Gladwell begins with Law of the Few, where he states that it is only a few who start an epidemic. They are the connectors, mavens and salesmen. Economists call it the 80/20 principle – 80 percent of the work is done by 20 percent of the participants. Does make sense, doesn’t it? He illustrates this with the example of Paul Revere, a maven, who warned the men during American Revolution of the impending British attack, a story that is now a must-read for every American. Through “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon Game”, he illustrates the influence of Connectors. One of my favorite examples is of news anchor Peter Jennings who allegedly influenced the perception of audience during American polls only because of his expression.

Another important component in The Tipping Point is the Stickiness Factor, a critical point that enables sustenance of anything, illustrated with the example of Sesame Street, a popular children’s TV show that was based on intelligent analysis in an era when no other children’s show was able to gain any traction.

Gladwell talks about The Power of Context (an eye-opener). As Malcolm Gladwell says, “Epidemics are sensitive to the conditions and circumstances of the times and places in which they occur.” A fascinating observation in the chapter says that the maximum number of people a group can have to create cohesive working is 150 – unsurprisingly supported with unarguable facts.

There are many other examples in The Tipping Point that make for a fascinating read. For all the facts listed and articulated in the book, all are novel, fresh and almost non-debatable – all factors that make The Tipping Point a refreshing read for all analytical brains. The Tipping Point is a good read for entrepreneurs, journalists, marketing and sales executives.

For the path-breaking creatives, here’s a peekaboo:

You can view more at http://lambesis.com

I personally see IPL as desi version of EPL, Serie A, Bundesliga or La Liga, with only two major differences a) IPL is relatively too new and b) money involved cannot be compared. Having said that, IPL was a great brainchild of Modi who understood the growing influence of T20, the ‘instant gratification’ format of cricket. Begin the matches at 8 PM and crowd won’t mind up till midnight indulgence. IPL is a great property that has picked up very quickly. Consumerism of more than a billion is humungous and enviable for sports body of any country in the world. You have the biggest Indian industrialists putting their stake in the league. Sony Television had lured brands to invest into the league in an unprecedented manner.

Now, with the spot-fixing accusations, the brand is tainted. CSK owner is taken into custody, and it’s anyone’s guess how deep-rooted corruption is. That’s like breaking the spine of a brand that had almost sent the whole nation into a frenzy. The brand is also displaying hypocrisy by altogether ignoring the controversy and continuing with the tournament (it’s a debatable topic). It could be a classic case of a product downgrade leading to brand downgrade. I don’t have a report on TRPs but social media feeds do indicate that people are losing interest in IPL. To re-construct the consumer confidence and brand, BCCI would need to regain the consumer loyalty once again, otherwise IPL might become a gaffe, a Goliath brand.

This brings me to the point of local, or shall I say, localized marketing. Localized marketing for me is that which is targeted a specific zone because business caters to a specific zone. For example, a gym in an area that can only target customers in a 5-km radius. These are not big businesses that have the budget to hire agencies. They bank of homemade marketing recipes, and they are smart! They capitalize on newspaper handouts, banners that are left hanging between two tree trunks, pillar hoardings (they come expensive on main roads), small-time BTL activities in small markets, and lastly word-of-mouth. Word-of-mouth can be an epidemic for such businesses as they need to target the so-called ‘connectors’ to push their business into the market. They patch up with RWAs, find ways to engage their audience, and make friends (where big brands fail) with them. More importantly, they put face before their business. Would you not recall the name of that beautician than her salon? That electrician than the shop name? Yes, if we recall a face than a brand label, we feel more connected, and of course, feel like subscribing to its service. For localized brands, the owner is the brand ambassador, its marketing vehicle, and its chief propagator. The more he exposes himself, his charm & effervescence, the more the brand will grow stronger.

Localized marketing is not for making  customers; it is to make friends.

What’s with such unbranded brands? Well they have a few things in common. They have been there for ages. They target the masses, and once their product is accepted, the word spreads like a fire in the jungle. That they are easily located adds to their charm (unlike restaurants in the malls). If you stay in Delhi, you would also understand another important reason for their success: they are carobar-friendly addaas. Also, streetfood culture in Delhi is as old as the city itself. But every streetfood shop does not go on to make a brand as big as Paramjeet Machiwala or Moolchand Paranthewala. They have for decades consistently appeased the palates and become cult brands. Ask any person who has grown up in Delhi, and he would at some time, been to Moolchand Paranthewala at midnight. It’s a part of growing-up culture. In order to be a part of peer group, engage in like-minded conversations and have a sense of common adventure, most young boys in Delhi have been to Moolchand Paranthewala. That is what has made the brand what it is today. Similarly, fish-lovers, though few in North India, would stick to cult places like Paramjeet Machiwala because of the A-grade product and consistent satisfaction. Another common reason for success of such brands is that brand loyalists of unbranded brands are vociferous brand ambassadors and are likely to forcibly bring their friends and accomplices to eat there. Ask any brand loyalist of such brands about a Paramjeet or Moolchand and he will sing praises for a long time. That’s how such brands arrest the psyche of their customers, while ‘organized’ brands spends millions of dollars for such effect to happen.

There are many more unbranded brands in Delhi that enjoy the same reputation. True, their popularity has got them some unsolicited media coverage, but their business hardly depends upon what gets printed; they totally rely upon what is said.

The three TVCs that have been on TV so far are brilliant and minimalistic. Cool background music, colorful sets and sublime execution (done and over with in a few seconds) make them a perfect fit.

‘The Closet’ shows a pink closet that shakes from right to left, opens up with a girl stepping out, followed by another who seems to be buttoning her knickers. They exchange glances and move in opposite directions. Closing Line: Come out of the closet. Move on.

‘Mature is In’ depicts a middle-aged couple (the man is white-haired and the woman is insanely hot!) eating their meals sitting across a 20-something couple. In a filmy way, the young man and the woman get their feet closer, exchanging flirty glances. Closing Line: Mature is in. Move on.

‘Live in’ has a crew-cut donning young guy, who starts pumping air into what appears to be a deflated camp in the shape of a house. While he pumps, the girl licks her lips (that’s lust guys if you missed it). Then they move in and the house/camp/room shakes to imply the obvious. Closing line: Live in. Move on.

If there are more ads in the series, I am waiting! For what Fastrack is and what it sells, the campaign is bang on. The execution is, I will reiterate, brilliant.

Moreover, PSY is all over social media, getting his share of tweets, FB posts and blog (including this one) reviews, and even print media is going bonkers! All theses stats propelled me to put my 3.5 minutes into Gentleman which I found not all worthy. I would still go and listen to MLTR any day on YouTube. But the comments suggest otherwise, and it seems that Gentleman might even break Gangam Style’s record. It is already featuring in Top 10 songs on itunes in many countries such as France, Canada, New Zealand, Denmark and Sweden (don’t know how many pirated versions are being replicated as I write).

For me, the advert is entertaining but a bit drab (ironical, I know!). In other words, it’s clichéd creativity. They’ve got a superstar to start with, which means that they want eyeballs hooked even before the ad starts (makes me recall the Saif-SRK Royal Stag ad). Then it’s a case of foolery, deception and so-called ‘what next?’. It makes for a nice little campaign that might stroke the memory during the IPL. If you take impact, I think it will elevate the brand Godrej from abyss that they have been for ages. It will get it some visibility and finally some synchronization with their new-found vivacious positioning. From the point of view it might seem to be a decent fit. From creative point of view, I think that it is somewhat lacking. For Aamir Khan fans, it is as always a delight. For purists, may be time to knit their eyebrows.