The branding evolution in the IPL

Sorry…. First things first. Its not IPL. It’s the DLF IPL. (Maafi Lalitbhai)

Darwin might not have thought about this one. Even the best of Ad Gurus in Kerry Packer era would go crazy, looking at how branding has evolved. My focus in this post is on the marriage of commentary and brands since last 3 seasons…. Have a look…

First match Season 1

Mccullum has hit this high in the air and that’s a six. What a shot!

After 25% of the Season 1

That’s in the air but going safely into the crowd. Deep midwicket can just watch. That is one for the DLF maximum sixes award.

Season 2

Symonds comes down the track and that’s a biggie! That’s a DLF maximum!!

Season 3

Tendulkar has creamed this one straight into the sight screen. It had DLF written all over it!!

Season 4 – Match 1 – Six 1

That’s hit towards the long on boundary. That’s a DLF!!

Season 4 – Match 1 - Last ball of the first inning

Albie !! He has DLFed Kallis… Now that’s a great finish!!

As more follows I am sure it will all be a Citi moment of success for everyone involved in the organizing of this Karbonn Kamaal tournament. See I am learning this too…..

Sheer foolishness or TRP Tactics – The curious case of a KBC viewer.

Every time India loses or wins a cricket match, I come up with a theory as to how and why the match would be fixed. My friends have nearly beaten me up several times but I kind of keep doing the same. I never ever in my life however, thought that, a game on reality TV can be “fixed”. That too one that features the legend Amitabh Bachchan himself.

If you watched Prashant Barat take on questions ala Siddharth Basu himself on the show aired on November 9, you may tend to agree with me. I am not sure how many thought about this, but I am convinced that, that particular game may very well be rigged to boost TRP. Prashant who was unusually calm on winning 1 crore, which would have sent most of the middle class on a celebration spree, was when I thought something was wrong.

He went on to answer question with such confidence and calmness which was certainly a new thing on the stage of KBC. Most contestants are nervous or too happy just to see a glimpse of Big B.

As the celebrations got over after he had won 1 crore, I was nervous myself whether he will win the jackpot of 5 crores or not. The question was very very difficult. The only one who had the answer was the all knowing Uncle-Wiki. I was shocked to see him take a risk of 97 Lakhs to a question he had no idea about.

I think this was very well staged to ensure boost in TRPs. Ads were rolled 3 days before the episode was aired. Clear signs that something was being done to pep up the TRPs which had gone down for the first time. No sane (read middle class) guy would have otherwise done what Prashant did.

I would like to hear what all of you think about this if you have seen what happened on Sony Entertainment Television on the very shocking Tuesday. Leave your comments and thoughts.

Happy Independence Day!!

यहाँ तिरंगा चिन्दा चिन्दा करने की आज़ादी है
जिन्दा रहेने पर पाबंदी, मरने की आज़ादी है
संविधान में आग लगा कर तापो यह आज़ादी है
हाथों को चाहे जिसकी गर्दन नापो आज़ादी है

इस आज़ादी में बस केवल राष्ट्रप्रेम पर बंधन है...
ऐसे यह GUNTANTRA तुम्हारा स्वागत है अभिनन्दन है.....

Baba Satyanarayan Mourya

What are the things to keep in mind while making a good PowerPoint presentation?

This is a post that I have written as part of my application to become a facebook beta tester.

A great PowerPoint presentation can go a long way in the making of a successful deal. Business or recreation or learning, PPTs today, rule our world. And if you are good at it you do get noticed. But if you are bad at it you surely get noticed. The other way that is…

Here are therefore six points that one may keep in mind while making a presentation and be sure of not being noticed the other way.

Length of PPT in terms of slides is one of the most important factors in a business presentation. The thumb rule is minimum of 6 and maximum of 20 slides keeping in mind the average “interested” human attention span. Anything beyond 20 and it will bore your audience except if you are Megan Fox or Brad Pitt.

If the limit of slides is 20, it never means that you cram all that you have got in 20 slides and feel happy about it. A slide with too much information whether text or images is still a bore. The 666 rule should be followed when creating a slide. 6 bullets per slide, 6 words per bullet and maximum 6 slides of text in a row before a graphic shows up. Apart from text in slides, one may use graphics and ClipArt. The point to remember however is that you should use new age, 3D and still subtle graphics and not in your face type strong visual graphics. One may also use GIF animations as long as they are subtle.

The background of a PPT slide sometimes becomes one’s canvass and therefore bears the brunt of artistic explosion. However a background that is in contrast with the text color and is constant across all your slides is the best and safest bet. As far the fonts go, the most stylish ones are the toughest to read for your audience and the size of 44 as heading and 28 as body text is the best readable with a decent looking font.

Another thing is animation and effects. All business PPTs should have minimal effects unless your business card either says graphic designer or Steve Jobs. One may experiment with effects little bit if one is making an informal sort of presentation.

Last but not the least is sound. Sound of applause while you present figures of growth may be music only to your ears. Generally the only sound that a business PPT should be presented with is that of you talking.

Finally, don’t trust the technology too much and keep a backup of your presentation.

What are the disadvantages of Democracy in India?

This is a post that I have written as part of my application to become a facebook beta tester.

While it may sound absurd to discuss disadvantages of Democracy in the World’s largest democracy, it seems there if some weight in the arguments that democracy has not been entirely good for this nation. In a nation where about 40% (400 Millions) of the population is illiterate and about 25% of the population (250 Millions) live below poverty line which is less than a dollar a day, one can only imagine the kind of governments thrown up when this 40% votes.

In the last General elections held in India, in 2009, only 59% of the eligible population voted which given the demographics of the country is about 30% of the total population. Of these 30% voters 30% voted for the UPA which therefore won and came to power. The UPA actually received about 153 million votes which are actually only 10% of the population. So in a country where 10% votes can win you power and you have 40% people who are illiterates and below the poverty line it may be assumed and without too much of risk that vote bank politics and corruption would rule the agendas and not development and international relations.

This is one big disadvantage which mothers a lot of other vices in the system. According to a lot of surveys it is estimated that the educated middle class votes the least in terms of percentages and therefore the leaders are chosen by the parties based on caste, creed and other such factors that appeal to the poor population. The government thus formed may more often than not work for its own welfare and not nation building, therefore giving a freehand to corrupt practices in politics and bureaucracy. And this has happened in India for the last 60 years and is still happening. People are asking votes on the name of caste, religion, and other such sentimental issues rather than development and other rational issues.

With various parties having stronghold in various regions, and the lack of a strong single national party, Indian government has become a slave of coalition politics which has been a deterrent to a lot of progressive steps.

While there are other such arguments, the fact remains that India is the largest democracy and will remain so for a long time to come. If the political system focuses on getting votes by delivering in development, the numbers are in India’s favor and can therefore pave the way for her to become the superpower that she yearns to become.

Thoughts on Shaheed Diwas

दुनिया की रंगीन छटाओं को जिनने ठुकराया था,
स्वतंत्रता के चरणों में अपना सर्वस्व चढ़ाया था

मिले देश को आज़ादी इसलिए सभी दुःख ज़ेल गए,
हम जी पाए इस खातीर वो खेल मौत का खेल गए

वन वन रहे भटकते जीवन में न सुख उठाया था,
स्वर्ग सरीखा भारत होगा ऐसा सपन सजाया था

टूट टूट कर बिखर गए जितने भी सपन संजोये रे
पहेले दास कबीरा रोये अब बाबा भी रोये रे........

बाबा सत्यनारायण मौर्य