Revival of Maggi

Any brand needs to put in a lot of effort in order to build a respectable brand name and lace in the market. Intense research on product, its packaging, connection the audience, it’s advertisement campaigns and many other things go into making up of a successful brand. But a brand image, no matter how much time it took to be built doesn’t take long to be shattered.

Taking the example of Nestle Maggi. It is a product that had been a part of almost every Indian household since we all can remember. Ou generation literally grew up on Maggi. But one fine day, we hear a news that our very beloved Maggi contained levels of lead that are way higher than what is safe for consumption. The news spreads like wildfire and before we know it, Maggi is being banned from many states. Now the gravity of the situation was such that it did call for a huge step. Nestle had broken people’s trust. Maggi was supposed to be the ultimate comfort food, something that one would reach for when everything else was too hard and time consuming to make. So when this very product was found out to be harmful for consumption, the brand had a huge crises at hand.

Whenever situations like these occur, the brand gets stuck in a vulnerable position wherein they very carefully need to scrutinise the situation and take each step with extreme caution so as to not make the situation any worse. In this case, Maggi is trying their hand at various strategies. I shall be working in a little as to what according to me could be the next steps taken by Maggi to build back their brand image.

I really feel that this particular product has more emotional connect to the audiences that any other brand of instant noodles. And so one way to reconnect with the audience could be through the medium of digital marketing and social media. For this, a great tool could be snap chat. It could consist of the brand hiring actors to make and upload videos that are only a couple of seconds long. They could range over a couple of things such as showing youngsters cooking Maggi. A group of students living in their hostel cooking Maggi at night. Little clips to make sure the brand gets some recall value.

Another strategy that I feel could work is huge hoardings. Since Maggi is still making corrections in their brand and will relaunch their product in near future. These hoardings could just be huge ones by the side of busy roads and highways. Passing cars and passengers will not miss them. They should just be minimal haordings with the logo of maggi in the centre and a one liner saying COMING SOON or WE MISS YOU TOO or IT’LL BE WORTH THE WAIT. These hoardings will ensure that people remember the brand even when it is not in the market. And will also build the anticipation for future.

Maggi according to me has been great in handling the situation. To retract their product was a wise thing to do and now let’s hope and see how they come up with an improved product which is able to wine back it’s consumers.

Different ways to wear Juttis

With Juttis being one of the most versatile and wearable footwear available in the market, this season sure calls for the amalgamation of these beautiful shoes with our existing wardrobes. Lightweight and easy to slip on, these sure make for a great companion during the spring summer.With new trends and more contemporary Juttis now out in the market, people have a wider variety to choose from and various ways to pair juttis with their day to day outfits.

A tried and tested way is to team these up with salwars and chudidars. Plain solid coloured salwars can easily be jazzed up by wearing them bright and vibrant Juttis.

·      Apart from the traditional way, Juttis are a great footwear to experiment with. They can be well teamed up with ankle cut skinny jeans or straight fit jeans that can be rolled up at the bottom. These can be teamed up with short cotton kurtas for a more Indian look or even simply worn with t-shirts for a casual look.

A simple outfit consisting of plain black leggings can be jazzed up using some vibrant juttis.

·      Printed Juttis can be great to team up with long flowy silhouettes such as maxy dresses, long skirts or even pallazos. For a slightly more structured look, they can also be teamed up with wide legged trousers.

           

·      To beat the heat, Denim shorts, skirts and dresses are a great trend. These too can be paired beautifully with Juttis. The trick is to match them well. Printed, fun Juttis with a plain structured dress and if the dress already has too much going on, then go for simple and minimalistic designs on the juttis.

           

        

India’s first Oscar

Nothing in life comes easy. Very few have the talent, passion and determination to work against the odds and create history.

At the time when the Indian fashion industry was just unfolding and lacked any exposure, one woman took it upon herself to not only give the industry some of the finest work it had ever seen but also made sure that her country got global recognition. She was the first Indian to win an Oscar. The woman in context is none other than Bhanu Athaiya, a name I’m not sure many people are familiar with. She received the Academy Award for Best Costume design for her work in the 1982 film- Gandhi and was the first and till date the last Indian female to receive this honour. She has worked in over a 100 films with noted film makers such as Guru Dutt, Yash Chopra and Raj Kapoor. She was known for her detailed designs that brought in life to the characters who wore them. In a male dominated industry, she stood firm and made her mark. However, while the whole world was singing her praises, her own country chose to ignore her. At the time of her win, she didn’t get as much recognition and appreciation as she deserved. In an interview she said, “That’s their fault not mine. I did my job and in an ideal world, I would have been decorated with a Padma award at least. I’m not bitter about it anymore and I somehow have the feeling that I had something more to give to the world than the other way round.”

She recently returned her Oscar to the academy because she felt it wasn’t safe here and that there were no measures nor individuals to take care of things.

I sometimes wish she could get a do-over because this time around. Im sure she would get the name and fame she deserved since the fashion scene in the country has now increased manifolds. Nevertheless, I just hope that through this article people that didn’t know who she was earlier, now certainly do.

"How to fill up those fancy notebooks you buy and collect but never use."

When Carrie Bradshaw sat down to fill up her diary every night, she made it seem pretty easy. But if you belong to the same breed of people as I do, who enjoy purchasing those beautifully bound pieces of paper more than they enjoy filling them, we’ve got a problem guys. We see a beautiful diary, get attracted to it, and fall in love with it and then end up getting it home. We have this new found hope, that this time would be different; that this time we would actually fill it up with the most creative and fancy things possible. But soon the enthusiasm fades away, reality sinks in and we end up being the lazy hopeless beings we are. Then begins the process of procrastination. We keep pushing it one day at a time in the hope that someday we would wake up and find the strength and creative strength to fill it up. But the day usually never comes or maybe comes once a month initially and then never. So then we make a promise to ourselves that the next time we see these pretty things, we will keep ourselves strong and resist the urge to buy them. But I guess we all know what happens. We come back with another new diary. And this way, the vicious circles goes on.

So if you are like a lot of us, it’s time we make a change my friend. Why, you ask me? Because these beautiful pieces of art aren’t going to fill themselves. Trees weren’t cut so that you could buy products made from them and never even use them, but most of all these diaries deserve to be filled because you deserve to put to paper all the crazy things going on in your brain. From doodles to diary entries, from song lyrics to fan fiction, the possibilities are endless.

The most tried and tested way is to write diary entries. These do not have to be daily entries, but I’m sure, every once in a while, each of us have days where we need to clear our head. And so the perfect way of doing that is by putting pen to paper and pouring your heart out. Not only would you feel lighter after that, but sometimes reading what you have written a couple of days later, really puts things into perspective.

For the more artsy ones, doodling is a great way to put those diaries to use. They don’t need to be elaborate sketches. Just ideas or things that inspire you or things that happen by accident. Things that happen with you on a daily basis, on your way to work/school/college. After a hectic day these diaries can be a great vent.

Another great way to fill these notebooks is by using them to preserve memories. Photo albums have become kinda boring now. Instead use these notebooks to put pictures and then scribble down some cute notes under them that tell something about that specific photo, where and when was it taken, who took it, what were you dong while it was being taken. This is also a great idea for DIY presents for your close friends. I’ve done it for a couple of close friends myself and they always seem to love it. Who doesn’t like a book full of memories dedicated to themselves.

For people like me, I usually end up scribbling song lyrics in my diaries. I mostly have a song in my head each day that keeps playing on repeat mode. It may not seem so constructive, but writing down my playlists and song lyrics gives me a lot of self-revelation. Our playlists change a lot and writing them down and reading later just makes us realize how our perspective changes over time. This could also be done with the books we read and the movies we watch. Or maybe write our little reviews of any latest album you heard.

Taking out a little time from our lives may seem like a task sometimes, but the idea is to make this time fruitful. Spending those 5 minutes can actually be a great way to clear your head and relieve stress. Not just that, but trust me, looking back at those diaries you filled up years ago is one of the most surreal feelings in this world. To reflect and to have the realization that we had something to say, gives us a great sense of accomplishment. The way I see it, it is amazing way of self-preservation. Like Will Self said and I quote, “unless it is committed to paper you can lose an idea for ever.” 

Digital media versus Traditional media

Benefits of digital media over traditional media for a fashion and lifestyle/luxury brand

It’s a fast pace world today and everybody wants services at their doorstep. It’s the generation of the young and the restless who wouldn’t like to wait to get what they want. Here is where digital media overpowers traditional forms of media such as television and print advertisements.

For starters, digital media is more action oriented. If u see and ad in the newspaper, it’s a very rarely occurrence that you will go to their website and order that handbag you really liked in the ad. Whereas if the same ad popped up while you were browsing through your Facebook feed, you are more likely to click on it, go directly to the website, and may place an order for the same.

Next, digital media can be way more persistent than traditional media. If you’re watching the television or even going through your favourite fashion magazine, you are most likely to skip through the ads. But if you happen to be online, there’s not much you can do. Every time you are on a website, a pop up ad of the last fashion/lifestyle you were on will keep distracting you. The occasional non skip-able YouTube ads will do the same.

Digital media is also way more interactive and immediate than traditional media. Have an issue with the product you bought, write an email to the customer care and you will receive an immediate reply. This is off course way better than going to their store and asking someone for help in which case you might not be responded with great enthusiasm or service.

Role of a mobile (Smart phone) in digital marketing for a fashion and lifestyle brand/luxury brand

For most people, a mobile phone is the most immediate electronic device and stays in the most proximity. There is nothing as compact, multipurpose and efficient as the mobile phone. It plays an extremely significant role in digital marketing for a fashion and luxury/lifestyle brand since it is so well integrated in our lives.

Taking practical examples, when a store launches their new collection, you get an SMS on your phone telling you the same. Even if you don’t physically go to the store to check it out, it does register in your brain and you are aware that they have come out with a new collection. You are sent similar SMSs when there’s a sale about to begin or any other promotional activity that’s happening.

We may not read the newspaper every day or listen to the radio, but we sure will use our phone every single day.  Hence, any information that any brand would want to send us through our phones, would almost be impossible to not notice.

Going through other forms of media may seem like a task but going through our phones doesn’t seem like so. With so many apps present on our smartphones such as Facebook, Instagram, Snap chat, etc. we barely open these sites on our laptops or PCs but frequently go through them on our phones while on our way to work, waiting to meet someone, waiting for our food at a restaurant, etc. 

The Advent of Indie in India

With the screening of an Indian film at the Cannes Film festival and then it going on to receive 2 major awards- FIPRESCI, International Jury of Film Critics Prize and Promising Future Prize in the UNcertain regard section, we are one proud nation. This film- Masaan, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, starring acclaimed actors such as Richa Chadda and Sanjay Mishra has not only brought us fame in the international arena but has also encouraged many more budding Indian film makers to pursue their passion. 

Such films are not a very recent phenomenon in India but up until a couple of years ago, didn't really get much recognition. Indie film can be referred to as any movie made with an individualistic spirit, not necessarily to cater to the masses. It is hard for such films to make an impact on the diverse Indian audience for various reasons.

 Firstly, these films don't have a famous star cast whom the masses identify. Secondly, these movies are made on a tight budget and hence don't have any fancy locations or designer clothes. The approach of these movies is such that they don't contain any song and dance numbers. Thirdly, these films hardly find promoters and marketing owing to such restrictive budgets and hence the audience many a times isnt  even aware of the release of such movies. Fourthly, tickets for these movies are the same price as that of big productions starring superstars and so the audiences rarely want to invest their money in something they might be trying for the first time.

Apart from these, it is very important that bigger production houses help out such movies and promote new talent. Producers must come up for the love of cinema and not just think as mere businessmen. Recent examples being Udaan(2010) and Shahid(2013) which were both independent ventures but were picked up for distribution by mainstream companies.

Udaan, one of the initial Indie films to have received the kind of appreciation that it did, did not achieve decent numbers at the time of its release but is now regarded as path breaking cinema and a cult film by many directors. 

2012-13 saw a boom in such movies, Ritesh Batra's 'The Lunchbox', Anand Gandhi's 'Ship of Theseus' and Ajay Bahl's 'BA Pass' are all india movies that not just received great critical acclaim but also managed to get decent collections at the box office. Another Such movie, 'The Good Road' was chosen as India's official entry to the Qscars. Ashin Ahluwalia's 'Miss Lovely' was the official selection at The Cannes Film Festival. When such movies get exposure at International film festivals they are even sometimes picked up by International distributers.

Though the net collections and returns of these movies are nowhere near the mainstream Bollywood entertainers, the recognition they receive, has definitely increased. The next generation is definitely bolder and experimental with their cinema choices and hence there is hope for  indie culture in India. These films represent a new age cinema that reflects India in a new light.

Additional headings:

Indie scene in India

India's Indie boom

Creating a niche

New wave New way

Indie's entry to India