5 ways to end meeting madness on a Monday?

5 ways to end meeting madness on a Monday?

1. Email?
Ask first, can it be an email?

2. Type?
Decide what type you want? I classify into -
-Info (Status Update)
-Discussion (Brainstorming)
-Decision

3. Time Duration?
Time them to short & non-standard timings (20 min vs 30 min). Parkinson’s law states work expands to fill time. Attention spans are also dwindling. This helps to NOT discuss the match or movie.

4. Size?
The more, the non-merrier. #Amazon recommends not more than folks sufficing 2 large pizzas.

5. Minutes?
Minutes matter when sent from the meeting itself.
Format: Action-person-end date.
If it’s taking you more than a day or it’s a long 2 pager, you are writing a story not minutes, JkRowling!

Bonus:
Sitting or Standing?
Standing ones are more effective, helps reduce unnecessary chatter. Brave ones can try plank meetings😮‍💨

What else will you add for material meetings?

#meeting #productivity #career

Pic credit - Tom Fishburne

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I write regularly on topics linked to marketing/consumer and habits/productivity. Follow #RunningMarketer

RIP Rasna Man! 5 marketing ways that made kids go 'I love u rasna'

RIP Rasna Man! - 

5 things that he did to make every kid go ‘I love you Rasna’

The founder of the nostalgic popular brand, Rasna - Areez Khambatta passed away yesterday. 

News reminded me of this iconic brand which was our go to drink during summer holidays.

Today, It is used across million households and exported to 60 countries.

Here are 5 #marketing lessons from Rasna-

👉Rebranding - The drink started as ‘Jaffe’ in Gujarat & Maharashtra, prior to 1979 when it was renamed as Rasna, a name out of Hindi word ‘Ras’ meaning juice, a more Indian sounding name vs Jaffe.

👉Value Proposition - In 80s, it presented a clear value proposition of a home made summer drink which is colourful, liked by kids & dirt cheap opposed to bottled soft drinks like thumbs up, Limca.

👉Category Creation - To my mind, it was a classic case of category creation. It was one of the first brands to teach how to use this new category (like Maggi) and shown the procedure of using concentrate to make 32 glasses. 

👉#Advertising - Necessarily, it had kids stories in its ads with orange coloured drink. Stories like - ‘girl talking to teddy bear’, ‘Ab mummy Kay Karegi’…And it ended on a signature and consistent line ‘ I love you Rasna’. 

👉 Rational Purchase - India was so high on value those days, it talked of 5 rupees, 32 glasses in its advertising too!

RIP Rasna Man.

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I write regularly on marketing/consumer trends and habits/productivity tips. Follow #RunningMarketer

India’s largest Media Company = Meta?

India’s largest Media Company = Meta? 

Playbook: 

Social Network -> Attention -> UGC -> Monetisation -> Media Co

👉Social Network

#Facebook started with a bid to join friends with their life updates. 

Gained traction with WOM and soon network effect took off.

👉Attention

It’s easy to lose interest, it kept adding and improving features to keep users hooked. 

-From notifications to apps to news to videos.

-From scrolling right via stories to scrolling up via reels.

With times, bought other apps like Instagram, WhatsApp to remain the largest attention grabbing network globally.

👉UGC/Monetization

To solve content shortage, it educated, promoted and incentivised general users to create content, the biggest differentiator vs media companies like Sony, Zee, Star. 

👉Media

Both Meta and #Google with an unending stream of UGC for user stickiness; are in Top 5 media companies in India today by revenues.

Attention of masses is the biggest asset on this planet!

What will you add in the playbook??

#media #socialmedia 

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I write regularly on marketing/consumer trends and habits/productivity tips. Follow #Runningmarketer

OOH still relevant in 2022?

OOH still relevant in 2022? Just 5-10% media share??

Globally OOH or Out of Home advertising declined during pandemic, but is expected to grow at single digits in coming years.

 Its contribution is under 5% (~36bn/~800bn USD) to total global ad spend.

In india, its share is ~10-12% being a developing economy (with still good chunk of traditional media). 

However, few points make OOH relevant in today's digital times too -

👉With increasing digital fatigue and lower number of billboards on road (esp in india, the number has been pruned by govt), it is more relevant/less cluttered for consumers post pandemic.

👉Imo, OOH can magically bring alive a product's core in a grander way out in open. 

👉If done with an objective to integrate the brand core to marry physical spaces, it can convey the product value proposition like no other medium.

Here are some such magical ones in the deck! Check them out.

Do you recall any outdoors ad that was simply magical?

#ooh #advertising #marketing #media

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I write regularly on topics linked to marketing/consumer and habits/productivity. 

Follow #RunningMarketer 

Hope is a losing strategy in times of layoffs!

Hope is a losing strategy in today's times!

Hope is the oxygen for life. Hope enables us for the state that 'end of the hardships is near. Tomorrow is the dawn.'

But with longer periods of dusk, it starts becoming like a joke and breaks us.

Resilient people on the other hand combat tough times better, says an #HBR research. They essentially do 2 things -

👉They accept the harsh realities facing them.

Instead of denial, take a sober view of reality. You’ll prepare & train yourself to survive, assuming long winters.

☝️Admiral Stockdale was held prisoner in camps and tortured by the Vietcong, but survived 8 years in part by accepting he could be held for a long time. Vs  those died being broken hearts thinking they will be out this christmas, easter..

👉They find meaning in terrible times & develop alternate goals.

Don't view yourself as a victim to cry, “Why me?”

Rather, devise constructs about your suffering to create meaning for yourself & others.

✌️Nazi Camps survivor Victor Frankl did so by imagining himself giving a lecture after the war on the psychology of the surviving camp to help outsiders understand what he had been through.

By creating meaningful alternate goals for himself, he rose above the sufferings of the moment. You can read more in his book, 'Man's search for meaning'.

What advice would you add for such times?

#life #jobs #layoffs

Podcasts? Branded?

Branded Podcasts? A good channel or a fad?

Facts -
- India is world’s third largest country by podcast listeners ( After Us and China)
- ~60-75 m MAU #podcast listeners in India (~12% of digital India)
-It is under 1% of digital spends in the country.

Is the medium significant?
Not yet, but it’s accelerating. You now find podcasts on every audio streaming app - Spotify, Gaana, Prime Music and so on. Audible too. Google and Apple podcasts are abviously there.

However, it’s creators or influencers that are leveraging thier already huge following on social media on podcasts.

Coming to branded podcasts.

With more story driven #D2C brands in India, there is a genuine following of person driven brands (mostly founders) leading to a strong community.

#Community driven brands will excel at podcasts imo. They have genuine proposition or evolution story to tell and listen to. The medium also help connect users to brands closely with straight QnA or co-opting in the journey without spends on expensive video content.

‘Do what floats your boat’ by Boat, ‘The gentleman’s show’ by The Man Co are some of the branded podcasts available in India.

However, Till the Jio led cheap data is here, podcasts still is on backfoot vs video.

Which podcast is your favourite?
I like firstprinciples on spotify by Ken.

Pic credits - One of the most famous podcasts globally, Joe Rogan.

#marketing #content

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I write regularly on topics linked to marketing/consumer and habits/productivity. Follow #RunningMarketer on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitinchandil

Hooks everywhere even in the titles! Dont judge a book by its cover is passe?

When Sh*t and F*ck make it to the best selling book titles?

From the likes of books like 7 habits of highly effictive people; we have come a long way. 

I guess diminishing attention spans and bombardment of messages with 24*7 always on mobile internet; we are just doing selective attention tasks.

We read the posts with 'hooked' titles. We watch the content that is byte sized. If it doesn't make a cut in the first few seconds, we swipe up. 

We check trending stuff on news, what's on right now.

Hook is everywhere.

And 'hook' claims that we 'save' effort (of wading through uninteresting stuff) by choosing the hook.

Essentially, its all about save time from slow stuff. 

Get instant outcomes.

Fast food, Crash course, YT Shorts, Book Summaries, Quick Commerce.

Are we in such rush to save on time?

Where are we using that saved time?

Think.

Actually that device that claims to save time has only sucked your time!!

More on that later.

#books #marketing #life 

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I write regularly on topics linked to marketing/consumer and habits/productivity. 

Follow #RunningMarketer on LinkedIn 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitinchandil

Starbucks - The Strategy Lesson

#starbucks  - The strategy Lesson.

Starbucks was founded in 1971 by 3 friends (not including Schultz), selling dark roasted coffee.

In 1981, Schultz joined the company and started his italian tour of studying the coffee bar culture there.

Schultz was awed by the grace and flair of Italian coffee bars, where expensive coffee was served in a relaxed social setting.

In contrast, coffee culture in US was comprised of cheap, bland coffee.

Post his trip, he made a hypothesis - The Italian espresso experience could be re-created in America and the public would embrace it.

He then started testing this by setting up the first espresso bar in seattle.

He realized that American preferred table chairs vs standing bars in Italy. He changed the furniture.

He realized that they wanted coffee on the move and not in fancy cups unlike italy. So he introduced paper cups.

And many more such variations while doing hypothesis testing and refining ideas basis results; its what it is today-

 An american original.

#Strategy is not just a static plan; its much closely knitted to the ground actions warranting perennial refinement and tweaks.

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I write regularly on topics linked to marketing/consumer and habits/productivity. 

Follow #RunningMarketer on LinkedIn 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitinchandil

To attain goals, Be an imposter of a new identity first!

40 days to 2023. 

Still want to achieve those goals?

Be an IMPOSTER!

We mostly begin the process of changing our habits by focusing on what we want to achieve. 

Outcomes. Goals.

- Weight loss

- Fab abs

- Startup

It fails because when you don't see results by following a system, we tune out.

Start with identity.

Why?

Our current behaviors are a reflection of our current identity.

To change your behavior for good, we need to start believing new things about ourselves.

Ask yourself, “Who is the type of person that could get the outcome I want?”

- A model

- An athlete

- An entrepreneur

At a deeper level, this is about defining new beliefs -

What do you want to stand for?

What are your principles and values? 

- I started with "I stand for anything 'health and fitness' in my friends & family circle."

Difficult part is, we ourselves are only not convinced. 

-I am NOT this person yet!

That's where, being an IMPOSTER helps.

When you masquerade, you have to start thinking and proving your new identity to yourself.

On how an athlete will think when offered a late night booze party? Ditch.

On how an entrepreneur will think when offered to be limited at job? Ditch & Start.

And one day you will BECOME.

Thats why i say, be an imposter.

#habit #career #job #runningmarketer

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I write regularly on topics linked to marketing/consumer and habits/productivity. 

Follow #RunningMarketer on LinkedIn 

Monkeys on your back are pulling your productivity down?

🐒 Monkey on your back?

You’re racing down the hall. Your reportee stops you and says, “We’ve got a problem.” 

You listen to him but can’t make an on-the-spot decision. You say, “Let me think about it.” 

👉You’ve just allowed a “monkey” to leap from your subordinate’s back to yours. 

👉You’re now working for your subordinate . 

👉Take on enough monkeys, and you won’t have time to handle your real job: fulfilling your own boss’s mandates and helping peers generate business results. 

How to avoid accumulating monkeys? 

👉Develop your subordinates’ initiative.

For example, in such a scenario, clarify that he needs to come back with - recommendation , take action and report outcome at a regular update. 

When you encourage employees to handle their own monkeys, they acquire new skills—and you liberate time to do your own job.

- Tip from an article by William Oncken, Jr., and Donald L. Wass published in Harvard Business Review 

#work #career #tip #productivity #job

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I write regularly on topics linked to marketing/consumer and habits/productivity. 

Follow #RunningMarketer on LinkedIn 

When the humble kaapi met the affluent Latte!

I wonder, when the co-founder of Starbucks, Zev Siegl recently visited Bangalore's heritage shop - Vidyarthi Bhawan for a quick taste; he must have done this thousands of time;sampling coffees across continents and soaking in how consumers sip coffee everywhere.

With glocalisation, it's important that brands offer consumers to taste the best of both worlds - signature stuff the brand stands for globally as well as modification or new products lines keeping local sensibilities and flavours in mind.

#Starbucks this year has launched filter coffee & masala chai in their menu along with stuff like chole kulche in India.

#McDonald's has been selling Aloo tikki burger for years now in India and it has been adopted in the global menu under vegan options.

#Snickers introduced the veg version in India only (eggless).

#harleydavidson recently launched tough turbans in thier range of accessories considering a lot of sikhs community drive thier vehicle.

But for all that thing to happen, understanding consumers by immersing themselves in the market is what is a must!

#consumerbehavior #marketing

Top 5 ways to build habit forming products?

Top 5 ways to make your product a habit-forming one?

'Hooked' by Nir Eyal is a must read on the subject. My picks from the book -

1. Become a Guru.
Thats what most brand build - a library of great Content on thier transactional apps - like #Zerodha varsity.

2. Become a Friend.
Personalize. Recommend. Valuable reminders. That wife's anniversary tip. #Cred saves the day on bills.

3. Become a Community.
Standing for a common cause in the category & solving consumer pain points. #Nike+, Redbull have embraced this so well.

4. Dont build point programs for loyalty. Build VAS, consumer will pay for. Like #Amazon Prime.

5. Don't make a super app to build frequency. Cut confusion. Retain focus.

What would you add there?

#product #marketing  #growth #book

Peak End Rule - Whats more memorable - Dhoni's six Vs Gambhir's 97?

More memorable of 2011 world cup - Dhoni's hitting 6 in 2011 world cup (91*) or Gambhir's above the order 97?

You went to a movie. The beginning and the middle was boring. But the end was awesome. Your mind will still rate it - awesome. (Bruce Willis's Sixth sense?)

Apart from the end, we also remember some of the extreme scenes in the middle; those peaks that were unusually good or worst. (Kashmir Files' 2 extreme scenes!!)

That's peak-end rule at play. 

When we remember something, our brain ignores most of it. It picks only the 'peaks' and the 'end' more than anything out of a story, movie, #content..any experience; and makes an assessment of it, based on that only.

Despite a poor #experience throughout, if the brand makes it sweetest at the end, your #NPS rating would still be 8-10/10. 

So, its important that as marketers, we build those peaks in our content or experiences along with pleasant endings. 

That unique mouth freshening pouches in a restaurant. Or that peak moment clicked at a Disney ride given at end!

Any relatable examples?

#marketing 

Strategy is God?

Strategy is God.

It pervades everywhere.

From man on the moon strategy to how to tie shoe laces strategy.

Basic strategy. Sophisticated strategy. Winning strategy. Losing strategy. #Marketing strategy. Sales strategy. HR strategy.

‘strategy’ derives from the Greek strategia, = ability to employ available resources to win a military conflict.

Simply put, strategy is a cohesive response (analyses, concepts, arguments, policies and actions) to an important challenge.

Not a standalone decision.

Not a goal.

It’s important to distinguish and use the word. 

Richard Rumelt in his book, Good Strategy Bad Strategy; talks about -

#Strategy = Diagnosis + Guiding Policy + coherent action

Diagnosis = Identification of problems/obstacles

Guiding policy = Specific approach selected to solve problems

Coherent action = detailed how to ( policy, resources,actions) to carry out Guiding policy.

Do the below sound okay as strategy?

-Our strategy is to grow 10X in 3 years. 

-Our game strategy today is to go out there and score!

#execution 

How much is that connected TV costing you?

Smart Idiot box draws 25% of waking life!

Our attention is the biggest resource to be managed, along with the time we fill for it.

Series on Apps like #netflix increasingly use ‘peak end’ rule, to leave you wanting more after each episode & making you binge watch.

How to get out of it?

Fix the time slot and pause after it to resume later next day, vs binge watch.

Connected TV means control is with you vs with the now smart idiot box.

Don’t lose control.

On of my favourite speakers, Jim Rohn mentions a story - When he asked his friend on how much did this grand ultra sized recently purchased TV costing him, his friend mentioned proudly the price tag.

Later jim told him, that the cost is actually several million dollars over the years, of the time that it will suck perenially.

Who much is the smart idiot box costing you?

#smart #entertainment

Psychology behind 'I know'

Psychology behind 'I know' 

Generally when asked about something, our default response (despite having a very hazy idea) is that 'I know'. 

In an experiment, people were asked if they know 'how zippers work?'

And then asked to rate themselves on a scale of 10 on how well they know it.

Then they were given a pen and paper to explain. And again asked to rate. 

Their scores plummeted.

This phenomenon is called the ‘Illusion of Explanatory Depth’.

The illusion that we understand things better than we actually do. 

We think we understand how things work. Even when we don’t.

This often leads to - 

☝️ end of conversation as the other person stops and doesnt explain further 

✌️ you remain poorer under this mirage that you know.

How to counter this?

👉Convert 'I know' to saying 'I want to know'.

👉Be the last one to speak, if you really want to educate yourself.

Have you caught yourself in a conversation saying 'I know' when somebody just started saying something?

 #work #life #tips #growth