Thursday, March 31, 2011

You saw it but WERE YOU SEEN???

The India Pakistan Semifinal clash probably attracted more media attention than the Earthquake in Japan. The “Fourth estate” went into a real frenzy. A room in Amritsar would have sold for more than the same in most Tier 1 cities of India. And for all Indians, it was joy all the way as India won comfortably.


Did you see the match? I can ask this question to most Indians, wherever they are on this planet, and I am most likely to get a reply in the affirmative. There were about 50, 000 in the stadium who will be etched forever in the stills of one of the greatest days in cricketing history. What a platform it was! Wouldn’t it have been a great marketing platform?

You saw the match but WERE YOU SEEN? Two geniuses (read astute marketing minds) from India ensured they were.

While the Prime Minister of India and his Pakistani counterpart decided to watch it from the VIP box, it was brand “Sonia Gandhi” and brand “Rahul Gandhi” who leveraged this mega event to the optimum. They saw the match with the aam aadmi (Common man) in their non-air-conditioned stands. They surely won the match. With elections in many Indian states just around the corner, they have definitely gathered enough video footage which will stand testimony to prove that their heart goes out to the common man. The footage will be as fresh when the congress contests the assembly elections in two years’ time. This is Brand Visibility at its best. India did not hit even a single six in their match but Sonia and Rahul surely hit their oppositions for a six!

From the netas(politicians), let’s move to the abhinetas(actors). Aamir Khan is one of the finest actors Indian Cinema has produced. He is an even better marketing brain. Did you know that he will be seen in the role of a cop in his next movie? Yes, it made headlines and so did the fact that he will have a new look for the film. While he ensures that his look is a major selling point of his films, he also finds an apt platform to unveil it. So the new look for the upcoming movie was unveiled to the World at the greatest sporting extravaganza you can manage to host in India. His look will be the talking point for sometime now. As the movie nears release, the footage from the match will surely help with some word-of-mouth. He also ensured that he was seen with the Big boys of the BCCI for a brief period. Optimum use of the stage, the world saw your news look. Kudos Aamir!

There are many who saw the match but MISSED BEING SEEN. Aamir’s competitors and Sonia’s opponents are among those and have surely missed a trick yesterday.

Viewing things from a marketing perspective and posting my thoughts at http://thebrandmaverick.wordpress.com/. Do let me know your thoughts. Cheers!!!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Subscription/Addiction: The better marketing weapon?

After all the non-sense that I have been subjecting to you all through my blog, I thought I will write a thought-provoking article. (Atleast I think it is..)

So, all my friends out there who have waited patiently for something sensible, I think this is the closest I can get to it... will not stop trying though.

For now http://thebrandmaverick.wordpress.com/ will give you an idea of what I am talking about.

Do let me know your thoughts. Good Day:)