Karan Rajpal | Thoughts on Marketing, Cinema, Food and Books

Well, Pepsi seems to think it can. One of world's largest cola manufacturers has decided to smile in these financially tough times. The new logo, according to various sources , is supposed to regenerate sales for the Carbonated Soft Drinks (CSD) segment for Pepsi. According to Indira Nooyi, this would be one of many steps that stops the decline of the CSD across the world. Does a smile mean more people would drink the fizz? We dunno. What's your say?

Well, we specialize in a lot of things. An analysis of the financial systems is not one of them. So if you've been wondering about what's been happening in the US, this is a must-read. Trust me when I say I've gone through reams of text on this issue, but no one made it clear as greatbong did. Part one is here . Part two is here too. This is necessary to form a perspective when you have some one who knows a little too much or too little about the entire issue around you.

You are an Indian publishing major. You print one of the popular magazines that are on offer in the smörgåsbord of print media available today. You are called in to launch a magazine aimed at high-end travelers while they wait at the airport lounges. You have the wherewithal and the talent to launch the product. You stir up things. Get to the advertisers and get the pages in. The edit team comes in and makes a plan of what to write about. You decide to focus on travel, gizmos, trends, lifestyle, entertainment, health advice, as well as reviews on movies, music and books. These are things that any one waiting for an airplane would want to read about. So, you are ready. Every thing's up and running. Only one issue. You don't have a name yet. So your marketing team comes in. You call in the consultants. All of you all have a 'meeting', where you 'brainstorm'. And you think hard. Nothing comes up. You don't want to go too niche while naming the product. And

Advertising, stripped of all the strategic lexicon that we clothe it in, is a nuisance for everyone involved. It makes people consumerists, shows people inequality through material goods, and tells them how poor and miserable their life is, without a pack of fairness cream. All that said and done, we at Rhetoric69 love advertising. To bits. But the gods said, not fair. The guys who inundate the planet with their billboards selling everything from god to garbage, must be punished. So, he invents the internet. And he lets us invent advertising on the internet. And then he lets us put it on. Pop-ups that irritate the hell out of users. Research says place banners, let people click on the 'banners' for looking in if they want to. So far, so good. Then, someone has an idea about making a site for the media itself. You know, we have a lot of agencies, a lot of media companies, and a lot of clients who are interested in news related to brands and marketing. Who like to follow what

You and me have been using Orkut and Facebook for some time now. We've met friends, acquaintances and office colleagues from the past. The wars have been fought and lost. They all exist with equal elan in a market that's no one's for the taking. The war in the world outside India is being fought in a different universe. Outiside of Brazil and India, Orkut is a very old-world establishment. The apps that it came out with during the past few months have been present on facebook for atleast a year. Hence, users have made facebook the app of their choice. But facebook's numero uno status is being challenged. By brevity. Twitter is attempting to take them to the cleaners. With a short 160 character message that lets the world know what you're upto, Twitter combines social networking with micro-blogging, and takes the entire universe of facebook to another level. So facebook is swaying. And their marketing and senior management is thinking. Thinking hard. They make a

First, how can it be done wrong And then, how it can be turned around and done with style. This is Agnello Dias' parting shot as he quits JWT to open his own shop with Mr. Padhi. The spot open with a scene reminiscent of the Smirnoff 'Life is calling, where are you' spot, but from there, it has a life of its own. Instead of using the celebrities as an add-on, the spot uses them as products, as they are, in channel surfing. Each shot has a lot of stories of its own. Celeb endorsements have been a field for debate over the past few months. With a sudden spurt from every other brand, and the market having spread from the SRK-Amitabh duopoly, they are newer ways of expressing brands each day. Dhoni has been a big winner, and the others are cashing in too. By the way, what's up with Mudra? Terra for Rural Activation, Water for Brand Consulting and now Celcius for Events, there's been a spate of new things happening. With agencies telling brands over the years