DNA of Apple – so rightly put by Bono

There are dreams that you Search for. There are dreams that Search for you. Some adore Steve Jobs. Some despise him publicly. But what most companies try and fail - is to emulate the core DNA of people & innovation that represent Apple. I had written an earlier blog post on how to 'Fight Off…

ELITIFY – For the Successful Man

Snake Skin Patterned Wallet from Etro at Rs. 22,900/- or an artificial leather Wallet from an unknown brand at 50% discount for Rs. 1,999? Which one do you prefer? Are you a premier customer or a bargain hunter? Read on if you're the former; you can visit Jabong.com OR Myntra.com if you're the latter. In…

The Fetish for White Skin in India

I never realized this during my decade long stay abroad in Moscow, Oxford, London and other locations. But since returning to India and working for different companies (2008 onwards), one of the core Marketing tricks that I've picked up - which defies all rules of MBA learning you can learn anywhere on Earth - "White…

Emailer from Jabong – Sums Up Indian E-commerce Scenario

NB: This blog post is NOT directed against any company, person or group(s) in particular. In fact, I myself have purchased over 25+ items from Jabong.com in the past 4 months. 🙂 Customer Service is impeccable. This promotional mailer from Indian e-retailer Jabong.com (Rocket Internet venture launched in late 2011 in India) pretty much sums…

Creating a Referral Program for Your E-commerce Website – Sher Singh Way

A B2C e-commerce site ideally revolves around 4 core aspects: a) a shopping experience b) a social sharing experience c) a referral (invite) experience d) a loyalty program experience A Dot.com that can do these 4 effectively, will survive the 'Dot.com bust' when it comes, which it surely will in India. Sooner or later. Result…

8 Things To Do if you’re Planning for a Startup (and WHAT NOT TO DO as well) (Startup Series: Episode 6)

You've a great idea. A financially viable business model (on paper). A few key team players in mind (to get on-board). And on verge of securing a good amount of VC capital. All set for the next Facebook? Twitter? Pinterest? Unfortunately NO. Having worked in India for a few startups - whether B2B/B2C - have…

The Only Book Steve Jobs Had on his iPad 2

Steve Jobs loved reading books - mostly spiritual ones. However, the only book that Steve had downloaded on his Apple iPad 2 for regular reading was - Autobiography of a Yogi. It is an autobiography written by Paramahansa Yogananda (January 5, 1893–March 7, 1952) in 1946, in which he discusses his life story,and which introduced…

E-commerce in India – Flipkart in Trouble? (Startup Series: Episode 5)

UPDATED: Facebook stocks slide further and now at the lowest ever. Shares of the No. 1 social-networking company ended the day down $3.14, or 11.7%, to $23.70, which not only notched a new low but also marked a nearly 40% decline from the company's initial public offering price. (SOURCE) I had recently written a blog…

Dot.Com IPOs – Should One Invest? (Startup Series: Episode 4)

UPDATED: Facebook stocks slide further and now at the lowest ever. Shares of the No. 1 social-networking company ended the day down $3.14, or 11.7%, to $23.70, which not only notched a new low but also marked a nearly 40% decline from the company's initial public offering price. (SOURCE) Facebook IPO. IntraSoft Technologies (123Greetings.com) IPO.…

Quality Education – Why Is It Important?

Whilst interviewing for a Fortune 100 company in India, I still remember, the VP - HR had asked me - 'Oxford? Why? You couldn't get that education in India? Why waste money there?' I still remember asking - 'What's that supposed to mean? Oxford is the oldest university in the English speaking world. Aren't you…

iPhone’s 5-Year Anniversary: The most *successful* phone of all time

The Apple iPhone completed its 5-year anniversary on June 29, 2012. Read reports of widespread anxiety amongst Apple fans from around the world - to celebrate this day. Unfortunately, Steve is not with us anymore; but am sure, looked down on Apple proudly from the heavens. No mobile device in the history of electronics has…

Probability of Going Viral

Creating a 'viral video' to promote a brand/product/service is just NOT possible. Creating a video that has a powerful emotional connect, delivers a strong brand message and top class in quality - is possible. Whether it goes VIRAL or not; cannot be intrinsically controlled. When does a video become a 'viral' video? Well, there's no…

Why Pinterest Visits are Slowing Down

There's nothing more irritating in this world than when you wish to showcase your portfolio or photos to your friends, and the site doesn't load or fails to load the images. Simply looking - you just look like an idiot. And once the moment passes, no one practically cares after a certain point. Amongst all…

Most *Social* Celebs on Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

Who are the most LIKED / FOLLOWED / PINNED celebrities on Facebook, Twitter & Pinterest respt? Well, as of today, 10 June 2012, following are the biggest players on the social networking sites - FACEBOOK: 1) Eminem - 58,222,221 Likes, Singer, M 2) Rihanna - 57,263,637 Likes, Singer, F 3) Lady Gaga - 51,834,276 Likes,…

Finally… Kahaani (2012) stands out

Dump of shit. Boring. Idiotic scripts. Hilarious acting. Cheap items songs. Common tale for most Bollywood movies. In the recent past. Finally, a movie worth writing about. I usually don't watch Bollywood crap - cause time is limited - its better to watch good 'neo-realistic' or 'existentialist' Japanese, Korean, Chinese movies. Worse - watch 'Hollywood…

Pinterest Bug Workarounds

Pinterest is my latest Facebook. Mostly because of 2 reasons - Firstly, I prefer to see more than hear, listen or read. And secondly, its always fruitful and more fun when I get to see things which appeal to me based on my interests rather than watching useless comments, arguments, photos and links uploaded by…

New Year Items… Music, Muffins & Shopping!

Happy New Year 2012 to all! This year was a roller coaster - lots of work and more and more. Anyways, am looking for a challenging, fun and more exciting life in 2012! Firstly, the goodbyes! Bangalore - the green city in India has been great to me since past 2 years. But All Good…

Top 7 Christmas 2011 Commercials – Target, Walmart, John Lewis, Ebay, JC Penny, Victoria’s Secret & T.J. Maxx and Marshalls

Christmas is the time for Happiness & Shopping! For the brands, this is the time of the Year to establish an emotional connection with their existing customers, engage them deeply and also entice the new ones. And one of the best ways to do this is via Digital Marketing - TV commercial advertisements. Besides re-establishing…

Web2.0 Integration in Music Industry

The music industry was one of the earliest adopters of Web 2.0 technologies; quintessentially – social media channels like RSS, blogs, downloadable podcasts, online distribution channels like iTunes etc. This not only revolutionized the entire industry as a whole – but completely altered the course of how, when, where music is created, produced, marketed, sourced…

My Favorite 8 Russian Songs

Russian is definitely a difficult language to learn. Without any exceptions. Thanks to my Russian friends and ex-gfs, and since I lived in Moscow for around 5 years; managed to learn and speak the language pretty well. Besides a rich literary culture (Pushkin, Chekov, Tolstoy & Dosteovsky), Russian musical heritage is extremely rich as well…