Branding, Selling and Mr Maslow

When the chips are down,
Just restart your engines, folks!

I was reading advertising news on a website when the new global campaign of Levi's caught my eye. More about that in a bit. But it's evident that the US recession is definitely affecting branding and brand perception. Considering that the Trust Virus is biting into the retailers' pie and consumer confidence is at its lowest, it is definitely not the best scenario to sell jeans, is it? Or for that matter any other product which would not give you direct satisfaction.

That's very basic economics. Create Utility which drives Demand and from which one can derive Satisfaction. Satisfaction: fast becoming a key word in selling. Let's delve into this a bit deeper. It was in 1943 that this guy presented a paper A Theory of Human Motivation to understand human behavior, it's needs and curiosity. That led him to design the hierarchy of needs, which can be applied to consumer demand. Yes, we are talking about Abraham Maslow.


Source: Wikipedia

Through this very simple figure, Maslow has compartmentalized human needs into five stages. The division is not strict and not all needs need to be met in order to proceed to the next higher stage - it is just a matter of priority. Only when your physiological and security needs are met, will you think on building your personality or esteem. If there are fewer jobs around, if your real estate investment comes crashing, if you can't fulfil the basic needs of your family then you won't be spending on items of personal care and luxury like say a pair of branded jeans. Maslow's priority set is very adaptive and can be applied while designing a concept, figuring out your target audience and communicating to them.

Coming back to what I started with, now how will you communicate with your primary audience for Brand Levi's in the US. It was definitely tricky. The economy is down in the slumps, confidence and self-esteem at a low, what will you tell them: Go Forth. Taking American poet Walt Whitman's creative genius, America, they have taken a stand. Take a look at their new campaign:



After Living Unbuttoned, that's quite a stand. Check out their website, it's a successful community building drive, for sure.

Coming back to Maslow and creating demand, coupons were an easy way to do the same. And according to statistics, use of coupons and vouchers has gone up by 51 per cent among 18-24 year olds. Saving and cutting costs is of primary importance - again following Maslow's hierarchy of needs. I recently discovered community space built by Wal-Mart to cater to their primary target: Moms.

Wal-Mart has created a forum called Eleven Moms that advise and share tips on savings, deals and offers. Quoting from their website:

We've spent lots of time interacting with and seeking to understand how people use these tools and in what ways the Walmart brand can be relevant and provide value. It quickly became obvious to us that many communities exist that focus on saving money which is core to our brand promise. We felt we could best participate in the conversation by helping to foster the growth of people and forums in this space.

Now, they are a little more than eleven moms on this platform discussing value shopping on a Wal-Mart platform is sure helping the brand and the consumers.

I think wherever human minds are concerned, like in the science of buying and selling, psychology can never be far behind.

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How To Shop At Sale Season

Chuck the umbrellas,
Open your wallets for shelter.
It's raining Sales.

I am a seasoned shopper and my favorite season is not the winter, not the monsoon (which finally arrived, phew!), it's the Sale Season. FYI, it has started already. Taking part in this rush every year, I was wondering if there is something I can contribute to my fellow shoppers. I should put all this experience to good use and help the society. After all, we at VC (that's short for my blog; and we is mostly me and myself, a helpless case of spilt personality), believe in spreading happiness through positive, meaningful, motivating measures.

Saving your life, cutting the crap and moving on.

Stock taking: Scan, search and compile! It's easier than it sounds. There are goodies (products) which are open to the floor at various levels. Spotting them is the real task.

Pick 'em while they last: There are some "fly aways" which will be right at the centre of the floor in baskets. If you like something, pick it right then. You won't get them again.
VC Tip: Keep checking this area for more stuff. More goodies belonging to the same family will be out as soon as the baskets go empty. By family, I mean socks, belts, undies, hair accessories: same family. You don't have to try these on, just make a choice, pick a size and move on!

Grabbers: This is the bait. Limited range, trendy and at throwaway prices. On the first day, or first weekend, it's easy to spot them. While you're grabbing them, check on the stuff that belong to the same family but are not on sale yet. Say, some items of an in-house brand, eg Groggy, are on sale but some are not. If you are a regular to the store you might know the freshness of the stock too. So if you can see stuff released at the same time, so belonging to the same stock, but all not on sale — keep an eye on them, 'cause soon they will be on the sale floor!
VC Tip: This might sound absurd but a true shopper will buy it. When you are trying on branded wear like Levi's, UCB, Pepe: all have the production year and month on them. All that belong to the same family, in terms of time frame, stock freshness, is on the sale floor next.



The Deceivers: These are available in abundance! 50 items of the same design on the floor, different colors, going very cheap. Say T-shirts, jeans, regular wear: all at a magical number. It's tempting and you will want to pick up 3-4of the same item in many colors. Why? Can't you see the price!! Of course.
VC Tip: It makes sense if you buy them for regular wear. Sure. When you're at the billing counter you will see that these "fillers" make for a huge percentage of your purchase. Even if it's 1/3rd, it was unplanned shopping. Pick them for the value for money factor. But those shopping with a purpose, say for stuff to take to a B-school, stick to the Grabbers.

Quick tips for SOS (Sale Oye Sale) Season

# Check the store website and see what credit cards/debit cards can give you added purchase points/discounts. Carry them along.

# See the discount slabs. Only a few days ago I shopped for 4K and I was open for a 20% discount on discounted items if I shopped for 5K. So mostly, whatever I pick after 4K is free. :)

# Old stock in abundance going at very high prices and still very tempting: have patience. Stores usually mark down these prices multiple times. Real life experience: I bought Converse for 500 at Pantaloons. Few days later I go to buy Converse for my brother at Pantaloons: 350. That's a mark down! I know, it's difficult to guess when it happens, but by seeing the activity on the floor you can guess. (And yes, I did get them for that price)

# Get the right shopping bud: Don't take guys, grandparents and tiny kids. They don't have the patience or the stamina. Just shop while they work, play, chat at the coffee shop and call them to foot the bill, if that's your case.

# Keep visiting the sale store every week, if you want to grab all the grabbers. Day time is definitely the best. We aren't vampires, are we?

# Be kind and sweet to the staff. It's a stressing time for them. You be sweet and they dig out the goodies for you. I know most of the staff at my favorite store, by their names. Works wonderfully and makes you feel good too. :)

# Once you're used to it, you will know the order of sales at stores. Go on Day I-VII. And during the last week for the last minute goodies. That's heavy mark down time!

# Make your shopping intentions clear to your brain and wallet. It helps.

# Always choose quality over quantity. Unless you're just gifting silly relatives!

# Don't buy sizes that don't fit just because they are awesome brands for cheap. You never grow thin. You never wear them. This is out of experience. It's a hard fact.

# If you don't know where you will wear it, don't buy it. You can invest that same money in something you can really show off to real people instead of your wardrobe!

PS: Sorry for the vampire joke. I am in the Twilight zone

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KI Factor: Reviewing Kambakkht Ishq

Who knows what's nonsense and what's sense? Why so serious?

A dash of dudes (Indian and phoren), a bowl of babes (ditto), a sizzle of songs, a hint of Hollywood, a cabinet of designer clothes, shoes and cars. Add to that Bollywood masala, beautiful Italy, scrapers and broad streets in the US. Kambakkht Ishq is not a movie you can split hair over. It's a story of two arrogant characters who can do anything to win. Caught arguing, fighting and plotting, the sexual tension between the two main leads is evident. Very evident.

It's fun to watch Akshay and Kareena fighting - the dog and the bitch, respectively. And then kissing, like puppies(?). If you sit through the end you will know what I mean. They are ruthless and generous with all the name-calling. You will get used to it by the end of the movie. Pleasantly, their understudies, so it seemed, Pumpkin and Tweety, played by Aftab and Amrita Arora, irrespectively (I inconveniently forgot who was called by which name), were fun to watch. Quite the opposite, there was no tension between the two but our leading pair left no stones unturned in that department.

What I loved about the movie were the Hollywood studios. Akshay performs daring stunts and it was simply amazing to see how the machinery in the studio works to make all the Impossibles. Kareena looks awesome in whatever she chooses to wear and is very strong with her hatred. The villainy and the meanness is something I have been attracted to all this week, thanks to Twilight, and both these actors hit it off! The songs were cool to watch too. Well shot, well dressed, typical tapori dance, performed to perfection by Akshay.

The package would have been incomplete without Kirron Kher and Javed Jaffery and the guy who befriends Akshay the stuntman. Boman Irani has a short appearance, not as great as the others, but well, he is there.

The Branding Gyan: Yes, many say this was a hype--well, I was entertained. I would like to add, that the producers should have gone a little overboard with the hype and should have had some merchandise on the floors, especially when they had Holly stars on board.
But it was fairly evident that Brand Akshay is climbing over Brand SRK. If SRK can get 36 Bolly stars to dance, Akki can get Hollywood stars, shoot in Holly studios as compared to make-believe Indian ones.
Update: Also the awards scene where Sly gives him the best stuntman award. Reminds anyone of Om Shanti Om?

What I learnt: the wedding chant. Om Mangalam Bhagvan Vishnu! ;)

Rating: 3/5



(Disclaimer: Reviews on this blog are absolutely based on the entertainment derived from the movie. I don't care if the camera angles were not right or if the story resembled to someone living or dead or stacked in a video library. I am not a critic who is angry with the actors for not giving me an interview; nor do I watch a movie with the task of filing a 500 word report in mind. Entertain me and I am pleased. Peace.)

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Reviewing New York: The movie

Three very beautiful people, struck by a catastrophe and everything changes. New York is fun, powerful and gripping till the end. The director has managed to play each character so well that you feel for all of them and can imagine the complexity of their situation.

The September 11, 2001 attacks were more than just a terrorist activity. New York is a story of how that changes the lives of three fun-loving college graduates. Based on true facts, in a subtle yet strong way, it highlights the wrongs of George W. Bush's presidency, which has crippled the lives of many till this very day.

The New York city on celluloid is also not the very Bollywood-ish Karan Johar's NY. Yes, that's there too. But it goes into the alleys, the stone roads where two lead actors enjoy a quick dance, the older parts of the city where one actor goes looking for a new beginning and also the Spiderman-type skyscrapers-NY. Don's miss the black choppers!

For once on the big screen, the workings of US's Federal Bureau of Investigation, which is held in high regard and enjoys extreme powers of detention, is highlighted. Irrfan Khan, who plays a Muslim FBI officer, carries forward the nuances of his character in Slumdog Millionaire smoothly. He's got an American accent of course, and is better turned out in his aviators.

The boys - Neil Nitin Mukesh and John Abraham - convince you with their jobs. They are quite the opposite, till the end. Especially John, who was in director Kabir Khan's Kabul Express stands out. At some point he reminds you of K from No Smoking. Should I add they look incredible or is that understood. :)

For Katrina Kaif this is probably the first serious movie (minus Sarkar) and she does a good job. She is very warm and loving with immense power and emotion. She looks stunning too. Thankfully there are no monologues by any of them, which keeps the movie fast.

Why should you watch New York- because it is based on true facts, though it is not marketed like that. Wonder why. And it will keep you guessing at many points. It will give you another reason to remember the September 11 attacks. Whether you buy Irrfan's justification with the way it ends or not, is up to you. But I think that's how these things leave us. Bitter sweet.

(Disclaimer: Reviews on this blog are absolutely based on the entertainment derived from the movie. I don't care if the camera angles were not right or if the story resembled to someone living or dead or stacked in a video library. I am not a critic who is angry with the actors for not giving me an interview; nor do I watch a movie with the task of filing a 500 word report in mind. Entertain me and I am pleased. Peace.)

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Reviewing Forbes India

I should have done this with the first copy of Forbes India, but nevertheless. The contents of the July edition interested me. The first thing you notice once you flip this beautiful business magazine is the editor's note.I feel an editor's note speaks a lot for what you can get inside a magazine. Little wonder, most editor notes are merely summaries of the contents page. But this one made a connect. I'll tell you why.

First, is the absolute casual and relaxed picture of Mr Indrajit Guha, the editor, smiling. It has an effect, it puts you at ease, relaxes you. You won't realise it but maybe it does make you want to read what he has to say, which is again very conversational. And as you go in further, you'll be surprised. There is a huge apology letter for a mistake in their very first copy that went on stands. They apologise in a very striking way for printing that Mukesh Ambani's children, who they said got through Yale on reference, did not in real.

Moving on, the stories: as an editor I can't get enough. I know when I joined journalism, I saw everyone picking up a copy of the India Today as soon as it was out on sale in the office premises. Every one. And not just India Today, but maybe an Outlook too. And whatever else the vendor brought. And how long would it take to go through that? Me- 10 minutes for an India Today. Sometimes 30.

Forbes India: it will grow on you. It took me an enormous time to just flip through. It's so well crafted, the pictures-amazingly done. It's so business yet so casual and so elegant. Graphics: they have a story on brand logos with just a 2-page chart. Fun chart. Brilliant execution.

Advantage over other business magazines: The brandname of course. The content-awesome! Interviews! Plus international stories. (A lot like what Mint can give you via Wall Street Journal, which Economic Times cannot).

If you are a businessman, drop all magazines and take this.
If you are a student, this is good study material in hardcopy.
If you hate business news, read it. You will love it.

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