A Brand Graveyard

When everyone in the world talks about winning and eulogizes success, here is a book that prefers to showcase failures. Brand Failures, the book by Matt Haig, changes the perspective of success by completely entertaining the reader as it takes him through the 100 Biggest Branding Mistakes of All Time.

Brand Failures is an amusing narration of how the biggest brands failed to crack the market. What is further interesting is that these companies at fault are not just small scale enterprises but global giants whose managerial decisions have fallen flat. The ‘honored’ list includes Coca Cola, Pepsi, Mc Donalds, Virgin, Harley Davidson, British Airways to name a few.

Matt Haig’s hall of failure is categorized into Classic Failures, Idea Failures, Extension Failures, PR Failures, Cultural Failures, People Failures, Rebranding Failures, Internet and technology failures and Tired Brands.

The book divulges the brand with the ultimate bad idea of smokeless cigarettes, classic failure of Ford Edsel, Barbie’s boyfriend Ken’s ‘coming out of closet’, boo.com’s spectacular failure in dot.com era amongst many more.

‘Cultural Failures’ forms the most enrapturing read. Matt Haig has collected classic cases of cultural misfits. To quote one- Scandinavian vaccum manufacturer Electrolux came up with the slogan, ‘Nothing sucks like an Electrolux’ in United States.

Through his engrossing writing style and well researched cases Matt Haig also deconstructs the brand myths such as ‘good products always sell, strong brands are built on advertising, if it is new it will sell and big companies always have brand success.’

The saying, “Learn from the failures of others”, gets further restated but only after one has had a good laugh on the failure. In the end of each case Matt Haig has listed what one could learn from these brand failures. In these learnings Matt Haig helps the reader to analyze what really went wrong. The book also mentions the bounce back of a few companies who took the bitter with the sweet.

The book is a compelling read for all those who love creating and talking about brands. It is highly entertaining and gives fascinating facts about ‘Branding’ which one realizes after reading is no piece of cake. The author though has cautioned in the introduction-“Don’t have nightmares.”

Click Me Please!

I split my sides when I receive a friend request from a ‘Cool Boy’ with a message that says,” Will you ‘do friendship’ with me?” Visit ‘Cool Boy’s’ profile and you may feel the need to recheck how a dictionary defines cool!

Like most, I too am a frequent visitor at the social networking sites. I wonder if we share the privilege of stumbling upon such whacky profiles on Orkut, Facebook, Ibibo etc. Profiles with elements like superhuman names, photographs, larger than life self description, seem to work as a rule of social networking.

We often look at our photographs and think, “Do I look like that?” We live with assumptions. And we wish to be recognized the way we see ourselves, irrespective of what we really are.

Social networking gives us just that, a platform to project ourselves to the world according to our way. The advantage is that people have no other option but to believe what is served to them. It is a shift from reality, a virtual space where we may design our identity according to our aspirations- a reason why social networking is so popular.

Social networking sites are not just to make new friends and relationships. Most use it for the purpose of increasing contacts, friend circle, to be part of communities etc. But at the end of the day just like in an unmediated environment these define your social standing in this virtual set-up. There is a great scope of acceptance if you are part of the community made for “Coldplay”, “Save the Tiger”, “Manchester United” etc whether you are really interested or not.

This process of acceptance is also a form of self gratification. When devoid of social approval in real life we look for that in the garb of anonymity. It is easier for us to forge our real identities and create a profile using text, audio, video, that generates maximum clicks. The more the clicks the more popular we become.

When I see it closely, I feel we are eventually “selling” ourselves. The whole process of’ profiling’ revolves around the advertising model of AIDA. Let us bring ‘Cool Boy’ into the picture. His USP is that he is ‘cool’. He has named himself in a peculiar way to attract ATTENTION, created a profile to increase INTEREST of the visitor. If his profile is DESIRABLE to anyone, that person may ACT by accepting the friend request. By embellishing our identities to gain acceptance we have reduced ourselves to mere toothpaste.

The real danger though is not really in becoming toothpaste but to fall prey to social network predators. Especially in case of growing adults who are prone to experimenting with new things. In their search of acceptance they become victims of online abuse, bullying and identity theft. Researchers say social-networking sites are shortening attention spans, encouraging instant gratification, and making people more self-focused.

It is left to us whether we choose to live in the reality or become a virtual schizophrenic. The dire need to be socially accepted may make us forget who we really are. There is no contention in having a profile on a social network. We need to be careful in choosing who we are interacting with and what we are projecting ourselves to be.

If ‘Cool Boy’ is listening and is able to profile the real self, let’s see if then people “do friendship” with him or not!

AMISTAD

Amistad- A Steven Spielberg venture is based on slave trading. While showing the atrocities and glaring brutalities of the slave trading, the movie also reflects on imbalances of an immature globalised era. The visuals of the movie are strong and create an indelible impression on the minds of the viewers creating identities which may be subconsciously underlying.

The issue of identity has been dealt significantly in the movie. The plot is based on understanding the “identity” of the Blacks who were captured in the sea. Due to their color and origin the Blacks were forced to work for the so called privileged Whites. Their identity was reduced to being workers, slaves etc. The powerful looked upon them as those who were born to serve them. In one of the scenes of the movie the dialogue compares them to a “livestock”.

Although a few images of the movie reinforce the image that we have been nurturing of Africa which is Black tribes who live in the wild, eat raw food, talk gibberish and wear tattered clothes. Surely Africa has moved away from those times but we do not come across images of Africa that recognize it as at least on the path of development. Although the movie is based on 1839 mutiny, still an effort could have been made to show Africa from a closer, broader perspective.

Again in the movie, the United States of America is seen as the nation above all where a Black lives together with the other Whites of the nation; where ideas of equality and human rights prevail within some groups. The film fails to give a new perspective to the Africans but surely doesn’t fail to compromise on the idea of “United States - the Savior of the World.”

The idea of Christianity is also eulogized. One of the dialogues mentions that “as Christians it is our responsibility to save these people”. The depictions of Bible as the source of strength, seeing the cross while going for the trial are some of the images that propose Christianity as the Supreme religion.

There are various instances that reflect on Globalization too. To start with slave trading is itself a consequence of globalization where countries ‘trade’ amongst themselves the people who are devoid of powerful structures. We have Neo-liberalism and neo colonialism now, which is no less that exploitation of human resources of one country by the other in form of slave trading.

The fact that US is able to decide on the fate of a few people who do not even belong to its region, only on the grounds that they were captured by them is a reflection of a globalised world- that countries are able to influence each other. The issue of ownership of slaves is also a possibility in a time when there is increasing interaction between nations.

The fear of Civil War all over the world due to freedom of these 44 slaves in US also talks about globalization where one decision taken at US can affect the slaves of China.

The movie tries to give the message of equality and freedom as a right to all- an idea that is acceptable universally and globally. Not to forget that this message is given by an American, ex President John Adams arguing on behalf of Africans in the climax courtroom scene.

Amistad is a movie that deals with a horrifying past yet becomes just another winning story of America rather than Africa.

Naukri.com Marketing Communication Mix

Naukri.com used its marketing communication strategically. Starting from Yellow Pages to Tweeting about jobs, naukri.com developed its communication mix and media mix in such a way that it created a brand which was unimaginable in a country like India.

In the start-up days naukri.com used low cost direct marketing to get enough clients listed and job seekers listed. The site was not ready for immense online traffic. Slowly and gradually after the business was developed they started advertising heavily.

Direct marketing helped naukri.com keep its existing clients updated and innovative mailing increased their database of clients. It was cost effective as well as compared to other mediums. Yet not that helpful in creating a brand that client would love to associate with.

Internet as a medium helped as the business is operated online. English speaking educated visited online websites and therefore it gave naukri.com the opportunity to reach directly to the users of the website. Being the first online recruitment portal in India, naukri.com was able to leverage the online traffic in India and converted visitors into registrations. Today online traffic visits naukri.com not just for jobs but also to see what is happening in the job scenario. Internet for its own weaknesses was also not that effective in building a brand for naukri. So taking up viral marketing and building on the theme of Hari Sadu, the viral video spread to all job seekers and they registered on the website. Today youth and employees have better access to internet, therefore making use of Twitter and Facebook is also beneficial for the company since the way communication takes place is ever changing.

While it was thought- why an online portal would advertise on TV, naukri.com changed the perception. It’s memorable campaign “Hari Sadu”, made people look up to this new job site. The campaign was rib tickling and gelled well with most. This helped naukri to gain mindspace of the audience and through this campaign Naukri.com built for itself an ever-lasting image of “best job portal.” With its new campaign naukri.com has again embarked on the opportunity of recovering economy. This also made clients associate themselves with a brand like naukri.com. Another reason being increase in CV registrations after advertising in TV and print.

For naukri.com, press too has been advantageous since it had not generated any negative PR . Its alliances with various newspapers helped it reach where naukri.com as a brand could not earlier. Without compromising on its own brand CV registrations increased with such alliances.

Personal Selling undoubtedly helped in creating naukri.com the brand that it is today. Its salesforce communicated with offices and clients across the country and demonstrated the advantages of the site which an advertisement or mail could not do. Thus, building relationships and maintaining constant touch it helped naukri.com improve the website as and when the need arose from HR personnels and clients.

The weaknesses of online, direct mails, etc. thus were covered by personal selling. And the problem of not being able to build a brand through these mediums was taken care of by TV and print mediums.

A REPORT ON SOCIAL NETWORKING AND YOUTH

The popularity of Internet and social networking sites has increased greatly over the last few years. Social Networking involves the use of the internet to connect users with their friends, family and acquaintances. Social Networking websites are not necessarily about meeting new people online, although this does happen a lot. Instead, they are primarily about connecting with friends, family and acquaintances you already have in real life. The most known of these sites are Facebook, MySpace and Orkut. These sites allow you to share photos and videos, organize events, chat, download music and even play games online like Scrabble.

Majority of the youth that has access to the Internet spends majority of the time on such social networking sites. At Facebook, the most popular social-networking site, users make and keep in touch with friends, post pictures, and update their online “profiles.” Other social-networking sites include MySpace, Friendster, and Xanga. Twitter, another fast-growing network, combines interconnectivity with “microblogging.” Users write frequent, short bursts of information (also known as “tweets”) to keep up-to-the-minute current with one another.

One argues that all this online friend-forming is affecting teenagers’ development, according to experts. Researchers say social-networking sites are shortening attention spans, encouraging instant gratification, and making young people more self-focused. Extended use of the sites actually rewires the brain, causing teenagers to require constant reassurance that they exist. Other dangers are more subtle. Kids may no longer spend time completely alone, enjoying the benefits of reflection and solitude. Yet they may feel isolated because they’re less likely to be communicating with the real humans in their homes and schools. Finally, teenagers may focus even more on all the worries that accompany adolescence. So instead of escaping from their problems, kids dwell on them even more.

WHY SOCIAL NETWORKING IS SO POPULAR

A few reasons why youth is highly involved in social networking are:

They want to participate and express their opinions. They have found the opportunity online.

It is a platform through which people from different parts of the world find others with common shared interests and discuss and build networks. It enables a person to share ideas and thoughts with individuals from various parts of the world.

It allows people to interact with those who they meet in reality, make plans and share photos, music, discuss on online communities.

Most youth use social networking to find a date or build relationships. It is an easier model to access others due to high anonymity.

Social networking is also used to create professional networks. A search engine enabled in the social network helps in finding individuals from a particular profession.

They use inbuilt chat, online games, quizzes and other applications that make them spend more time on the website.

A person can create a profile, a social virtual image, can talk about himself, promote his qualities to the world which may be absent in reality.

Social Networks are a unique way of interacting as compared to real-life communication. A few features that are different and attract the youth are:

1. Persistence: comments, posts, social network pages don't go away.

2. Searchability: anyone can find information about others easily.

3. Replicability: we can easily replicate a conversation (such as IM) in many other places

4. Invisible Audiences: you don't always know whom you're talking to.

THE IDENTITY ISSUE

In mediated environments, bodies are not immediately visible and the skills people need to interpret situations and manage impressions are different. People must learn to write themselves into being. Doing so makes visible how much we take the body for granted. While text, images, audio, and video all provide valuable means for developing a virtual presence, the act of articulation differs from how we convey meaningful information through our bodies. This process also makes explicit the self-reflexivity that is necessary for identity formation, but the choices individuals make in crafting a digital body highlight the self-monitoring. In some sense, people have more control online—they are able to carefully choose what information to put forward, thereby eliminating visceral reactions that might have seeped out in everyday communication. At the same time, these digital bodies are fundamentally coarser, making it far easier to misinterpret what someone is expressing. Furthermore, as, key information about a person’s body is often present online, even when that person is trying to act deceptively; for example, people are relatively good at detecting when someone is a man even when they profess to be a woman online. Yet because mediated environments reveal different signals, the mechanisms of deception differ

The desire to be cool on MySpace is part of the more general desire to be validated by one’s peers. Even though teens theoretically have the ability to behave differently online, the social hierarchies that regulate “coolness” offline are also present online. For better or worse, people judge others based on their associations: group identities form around and are reinforced by the collective tastes and attitudes of those who identify with the group. Online, this cue is quite helpful in enabling people to find their bearings

Youth looks for social approval online especially the ones who are devoid of it in real life. They forge their identities and create an image by joining specific communities, adding particular type of friends and writing or uploading images or videos that would generate clicks on their profiles. The more they are seen the more popular they become. It is a process of self gratification.

Adavantages of Social Networking

While socializing in chatrooms with other teenagers located all over the world, adolescents learn valuable perspective-taking, argumentative, decision-making and critical thinking skills. Playing online games may also help adolescents "develop cognitive skills such as spatial visualization, analog representation - the ability to read images - and divided visual attention, that is, being able to manage multiple components in a visual field at once."

Educationally, users of the social networks are more globally aware since they have immediate access to global issues, and the chance to read about global events from people in those settings.

Also niche networks such as gays and lesbians social websites have given them a platform to voice their social problems. Websites like LinkedIn have accelerated professional relationships. WizIq is a unique online teaching site where people take lectures or attend lectures free of cost.

Teenagers can also benefit emotionally and socially. Networking can aid adolescents as they explore their identities and can also "fulfill the need for social support, intimacy, and autonomy." Through perspective taking and racialized role taking, teenagers can become educated on racial and cultural issues while speaking with peers located on the other side of the country or even across seas. Social psychologists would say that to reduce stereotypes and prejudices, you need to interact with people different from you so you can see how similar they really are.

The Real Dangers Online

· Young people have a good idea of who is a stranger online and who isn't, the problem comes with the "invisible audience." Sometimes the lines are blurred, especially if a young person is going through a rough time and is vulnerable. The solution is more support and education.

 Online problems are a mirror of the bad things that are going on offline, such as bullying or cheating.

 “Online" is a public place. It's not the technology; it's the people that are causing the problems. The solution is educating the people using the technology.

 People providing the technology have to understand what is appropriate for which age groups and provide the right content. There should also be a way for users to contact or alert an adult if something happens that hurts them or makes them feel uncomfortable.

It cannot be argued that communicating in person is still vital for interpersonal relationships. "Every hour spent on social networks is one less hour spent learning how to effectively communicate face-to-face." While we can talk about changes that are taking place, the long-term implications of being

socialized into a culture rooted in networked publics are unknown. Perhaps today’s youth

will be far better equipped to handle gossip as adults. What we do know is that

today’s teens live in a society whose public life is changing rapidly. Teens need access to these

publics—both mediated and unmediated—to mature, but their access is regularly restricted.

Yet, this technology and networked publics are not going away. As a society, we need to

figure out how to educate teens to navigate social structures that are quite unfamiliar to us

because they will be faced with these publics as adults, even if we try to limit their access

now.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Excerpts from:

Why Youth Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life: danah boyd

www.wilkesbeacon.com

Under 18: Blogs, Wikis and Online Social Networks for Youth (http://sxsw.pbworks.com/Under-18:-Blogs,-Wikis-and-Online-Social-Networks-for-Youth)

The Affect of Social Networking Websites on Today's Youth: Associated Content