Everyone deserves some "Change"

Image Courtsy

Today, I sold my guilt and 5 bucks for some perspective in return. Truth is, it happens everyday of my life; it's just that today is "Sunday" and it's a day of realizations.

I was sick of drab and lull air that engulfed my "living room". And though usually I overcome my athletic inclinations of any kind very quickly with inherent laziness; for a change I decided to go along with it today. I'm not a man of plan who believes in contemplations and contrived actions; so it wasn't a surprise when I started off in my car without any clue about my destination.

Idea was to feel some fresh air and lighten up my spirit with serene view. Unfortunate as it is; such a sight is an uncommon experience in a city I live in; so I just chose to move along with traffic.

I usually drive with windows down; as nothing feels better than a gush of cool breeze on face ruffling your hair and mellow music in background strumming on the strings from the past in your head. But in certain areas of city; pollution and smoke level is unbearable; owing to stagnant traffic and obstinate morons who refuse to kill the revving engines on red lights. So when I reached one such junction; I wondered how does a Traffic Cop survives intense pollution throughout the day. How does he ensures that while he is trying to do a public service (irrespective of how slandered his profession and ethics are); he himself doesnt fall prey to terminal illness which is never far from continuous exposure of black soot.

And while I was still reckoning the professional hazards of a simple man and trying to decide whether I should draw my window up to block the smoke; I noticed in rear view a feeble figure limping towards my still open window.

It doesn't take special skills to identify a beggar on a street. He was an old man in his 80s; limping with one stick; overgrown shabby hair tied into a crude pony. Scantily clad; his frowned forehead was no less than a highway billboard which screamed of bitter reality and a miserable life. It doesn't take a genius to read that; but it takes a frigid heart to overlook.

Although he hobbled by a small step at a time, he was noticeably close to my window. Music was blaring; overtly loud; and it almost seemed rude to be exhibiting opulence there, on the other hand, toning down the volume at that moment felt awkward. I didn't know what to do! I wanted to pull up the windows and look onto the other side. But I sat spellbound trying to decipher story of his life. Eventually he reached the spot and moment which I dreaded for those few seconds. He asked me for some change. I fumbled around and I found a 5 bucks coin lying in my wallet. It wasn't a value I'd usually contribute but I had no choice, that was the only coin I had; I was suddenly neck deep in guilt. I don't know why I felt guilty. I did not contribute to his condition and in a very non-moral way his life and condition is not a concern or a liability to me. And yet I sat there ashamed of being more privileged and happy in life.

With my contribution 2-5 times greater than usual helping; he was ecstatic with the sudden luck that life had bestowed upon him. He murmured several verses of blessings and strode off with his renewed confidence in humanity.

Once he left and I tried to recapitulate in my head; what really happened in those few minutes. Above of all, I tried to understand that why did I resist inside to give that coin to him. Throughout the evening I spent 500 bucks but not for a moment did I mull over the amount as much as I did for that coin. Probably because; while everyone gave me something for my money; that beggar had nothing to offer. Or at least I thought so. I shook away my guilt when I handed over that insignificant coin. As if; I have justified my existence by that peanut contribution.

It was only later when my meandering chain of thought made me realize that; that old man sold to me something that people won't get even if they spent fortune of lifetime. He sold me some "real perspective" for just as less as "5 bucks".

While he is the one who asked for "change"; it's me who was really on the receiving end. It's me who ended up getting the "change" he deserves. On a dull Sunday evening of my soporific life; I learned something that I'll probably remember.

For a person who trots on a highway junction; where world comes to a momentary standstill, pollution is not a concern. To find his daily bread, he yearningly stares back into loathsome eyes of people who are too fretted with petty musings of life. And frail and feeble that he is; biggest irony of his life is that if he doesn't make it to that single piece of bread today; he will not have strength left to find one for the next day. And that is "perspective".

While we ride away on our plush lifestyles when light turns green; we must remember that he is a part of society we live in and brag about. So if we can't give him the change that he deserves, we should at least give him the change he asks for.

If I had to sell myself

In exhilarating hour past midnight I am coiling up here in an uncomfortable Yogic stance in a secluded corner of my bed hitting Google search results one after the other. My vagrant instincts has taken up an exceedingly irksome task of finding basic difference between "Marketing" and "Advertising". Well; I know thrilling as it sounds; the final and inviolable intention is to conduct an experiment and to cross verify that how well the idea has seeped down through my lipid head into the brain.

My superfluous nature often keeps me off these electrifying grounds of business and market research as I have no more interest in it; than that of a Pigeon in his droppings. However, there is this idea which has been resonating inside my head for sometime now. In last awards ceremony of my organization; a question was simply put to management; "Why don't we focus more on advertising?". And answer was as expected; that being a relatively small firm we do not have sufficient funds to erect up billboards and distribute printed media. Moreover I don't think that would even serve the purpose.

Anyway, while that question was being asked; I had an epiphany and three things suddenly came rushing to my head:

1. Being a SaaS (Software as a Service) company; are billboards and public prints really the pertinent media of advertising we should go for? Especially when we target a very concentrated market and a specific segment of domain?
   
2. If whole purpose of advertising and marketing is to tell people that you exist and what your capabilities are; what is the best way for a organization like us to go into market and show case your brains and brawns without having to pay gold chests as the incurred cost.
   
3. What if we spearhead a new concept called "The Zero Marketing" or "The Zero Advertising". And that in no way relates to much infamous "e-mail spamming" and "pop up or push" advertisement which are slapped into the face of a consumer without choice or voice.
   

Anyway, before I delve into the details as to how I loitered inside my head day after day to find answers; let me summarize what I understand from Marketing and Advertising.

1. Advertising: It is an act (often desperate) to let world know you exist. It is at not neccessarily targeted ONLY at potential clients; instead it's an effort to build a brand or a public image; because at the end of the day you don't need only good clients; but also smart people to work with those clients. After all improvising with few good people is something that will not work forever.

2. Marketing: While advertising is a field in itself; it's only a small part of Marketing. Marketing is a more focused effort of leveraging your brand equity within a target group of people. And more than often they are your potential clients. Apart from advertising, marketing constitutes of multiple sub sections like market research, market understanding, market acceptance, demand etc.

Now that we have a skeletol layout of the "BIG TWO" in front of us; I'll tell you what did I really land onto in terms of answering my questions:

Q1 :: Justification for billboards and printed media for SaaS company.
A1 :: "Customer is always right". While this may be true what should really be noted is that he is as important as an employee; but not more. Because what you really have to know is that while a good employee can generate business and customers; a good customer cannot generate a good employee by itself. So while "Customer is never wrong", you need people who live by that rule. And good people will not come and join you because your name is in bold orange which glows in night; but they'll join you because that glow has a brand associated with it. So even if a SaaS company focalizes on a core section of specific market; it's beneficial to have a public brand; because it attracts talent. Just for the same reason why half of the world is interested in joining Google; while 1/2 of those may not even understand that Google's core business. (That would include me to an extent). So although it would actually be good if we did have billboards; I guess size does matter.

Q2 :: Best way to advertise and market without incurring high cost.
A2 :: World where we live in today; people are more concerned about the paper news is printed on; than news itself. And with advent and deep penetration of friendly consumer technology; no one is too far from internet. While at one point of time "word of mouth" was considered as backbone of advertisement in local topography; today it has been replaced by forwarded e-mails, blogs, discussion forums, groups and unmissable social networking websites. These serve dual purpose in a life of a much proclaimed and hyped software engineering and other technology related profession:

• Kill time while you also inculcate and nurture talents inside you.
  
• Develop a people network; which although may not be as effective as traditional; will still serve you well.
  

But that is not the context of the question. Coming back to that; the premise that I wanted to setup was that with latest technological advancements the advertising and marketing media is changing radically. While at one point of time; colorful label was viewed as an apt candidate to lure and entice general consumer; today's competitive world has made some serious advancements. Now people long for "innovation". Same colors that sky rocketed your sales graph fail to generate even slight fluctuations. "Distinguishing" or "Differentiating" factor is taken seriously more than ever before. And advertising has shed it's traditional form. Today being associated with something or anything which is more innovative or singular is valued more than anything else. To promote yourself you need to create something that "promotes itself".

Idea is simple; even as a SaaS company; if you can come up with an idea tomorrow which employs the power of technological world and is available for world to view and taste for free; it'll promote itself and more importantly you; if you can just hit it right on idea's "singularity" point. With the sound of it; it may look like a tough nut to crack; but it really isnt' so. It's all about the idea. And my personal favorite category is "Flash Advertisements". Here is an example:
Rajini - Boss ka Boss
Notice, how they have added a clip towards the end; so that a consumer waits through the actual advertisement to get a glimpse of their favorite character yet one more time.

So it's really the idea that drives a online marketing and advertising effort and not the cost. More ingenious an idea; lesser it'll hit your pockets.

Q3 :: Zero cost Marketing/Advertising.
A3 :: This is something that I think; I'll sleep on tonight and will reflect upon in one of my other posts. It is going to be something interesting. And it would also depend on my latest efforts to promote my own blog. Let see how this experiment tunrs out. If you are interested keep tuned in.

Well, so much for business jargon in middle of the night. I wonder where are these crazy personal tendencies of mine are headed to. Hopefully towards some greater good.

Love should come with a "Disclaimer"

Image Courtesy: Barca-q8

"All the good things in life are free". Whoever said that; probably didn't love too many and too much. Here is a perpetual truth to elucidate the minds of my prudent friends who have been living by this saying till now. NO, most of the good things in life are NOT free. And maven that you are; if your rapid counter-arguments are "Love and Happiness"; then let me tell you that happiness will probably not stick by your side for long if your spirit is the one, that is heavier than your wallet. On the other hand love and affection comes for free, only from a wet Dog looking for a warm cuddle. And considering the radical marketing that dogs get in TV commercials these days; I doubt if you'll even get a unpopular breed for about $500. That too when you don't get me started on the price tags of Dog food and flea removers.

Now that I have your eyes and ears on truth; please know that Love is in all probability, by far, the most expensive luxury you can afford. I know masses won't agree; but at the end of the day reality is that oodles don't have love; it's a prerogative of the select few. Love is like a 30 days trial software; it's ushered into your life by luck or will (most often by a wretched specie called friends); you make best of it in 30 days and before you can think or blink you are hung up on it. While hugs and passionate kisses, all come flying at you in trial period; once reality mode begins a petty gift may only qualify you for as much as a quick peck on the cheek. And as you try to feed your famishing inside to quench it's hunger for love; the "so called love" starts to eat away on your opulence; that you indubitably enjoyed once upon a time.

As rightly said "reality is stranger than fiction", let me tell you once again that this is not even the beginning of "worse" that you are going to see. As the norms would have it; all things including kickshaws that are paid for, are shipped and sold with their respective trade-offs, shortcomings and most importantly "disclaimers".

Working in warranty vertical of manufacturing; "disclaimer" is one word that is conjugated with my soul. It absolves a trader from the shackles of obligation in case of an uneventful failure of the product, "**if not used as specified". More expensive a product; more stringent and bold are it's clauses and limitations for usage.

Ironical as it is; but there is no disclaimer ever attached with love. There is no guidance, decrees or rules associated. It sounds like a sweet deal; but world that we live in; is used to "DISCLAIMERS" my friend. With the absence of disclaimers you trip over the line and before you know you are so far ahead from where you should be. So until we have "time machines" to undo the deeds that have been done; we shall rely on plain old disclaimers.

And until one is indited for love; most of the meritorious bachelors will forfeit their ambitions to the astute son of Aphrodite. Love is a deception with a charm which subterfuges your sense of reality. Once captivated; it gradually deprives you of your aspirations and dreams; Or so I think. My friends say; it's just the unstoppable nagging of the spouse that drives them crazy.

While half of the world struggles to cave their way into love; rest of the half is trying to shake away the hobbles. And as we stand here on either side; we look up to a resolution which will confine the bloodshed of dreams to only ill-fated.

Until then; like I said before; "Love should come with a Disclaimer".

A Bomb with a religion.

I-pod has taken world by an unprecedented force. And had it not been for the indisputable large scale outcome of Industrial Revolution; some may have termed I-pod as the greatest revolutions of Human Kind. Not that everyone takes the insane scribblings of Wikipedia seriously and so refrain from actually terming I-Pod so; but then you can't alter beliefs; can you? However, I really think that what this world avidly awaits now is a "Bomb with a religion".

No..No..I am not saying it because today is a Friday night; and if I am staying up late writing a blog then I must be incoherent with truth and sopped with liquor! On contrary my flummoxed soberness will actually beat the undisputed atheism of a bomb also; hands down that is.

I have a very noetic belief to reason my argument. You see, a tin box full of volatile chemical combined with piercing shrapnels with an acute and indiscriminating aim; cannot asses or appraise anyone of his religious inclinations. Neither can it make a righteous judgment of his/her character and belief in designated omnipotent authority. So when one actually goes off; it potently shreds the limbs of all beings equally. Which I feel is quite unfair.

To prove my point; you tell me what good is a master who slaughters his own pupils? It would be no more than an ironical fiasco. It would be somewhat analogous to Americans choosing George Bush's administration for third time in a row; we definitely don't want that, do we? So what do we do? We instill a moral and religious police in a bomb; so that now not only human kind; which by the way isn't any human or kind if we go literally; can choose to blow up a city of people, but it can also choose "which people".

I wonder; when God created (if he did at all); all the animals and humans; while he chose to impart each characteristic with varying degree to all species; he gave religion ONLY to us. Or maybe even Dogs have religion but smarter specie that they are; they choose to ignore it (not to mention skin color too).

Whatever said and done; bored with our mundane and soporific lives; while we devise the ingenious ways to get back at humanity because we hate to live in a crowd where we are not one of our own; this world needs a bomb, bearing the morals that this world needs; because if a maker can't make a choice then a bomb must.

Ethereal Rejuvenation

Back from dead; here I am trying to rejuvenate myself from the ashes. Well if you really want me to be poetic; I could compare my self to phoenix! But then are you really up to the task of handling my insistent twaddling? I guess not.

So here it is; crisp and sweet. I am back to blogging and "hopefully" you'll see more of me here.