Lessons to learn from Infosys

“Wooing the press is an exercise roughly akin to picnicking with the tiger. You might enjoy the meal but the tiger always eats last.”

_ Maureen Dowd

Let me begin by clarifying that I am great admirer of Infosys, I have worked with them in their early days and have written about how Infosys has been built by PR and not by advertising. In that context, their taking the media to court has put them in the spotlight and I believe that there are lessons that can be learnt from this.

As the baton is passed

Was it the cold shoulder to advertising in their marketing initiatives or the PR strategy that could be faulted? From the days when the company made news thanks to the net worth of Narayan Murthy's driver to the current news items, that are focussed on the state of flux that the leadership is in, I look at what they need to implement to bring back the good old days, in the Hindu Business Line.

If you wish to read the whole story, you can find it here.

A time to start up?

In 1987, I was asked to open a branch for Mudra Communications, a growing agency of that time. My boss, an outstanding Manager, asked me a question - “What do entrepreneurs do when they start up?” Having been an employee all my life, I waited for him to guide me.

“They are so keen to succeed in business; they will even pawn their wife’s jewels if the need presents itself. I want you to have that attitude even if you are only a Branch Manager.” I took his advice seriously and threw myself into the venture. I ran around looking for office space, getting a telephone connection, finding clients, finding people…. The biggest challenge was getting a telephone connection and I had to move heaven and earth and do stuff that I am ashamed of today.

Things have gotten a lot easier for the entrepreneurs of today. I look at the Start up ecosystem as it exists in Bangalore and the challenges and the eco system that they will deal with today.

I've also talked about startups that I know of personally like this one. You can read the full piece on Money Indices here.

VIP Skybags and their attack on black

You must have noticed the new ad campaign for VIP skybags featuring John Abraham to mark its foray into the Backpack segment. I was asked to weigh in on the campaign and the segment.

The new Skybags campaign

I believe that categories like watches, vehicles, clothes and women's bags have all undergone change and have become products that are used to make a statement, and backpacks are no different, as I mentioned in a campaign profile on Afaqs.

You can read the whole article and my other thoughts on the segment here.  

Himalaya bets on Personal Care

When Himalaya entered the market, herbal products were relatively new. In a way, they were early entrants in the space and grew the category to a large extent. More often than not, in such cases, larger players can walk in and reap the fruits of the work of smaller early entrants, by virtue of their muscle. My thoughts on what strategy Himalaya should follow to take on the larger players.

You can read the entire write up here at the Business Standard.

Year end Musings

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