layer Shot Ad Banned - Common Sense is not Common - Worst Indian Advertisement

Ministry of Information and broadcasting, govt of India has rightly banned the controversial "Layer shot" advertisement. 

The two ten-second advertisements are truly disgusting. One shows four young adults (teenagers) ogling a girl and a boy seated on a bed. 

One of the four boys says, "shot maara kya (have you taken the shot) and the boy sitting on the bed says, "ha liya (yes, I have taken) and the other boy says, "Ab hamarey bari (now our turn)". The guy sitting on the bed suggestively turns his head around. 

The girl on the bed recoils in horror. The camera moves to the perfume bottle. The boy picks up the perfume bottle and says, "shot tho banta hai (shot is imperative/compulsory" and the voice-over says, "Layer's shot".

The second advertisement is even worse, a girl is shopping, and she is bending and trying to pick up something. 

The same four idiots (young men) ogle her back and one of them says, "hum char aur yeh sirf ek, (she is one, and we are four, how tacky). 

The second boy says, "tho shot Kaun lega? (so who will take the shot?). The girl is shocked, but then noticed a single, 'layer's Shot" bottle on the shelf. One of the boys picks up the bottle and says, "shot tho banta hai (shot is imperative/compulsory".

How ridiculous. The ad is banned, but the damage is already done. What was the advertising agency thinking? That the advertisements are funny? 

What do they want to convey?. That women are objects and can be had for fun?. And the company's management. How did they accept such crap? Don't they have any social responsibility?.

But maybe we are trying to close the stable  door after the horse has bolted. The advertisements had become viral and may be the advertisements has served their purpose. The campaign has created the buzz and got noticed. Any publicity, including bad publicity is PUBLICITY! Bring it on, crassness seems to be ruling the roost.

Food Binging - binge eat - Baahubali Thali - Hogging or feasting like pigs!

I like good food and enjoy food-eating videos but things have gone overboard. 

Now a days there are lots of videos of food binging and of Bahubaali thalis. There seems to be fasination to over eat and binge eat.

Subsequently lots of food is wasted and that is a colossal waste for a poor country. Why should we encourage over eating. Why can't people eat frugally?

This Mukbang craze is totally unhealthy and needs to be curbed. Also the fascination for calorie rich, oily, butterly and ghee filled food is nauseating! And YouTubers will definitely do anything for views and subscribers. Down with Baahubali thalis.

Rishabh Pant wants to buy cheap luxury Watches - A typical Middle class Mentality

Quite humourous to note. Rishabh Pant too has a "Middle-Class Mentality" like us. He wanted to buy "very cheap Luxury watches" and believed a con man to deliver him such "essential items" and lost Rs 1.63 crores! Fail to understand how luxury watches can be very cheap. That sounds like an Oxymoron!.

He should have simply bought them. He can definitely afford them. Similar is the case of Kunal Pandya who tried to smuggle luxury watches into India without paying duty. Our cricket gods just like the reel heroes have feet of clay!

Vishwak Sen controversy - Telugu TV News shows - Much ado about nothing - Fixed TV shows - Media not having Ethics! - Publicity Rocks!

03-05-2022

All ado about nothing! 

Telugu televison shows have become a joke. They only crave for sensationalism and for TRP. 

Most of them never touch upon serious issues and always delve on non-serious, lighter topics. 

Yesterday's "SERIOUS" discussion between the anchor and Vishwak Sen smacks of match-fixing and a very low level of journalism. 

The channel claims that the actor gatecrashed the show. So, stop him from entering the debate!!!  No, the actor gate crashed and is allowed to talk. 

Then on cue, the actor and the anchor clash, and the anchor asks the actor to "get out". 

To say the least the anchor proved to be a better actor than Vishwak Sen, who walked out happily. The deal done and the movie got the publicity that it craved for! 

End of the day, lot of masala on the social media and enormous free publicity for the movie!

Acharya Distributors demand money to be paid off - You cant have the cake and Eat it too!

05-05-2022

You can't have the cake and eat it too!

Acharya distributors demanding money to be paid back as they have incurred losses is very strange.  It was a business risk that they took and the risk did not pay off. 

They need to be more careful next time. If they had made a profit would they have shared it with the producer, director, or with Chiranjeevi and Ram Charan? I don't think so!

This is similar to people who cry foul when chit fund and other money laundering companies cheat them. They entered the schemes knowing that such hefty interest rates are not feasible. 

If they get good returns it is their business acumen, but if they get a loss it is the governments who are responsible to recoup the losses. Real-world does not work that way!

Split Pricing and Price Anchoring Concepts!

11-05-2022

Split pricing:  Lower price always attracts consumers. One can make a Rs 6000 item appears cheaper when priced at Rs1500 per month. The Rs 1500 tag looks cheaper than the Rs 6000 price.

Price anchoring: If we want to sell a watch having a price of Rs 2000, place it right next to a Rs 5000 watch. A common mind has the habit of comparing things and the product with less price has more chance to be sold.

Volvo's New ad - The world's safest Car - No longer the USP? - Compares itself with a Smart Phone

07-04-2022

Don't know what to make of the new Volvo ad "Just like your phone only bigger". 

For a car that is synonymous with safety is Volvo moving away from its core values and USP?

The world's safest car and the TOM (Top Of the Mind) brand was Volvo. So "just like your phone only bigger" makes no sense. 

Is Volvo comparing Oranges with Apples, Oops Eatable Apples and not Apple computers.

IPL and National Duty - who will bell the Cat!

13-04-2022

Dean Elgar, the captain of the South African cricket team shooting off his mouth about SA cricket players, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Marco Jansen, Aiden Markram, and Rassie van der Dussen not being allowed to play for the country in the future, is shooting off from the mouth without thinking.

Dear Dean Elgar, there were as many as 33 SA players in the IPL auctions 2022 including Keshav Maharaj. 

Count yourselves lucky that no franchisee bought  Keshav. If he was bought your series win against Bangladesh would have been in a jeopardy. 

No SA cricketer who was bought in the auction has refused the deal and played for the country. That is the fact of the matter.

Questioning their loyalty to the country and calling it a litmus test is churlish and downright insulting. 

Cricketers have a short shelf life and there is nothing wrong in them trying to secure their future financial security as quickly as possible. 

CSA had an agreement and it had to honour it. The players in IPL are critical for the SA campaign for the 2022 T20 world cup and their players are getting valuable real-time match practice. 

Instead of blaming the individual players, it is better that ICC manages its calendar better and allows the smooth marriage between honouring the commitment to play for the country and playing franchise cricket. 

ICC can take a leaf out of FIFA where when the country-specific matches are played no club matches are allowed. 

Of course in football national duty is very rare, maybe 10-15 days in a year. In cricket, ICC will face a challenge where it is exactly the reverse, national duty 70% and franchisee cricket 30%.

This "bull in the China  Shop" attitude of CSA will not result in any concrete results. On the contrary, CSA might head the West Indies way. 

West Indies national team is boring (all formats, tests, ODI, and T20I) and their best players peddle their talent in various franchisee T20 leagues throughout the world without representing the West Indies National team. Such a waste of talent!. 

Cricket South Africa (CSA) had an agreement with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) whereby it makes its players available for the IPL. 

This was also heavily weighed this time as the BCCI not only ensured their India A team stayed back in South Africa when the Omicron variant of COVID-19 virus was discovered in the country but also sent the India senior side for the ODIs and Test series, bringing in much-needed revenue for the CSA. 

So it was Quid Pro Quo, In layman's terms "you Scratch my back and I will scratch yours"

Selling Nothing for One Pound on Valentine day!

24-01-2019

Absolute brain fade. Bombazzled by the audacity. Making money by selling nothing. So nothing becomes something and the promise of delivery is nothing. So where is customer satisfaction? Something out of nothing, 

Road side Fast Food Joints - Management or Mis-Management

10-11-2021

Just had some fast food at this fast food joint. The fried rice was quite nice but what struck me was the lopsided HR resource usage. 

The most important person at this fast food joint was the master (the chef, inevitably from Bengal nowadays). Bengali chefs dominate the fast food industry! 

The owner was an oldish man who did not do anything except sit at the Galla (cash counter). He would not even serve the customers. He had a helper to serve the dishes and take away the dirty plates. 

I did some out-of-hand calculations Rs 10,000/- rental for the shop, Rs 5,000/- electricity, Rs 5,000/- minimum for the helper, and at least Rs 30,000/- for the master (chef). So the fixed expenditure is at least Rs 50,000/- 

The owner is completely dependent on the whims and fancies of the master and the fast food joint has to make a sale of at least  Rs 3,000/- per day even to break even and earn himself a small salary. 

So what is the option? A small bandi, and owners who multi-tasks and does all the jobs including serving and taking care of the cleaning too. Gone are the days of owners sitting on the Galla and overseeing operations. 

A person on the cash counter makes sense when there are large number of transactions and the kitchen has to be free to concentrate on dish preparation. When the business is small, keep it as lean as possible.

super crassness on the net - last of battery life 5% to be used for the most unimaginable emergency, watching YouTube videos!

23-11-2021

Found this super crassness on the net. You would think that the last 5% of battery storage would be saved for emergency calls! 

My foot that 5% has to be used for the most unimaginable emergency, watching YouTube videos! Hey Bhagwan, talk about instant gratification. Taken from the Reliance Digital site for Realme C11 smartphone specifications.

National Family Health survey asks a question, "in your opinion is a husband justified in hitting or beating a wife?".

27-11-2021

What sort of a survey is this? Who sanctioned it? National Family Health survey asks a question, "in your opinion is a husband justified in hitting or beating a wife?". 

In research, we call this sort of question a loaded question. It almost legitimizes the action. 

What is the sample, what is the sample size, and who are the respondents? Can the results be generalized?. 

And the results are published and given publicity. And 84% of men and 70% of women from Telangana answered in affirmative. Wife beating is justified! We get the surveys we deserve.

"Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply with justice and force: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER, THIS QUOTE IS BY MARK TWAIN! 

- Autobiographical dictation April 1904. "Notes on 'Innocents Abroad.'" Published in Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume 1 (University of California Press, 2010).

OTT and The interesting web series about Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi - Breakpoint!

02-10-2021 

OTT is both a blessing and a curse. It gives us more choice and at the same time, most of the choice is crass and trashy. 

We trash at least 50% of the shows and movies within the first half an hour or stop watching after the first episode. 

Most shows are unbearably boring. At least with OTT, there is no dissonance as we don't pay anything upright. 

"Murder in the building" a much-hyped series was so boring that it can be the best medicine for insomniacs.

So with much trepidation, I started watching Breakpoint the web series on Zee 5 and it was a refreshing watch. The series is about "what could have been but what it had become". 

The web series tells the tragic partnership story of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi the famed Indian Express Duo. 

The web series though lengthy is candid enough for us to understand the fragilities of super athletes. It graphically their mental insecurities!

Torn apart by petty bickering, inflated egos, jealousies, meddling parents, and interfering coaches the web series illustrates the derailing of Indian Express. 

Feared by every team including the games Woodies, the Indian express could only win 3 grand slam titles together! 

And to think that the Bryan brothers who came in later finished their careers with 16 grand slams! What a waste of prodigious talent. 

Leander ended his career with 18 grand slam titles and Mahesh with 12! If only they had buried their differences it could have been 25 for Leander and 18 for Mahesh! 

A must-watch series. The only thing left out was the sordid deal in the 2012 Olympics where Sania Mirza was used as a bargaining chip to appease the sulking Leander! 

I am sure that the makers wanted to get that part in too but maybe Sania did not want any of it. Or even better Zee 5 can plan another series with Sania the other superstar of Indian tennis.

CoinDCX ad - Too much to digest

05-10-2021

I might be old-fashioned and straitjacketed but some advertisements irritate me to no end. In this advertisement, the flippant child is asked why he wants so many chocolates. 

His reply "These chocolates are for new dad if mummy leaves you and these are for the new mummy if you can leave momma" the voice-over says, "smart kid knows the value of diversified investments". 

I know that the advertisement is supposed to be humourous but making fun of a family and that too about breakups and new mummy and new Daddy by the kid is a little too much to digest.

Ayesha Family Restaurant - Hindu or Muslim!

17-10-2021

Clicked this interesting board at Piduguralla, Guntur district yesterday. The board says Ayesha Family Dhaba Garden and Restaurant but in the center is a Ganapathi statue. Is it a feeling of secularism? No chance! This is pure business! Cash in on customers from both religions.

Footnote: Anyhow they don't serve non-veg. They serve NONE - VEG!

Comments: 

Niketa Nigam: Ayesha is a Hindu name too

Raghavender Matam: Niketa Nigam according to?

Niketa Nigam: Raghavender Matam according to all the Ayeshas around the world who are Hindu

Raghavender Matam: Niketa Nigam so you don't have any academic source?

Niketa Nigam: Raghavender Matam how a name on hoarding is a source enough to assume it' is a Muslim person? Haven't you come across Ayesha or Aisha who is a Hindu? History says its origin was Muslim but is that ur only 'deciding factor'.

Anil Ramesh: Let me come in here. Ayesha here is a Muslim name and inside there was enough indication that this is a Muslim establishment!

Niketa Nigam: Anil Ramesh if there are other things that state it is owned by a Muslim Person that would be a different situation altogether but just going by this picture and the name, it would be wrong to conclude that just because it is named as 'Ayesha' it is a Muslim establishment. Ayesha is a very common Hindi name as well. In north India, you would come across way many Ayesha's, even brahmin girls named Ayesha. It has a very positive meaning in Hindi.

Anil Ramesh: Okay, Niketa Nigam.

Raghavender Matam: Niketa Nigam that is the problem with today's India. Even Brahmins forgot Sanskrit and are naming children Islamic names. Tell me what's the meaning of Ayesha?

Niketa Nigam: Raghavender Matam the problem with people who bring religion into everything is that they cannot understand anything without bringing a religious debate into it. Irrespective of whose name Ayesha was in history it has its meaning which is " happy living". The point here was simply that " Hindus also use this name ( its the personal choice and cannot be questioned) so there is a possibility it is not a Muslim establishment". However, you will read it only in the light of religious tension.

Sri Nivas: For all the discussion that happened. Thank you very much. That was a disguise of religion... for business survival... right? wrong? subject to perspective and prerogative...

Anil Ramesh: Very well said Srinivas

Syed Shad Ali: Anil Ramesh sir, what’s your view about this marketing strategy? Good or bad?

Anil Ramesh: Very good question Syed Shad Ali. I posted it because it was unusual and it triggered a thought process. In my view, names should be neutral so that they do not lead to any sort of reservations at any point in time. Here it seems to be a congruence of cultures and apparently, everyone is happy with the status quo.

End of the day the proof of the pudding is in the eating. If the food, ambiance, and price are right, customers would flock, otherwise, they would give it a royal miss. In my view only a good title does not guarantee a movie's success, content too has to be good.

Cadbury's Unique Customized Ads featuring Shah Rukh Khan!

25-10-2021

Great idea Cadbury! Personalizing the advertisement is the need of the day in the era where everything is personalized. 

These personalized advertisements can be used on websites, local media, cable networks and in social media like Facebook, Whatsapp, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram. It is a wonderful innovation, marrying personalization with Technology.

According to Hans India: 

Cadbury is allowing customers to create an ad for their local stores for free with Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan on it. The ad, which is in the form of a video, stars the actor, who promotes the local store (it could be Kirana, footwear, and electronics) by directly naming the store. The ad is part of the company's "NotJustACadburyAd" campaign that aims to promote local stores. Through a series of videos on its social media channels, Cadbury explains that the company wants to help local stores in India that were heavily impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://bit.ly/3EcoBJA

Balakrishna at it again - Puts feet in his own mouth!

22-07-2021 

Whenever Telugu actor Balakrishna opens his mouth he inevitably puts his foot inside it. His blabbering on stage is well-known and his speeches are the butt of many jokes and memes. 

His completely funny Telugu-influenced Hyderabadi Urdu/Hindi speech where he went hammer and tongs at PM Narendra Modi should be watched on Youtube! He was better than Mr.Bean himself. 

And his "Gul huva hamaara Sitara" goof-up was very prophetic when the TDP was routed in GHMC elections. 

Now it looks like he is taking his wrath out on A.R.Rahman. To say that he does not know who Rehman is is absolute nonsense. 

Yes, all Telugus feel that NTR deserves the Dadasaheb Phalke award and maybe the Bharat Ratna but to say that the Bharat Ratna is equal to NTR's toenail is stretching it too much. 

The legendary actress of India Savitri never got a Padmasri and Keerthi Suresh who essayed Savitri's role in Mahanati got the best actress award! 

Does that make Keerthi Suresh a better actress than Savitri?  No way, grow up Balakrishna!

Mirabhai Channu gets Free Pizza for Life - My prediction comes true!

24-07-2021

Mirabai Chanu wins the Silver medal in 49 kgs weightlifting category. Congratulations Chanu eat as much Pizza as you can. 

Pizza Hut and Dominos, make her your brand ambassador and give her a lifetime ration of Pizza. Hurry hurry, the early bird catches the worm!

26-07-2021

MY PREDICTION COMES TRUE!

Made this prediction two days ago and yesterday Dominos acted on it. Thanks to my cousin Vinay for the update.

Comments: 

Ravindranath Tiwari: Your prediction had lots of knowledge and experience SirAnil Ramesh: Thank you Ravindra Nath Tiwari, your encouragement means so much to me.

Ravindra Nath Tiwari: You know sir there will be a bit of you in all of us who have learned from you.

Anil Ramesh: Ravindra Nath Tiwari, that is the dream. Precisely why I came into teaching and why is why I post, write, publish, blog, research, appear in television interviews, conduct consultancy, do training and write books. To inspire as many people as possible. Godspeed and all the best. I am always available!

Patrick Anthony: Nostradamus in the making

Anil Ramesh: Mine is Common Sense Prediction, but thank you Patrick Anthony garu.

Patrick Anthony: Sir, common sense is a rare commodity.

Anil Ramesh: Patrick Anthony garu, common sense is most uncommon!

Eye Catching Hindi Movie promotion on Amazon Prime - Shershah!

26-07-2021

Shershaah's promotion on InShorts is very enlightening. 

The minute you open the app, the ad appears, and as we are reading three bullet holes appear on the screen and the screen explodes out of the smoke the ad reappears and directs us to the trailer on YouTube.

Great creativity team Shershaah. This one definitely catches the eye.

Mirabhai Chanu Olympic Medalist sits on floor and eats lunch!

30-07-2021

Sign of humility or poverty of our sports stars! 

Mirabai Chanu sits on the floor and eats her lunch, and our cricket players and filmstar's sons and daughters earn crores.

We should be ashamed of ourselves for treating our sports stars in such a cavalier fashion. Govt of India and corporate honchos have the take such talented people under their wings and provide them with all  comforts.

Comments: 

Yanamadala Srinivasa Rao Rao: Absolutely andi ...... Regards

Ramachander Polapragada: True Sir

Ravindra Nath Tiwari: Sir who wears the shoes while sitting and eating these pictures don't tell real story, maybe

Yanamadala Srinivasa Rao Rao: Ravindra Nath Tiwari Eastern western culture please ..... Regards

Ravindra Nath Tiwari: Yanamadala Srinivasa Rao Rao it's uncomfortable also

Vijay Arjun Veeravalli: Ravindra Nath Tiwari It's usual that they wear slippers/shoes. As it's very cold. They wear it all through the day.so it's the real story.. and not uncomfortable..and also their culture to sit down and eat..

Anil Ramesh: Maybe, but I was talking about the general poverty in the picture. And culture differs from place to place, Ravindra Nath Tiwari

Anil Ramesh: Culture differs from place to place. In Ethiopia coming inside the house with your footwear is quite common. Indians find it shocking.

In our childhood meals at the marriage meant sitting at a table and the bride and bridegroom family humbly served the guests.

Now we have Buffalo (Oops Buffet) system where people eat as if they are in a race to consume as much as they want. Have we not embraced the buffet system?

What about western clothes. I am no one to judge but both the medals have come from much-maligned eastern states and not from North, South, or Western India.

Shakuntala Kuchibhotla: Anil Ramesh Totally agree.

Vijay Vedantam: Thought-provoking!!! I come from this state ...

Anil Ramesh: What is your view, Vijay Vedantam garu?

What Honesty - Nestle admits that 60% of its products are unhealthy!

03-06-2021

What honesty! 96% of Nestle's beverages, 99% of its bakery and confectionery products, and overall 60% of Nestle's products are not healthy! 

Hey hey, don't shoot the messenger! This information is from Nestle's own internal document. If not anything Nestle deserves one management equivalent of an  Oscar for honesty and "Open the mouth and put my own feet in" Syndrome!

Comments: 

Ranjit Basu: All our childhood and during college days this has been the staple diet and no one had food poisoning to date

Anil Ramesh: Ranjit Basu, might not lead to immediate diseases. Not being healthy means it could lead to long-term consequences, and side effects. Some products can even be carcinogenic, leading to cancer!

Arijit Santikary: Such an irony. If this is honesty then somebody will murder someone and accept that he/she has murdered and published it in the media!😃😃

Ranjit Basu: Anil Ramesh sir Nestle is the only company making baby food Cerelac which does not  have any competitors till now even for fast food Maggie is best it is approved by FCI so please don't worry enjoy your Maggie meal with full enjoyment and without worry, our air which we breathe is more toxic and harmful so maggie cant be worse than that .. no one provides instant fast food at 12 Rs till date in India

Anil Ramesh: No no Arijit Santikary . It was an internal document that got leaked. Wait Nestle will firefight. We all know that most products are not HEALTHY! But we still consume them! That is how the cookie crumbles!

Arijit Santikary: Anil Ramesh okay sir! Understood!

Arijit Santikary: Anil Ramesh I have understood the sarcasm but I thought it was publicized by Nestlé. Misunderstood.

Anil Ramesh: Caveat Emptor: Buyer Beware, always holds good!

Bijender Singh: I am not understanding why this will be surprising for us... We choose to eat unhealthy food and then expect that it will give us all vitamins and minerals... It's a " Joke on Us" .😀😀...Sab jaan ke bhi.. anjaan rehna...😀😀😀😀

Anil Ramesh: Arijit Santikary, still not very sure if it is not a marketing gimmick. If you remember Coke also did a campaign called "don't drink Coke". Sometimes negative publicity might actually spur rebels (with or without cause) to say "what the heck" and go … and indulge.

Remember our childhood, if our parents say don't do it, we would try to do it! Both as a dare and also to show that we rebel. Not very sure, everything is fair in love and Business!

Arijit Santikary: Anil Ramesh yes sir! Maybe a marketing gimmick as such negative news spreads fast.

Anil Ramesh: See it worked, a influencer like me would never have written glowingly about a product (I refuse to take money and write reviews). But I have given Nestle free publicity even though sarcastically. Think of it as pukkat ka publicity!

Bijender Singh: Anil Ramesh I don't think Nestle's main products need publicity eg. Maggie. They are now part of our life.😀😀😀

Anil Ramesh: It is called reminder advertising, even the greatest of the brands are forgotten if we are not continuously brainwashed. Out of sight out of mind! Bijender Singh

Kanta Prasad of Baba Ka Dhaba - "What is good for the goose might not be the same for the gander"

08-06-2021

Great business lesson for all, "What is good for the goose might not be the same for the gander" meaning just because something worked for somebody, it is not a guarantee that it would work for someone else. 

Full sympathy for poor Kanta Prasad of Baba Ka Dhaba. Prasad was running his Dhaba the way he liked and he was getting a profit the way he knew by keeping all overheads razor thin. 

In walks, a Youtuber (now there are crores of them, everyone is a Youtuber, the easiest thing to do. Anyone can be one, all you need is a smartphone and a mouth), and Prasad is taken in by the razzmatazz. He is seduced by Youtube likes and the free comments. 

He thinks of himself as another Kamath or a Udupi guy. He forgets what made his Dhaba so famous, "reasonable wholesome food" loved by his middle and lower-middle-class clientele. 

Drawn into the web he sets up a restaurant. His overheads shoot up and he starts making a loss of Rs 60,000/- per month. 

Same Prasad who may be was doing Rs 10,000/- sale a day but making a profit of maybe 2,000/-. 

After losing Rs 5,00,000/-, Prasad is back and has reopened his old Dhaba. Let this be a lesson for all. 

There is no easy method or easy way of becoming successful. The percentage of people who make real money is very very less.  I would say 0.0001% chance of being successful. 

Don't get fooled by propaganda, propaganda is propaganda. It aims to gloss over facts and reality and paints the entire canvas in green hues!

Ronaldo removes Coke Bottle at Euro 2020!

17-06-2021

My conversation with Soumya where I predicted that  FIFA will give a ruling not to remove sponsor material. And it happened. 

17/06, 8:01 PM Soumya Mahapatro: Sir but honestly what can a company like Coke do here? They are the official sponsors of Euro..their bottles are supposed to be kept on the table ..now that this has become a trend..all players are doing it.

17/06, 8:01 PM, Soumya Mahapatro: Coke didn't ask for it...but this bad press just fell on them.

17/06, 8:02 PM Soumya Mahapatro: Yesterday two other Footballers did it..and Pogba removed the Heineken beer bottle I guess because he is a practicing Muslim

17/06, 8:02 PM Dr. M. Anil Ramesh.: What we need to understand is to take the 'rough with the smooth". Nothing Cola-Cola can do.

17/06, 8:03 PM Soumya Mahapatro: Yes...because if they counter it...they are gonna get more bad press from all the fans of Ronaldo..who has a huge social medial following..they can just pray to sweep it under the carpet

17/06, 8:04 PM  Dr. M. Anil Ramesh.: It is FIFA that must be shivering in its boots. The mafia that FIFA is, it might bring in a dikait (ruling) saying that no sponsor material can be touched. Then CR and Pogba will not dare touch them. They know when not to upset the gravy train.

17/06, 8:04 PM Soumya Mahapatro: I think Pepsi must be thanking its guardian angels...their rival is getting a bashing that too without spending a penny 😂

17/06, 8:05 PM Soumya Mahapatro: Yes that's true

17/06, 8:05 PM Dr. M. Anil Ramesh.: All athletes have to fall in line. Either fall in line or get lost. See what happened to Osaka at the French Open.

17/06, 8:11 PM Dr. M. Anil Ramesh.: Frankly speaking don't think that celebrities influence buyer behaviour so much. They might be taken in emotionally but at the end of the day, they will go back and consume their existing choices. Coke will ride this out. In fact sales might even go up. If  CR can influence his fans so much we all would be as fit as him.

 As fans, we take in what we want. We want to play like CR but don't want the hard rigour and training that goes along with it.

17/06, 8:12 PM Soumya Mahapatro: That's so true. Rightly said.

17/06, 8:12 PM Dr. M. Anil Ramesh.: This is learning, in real-time, Soumya!

17/06, 8:39 PM Soumya Mahapatro: 😃

Fun Quiz with Answers!

 30-05-2021

Just for fun. Try answering (honestly) without Googling. That is the fun way. 

1) Which actor is called 'Virar Ka Chokra': Govinda!

2 and 3) Which actor met a very known actress at a party and said: "_________, you are so pretty that you should be in movies". Name the actor and the actress?: 

The eccentric Raaj Kumar and Zeenat Aman. Once in a drunken stupor, he even called the curvy Zeenat Aman "a boy"

4, 5 and 6) Which actor refused to be a hero in an iconic movie. He said to the director "Aap ke bal se Sarsong ka tel ka Badboo aathi hai". Name the actor, the movie refused, and the director? : 

Who else but Raaj Kumar, the movie he refused Zanjeer and the director was Prakash Mehra. 

7) Which actor was nicknamed kaka? : Rajesh Khanna

8) 😎 Which actor was referred to as Gurkha?: Rajesh Khanna

9 and 10) Which actress when talking about an actor said, "we are so close that we share our toothbrush". Name the actor and the actress?:  Rajesh Khanna and Tina Munim.

11 and 12) The great NTR saw a Hindi movie and remarked this about the hero (an already famous actor) "This man (abbayi) is so good that he will be a great actor". Whom was he referring to and what was the movie’s name?: Dilip Kumar.

13) The movie Gundamma was a remake of another movie. who was the director of the original movie? : Vittalacharya.

14) Which film star's nicknames are GM and MG?: Grand Master of dance and Maha Guru of dance, Mithun Chakraborty.

15) The forefathers of the Ex-Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, K. Karuranidhi are from which state? : Andhra Pradesh.

16, 17, 18) Which actor and actress have acted in most films as hero and heroine. Name the actor, actress, and the number of movies as a pair?: Prem Nazir and Sheela in 130 movies.

19) Which film actress was so brainy that she was a state topper in the tenth examination? : J.Jayalalitha.

20) Rajendra Prasad the actor is related to which legendary actor? : NTR.

21) Who is Mahesh Babu's (Telugu actor) mother?: Indra Devi.

22) This Indian movie is listed at number 14 by Channel 4 in its list of "Top 50 Films to See Before You Die. The same movie was ranked at number 55 in the Empire list of "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema". Name the movie? : Laagan

23) Name the theatre in Chennai where you could watch a movie as many times as you wanted (Sadly this theatre no longer exists)?: Blue Diamond.

24) What is the original name of the comedy actor Johnny Lever and he was born and brought up in which state? : John Prakasa Rao Janumula hails from West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. 

25) Shobha De the fashion diva and novelist was also an editor of a film magazine, name the magazine? : Stardust.

If you can get 15 out of 25 without googling, then consider yourself a film buff!

Congratulations to all who have tried. In India, we need to be good in cricket, movies, and politics to make a good conversation!

Corona Milk and Corona Lemon Tea - Cashing on the Pandemic!

 13-04-2021

I am fascinated by signboards. This gem, I spotted at Punjagutta, today. The signboard said, "Corona Milk and Corona Lemon Tea". I was dumbfounded. "How much?" I asked, "12 rupees", "only Rs 12 for milk/tea full of Corona?" 

"Kya saab, mazaak kar rahey kya, this is not for getting  Corona, these are to avoid it" "how!?" I asked, wondering how this guy is selling these wonder drugs at Rs 12/- while the world is breaking its head as to how to combat the deadly virus. 

The tea stall owner explained. The milk/lemon water is full of ginger and he puts in lots of tea masala (and maybe biryani masala too) and heats them thoroughly!. 

These concoctions are supposed to improve immunity and help keep the deadly CoVid-19 at bay. 

Hats off, a great lesson in marketing, cash in on the opportunity. Sell hopes and dreams. This guy is a dream merchant par excellence.

Comments and compliments from ex-students!

26-04-2021 

Comments and Compliments: 

Zelalem Roto A. Zewdie: That is the BIGGEST TRUE! Prof. You are really a moving library.

Anil Ramesh: Thank you Zelalem Roto A. Zewdie .

Patrick Anthony: Anil Ramesh Betham konjo Hastamari. Gobus

Anil Ramesh: Thank you Patrick Anthony garu.

Patrick Anthony: Bhahirdar Dairy

Anil Ramesh: Patrick Anthony? Dairy, not really, this conversation happened today, minutes before I posted. Surely social media did not exist in 2005, this student was my 2005 management batch student.

Ankita Singh: I agree with the conversation Sir. You are the ocean of learning, even I learned so much from you 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Anil Ramesh:: Thank you Ankita Singh .

Shrinivas Acharya T: You hv inspired the inspiration

Rao Kondapi: wonderful comments You deserve

Anil Ramesh: Thank you Shrinivas Acharya T garu.

Anil Ramesh: Thank you Rao Kondapi sir.

Sudheer Raja: Anil Ramesh Thank U Sir for clearing my Doubts from Marketing ,Movies ,Politics,Advts,To Cricket .. Moving Universal Library U R..😎

Anil Ramesh: Thank you Sudheer Raja

Sabyasachi Rath: That is the real earning (Guru Dakshina)for a teacher Anil ji. Let us aspire to inspire

Anil Ramesh: Thank you Sabyasachi Rath ji.

The Long Tail by Chris Anderson - Profits of Selling less of More!

28-04-2021

The long tail by Chris Anderson is a wonderful book. It was recommended to me by Dr.Madhusudan Kota around 10 years ago.

It is a great read and it tells us about out-of-box thinking. Traditional marketing always focused on the top of the business where there are heady sales, a huge customer base, and decent to healthy profits. 

Conversely, the tail of any business has customers but less in number, consequently sales and questionable profits.

This segment passes under the radar and is rarely served by mainstream companies and this segment of customers is ripe to be served profitably by astute and market savvy companies

The long tail tells us how to be profitable doing business at the long tail. 

The best example of a long tail business is the sports app 'Fan Code'. Fan code deals with sports events that many viewers might not be interested and once the majority is not interested the major sports channels don't buy rights and there is no live telecast. 

But as demonstrated in The long tail, there is a large (by numbers) customer base for cricket series like Pakistan vs Zimbabwe, Pakistan vs South Africa, Ireland vs Bangladesh, and Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, in India and throughout the world.

Pakistan vs Zimbabwe cricket series is available on Fan code for Rs 15/- for two test matches. And there is no live telecast on any channel or even it is available on a channel we need to subscribe for a month and later drop the channel and the process is very cumbersome. 

On Fan code the transaction is seamless and we can watch what we want. Most readers might think that Rs 15/- is not much, multiply it with 10 lakh viewers from around the world and the figure becomes substantial.

Fan code is ultra-niche and my son only watches  Bayern Munich football matches Bundesliga, and he pays only Rs 5/- for each match, talk about micro customization! 

The EPL league hosts 380 matches and I might not be willing to watch all 380. So with Fan code, I can watch only the 38 matches that are played by Manchester City or the 74 matches featuring Man City and Leicester City (another team that I like). This way I can save money and more importantly time.

So from theory emerges practice and practice leads to more theory. It is a symbiotic relationship.

Liquor License bought at Rs 510 crores! Height of Hypocrisy.

08-03-2021

Nirad C.  Chaudhuri author of "The autobiography of the Unknown Indian"  was correct, bang on. A lot of hypocrisy and double standards. We are a poor country and millions sleep every night with half-filled stomachs and a single wine shop's license goes for a whopping Rs 510 crores! 

Don't know the tenure of the license but if we assume it as a single year, the tax will be 1.5 crores per day. Maybe if it is 2 years tenure then it will be 75 lakhs per day. Wah what development and Vikas!

As M.S.Narayana says in one of his movies, it is the alcohol drinkers who are keeping the coffers ringing and keeping the state and central government moving on the path of progress!

Malayalam Movies - Best movie fare on OTT!

28-02-2021

Malayalam Movies: 

CoVid pandemic has definitely changed the way we watch movies. Gone are the days of mega movies, fanfare, and first-day first show! 

The fulcrum of viewing had shifted to the viewers and what they like and see is very different from what was watched in the cinema halls. 

Content is the king and movies from Malayalam, Tamil, and Kannada film industries are ruling the roost and the poor Telugu industry had fallen behind and appears like fish out of water. 

The best movies are from the above three languages. The movies are slick, short, well narrated, and most do not have irritating comedy tracks and last for roughly two hours. 

Topically made with great locales, tight budgets, and riveting screenplay, they are apt for the OTT audience. For example, Malayalam movies are made with tight budgets and succeed in breaking even or making decent profits on tight movie budgets.

In contrast, Telugu movies are caught in a time warp. They still harp on old stories, have inflated budgets, and inevitably have either old heroes or their many children, brothers, brother's children, brother-in-law's children, and sister's children as heroes. 

Also, most Telugu movies have jaw grating silly comedy and sillier songs. They go overboard in all aspects and tend to be too larger than life, In short, they are suited for large movie screens. 

They appear outdated and many OTT viewers are shifting to other languages.  Wake up Telugu film Industry. 

Comments: 

Krishna Panyam: Probably true, so a useful thing to do is to find and promote the better Telugu movies. I am sure there are one or two, which are lost in the mess.

Suba V G:  Very disappointing to see MASALA CRAVING TELUGU producers!! They have no clue. Of what viewers need. Hardly any Telugu producers take surveys!! Or feedback.

Rashmi D Rao: Well observed sir. I agree. The comedy level is so poor, that even the comedy shows that are telecasted on the TV aren't good at all. They portray double meaning poor jokes, men turning into women. badly dressed and they call it entertainment. Some movies are really good but they aren't promoted well.

Nepotism in Cricket - Sachin and Arjun Tendulkar!

22-01-2021

Wonder, how nepotism works!  Sachin Tendulkar who struggled to become a test player wants to Fastrack his son into the Mumbai team (which he did) and after playing one match Arjun Tendulkar becomes eligible for an IPL contract. Maybe obligingly Mumbai Indians will pick him up at his base price (20 lakhs). 

Similarly, cricket greats like Sunil Gavaskar, Srikanth, Roger Binny, and Azharuddin did try to thrust their prodigal sons on to test cricket but in a sport where performance matters (unlike in films where the sons can get away with atrocious acting to the extent that nonacting is lauded as acting) their forays have largely been pedestrian, to say the least. 

Thrusting someone into the limelight rarely worked especially in sports. Two times where it worked were with Leander Paes and with P.V.Sindhu. But both Paes's and Sindhu's parents were sports persons but from different fields. Paes's father was a hockey player and Sindhu's father was a Volleyball player. 

The famous exception where both father and son duo did very well in the same sport is Ramanathan Krishnan and Ramesh Krishnan who did exceptionally well in Tennis. Thank you K.N Srinath Garu for adding this valuable nugget of information.

The only cricket father and son's fairy tale was that of Lala Amarnath and his sons Surinder and Mohinder Amarnath. Both Lala and Mohinder played with great distinction. 

The other notable father-son duos are Vijay Manjrekar and Sanjay Manjrekar. Of course, Vijay had a great career (for his era) but Sanjay only had piddling success

Mostly the dream father-son success stories come from England and from New Zealand, wonder why? Can anyone enlighten me?

M.P. University's New Course for "Quacks"!

21-12-2020

We get the governments we deserve, we get the news we deserve and hey Ram are we going to get the health services that we don't deserve?  A MP University run by the  state government wants to legalize quack (fake) doctors instead of catching and throwing them in jails. 

The university wants to run a one year online diploma course and charge Rs 24,000/-. That's all! The quacks now have legal status to kill people. There is no need  to study hard and sacrifice everything for ten years to become a regular doctor. 

I am sure if this model is successful other universities too will be standing in the beeline to conduct similar courses! 

Life imitating academic thought process or academic thought process imitating life

 31-12-2020

"Life imitating academic thought process or academic thought process imitating life"

The jury is out there but the noble "fortune at the bottom of the pyramid" theory propagated by Prof C.K.Prahalad is often cited as an example of how paisas and rupees can be used to built a business fortune. In simple words it shows how the poorest of the poor can too become a source of business opportunity. 

According to a report today  in Deccan Chronicle the loan lending apps have done a whopping 1.4 crore transactions worth 21,000 crores. Mind blogging figure and each transaction is worth Rs 15,000/-.

Most people were given a loan worth Rs 3,000/-. That is an astonishing return of 400%. I can bet that no Harvard, Stanford, ISB or IIMs teach such financial management skills. This is what they don't teach in a B-School!

US Elections - Donald Trump Loses and companies Cash in!

 06-11-2020

In most countries, companies take a middle line as far as election results are concerned. Plainly speaking they would sit on the fence and not take sides. 

But see what Ryan Air is doing, it is taking broad swipes at Donald Trump. Check out their tweets, quite humourous! But it makes the point quite effectively, but definitely tongue-in-cheek!

Ganesha from My name!

 07-11-2020

Amazing isn't it. I am a big devotee of Vinayaka and to see his figure get formed from my name is simply mind-blowing. This was sent to me by Shrinivas Acharya T Garu. Thanks a lot and happy Deepavali to everyone.

India no doubt bosses the world cricket!

12-08-2020 

India no doubt bosses the world cricket.

BCCI has convinced The Australian cricket board to play footsie with it and pesto Australian Cricket board has agreed to postpone its world cup to 2022 and the Indian world cup will stay on course in 2021. 

I will not be very surprised if the forthcoming England tour of Australia is magically postponed and the star players from Australia and England pack their bags to board the gravy train - 2020 IPL in Dubai. 

The island state of Sri Lanka has been toying with its own version of IPL, the Lanka Premier League. 

It has five teams and all the teams have names that sound uncannily like IPL teams. 

Sri Lankans just like any other country citizens in the world love their country very much. So why ape the IPL teams?

Reason is very simple - when Indians  through out  the world search the web for Chennai Super Kings team, also listed in the search engine would be Colombo Super Kings - abbreviated, you got it right- CSK! 

I think it is win-win for all and the sundry. It will not harm anyone. But my marketing experience says, the elephant in the room wins all attention. End of the day it will be more mileage  for Chennai Super Kings as they literally own CSK! 

And the guys beaming from one ear to the other, are the Owners of the Hyderabad Sunrisers. The Lankan team is called Jaffna Sunrisers!

See the crass commercialization  of it all. Lanka forcefully has put down the Tamil movement for independence but names it's Tamil dominated team Jaffna Sunrisers! Very blase! 

Why are the Sunrisers owners happy? The Owners are part of the Sun group and Spice jet and every time Jaffna Sunrisers team's name is uttered it is more positioning for its Sun group!  They say imitation is the best form of flattery.Wow, wow, it is all about money honey.

Common Sense is not Common - Suresh Raina Vs CSK's N. Sreenivasan!

 31-08-2020

We Indians are great at washing dirty linen in public and every event is a chance for all and the sundry to jump into the fray and start slugging it out. It is free for all like the famous Spanish tomatino throwing festival.

Suresh Raina returned from the IPL tournament in Dubai and the mud started flying everywhere.  People drew their daggers and reasons for his return were brandished freely. 

The reasons ranged from, many CSK players testing CoVid - 19 positive, to Suresh Raina fearing for the safety of his children to his uncle being killed in an attack. 

What is the big deal? It is Suresh Raina's choice and we should respect his decision not to play. No we will not leave things that way! We Indians are wired differently!

Today Mr.N.Srinivasan jumps into the battle. He accuses  Raina of being a spoilt sport. He says success has gone to Raina's head. Stories about Raina's so-called Churlish behaviour about his hotel room not having a balcony are leaked to the press. 

Attempts are made to drive a wedge between Raina and Dhoni. It is said that Raina complained about his hotel room to Dhoni and that Dhoni expressed his helplessness and said that he could not help Raina! How incredibly silly! If it was not so silly we would be rolling on the floor laughing our heads off!

Srinivasan should have been in the movie business!. Aping Shashi Kapoor from the movie Deewar  he said 'hamare Paas Dhoni hai' and just like children he almost puts his tongue out,  leers, and says "we don't need you". 

He tells that Suresh Raina will regret his actions and that he will be poorer by 11 crores. What crime did Raina commit? He does not want to play. So what, heaven will not fall from the sky. Life will continue and we all will move on. 

The funniest part is, that all this is coming from a man whose introduction of his son-in-law to CSK finally led to CSK getting banned from IPL for two years. 

Looks like some people like Srinivasan will never learn. Fools rush is where prudent men tread cautiously!. 

Like I always said Common sense is not so common. Have a life Srinivasan, trash out your issues in private and don't let this issue become a slugfest between you and Raina. 

Raina displayed maturity beyond his age and maintained a stony silence and has not fired from his mouth like Mr.Srinivasan. All in all this episode does leave a very bad taste in the mouth!