Coffee House

IPL 3 Prediction: Mumbai Indians will win

2010-03-28T12:30:00.001+05:30

Timing of this post: March 28, 2010 Sunday (12.30pm) IST

Predicting the outcome of IPL (Indian Premier League) is an impossible task. No one can predict who will win the IPL 3. There is no method of doing this.

As a child I used to like predicting the outcome of FIFA World Cup & Cricket World Cup before the tournament used to begin. Since no one can predict the outcome of these matches, I used another game to help me predict the outcomes. I used playing cards. This was just for fun. To see how close I could come. Many a times I did come very close.

To have some fun I used the same technique to predict the result of IPL 3. Within 30 minutes I had the outcome! Here are the details.

Enjoy reading this but don't get too serious. The probability of predicting a result correctly is 50% (either a team will win or loss). Going by this logic half of the predictions should anyways be correct.

IPL 3 Prediction

The points table (after Match 23 on March 27, 2010) looks like this:

Using this as a base, I have then predicted the results from Match No. 24 onwards. And here is the final tally after all the 56 matches.

There were 4 teams at 16 points and hence I had to play one more game to eliminate one team. Deccan Chargers got eliminated.Then the semi finals panned out like this:

SF 1: Mumbai beat Delhi
SF 2: Bengaluru beat KKR (Kolkata)

3rd Place: Delhi beat KKR

and, the final result: Mumbai beat Bengaluru to become IPL 3 champions. Don't ask me who made how many how many runs because that is beyond the scope of my game. If Mumbai Indians indeed win this one, Sachin would definitely be the top scorer of the tournament.

Marketing Bytes: Brown Beverage Market

2009-06-09T21:59:00.002+05:30

Beverages market in India is made up of Brown and White. The white segment is estimated to be worth Rs. 1800 crore with Horlicks having 56% market share. Nestle has discontinued its brand Milo after poor volumes by the brand.

http://www.blonnet.com/2009/06/06/stories/2009060651771700.htm

Customer Care. Do you really care?

2009-03-12T22:06:00.000+05:30

Incident 1
Telecaller (yet another spam): "Sir you have a pre-paid connection. Would you like to switch to post-paid?"
Customer: "Yes. What are the various plans?"
Telecaller: "249, 349, 399, etc. You dont need to worry our customer care executive (CCE) will come and explain it to you. When should he come to your office?"
Customer: "I will let you know."

Next Day, Incident 2
Customer walks into an Airtel Customer Care center (located 5kms from home) just to get the same work done. Pre-Paid to Post-Paid.
Customer: "I need to convert Pre to Post paid. Hand me the forms."
CCE: "Sir, it cannot be done here. It can ONLY happen in the Begumpet City Main Office in Hyderabad."
Customer (pissed off): "WTF."

Next Day, Incident 3
Same Telecaller (TC): "Hello sir."
Customer: "Please send someone to my office and I'll fill up all the forms."
TC: "Sir, in Airtel you cannot convert from Pre-Paid to Post-Paid. We have withdrawn the scheme."
Customer's Ghost (as the customer is dead by now): "Will you please check with your manager. I went to your office yesterday and they said the conversion is possible. You only pestered me for 4 days for this."
TC: "I will get back to you Sir."

-----

Customer Care??
Save me!

Man's biggest strength

2009-03-02T14:08:00.001+05:30

What is a man's biggest strength?

Hard work, sincerity, commitment, honesty...

It is that one thing which changes adversity into opportunity, its gives him a new life, a new perspective, a new found enthusiasm... It is 'Hope'.

You can also call it 'Optimism', but Hope summarizes the emotion better.
In bad times, when the future becomes unclear, when the path becomes foggy, it is hope within which keeps you going... clears the way... makes you feel happy... fills you with life.

Hope need not come to your rescue only in adversity. In the normal course of life, whenever you get disappointed, ask yourself "Is there nothing I can do? Is there no hope?" Then go ahead and do what is in your control... forget about all other things... they will all fall in place...

Continue to hope and you will continue to live...

How to become a 'Chatter-Box' in a GD?

2009-02-28T23:20:00.002+05:30

Take sides.

If you are one who talks very less (no entry or max 2 entries) in a Group Discussion (GD) then this tip will work wonders for you. To start talking more right from the next GD, start taking sides.

Narrowing your focus, putting yourself in the shoes of a person who just wants to talk about one side of the arguments will get you more ideas, you will talk more.

This recommendation is based on observations in the GD training classes I take in Hyderabad. Take the case of a GD wherein the topic is "Nuclear families are better than Joint families." You can speak both for and against, but if you do take a side, then you can generate more content and passion to talk more. Enter more times. Do a better job.

Try this technique in your next GD and see a drastic change in the number of times you speak. Try it.
Taking sides does not mean a 'debate' situation wherein you disagree with all that's said against your point of view. You need not counter all the opposite argument. Taking sides only means, take a side, speak for / against and speak with more passion.

Print Ad from AXE

2009-02-27T16:59:00.003+05:30

Source: http://www.afaqs.com/perl/advertising/creative_showcase/index.html?id=10171&media=Print

Big Bazar's Exchange Offer: Making You Spend More?

2009-02-22T22:41:00.005+05:30

(courtesy:FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

Big Bazaar is positioned as 'isse sasta aur accha kahin nahin' (nothing is cheaper and better than this). It has come up with another offer which is currently running across all its stores.

You can exchange your old clothes, newspapers, plastics, bottles and tyres, etc for eye-poppingly high prices. Newspapers for Rs.25/kg. Clothes Rs.200/kg.

That's awesome man! was first reaction to the newspaper ad. Later I started analysing and came to the conclusion that it's another good business strategy by Big Bazaar.

Let's do the maths.

Case 1: You take your 10 kgs newspaper and sell it in your neighbourhood. You get Rs.60 cash with which you can buy 3 kgs of rice and come home.

Case 2: You take your 10kgs newspaper and exchange it in Big Bazaar. They give you a coupon of Rs.250, but you need to buy goods worth Rs.1,000 to avail the offer. Purchase worth Rs.1,000!!!

Ok, what can you buy?
You can't buy anything and everything. You need to choose from the list Big Bazaar gives you. After having spent Rs.1,000 you come home tired. You also spend on travelling to and fro to Big Bazaar. Do you realise that you are Rs.1000 lighter on your pocket?

What does Big Bazaar gain out of it?

1. Customer acquition at a low cost (very smart)
2. Get rid of stocks they want to push
3. Word of mouth publicity

It does not hurt the customer who anyways comes every month to shop worth Rs.1,000 or more.

Why does Big Bazaar do this? Here is the math.
Big Bazaar's loss on reselling newspapers = Rs.250 (value of coupon) - Rs.100 (selling price of newspapers) = Rs.150
(assuming Big Bazaar can resell newspaper at a higher price of Rs.10/kg)

Big Bazaar's gain on selling merchandise worth Rs.1,000 = 30% of 1000 = Rs.300
(assuming a margin of 30%, as Big Bazaar would not let you exchange goods where they do not make money)

Big Bazaar's loss on the exchange coupon = 70% of 250 = Rs.175
(You get a coupon of 250 to buy goods. If 30% is profit margin, then BB pays 70% to the supplier of the goods)

Net loss to Big Bazaar = Rs. 25

We can look at this cost as the 'Cost of Acquiring New Customers'. Many people because of these offers will enter Big Bazaar for the very first time. That's also a reason they are running a 3 week long campaign. It's also a cost of 'Building Brand Awareness.'

By the way, if we assume a marging of 35%, then Big Bazaar actually makes a profit of Rs. 37.50 from every customer who walks in with 10 kgs of newspapers. This looks like a more probable case. At 40% margin, they would make Rs.100!

Conclusion:
If you mind spending the additional Rs.1,000 then stay away. When you are forced to spend Rs.1,000 you will end up with 50% impulse purchase items. I wonder what's happened to the the famous long queues at Big Bazaar. They must have gone even longer now-a-days.

What do you feel about this offer? Have you exchanged any of your old stuff at BB? Write to me and share your thoughts.

GD: Do's and Dont's

2009-02-21T23:22:00.000+05:30

To crack a GD, you should know what you have to do and what you have to avoid at any cost. This useful list of Do's and Dont's comes out from my personal experience of scores of GDs as a student and as an instructor:

Do's
1. Remain constantly involved in the GD (speaking + listening + body language)
2. Let others talk (GD is not one-way traffic)
3. Make a meaningful contribution to the GD (make 2/3 solid points)
4. Maintain good eye contact and body posture
5. Interact with other students prior to the GD (makes you comfortable during the GD)
6. Examples to explain your point (examples clarify your point well and also get remembered)
7. Talk at some length. Do not make a 15 sec point and disappear. It wont even get
noticed.
8. Be ready to make your point in 30 secs. No one would be ready to give you more time than that.
9. Keep listening, thinking and trying to generate new content even while the GD is on.
10. Try to bring in a new thought into the GD atleast once. A perspective.

Dont's
1. Look at the moderator
2. Let your hand over-shadow your neighbor
3. Try to boss around
4. Make points in isolation (GD is not a dart competition where you keep throwing in your points. You have to either go with the flow or give the group a new direction)
5. Go round and round. Say your main thing (core idea) at the start of the point and then explain it. Others will intercept you if they don't see substantial content.
6. Don't give up if others are not letting you talk. Persevere, keep trying to enter. Perseverance always wins.
7. Don't talk very fast. When you get an opportunity make the most of it. Talk slow, loud & clear. Ensure you are heard well by the moderator.
8. Don't switch off after you have made your point. Stay in the thick of things always. (Similar to point 1 of Do's)
9.Do not get over excited and point fingers at others. No one is an enemy in the GD. Keep your cool.
10. Don't talk in a fish market. Your point might get stolen and remade by someone else later.

Hope that helps!
If you need any clarification on any of the points, leave a comment.

How to Enter in a GD? Part II

2009-02-21T23:11:00.001+05:30

How to enter a GD is perhaps the most common problem most of the students face. I offered one solution in my earlier post today:

Throw in a catchy phrase (an example).
That will make people curious, make them stop and listen to you.

Here is one more technique:

Say this to the person whom you want to intercept; "You have made a brilliant point, I would like to add to it by..."

Once you say, "you have made a brilliant point" the other speaker has to stop and let you have the way. I have seen it working in real life. However, know when you should say this. When (1) he actually has made a good point, and (2) he is nearing the end of his point.

Remember this Golden Rule:
You should never intercept when someone has just started to make a good point.

Advani@Campus

2009-02-21T22:49:00.000+05:30

LK Advani is doing what Obama did in the US; a blog, a website, google ad words campaign and social media networking (facebook etc). He has been doing this for 3/4 months now.

He has now taking the next step to targetting the youth of the country.
Brand Advani is now going to campuses. To spread Advani's thoughts BJP is sending speakers to more than 5000 campuses in India. Speakers people identify and relate with. A doctor to a medical college and so on.

I believe so much of smart strategy and initiative is a definite USP of BJP. They have always been ahead in this game. This time they are replicating Obama's successful model to Indian conditions. Marketers should keep a close watch. It never gets bigger than this. One man branding himself to appeal to the youth of a country as big and as diverse as India.

Mr. Advani the marketers are watching you!

How to Enter in a GD?

2009-02-21T00:56:00.000+05:30

After having conducted so many GD sessions for MBA entrance students and having gone through the grind myself, I realise that making an entry in a GD is perhaps the toughest problem a candidate faces.

You have points to make, you are a good communicator, you want to speak but you just can't enter. Every GD has 2 or 3 great guys who keep talking and talking. How do you make these villains stop and listen to you?

The answer surprisingly is simple. There are many proven ways to enter a GD. In this post, I will talk about what I like the most. My favorite method.

Thrown in a catchy phrase to begin with.

You are discussing a topic on "Managers are born not made." Everyone has points and people are talking all the time. Amidst all this, you chip in a name...

Rajiv Gandhi...

No one can restrict to know what you are going to say. Human minds are very curious and always wants to find out what it does not know. If you say, Dhirubhai Ambani, we know what you are going to talk about. He as a born manager. That's cliche. I know that. But Rajiv Gandhi?

Someone else says, "Friends let me tell you about Babur." Your mind fails you, "Babur" how did he come here? You are forced to listen. And if the point is good (remember, the content is king) the speaker has done his job.

The moral of the story is: Once in a while, start with a catchy phrase. Immediately after the catchy phrase you need to say your core message in not more than 20 seconds. Post which, if you are allowed air time you can substantiate your point.

Catchy Phrase (The bait) --> Core Message --> Description/ More Examples

How to Talk More In Your Next GD

2009-02-21T00:36:00.000+05:30

I have taken a lot of GD sessions for MBA entrance students this month. During every GD I get a lot of ideas on how students can make a bigger imapct in the GD.

Let's focus on a problem.
Many students who do not enter often come back saying they did not have enough points to make in the GD or that their points got exhausted (as someone else said it before they could). What do you do in such a situation? When you are running out of points?

You generate more points.

In one GD session, I and my students came up with this mnemonic "PIG SHEDS". In the next class, I added one more 'S' to it. It is now called "PIG SHEDSS."

This will help you look at a topic from different angles, perspectives and generate more points to talk about. Use it well and see the result on your own.

Let's take a topic and see how PIG SHEDSS helps.
"Advertising is bad for the society."

P - Pros/Cons - You think for the topic and against the topic.

I - Instances or Examples. Think of real life examples. How important AIDS advertising is.

G - Geography. Come out of India, talk of the US, Europe, SE Asia etc.

S - Stakeholders. You, Your family, society, country, advertising company, ad agency, government. Think from each of these stakeholders' point of view and you get more ideas. For a company planning to launch a new product, advertising is so crucial.

H - History. Go back in timeline. Think 50 years back, 25 years back.

E - Economics. Can you relate it to business and economics?

D - Definition. Define each term in the topic. What is advertising? What do you mean by society?

S - SWOT analysis of the topic

S - Statistics (any numbers, survey you can think of?)

Use this Mnemonic and do share how it has helped you crack your next GD.
Best of luck!

Unfair & Lovely - The Problem of Counterfeits

2009-02-20T17:48:00.001+05:30

An article in Business Standard mentions that the 113,000 crore FMCG industry loses around 5,000 crores of revenue every year due to counterfeits. The counterfeits are everywhere. The top two brands in any category face the brunt more.

Other than loss of revenue, it's the loss of brand value which hurts more. Imagine a customer who buys a fake Fair & Lovely and gets skin burn. He would blame HUL because he is unaware that the product he bought was a fake one.

The article mentions that fake products go by the name "Sunslik" instead of "Sunsilk" (just an interplay of words). Having worked in FMCG, I have seen an even more severe case where they use the same logo and will manufacture a "Sunsilk" itself and sell. They don't even change the name.

The solution to this problems can be many:

1. Train the sales force to detect counterfeit better
2. Better R&D to produce packs which are tougher to counterfeit
3. Regular raids by the legal team in suspected areas
4. Strengthen relationships with channel intermediaries. Wholesale is the channel which counterfeits will also use to sell their product. The manufacturer of fake products might be unknown but the seller (the wholesaler) is known to all.

Attack the problem where you have more control!

The Secret of Success in MBA GD/PIs - Start Selling Yourself!

2009-02-15T23:45:00.001+05:30

It's GD/PI time.

Students are going through their n-th GD at their coaching institute and they have had z stress interviews till now. Each interviews looks like a stress interview. After every GD the moderator says, talk more. If you talk more, he says talk sense. There is utter chaos. Will somebody tell me what's the secret to succeeding in all this mess?

Relax guys! The secret lies in 3 letters of the alphabet

USP

True, its your USP (unique selling proposition).
What is in you that differentiates you from the rest? If you are able to show it to the institute then you are through.

Why is USP the secret mantra?
Because there is competition.
After the written tests normally 1000 students would be chasing a mere 100 seats. Are you 1 in 10? The ones which stand out from the rest, will get selected. The institute wants students who will enhance the brand value of the institute and hence they will always choose the best.

What is best?
What looks best, what seems best, what feels best. Remember, perception is reality. You might be the best, but if you are not able to present yourself that way then you will not be able to succeed.

Compare yourself to a salesman. You are selling yourself in the GD/PI. The buyer will not ask what's great in you. You need to say it. You also have to justify your USP with examples.

What is your USP?
Do you know the 5 things which separate you from the rest? Trust me there would be 5 such things. Dig these out.

How to drive your USP?
Know the 5 things that are your USP and plug them in whenever you get a chance in the interview.

If you get a question like "Why should we select you?" consider yourself lucky. What the interviewer is asking is "What's your USP? How are you different from competition?"

The next GD/PI you attend, plan to differentiate yourself from the rest. In the interview, give the interviewer enough reasons to select you. Show him what's great in you. Don't wait for the buyer to ask. Start selling yourself!

Best of luck!

Look Who's Celebrating

2009-02-13T17:24:00.001+05:30

Saw an ad by Future Generali Insurance today which shows a man who has just got a double increment. He comes home. Gifts something to everyone and nothing to his wife. The wife looks at him curiously. Finally, he reveals that he has bought life insurance for himself and made her the nominee.

The ad ends something like this
Future Generali: Ek shagun zindagi ke naam

A very emotional ad indeed. But wait, there is something wrong. Did you get it?

It's the increment man!

Just tell me who is getting an increment in this recessionary market. When almost every other company is right-sizing, down-sizing, cutting jobs and pay, you come up with such an ad. I wonder did the guys fail to realise or something. Was the ad shot 6 months back when all was well, and then they thought "chalo dikha dete hain, nuksaan kya hai."

If you have an answer as to how this ad suits today's times please drop in a comment.

1 Dollar CEO

2009-02-13T17:16:00.002+05:30

Vikram Pandit, CEO Citi Group is going to draw only a salary of $1 and no bonuses until he brings the group back to profitability. Read this interesting news in ET today.

I am impressed. A great step, mark of a leader who wants to set an example.
Ya, I agree it comes after Obama let his anger out at CEOs of bailed out companies in the US. But, atleast it has come! Atleast somebody is picking up the gauntlet.

Wish Mr. Pandit all the best.

How to crack an MBA Interview?

2009-02-07T18:47:00.000+05:30

I have started teaching. Last sunday I took some interviews of students who have been shortlisted from IIMs, XLRI etc. These guys commit the same kind of mistakes that I used to do 5 years back. And I thought the world had gone smarter! Nothing against them, these chaps are young and bright!

This is the inspiration behind this post. Let's begin the interview.

Why MBA?
Student 1: I want to start my own business. Which business? I will decide later... (come on!)
Student 2: I want to lead a campus life (like 5-point someone)... (are you kidding me!)
Student 3: I want to start my own FM radio station. This is my positioning, this is my content.... (I am impressed)

Moral of the story (MOTS): Prepare this question well. What would be the follow up question and what'll be the next question after that?

What are your hobbies?
Student 1: I have no hobbies. (Don't tell me all day you sit at home doing nothing. Couch potato!)
Student 2: Reading. How many books have you read in your life? 50? No sir, only 3 (save me!)
Student 3: Reading. Ayn Rand, fountainhead... talks of this... I like this and not this.. (ok ok, even I am yet to read Fountaihead... pass:)

MOTS: You might have 1 hobby but defend it well. Prepare on the possible questions and go. If you have no hobby you can defend, then cook up one!

Why should I take you?
Student 1: I am hard working (so, do you think others are not?)
Student 2: I am passionate (I said why you, I am not asking your strengths)
Student 3: blah... blah... blah...

MOTS: Expecting an answer from me? No way, its your life, you know better. This is the best question you can ever get. Capitalize on it. You have to tell them in what ways are you different and better from others.

What are your strengths?
Student 1: Honest. I asked what are your real strengths? hmm... Hard working (you know nothing about yourself?)
Student 2: Passionate (how?)

MOTS: Know your strengths, ask your friend and family. Stick to your answer and do not change. Back it up with examples. Asking for your real strengths was just a googly.

What is practical application of derivative?
Student 1: If you have a chart, then dy/dx means... (chart, where did this chart came from?)
Student 2: I dont know.

MOTS: If you do not know an answer you have 2 choices. 1. Say you don't know. 2. Ask the interviewer if you may guess. It's perfectly fine not knowing a few answers.

An interview is where a person sells himself to the interviewer. You have to think like a marketer. What's your USP (unique selling proposition)? Why should I buy you? You are saying 100 things about you, but what is the evidence you are giving me to believe you? For example, when you say your strengths are X & Y, you should have good examples to back it up. Think like a marketer and prepare a sales pitch for yourself. Assume you are a product and not a person. Difficult? Not at all.

My success mantra for all interviewees: Your preparation and confidence will help you succeed.

The Ghajini Effect

2008-12-27T22:52:00.000+05:30

Advertising is all about catching your eye. And what better way than riding on someone else's work. Ghajini is already the talk of the town. And just around the time the movie has hit the theatres, there's Ghajini all around.

1. Kingston OOH Ad

Sorry to say, but its sad!
May be thats the intention.

2. Oktatabyebye.com web campaign
It is a decent one!

Lets see how many more are yet to come.

Memento - Ghajini - Ghajini

2008-12-26T22:47:00.000+05:30

Memento 2000 - Ghajini 2005 - Ghajini 2005 - Ghajini 2008

The story of Ghajini dates back to the year 2000 when Christopher Nolan made a remarkable movie based a short story. A patient suffering from a short term memory loss. A memory which lasts just 15 minutes. The movie starts at the end and is made up of shots of 15 minutes each.

The first scene is A. Then B and so on. Each scene overlaps with the other and that is where we understand the connect.

A tough movie to crack and a good one for the guys who like logical stuff. It is a thriller. But if this were copied to Indian conditions, it will never be a commercial hit. It's complex, it needs complete attention, etc etc.

So in 2005 A.R.Murugadoss made a Indian adaptation of Memento. Ghajini. It was soon dubbed into Telugu and released, like most hit Tamil movies. It simplified the plot and made it indian user-friendly. One of the biggest hits for Surya & Asin. Brilliant performance by Surya.

Then came Aamir. He just took the story of Ghajini 2005 and remade it in Hindi. The only change in the story is the climax. The entire movie is a shot-by-shot copy, well almost. How is it? Good. But after having seen Surya's Ghajini, there is nothing new. When a movie becomes unpredictable, you lose interest. The climax however is very nice and the performance is good.

A person who has a short term memory loss, comes over his handicap. He traces his wife's killer and gets his revenge. An action thriller, what audience all over India will like is the script. It's a new story for the rest of India.

What is disappointing is that Aamir copied the movie as it is. He should have made some changes for people like us to enjoy more. Never mind. A well made Aamir movie.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

2008-12-21T19:14:00.001+05:30

I don't trust movie reviews. I view movies basis how I rate the promos. If I like the stars and I like the trailer, I see. I also trust a small circle of friends. I saw 'A Wednesday' because my friend 'Ranga' recommended it.

But this time it was different.

After having loved 'Om Shanti Om' as if we were waiting for another Shahrukh entertainer. Shahrukh, I believe overacts a lot. But not in OSO and definitely not in 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'. This one is a real family entertainer. Good story, good performances, nice music and well picturised & directed. A good one from Yash Raj Films.

I do not think this movie spent as much money on marketing as 'Ghajini' is doing. But then why do you need marketing when the product is a winner? Rather than spending money on marketing, if producers spend it on the script, stars and production, they will end up making more money. Movies don't succeed just by brilliant marketing.

Coming back to Rab Ne... post I watched and liked the movie, I tried to analyse why. 2 characters, no clutter in cast.. simple story and the rest of the mix in place. Every character you introduce in the movie, people expect something from them. The more the characters the more the clutter and confusion. When the story is so simple and nice (as in this case), then introducing more characters spoils the show.

Even the new actress, Anushka has done a good job. A break from the Rani's/Katrina's/Priyanka's of the world. The picturisation is another plus of the movie. The shot of Taani (Anushka's character) riding a 'Macho' bike takes the audience by surprise.

It is not a cliched love story. And yes, it is a movie which the common man will relate to. I could and you would also. A normal middle class man and his simple yet extraordinary story. We all know that 'ant mein sab achha ho hit jata hai' (the end is always good) but yet the climax of the movie is pretty nice. Brings together the movie to a good end.

One thing which sets this movie apart is the picturisation, which is very realistic. In how many Hindi movies have you seen real looking shots which tell you something about the location? This movie is shot in Amritsar. After you watch the movie, you would get a good hang of how Amritsar looks like. It tries to take you actually to Amritsar. Was this needed? May be not. But its worth it.

Images courtesy the movie website.

PJ

2008-10-19T13:14:00.000+05:30

What do you call a number which is less than a prime number?

subprime!

Singapore: The City

2008-09-20T23:57:00.000+05:30

I got an opportunity to visit Singapore this week. It was an official visit, hence I had to travel a lot in the city. This gave me an opportunity to see a lot of places and interact with a lot of people.

Travel
You cannot survive in Singapore without knowing how to travel in the MRTS (metro rail), unless you have tons of money to take the cab everytime. The MRTS connects almost every place in the city. It is a convenient and fast mode of travel. The signs on the station make life easier for the traveller. All you need is a small route map which is available with any Passenger Service Desk. The staff is also very helpful. Overall the city is very tourist friendly.

Food
If you are a veggie from India then you better stay near Little India. This place is full of Indian restaurants which give great indian food at reasonable prices. Most of the places in Singapore serve only Non-veg.

Shopping
Contrary to popular belief, Singapore is not a place to buy cheap electronic goods. The only place where good deals are available is Simlim Square (near Bugis MRT & Little India). Funan Centre is costly and so is Mustafa. Mustafa is one place, you can go for normal shopping; chocolates, shirts, bags & other small ticket items. Forex changes also happen in Mustafa.

Places to See
Although I could not travel much. From whatever places I saw I recommend the following:
a) Merlion - for it location, b) CBD (Raffles Place and other areas) - for its architecture, c) Clarke Quay - river and its beauty, d) Sentosa - Island Amusement Park, e) Little India - You will feel you are in India, f) Orchard... I missed the Night Safari, but heard it's great.

Other Obervations
1. One would not fail to observe that females outnumber males in Singapore. Wherever you go, you see girls, girls and more girls. The sex ratio is skewed.
2. There are no road-side hoardings. This is why the city is so presentable.
3. Drinking/Eating/Smoking inside the MRTS results in a huge fine starting from 1000 Singapore dollars (Rs.33,000!!!)
4. Smoking is prohibited in public places
5. There is hardly any dust on the road. The city is not very polluted either.
6. As land is limited, skyscrapers dot the skyline of Singapore.
7. 10% of the population is Indian, of which majority is Tamil. Sign boards in MRTS are also written in Tamil.
8. Singapore is absolutely green everywhere.

Overall, Singapore is a very cosmopolitan city. Very disciplined & orderly.

Road Side Hoardings: Back to Basics

2008-08-15T00:34:00.000+05:30

We get to see umpteen number of hoardings everyday. Most of them are of a similar size. Some are lit in the night, some not. Why do we remember some & forget most of them?

Hoardings are a form of advertising used my many industries. Real estate, Telecom & Movies use hoardings the most. Even financial services use them. The challenge always is to catch attention, make people read, remember (recall); and all this has to happen in a window of seconds.

The crux lies in (1) Interesting graphics/photo (to attract) (2) Low on text (read fast from a distance) (3) Big font size (4) Color contrast & (5) Good location (enhance visibility for maximum audience). So are our advertisers upto the challenge?

Here is how I see some of the hoardings which have been put on Hyderabad roads.

BSNL - Preity Zinta's long shot with an excel table in miniscule font size (which has too much stuff). I just cant read a word!

K.I.L.B. - The teaser. One of the best ones. Irfan Khan (closeup) & K.I.L.B. written is large fonts. Thats all! All this on a plain white background. Brilliant!

K.I.L.B. - Round 2. Depressing. The font is thin & some of the matter is too small. I just cant read even after focussing. Sorry, bad job after a great start.

MAYTAS Hill County - The chocolates disappearing. Creative. Attractive. Good.

Lufthansa - Boy with Pilot's cap. Attractive. But only helps recall the brand name.

Financial Chronicle - Tie up with The International Herald Tribune. Two rolled papers making a plus. Looks like a cigarette ad. But, helps recall the connect & brand name.

The only learning - Back to basics.

A Day at the Big Bazaar

2008-08-09T23:34:00.000+05:30

After parking the vehicle outside, we enter Big Bazaar. It is one of the biggest in the country, right in the heart of Hyderabad, at Ameerpet. There are two entrances. One on the 1st floor, near the Parking Lot. The other one takes you downstairs to the Electronics section. Lets Enter through the latter.

Electronics section. To my left is the Camera section. Only Kodak is visible. Canon is no where to be seen. Zero variety. They are not serious about cameras. Then why display it? God knows. Move forward. Lots of TVs. Nice! But wait, if you want to buy one.. you need to talk to the sales guys. Where are they, as there are very few of them it takes a lot of waiting to intearct with them. Move on.. Home Theatre, Microwave, DVD players, Refrigerators, Washing Machines. They really want to sell these items, there seems to be variety. Prices are reasonable. Value for money. But salesman ji.. waiting time is high. Chalo, let see what else is there..

Furniture Section. Good looking stuff. Lots to choose from. People are buying. But, if you go to Nampally - Abids (the traditional furniture market) you get a better deal. What? You dont have time. Then buy here. Others follow me up the stairs..

1st Floor. Lots of rush, because people are entering from Gate #2. Whats here.. Crockery, Utensils, Pressure Cooker, Decoration stuff, a Jewellery shop (I swear I have never seen a customer inside). Books, Games, CDs. Ayurvedic medicine shop. Astro-Feng Shui store, etc.. Great range and decent prices on household items. This is the real Big Bazaar.

But Books! Horribly arranged. No classification. No fixed location. No varitey as well. Chetan Bhagat has committed some mistakes near the Cash Counter. Near him is Sidney Sheldon & other Fiction stuff. Business, Telugu books and all other genres clubbed together. Some books are arranged on the wall far away. Some are at the corner, where rarely people visit. (Trust me on this.. I have visited this store umpteen number of times and hardly seen people there). The result of all this? I bet Big Bazaar makes no money on books, unless avid readers can find their way around and spend huge amount of time locating their favorite book. Once, a youngster asked a salesman "Do you have Freakonomics?" The reply was a no. I went upto the guy & told him where the book was kept. How did I know? I told you, I come here every week. Conclusion: They are not interested in selling books also. Then why waste so much space on them? Instead display what you want to sell. I can go to Crossword in City Centre.

Lets now take the escalator to the 2nd Floor. Clothes and lots of them. A group of 4/5 salesguys are parading the place. (I get reminded of my Calcutta days, CPM rallies in the narrow lanes). What are they shouting? "Buy 1 Get 1 Free." But why are they parading the entire floor & creating so much noise? They are even carrying loudspeakers. Allow sales guys to use their 'creativity' and they turn a supermarket into a machhi bazaar (fish market). Irritated by the noise, I quickly take the escalator and reach my favorite section. The Food Bazaar.

Food Bazaar. The cleanest, best looking, most spacious and with least traffic. Oh! I love this place. Well lit and neatly arranged. Not too many offers but lots of variety. Starts off with Toothpaste, Soaps, Hair Oils, Shampoos... the list is endless. Stores all the brands we have heard of plus in-house brands. I doubt its quality though. A cheaper in-house brand cannot beat Scotch Brite ever in quality. Keep moving, we see Noodles, Health drinks, Biscuits & loads of them, Snacks.. Take left and you see Snickers & Mars hidden behind glass. Someone told me choclolates are impulse category. Display it in the open so its easy to see and pick (or are you scared of shop lifters?)

Further up, Spices, Edible oils, salt, rice, wheat flour. A bakery store. Then comes the 'fresh vegetables' section. Great prices and good quality almost always. Just before you exit, you can pick up your Mirinda & Idli batter. And yes, don't forget the ice-creams. After having traversed 4 floors and thousands of square feet, all that one expects is a fast exit. My legs are aching. Is the queue at the counter long? Very very long. Maximum 3 counters serving so many tired customers. Anything which can entertain? Nothing. Why don't you put TV screens so that the perceived wait time can shrink? Any impulse items at the counter? Hardly any. Kitna sale lose karoge bhai? (How much sale do you wanna lose brother?)

Disclaimer: Big Bazaar might be making money on everything it sells. If I don't understand their style, it's my problem. Not theirs!

Word Game

2008-07-24T20:19:00.001+05:30

I and my better-half played this interesting game while waiting for food at a restaurant. It goes like this..

Choose a word, say 'ANT'

How many different words can be made using the letters of the word 'ANT'? Call it T.

How many of these words are proper English words? Call it P.

P/T (a fraction) is the Elasticity Score (ES) of the word.

The Game: Find a word which has the largest EI.

Example - Lets take the word ANT itself.

Maximum case:

1 letter words - 3, 2 letter words - 3, 3 letter words - 6

[Total 3+3+6 = 12 words]

Proper English words:

1.A 2.AN 3.AT 4.ANT 5.TAN

ES = 5/12, which is equal to 0.417

Can you better the score? I know of some words which have a higher score... I am also in the search for the one which has the highest.

Galla

2008-07-10T22:32:00.000+05:30

Its under our nose but we rarely read it. There is no reason to because they all read the same. I am talking about the 'back of pack'.

Ingredients

blaah..blaah...blaah

Directions for Use

blaah..blaah..blaah

But this one was different. While returning to Tirupathi from a market visit I picked up a mango drink on a small highway stall today. It was called "Galla". After drinking from the 200ml pet bottle I was going to do what we normally do... throw the bottle away. But my inquisitive eyes are always looking for 'marketing info'. This drink was from the makers of Amara Raja Batteries. Weird, I thought. A battery maker manufacturing fruit juices!

But this was not all. When I saw the back of pack I was amused. Here is what the text reads as it is..

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

"If you are a first timer, we think it's only fair we told you what really went inside this bottle. It's got Alphonso and Totapari mango pulp, water, sugar, Citric acid (E330), Ascorbic acid (E300), permitted natural colour and added flavour. If you'v noticed, there is no mention of any preservatives. You're welcome!

A relationship works two ways. If you ain't taking care of your mango, your mango ain't taking care of you. Luckily, a mango is less fussy than us humans. All it wants is to be kept in a cool dark place and never left unfinished. If you are forced to leave it unfinished, make sure you tuck it away safely in a refrigerator. But remember, you'll need to get back to it within 5 days. And yes, be willing to give it a good shake.

Don't let anyone come in the way of you and your mango. If people give you an earful of how too much of anything can be bad, here's a mouthful you can throw back. Start by telling them that mango is loaded with Vitamins A and C, which in fact makes it really healthy. It also has B-Complex which keeps you alert and beta-carotene that acts like sunscreen. If that's not enough tell them that it's cholesterol and saturated fat free. And if they're still not convinced, it's clear they'd rather talk you out of it so that they drink all of it. At times like these, we suggest a 'bottoms up'.

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The brand manager is a person with lots of guts and a good sense of humor. To know more about this new launch go to GallaFoods.com. (Picture from company website)

'Corporate' Lesson

2008-06-29T14:55:00.000+05:30

I watched the movie Corporate today. The two thoughts which remained with me were:

"When you succeed the credit goes to you and more so to your boss.

When you fail, it is ONLY you who has failed."

"Do not get emotional about the organisation you work for.

For them, you are just a replaceable resource at work."

Work Life Learnings

2008-06-08T20:47:00.001+05:30

Four things one should never expect in a professional career:

1. Do not expect your subordinates to know what pains you take in the job

2. Do not expect your subordinates to know what you expect of him

3. Do not expect your boss to know what pains you take in the job

4. Do not expect your boss to know what you expect of him

Highway Share Revisited

2008-06-08T16:26:00.000+05:30

In my May 29 post I wrote about a sampling experiement I conducted while coming back from one of my tours. That was on the Nagpur - Hyderabad highway. I re-ran the experiment, but this time on a different highway. I was returning back from a small town Siddipet to Hyderabad. I counted 100 trucks coming from the opposite direction. The numbers had stacked up like this the last time:

Tata Motors 44

Ashok Leyland 48

Eicher 8

This time around, the numbers were slightly different.

Tata Motors 55
Ashok Leyland 41
Eicher 4

I am absolutely sure now, that if we take the sales of trucks over the past decade, we should see a market share of 50% for Tata & 45% of Leyland. Do I want to conduct the same experiment again? Hopefully not. I want to discover more ways to fruitfully timepass in my long car jouneys.

Hyderabad Fish Medicine

2008-06-08T15:25:00.000+05:30

Every year between June 6 & 8, lakhs of 'asthma patients' gulp down the famous 'fish prasadam' in Hyderabad. The prasadam / medicine is a 'yellow paste' kept inside the mouth of the murrel fish and forced inside the patients' throat. Is it tough to gulp it down? Think so.

The medicine is being administered by the Bathini Goud Brothers for over 150 years. They do not even charge the patients for that. The only expense is Rs.10 for the fish & Rs.2 for a small box (in which you take back the medicine). VIP passes are issued every year. If you have a VIP pass, you need to wait for around an hour or forty five minutes to get the prasadam. One pass entitles one attendant to go along with the patient. You need to have contacts to get the pass. It is issued by Govt. of Andhra Pradesh.

Process Flow: Buy Rs.10 token for fish -> Queue -> Get the fish -> Fish medicine administered to you -> Collect medicine, leaflet & leave -> Follow the special diet given in the leaflet for 45 days & take the medicine on 3 prescribed days (2 tabs a day) -> Do this for 3 years.

The ingredients of the medicine is unknown to all except the Bathini brothers. Whatever it may contain, it is a purely natural/ayurvedic product. It is debatable whether this therapy cures asthma or not. Allopathic practitioners would call it the 'placebo of faith'. But given its popularity, you bet it would be doing some good for the helpless patients.

Further read:

(1) A patient who claims he got cured

(2) Controvery & Other info: Wikipedia

War on the Highway: Ashok Leyland v. Tata Motors

2008-05-30T00:26:00.000+05:30

My job involves a lot of travel. Most of the times I travel in an AC Indica. When I am not on phone or working on my laptop, I prefer to take a nap or listen to my iPod. Yesterday, I decided I will do niether.

While coming back to Hyderabad from Nirmal on the Nagpur - Hyderabad highway a question came to my mind. What is the market share of Tata Motors in the trucks category? I safely assumed it would be more than 75%. But I was unsure. I decided on a very crude way to find out the market share. The method is not fool proof but is a good measure. Try it yourself! Yes, you CAN try this at HOME!

I started counting the trucks coming from the opposite direction. My counting stopped after I had gathered 100 data points. And to my utter surprise, the figures read:

Tata Motors: 44

Ashok Leyland: 48

Eicher: 8

Can I safey assume that Ashok Leyland and Tata Motors have roughly the same market share? Note that most of the trucks were either registered in A.P. or Maharashtra. Some were even from Rajasthan. I do not want to conclude that this market share is indicative of only these states. I would rather extrapolate a sample collected on a national higway to the entire country. Why dont you try this yourself and see what you derive?

Relationship Management Programme by Homi Mulla

2008-05-29T22:09:00.000+05:30

This post is dedicated to "Calcutta Mail"

Last week I had the privilege of attending the Relationship Management Programme conducted by Mr. Homi Mulla in Hotel Fariyas, Lonavla. It is a six day long experiential learning programme which takes you through the various leadership styles. This program also helps you understand your own sets of assumptions and beliefs. The way you have seen the world till now and how you can change that. You also get to understand what effective teams are made of.

I have summarised a few things which are top of mind recall:

1. Perception is reality. You are not what you are but how others see you.

2. Assumptions guide behavior. To change behaviour, we need to change assumptions.

3. Effective teams start with goals and objectives. They then mutually do direction setting. They engage in pre, post and concurrent critique.

4. Critique is issue based, criticism is people based. Critique is like mental excretion. If you do not get it out of your system, it can become toxic.

5. Every team should at the start identify and trust its resource.

6. R1 + R2 = R3.

Where R1 = Resources, R2 = Relationships and R3 = Results. Under most cases, R1 is the same. All teams have the same set of resources, still their output varies. This is because of relationships. As Homi says, "R2 directly impact our bottomline, yet we hardly invest time in developing it."

7. All of us get into our comfot zones in life, in job. This stunts our growth. We stop learning.

8. When you are in team, not only should you welcome views divergent from yours; you should also solicit it.

9. Stakes govern behaviour. Real behaviour comes out in 'low stake situations'. Behaviour changes if the stakes are changed. Eg. If the teacher charges a fine of Rs.100 for late arrival, the instances of coming late will almost become zero.

10. Trust = (Credibility x Intimacy) / Risk

This is a relationship and not a mathematical equation. As C and I increase, R decreases.

11. One needs to listen with empathy. This involves:

Mirroring -> Re-stating -> Re-phrasing

12. We should for our own development, seek and give critique regularly.

13. One should be vary of self - deception. It is the biggest hurdle in changing one's behaviour.

14. Watch the movie "12 angry men" atleast 2 times.

15. -ve Critique -> Disturbance -> Reflection -> Realisation -> Insight -> Behaviour Change

16. Whenver you are faced with a situation ask "Whose problem is that?".

If its your problem, then only you have the solution.

17. Trust begets trust.

18. Talking with others will solve most of your problems. Open communication is the key.

19. Give support to get support. Dont be a 'crab'.

20. Begin with the end in mind

21. Read 'The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People' by Stephen Covey

If you ever get a chance to attend the 'Relationship Management Programme' do not miss it at any cost. (Homi's website - Click Here)

IPL: The Learning Curve

2008-05-09T22:53:00.001+05:30

Update after 30 matches (May 09)

I Hate My Card.com

2008-04-28T22:33:00.000+05:30

While coming back from work today, I saw an interesting hoarding. I do not remember the content but the name of the website caught my fancy. ihatemycard.com. Interesting. What could it be? I thought.

I came home and logged in. I smiled.

The website is just a 'form', a questionnaire. It reads, "What I hate about credit cards!". It gives you five options to choose from. In case, your option is not amongst these, you can choose to type out your problem. The form uses radio buttons; users are not allowed to choose more than 1 option. The objective is clear, you are being asked to mention your biggest problem. I wonder then, the question should have read, "What I hate most about credit cards!".

The options relate to:

1. Hidden/unknown conditions

2. Useless offers

3. Worthless reward points

4. Expensive cash withdrawl

5. Complicated charges

It asks for your name and email id in the end.

This seems to be a very smart & innovative marketing move by some financial institution. The website has a very catchy name and an absolutely simple objective. It is a market research questionnaire with just 1 question. Truly a great job done! Instead of personally going to hunderds of customers and asking them what they hate about their card, they create a economical mechanism to do the job. This campaign is going to get a lot of word of mouth. It is a novel concept.

IPL - To Bat or Not to Bat First

2008-04-27T10:32:00.000+05:30

April 26, IPL Match #12

Shane Warne won the toss for the Rajasthan Royals. Normally he should have decided to bat first. Put up a good total and then defend. The pitch was a good one. But he did not. And he was right. He won batting second. He is winning everytime he is batting second.

What are the initial trends in the IPL?

We will have a look at that. Calculations are based on the first 12 matches.

Match #13 is between Mohali and Delhi. Yuvraj and Sehwag are ready for the toss. Yuvi asks the statistician. "What if I win this toss?" "You are doomed." The captain winning the toss has lost 67% of his matches in the IPL so far (April 26). Still 8 times out of 12 captains are choosing to Bat 1st. Actually teams batting 1st are only winning 33% of their matches.

"If I am asked to bat 1st then?"

Teams batting 1st have averaged only 172 runs so far. If you make above 180, you have a fair chance to win. Anything below 180, you are in for trouble.

Conclusion

It is not that just by batting second, teams will start winning. Actually teams batting first are not making enough runs. So chasing is becoming easy. In the end, team that plays better will win, irrespective of whenever they bat. Statistics is an outcome of performance and not the otherway round.

Economics of Change - CNG versus Petrol

2008-04-13T22:31:00.000+05:30

In Hyderabad you will find autos running on petrol as well as on CNG. Is there a benefit for the auto driver to shift from Petrol to CNG?

In the name of environment, the change from Petrol to CNG can be driven by two means; 1. By Law (by force that is) 2. By Economics. In the current situation where law is allowing both Petrol & CNG, is there any incentive for an auto driver to shift to CNG? Let us calculate.

Point to remember:

The number crunching is done with the following objective: How much more money do you make if you run a CNG auto versus a Petrol auto? The calculation is being made for the auto driver (assuming he is not the owner).

Calculations

Income: The auto meter for both Petrol & CNG is the same; Rs.5.72/km. This is the only source of income. When travelling in the night (post 10-11pm) the fare becomes 1.5times. We will not be getting into such calculations because they are the same whether you are on Petrol or CNG. Expenses: The fixed costs of an auto driver are a) Daily Rental - Rs.200 for CNG/Rs.100 for Petrol (paid to the auto owner). b) Engine Oil - On an average it comes to Rs.30 per day for CNG & Rs.10 per day for Petrol (the data has been collected from reliable sources). The oils used are different for petrol and CNG. The variable cost is of fuel. CNG costs Rs.35.52/kg whereas Petrol costs Rs.51.12/ltr. The mileage is approximately the same at 25.

To find out which fuel is good for the wallet we need to know how much does an auto travel in a day. So how many kilometers would an average Hyderabadi auto driver traverse in a day? 100.. 200..

A day has 24 hours. Assume the auto driver works for 10 hrs. In between he rests for 1 hour (lunch, siesta..) which takes his effective working to 9 hrs. Morever, assume he spends 15 minutes an hour waiting for passengers and travels rest of the time (vacant or with passengers). So he ends up travelling 6hrs 45 minutes per day. If his average speed is 30; he traverses 200 kms daily. We further assume occupancy rate at 80%. Out of every 10kms he travels, 2kms is in search of passengers.

In the end, what conclusion do we reach? Not so surprisingly, the difference of fuel has no impact on the net income of the auto driver. Even if we take kms travelled to be 10% more or less than 200; the difference is between Rs. 17 to Rs.-8 (which is negligible).

The graph on the left plots the difference between net income of CNG over Petrol against kilometers travelled in a day. CNG is costlier to an auto driver if he travels less than 193 kms. The farther he travels from here on, CNG benefits him more and more.

If the government really wants auto drivers to switch to CNG it can take measures so that the fixed daily rental can come down. If the rental comes down to Rs.150, then on an average the auto driver will make Rs.50 per day extra (assuming 200kms travel). This translates to Rs. 1500 per month. Which to me seems a substantial economic logic to shift to CNG.

The Manohar - Part 2

2008-03-31T21:01:00.000+05:30

The Hyderabad airport has shifted. The 5 star hotel The Manohar, which was at a stone's throw from the old airport is now 30kms away. Locational convenience was their USP. What does the management do now? Should they panic? Not really.

Competitive Landscape

Hyderabad currently has around six 5-star hotels. Of these, Taj Banjara , Taj Deccan and Taj Krishna are in Banjara Hills. ITC Kakatiya and The Manohar are in Begumpet. Marriott is near Hussain Sagar. None of theses are close to the new airport. Conclusion: Competition is as far away from the airport as we are. The only twist is: Earlier we were the closest to the airport but now we are not. And this is the problem. But this relocation is also going to hit others. They also mention proximity to airport as a +ve (namely ITC Kakatiya).

Consumer Preference

How does one choose which 5-star hotel to stay in? Location, brand, room rentals, comfort, word of mouth? Location wise - all of these are equally far from the airport. Brand wise - Taj, Marriott & ITC are bigger brands. Comfort and word of mouth are very subjective and vary from one person to another. Room rentals do vary widely.

Room Rentals

If we go by the hotel websites, the approximate rentals (minimum & maximum) for a single occupancy room per night are as follows: Marriott 9500 - 27500, ITC Kakatiya 9000 - unknown, Taj Deccan 7000 - 40000, Taj Krishna 9500 - 75000, Taj Banjara 6600 - 40000, The Manohar 6500 - 15300. (For exact rentals: please visit hotel website)

Rentals of The Manohar are on the lower side (from the website it looks like they have recently slashed rates). This is one strategy the management seems to be taking to get more business. What else is The Manohar doing? They have started a Kids Summer Splash; a summer swimming training camp for kids.

Consumer Profile

Who visits these hotels? Celebrities, politicians, big corporates.. What else? Conference, product launches and parties.. Where is the price factor here? I dont really think price has a big role to play. Hence, slashing rates at Manohar might not be the best thing to do.

Positioning

Positioning is perhaps the most important thing for any 5-star hotel (holds good for all 'brands'). Manohar was all about convenience ('nearest to airport'). A cheapest 5-star hotel is not necessarily a great positioning.

If website is the mouth piece of a hotel then we can clearly see the following positioning: Taj Banjara - relaxation & comfort, Taj Krishna - luxury & opulence (talks about its grand architecture), Marriott - clearly for corporates, ITC Kakatiya - convenience. Perhaps the best positioned hotel is the Marriott. I like the way the website reads. You know it has been tailored for corporates. (A passing point: The hotels which need to instantly scrap their old websites are Manohar & ITC.. the websites are sad!)

Conclusion

A Manohar cannot become a ITC or a Marriott. For all you know, it should not. Every hotel has its stregths and weak points. It needs to play on its strengths and build capabilities. No short term strategy is going to work. They need to understand their and their competitors' customer profile. Final word: Go back to your customer base, understand them, retain them (you can offer discounts to the loyal base). Once the base is secure start acquiring more customers.

The Manohar - Part 1

2008-03-30T23:17:00.000+05:30

Hyderabad has got a new airport at Shamshabad built by GMR. It is swanky, state-of-the art and looks almost like a foreign airport. When I visited it last week, I saw people coming in hordes to just catch a glimpse. Even I had gone for the same purpose.

The only drawback of the new airport is its distance from the city. When compared to the Begumpet airport; which was bang in the heart of the city, Shamshabad is 30 kms away from the city. The cost of travel has sky rocketted for the high flier!

There is another twist:

The flight from Hyderabad to Bangalore takes you 1 hour. Bangalore is soon going to get a new airport (which is also 40 kms away from the city). Once that is done, the time of travel to the airport in each city will be one and a half hour. The time taken to go to Bangalore from Hyderabad will be less than the time it takes to go from the city to the airport!

The impact on people is in terms of rising cost and time. The change of airport also impacts others in the community. The one segment which benefits is 'car rentals'. They are going to make a killing!

What happens to 'The Manohar'?

The Manohar is a 5-star luxury hotel in Begumpet. It is at a stone's throw from the old airport. The proximity to the airport was perhaps its biggest 'USP'. It was the point of differentiation from the Taj Banjara and the Taj Krishna; both of which were far away from the airport. Now with the airport shifting 30 kms away, what happens to The Manohar?

What should the management do?

Discussion continued..

Auto Fares: Old is not Gold

2008-03-28T21:34:00.000+05:30

Buses & autos are the backbone of transport in the twin cities of Secunderabad & Hyderabad. Two months back the Autowallahs were forced to change over to the new meter. They protested, went on a strike; we know why. Finally they gave in. And the cost of living came crashing down.

Take this:

From my home to office; a distance of 10kms I used to pay Rs.75. After the new meter the cost came down to Rs.55. A whopping Rs.20 (26% reduction in travel cost). Such was the impact of the 'visible hand' in this market.

Swapnalok Complex

2008-03-26T23:16:00.000+05:30

My office is on the 5th floor of Swapnalok Complex in Secunderabad. Everyday in the lift I have fellow passengers who get 'uplifted' with me. Every once in a while it makes me wonder on a problem of probability. Here are a few samples:

1. There are 8 floors in the Complex and my office is on the 5th floor. If 5 of us board the lift, then what is the probablity that no one will get down before me? (assuming people only get down and not get in after we start from Level 0)

2. If there are 3 'lights on' in the lift (after we start). Then what is the probability that 1 person wil get down with me?

It keeps me occupied for the time I spend in the lift. Do you have the answers?

Banks: Customer Engagement

2008-03-26T22:48:00.000+05:30

What comes to your mind when you think about finance?

Money.. Numbers.. Bank..

Yes, Bank. We intearct all the time with our bank. But when it comes to disbursing financial knowledge, how many banks go that extra mile and educate us? Not that I've heard of.

How about Banks organising workshops after every Budget, during 'Taxing' times, etc etc.. We can have an ICICI Bank offerring a workshop for free to all its patrons where they talk about how to invest in MFs and stocks or clear our very basic doubts on tax planning and returns. All this for free! To build customer engagement and increase customer loyalty. Anyways, today's customers are not interacting too much with banks (face to face). When did you last visit your bank branch? I did almost a year back!!!

In this age, when website and ATMs are the points of contact, somewhere the engagement levels and customer loyalty needs a boost. Creating differentiation in ATMs and Internet is not easy. I think Banks needs to go the extra mile, to 'engage' with the customers. I do not mean, customers should be encouraged to visit the branch more often and hence have direct contact with the staff.

If I were to suggest one step which a bank can take to acquire customers; I would humbly have this to offer: Start organising weekend workshops for college students on basics of banking & taxation. Is it not your area of expertise? Core competency?

This would mean investment of time & money, but I think it would be worth it. Worth more than what Canara Bank might have invested in an image makeover (Nothing against it.. I personally liked the campaign).

Moreover, customer acquisition is easy when you convert a 'non-user' to a 'consumer'. Converting one banks' customers to sign up an account with you is a tough job. Moreover, these college students are the corporates of tomorrow! Right! They are also likely to apply for educational loan with you. In the long-term the probablity that these accounts stay with the bank is high, because of their 'emotional bonding' at an early age.

The bankers should try this out!!!

In case you have heard any bank do this in recent times, do update me. Thanks!