@Brandstoryboard

Q1. How’s the first day going?
Sonal: excellent. Joyous bright sunlight light pouring in into my office. Just finished going thru a comprehensive induction.

@vishal1mehra

Q2. Views on mobile marketing and why it has been unsuccessful in India?
Sonal: Smaller screen doesn’t mean ideas on it can b small too. It will take off when we learn how to do it well.
Q3. whats the right way to take it forward then? clients or agencies, who needs to act aggressively?
Sonal: best way to take it fwd is to create some breakthrough ideas on it and then they will sell themselves.

@Jeremiaah_Surd

Q4. Have you really worn a paper tie to a Unilever meeting…!?!
Sonal: I did do it! Had a gr8 relationship with clients there who are all friends now! But where did you hear it?

@distilled_view

Q5. what is your view on social media and it’s relation with traditional creative branding thot process
Sonal: I think its the future. Its going to explode and impact everything in a way we can’t imagine now. we need to stop thinking in terms of traditional vs non traditional. We need to think what’s the best way!

@anuradhasays

Q6. When you take a new job what do you say to guys who had joined your previous agency for YOU? Is that sticky?
Sonal: It does get difficult and u feel guilty too but then u just hope the good ones will follow you one more time!

@anuradhasays

Q7. any essential difference in the Ominicom way vs. WPP way, given you spent so many years at WPP agencies?
Sonal: Still 2 early for me 2 say. 21 yrs in WPP and just 1 day in Omnicom. Though the day has been top class:)

@crownish

Q8. Any eye catching Indian online campaigns you saw lately?
Sonal: unfortunately not. Shocking and sad!!! Must work an online idea. NOW!

@anuradhasays

Q9. Given the proliferation of news/entertainment media what’s your first/favourite stop for news?
Sonal: My first stop for news is my iPad! And for entertainment I watch news on TV! Saif, Thappad, Jute, Chappal!

@anuradhasays

Q10. What did your friend and mentor Piyush Pandey have to say?
Sonal: like a true friend and a true professional he let me decide for myself.

@crownish

Q11. What’s your most memorable campaign from days at Bates? Virgin Mobiles?
Sonal: Right! Indian Panga League is one of my favourites of all time!

@crownish

Q12. Is the IPL still to be seen as India’s superbowl?
Sonal: it has the potential to become that and someone should actively work towards exploiting that potential.

@aneeshnadkarni

Q13. if Piyush has the moustache, Josy has the topi, what do you have?

@sporty_baba

Q14. Does In-Film Advertising work in India ?

Sonal: It’s nonsense.We are overdosed on celebrity ads on TV.Seeing the same heroes using the products in the film has no impact.

@distilled_view

Q15. you created a campaign that integrated old & new media more than a decade ago Annapurna Smart kids, remember?
Sonal: Wow! You remember that! And thankfully it was a big success at the marketplace too.

@RRozario

Q16. Which brand at DDB Mudra are you most excited to work on?
Sonal: might sound worthy but I have always been excited about working on any and every brand. Its disastrous to think of brands as ‘boring’ or ‘exciting’. Only our ideas our either ‘boring’ or ‘exciting’.

@sureshkarur

Q17. What are your thoughts on the Airtel rebranding?

Sonal: Airtel rebranding. Better than earlier but not good enough. Type weak and the logo bit too playful. Rebranding was weak but Airtel’s new campaign HFZHH done by Taproot was brilliant and set everything right!

If you make movies that appeal to your group of supporters, you will get repeat business. If not, you will spend all your time marketing without being able to retain your customers. Rajkumar Hirani made Munnabhai MBBS… his supporters made it a hit, the same people definitely watched Lage raho Munnabhai… it was a super hit. 3 idiots is a super duper hit. I managed to see it recently and my suspicion of it being in the same genre as both the Munnabhai’s was true. In the first two installments it was a rowdy with a heart of gold and in 3 idiots it’s a student with a heart of gold. The story also relies heavily on a supporting cast as in both his earlier films. The story I think was also written with a character in mind. The cinema hall was mostly full of families and couples, as it was for Lage raho Munnabhai. I am damn sure if not all most of the people who were present are the ones who have seen both the previous ones.

A superb cast, a good story and brilliant marketing just added to the films success. Raju Hirani has managed to create successful family entertainers. His supporters would have still watched the movie if the cast would have been different (it could have been successful too). Like wise Priyadarshan is known for making films of a particular genre and his movies have done well at the box office. He also directed a serious movie (Kyon Ki) in between the funny ones, Kyon Ki failed at the box office even though it had a good cast. Abhay Deol is a successful hero in off beat films 1.40 ki last local, Manorama 6 ft under, Dev D, Oye Lucky… we have to wait and watch what happens when he does an out-n-out commercial movie. If Abhay Deol has understood his supporters well he may not do a completely commercial film.

The marketing lesson to be learnt here is KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE, few who have understood their consumers will stick to what they are good at. Some will try different things that may not succeed. The same is true in case of brands; brand managers who understand their consumers well will succeed in their offerings, others fail. You can have the best of products, supported by world class service and brilliant advertising. If your customer does not have the need for the product it still fails.

The key to knowing you audience is DATA. As experts in the field have said success of your marketing campaigns depends 40% on getting your data right, 40% depends on the offer and 20% on creativity. If you don’t know your audience you can’t make the right product/ offer.

Data tells you everything you need to know about your audience how well you use it to you advantage is up to you.

Be it films, food, music, sports, finance, travel, shopping or sex… data never lies and gives immense opportunities and learning’s. The question is ‘are you willing to invest the time and effort to KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE’?

(Written by Naveen Nandan, Group Director – Rapp India, Mumbai)

So, have you met the new guy in town? He’s called Mr. Social and he’s a proud man. His EGO, my friend, is defined as Engage, Grow and Optimize. And we are proud to have him around us. By now, you must have understood whom I am talking about. He is the ever effervescent and mostly spoken about talk of the town Mr. Social Media. Without a doubt Mr. Social Media and his networking abilities has changed the way people connect and communicate today and will define the future of what we know as CRM.

So how does the age old CRM and its upholder deal with the new age lingua franca. Traditional providers of CRM have been trying hard to fit the social media aspect to their current cog. Grappling with the fundamental question, the CRM guru today wants to understand this medium in its entirety to enable him to reach out to his customers in a faster, better and cheaper way.

The question now is; what does one do to fit in? For starters, let’s look at all the three aspects of this medium and understand the synergetic possibilities of it leaping to become the next big thing overhauling CRM.

Engage

Businesses need to take a cue, that the new meaning of ‘C” in CRM means ‘Community’. It’s the logical next step in evolution of CRM, bringing together loyal customers in focused, domain specific ‘flocks’; who then collectively work as brand ambassadors-cum-spokespeople. These flocks will define the brand image and are relatively the key drivers for success of the brand’s initiative to drive loyalty solutions to its customers. If businesses are able to effectively manage this social juggernaut, the entire solution will be a well-oiled dependable tool for them to run effective customer centric campaigns. Not to mention the Voice of customers (VOC)/reviews and customer behaviour analysis that help these brands take its image building exercise to the next level and start thinking in a radical manner.

Grow

Today, providers of Web-based customer relationship management (CRM) platforms and solutions have been working hard to incorporate these new networks and technologies into their services, utilizing the power of cloud to connect and integrate regular CRM tools with major social and micro blogging sites like Twitter, Facebook, tumblr and LinkedIn; creating what has come to be known as social CRM. These sites can not only provide another way to connect with an audience, but also help provide deep insight into their lives likes and dislikes wants and needs, and also help to connect with potential customers. This trend is exemplified by Apple’s launch of a music based social network, ‘Ping’ on its iTunes platform.

Optimise

Whoever said the world is a small place obviously also relates to the fact that the online presence of someone is just based on a single degree of separation. It’s all about “I” being the center of all conversation. Remember President Barack Obama discovered he could build a movement and win election thru social media channels. And when Conan O’Brien was shown the door, he decided to host his shows online with active help from social nuts as he refers his followers.

All the above three characteristics exemplify a proactive and honest personalised communication at all times. Today Interactive agencies rarely speak loyalty management. Instead they speak e-CRM as a language. These agencies managing loyalty solutions have exploited the power of social and have used it to the best of what we today term as an engaging and interactive one-to one communication network.

The future as I see it belongs to someone who effectively engages in this domain, grows his network and works towards optimising the medium to its potential. Most businesses I know and interact have a steep understanding of the medium and have already started utilising the social media force as an on-going customer interactive tool. Are you ready to translate your loyalty data to social moolah?

(Manoj Shetty, Head Operations, EBS Interactive India)

It takes a seasoned marketing professional to view advertising as a long term investment towards building a long term asset for the corporation: a strong brand.

Most senior managers see advertising as a short term expense aimed at building short term sales. No wonder CFOs look at advertising as the first thing to cut in a down turn.  Travel and entertainment come a close second.
Why should advertising be seen as investment, and not as just an expense?
Advertising impact is often not visible when measured through a short term yardstick. So even after a heavy dose of advertising the brand’s sales needle may not move much. Similarly the brand’s image score also may not move up at all. But if it is known that the advertising  that has run addresses key issues faced by the brand,  should it be stopped or continued?

The short term effect of advertising could get masked by heavy competitive activities, price cuts, new brand launches or other any significant economic events like an  interest rate hike.

Prof John Philip Jones has done work on short term effect of advertising, using single source data. But most of his work has been  in consumer goods in developed steady-state markets.  I submit that those rules may not apply in all markets, in all product situations.

Contrast that point of view to that of seeing advertising as investment. If the approach is that of investment, one look at  a short term negative response not from the context of cutting but of getting to the bottom of the problem. And when one probes deeper one may find that the advertising is in fact working well and results will show up soon enough.

The paradigm creates its own images. Which paradigm will drive your vision, advertising as investment or advertising as expense?

(Ambi MG Parameswaran is ED & CEO, Draft FCB+Ulka)

There are three kinds of clients (read, buyers of advertising):

1. One who has heard of a certain Ogilvy, the bloke who said ‘what sells is creative’ and is against all glory because advertising must sell and has a Gandhian repulsion to all things good
2. One who enjoys the odd good spot on TV and talks about it with great glee but when it comes to his own brand, looks out of the window and says “maybe we should just write ‘50% OFF”
3. One who knows about advertising as much as the agency. Is update on what is happening and thinks of advertising as a critical almost crucial part of the marketing mix.

What I feel like telling the first one is to read what Ogilvy said once again. ‘What sells is creative’, beg your pardon sir, wouldn’t that mean ‘what is not creative will not sell’. To which my client is likely to say, “You writers no! You know how to play with words”. I suspect he would go home and think a little more about it, still. Exhibit A here is the kind that believes advertising is a mere necessity that need not be taken too seriously. ‘You say what you have to, if the product is good people will buy it.’ Yes, you can debate. Like, with a wall.

Exhibit B. Hopeless in a different way. This type believes, it’s not for him. I dare say, this type is rampant in the FMCG category. So they would talk about the likes of Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ campaign but will be content with a montage of category codes when it comes to their own advertising.

Dear C, I exist for you. You make me think harder. You make the work better. And I know for sure that behind every piece of advertising that I cherish there is a you. You make the other two of your clan bearable.

There’s a Bhojpuri saying that goes, ‘Saiyaanbhayekotwaal’. Simply translated that means, ‘hey! The cop is my husband’. Popular logic says, that can be made possible in two ways. One, you marry a cop. Two, make the one you marry, a cop. Privileges of – ‘Hey! My husband is a cop’ will be the same as those of ‘Hey! The cop is my husband!’, after all.

Not all of us, at all times are going to get a client who makes us think harder or pushes us to create advertising that is less than ordinary. Hence the cop trick.

To begin with, it’s pretty easy. Send that link, your advertising friends sent you, to your client/s. Type A is likely to get suspicious immediately and type B will sigh. Keep at it. Next time you see a stunning piece in a relevant category, send it across again. Maybe this time you can support the creative with results. Type A is likely to call and ask what exactly do you have in mind? Say, ‘nothing really’. Type B will sigh again. Download those Cannes winning films from canneslions.com, put them on a DVD and send it to your client. It makes for a good weekend watch, if nothing else. Show him the scope of creative thinking.

Cut to a meeting sometime in near future. Your client is a little more aware. A little closer to the page you are on. A cop more approving and appreciative.

Carry something you would present to a C type client, even if you have to carry the ‘all the category codes’ options. Present both. You may not see success immediately but you are working at it. He will have things like ‘but this doesn’t work in our category/our country/our market’ to say. You will have another link, another success story to share.

Keep at it. Push logic and not merely the ‘creativity’ or your whims, and one day you will have a ‘kotwaal’. Don’t do this, and the cop will keep reading out the safety guidelines to you.

Events like these have socio cultural significance as they are lived by people at large. The goose bumps that you and I felt sitting in front of our television sets, looking at our national heroes like Sachin crying with joy will get etched in our cultural consciousness. This moment marks a significant milestone in the psychological evolution of our country.

In fact, culturally we Indians are very suspicious of making a big deal about any upcoming event because we are scared that it will attract an evil eye. We like to keep our fingers crossed and not celebrate before the outcome. Historically, our fears have often come true. Whenever India has sat in anticipation of a big win, it has been disappointed. As it was in the Beijing Olympics when we had three boxers in the quarterfinals and the entire country was glued to their television sets.

The flavour of the nation this time around was different. Whether it was the conversations on radio or the facebook updates or the preparations of watching the match with beer and snacks and big screens, they all came with a certain assumption of a positive outcome. Even when India lost its two crucial wickets of Sehwag and Sachin early on in the finals, the tweeter feed and the facebook updates held their confidence in India’s win. India today has a new found belief – the fact that we can live up to our own expectations. That we can prepare for a win and it will happen. No jinxes, no bad luck and no floundering of ability can pull us down.

The definitiveness has been an intrinsic part of India’s performance this time around. Those who have been expected to deliver have delivered in the time of need. The most inconsistent of the players as Yuvraj Singh have delivered with a remarkable consistency winning the match of the series award. Even an out of form Mahendra Singh Dhoni got the job (that he had come down for) done with an unprecedented 91 not out. But more than India’s performance at the finals, India’s run up to the finals, by defeating Australia and Pakistan, the two most formidable teams of the time helped build the assurance factor.

In these times of global uncertainty, where economies are crumpling overnight and the locus of economic power is shifting eastwards, India’s triumph in the game of cricket is yet another assertion of it global significance. Indians have always shone as individuals through their academic and intellectual abilities. Now is the time when we are shining through as a community, as a team that can hold its grit and nerves. India’s intellectual prowess has amply been recognized at the world stage, this win celebrates its psychological prowess. And this is the mark of a leader, not an underdog.

(Dheeraj Sinha is the Regional Planning Director, Bates 141 & Author of ‘Consumer India – Inside The Mind And Wallet’)

@vishal1mehra

Q1:  His views on digital marketing & particularly on mobile mktg & if they are doing anything on it

RB:  lead generation is an interest area, we have financial clients, xploring tie-ups with analytics and digital agencies

@vishal1mehra: Alright, thanks fr the answer raghu, but using mobile merely fr leads is underwhelming? isnt ?

RB:  hiring a channel planner, on mobile mrkting, lots of potential but no special initiative yet

@jerushachande

Q2:  In what way were u losing out by not B-ing physically present in Delhi. quality of wrk n pace will be the same

RB:  if we need to scale up we need gr8 people. u r right..not so much about geography..but some clients want physicl presence

RB:  we use skype with even mumbai clients..fort to andheri is worse than mumbai to delhi..

@Dee_nair

Q3: Apart from Religare broking, health insurance and Bharat Petroleum- which other clients are you hoping to bring on board?

AB:  We are talking to some clients. Hopefully, we should have some announcement on that front soon.

RB:  We get more leads from gurgaon than mumbai. talking to telecom, real estate and fmcg guys in delhi

@Avkashu

Q4:  How large is the Delhi market for an agency like you compared to Mumbai?

RB:  Delhi market is as big as godzilla on growth hormones. Mumbai is like Dabnny de Vito.

RB:  Delhi gave us our 1st clients. Our goal is- Chalo Dilli

AB:  Just see the spirit of entrepreneurship of Delhi.

@Atticfaith

Q5:  Did Religare demand a Delhi office?

RB:  Never. They shifted their brands from Ogilvy Delhi, who had, u guessed it, a Delhi office

@Sushant_D

Q6:  No Goafest this year? have you joined the group which is against awards… or Goafest in particular?

RB:  We sent 5 entries. Only real work. Our archery film shd have won. Shriram campaign too.

RB:  Jury can be very Scroogish and generous at the same time.

@Shuberman

Q7:  Is this the right time to expand, how is the business looking?

AB:  There’s never the ‘right’ time or the ‘wrong’ time. You just have to seize the day.

RB:  Lots of opportunity. But w’ll grow 8rate we r comfortable with. Organic growth is better, v don’t have to pitch

@GrimmFaced

Q8:  What are the quantifiable benefits a non network agency can boast about while wooing new clients? do clients bite?

RB:  43% faster response times, 70% more ownership of brands, 82% more quality control..can go on and on

@anuradhasays

Q9: Raghu was KILB the most popular scarecrow campaign to date?

RB: Scarecrow’s most famous campaign- Religare broking archery, DNA I+ve, Shriram Transport trucker..

RB: KILB, for Religare group was our most famous camaign, in our last agency..but it’s now a brand property

@che2on: Yes.. I have set that as my ringtone who composed music for that religare ad?

RB: Mega-talented Sameeruddin

@Sushant_D

Q10:  Like piyish has his mustache, josey has topi, prasoon has his black shirt, and Pralhad has his hat… whats yours?

RB: bald patch on the bad..a zico tattoo on chest..6 toes on right leg..take ur pick

@luxwala: Zico tattoo? Brazil fan, is it?

RB: yes, Socrates would have been too painful

@Sushant_D

Q11:  Heard you have an art gallery, is it true? do you also hire artists?

RB: Can’t have so many people on rolls, can’t afford it. But we have galery in office. dun 2 exhibitions. 3

RB: Planning a 3rd one with a NCD of a network agency

@Manisharma

Q13: Raghu/Manish which is your personal favorite campaign @scarecrow or even earlier? And no diplomatic answer pls

RB: KILB for Aegon Religare

@anuradhasays

Q14: How hard was it for scarecrow founders to turn entrepreneurs?

RB: We had no choice. It was insurance against obsoloscence. We minimised risk by signing clients bf4 starting

(Follow Storyboard on Twitter @BrandStoryboard)

@BrandStoryboard
Q1: What’s different from the previous year’s associations with the Rajasthan Royals?
ST: IPL4 puts all teams on even keel. RR 2011 looks strong @ y’ng talent. Revamp’d & self-confi. In line with new HDFC Life
ST: Entitlements r same. Distributor, employee & consumer engagement will be much more. Levereged by a extensive PR push.

@anuradhasays
Q2: There’s uncertainty about Rajasthan Royal’s future. Why continue with a team that may not be around next year?
ST: RR mgt kept us in loop always. Our past asso. has been fruitful. And till we find value, we will continue.
Q3: Thanks. But isn’t it a risk? sponsoring a team brand that may not exist?
ST: RR mgt. confident of their long-term in IPL. As sponsors, we will continue to associate.

@anbuchezian
Q4: Is cricket the easy way out to gain visibility or is it a seamless integration of the overall brand strategy for the brand
ST: RR mgt. confident of their long-term in IPL. As sponsors, we will continue to associate.

@luxwala
Q5: Teams like Chennai & Mumbai look stronger than RR. Then why RR? Is it bcoz of the historical bond u share with them?
ST: Works both ways. Depends on wat the objectives r. For us, its a combi of both
ST: Cricket gives reach. Also V hav lukd at RR asso. longterm. Our Comm. has been in line with brand strat.
ST: Exacty. Why get lost elsewhere, where everybody is queuing up, when you can be seen as the key partner for RR.
ST: any sportz asso. works longterm only for recall. Barclays is prime e.g. Vr 1 of vry few IPL consistnt brands.

@kayvenkatesh
Q6: What would be features that brands looks for in this IPL partnership that is exclusive to this alone?
ST: Visibility. Star power. exclusibility. Value adds@ engagement opportunities with Dist., Cust. & Emp.

@sandeepsrikanth
Q7: A good start in game 1, esp Warne who was remarkable despite not played for a year. How IMP is he for sponsors?
ST: Very imp. Like SRT, he drives the fan-follwg. & is face of RR. Fr us, he symb. resilience & self-belief.

@anuradhasays
Q8: So does that mean if Warne was not part of RR you would ‘ve reconsidered sponsorship?
ST: Not really. Maybe 1 of the reasons. Warnie is icing on the cake in RR association.

@OyeBehenDeTakke
Q9: Why is RR best suited for HDFC? What brand values are you looking at?
ST: Self-belief. Not giving up. Support 2 Youth. That’s why RR is best suited for us

@anuradhasays
Q10: will reallocation of players in IPL4 be confusing & make it difficult for fans to feel loyalty towards a particular team?
ST: Loyalty will be city based. Support is for team & not for stars alone.

@Avkashu
Q11: Most customers find financial products tough to understand. How are you simplifying the message?

@OyeBehenDeTakke
Q12; Apart from the first IPL RR hasn’t been performing. What kind of value are they adding to your brand?
ST: Performance fluctuates evryyr by thin margins. Last 2 IPL 7 teams vied for 4 berth till last game.
ST: Wat mttrs is how they fight till the last momnt & don’t give up. Thats what we stand for.

@FullToss
Q13: Not really. Saw support for a new team like Pune Warr. ysterdy. Overwhelming. So did Chargers @ home.
ST: They have already done their job with u on board as a fan

@arvsukumar
Q14: Why, in its 3rd yr with RR, has HDFC Life decided to take a step back and let Floriana become Team Sponsor?
ST: Floriana replaces UltraTech this year. V have alwys been associate sponsor & been present on T-back for 3 yrs
ST: Plus, unlike othrs, we don’t rest with t-shirt brandg alone. Its follwd. by an extnsv communication drive.

@AntarYaami
Q15: isn’t it clear that the 3 year time for auctions et al is purely commercial. loyalty was never considered
ST: thats how any sport is. C. Ronaldo moved from ManU to Real M. Did true ManU fans shift their loyalties?
ST: In sports, long-term, city/franchisee based loyalty will stay. Players will come n go. Thats how it works.

@anuradhasays
Q16: but fans don’t like it! See the ruckus over the news that wayne rooney was going to quit man u.
ST: franchisee is aleady a brand. New Pune W. wants 2 becom a brand. Thats y they paid high fr Yuvi

@AntarYaami
Q17: thats point i was trying to make. its the players and achievements that make a team/franchise
ST: Did the same when D. Bkm. quit in 2004. But life goes on. One goes. Another takes his place.
@AntarYaami: the IPL model is disruptive like Carlos Goshn dismantling the keiretsu (to use an industrial analogy)
ST: I agree
@anuradhasays: i agree. And they pay big to get the stars in the first place.
@AntarYaami: i feel its too early to assess the season. also franch. that wanted loyalty retained players
ST: Partly yes. Partly no. Performance matters. CSK retained performing players. KXI let Yuvi go.
@kushalsanghvi: Price points have been awfully high- but why crib if marketers want 2 pay
@AntarYaami: thouche. im actually looking fwd to the bubble

@OyeBehenDeTakke
Q18: Will IPL franchisees now be allowed to have dual sponsorships depending on which cities they play in?
ST: Home & Away sponsorship is allowd. Both RR & HDFC Life will continue for all matches.

@sanchitgupta88
Q19: so u r saying dat in the next IPL if sachin tendulkar shifts to sme team like kotchi.. than it wont effect the brand of Mumbai indians?
ST: SRT fans will follow SRT & not Kochi. MI fans will continue to root for their home team. KKR w/o ganguly.

(Follow Storyboard on Twitter @BrandStoryboard)

It’s a different story that today the same advertising company is a communications giant and the HR here is a strategic business partner with a place on the executive board and not a support department as is seen in some of the bigger MNCs even now.

HR department of yester years was considered to be the communication link between employee & management. The problem lies there. Why would an intelligent management want a department to be the communication link between them and the employees?  Why can’t they communicate what they feel to the employees directly?

As long as HR is seen as an implementer of decisions made by the management in closed offices, it will never work. People who are employees also run the department.

This reality has been staring at all management faces for a long time and I am happy to see changes happening now. HR in turn has stopped doing 9-5 shifts, churning reports, dropping difficult words like competency mapping to a 6 month old in the company and have rolled up their sleeves, decided to learn the business and contribute to it.

HR, instead of being the mouthpiece of all management decisions, is now taking on the frontal role of bringing the employee and the management closer. Making both understand each other’s roles & responsibilities.  Making them understand their importance in the growth of the organization and thus building respect for each other.

HR is no more about recruiting people or for that matter even hiring people. It’s more about acquiring the right talent that will help the organization achieve its goal or vision. Its like bring together a bunch of talented musicians to deliver great music and you are the director of the orchestra.
HR is no more about making salary packages (that can be done through technology if the parameters are defined) but putting together a life for the acquired talent so that he or she can deliver 100 % on their core competency.

HR is no more about facilitating appraisals and drawing up increment sheets. It’s more about helping management identify the stars and pillars of the organization.  Helping them nurture, groom and reward these people so they in turn drive the organization towards its vision.

HR is no longer about giving employees a raise. It’s about having a totally unbiased approach towards both employee and management and encouraging each other to recognize, respect and reward each other so that they all move together as one group towards a common goal.

HR is all about planning employees career (career progression plans), putting together a business continuity plan (BCP) by ensuring succession planning for all key talents and positions, its about building cultures, purpose, value systems and various other pillars that transform the organization from a “place to work “to where people want to come and display their talent, be recognized, nurtured, groomed and rewarded.

HR has changed, its evolved into a more meaning full role and today occupies a very vital place in the hearts of people be it employee or management. It’s a department respected by both. By the employees because HR drives culture, value, learning and development. By the management because HR helps them reach their objective through committed employees.

It’s the CANNES of every organization. Where great talent is recognized and rewarded.

(Ajit Menon is Executive Director – Organisational Development at The Mudra Group)

Kutty’s father was a technical supervisor in a steel plant. A man who never spared the rod. Akash’s father was a poet/journalist/part time musician/part time theatre actor. A man of Rabindranath Tagore’s principles.

Kutty’s nick-name was Kutty, Akash’s nick-name was Laltu.

Predictably Kutty did well in school and college went to a business school. IIM types. Laltu did well to drift in to advertising.

Kutty listened to Lady Gaga when Lady Gaga played and Justin Bieber when Justin Bieber played. Heck, he wouldn’t mind Phil Collins even! “A saang is a saang is saang, what’s there”, as per Kutty.

Laltu, listened to The Doors.

Kutty is now a Brand Manager. Laltu is now a copywriter.

The brand is ‘Morning Sun’ Tea. The brief is to a do TVC that will make people go to the market and buy nothing but ‘Morning Sun’ Tea.

Laltu wrote a song. The film showed a pretty lass getting up, lingering over her cup and drifting in to the woods near her home watching butterflies fly. Laltu even composed a little tune and played it out for Kutty on his guitar.

Kutty speak:
“But you are not mentioning the brand name in the jingle!?”

“I live in a 2BHK in Bombay. Who has those kind of houses you are showing?”

“What kind of girl is that? She doesn’t have to go to college or office or wherever else she goes?”

“And you are showing a single girl! Our target is families!”

“I am afraid this might be perceived to be a woman’s tea!”

“I am afraid this might be perceived to be a single woman’s tea!”

“Boss! This cougar trend is catching up in India! I don’t want our tea to be seen as a cult brand, ‘Morning Sun’ is for everyone!”

“Let’s see the storyboard and put it in research if you are so convinced, but I am telling you, people will reject it!”

“Why don’t we do a commercial where we show the woman making tea in the morning, her husband gets up… okay… and she gives him tea, he drinks it and says, “Morning Sun!?” The woman says, “Of course, Morning Sun!” And then both of them show their cups to the camera and say, “Our Mornings always with the Sun… Morning Sun! Arre yaar, you guys should pay me, I am doing all the copywriting these days. Haha…”

Kutty speak to his pappus after the meeting with the agency:
“Call some other agency, these guys don’t understand our brand.”

‘Some other agency’ makes Kutty’s commercial. Some sales happen because the distribution network is good and the sales staff suggests a promotional scheme for the trade that is accepted by Kutty.

Kutty grows in confidence. As a copywriter.

Morning Sun never becomes a brand.

Much later, Kutty hires another agency and briefs them, “I want to do something like what Tata tea is doing”.

Author’s Submissions:

• Marketing is marketing. Advertising is advertising. The only reason why marketing managers dictate terms is because they happen to be the client. Is that a good reason for anybody to dictate terms. If there was a company that had two departments namely – marketing and advertising it would it be this way?
• Kuttys expect advertising agency to understand that they have a sales target. Can the advertising agencies expect Kuttys to understand there is even an advertising target? Why not, isn’t it true that an ad that people like and remember has achieved the advertising target and one that people don’t remember hasn’t?
• Laltu’s songs may not be the best idea for a brand but what do Kuttys do? Do they ask for a more distinctive something or do they shove down the agencies throat what they think works. (Look carefully it’s mostly the ‘use product, smile’ formula)
• Do Kuttys need an IQ booster to understand that just like there is a competition in the marketing space, there is a competition in the advertising space. Here is a dictum to wonder about – ‘a brand is only as good as it’s most remembered ad (in this case, the TVC). Is that an extreme statement? Maybe, but there’s truth in it.

To buy vegetables you need to know a little about vegetables, why not know a little about advertising if you are going to be buying advertising?

Will Kuttys understand that difference between a brand that is and a brand that will never be may not be agency but the clients themselves!

What do Laltus ought to do? That’s material for another article. Watch this space.

(Ravinder Siwach is Group Creative Director, Ignite Mudra)