Cell wars - So whom u backing???

Cell wars have never been this interesting & exciting. The battle is brutal & even giants are being knocked off... like nine pins. Mantra is if you can’t keep up.. get off the track!

The rules of the game are different in different spaces, But on this post I am going to blabber on the smart phone race only.

The Game’s Changed – It’s the War of the OS’s

It no longer is a game phone manufacturers brands. That’s history folks! It is a game of the operating systems, just like the Desktop/ Laptop wars. It doesn’t matter whether you use a Lenovo / Acer / HCL/ HP or Compaq. you either use a Windows or the really cool Mac.. (sorry IOS.. or is it still the Mac.. have to check).

It’s down to 2

2 years ago and there were so many pretenders.. Symbian, Windows, Linux even & then the home grown Java based OS’s of lesser known players. Then Iphone came and changed the rules. Google made its appearance a year back & Microsoft made an ill fated entry too. Today... the battle of OS’s has come down to the 2 players who matter – Google & Apple. You choose this or that. The smart phone war has come down to IOS v/s Android. Nothing else matters. While Nokia’s Symbian is progressively finding lesser takers, Windows has truly lost the battle here. Samsung has entered the fray with BADA, but it’s going to be a while before it starts to create a Wave.

I have been on the quest ( mission.. er.. doing research actually) of finding the perfect phone today. ( Does it even exist?) The best camera resolution, the best touch screen, the best screen resolution , the best browsing experience, longest battery, HDMI ports, the best price ( sorry I am an Indian, aint I) so many parameters... Convinced that none have it all. So how do you pick, and this is where the fun begins.

Who do you back?

So comes the ultimate question.. who do you back? The really cool but control freak Apple or the completely customizable Google? Eventually this is what matters. Let’s face it! This defines what you going to buy. 2,50,000 apps from the Apple store or 1,50,000( and growing) from the Google Marketplace. It’s your personality that’s going to make this decision and then the phone with all its merits & demerits is yours for keeps, coz there is really NO phone that has it all. Truly none.

If you choose the Iphone... your quest and dilemma ends there, if you do decide to go for the android... whoa... every mobile maker from a Samsung to HTC to Motorola and many more enter the ring with a plethora of models. And in case you are a geek like me no better pastime than to spend hours & hours researching over the one you wanna buy. And the more you wait the more the models.

Back from the Dead

What the race has done is also to bring back brands like Motorola back in the reckoning as a major player. It had fallen off the radar sometime back but the Milestone & Droid models have brought it back in the reckoning. ( By the way save the Experia & Sony seems to have stopped making news despite launching numerous models )

The Dream Situation

So what next... eventually I am waiting for the phone that lets me change the OS just by formatting whenever I want. That way one can flit between OS’s till the next Hardware revolution comes.

Till that happens ... research, close your eyes & pick your phone.. sorry OS.

Good advtg.. simple advtg..

As a member of the much talked about advertising fraternity ( the client side... hmm, yes we do have a say you know), I have often debated the difference between creativity and delivery. The fine line between whats good advertising and whats effective advertising is questioned, answered and often breached.

Being mostly part of companies which do not have unlimited media budgets or media savvy people at the helm makes the job darn difficult. And then every once in a while you look at the work other companies bring out and there are a million questions you ask yourself.
Would I have passed that? Would I have the passion to get that idea passed through the guys at the helm? How much would have that bloody ad cost just to make? What is the media budget... zillions? Is the money spent really worth it?

there are 2 industry categories that have come on their own in the last few years as far as advtg content goes. Both as a resultant of the post liberalization and the advent of the gen next tech savvy Indian. The Insurance category and Telecom one. I shall refrain from dissecting each ad simply because all ads are better heard or seen rather than read. But will definitely look at the way each of these industries has taken off.

Insurance advtg has refreshingly left the whole funda of scaring the viewer into what happens one your dear passes away... OOOOf, these sort of ads were on for close to 2 decades. New age insurance advtg is all abt reassurances, freedom, investment, and thank god for this... Humour. Taking a humorous way at a serious product like Insurance has made a world of a difference. The key in the nmessaging has been abt Insurance helping you in this lifetime, rather than about leaving back a legacy.

Telecom advertising ( majorly mobile) has blossomed and HOW!!! . Take this simple test to prove my point - Sit in your non TV room for a while and look out for signature tunes that keep playing from your TV.. My guess is that you will remember at least 5 of them without worrying too much of what is said ( usually very little nowadays anyways), and I think that is sensational to have that much differentiation in 1 category alone .

Eventually, whether it be offer based advtg or brand based advtg, I think eventually the call every client has to take is at the end is simply whether the ad works or it doesnt? Did your consumer understand what you meant to say in the first place? Have 1 or 2 elements that are consistent every single time... ( over a period of 5 years atleast), and that my friends I think is the key to developing a brand that stays alive through good advtg through the years. Simple naa.. ha. Try me.

An ode to those who didnt....

TO THOSE...

Who laughed when the CM said that Mumbai will resemble Shanghai ....कोई हक नहीं ।

Who cried for Change when the city cried in 26/11....कोई हक नहीं ।

Who vented their fury when a woman got R**** in the train ....कोई हक नहीं ।

Who mock why Mumbai falling behind Delhi, Bangalore & Hyderabad when it comes to roads...कोई हक नहीं ।

Who smirked when Mumbai drowned in 26/7.....कोई हक नहीं ।

Who swear at evertime they see an incomplete Bandra Worli Sea Link....कोई हक नहीं ।

Who swear everytime an autowallah cuts their lane....कोई हक नहीं ।

Who swear why traffic only gets worse....कोई हक नहीं ।

Who wonder FLYOVER is being broken, when the need is to build 10 more....कोई हक नहीं ।

Who wanted an underground metro instead of the proposed elevated one... कोई हक नहीं ।

Who united against the skywalks....कोई हक नहीं ।

To the 55% of the population of Mumbai ( who didn't exercise the right to franchise) who scream, shout and lament and make themselves heard in every media for every failed project or every idea that they oppose.... this is just to say that तुम्हे कोई हक नहीं

This one's a humdinger

What a humdinger it is turning out to be... not just 1 match, but the entire tournament. Halfway around the tourney and 6 teams are on an even keel. Its all on who blinks first now. The pitches in South Africa have played their rightful part in this and I think its fab.
The Royals (Challengers and Rajasthan) are making a fierce comeback, and Chennai & Mohali are claiming th top spots too. Deccan & Delhi have lost their momentum and all in all looks to be a very very very even contest.
I am a Mumbai Indans fan... But their hunger is fading and I wouldn't be surprised if they finish 5th or 6th in the end.

Spare a thought though for Kolkotta... Their passion for the game far outstrips any other, but the team just doesn't look like a team... and no chance for a Semi finalist position here.

2 points that I ould like to mention later... 1 on the strategy breaks and 1 on the oldies performances... More on that later though.
Heres to एक देश एक जूनून।