*puke*. My apologies but gosh please excuse me. I haven’t seen worst ads in my life, okay I may have, but these are bad. As an advertising buff, I passively keep an eye open for good, catchy advertising be it in print, tv or web. And OMG, I fail to recall when I have seen horrible ads. A good ad entices you to use the product so much that you are willing to pay for it. An poor ad is one that leaves you ambivalent and you don’t really care much for the product shown. The ads shown below, make me want to run away from the product as far as possible. Infact these ads are so terrible that if I was in a situation that I HAD to use the product, I’d pay money not to use it.
The pity is that Tata Telecom is a good company that provide decent products with decent service. Infact I am currently typing this blog post while using a TATA Docomo 3G dongle and I have been getting decent speeds. However, when it comes to advertising I don’t know why but TATA seems to always miss the mark. I blogged about TATA’s Telecom poor advertising several years ago here as well. Anyway, I am a fan of TATA Products and I hope someone senior enough in their organisation sees this and makes the requisite changes.
Here are those horrible ads. Don’t view them.
And this is suppose to make me subscribe to a Tata Docomo service? Next time I’m getting an operation, besides checking the Doctor’s experience I’m also going to check who is his Telecom Service Providoer.
Yes, I can just see mothers spotting those Tata Stores so that they can take their babies as far away from them as possible.
This is the worst of them all. Profiling domestic workers.
TrulyMUST-HEAR for every entrepreneur, marketing, customer-care and HR department. Tony Hsieh, retells his heartwarming journey on how he took Zappos, once this unknown company, to become the darling of the American Shoe Shoppers. When Tony joined Zappos, it was a sinking company with sales of a grand total of $0. Over 10 years he turned it around for it to earn $1 Billion in 2008. Subsequently, Zappos was acquired by Amazon for $1.2 Billion. The best part is how he did it. It was not by hammering advertising down customers throats. It was instead by focussing on the Culture of the Company, the Employees and Staying True to it’s mission of providing Outstanding Customer Service.
There were several take backs that I got from this talk some of which I remember are:
- The Vision, Mision, Values (you know the stuff you find in lobbies of Companies) are not as important as the commitment and dedication to living up to them. Don’t spend eons and oodles of money on retreats to come up with grandiouse mission statements. A simple one off the internet would do just fine, as long as you believe in it and are committed and dedicated to live up to it.
- Encourage employees to spend more time on the phone with customers, not less. They don’t have written scripts nor fixed time during which to complete a call. A complete opposite of the Call Centre Culture.
- Long term happiness is obtained by being part of a movement that is larger than yourself. Focus on that first and then top it up with the other forms of happiness such as the Flow experience and Momentary Pleasures.
Wow. What A Brilliant Play. Infact I have a good mind to hear it all over again. The play is on Washinton’s Post decision to publish excerpts of The Pentagon Papers, a top-secret document about the Vietnam war, which“demonstrated, among other things, that the Johnson Administration had systematically lied, not only to the public but also to Congress, about a subject of transcendent national interest and significance”.
The play beautifully brings out issues of how much freedom of press should there be in a democracy and how responsible should they be. Very timely in today’s era.
Court Room dramas don’t get more exciting than this. I highly recommend clicking the link and hearing the sample audio available. I did. I was hooked and bought this audio drama. Boy, was it well worth it. I later bought the DVD and watched it all over again. A brilliant court-room drama that exercises one critical thinking and questioning skills. How do you look at a situation impartially. Devoid of emotion, prejudices and give your view completely based on facts. You think you can do that? Would you test your theory/view before airing it? Hear this play to know where you stand.
The play is about a boy who is convicted of killing his father based on overwhelming evidence. The jury battle out their views over the course of this play till the reach a conclusion.
We’re pleased to announce that Sufi Comics will be participating as an exhibitor @ Comic Con Express Mumbai on the 22nd & 23rd of October. We’ll also be doing an On-Stage book launch of “40 Sufi Comics” at 1:30 pm on 22nd October. If you’re in Mumbai during this time, please drop by, we would love to meet you!
What is Comic Con Express?
Comic Con Express is the traveling version of the Indian Comic Con, the annual Comics Convention at Delhi. Comic Con Express was started with the aim of taking Comic Con to cities throughout India to support and boost the comics industry by increasing local interaction and participation. Visit: http://www.comicconindia.com
I still remember my awe at my first ipod. It changed my life. I was never one for much music. However, the number of lectures, podcasts, speeches I began to listen to thanks to the ipod, multiplied several times over. I was benefitting so much from it, that eventually each and everyone of my family members (my brother, my mom, dad, wife) began to own one (sometimes two or more). That has been the story with each and every Apple product that I have owned. After I got my Macbook, I began blogging, podcasting more than before. With the ipad I have been reading more than before.They have helped me become more me. The “i” before each Apple product is not misplaced. It does indeed help each reach into or express one’s truly self.
What a briliant individual to design tools that work seemlessly well across ages, generations and cultures. Wait a go Steve. Will miss you dearly.
I have been watching Steve Jobs videos over the past two days. Here are a few of my favourite short ones:
Focussing is about saying NO.
Brilliant Video. Just 3 mins long
If you enjoyed that there’s another 5 minute bit from the same gathering that’s worth watching here.
Steve Jobs Tells us a Secret
That was interesting, never knew that’s the way it happened.
Death is life’s best invention
A one minute excerpt of his famous Stanford Speech
If you have not heard his Speech, drop everything and do it now from here.
I have been in Birmingham UK for the past few weeks. And the highlight of my day has undoubtedly been my early morning runs. The weather here has been so pleasant over the last month. It’s like God, while winking has pointed His finger at us and said, “Yo, just chill”. And that’s precisely how the glorious weather has mostly been. Dazzling Sunshine, Cool Breeze, Clear Blue Sky. It’s Jannat, I tell you.
Here are some pics from my run a couple of days ago.
What an inviting path. I couldn’t wait to run on this road and hear the leaves crunch beneath my feet.
Found this at the edge of the park that I was running in. This has been placed by Birmingham City Council for recycling of clothes
Woooow! I’m walking on Sunshine….
Double Woooow!
Shimmering Waters.
Sun, Greenery and Ducks.
Why did the Squirrel Cross the Road?
To have his photo taken ofcourse!
We live in a world where modern man is seen as nothing more than a glorified animal whose purpose is to maximize his sensory & sensual pleasures. It’s a world where we’re constantly bombarded with images of sexuality, and lowering the Gaze has become uncool.
Is “seeing” nothing more than processing of photon particles? Is beauty only in the external world of form? The External world is just a tiny reflection of Real beauty. Real beauty lies is in recognition of the formless.
To recognize Real Beauty, one should be careful of what they see ’cause the Eye is a window to the Soul. What we see changes who we are, and who we are reflects what we choose to see.
“There is nothing more gainful than lowering one’s gaze, for the sight is not lowered from things, which Allah has forbidden unless the witnessing of majesty and glory has already come to the heart.” ~ Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq (as).
In this time’s comic I’ve tried something different. It contains no words other than the saying of the Imam. A similar saying has also been attributed to the Prophet (‘s), but I’ve not been able to find the exact words & reference.
This is the month of Ramadan. It is a month where we have been invited to be the guests of God. Instead of giving us food, He asks us to Fast, because it is an invitation to get close to Him. Just a few days are left and the month of Ramadan will come to an end. Let’s make the best use of these last few days by sincerely seeking his forgiveness, and seeking his help to improve ourselves for the better.
The Prophet (‘s) has said “Unfortunate is the person who is deprived of the forgiveness of God during this great month.”
“This is a Book full of Blessings that we have revealed unto you so people ponder upon its verses and men of intellect may reflect.” (Quran 38:29)
“Seek truth in meditation, not in moldy books. Look in the sky, to find the moon, not in the pond.” – a Persian proverb.
I can’t help but recall the Killers of Imam Hussain (as) on the plains of Karbala. It’s been narrated that some of the murders had memorised the entire Quran. Memorised! How many times they must have read the Quran to have it memorised. Yet, they were urging their commander to start the battle early so that they could kill the Holy Imam and then offer their prayers. The lesson is the same. Reading may be first baby step towards enlightenment, but is useless without reflection.
