror story. The mechanic would handle the New car roughly and would slam the doors and would screech the car to a halt before the hapless family. Even foot mats are given not given free.

The family would drive the car to the neatest temple and perform the puja and become spiritually happy but financially sad (one has to give a minimum of 500/- rupees to the pujari- Arrey yaar hum bhe to ex car ke owner bun gaye!).

Using common sense how the entire situation can be handled in a professional way. The mechanic drives the car wearing gloves. He drives the car in a gentle way and treats the car very respectfully. The car owner gets free foot mats, free key chain. But that is not everything. When the family steps into the car they are in for one more surprise. The car is driven to an area where the pujari is ready (employee of the dealer). The Pujari places 4 pieces of lemon below the wheels of the car and performs the puja and wishes the family. The total cost to the dealer – less than 100 rupees per car.

The family goes home happily. They are overjoyed. This is where the CRM practices of the company can kick in. They can collect the personal details like the birthdays of the entire family and send them greeting cards. The annual anniversary of the car can be remembered and the family can be sent a nice greeting card.

“If the small things of life can be managed well, the big things will get managed by themselves” Take care to manage the small things well.