ET Brand World Summit 2022: Rock and Roll Safar

 It was my second event by Economic Times that I was attending. However, it was important as I was travelling to Mumbai only to attend the event. After registering for the event as I waited a lot of speakers and delegates arrived at Hotel Sahara Star in Mumbai.

The welcome note by Satrajit Sen, Head, Product & Community, ETBrandEquity.com was followed by a super presentation by Mr. Sharad Agarwal of Lamborghini. He had his team of four other women seated below the dais. I was taken aback by his figures and data on this luxury car which had sales across Tier-1, Tier-II and Tier-III cities in India. He mentioned how Urus was launched completely for Indian roads and first in India. He talked about car anniversaries, sustainable space and electric cars in the offing. He also stated how wealth creators in India are not viewed in a 'very positive light', that's why the 'luxury car segment' is not a very popular one.

My question was: which city has the highest sales of this luxury car?

This was followed by the presentation by Mr. Abhay Singhal, InMobi Ads. His display of the mobile phone screen was amazing which explained the different features and attributes of this app inbuilt on most smart phones. This was a good session on content creation and gaming. 

The panel discussion ahead of tea was on 'building phygital brands'. The panelists were Mr. Naveen Murali of Pepperfry, Mr. Vineet Sharma of AB InBev, Mr. Aashish Chandra of The Body Shop (India), Ms. Smita Murarka of Duroflex and was chaired by Mr. Devesh Gupta of ETBrandEquity.com. The discussion focussed on their strategies for catering to a physical consumer and an online customer. While the focus was on content and reaching out to customer through social media, there was little talk of CRM.

My question was: what about brand loyalty in this era of 'online marketing' that is leading to increased brand awareness?

The next presentation was by an entrepreneur where we were even gifted a book written by this innovator, Mr. Harsh Mariwala, Marico. This was followed by a book-signing session and a discussion around 'traditional advertising: the road ahead' chaired by Mr. Josy Paul of BBDO. Other speakers were Mr. Ajay Kakar of Aditya Birla Capital, Shubhranshu Singh of Tata Motors and Mr. Rahul Pansare of Jeep Stellantis (India). They talked about how there was a thin blurring line between 'traditional' and 'online' or digital. Mr. Paul emphasized on the importance of radio as a potent medium that has been the oldest medium, yet every time reinventing itself. Citizen journalism, too, revolutionized media and challenged the definitions of 'traditional' media. 

My question was: if digital is 'traditional', then how to accommodate the new-age customer who has different demands and needs, not just as a 'content creator' but as a consumer, too?

A short half-an-hour lunch was followed by another discussion around 'hyperlocal focus in media planning'. The session was chaired by Mr. Mandeep Malhotra, a business marketing consultant. Other speakers were Mr. Rajiv Dubey of Dabur, Mr. Krishnarao Buddha of Parle, Mr. Mukesh Mishra of Adani Wilmar, Mr. Ravi Saxena of WonderChef, Ms. Esha Nagar of Nepa India. They had a brainstorming session on planning being all about setting a context, content and medium. Mr. Navin emphasized upon the marketing tactics being more customized, which is a bigger challenge for established brands as they have to compete with ever-new brands coming up in the local market. There has also been more use of technology to meet consumer demands. Mr. Ravi talked about O2O- Online to Offline and vice versa. The main focal point discussed was the entry of big companies entering the hyperlocal market.

Speakers also talked about partnerships coming into the fray. Winning has become important in markets. In advertising, companies were always looking for opportunities that worked for them.

My question: if hyperlocal focus has to maintain its brand, then one of the key elements is 'maximizing relationship marketing'. How do hyperlocal brands work on their CRM?

Subsequent sessions were on the power of conversation by Kanika Mittal of Twitter, Puneet Das of Jaagore (CSR initiative of Tata Tea); followed by panel discussions on 'using sports to build brands', 'blurring boundaries between sales and marketing', 'era of conversational commerce'.

Shark Awards followed suit with various winners being declared under different categories. Some of the winners were O & M, India and Bisleri among a lot others. Marketeer of the Year was Ms. Anjana Ghosh of Bisleri; Campaign of the Year Award also going to Bisleri (Samajhdar Bisleri Peete Hain); Media & Entertainment Gold going to Amazon Prime Video & SoCheers; Health & Wellness Gold going to Redcliffe Labs & Spankh Creative Adda; Consumer Durables & Electronics Gold going to Jaguar Bath & Lighting & Enormous; BFSI (Banking, Financial Services & Insurance Sector) Gold going to Motilal Oswal Financial Services; Use of Mobile Gold being bagged by The Woman's Company & PLAY.

What followed were a few exchange of cards- I managed to save three business cards of executives working in the field of marketing and branding. As the bar opened I walked over to the dinner table to fill my tummy with scrumptious Chinese noodles and vegetable manchurian.

The food at this hotel was good- light and wholesome:-))

#MumbaiRains #ETBWS #Conference #SaharaStar #Advertising #Marketing #Branding #Awards #SHARK_Awards #LifetimeExperience

India Communication Summit: A Nostalgia Trip

#ICA22

It was an action-packed day. I was as nervous as the anchor on stage introducing all the guests and leading the chats and discussion around different themes related to communication and public relations. This was something I had been waiting for the longest time. What I had imagined was a conglomerate of industry experts in the field of communication. It was something close to it and maybe more.

The session began with a brief introduction by Satrajit Sen, Head- Product & Community, ETBrandEquity.com. It was followed by a short speech by Madan Behl, C-founder & MD, Adfactors PR. He spoke mainly about the lack of rigour in journalism which has not been a positive sign in the field of communication. Then Vikram Chopra, Founder & CEO, Cars24 laid emphasis on truth, authenticity and empathy being the cornerstones of effective communication.

The first panel discussion comprised a great number of speakers- Shree Das of Unacademy, Sitara Menon of OkCupid India, Rajnish Wahi, Snapdeal, Pranav Kumar, Allison+Partners and chaired by Devesh Gupta of ETBrandEquity.com. The discussion hovered around the new age PR mandate and how it is going to be for the future.

The second panel discussion had eminent speakers again- Sudeep Bhalla, Tata Motors, Nida Paloba, Colgate-Palmolive, Abbas Akhtar, Bharat Pteroleum, Dr. Sarvesh Tiwari of PR Professionals, Bharatendu Kabi, Hero MotoCorp; session being chaired by Nitin Thakur of OYO. They spoke about 'Simpson's Paradox' being a deterrent in good data and analysis which has apparently taken centrestage even in PR industry. Dr. Tiwari highlighted the challenges even in Big Data.

It was now lunch time when I had to check into the room in my hotel, Hyatt Regency as I had to spend the night in the same room after the conference got over. Lunch was followed by an inspiring discussion by paralympic athlete and medallist, Dr. Deepa Malik on her journey and her face-off with her physical health challenges.

Subsequent panel discussions and chats had eminent speakers like Arjun Mohan of upGrad, Sriram Haridass of UNFPA India, a session with all-women panelists who spoke on diversity and inclusion, Dr. Bhaskar Chatterjee of Vedanta Group, Sarableen Kaur of Coca-Cola, Deepak Ajwani of EconomicTimes.com, Ratna Vishwanathan of Reach to Teach among others. Dr. Bhaskar Chatter spoke about how every form of efficient communication should have 3 Ps in that order- People, Planet, Profit with people-driven communication being at the heart of good communication.

There was an interesting discussion around leveraging social chatter to formulate good PR strategies and the role of storytelling being an important element of PR. They mainly emphasised the importance of an emotional connect with customers, character/individual is the hero, not the brand. We have a more complex audience and platforms land up promoting channels, therefore its crucial to understand customer-oriented experiences. Key takeaways from PR Storytelling were:

• CSR is an opportunity
• Who implements CSR- is it NGO, civil society, organisation or anybody else- is important to understand
• Trust deficit was still there. Deficit has narrowed
• CSR from backroom to boardroom is a reality

Finally the evening had the grand finale in the form of Kaleido Awards. Among a whole lot of winners in diverse categories- use of content, media, digital/social media, influencers, event; campaign in not-for-profit, campaign in CSR, regional communication campaign, internal communication campaign, integrated PR marketing campaign, consumer/personal tech, education, energy, enterprise/tech B2B, healthcare, media & entertainment, real estate & construction, retail & e-commerce, travel, tourism & leisure, young achiever, agency of the year- value 360 communications won a lot of awards.

It was a fun trip with me bumping into an old colleague who now worked in corporate communication. I finally went upto my room and after a brief call to my father went into a deep sleep only to quickly wake up and head out for work the next day.

#PRindustry #communication #conference #edtech #socialchetter #storytelling #newage #data

राजनीति - खेल सत्ता हथियाने का !

राजनीति वह खेल है जिसमें सभी नियमों को ताक में रखकर गेंद अपने ही हाथ में रखी जाती है।  प्राचीन काल से लेकर आजतक के इतिहास से यह सात होता है कि जो भी व्यक्ति या वर्ग सत्ता में हुआ , उसने उससे लिपटे रहने के लिए सिद्धांतों की आहुति को कोई महत्व नहीं दिया। इसी प्रकार जिस व्यक्ति या वर्ग ने सत्ता  करना चाहा वह किसी भी हथियार के प्रयोग में नहीं हिचकिचाया।

प्राचीन काल में योद्धा -नेता अधिकाधिक भूमि अपने शासनाधीन रखने हेतु प्रायः युद्ध किया करते थे।  वे शासन स्थापित करने के लिए रणनीति में छल एवं भेद की नीति अपनाने में कभी नहीं चूकते।  जब राजाओं ने देखा कि प्रजा में उनका प्रभाव क्षीण हो रहा है तो उन्होने अपने को सर्वोपरि बनाये रखने के लिए 'राजा के दैवी अधिकार' के सिद्धांत का प्रचार करना प्रारम्भ किया।  किन्तु प्रजा के वर्ग ने भी उनसे सत्ता छीनने के लिए प्रत्येक मार्ग को उचित समझा। 

आज भी प्रत्येक राजनीतिज्ञ सत्ता की गोद में बैठने के लिए बहुमूल्य मूल्यों को रौंदते हुए चला जाता है।  समाचार पत्रों में प्रायः देश -विदेश के नेताओं के स्वयं अथवा उनके सम्बन्धी के ऐसे अशोभनीय कार्य दृष्टिगोचर होते हैं जिनके द्वारा उन्होंने सत्ता प्राप्त की या उसे प्राप्त किये रखा।  सत्तारूढ़ होने के लिए राजनीतिज्ञ समाज में जाति , सम्प्रदाय, लिंग , क्षेत्र रुपी विष विपणन करके समाज को कोढ़ी बनाने से नहीं चूकते।  वे यदि सरकारी तंत्र का प्रयोग कर सकते हैं तो सत्ता - लिप्त रहने के लिए उसका दुरुपयोग करना अपना कर्त्तव्य समझते हैं। जनता जिस व्यक्ति या वाद में श्रद्धा रखती है , सभी प्रकार के नेता उसी व्यक्ति या वाद के अग्रणी अनुयायी होने का दावा करते हैं।  क्यों? जनमत प्राप्त कर सत्ता प्राप्त करने के लिए। 

आजकल समाजवाद की सभी दुहाई देते हैं।  रूस अपनी व्यवस्था को समाजवादी व्यवस्था कहता है, हिटलर ने नाज़ीवाद को एक प्रकार के समाजवाद की संज्ञा दी थी।  भारत विभिन्न दल - जनता पार्टी , कम्युनिस्ट पार्टी , कांग्रेस पार्टी - अपने अपने को समाजवादी विचारधारा का सबसे बड़ा भक्त बताते हैं।  इस बेचारे समाजवाद की , राजनीतिज्ञों द्वारा सत्तारूढ़ होने के लिए , जितनी भी छीछालेदर की जाय कम ही है। 

भारत में नीचे से लेकर ऊपर तक के सभी नेता, जो कि विभिन्न दलों में हैं , अपने को असली गांधीवादी बताते हुए चुनाव - मंच पर आते हैं। विभिन्न घोषणा - पत्रों में गांधीवादी विचारधारा को समाज के सभी क्षेत्रों में स्थापित करने की शपथ ली जाती है।  यह नाटक मात्र जनता का मत प्राप्त करने के लिए होता है क्योंकि वे जानते हैं कि भारतीय जान गांधी जी को ईश्वर - तुल्य मानते हैं। 

बहुत से देशों में राजनीतिज्ञ सत्ता के लिए इतने अधिक भूखे होते हैं जितने कि कुछ लोग सुरा व सुंदरी के लिए।  ये राजनीतिज्ञ सत्ता को पकड़े रहने के लिए सरकारी तंत्र का इस सीमा तक दुरुपयोग करते हैं कि वे सभी नैतिक सिद्धांतों को सत्ता हेतु हवन में झोंक देते हैं।  संयुक्त राज्य अमरीका , जो कि अत्यधिक विकसित देश है , में निक्सन की सत्ता - पिपासा उनके 'वाटरगेट काण्ड ' नामक घटना से उजागर होती है।  इतने अधिक साक्षर व शिक्षित देश में ही इस प्रकार की घटना नहीं हुई अपितु सुदूर पूर्व में फिलीपींस में एक शासक द्वारा सत्ता को अपनी बपौती बनाने के लिए प्रजातंत्र के छद्मवेश में कितने ही अप्रजातांत्रिक व अशोभनीय कदम उठाये जा रहे हैं।  इसी प्रकार विश्व के विभिन्न देशों में बहुत सी विप्लवकारी घटनाएं होती हैं जिनमें एक व्यक्ति दूसरे को सत्ताच्युत करने के लिए बहुत से सशस्त्र व निशस्त्र लोगों को मौत के घाट निस्संकोच उतार देता है।  ये दृश्य अफ्रीका , एशिया , व दक्षिण अमेरिका में समय समय पर देखने को मिलते हैं।  हमारे देश में भी विभिन्न दल सत्ता -प्राप्ति हेतु अनैतिअप्रजातांत्रिक कदम उठाने व लोक - प्रतिनिधित्व अधिनियम के उल्लंघन करने में एक -दूसरे से तनिक भी पीछे नहीं रहना चाहते। 

विभिन्न काल में कुछ देशों में राजनीतिज्ञों ने अधिनायकवादी शासन की स्थापना की।  इस प्रकार की व्यवस्था में जनता की भावनाओं व विचारों को अपनी कुर्सी बचाये रखने के लिए इस सीमा तक दबाया जाता है कि मानव को मानव नहीं समझते। वे अपनी व्यवस्था को अधिनायकवादी कभी नहीं कहते अपितु उसे प्रजातन्त्री की संज्ञा देते हुए विभिन्न तर्कों द्वारा पूर्णतया न्यायसंगत बताते हैं।  जर्मनी में हिटलर ने यहूदियों पर अत्याचार करते हुए नार्डिक वर्चस्व का प्रचार किया।  रूस में स्टालिन ने अपने अधिनायकवाद की पुष्टि मार्क्स व लेनिन की पुस्तकों से की।  इसी प्रकार चीन में माओत्सेतुंग ने अपनी व्यवस्था को उचित बताने के लिए किया।  इटली में मुसोलिनी ने फासीवाद के झंडे के नीचे रोम साम्राज्य की कल्पना करते हुए उसे हर प्रकार से न्यायोचित ठहराया। 

इस प्रकार राजनीति व्यक्ति की सत्ता - भूख से सम्बंधित गतिविधि है।  राजनीतिक खेल सत्ता के चारों ओर घूमता है और इस खेल के नियम उल्लंघन करके ही स्वीकार किये जाते हैं।  संभवतया बुरे कार्यकलापों को शोभनीय व सर्वमान्य रूप में प्रस्तुत करने की कला व सामर्थ्य सभ्यता का गुण है। 

- कृष्ण चंद्र पाण्डे 

Lord Ram & Politics

 Ram Janmabhoomi 'bhoomi pujan' was recently concluded with much celebration, security and with lots of enthusiasm and fervour. Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave a speech on the qualities that Lord Ram stood for and the struggles which have gone in the construction of this temple after decades. However, there was much politics and debate rather than peace and tranquility which should have been associated with a God like Ram.

Ram is associated with benevolent qualities of kindness, compassion, giving, love and peace. All of this was lacking in the location where the event went on with the speeches of Uttar Pradesh Governor and Chief Minister and RSS chief and Prime Minister himself.

Prime Minister seemed far from humble on this occasion and seemed himself like a valiant warrior out to take on a 'fight against evil' rather than showing equipoise, serenity and humility. Lord Ram has stood more for qualities of always fighting for the good, under all duress and adverse circumstances. Lord Ram has been associated with peace and brotherhood in the neighbourhood, village, city and the nation. But the very fabric on which this temple exists (after the violent demolition of Babri Masjid) questions the notion of 'peaceful co-existence'. Prime Minister would have done well by exhorting on all people to follow a calm serene quietude of Lord Ram. All that was missing. He simply spelt out the places in which Ram is worshipped, as though being pushed by a heightened sense of insecurity for his party's ideology and Hindutva agenda.

Lord Ram is the God for all, irrespective of the nationality. Yet for a Prime Minister to attend such an occasion is not a befitting answer to a country based on secularism and all-encompassing religions. India has always believed in 'Sarv Dharma Sambhaav' where all religions and communities live together for a common goal of security, safety and development without the notion of fear. A Prime Minister who instils fear rather than love and inspiration is not a versatile leader. It was not befitting for him to attend a totally Hindu occasion where minorities crave for attention and equal opportunities. It raises fresh questions about whether our country is indeed 'caring' for all communities' feelings and whether a national leader is sensitive towards feelings of all his countrymen irrespective of caste, creed or religion.

योग

करो योग, रहो नीरोग, बनो योग्य। हर दिन मनाएं‌ 'योग  दिवस'(21 जून)।   --- के सी  पाण्डे 

संगम

जीवन सफल हो जाता है
जब होता है संस्कृति और शिक्षा का संगम

गीत मधुर बन पड़ता है
जब होता शब्दों और संगीत का संगम

पुष्प सुन्दर खिल उठता है
जब होगा रंग और खुशबू का संगम

पेड़ पौधे बढ़ जाते हैं
जब होता वायु के साथ सूर्य का संगम

मधुर चांदनी खिल उठती है
जब होता चाँद और रात का संगम

चहक उठता मन जब होता
सुर से भावना का संगम

जीवित होती मूरत
जब होता भक्ति से भाव का संगम

महक उठता शैशव
जब होता मातृत्व से प्रेम का संगम

बढ़ उठते हैं हाथ आशीष से
जब चरणों से होता विनम्रता का संगम

बहक जाते हैं कदम
जब होता मदिरा से उन्माद का संगम

जल उठती है अग्नि
जब होता चिंगारी का लकड़ी से संगम

 बन जाती है ताकत
जब होता पांच अँगुलियों का मुट्ठी में संगम

हो जाती है क्रांति
जब होता विचारों का कर्म के साथ संगम

बन जाते हैं वीर नागरिक
जब होता हौसले के साथ आवाज़ का संगम

संगम, मिलन, एकाग्रता
शक्ति का प्रतीक - और लाती है
जागृति !!

Gujju Gyan!!

My first trip to Gujarat was made very memorable, thanks to the relentless efforts of my dear younger brother, Dhruv Pande. The trip began much earlier with my landing at Ahmedabad airport where for the first time I saw what seemed like 'labourers' to me in the aeroplane as my co-passengers (was Gujarat moving towards a 'classless' society?, Nah!!). Of course I wasn't travelling executive but only economy class. It gave me a feeling that Gujarat as a state was a very good employer for a lot of people from across the country and later I realized even countries like Nepal (https://www.gujarattourism.com/). Every restaurant I went to had a Nepali manager/employee.

The main trip began with us going to Gir Wildlife Sanctuary which was a beautiful drive from Rajkot. It took us around four-to-five hours to reach our destination at Gir (https://lionsdengir.chobs.in/) homestay which was a lovely bungalow with two-room duplex house and a kitchen to cook in. Our family loves homestays, always! The ride was a smooth one with our driver, Mahendra Singh Kaka being a chatterbox. He shared stories from mythology to politics to travel, everything on the planet, including Modi-and-Shah. The following morning Kaka had seen a leopard close to his car in which he slept while we headed off to Ambardi Safari Park to pay a reasonable Rs. 190 each to see the Lion King. And did we see it? I almost jumped off my seat as everyone shouted 'Woh raha, woh hai Sher'! (That's the lion). We all got clicking and in half-an-hour were out of the park feeling satisfied we had had our money's worth, more than anything else!!

Next our stop was the former Portuguese colony, Daman and Diu. It was a drive of another four hours. Lovely landscapes, toor farms, acacia trees, millets in the fields welcomed us and flanked our driveway. It was the first time I did not sleep on a drive. Gujarat was so peaceful- it gave me the feeling I was travelling abroad and not in India. Gujarati villages seemed much less populated and more systematic and organized. Although we were staying at a place called Palms at Nagoa beach, a place worth trying is definitely the Diu tentcity (https://www.diutentcity.com/). This was real excursion. It had a Goa-feel and weather was lovely as I woke up early the next day to head out to a view of the beach. There was lots of sightseeing to do- Diu Fort, Diu Museum (earlier called St. Thomas Church), St. Paul's Church, and the beach. My father, an adventurer, did parasailing where I edited his video and shared it on all my social media platforms. It was a lovely walk by Nagoa-Khodihar beach. We also visited Naida caves and Gangeshwar temple before heading out for tea at Hotel Krishna, the most popular one in Diu.

Early next morning we headed out for our pilgrimage- to Somnath temple and Dwarkadheesh. Both the places filled me with humility, courage and love. The best part was the steamer ride to Beynt Dwarka. We donated our share and collected our share of the prasad for friends and relatives before heading out for Rajkot.

Another great sightseeing was the Gandhi Museum at Rajkot which had multimedia installations, including audio-visual aids to take us through the Mahatma's journey. An enriching tour of Kaba Gandhi Delo, too, which left me even more humbled than my trip to the two temples of Gujarat.

At the end of the tour I realised Gujaratis were fun-loving people who believed in 'eat, drink and be merry' but not at the cost of work. I loved to see the work ethic and work culture among drivers, security guards and domestic help. Even a tea-seller seemed to follow a system without indulging in unnecessary PRing and 'making friends'. I hope I get some 'Gujju Gyan' to attain financial freedom and organized mindset!!
                                                     Club House at Lion's Den homestay

Parasailing by Papa at Nagoa Beach, Diu

Homestay at Gir Wildlife Sanctuary, Gujarat

The lion at Gir (Front view)