(This post is borrowed from Mr.Anand Havle's blog - Chlog.chlorophyll.in, he is one of the founders of Chlorophyll, a Strategic Brand consulting firm in Mumbai).
There is an oft-repeated story, possibly apocryphal, about the commitment to customer satisfaction at Nordstrom, the famous US retailer. The story goes that the brand is so strongly committed to its ‘No questions asked’ returns policy, that when a person brought in a product that had not even been bought at Nordstrom, they refunded the purchase amount to him. No questions asked.
Now, that is commitment to customer satisfaction.
And indeed, as we are avail of more and more services (retailing, hospitality, airlines, etc), we realise that what matters is what a brand does, not what it says.
Here are just a few recent examples of the gap between words and action that show the real intent of the players.
On the ground
I was at a multiplex last week. When I came out, I saw a car parked next to a bus stop, with some shopping bags in the front passenger seat, and no sign of a driver. Given these times of terror threats, I asked the guard standing nearby (wearing a blue uniform, with an American-cop-style baton tucked into his waistband), why he had allowed this and wasn’t he going to call the police or have it towed away, since it could be dangerous.
“No”, said the worthy. His impeccable logic for inaction being that, “the parking has been done on the road, and that is the BMC’s area”.
The embroidery on his uniform said “XYZ Security Services”, but his behaviour clearly demonstrated that XYZ was not providing any ‘security service’. Their man unflappably brain-dead and unable to understand that shrapnel does not care where it is parked.
In the air
Cabin crew on airlines, an otherwise noble species, is of course trained to deliver their spiel in incomprehensible language.
Beginning with “Deviyon aur Sajjanon”, they proceed to ask us to tie our “kursi ki peti” (can’t they just call it a belt?) going on to tell us that “mobile phones should be kept in the power off mode”. Verbosity being the soul of the half-wit, they reject the simpler option of asking you to “switch off mobile phones”. They do say though, that you should not switch it on, until the “seat belt sign is switched off”.
Of course, most passengers switch on their mobiles and vocal cords as soon the plane lands, while the crew stands around smiling beatifically.
Now, either the phones in their ‘power on’ mode are actually a safety hazard, in which case the airline must enforce the rule, or they are not, in which case they should stop the needless announcements.
And in politics
To begin with, Vilasrao Deshmukh and R.R.Patil tried to talk their way out of their failure in protecting Mumbai during the terror attacks last November. And then began the blame game, and the question of who would take the rap.
But even before the embers of the funeral pyres turned cold, the greed for power was visible in the unholy haste and glee with which the supporters of Maharashtra’s new CM began ‘celebrating’ his selection even before any official announcement.
Again, words versus action. And the twain seldom seem to meet.
Actions speak louder
The above is not just a cliché, it is a signal that in the 21st century, what will matter is what you do, not what you say.
And if you do say something, then of course, the customer will expect you to act accordingly. So, a brand may use boundless hyperbole in its communication, but the customer will then demand that the brand demonstrate its words in actions.
On a lighter note, a Sahara Airlines may thus say, “Emotionally yours”, but the demanding customer will then expect the pilot to have a lump in his throat as he informs you about a flight delay, and certainly would feel disappointed if the air hostess did not weep inconsolably and clutch him to her bosom, as she said goodbye when he disembarked.
But more seriously, we have to start recognizing that in a world where twitter, social networks and sms spread facts at the speed of a thumb, brands can no longer hide behind words.
Have Faith ; Rewards will follow...
Monday, March 8, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
An open letter to SRK, by an average pain ridden Indian
Open letter to Mr. Shahrukh Khan
By: Bandyopadhyay Arindam
Dear Mr. Khan,
Your name is a household phenomenon in Indian and even beyond her borders. Your fame has put you in the Newsweek "most powerful people list" recently. However, as you may recall from your recent experience in New Jersey Airport, real life is a little different - it does not always follow the path predicted by a scriptwriter or director.
Of late, we have been reading about your opinions and statements on matters beyond the celluloid world. Nothing is wrong in it. You live in a free, democratic country and are entirely entitled to your opinion. But as a common man, also from the same soil, I think I have the right too to raise a few points that may not conform to your views of the real world.
I hope you will read it out.
When recently, the Pakistani players were not selected for the IPL, it was almost predictable that NDTV, the award-winning, mouthpiece of our Indian liberal media select you for your views and you certified that "It (Pakistan) is a great neighbour to have. We (India and Pakistan) are great neighbours. They are good neighbours."
I have a few words to say about those statements.
One may recall your effort to clarify the Pakistani team captain, Shoaib Malik's apology to the Muslims, living all over the world, for failing to win the final T20 match against India, likely much to the embarrassment of a lot of Indian Muslims, as expressed by Shamin Bano, mother of the man of the match, Irfan Pathan. What was more embarrassing was your effort to try to defend Shoaib in a subsequent interview, "I don"t think he meant to segregate Muslims and Christians and Hindus and say this was a match between Islam and Hinduism. I don"t think that..."
I doubt whether Shoaib talked to you personally about his thought process at that time. You did not really have to respond for somebody else but perhaps you could not resist the temptation to show your brotherhood and solidarity.
This reminds us again of Dr Ambedkar's observation that, "The brotherhood of Islam is not the universal brotherhood of man. It is brotherhood of Muslims for Muslims only."
Partition of India was what Pakistan wanted and got. It was painful to millions but many more millions in present India have been spared. Since then Pakistan has offered us only hatred. It has imposed on us three major wars, the Kargil insurgency, the Kashmir conflict, the series of serial blasts, the routine violation of border ceasefires, attacks on the Parliament House and the recent Mumbai 26/11 attack.
Did you have these in mind when you talked about them being good neighbours?
In another interview you had tried to explain the concept of Islamic Jihad. "I think one needs to understand the meaning of jihad .. I’ve understood the essence that jihad is not about killing other people; jihad is about killing the badness in you."
May be you understand jihad better and deeper than the superficial meaning of what we, the rest of the mortal mankind, overburdened and terrorized by the inter-religious, intra-religious and sectarian violence that is plaguing the world in the name of Islam today, do. For we, the less educated, cannot really make a difference between Jihad and Qatl, between Jihad by heart / soul, Jihad by pen and Jihad by sword or between lesser and greater jihad.
We wonder, whatever its meaning may be, does it minimize the significance of the mindless killings that we see today in the name of Islam, across borders, all over the world? Does it change the nature of the killers whether you call them holy warriors, mujahidins, fedayeens or plane suicide bombers?
We agree with you that terrorism has no religion. But hopefully you will also agree with the people who perceive that most terrorist in the world today happen to believe in the scriptures of Islam. They actually believe that they themselves are the true Islamists.
The so called "moderate" Islamist, perhaps does not want to contradict them or may be does not dare to speak out against them. You have probably not forgotten the FIR against you for listing Prophet Mohammed as one of the most unimpressive personalities in history, the threats from which you had to skillfully wriggle out. Others who are not so fortunate, famous or flexible are suffering lifetime, as Tasleema Nasreen or Salman Rushdie would testify. For blasphemy in Islam is punishable with death, even for a believer.
Do I have to spell out the fate if it is a non-believer?
It is due to the inherent intolerance and exclusivity of Islam itself despite your effort to convince us that there is an Islam from Allah and very unfortunately, there is an Islam from the Mullahs.
Here is an historical insight from writer Irfan Hussain, "The Muslim heroes who figure larger than life in our history books committed some dreadful crimes..all have blood-stained hands that the passage of years has not cleansed. Indeed, the presence of Muslim historians on their various campaigns has ensured that the memory of their deeds will live long after they were buried...Seen through Hindu eyes, the Muslim invasion of their homeland was an unmitigated disaster."
So why should the "non-believers" care to accept them? Why should the majority of Indians like to welcome back such disasters again?
Since partition, India has come a long way in progress and development to her current status and is projected as an economic superpower in coming decades while Pakistan is perceived as a failed state on the verge of disintegration.
What does India have to gain by offering neighbourly friendship to such a hostile and failed state?
India has never been an invader and is not in conflict of any other Muslim country. None of the wars and conflicts with Pakistan was instigated by India. In the current geopolitical situation, one can argue for the Muslim worlds grudge and anger against Israel or the west and USA but one fail to fathom why India should also be at the receiving end and why Indians should be the second largest group of people to die from terrorists attacks. Indian majorities do not have anything to do with the Danish cartoon or the death of Saddam Hussain; so why should they suffer from Islamic havoc on those occasions.
In almost all occasions of terrorism, questions are raised about possible role of Pakistan, its terror bases and its terrorist organizations, as either directly or indirectly involved. Be it state sponsored (as recently admitted by President Zardari) or by non-state actors, Pakistan or Pakistani born are prime suspect in terrorist activities all over the world. The ISI has been accused of playing a role in major terrorist attacks including 9/11 in the USA, terrorism in Kashmir, Mumbai Train Bombings, London Bombings, Indian Parliament Attack, Varanasi bombings, Hyderabad bombings, Mumbai terror attacks or the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul.
Do you believe these are marks of a good neighbour? Then what is the reason for your preaching of love towards Pakistan?
Perhaps, as you said, because it is your ancestor's homeland, you have a soft feeling for Pakistan and cannot see the difference. On the eve of accepting an honorary doctorate from a British university, we heard you say, "I really believe we are the same ..when you come away from India or Pakistan you realize there is no Indian or Pakistani were all together. We are - culturally, as human beings, as friends"
Which Pakistanis are you referring to?
The Pakistanis belonging to the land, admonished as the epicenter of global terrorism, not just by India or USA but even by its friendly allies like Iran or China.
Or is it the self-created, Talibanic Pakistan, who still imposes Jijya on the non believers or finds pleasure in blowing up girl's schools..
Are you talking about its President class like the current Mr. Zardari, vowed to wage a 1,000-year war with India or the late Mrs. Bhutto who started Jihad in Kashmiri that lead to the exodus of Hindu minorities from the Muslim majority state of India, as refugees in their own country?
Are you referring to Pakistanis loyal to the ISI and the military who train their soldiers with only one objective, i.e. to fight Hindu India?
If your mind is concerned about the faceless mass of Pakistanis, does it also include the dwindling minorities?
Or are you just concerned about the celebrities and the social elites?
It is true Mr. Khan that we belong to the same human species but it is hard to stretch the similarities much further between "us" and "them".
We from the same original land of Bharat but we want to keep her intact, they want to break it into thousand pieces.
Our ancestors happen to be the same. We acknowledge and adore the heritage but they abhor and decimate whoever is available in an attempt to wipe out the link.
We are culturally the same. We have created the culture over centuries what they dream to destroy in moments.
Ours is a 10,000 year old civilization, theirs is a 62 years old country undoing whole human civilization.
We extend our hands repeatedly to promote friendship and amity; they give us ISI, Lashkar, Harkat, Kashmir, Kargil and 26/11 in exchange.
Do you think that the Indians nationals who died in all the above wars, the Indian soldiers who lost their lives in cross-border ceasefire violations or the Indian civilians who are killed by the ISI trained Islamic terrorists and their affiliates, in all those serial blasts, all over the country, willfully sacrificed their lives as a friendly neighbourhood gesture?
Can you face the families of the victims of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus or the martyrs of the Kargil war and try to explain to them that "They are good neighbours. Let us love each other."
Can you explain why the two gunmen at Cama hospital, during the Mumbai carnage, asked the man who gave them water, what his religion was, and shot him dead when he said he was a Hindu?
If you cannot, then perhaps you understand why the majority of India does not consider Pakistan as a good neighbour to have.
Perhaps you believe that the peaceful religious co-existence that you created in your home (and we appreciate that) can be extended to the large world outside. As you rightly said, we Indians trust and do accept everybody but what you did fail to mention was that it is the Indic tradition, essentially coming out of its pre-Islamic Hindu ethos.
If you think otherwise, show us a single Islamic country where the non-believers enjoy the same equality as the believers. Since partition, the Hindus left over in Pakistan and Bangladesh has suffered terribly. Strictly Islamic countries, like Saudi Arabia, do not allow any other religions to exist. Hindus working in the Gulf countries are not allowed to practice their religion in public. Saudi Arabia insists that India sends only a Muslim ambassador. Hindu Muslim unity by and large has generally been a matter of Hindus trying to please or accommodate Muslims. One cannot forget when Vajpayee was extending his hand for peace Musharraf was planning the Kargil insurgency.
Let us remind you, your own statement "I am a Muslim in a country called India .We’ve never been made to feel this is a Hindu country."
Can you find me a Hindu in Pakistan who can reciprocate that sentiment?
Some years ago, another Mr. Khan, first name Feroze, from your fraternity was banned from entering Pakistan for saying, "India is secular unlike Pakistan".
That is the basic difference of the land of "Hindu" India from the Islamic "pure land" of Pakistan.
So please do not ask us to love Pakistan.
Please do not lump the people of India and Pakistan together. We Indians are proud to preserve our separate identity..
And please do not insult the land that gave you your life, name and fame, by claiming that her worst enemy, who wants to break her into 1000 pieces, is a great neighbour.
Otherwise it would be sad if somebody accuses you of putting your religion ahead of your country.
Please give it a thought.
Regards,
Arindam Bandyopadhyay.
Have Faith ; Rewards will follow...
By: Bandyopadhyay Arindam
Dear Mr. Khan,
Your name is a household phenomenon in Indian and even beyond her borders. Your fame has put you in the Newsweek "most powerful people list" recently. However, as you may recall from your recent experience in New Jersey Airport, real life is a little different - it does not always follow the path predicted by a scriptwriter or director.
Of late, we have been reading about your opinions and statements on matters beyond the celluloid world. Nothing is wrong in it. You live in a free, democratic country and are entirely entitled to your opinion. But as a common man, also from the same soil, I think I have the right too to raise a few points that may not conform to your views of the real world.
I hope you will read it out.
When recently, the Pakistani players were not selected for the IPL, it was almost predictable that NDTV, the award-winning, mouthpiece of our Indian liberal media select you for your views and you certified that "It (Pakistan) is a great neighbour to have. We (India and Pakistan) are great neighbours. They are good neighbours."
I have a few words to say about those statements.
One may recall your effort to clarify the Pakistani team captain, Shoaib Malik's apology to the Muslims, living all over the world, for failing to win the final T20 match against India, likely much to the embarrassment of a lot of Indian Muslims, as expressed by Shamin Bano, mother of the man of the match, Irfan Pathan. What was more embarrassing was your effort to try to defend Shoaib in a subsequent interview, "I don"t think he meant to segregate Muslims and Christians and Hindus and say this was a match between Islam and Hinduism. I don"t think that..."
I doubt whether Shoaib talked to you personally about his thought process at that time. You did not really have to respond for somebody else but perhaps you could not resist the temptation to show your brotherhood and solidarity.
This reminds us again of Dr Ambedkar's observation that, "The brotherhood of Islam is not the universal brotherhood of man. It is brotherhood of Muslims for Muslims only."
Partition of India was what Pakistan wanted and got. It was painful to millions but many more millions in present India have been spared. Since then Pakistan has offered us only hatred. It has imposed on us three major wars, the Kargil insurgency, the Kashmir conflict, the series of serial blasts, the routine violation of border ceasefires, attacks on the Parliament House and the recent Mumbai 26/11 attack.
Did you have these in mind when you talked about them being good neighbours?
In another interview you had tried to explain the concept of Islamic Jihad. "I think one needs to understand the meaning of jihad .. I’ve understood the essence that jihad is not about killing other people; jihad is about killing the badness in you."
May be you understand jihad better and deeper than the superficial meaning of what we, the rest of the mortal mankind, overburdened and terrorized by the inter-religious, intra-religious and sectarian violence that is plaguing the world in the name of Islam today, do. For we, the less educated, cannot really make a difference between Jihad and Qatl, between Jihad by heart / soul, Jihad by pen and Jihad by sword or between lesser and greater jihad.
We wonder, whatever its meaning may be, does it minimize the significance of the mindless killings that we see today in the name of Islam, across borders, all over the world? Does it change the nature of the killers whether you call them holy warriors, mujahidins, fedayeens or plane suicide bombers?
We agree with you that terrorism has no religion. But hopefully you will also agree with the people who perceive that most terrorist in the world today happen to believe in the scriptures of Islam. They actually believe that they themselves are the true Islamists.
The so called "moderate" Islamist, perhaps does not want to contradict them or may be does not dare to speak out against them. You have probably not forgotten the FIR against you for listing Prophet Mohammed as one of the most unimpressive personalities in history, the threats from which you had to skillfully wriggle out. Others who are not so fortunate, famous or flexible are suffering lifetime, as Tasleema Nasreen or Salman Rushdie would testify. For blasphemy in Islam is punishable with death, even for a believer.
Do I have to spell out the fate if it is a non-believer?
It is due to the inherent intolerance and exclusivity of Islam itself despite your effort to convince us that there is an Islam from Allah and very unfortunately, there is an Islam from the Mullahs.
Here is an historical insight from writer Irfan Hussain, "The Muslim heroes who figure larger than life in our history books committed some dreadful crimes..all have blood-stained hands that the passage of years has not cleansed. Indeed, the presence of Muslim historians on their various campaigns has ensured that the memory of their deeds will live long after they were buried...Seen through Hindu eyes, the Muslim invasion of their homeland was an unmitigated disaster."
So why should the "non-believers" care to accept them? Why should the majority of Indians like to welcome back such disasters again?
Since partition, India has come a long way in progress and development to her current status and is projected as an economic superpower in coming decades while Pakistan is perceived as a failed state on the verge of disintegration.
What does India have to gain by offering neighbourly friendship to such a hostile and failed state?
India has never been an invader and is not in conflict of any other Muslim country. None of the wars and conflicts with Pakistan was instigated by India. In the current geopolitical situation, one can argue for the Muslim worlds grudge and anger against Israel or the west and USA but one fail to fathom why India should also be at the receiving end and why Indians should be the second largest group of people to die from terrorists attacks. Indian majorities do not have anything to do with the Danish cartoon or the death of Saddam Hussain; so why should they suffer from Islamic havoc on those occasions.
In almost all occasions of terrorism, questions are raised about possible role of Pakistan, its terror bases and its terrorist organizations, as either directly or indirectly involved. Be it state sponsored (as recently admitted by President Zardari) or by non-state actors, Pakistan or Pakistani born are prime suspect in terrorist activities all over the world. The ISI has been accused of playing a role in major terrorist attacks including 9/11 in the USA, terrorism in Kashmir, Mumbai Train Bombings, London Bombings, Indian Parliament Attack, Varanasi bombings, Hyderabad bombings, Mumbai terror attacks or the attack on the Indian embassy in Kabul.
Do you believe these are marks of a good neighbour? Then what is the reason for your preaching of love towards Pakistan?
Perhaps, as you said, because it is your ancestor's homeland, you have a soft feeling for Pakistan and cannot see the difference. On the eve of accepting an honorary doctorate from a British university, we heard you say, "I really believe we are the same ..when you come away from India or Pakistan you realize there is no Indian or Pakistani were all together. We are - culturally, as human beings, as friends"
Which Pakistanis are you referring to?
The Pakistanis belonging to the land, admonished as the epicenter of global terrorism, not just by India or USA but even by its friendly allies like Iran or China.
Or is it the self-created, Talibanic Pakistan, who still imposes Jijya on the non believers or finds pleasure in blowing up girl's schools..
Are you talking about its President class like the current Mr. Zardari, vowed to wage a 1,000-year war with India or the late Mrs. Bhutto who started Jihad in Kashmiri that lead to the exodus of Hindu minorities from the Muslim majority state of India, as refugees in their own country?
Are you referring to Pakistanis loyal to the ISI and the military who train their soldiers with only one objective, i.e. to fight Hindu India?
If your mind is concerned about the faceless mass of Pakistanis, does it also include the dwindling minorities?
Or are you just concerned about the celebrities and the social elites?
It is true Mr. Khan that we belong to the same human species but it is hard to stretch the similarities much further between "us" and "them".
We from the same original land of Bharat but we want to keep her intact, they want to break it into thousand pieces.
Our ancestors happen to be the same. We acknowledge and adore the heritage but they abhor and decimate whoever is available in an attempt to wipe out the link.
We are culturally the same. We have created the culture over centuries what they dream to destroy in moments.
Ours is a 10,000 year old civilization, theirs is a 62 years old country undoing whole human civilization.
We extend our hands repeatedly to promote friendship and amity; they give us ISI, Lashkar, Harkat, Kashmir, Kargil and 26/11 in exchange.
Do you think that the Indians nationals who died in all the above wars, the Indian soldiers who lost their lives in cross-border ceasefire violations or the Indian civilians who are killed by the ISI trained Islamic terrorists and their affiliates, in all those serial blasts, all over the country, willfully sacrificed their lives as a friendly neighbourhood gesture?
Can you face the families of the victims of Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus or the martyrs of the Kargil war and try to explain to them that "They are good neighbours. Let us love each other."
Can you explain why the two gunmen at Cama hospital, during the Mumbai carnage, asked the man who gave them water, what his religion was, and shot him dead when he said he was a Hindu?
If you cannot, then perhaps you understand why the majority of India does not consider Pakistan as a good neighbour to have.
Perhaps you believe that the peaceful religious co-existence that you created in your home (and we appreciate that) can be extended to the large world outside. As you rightly said, we Indians trust and do accept everybody but what you did fail to mention was that it is the Indic tradition, essentially coming out of its pre-Islamic Hindu ethos.
If you think otherwise, show us a single Islamic country where the non-believers enjoy the same equality as the believers. Since partition, the Hindus left over in Pakistan and Bangladesh has suffered terribly. Strictly Islamic countries, like Saudi Arabia, do not allow any other religions to exist. Hindus working in the Gulf countries are not allowed to practice their religion in public. Saudi Arabia insists that India sends only a Muslim ambassador. Hindu Muslim unity by and large has generally been a matter of Hindus trying to please or accommodate Muslims. One cannot forget when Vajpayee was extending his hand for peace Musharraf was planning the Kargil insurgency.
Let us remind you, your own statement "I am a Muslim in a country called India .We’ve never been made to feel this is a Hindu country."
Can you find me a Hindu in Pakistan who can reciprocate that sentiment?
Some years ago, another Mr. Khan, first name Feroze, from your fraternity was banned from entering Pakistan for saying, "India is secular unlike Pakistan".
That is the basic difference of the land of "Hindu" India from the Islamic "pure land" of Pakistan.
So please do not ask us to love Pakistan.
Please do not lump the people of India and Pakistan together. We Indians are proud to preserve our separate identity..
And please do not insult the land that gave you your life, name and fame, by claiming that her worst enemy, who wants to break her into 1000 pieces, is a great neighbour.
Otherwise it would be sad if somebody accuses you of putting your religion ahead of your country.
Please give it a thought.
Regards,
Arindam Bandyopadhyay.
Have Faith ; Rewards will follow...
Monday, January 4, 2010
Looking forward to 2010
As we step into the 1st week of 2010. We might wonder how this year will be? Exciting? Challenging? Life changing? Illuminating? But at the end of the day if it brings in more peace, bliss and harmony between individuals,Socities, communities and countries, it will be a year to look forward to.
Have Faith ; Rewards will follow...
Have Faith ; Rewards will follow...
Monday, October 26, 2009
Don't Tinker with the Brand!
(An appropriate article at an opportune time..!! Just managed to come across the below mentioned article from Al Ries’s blog. Do go through this, it’s so relevant to us, at this point of time.)
The economy is in trouble. The stock market has gone haywire. And consumers have drastically reined in their spending. These are not good times for most companies and most families.
But now is not the time to panic. Now is the time to preserve. To preserve our brand, its meaning and its identity by staying focused.
In the face of uncertainty, focus is more important than ever.
Of course, it is not easy to be calm and steady amidst such economic turmoil. Our natural instinct is to get out there and do something. Should we actively tinker with our brand to keep it afloat?
Economic markets rise and fall like the ocean. Strong brands will survive no matter what the tide. The key to long-term success is riding the waves up and down using our brand as a steady rudder. We should not attempt to sail against the current. And we should not over steer the ship.
Changing our strategy depending on the economy is a trap that many companies fall into. That is the worst thing to do.
When times are good, companies often launch expensive versions of their brands. When times are bad, companies often go down-market with coupons, discounts and sales.
Brands that stay strong and survive no matter what the weather are those that stay consistent. Our brand has meaning and strength only if it owns something in the mind. And the more we adjust and tinker with that meaning, the weaker our brand becomes.
Now that the economy is hurting, the worst thing we can do is to launch cheap versions of our brands or go the sale/coupon route. That just tells consumers our products weren’t worth the high prices us have been charging all these years.
Coupons are like drugs; once consumers get hooked they won’t shop without them. Only a fool would go to a Discount store, without a coupon. Several times people do drive by these stores and wanted to shop for something but refuse to go in because they have left the coupon at home.
Companies need to think long term not just short term. The choice is maintaining the brand or maintaining the sales.
Why not both, we may say. Well, when times are great that may be easy to do. But in today’s market that is going to be tough. Everyone’s sales are likely to go down. We need to focus on maintaining our market-share and our mind-share not our sales.
The goal is to preserve our brand, ride the storm and wait for sunnier days that will eventually come.
If we only look at our numbers over the next few months, we are going to be in trouble. We need to view the situation holistically. Because what might allow us to make our numbers today could sink our ship tomorrow.
Why should we care about our brand? Why not just look at the numbers?
Because our brand is what allows us to make a profit. Our brand is why people are willing to pay more for our product or service. And profits are what make companies successful. Not just sales.
When we destroy our brand, we destroy our company’s ability to make profits.
Sony, once a strong a powerful brand that has been decimated by years of reckless expansion. Compare Sony with Nintendo a company that just makes videogames and players.
In the last 10 years, Sony has had sales of $658.3 and net profits after taxes of $12.1 billion, or a net profit margin of just 1.8 percent.
In the last 10 years Nintendo has had sales of $48.3 billion and net profits after taxes of $7.5 billion or a net profit margin of an astounding 15.5 percent. (More than eight times as much as Sony.)
No wonder Nintendo is worth more than twice as much on the stock market as Sony, a company more than 13 times as large.
Sony is worth $26.5 billion. Nintendo is worth $54.1 billion.
Sony is a well-known but weak brand. Nintendo is a strong, focused and profitable brand.
We know it is ugly out there in the marketplace, but do a favor and don’t tinker, with your brand. Stay true, stay focused and everything will eventually be alright.
Have Faith ; Rewards will follow...
The economy is in trouble. The stock market has gone haywire. And consumers have drastically reined in their spending. These are not good times for most companies and most families.
But now is not the time to panic. Now is the time to preserve. To preserve our brand, its meaning and its identity by staying focused.
In the face of uncertainty, focus is more important than ever.
Of course, it is not easy to be calm and steady amidst such economic turmoil. Our natural instinct is to get out there and do something. Should we actively tinker with our brand to keep it afloat?
Economic markets rise and fall like the ocean. Strong brands will survive no matter what the tide. The key to long-term success is riding the waves up and down using our brand as a steady rudder. We should not attempt to sail against the current. And we should not over steer the ship.
Changing our strategy depending on the economy is a trap that many companies fall into. That is the worst thing to do.
When times are good, companies often launch expensive versions of their brands. When times are bad, companies often go down-market with coupons, discounts and sales.
Brands that stay strong and survive no matter what the weather are those that stay consistent. Our brand has meaning and strength only if it owns something in the mind. And the more we adjust and tinker with that meaning, the weaker our brand becomes.
Now that the economy is hurting, the worst thing we can do is to launch cheap versions of our brands or go the sale/coupon route. That just tells consumers our products weren’t worth the high prices us have been charging all these years.
Coupons are like drugs; once consumers get hooked they won’t shop without them. Only a fool would go to a Discount store, without a coupon. Several times people do drive by these stores and wanted to shop for something but refuse to go in because they have left the coupon at home.
Companies need to think long term not just short term. The choice is maintaining the brand or maintaining the sales.
Why not both, we may say. Well, when times are great that may be easy to do. But in today’s market that is going to be tough. Everyone’s sales are likely to go down. We need to focus on maintaining our market-share and our mind-share not our sales.
The goal is to preserve our brand, ride the storm and wait for sunnier days that will eventually come.
If we only look at our numbers over the next few months, we are going to be in trouble. We need to view the situation holistically. Because what might allow us to make our numbers today could sink our ship tomorrow.
Why should we care about our brand? Why not just look at the numbers?
Because our brand is what allows us to make a profit. Our brand is why people are willing to pay more for our product or service. And profits are what make companies successful. Not just sales.
When we destroy our brand, we destroy our company’s ability to make profits.
Sony, once a strong a powerful brand that has been decimated by years of reckless expansion. Compare Sony with Nintendo a company that just makes videogames and players.
In the last 10 years, Sony has had sales of $658.3 and net profits after taxes of $12.1 billion, or a net profit margin of just 1.8 percent.
In the last 10 years Nintendo has had sales of $48.3 billion and net profits after taxes of $7.5 billion or a net profit margin of an astounding 15.5 percent. (More than eight times as much as Sony.)
No wonder Nintendo is worth more than twice as much on the stock market as Sony, a company more than 13 times as large.
Sony is worth $26.5 billion. Nintendo is worth $54.1 billion.
Sony is a well-known but weak brand. Nintendo is a strong, focused and profitable brand.
We know it is ugly out there in the marketplace, but do a favor and don’t tinker, with your brand. Stay true, stay focused and everything will eventually be alright.
Have Faith ; Rewards will follow...
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Three Keys for a productive Meeting
It doesn't take an article in a prominent business school magazine to tell us we attend a lot of meetings. Even though we find most meetings marginally productive, take longer than necessary, and some a waste of time, we still attend them. Apparently we need meetings for social interactions, for an outlet and validation of our ideas, and because we expect (or hope) something important, or at least useful, will be presented. We go for all those reasons.
Beyond the need, what makes for a satisfying meeting? What do you like about those meetings in which you walk away feeling energized, feeling it was worth the time investment? Was it because the meeting was well organized? Was it that the material was of specific interest to you? Was it that the meeting atmosphere and exchanges were positive and engaging? It would include all of the above.
Key ideas. From work (done by social scientists in US) with many groups, both friendly and contentious, they have learned that there are three keys to meeting success - Process satisfaction, Content satisfaction, and Psychic satisfaction. The order of these keys is deliberate and important.
Process Satisfaction. When participants believe a meeting will be well run and a process to manage the meeting will be used, there is a positive expectation for the meeting. What creates process satisfaction?
1 Ground rules for participation are known
2 Roles and responsibilities of the leader/facilitator and participants are clear
3 Agreement on a set of desired behaviors is made
4 Every person can speak without interruption
5 Disruptive and dominant persons are under control
6 The meeting stays on task and on time
7 Most importantly the meeting starts and ends on time
Content Satisfaction. Without process satisfaction, it is a tough task to gain content satisfaction. No matter the value of the content, if the meeting is not under control, a focus on content is difficult, or not at all. Content satisfaction begins with a useful agenda. Without a roadmap, then all paths (including dead ends) will arise when the meeting starts, leading to a chaotic, not satisfying, experience. Here are ideas to optimize content satisfaction:
1 Send out an agenda at least 3-5 days ahead of the meeting. The more pre-reading and work that is required for the meeting the earlier the agenda is sent out.
2 Do a topics check at the beginning of the meeting to be certain there is agreement with the topics. Ask for any other topics that should be included.
3 Since the agenda will be set up with a time schedule, it is important to have agreement which topics should have priority (need more time) and be at the top of the list of topics. This is an important point also when a participant may be leaving early and their input is needed. Rearrange topics as needed.
4 When, in the course of the meeting, a new subject arises that is not part of the original list, deal with it by setting it aside in a “to be considered” bin. The key is to acknowledge that the new topic is recognized, but will not be considered until the end (if time permits) or at the next meeting.
Psychic Satisfaction. The first two satisfactions address our left-brain need for order. Psychic satisfaction is clearly a right brain component. This satisfaction may be the lubricant to meeting success. With this we walk away feeling good about the meeting. If it is missing, we do not feel good about the meeting, even if there is Content satisfaction. So what are the contributors to psychic satisfaction? We feel good about a meeting when:
1 Participants are valued -- meaning everyone is given a chance to speak.
2 Participants are respected -- where no one is cut off in mid-sentence that often happens in meetings. We allow everyone to complete their thoughts before commenting or criticizing. We don't try to finish someone's sentence when there is a pause in their presentation.
3 Participants try to be yea-Sayers, not nay-Sayers. Encourage a different perspective/focus to emerge in the meetings
4 While at the same time, members needs to be controlled and make useful suggestions, than to be just critical.
5 Ideas and positions may be attacked, but not people personally.
6 Disruptive individuals are not tolerated.
7 The atmosphere is positive, even when the topic is difficult.
Working with groups is much like a full contact sport. It is full contact because it engages both sides of the brain to achieve full satisfaction from a meeting. In fact, it engages body, mind, spirit, and relationships, the same components needed in creating a balanced, fulfilling life!
At your next meeting, decide whether you consider it fully successful or not and then see if the three satisfactions were met. We expect you will find that the best meetings have all three covered. The less successful meetings lack coverage of one or more of the satisfactions. By the way, if you utilize a facilitator instead of having the leaders manage the meeting that can enhance meeting success.
Have a happy meeting day!
Have Faith ; Rewards will follow...
Beyond the need, what makes for a satisfying meeting? What do you like about those meetings in which you walk away feeling energized, feeling it was worth the time investment? Was it because the meeting was well organized? Was it that the material was of specific interest to you? Was it that the meeting atmosphere and exchanges were positive and engaging? It would include all of the above.
Key ideas. From work (done by social scientists in US) with many groups, both friendly and contentious, they have learned that there are three keys to meeting success - Process satisfaction, Content satisfaction, and Psychic satisfaction. The order of these keys is deliberate and important.
Process Satisfaction. When participants believe a meeting will be well run and a process to manage the meeting will be used, there is a positive expectation for the meeting. What creates process satisfaction?
1 Ground rules for participation are known
2 Roles and responsibilities of the leader/facilitator and participants are clear
3 Agreement on a set of desired behaviors is made
4 Every person can speak without interruption
5 Disruptive and dominant persons are under control
6 The meeting stays on task and on time
7 Most importantly the meeting starts and ends on time
Content Satisfaction. Without process satisfaction, it is a tough task to gain content satisfaction. No matter the value of the content, if the meeting is not under control, a focus on content is difficult, or not at all. Content satisfaction begins with a useful agenda. Without a roadmap, then all paths (including dead ends) will arise when the meeting starts, leading to a chaotic, not satisfying, experience. Here are ideas to optimize content satisfaction:
1 Send out an agenda at least 3-5 days ahead of the meeting. The more pre-reading and work that is required for the meeting the earlier the agenda is sent out.
2 Do a topics check at the beginning of the meeting to be certain there is agreement with the topics. Ask for any other topics that should be included.
3 Since the agenda will be set up with a time schedule, it is important to have agreement which topics should have priority (need more time) and be at the top of the list of topics. This is an important point also when a participant may be leaving early and their input is needed. Rearrange topics as needed.
4 When, in the course of the meeting, a new subject arises that is not part of the original list, deal with it by setting it aside in a “to be considered” bin. The key is to acknowledge that the new topic is recognized, but will not be considered until the end (if time permits) or at the next meeting.
Psychic Satisfaction. The first two satisfactions address our left-brain need for order. Psychic satisfaction is clearly a right brain component. This satisfaction may be the lubricant to meeting success. With this we walk away feeling good about the meeting. If it is missing, we do not feel good about the meeting, even if there is Content satisfaction. So what are the contributors to psychic satisfaction? We feel good about a meeting when:
1 Participants are valued -- meaning everyone is given a chance to speak.
2 Participants are respected -- where no one is cut off in mid-sentence that often happens in meetings. We allow everyone to complete their thoughts before commenting or criticizing. We don't try to finish someone's sentence when there is a pause in their presentation.
3 Participants try to be yea-Sayers, not nay-Sayers. Encourage a different perspective/focus to emerge in the meetings
4 While at the same time, members needs to be controlled and make useful suggestions, than to be just critical.
5 Ideas and positions may be attacked, but not people personally.
6 Disruptive individuals are not tolerated.
7 The atmosphere is positive, even when the topic is difficult.
Working with groups is much like a full contact sport. It is full contact because it engages both sides of the brain to achieve full satisfaction from a meeting. In fact, it engages body, mind, spirit, and relationships, the same components needed in creating a balanced, fulfilling life!
At your next meeting, decide whether you consider it fully successful or not and then see if the three satisfactions were met. We expect you will find that the best meetings have all three covered. The less successful meetings lack coverage of one or more of the satisfactions. By the way, if you utilize a facilitator instead of having the leaders manage the meeting that can enhance meeting success.
Have a happy meeting day!
Have Faith ; Rewards will follow...
Thursday, April 2, 2009
15 Things I will choose to do….
1) I choose to be happy, contented and in gratitude of whatever I got and whatever I will get in my life.
2) I choose to live in the present.
3) I choose not to complain, but to create, change or accept the things the way they are.
4 ) I choose to respect and love people, irrespective of their background, religion, caste, creed or colour.
5) I choose to let my daughter live her own life, on her own merits and make her own mistakes and learn from them.
6) I choose to be available for her whenever she wants my counsel.
7) I choose to learn one new thing everyday.
8) I choose not to pre-judge and pre-decide on situations and people.
9) I choose to accept people the way they are.
10) I choose sincerity over intellect, honesty over intelligence and mind over matter.
11) I choose not to differentiate between the Young & Old. Young deserve as much respect from us as we give to the Old and Old deserve as much attention from us, as we give to the Young.
12) I choose to flow with life and not confront it.
13) I choose not to have attachments or expectations.
14) I choose to make every person that I meet as someone special, as others have made me so, over the years.
15) I choose to give back something to the society, to the world, to nature and to my loved ones in return of all that I have received from them over the years.
I choose to say to God “Bless this wonderful world, the wonderful people on this planet and let me experience this divine feeling forever and ever…”
Have Faith ; Rewards will follow...
2) I choose to live in the present.
3) I choose not to complain, but to create, change or accept the things the way they are.
4 ) I choose to respect and love people, irrespective of their background, religion, caste, creed or colour.
5) I choose to let my daughter live her own life, on her own merits and make her own mistakes and learn from them.
6) I choose to be available for her whenever she wants my counsel.
7) I choose to learn one new thing everyday.
8) I choose not to pre-judge and pre-decide on situations and people.
9) I choose to accept people the way they are.
10) I choose sincerity over intellect, honesty over intelligence and mind over matter.
11) I choose not to differentiate between the Young & Old. Young deserve as much respect from us as we give to the Old and Old deserve as much attention from us, as we give to the Young.
12) I choose to flow with life and not confront it.
13) I choose not to have attachments or expectations.
14) I choose to make every person that I meet as someone special, as others have made me so, over the years.
15) I choose to give back something to the society, to the world, to nature and to my loved ones in return of all that I have received from them over the years.
I choose to say to God “Bless this wonderful world, the wonderful people on this planet and let me experience this divine feeling forever and ever…”
Have Faith ; Rewards will follow...
Saturday, February 28, 2009
The 10 things I want to tell my daughter…
The 10 things I want to tell my daughter before i retire to bed tonight....
1. Love unconditionally…without expectation. Like a tree offering shade, shelter and fruits to everyone, even at those who throw stones at the tree
2. Do your duty, without expecting the fruits of your labour. Like the Sun continues to shine brightly on everyone, irrespective if someone is complaining about the weather being too hot or about the day being too cold. It continues to do its duty and shines on.
3. Never hurt anybody. You don’t know what burdens the other person is bearing in their life. Your unkind words might be the one to cut them up, like the final straw that broke the camel’s back.
4. Today, this moment is all that matters. Live in the present. Yesterday is gone, past triumphs, upsets, joys and sorrows don’t matter. They have gone. Tomorrow is not here now. Stop worrying about the future. It will come on its own, later. What is important is NOW. Give it all you have got.
5. You are no less and no great than anyone else in this world. Each of us has been sent by God to play a role in this World Drama. Play your part, and play it well. Only you can play the part you are playing. No one can substitute you. Neither can you substitute anyone else.
6. Don’t fight against Life. Don’t create conflict with the way your life must be heading. It might seem to be a problem at that point of time. But life always evens out. Flow with life; don’t create conflict with the way your life is flowing. It will finally reach you to your desired destination. Whatever happens, happen for the best.
7. Build an ocean of compassion, for the less privileged in your heart. Remember that love and compassion always bequeaths more love, kindness and compassion. Do a selfless act born out of love and compassion for those people who deserve it, at least once a week. You will find the universe returning the same, with interest, when you will be in need for it.
8. Don’t judge people by their looks and appearances. Beauty is deep within, in each and every soul. Each of us has a certain unique strength, which no one else has. It is only for us to find it. Among ourselves and among others.
9. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen to the other person’s point of view, listen to the sweet flowing sounds of a stream, listen to the sweet chirpings of the birds in the tree and listen to the thunderous sound of silence. Listening is more important than talking. That is why God has given you one mouth, but two ears.
10. Lastly, but not the least...be thankful for God, for whatever he has given you and whatever he might give you, in future. Show gratitude towards the universe, nature and God, by acknowledging it every night before you go to sleep, and the first thing in the morning when you wake up.
Have Faith ; Rewards will follow...
1. Love unconditionally…without expectation. Like a tree offering shade, shelter and fruits to everyone, even at those who throw stones at the tree
2. Do your duty, without expecting the fruits of your labour. Like the Sun continues to shine brightly on everyone, irrespective if someone is complaining about the weather being too hot or about the day being too cold. It continues to do its duty and shines on.
3. Never hurt anybody. You don’t know what burdens the other person is bearing in their life. Your unkind words might be the one to cut them up, like the final straw that broke the camel’s back.
4. Today, this moment is all that matters. Live in the present. Yesterday is gone, past triumphs, upsets, joys and sorrows don’t matter. They have gone. Tomorrow is not here now. Stop worrying about the future. It will come on its own, later. What is important is NOW. Give it all you have got.
5. You are no less and no great than anyone else in this world. Each of us has been sent by God to play a role in this World Drama. Play your part, and play it well. Only you can play the part you are playing. No one can substitute you. Neither can you substitute anyone else.
6. Don’t fight against Life. Don’t create conflict with the way your life must be heading. It might seem to be a problem at that point of time. But life always evens out. Flow with life; don’t create conflict with the way your life is flowing. It will finally reach you to your desired destination. Whatever happens, happen for the best.
7. Build an ocean of compassion, for the less privileged in your heart. Remember that love and compassion always bequeaths more love, kindness and compassion. Do a selfless act born out of love and compassion for those people who deserve it, at least once a week. You will find the universe returning the same, with interest, when you will be in need for it.
8. Don’t judge people by their looks and appearances. Beauty is deep within, in each and every soul. Each of us has a certain unique strength, which no one else has. It is only for us to find it. Among ourselves and among others.
9. Listen. Listen. Listen. Listen to the other person’s point of view, listen to the sweet flowing sounds of a stream, listen to the sweet chirpings of the birds in the tree and listen to the thunderous sound of silence. Listening is more important than talking. That is why God has given you one mouth, but two ears.
10. Lastly, but not the least...be thankful for God, for whatever he has given you and whatever he might give you, in future. Show gratitude towards the universe, nature and God, by acknowledging it every night before you go to sleep, and the first thing in the morning when you wake up.
Have Faith ; Rewards will follow...
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