Eventful!

IPL, for the last 6 years,  has been a phenomenon. We love it, and this 'Indian' league is a 'global' affair.

But what has amazed me is the outstanding response from the sponsors  A company has literally painted the whole nation blue by sponsoring this yearly extravaganza. Companies rush in and shell out crores of Rupees to get their name up there, to earn a 20 second ad space for themselves.

AN OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN
SHORT TERM BENEFITS?

What really makes an event so huge? Why while some events, even if big, don't really have that rush of sponsors?

I guess the answer lies in the fact that the mileage given by events like IPL can not be given by many others. How many of us really remember an ad, or a logo unless and until it is shown to us day in and day out? IPL does that. 50 odd days of 'some brand sixer' and 'x-brand fours' and 'catches brought to you by x' etc etc. make us at least remember that brand.

And yeah, the power of storytelling (my previous post) always gives that advantage. Driving the incidence and making the population aware about you can be done by sponsoring such events. But I still wonder how sustainable is that when people remember so little about yesterday?

A moment to cherish, a time to remember.

The first time you got selected somewhere, the first time you kissed her, the 'only' time your teachers praised you are the times you remember, we like to remember and cherish.

THE POWER OF STORIES

Many marketing greats have identified the importance of 'storytelling'. There are products which are absolutely not a necessity. We can definitely live without them, but still we need them. And not just need them, they have become an integral part of our lifestyle. There are products, which, by connecting with the lives of people, make us believe that they are worth buying.

That's the power of storytelling. A logo tells a story, an ad tells a story, we often tell stories and make analogies to make some theoretical concepts clear to our peers.

Food and beverages companies have made a market just by telling stories. Companies are doing this more often now (seen the latest Godrej ad?). And why not? It works. It has worked for so many companies, so many times.

The empirical evidences clearly state that storytelling has become a necessity now.

The paan-wala knows best!

It's amazing how whatever management grads learn sitting in the classroom is practiced day in and day out by the people selling vegetables and sutta on footpaths.

THE SHOP, ALL DRESSED UP!

I was having a juice at a corner shop and the dressing of the shop made me wonder how they go about their business. Sustainability is such a big factor there. Thin margins, cutting-edge competition and the desperation to sell your product due to its life cycle. 

The shop is dressed in such a way that MBA grads take millions of classes to understand. Products are displayed for activation and of course, for letting the people know it's there. The shops are in a congested area, taking help from the competition and supporting products.The shelf spaces well occupied, the margins well taken care of, the finances being managed carefully.

It's amazing how much we can learn and understand just by understanding a corner shop's model of working. Well, classes are necessary, I believe. They make us understand how to look at things and understand them. Going in the field gives us a practical, hands-on experience of what is being done.