e Magus

  (Image Source: sustainablefuturenews.com) A s consumers are increasing demanding products & services that have a purpose – especially in terms of ecological impact, brands have started communicating their environmental and sustainability initiatives.  But, many a times, what they say is just that – say. ASCI has come out with a draft guidelines on environmental/green claims. (https://www.ascionline.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/DRAFT-GUIDELINES.-Environmental.Green-Claims-16.11.2023.pdf) which means, every claim needs to be backed by actionable initiatives & results. While brands need to have a comprehensive strategy to integrate these values into their core marketing approach on driving positive environmental impact; they need to be more careful on how to avoid greenwashing, ensuring genuine commitment and transparency. In general, any business/brand can look at various functions within the organization where they can initiate environmental & sustainability acti...

  Quite sometime back I had posted on LinkedIn an update mentioning, in the future, agencies will be offered value based compensation by clients. Few days back I met one of my ex-colleague and he gave his own POV and also asked me to elaborate on my thoughts. Albeit the delay, this long post is just that. Alright, so picture this: the ad agency game, a whirlwind of creativity and strategy. But here's the plot twist – the traditional billing method is feeling a bit outdated. For more than 50 years, everything in the agency has changed, except the retainer fee. It is like watching multiple seasons of a TV serial but with that one character who has not changed - in looks or in personality.   Having a retainer based fee is fine. I’ve nothing against it. It’s like trying to watch a blockbuster movie on a black-and-white TV. Sure, it works, but it's not quite cutting it anymore. The problem? The usual time-based billing doesn't always sync up with what clients really want – measu...

  A Roadmap for Real-Time Personalization Campaigns Driven by AI and Data In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing and advertising, the convergence of technology, data, and AI is reshaping the industry. A paradigm shift towards personalization and real-time experiences has become the new norm. In a recent McKinsey report on personalization at scale ( https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/marketing-and-sales/our-insights/a-technology-blueprint-for-personalization-at-scale ), four key pillars were identified: Data, Decisioning, Design, and Delivery. While Data, Decisioning, and Delivery have seen significant advancements where big technology and consulting players - Adobe, Salesforce, Google, to name a few, are making great strides, the Design aspect remains a manual and resource-intensive process. This presents a unique opportunity for creative advertising agencies to revolutionize the industry. The untapped opportunity lies in addressing the Design pillar of person...

As per a new government policy, the use of “dark patterns” has been banned in E-commerce sales. ‘Under the Consumer Protection Act, offenders can face fines and penal action from the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) and can also be tried in the consumer commissions.’ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/centre-bans-e-commerce-firms-from-using-dark-patterns-for-sales/articleshow/105665320.cms?from=mdr What are Dark Patterns in E-commerce? In the vast landscape of user experience (UX) design, where the aim is to create seamless and enjoyable interactions, there exists a darker side that often goes unnoticed—the realm of dark patterns. Imagine taking a stroll through a digital interface only to find yourself ensnared in a web of deceitful tactics, subtly guiding  you towards actions that may not be in your best interest. In the world of dark patterns, user manipulation takes centre stage. Understanding the Shadows Dark patterns are essentially crafty techniques emplo...

About 8 years back, I wrote an analogical article about Kung Fu Panda and digital marketing (you can read it here ). That time my kid was 3 years. Now my kid is 11 years old. As all growing kids do, he too has out-grown the Kung Fu Panda-The Lion King phase. His current fascination is The Star Wars. I guess, by now, he must have finished watching at-least 3-4 times….The Star Wars Saga - the original, sequel, and prequel trilogies, animated series, The book of Boba Fett, The Mandalorian, and even the Thrawn trilogy books. The next on his wish list is to own an original lightsaber… Kids are demanding! Well, this article is not about my kid or his love for Star Wars. Working from home and watching these movies along with my kid, this is about my thoughts on what Star Wars can teach us about marketing, or more importantly what marketing tips Yoda can teach “Do or do not. There is no try.” We all know that planning is very important when it comes to any campaign/project. But every great pl...

I’ve this habit of re-reading books - classics in fiction/novels, etc; or books on fundamentals when it comes to business/marketing/management. The wonderful thing about re-reading such ‘classics’ are that you will unearth something new or you’ll start looking at the known things in a different perspective, because the context might have changed since the last time you read. One of the recent books I revisited was the JWT Planning Cycle Fundamentals (?) By Stephen King - The 70’s printed bible for all strategists and planners in advertising & communication agencies. While the Stephen King book would have laid the fundamentals of modern day planning when it comes to branding, I think the seed for this thought was sown around 4th century B.C by the great Greek philosopher, Aristotle. I came to know about the similarities while reading a Harvard Business Review article on Aristotle and the art of persuasion. In his treatise, Rhetoric, Aristotle, goes on to give an overview and then de...

I’ll never get tired of saying this - writing is tough but getting into the mood to write is tougher, and what to write is toughest. Today, after a long time, I’ve decided to address the tough, tougher, and toughest. I’ve been working on a lot of data related stuff the past few months. I can safely assume basis the data analysis, that Mr. X from Company A is interested in Product/Solution M & N. Also, looking at the frequency, recency, and additional time spent on the website, I think Mr. X from Company A is looking to buy this or similar solution at the earliest. Superimpose this data with data from other sources, I can closely guess his potential budget, the competitors he is reviewing, etc. This made me wonder, why do people like Mr. X (and I too) leave our digital footprint around, some times unknowingly but mostly knowingly.   I keep coming across tons of articles about data privacy and how easily we share personal data or how easily there is inter-portability of personal...