Disruption is the Key

How can we measure the extent to which a venture can be successful? Disruption

Man follows a routine, has preferences, makes choices everyday. Some through their sub conscious, some through research and study and some at the spur of the moment or at impulse.

A product or service which can disrupt the routine to make things easier is a sure success.
When google was in the inception stage little did men gauge the way their lives were going to change. It is now that we see that google has drastically changed the way data or information was acquired. It in short disrupted the method of information search

Similarly, Facebook. It is the most widely used portal for networking, catching up with friends, staying up to date with recent happenings with your friends. It disrupted the method of staying in touch or socializing.

Therefore a good B Plan will have a high disruptive quotient. Disruption leads to change and as we all know…change is the only constant thing in the world.

From an investment point of view for a successful investment one needs to predict the changing waves and back the factor leading to it.

Signing off for now...
Sony
http://www.adwize.in

5 Points to remember while Creating a Logo

“I want something different”
This is one of the common statements given by my clients who come to us for getting their logo designed.
It is not difficult as each company is different therefore its visual identity that is the logo will also maturally be different.
While designing a logo a few points which should be kept in mind are

1. Tone of the logo – Should the look be formal, or should it have a tinge of informality?
The tone typically depends on the kind of product or service which the company offers. It is also reflective of the work culture of the company. A law firm with a kiddish logo is a big no no. Similarly a kindergarden with an army style logo does not generate the warmth or caring nature of the school.

2. Style of the logo – There are 3 ways in which a logo can be designed
a) Typographical – These are created using fonts only. The fonts can be modified or a mew font style created in itself to suit the company profile.
Eg – FedEx, Axis Bank
b) Iconotype – Icon and typography combined forms an Iconotype logo. The icon is typically smaller than the typography or a part of the typography.
Eg – Amazon, Blackberry
c) Iconic – These logo have an icon as the point of focus. The icon is representative of the varipus messages conveyed through the logo
Eg – Wipro, Apple, Nike

3. Color Scheme – Each color has a meaning associated with it. For eg Blue is for technology, Red for aggression, Green for sustainability and growth so on and so forth. Hence it is necessary to define the color scheme tp be used for the logo based on the values and properties of the company.

4. Recall Element – A logo should have a recall element which can be used for all branding purposes. It should not be complex to reduce the time required for the association to be created in people’s mind

5. Scalability – A logo should always have a concept attached to it so that it can be scaled to suit various purposes and can be used everywhere as the face of the company. It should be able to handle diversification in the long term. For companies the theme could revolve around the company’s mission and vision, for products it should focus on the product and its differentiating factor ie its usp.

Signing off for now...
Sony
http://www.adwize.in

Brand Identity vs Image

Before we understand the difference between the two it is necessary to understand what is Brand.

Is it a good looking logo?
Is it extensive marketing?

These are just a part of your Brand.

A brand represents a company/product‘s promise to its customers. It stands for the company’s USPs, its value and the differentiating factors which makes it the preferred choice.
Brand elements create visual recall for the Brand. Just like your name and face create an association for your personality the name and logo create the visual association for the company or the product.

Now coming to brand identity. It is created by the company to represent itself to its customers. It emulates the values and personality of the company. The identity comprises of elements like name, logo, styles and other visual elements used to represent the brand.

Brand image on the contrary is created by the customers. The way a brand is perceived by the customer forms the building blocks for the image. If a company does not fulfill the promises made by its identity or its working/product does not match the personality or characteristics of the brand the image differs.

Ideal scenario is when the image and identity are the same. It means that company conforms to the values it laid while creating its identity

Branding activities can create a recall but value is generated by the company and its commitment towards its customers and values.

Signing off for now... Sony http://www.adwize.in

Signal Bites

Traffic Signal !!!
The word itself brings a kind of irritation and restlessness in mind.

I used to obey the traffic rules with utmost unwillingness and my stare was always fixed at the signal…. Scolding it, cursing it for having turned red …. and willing for it to turn green immediately. But alas it never happened and I ended up spending odd 3 mins staring at the unyielding signal.

It dawned upon me one day that I spent 180 secs at regular intervals staring at a signal doing nothing productive except getting myself worked up unnecessarily. Well I might as well use the short span of time to relax and collect my thought and get ready for another round of maneuvering between vehicles, people and animals on the road.

The thought was no less than enlightenment for me…it was like I had discovered some mantra to peaceful living :) .. a bit or rather exaggerated but yes.. I started seeing the world around the traffic signal and came across quite a few interesting things.

I saw a man picking his nose…. eeewww ……. A child inside a car playing with his balloon offering me to catch it, a newly married couple stealing glances at each other.. a lady fixing up her make up.. . a father looking back to check on his child sitting on the scooter holding onto him tightly with both hands…

And between the array of vehicles there were a group of small children.. begging, selling some toys, cloth, glasses, balloons, earbuds etc. No one was buying from them.. which is quite natural.. there’s no guarantee on the products, no packaging, and you never know whether you are over paying or not. After watching Traffic signal, Slumdog Millionaire and listening to stories of billionaire beggars I personally have lost faith in charity at signals.

Amidst all this a small child caught my attention. He did something different. I don’t know if it is followed elsewhere but it was my first experience in Bangalore. He took a small cloth and started wiping the dirty two wheelers… the rider was taken aback.. he did not know what to do. The child cleaned the scooter. Though he did not do a thorough job yet there was a smile on the face of the rider and he took out some money and gave it to the child. I don’t know whether it was knowingly or unknowingly the child ignored the car beside the scooter and went on to the next bike.. and the same result followed.. I could not follow him again.. after all the signal was for only 2 mins not the whole day :)

But the incident left me thinking.

Even a small child realized that to earn money he needed to do something different. Something other than what his peers were doing. He did not crib about limited resources but made the full use of what he had. He used the small piece of cloth innovatively to provide a service (cleaning) of use to his customer and in turn earned his money rather than simply begging and failing.
Another point which I found amazing was the power of direct contact. While cleaning a two wheeler he came in direct contact with the owner and could touch and talk to him…and cajole him to roll out some coins but in case of a car with the closed windows he could never get in direct contact with the user.

His acute sense of time management also impressed me. The time required to clean a car would be more than a two wheeler. So the number of vehicles covered would be less if he went for the cars whereas the amount he would get from the owners would be more or less the same as the scooters. Hence his income was directly proportional to the number of vehicles than the number of wheels in the vehicle. So two wheelers were his ideal target and he concentrated only on them.

A small child who never went to school and I doubt whether he could afford a proper meal a day exhibited some of the most important aspects of marketing

1. Customize / Package your product to suit the requirement of your consumer
2. Innovate
3. Maintain customer relationship. Direct contact and interaction is the best way to build customer loyalty and satisfaction
4. Identifying your target audience correctly
5. Time management to ensure proper service to your customers


Inspirations / ideas are all around us… we just need to keep our eyes and minds open… even amidst traffic jams / signals :)


Signing off for now...
Sony
http://www.adwize.in

Getting your Breakfast Egg right

Marketing can be as easy as boiling an egg and can be as tricky as making the perfect sunny side up. There can be no written rules in marketing. Each product each service each company is different. There can be guidelines but as I always say marketing is dynamic.. what worked 1 month ago may not work now or if a company reaped profits due to a particular marketing strategy its competitor may not get the same results.
Marketing has to be unique just like the choice of your breakfast egg.

1. Sunny side up – This looks like the easiest to prepare and is yet the most tricky preparation of egg. Practice makes you perfect. How many times have you started with a sunny side up and ended up having scrambled egg ?? :D
Sunny side up marketing is the most direct form of marketing. It is the most basic form of communicating the core services of the company. You present the facts as it is with a pinch of salt. This technique uses upto two techniques of marketing. The strategy is based on falling in the market the right way to avoid a mess. A lot of thought process goes behind the study of the marketing environment. Since you do not have many flavors supporting you, there should be a clear understanding of the current scenario and how you need to launch your strategy.
This strategy would be ideal for the B2B segment as there the TG is narrowed down extensively and the approach is more direct emphasizing mostly on the core services of the company

2. Omlette – Cheese omlette ….. yummy !! The perfect blend of different vehicles of marketing. An integrated marketing architecture is constructed. The core message remaining the same other ingredients are added to spice up the message. Flavors are added to suit the consumer’s taste.
The marketing strategy is a mix of various techniques of marketing. Depending on the season the ratio is decided. It includes print, web, electronic, Direct marketing and many more techniques. The factor which sets each company apart is the proportion and the ability to innovate.It is that secret ingredient which differentiates between a successful strategy and a lukewarm strategy. I believe no strategy can be a failure.
While designing the marketing strategy one should never loose sight of the core message ie the egg. None of the marketing techniques or message should ever override the basic profile of the product or service under question. Else the whole perception of the dish changes it no longer remain an omlette or for that matter any preparation of an egg.
This technique is ideally suited for the B2C segment where the target audience is huge, more varied, substitutes are available and the choice of the consumers is different base don their personal opinion and taste.

3. Boiled Egg – The tried and tested techniques of marketing. With time they become more solid. The time you dedicate towards your marketing strategy is very crucial. A proper research and ground work is necessary. In case your strategy has not been thought through it might create a negative impact upon the consumers, it might just fall apart.
This is ideal for companies which have been in the business for a long time. They have ample time and resources to experiment, to ponder over the strategy, less fear of being late to the market as everybody already knows about them ( but should nt be as late as Nokia )

A famous saying goes ” Do not put all your eggs in the same basket “, similarly do not put all your messages in the same basket. It might lead to confusion and may break the impact of each.
Apart from the technique the presentation is also very crucial. You ve got your strategy right but if you are not able to present it in front of your customers it is of no value. It will not be received or valued by the customer and your message remains unheard. A good strategy should always be backed up by a good presentation.

Garnish your breakfast egg and serve it for a delectable and memorable breakfast.

Signing off for now...
Sony
http://www.adwize.in

5 Don't s of Branding

A few practices which I believe kill the whole spirit of Branding....


1.Copy – Don’t cheat.. don’t look into your partner’s copy.. write on your own.. these are few words which constantly ring in a classroom full of students writing a test. We adhere to these rules during our school days.. but tend to forget them when the real test of life comes forth. Whenever you are working towards creating a brand of your own you are writing a test where the questions are the same, you know the answers, you have the solution….. but still some tend to copy their competitors branding strategy. It is the biggest mistake that one can make.

With all parameters same.. it is the brand and what it stands for that makes the difference. All of us have 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 nose, 1 mouth but is our overall look, personality and thoughts that define our identity our value. Similarly a brand should always be unique. Copying or “getting inspired” is not the right approach to branding.

There are no shortcuts when you prepare to create an identity for your company. And your product / service / organization has the right to have a unique identity

2.Quantify – What is the percentage increase in revenue? Whats the ROI.. Why isn’t there a hike in sales? These are few questions which unknowingly people associate with a branding activity. These are ideal questions to be associated with a sales / marketing activity. A purely brand building activity is aimed at increasing the awareness among your TG about your brand, your USP.

A branding activity increases your brand value… brand evaluation. Today the mathematical rule where
SP = CP + Profit is slightly modified to SP = CP + Profit + Brand value

Branding helps in increasing the value of your product. It creates a perception among the people about your product. The effectiveness of branding is measured in long term. It is based on customer preference of the brand, the amount the consumer is willing to pay for the product produced under your brand name and the awareness among the consumers about the brand and its product.

3.Dilution - Never ever dilute your brand. Through your brand you create a perception about your company, about your product and what you stand for and what the consumers can expect from you. Dilution leads to confusion and confusing a customer is not such a good idea specially when there are substitutes available at their disposable. There are several reasons why a consumer associates himself to a brand.. it may be because of the quality, emotional attachment, tradition, satisfaction etc. Dilution leads to a conflict of perception.

Suppose you are trained to believe a company X deals with animal food how would you perceive instant noodles for kids produced by the same company??

Another question is diversion into various verticals. How do we convey the message to the consumers? The ideal way is to sub brand the product or the vertical in case it is very different from the existing product / service range. Sub branding and promoting the sub brand creates a fresh image in the minds of the consumer and they form an opinion afresh rather than being biased by their previous apprehensions

4.Force – "This the industry norm or the market practice". This is not a good enough reason for you to practice branding or follow the branding practices

If you don’t believe in a practice or what you are doing for your branding don’t do it. Never force yourself into an activity which has been tried and tested by others. It can be as a back up plan but the ideal scenario would be to come up with your own plan. Chalk out your own strategy.

Your brand is something which you create on your own then why rely on others plan of action to promote it or grow it. Create your own path. For that matter if you are not convinced that you need to brand your product or your company please do not do it. You will not appreciate the practice and it will forever seem like a burden to you. You will never be able to innovate and neither will it be effective.

Branding should be a task full of conviction. Until and unless you believe in your brand why should anyone else.

5.Compromise – You start a business to earn money.. no second thoughts on that. But should revenue drive your brand? No. It should be the other way round. The brand should drive the revenue. This is ideal for future course of action.

Suppose you ve created a product for the niche audience. Due to lack of revenue you compromise on your brand and take it to the masses. Then neither are you able to tap the mass audience properly as they would already have created an opinion that you are expensive and that they are paying more and nor are you able to tap the niche market as the brand image has changed.

As pointed out earlier SP = CP + Profit + Brand Value

Your revenue will automatically increase when your brand value increases. Brand value increases in the long term. Gradually the investment on branding reduces but returns increase and subsequently your profits and your revenues.

At no point should you ever compromise on the essence of your brand. It beats the whole purpose. A brand is much more than a logo. It is the personality of the company, the principles it stands for, the promises it makes to its clients / consumers and above all defines the whole purpose of the company’s existence.



Signing off for now...
Sony
http://www.adwize.in

Simply Fundamental

Stop !!!
Go no further if you are looking out for intellectual stuff which will help you gain nirvana…. Or some tips to make you a millionaire.


Funda # 1- Pehle peth puja, phir kaam duja

Watch out for the next petrol pump. This is the To Do agenda once your bike goes into reserve or the needle goes below the red mark.

We always fill up the tank before starting any journey so that the car does not stop in the middle of the way or you might have to stop on the way at a petrol pump, what if there s no petrol pump on the way.

We care so much about our vehicle…. Why not our health ?? Why don’t we prepare ourselves each morning for the long journey we are going to traverse each day.

Breakfast is the most sacrificed meal….

Late for a meeting… skip breakfast
Woke up late….skip breakfast

Will grab something on the way ….skip breakfast

Breakfast literally means breaking a fast. A fast of more than 6 hours.

Just like your car needs refueling after a long drive the body needs it too. People generally have heavy dinner but that is exactly where things go wrong. Just like petrol remains in the tank during the night the food also remains in the tummy tank. Night time is for rest….rest even for the tummy.

A healthy wholesome breakfast prepares you for the day ahead. Your body has got the fuel. You will get a good kick start. The chances of stopping in between for fuel are less.

I do not encourage untimely meals just because you had a good breakfast but considering the work schedules, commutes and many other hassles of the day sometimes the ideal scenario of having timely meals does not happen. But in the morning you can definitely have a good breakfast. Even a bowl of cornflakes is better than empty stomach.

Another reason why people skip breakfast is dieting. Well the internet and most of the dieticians will confirm the fact that breakfast can never cause increase in the waist line.

Next time while taking your car to the fuel station spare a thought for your wheels ( legs ) your tank ( stomach ) your chassis ( body ) your engine ( heart ) and your controls ( Brains ) and using your steering wheel ( hands ) direct yourself to a healthy diet… the least which you can do is a healthy breakfast.


Funda # 2 - Paani paani re

From food I come to water

Water water everywhere.. not a drop to drink…..or rather we never reach out for a glass of water to drink

I hope we never face a scenario where there’s no water to drink. The thought itself scares me. Thirst can only be quenched by water. No amount of cola or any other beverage can quench your thirst.

It is the most abundant consumer good and also the most misused one.

There a leaking pipes on the road side…running water from taps…lakes and ponds have become dumping grounds ..( grounds !! don’t know what to say..dumping water surface :) )

I was waiting for the signal to go green. Beside the roadside there was a chaat stall. The hawker was using the same bucket of water to wash all the plates.. it looked disgusting.. from disgusting the sight transformed to pitiful, sad..shocking.. when I saw a small kid was trying to drink water from the same bucket…the signal went green but I was stuck at that signal.

Everytime I drink a glass of water I thank God for it.

But should saving water be restricted only to drinking water. Water has so many other uses. How would you feel if you had to take a bath in black murky water….. or you had to wash your favorite white shirt blue jeans with muddy brown water.. or how would it feel if instead of a sea shell in the beach the waves bring to shore empty bottles and banana skin.

Even without realizing we use water most of the time for almost all our activities and we also manage to waste water in all our activities.

We keep a strict tag on money.. and time too because time is money.. but why not water.. water is life.. without life money wont matter.

I was watching 127 Hours ( the movie ) the other day. It clearly shows the desperation you reach without water.






Funda # 3 - Red Light Red Light what do you say? I say Stop, right away

From the thought provoking site at the traffic signal I came across my next funda.

Never break traffic signals.

Its dangerous.. the road might seem empty .. still you never know when a speeding bus can come and hit you. Sometimes you end up becoming a nuisance causing delay and chaos not only for yourself but also for others
Traffic signals are there to maintain discipline in the roads for the convenience of all the riders.
Late for a meeting.. don’t think jumping a red signal will help, late for a movie….if it’s a flop bollywood movie you can always catch it on any of the numerous channel, miss the train…don’t worry.. they are always late :)

Traffic signals can be bended for emergency services like ambulance, fire brigade etc… else I don’t think anything is a matter of life or death and if it is….why did nt you start early in the first place..

We are careful in maintaining speed limits, signals and other rules while driving abroad.. why should our behavior be different in India. Why is an empty road, with no policeman so tempting that you simply cannot resist jumping the signal….and if you get caught why do the green notes come out to pay bribe rather than the fine??

Even in life there s a stop signal sometimes.. it is the time for you to look around.. see whats happening around you.. understand the worth of life and time. It is the time to retrospect and make amendments to have a fruitful present and a happy future.


Signing off for now..
Sony
http://www.adwize.in