Buyer Behaviour

I must agree Adani Wilmar's Fortune edible oil TV commercial does hit home with dollops of emotion. But that's where the problem too begins. Its quite possible the emotion the content generates drowns out the brand. Even if it doesn't, the question still remains if Dadima (grandma) cooking with Fortune Oil makes sense. Isn't Dadima supposed to be using some 'shuddh' (pure) stuff to prepare 'ghar ka khana (home food)'?

The one thing the ad. does for Fortune is ensure the brand's recalled when there is a purchase consideration. But there again crops a problem. If the consumer's not brand loyal, the shopping list will say 'cooking oil'. That means the consumer will make a choice at the store shelf. What will do the trick for the brand that gets bought is merchandising and sale promos, along with the recall the brand engineers via commercials like this one.

I hope for Fortune's sake the product is merchandised well and has promos to bac…

As Jaden flirts with obnoxious behavior at home, we are doing our best to make it clear that's unacceptable. Of course, this phase had to come. After all, in a world that ups the 'Vagina Monologues' to art status, thinks nothing about the disgusting slaughter of babies in wombs calling it the power of women making choices, where Boston bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev featured on Rolling Stone cover makes it to the 'hottest' list, the obnoxious does and will find superlative value.

Tell you what, it sometimes feels like a losing battle. But we know this for sure. The battle for dignity and class can be won, must be won, and it will be up to us. The two things we will have to do to ensure Jaden only flirts with unacceptable behavior and doesn't make it a habit will be to, one, exhibit zero tolerance to such behavior, and two, never indulge in it ourselves.

Now that's where Alphy comes in as our gift from God. If there's a lady on the planet, I must tell you its…

Frankly, I find the 'good governance' logic behind Indian Railways hiking their fares pathetic! Good governance is biting the bullet and hiking fares so Indian Railways can stop bleeding!?

You must be joking!

Good governance is government not running businesses, because if they do you can pretty much be assured they will run it sans efficiency (read, high cost), and highly mismanaged (read, lousy products and services to consumers). Why? Because they will be monopolies run by the state with zero accountability. Why no accountability? Simple, it ain't their capital they are burning, its the taxpayers', and pray who in government answers to taxpayers?

So then what can be done for better governance?

Simple. Get the government out of business, and foster free markets that bring with it competition (read, also end crony capitalism). What happens then? Products and services get better for consumers, and prices go down! Why? Because firms will compete with each other for con…

America tuning in big numbers to watch the world cup is in part about the game catching on in the United States. Plus its only going to get bigger, that is if the US national teams keeps winning the way it did against Ghana. The other part to this 'sport-viewing shift' is demography driven, and that I believe is worrisome.

Nielsen ratings say 15.9 million viewers in United States tuned into the USA - Ghana game. Though the reigning numbers are still in favor of Super Bowl, my bet is football numbers will move in direct correlation to an immigration policy that opens up American borders the way the liberals want it. More immigrants means more football viewership. Flip it over and it says more football viewership is more immigrants, especially those from south of the border.

More football is thus symptomatic of a dilution to the American way of life. The way Barack would want it. The way its currently happening. It also means a lessening assimilation into the American way of li…

Most dysfunctional adult behavior can be traced back to lousy parenting. What's of course tragic is most parents never know they've dished out rules and norms that have stunted the maturing process for their children. What's even more tragic is kids who grow up never realize they were recipients of lousy parenting.

Guess what's the fallout of that? A continuation of lousy parenting. Down generations.

Neither the parent, not the child who grows up to be a parent ever realize something was wrong with the way they parented, or were subject to parenting. The reason why such realization doesn't see the light of day is twofold. One, the practice of self-reflection is scarce. Meaning, parents almost never sit down to question their parenting. Kids who grow up to be parents too resist assessing the parenting they were subject to, which is why they continue with dysfunctional parenting that then keeps dysfunctional behavior alive and kicking across generations.

The second …

Every morning on my way to work I pass by a realty brand's billboard that features a facial profile picture an ex-Mayor of some unheard of place in London. On the billboard the guy's grinning broadly vouching for the property being peddled. I have rarely missed the billboard, but the only thing notice almost every time, is the crooked-toothed grin that splits the mayor's face into two.

Horizontally.

I wonder if the guy knows he has crooked teeth, and if he does, why is that he keeps his mouth open when a picture's taken? Plus I can't for the life of me either remember the real estate company in question or the project being peddled.

So much for marketing communication, eh?