The scent of an airline..

British Airways plans to introduce a signature scent in the aircrafts . Interesting initiative by an airline.

Later perhaps..the perfume in an aircraft shaped bottle !:)

KYC - Know Your Customer

My mobile service provider of 12 years kept sending text messages "Your invitation to join Loop M-Channel - a service for best offers and promotions expires in 10 days. To join reply to this SMS with yes". Out of curiosity I texted 'Yes'. After which followed the most bizarre question a company could ask a customer after 12 years - "are you 1. Male or 2. Female ? " . This was then followed by a question about age group and interests.

The fact that the questions are easy to answer via sms and that the replies are free - possibly gives the company the feeling that they can ask pretty much anything.

Maybe they should use the facility to ask more pertinent questions " Do you intend to remain our customer ? Text 1 for Yes , 2 for No "

Mall mania

Visited a local mall . These days malls seem to let out the central space for promotions and events. The companies hosting the promotion seem to think the best way to get return for investing in the event is to do so at a decibel level which will reach out to every corner of the mall. What follows then is ear damaging decibel level.

The event at the local mall yesterday was aimed at kids. The health of the children is seriously at risk to be exposed to such decibel levels. The store I was at had glass doors. Yet the sound of the promotion pervaded drowning the sound of the music in the store. It was impossible to browse through other store windows due to the cacophony. This is counter productive for the mall and the stores.

Yours truly asked for directions to the mall office. It was located in a corner of the building. Met the mall manager and shared my views. From her expression and reactions 2 things were clear :

1. This was the first time they (she and 2 other persons from her team ) were faced with the point of view that such a decibel level is a nuisance and a health risk.

2. No visitor to the mall had ever approached them to share such feedback.

In India we see 2 extreme reactions from retail customers - either they will passively endure poor service / quality or they will get extremely aggressive. The mid path of assertive , consistent feedback is seldom adopted.

In many ways we create the environment we inhabit. Pl choose to influence it .

Noisy newspaper

The Times of India (TOI) today morning literally created a racket.Volkswagen had attached a noisy contraption in the newspaper to play out some message repetitively.This attempt at gaining attention definitely worked as one had to expend effort to shut the device off. An entirely irresponsible campaign by TOI and Volkswagen.

1. A Volkswagen car is not an impulse purchase that people hearing the radio quality,irritating pitch will rush out of their homes to the nearest dealer.

2. A colossal waste from an eco perspective.Metal and plastic that will land in a dust bin even before the morning is over.

3. The fact that a newspaper is irresponsible enough to allow contraptions to be attached to it can open up ideas for groups wanting to spread terror (a point of view spontaneously put forth by several people who received TOI today).From a newspaper that conducts eco campaigns this was least expected. Just because an advertiser is willing to pay does not mean that TOI should willingly go along.

Anonymous recruitment agency

A few days ago the phone in my office rang . Someone from a recruitment agency called.

Caller : Can I speak with 'concerned' person in HR ?
(amused ) Me : Go ahead , tell me the purpose of this call .
Caller : We are a recruitment agency.Do you use recruitment agencies to hire for your company?
(curious) me : No , not yet any way
(Disappointed) caller : oh , ok . Thank you

Apparently this company does not believe in creating new customers. They'd rather jump in a swamp where are pitted against other 'recruitment agencies'.

Recruitment is serious business . If the company approaches prospects this way it certainly does not leave a positive impression about their ability to understand needs and find suitable candidates.

Luckily (for them ) I did not get the name of company :)

(un)fair

Hindustan Lever should consider a tie up with colleges across India , Naukri.com , Monster.com . Why ? Since job applicants need something 'extra' to get a job they should help the poor , dark skinned folks who don't seem to get decent jobs despite adequate qualifications simply because of their skin color.

What would millions in this country do if HUL and their ilk did not turn up like the 'fair' knight to rescue them from their 'dark' fate ?

The TV ads of Fair & Lovely (and similar products ) are hilarious when not insulting the intelligence of the viewer. One of the recent ads shows a confident young man in front of an interview panel. The source of his confidence being his 'fair' complexion.

Interestingly advertisers of fitness products have not adopted this route of a fitter person having an edge over other candidates for a job. That would at least make for a healthier India .

Pantone Hotel

Pantone has opened the Pantone Hotel in Brussels . The color forecasting company has used the format of a hotel to emphasize on color. Superbly non-linear.

Paint companies can adapt this in brilliant ways by doing up public spaces , collaborating with furnishing stores , off beat restaurants , boutiques.

Instant weight loss

Like the garbage that washes ashore mailers like this get delivered with the newspaper.

Looks like a pic from a tabloid movie magazine . It's the pamphlet of a weight loss clinic . They hope to imply that by signing up for their services you can aspire to look like this. This could possibly have be plausible if it was the ad of a gym that promised to make you work out extensively.

Symptom of the times I guess when everything is desired and promised 'instantly'.

Anyone that signs up for weight-loss based on this ad needs therapy of an altogether different nature.

Steel, wood , glass

Indian homes have traditionally used metal vessels and containers to cook n store food. Then along came plastic with it's convenience of being light , colorful , transparent and cheaper for serving and storing food. A few decades later it's abundantly clear that plastic brings with it huge problems of chemicals leaching into the food/water and the larger issue of the non-biodegradability of plastic.

One would imagine that steel product manufacturers would would use this information to inform customers and to market their products . Yet (in India ) in the stores I've visited steel vessel kitchenware does not have any such USP being highlighted. It's just stacked in rows as one of the categories. When in fact steel/metal kitchenware manufacturers can make a compelling case for consumers to completely recast their kitchenware to eliminate plastic. Good for you..good for the planet. (some of the folks dissipating their creative talent in marketing fairness creams can be directed towards helping the steel kitchenware industry )

The water in a steel bottle tastes better , stays cooler. But , steel bottles esp ones that will not leak water when tilted to 80 deg are not easy to find (at least in Mumbai). The best promotion for a steel bottle would be to fill it with water and invert it - conveying quality , convenience , taste and health benefit.

Analogy applies to wood n glass kitchen products e.g wooden cutting board visavis plastic cutting board , microwavable glass bowls instead plastic etc .

Whether or not the steel kitchenware industry revamps it's promotion - pl do shift to non-plastic kitchenware . Remember..good for you...good for the planet.

Politicians and fairness creams

Calling designers to come forth and offer their design services to ALL political parties that advertise in public spaces through posters and hoardings. I have yet to see a single political poster or hoarding in Mumbai that is not repelling. Sycophancy and self-aggrandizement ooze through every pixel. If politicians must blow their own trumpet on non/minor achievements at the very least they can do so tastefully. They don't lack the funds to hire quality designers. They certainly lack the taste and the courtesy to spare citizens having to endure the pointless clutter.

These days the fairness products industry is advertising aggressively in various media. They kind of rival the political hoardings in terms of the nonsense quotient. "Become fair and spot-less* in 7 days". One suspects there will soon be a campaign that promises fairness in an hour (possibly for an hour !) . Notice here that I stress on campaign and not the product . That's because no fairness product can do what the campaigns claim to do. As I write this post it occurs to me that folks who create their campaigns for the fairness industry are perfect for politicians to revamp their outdoor promotion . Here's why -

- They know how to bull shit
- They have more aesthetic sense than the politicians

Think about it..an airbrushed ,'spot less' politician wrapped in white halo would be a lot less annoying than a bunch of them jostling for space even in an orange colored hoarding :)

Abercrombie & Fitch

Passed by the A & F store in Ginza , Tokyo . At first the loud music emanating from the doorway and the decor gave the impression of a pub. A closer look revealed it was a store :)

Shirtless male models were welcoming visitors . The decibel level inside the building could compete with discos or even a rock concert. The sales staff were a mix of young , athletic looking American and Japanese boys and girls . When the sales staff were not attending to a client there were literally grooving to the music. This seems to be a requirement .

The large murals on the walls were edgy and suggestive . Lighting sharply focused on the clothing stacked from floor to ceiling. The illumination was largely reflection from the lights focused on the clothing and the partly lit floors. (not the best choice of light if one wants to figure how something would look in daylight ). The products looked interesting and well designed for the youth audience. The overall ambience of the store seems to elevate the appeal of the products.

Definitely an unforgettable store. One with sharp focus and appeal for it's target audience. It would not be surprising if it becomes a must visit destination just to experience the unusual environment.

p.s - we watched a janitor on the floor . He was pretty stoic . Grooving to the music was clearly not part of his job description :)

Perspective

These days one's work (to the extent /the part that involves net usage) is impacted by the quality and bandwidth of the internet connection. If the net connection is poor then a 15 minute task can take 30 minutes to complete . It impacts the speed with which a business is able to respond to it's customers .

At home I have a terrific internet connection that nowadays works well. The internet connection in the office is relatively slower and more erratic (though improving now after relentless followup with the service provider ) . Still the internet experience at home is way better than that at the office .

Given the importance of the internet connection it's surprising that hardly any of the service providers focus on the productivity aspect in their marketing and promotion to businesses. They talk about the various plans and bandwidth combinations purely as product , price options . The promotion material and the sales reps At best they will ask " does your work involve a lot of data download ? " when attempting to suggest which plan to opt for. Given the number of flyers and salespeople visiting from internet service providers one gets the distinct impression of supply exceeding demand at least in that location .

This mind set of looking at one's offering purely as a product exists in varying degrees across industries . It's a limiting perspective for all involved . Companies will beat themselves to death (or near death experiences every now and then ) on price wars , turn all innovation into an unnecessarily capital intensive endeavor . Focusing on the customer experience and the value (not monetary value) of the service for the customer can make all the difference in turning the business into a win-win , profitable and enjoyable proposition for the customer and the service provider. The ability to execute and deliver outstanding service , re-calibrate to changing customer needs etc are critical . The starting point is the perspective .

I remember reading a parable which talked about a man who fell from a cliff . He managed to hold on to some creepers and hung on desperately all night . His arms were stiff from holding on to the creepers through the tight . He was understandably weary. When dawn broke he looked down and saw that there was a ledge just few inches below on which he could have rested comfortably . If only...

The lure of a wrist watch...

Icici Bank is offering a wrist watch signed by Shah Rukh Khan if one opens a Privilege Banking account or upgrades to a 'titanium , gold or silver privilege account ' . What this basically means is that if you deposit significant money (relative to a regular bank account requirement) with Icici bank you will be rewarded with a watch signed by Shah Rukh Khan . This is supposed to be incentive to motivate a HNI to open an account with a bank ? 

A HNI customer is driving past ICICI bank and sees the hoardings and thinks "wow I'll get a watch signed by Shah Rukh Khan " . The next day he visits ICICI bank and opens an account. This dream sequence would probably happen in a movie (possibly one starring Shah Rukh) .

A wrist watch signed by Shah Rukh Khan may be of relevance in rural banking when seeking to expand the customer base . To offer it as an incentive for Privilege Banking is rather hilarious .

Most banks target male consumers . An educated professional does not see Shah Rukh as a role model ( most men I know can't even tolerate his acting ). Such a consumer will open a bank account for the lure of a mass printed wrist watch with Shah Rukh Khan's initials ?

To ensure that they don't alienate existing account holders this generous offer extends to account upgrades . In my visits to various branches of Icici bank I have almost always seen agitated customers . Folks who have been pushed over the edge due to some persistent problem with or courtesy the bank . Such a consumer will choose to add to his / her woes by depositing even more money with the bank for a mass printed wrist watch ?

Clearly Icici Bank ( and organizations who embark on such promotions ) have money to spend. Putting that into genuine , measurable service improvements will yield far more benefits than such ill conceived , pointless promotions .