Brand Loyal Anyone?

Loyalty is a virtue; no questions asked or doubts raised there. Human bonds are held together by the tender glue of fidelity. What’s a man who is not faithful to his partner or a son not devoted to the family that raised him? But loyalty to brands – is that a virtue? Well, not anymore, I should say.

There was a time when an entire family used the same brand of soap, shampoo, toothpaste, hair oil, & toothbrush. Rexona, Chik, Lifebuoy, Surf, Medicare, Parachute were not brands, they were family! We continued to use them, from the time we learnt to wash ourselves, to the time we got married or got jobs, whichever came first. Once your father made up his mind about a product, the product stayed with you for life.
In fact, if my parents were alive, you’d still find them using Colgate (recommended by the Dental Association). However, jobs opened the world of ‘choice’. It meant we’d try Close-Up or Ultra-Doux or Dabur Almond Oil or whatever else caught our fancy.

Now, when Sathya & I, do our monthly shopping at Spar, we are spoilt for choice. Shall we use Park Avenue this time instead of Lux? Shall I try Dove soap? I find the shampoo is great. No, I’ll pass Dove. Let me try the fancy new tea oil herbal soap.
Can we club 1 trial pack of Adidas deodorant with the 3 regular Axes? Hey what about detergent? Which one this time – the one with 50gm more or the other with a scratch card? The question always is: What’s more VFM (value for money), especially when the quality is same? What’s the harm in trying anyways? It might be good, for all you know. The only thing I am loyal to these days turns out to be the humble coconut. No negotiations there. Pick the one you lay your hands on, shake it near your ears (that’s how generations of humans choose their coconuts!) & get going.

The endearing form of loyalty existing today is the emotional one: the undying connect some brands have with their customers. Maggi Noodles, for instance. I’ve been using it since 2000. TEN years on & I still haven’t switched my loyalties to any other brand. In fact, I’ve added one more loyal consumer to Maggi’s story: my daughter. However, this is an exception.


The fact is there’s no blind loyalty to any brand today. Especially in sectors like FMCG, apparel, broadband, cosmetics & mobile handsets. Look at handsets. They’ve such a short life, thanks to those who want to constantly experiment, experience new features & explore fresh ideas – be it the touch screen or a new version of an operating system or an upgraded model of an existing phone. And whoever is loyal to phone companies & airlines as they are not even loyal to you? With them it’s always “Conditions Apply”.

Interestingly, brands know they cannot expect consumer loyalty anymore. They know they have to relentlessly prove themselves or find themselves replaced. After all, what we think today about a certain product could later be updated, upgraded or revised – whether it’s in the pricing, features, accessories, look, packaging or even the main characteristic of the product on offer. It’s a fascinating new world for the consumer. I am NOT complaining.

Perfect Picture

You can’t go wrong with photographs of a sunset. No matter how ‘dabba’ your camera is (even the one on your mobile will do) or how shaky your hands are or how totally unaware you are of angles, you can be sure, whichever way you click the setting sun, it will still look awesome. This is a huge morale booster for me. I’ve deluded myself many times over, into thinking I am this great photographer & my shots of sunsets always make me feel I ain’t half as bad. Oh and some flowers are like that too. You can click them from anywhere, they will come out beautiful.

Among the few things I envy others, good photography tops the list. I think very few have the sense of what goes into taking a good snap. Fewer still can master the timing that is required for a perfect picture. I am sure knowledge of the camera & its features, lighting & shades, the technique & the camera itself play a role in the quality of your pictures. But mostly it’s about your powers of observation. If you aren’t captivated by the world, & the people, & the beasts & the way each one relates to their environment, can you invigorate your viewers? You need to be moved by creation and its many splendors.
I dread to think of the covers of Femina, Grazia & a multitude of other lifestyle magazines. They are so repetitive. Only the names of the cover-girls change, but the pout, which is so done to death, remains constant. Few have the eye required for a memorable photograph. Lonely Planet is the place to be for great photography.
I like those who know how to photograph people in a way that they don’t assume a pose or some kind of a mask. They must look for the essence of what it is about others that fascinates them. Steve McCurry is one of the persons to look for. He is the guy whose photo of the Afghan girl with the piercing eyes featured on the cover of National Geographic in 1985. 17 years later it inspired a documentary: Search for the Afghan Girl.
I like the human face. I find it endlessly interesting. There are certain types of faces that almost speak to you. Which of us can ever forget the face of the man, struck with fear & grief, staring right into the camera lens, during the Gujarat riots? That face was the most gruesome face of the Godhra tragedy.

I like people who have this amazing collection of pictures of the most ordinary things you find lying all around you but those take on a special character in their snaps. One day, I will enroll for a formal, beginner’s class on photography. Someday.

All about Ads

I remember my first brush with the world of advertising. I must have been in primary school then. There used to be these ads of Usha fans that were aired on DD 1 (where else!!). It showed all these happy people, in colorful bright clothes, running across a beach. And then the caption would be displayed saying “ghar lao Usha fan” (or something on those lines).

I kept wondering: how can one fan cool the entire beach?!!? Fan in the beach? How does it work? Where do we fix it? Where is the wire? What about current? These ‘major’ doubts kept playing in my head. I know … I know…this isn’t giving a very good picture of my brain. I was stupid, all right. I was so naïve. But, to my credit, I was also, like all children my age & time, incredibly curious about … well, just about everything. Faced with so many mind boggling questions, one day, I finally asked my elder sister, unable to unravel the mystery on my own. She explained that the ad “symbolizes” the effects of the fan, that you’d feel as cool under an Usha fan as you would if you were on a breezy beach.

Aah so that was it – symbolism! What a powerful word! And what a clever way of asking people to buy the fan! My brain was stupid but quick to grasp what was taught. To this day, I remember the explanation she gave & how it cleared my clutter in my mind. It was around this time that my interest in ads grew. Today, I am a sucker for any show on TV that talks of ads (particularly, ‘All About Ads’ and ‘Storyboard’ on CNBC TV 18). I also devour, literally, any article in any magazine that even remotely talks about any ad from any part of the world.

There was a phase in my life, when I idolized Alyque Padamse, the legendary ad man of India & followed his every major achievement. As a teenager, I remember being amused by all the media sound bites he gave (which, by the way, made me once wonder: “Is he really an Indian?”) Even now, whenever he comes on TV, I blush, thinking “oh my god…this man held me under his sway for so long”.

I believe an ad is an audio-visual biography of a brand/product. It traces its colorful journey quite vividly through the years. Look at the Surf ad: from the yesteryear’s Dhoondthe Rah Jaoge to today’s Daag Achche Hai.

Music too has, deservingly, come to define ads today & thereby, the brand recall of very many products. After all, what is Airtel without the jingle composed by Rahman? Or for that matter, what is Bajaj scooter without the “Hamara Bajaj” tune? It was a mini national anthem, especially for the Indian middle class family. And who can ever forget the evergreen jingle of Nirma detergent: “Nirma Nirma, Washing powder nirma , dhoodh ki safai, nirma se aayi”. Those were iconic tunes.

But like in all good love stories, there’s a villain in this one too. The part that depresses me about the ad world is when they use women to sell products that have nothing to do with the female gender in the first place. Like, for example, male vests or banians. Also, why on earth do they have to show women, in barely- there clothes, promoting such totally non-sexy, downright boring products like tea powder, detergents, or even toothpaste? Please give us a break from these gross ads & the crass mindsets behind them.

What attracts you to a bad boy?

For some strange reasons, all bad boys are very attractive. Listed here are some of the “strange” reasons. Bad boys are nothing short of a thrilling conquest. There’s always a surprise element to them. Nothing’s ever easy with them & they are a mystery that we, the slightly more daring ones, love to solve. They keep the equation fresh & enticing. They goad you on, to want to experience a part of life that you might have been hesitant to try by yourself. They have a mind of their own & are not afraid to go after things. So, when it finally dawns on you, that “I am what he wants”, it sure is a massive turn-on. They are just SO WRONG, they make life exciting!

Like always, I speak from experience. Sathya is the epitome of a bad boy: charming with a killer sense of humor; extremely witty with a dare-devil attitude; always the bully - never the victim; aggressive, passionate. If you think I’m writing a eulogy of my husband, here’s the part that may (or may not) be music to your ears: bad boys don’t necessarily make great husbands.

After you’ve dried up the fuel tank of your Karizma, zipping past long, endless roads, you realize that you have to now get down to the business of living. And living means – the dishes, the garbage, the raising of kids, the timely payment of bills (your house owner cares two hoots for your handsome husband’s sense of humor), the vehicle upkeep, the groceries, the medical needs, the lousy days, the end-of-the-month dry days (ATMs can’t give you what you don’t already have!!), the messy kitchen, the even messier laundry … so on & so forth.

Expecting your bad boy to give a helping hand here, are you? That’s expecting TOO much, darling. Can’t you see, he is busy entertaining the world, so that it eventually acknowledges how boring this planet could be without him? Now, cut him some slack, will you? Didn’t you promise him, that you would be his perfect wife & would be ready to do anything for him? Isn’t it time you lived up to your promises, baby? What? You say he made those very same promises to you too? Well, do you really want us to believe, that you took his words seriously? Did you forget that those mesmerizing words rolled off his tongue, on one of those drunken nights while on the dance floor, swaying to the music in one of those by the pool-side, roof top pubs? Come on now. You know better than to be carried away by a man & his spirits.

Have you ever read the instructions printed on a cigarette pack, dear? It says, ‘Smoking is injurious to health’. It applies quite beautifully, & might I add perfectly, to this rare human species called “bad boys”. They are injurious to your health. And to your temperament. And to your sanity. And to your wallet (sometimes!!). And to your craving for the semblance of a normal life. And to your ideas of happily ever after. And to your Facebook-worthy, perfect- family photo shoots. They are injurious, alright, particularly, if you’re the pukka family or gharelu type.

But if this didn’t scare you, then listen on. After the dizzy days have all gone & the romance has ebbed & flowed, do you still love him enough to want to put up with a lot of what some might call “crap”? Do you still find yourself waiting for him, with the same longing that once marked your wild days? Do you still feel you couldn’t be happier without him, even on days & especially, on days when you want to kill yourself for marrying him? If yes, go make a life together. There couldn’t be two people more ‘made for each other’ than the two of you. He is good fun. The trick is in making it work. God bless!

Holier Than Thou

Ever been with a person who thinks she has all the answers? The stuffy, rigid, straitlaced person with a closed mind? The one who pretends everything is perfect in her life? The quick to judge & quick to advice type, who is a ready reference of the Do’s & don’ts of life, who secretly endorses the dictum, “If shit happens, cover it up”? We mothers drill this “good girl - bad girl” concept into our daughters’ minds almost from the time they’re in our wombs & then, Lo! Behold! They grow up to be the moral guardians of the society (an unofficial Sri Ram Sainik!!)

When will they appreciate, that every face has a story. Just because my story is different from yours doesn’t make you any better or worse than me. Questions of morality are petty in the larger scheme of things & very subjective & so damn twisted, it’s not worth the fret.

Interestingly, morality is also relative, in terms of time. Love marriages, in the 60’s & 70’s, were a crime. 30 years on, they are no longer frowned upon. We now have the “love cum arranged” marriage!! If the boy is “well-settled” parents arrange the wedding, despite caste/religion. So, will you still sneer at your ageing aunt who ran away from home & got married to her ‘other caste’ lover?

Divorce is accepted as inevitable in many countries but is still a dirty word in ours. Here, a divorced woman is an eyesore & always the one to be blamed for the marriage to have failed. Can’t we stop belittling a divorcee (whatever the reasons for the divorce) & for once, try & empathize? How can we judge a daughter based on what the mother did? Or a father based on what his son did?

What irks me is these so-called “religious” people sitting in judgment over others’ lives. These monthly church or temple going, weekly fasting & daily praying-before-dinner type of “holy” pricks don’t understand one simple & basic truth of the Bible repeated many times over: that you’re no one, nobody, to judge others, least of all your friends, for Christ’s sake. Even Jesus didn’t. Then who the hell are you to pass character certificates on others? ‘To each his own’ for God’s sake.

Who are these people anyways? Neighbors - why should you care for their opinion? Friends - if they don’t understand you but instead speak ill of you, then baby, they ain’t your friends no more!! Relatives - do they’ve anything better to do in life than denigrate others? The world has moved on. But some of us are still stuck in our tight little world of prejudices & self–righteousness.