Branding yourself

Lots of enthusiastic ..what to say fellow entrepreneurs, volunteers, artists etc ask me a few doubts, which I think are related to marketing. Anybody aiming to showcase their creativity will find this useful. I am writing this article as another student, who had recently(3yrs) into events and branding.

There are many talented "artists" aspiring to showcase their skill to the world. However, most of them lack adequate skills to market their talent. Marketing is often confused with selling, it could be actually called the process which avoids the need to sell your product.

It is quite important to let others know about what you are working on. This could help you find collaborators. I had formed most of my team through facebook updates about the work we have been doing. People want to associate with like minded individuals.

Now, once you agree that you need to let the world know. You must be having long-term plans, principles and there is a way in which you visualize the offering. It is quite important to try to explain this to others, it helps in refining the description. You should develop good descriptions, diagrams and analogies. This can help people in connecting with your dream.

A picture is worth a million words. Try to upload relevant pictures and videos to describe your activities and goals. The choice of medium is quite crucial too. Facebook can help you in letting people know that you are into "something". Those interested in your activities, could be diverted to a website and those who observe you closely could follow your blog.

It takes time for the brand to develop. However, one must make steady progress. Someone had said that "not advertising" is like staring at a women in dark, without letting her know. If you were to convince someone into dealing with you, it is quite important to establish a good atmosphere before the negotiations. Branding and reaching out can help you in this regard.

I emphasize again that this is not supposed to be an expert opinion of any kind. I wrote this to share what I felt, had worked in my favor. I hope to keep updating this post with more thoughts I come across.

Film Production

A useful checklist(on set) to make sure that you had gathered enough footage to edit and make the movie. In short films, shortage of manpower makes us multi-task. It is not really essential to have fancy designations, but it is quite important to entrust responsibilities to the crew. Everyone can contribute, but there should be one ensuring quality control in each of the departments. If one is looking at a good quality production, apart from content(ofcourse "content is the king") these will be crucial.

1- Direction of Talent:
Making sure that the talent's body language is appropriate. One must be well-versed with the complete story, to be able to judge that. The scriptwriter should ensure that he does give the extra-bit of description to make the character sketches really really clear.

2-Action Cuts
On the screen, its a movie! There are cuts with respect to time and space, you need to glue the right ones together. Think about the scene before and after this one, to ensure scene to scene clarity. Are we moving across time,locations,people? Are we showing something new, if yes how do we establish it. He needs to make sure there are no issues on the editing table, due to lack of footage. Having good footage is one thing and having enough is another issue. This will also include choosing and appropriate camera movements and verifying them. You would like to give yourself freedom on the editing table, but not nightmares due to compatibility problems amongst the shots. Rule of Thumb: Don't cross the axis.

3-Frames Composition
A painter or a photographer understand this well. The color schemes, warmth, aesthetics, depth etc must be looked into, to give the right feel and mood. Editor, Art Director, Director of Photography, Light-boys must work in coordination.

4-Audio Recordist
Minimize sounds on the set, to reduce dubbing as much as possible. Also observe extra sounds which we may have to add to give a realistic feel to the film. Ex: Sound of the hand rubbing across a shirt, moustache etc.

5-Lights
Lighting sets the mood and more importantly, to highlight the key objects in the frame. It is to be done in sync with Frame composition, but the required skill-set may be different. Low-budget lighting requires good skills. Three point lighting is a nice scheme to start with. Make sure that the sense of direction of lighting is maintained throughout a scene. You are usually better off trying to enhance natural light, rather than trying to dupe a source.

6-Dialogues and Story
It is quite difficult for a starter to conceive a well formed story, and hence you will have to bank on "on set" enhancements. Ram Gopal Varma is one of the preachers of this and Puri follows this quite closely. Dialogues can be made crisper and may be in a way suiting the artist, if they are reworked on the set. 

Piracy: Game Theoretic Perspective

This post is about piracy in general(in films, computer games, music,software etc). I don't know how much of game theory would come up, but I'd like to maintain the catchy title :) .

The edge which the pirates have, is the enormously high ratio of prices of original products as opposed to their "cracked" counterparts. Low production costs are actually a bane of sorts. The price ratio does a lot of psychological damage, it destroys altruistic feelings within. Producers usually work on the assumption that the customers would think rationally. It is not quite true, they ignore what we call "animal spirits". You don't always pick the right product at right price. Random factors (like your state of mind) play a very significant role in the decision-making process.

Several solutions have been worked for this. In the software/tech industry, "Donations" seem to be the answer. This actually tries to build back confidence and restore altruistic feelings in the customers. It kinda makes the customer feel involved with the company. Wikipedia is a very well known example of that. The developers had come with an emotional message. They could have actually made a lot of money through advertising, but they decided to keep the portal clean.


And a rule of thumb: If it's a "hit and run" case, the pirate is always at an advantage. It is very difficult to prevent him or to discourage the customers from buying it. So, the process must get dynamic. The company should offer post product services which are unique and which can't be offered by a pirate. Any good research lab never buys pirated software for simulations, one of the many reasons is need for quality service.

We need to note that the real evil is actually the low production cost. The producer has an edge over the pirate in terms of volume of business. So, the producers should modify the process so that there is some uniqueness. Only their company should be able to deliver the product at a low price given the quality. Volume of business is the edge that they have. This also means low royalty to the creators, but that can be covered by volume again. If the pirates are operating at large levels, then the producers have a real good chance to curb those activities and also impose "damages".

To cut the long story short, I would like to emphasize on "screw the pirates with the business model" and "reinforce altruistic feelings in potential customers". Continue activities to curb production, keep remodelling to reduce scope for "quality pirated products" and most importantly keep your customers involved and make sure they hate the pirates and not you. Keeping the "robin-hood" feelings away is the most important part of curbing piracy and that could be done only if the producers maintain good work-ethics and not hurt anyone in any way. Windows is a victim of piracy because many don't seem to like the principles of the company.

Film Piracy

Everybody knows that the biggest evil haunting any "creative" industry is piracy. We had seen some innovations come up, to counter this. In this post, I would like to explore this interesting topic. This comes from a person, who used to download hell lot of movies himself.

Three important reasons are currently favoring film piracy.

1. Black Marketing by Theatres themselves
2. Getting 3 movies at Rs30 itself
3. Convenience of watching the movie at home

However, I feel it is more to do with a better revenue model than any of these innovations the producers have come up with. Setting aside the customer point of view for a moment, let us see the picture from a producer's perspective.

The producer makes a movie with a budget ranging from Rs80 lakhs(Ee Rojullo) to Rs40crore(Telugu movies). It is a well known fact that high budget films usually make a return ratio of 20-25% and low budget films have made 200-300%(Source: Allu Sirish blog). These huge numbers can come only if theatres are granted exclusive access to the film and piracy doesnt help in this regard.The fact is that people would like to watch the film.

In order to counter points 2 and 3, the makers of Golconda High School had offered the film online. But that actually messes up the revenue model completely. You are taking the risk of a good quality "piracy print" hitting the market very soon. There are those who talk about Cryptography, but that just doesn't work. If you can see it, you can steal it. But, of late makers of Julayi,Eega,LIB had partnered with an anti-piracy organization specializing in hacking. Dynamic monitoring can definitely curb pirated prints from spreading on the internet.

There are some who suggest advertising with in the films. But, I guess that's already goin on. However, it doesn't seem to be fetching significant numbers. Sekhar Kammula always had tieups with corporates to reduce production costs. Right from Anand, he had tieup with Kala Niketan for costumes. He had partnered with Audi for "rich" look in Life Is Beautiful.Satellite Rights fetch a lot of revenue for films(Rs1.5 crore to 8crores i guess) and I am not sure if the television channels would be happy with in-built advertising already done. Another issue is that advertising can be enhanced if pre-planned, the ads can be embedded within the script. Any advertiser would have a tough time in deciding whether to invest in a film, prior to the production of the film.

Another important reason which gives the "Robin hood" feel to the pirates is "Black Marketing by theatres". Every body would like to watch the movie in the first week itself and very few turn up in the second week. The theatres try to cash in on that and they undertake selling in black. That's because the price of tickets is always fixed. Another reason could be high spending in production of films, makers like Ram Gopal Varma had been saying that the budgets can be reduced further. There are many who suffered through distribution, but are quite a lot of people who made fortunes too. A sweeping statement from a "pro-piracy" guy was "If you are singing in the bathroom and someone says its good, will you charge them?". They are calling for a model where the revenue is based on performance. Quite a few mediocre films made good money through opening collections alone, due to star cast involved.

For those who are not aware of the initiatives by producers. There is a unique number allotted to each theatre and it is displayed along with the movie. So, the theatre from which the "piracy print" comes out is sealed. Thus, it offers a credible threat to the managements of theatres and makes them monitor piracy. After all, no body can sneak a decent camera so easily. It is usually done in small villages. Most of the initiatives are also taken by fans. They report the prints to producers and block links online. Fans along with the "anti-piracy hackers" can curb torrent also as well. Fake Torrents are another strategy.

I don't seem to have made any point through this post. But, what I actually wanted to convey is that this issue is a lot more complicated than what we are all imagining. These strategies may be saving a little revenue, but it is like a tom and jerry fight. The innovations should give a complete edge to the producers. See my next post on that for more.

Business Relationships

I had seen a lot of movies on Human Relations in the last few months. This blogpost was motivated by that. I wanted to share with you, my experiences in the last couple of years.

Sciensation was started in 2011, while I was still a 2nd yr undergraduate student. However I had an idea about event management, printing etc as I had worked for a few college activities. Working for own banner was a different ball game altogether. I had pitch myself , the brand and only then would I garner essential collaborations.

Most people mistake business relationship to be negotiations and bargaining. It is very important to maintain long term relationship with your suppliers. The product or service which you are offering, is influenced by the supplier. You need to have a good rappo with the supplier. It is not just the pricing but quality, flexibilty and speed of delivery which matters. Someone who understands your style of working will be able to add to the product. In short you need to realize that your supplier knows his bit better and can help improving the product, if he understand your product concept properly.

If you had conceived a new production, its your "baby" for a good amount of time and others can't read your mind. So, its important to have good descriptions, diagrams and analogies for those who need the details. Agreed that you would like to keep details confidential, but you should have this info with you. Only the relevant details would reach every supplier. It takes some effort to explain your concept and so you may want to maintain one supplier and do good business with him.

In business, the biggest of enemies is uncertainities. I often exclaim "Certainty is the most expensive product in the market, if available!". Errors can occur from your side or the supplier's side and that might slash your profit or even worse take you into losses. Most companies estimate this well and price their accordingly. However, starters have issues with at as they need to market products at low prices to compete in the market. It is important to make sure that such things don't affect your relationship with the supplier. I had once faced such an issue. The error was clearly on the side of the supplier and he offered to re-produce the product. I had decided to pay and collect, Sciensation took the blame. He has impressed with our commitment and had reduced the prices. He always provides best prices and a few complimentary services too.

There is a comedy scene in a movie called Businessman(releasing in Hindi with Abhishek as the lead). Mahesh Babu does service for free and when offered payment, he says "I did coz I love you. Do I look like a goon. Treat me like a girl friend, you know na what to give girl frends. Bank Balance, Bunglaw etc". It is funny but it is closely related to what we call opening relationship. You don't always try to level the cash/barter on a balance. At times, you may not be able to get much. But the relationship which you are building is going to be important. You need to note that most probably both of you would operate at different scales eventually and it wont be amongst equals. Like in close friends, you don't keep accounts but they get balanced kinda.

There is a saying that market is to blind to everything except money and wealth. It is true, but I have believed that you would enjoy doing business if you are friends with your staff, suppliers and customers. Great brands have always taken efforts to ensure the relationship is good. The legendary Dr C.K.Prahlad had said "Employees First, Customer Second", you can deliver only if backed by excellent crew. Steve Jobs said its the R&D Dollars which matter but the innovation and the people, for IBM had 100times higher budget than Apple. Quite unorganized, but I hope I have conveyed what I had in my mind.

From a scientist to a marketer

I find more joy in being the "reason" behind other's success than in own events

Marketing isn't mere advertising it actually adds life

Since school days, I wanted to be a "'scientist"'. Was called a "focussed" kid, who made a 15year study plan...BTech at IIT, PhD abroad, post doc and then of course "become" a scientist. My blogspots reminded me of this and the change in plans through the last few years.

I realized that "Gamaname na Gamyam...". Journey through great thoughts is my goal,  my destination...After all change is the only thing which is constant in life.

I had ventured into popular science activities due to passion for teaching. And the events required marketing to potential collaborators, audience and generous sponsors. I enjoyed that and I am now an aspiring marketer.

Three years of event management experiences. A great feeling it is, to pull off an event succesfully. Experiences,feedback,suggestions and  a lot of philosophy after the remains after flop. You would be badly waiting for the next event, for a comeback of sufficient magnitude to restore your brand image. But eventually you rise beyond success and failures.People trust in you and your abilities more than anything else. Its the honesty in the attempt which wins trust, after all those who dare to think different must have a big-heart to see their thoughts convert. They can understand you, they will back you.

Sekhar Kammula expressed his desire to turn to a producer and convert dreams of his assistants into good films. Perhaps this applies to anyone who worships his work. I find more joy in being the "reason" behind other's success than the fame through my own events. May be a bit too much, but marketing for others is serious fun and it gives a lot of satisfaction, difficult to compare or express that. There are many talented people aspiring to show the world something they found to be really really cool. But, they may not  poccess skills or may be they don't invest as much time in marketing than in innovation. Associating with such people and bringing cool thoughts to light is something satisfying.

People often see Marketing as something secondary. An MBA is a gateway to nice pay perks and it is seen as a money making profession. But several innovations would have never come to light unless a marketer puts his time and efforts into it, at least not to the scale to which a marketer can take it to. And ya I idolize Steve Jobs. It was his marketing genius, his packaging and the way he presents a product that makes "the" difference. Ipad and Ipod were not innovative products and the whole world knows that. But he had manipulated the tech-business, I salute that. I would personally never buy an apple product though!

Marketing isn't mere advertising it actually adds life to the product. I guess it would require a complete blog post to describe. Its Leadership,Innovation, about the people, the face of the product designs and descriptions which make the product more intuitive.

For now I guess I am happy meeting nice people and listening to their ideas. I was once concerned about achievements and scores. But now, I am love with life. New excitement and a whole new approach towards what I believe will be "kick" filled life.When VVS or Sachin are on fire, anybody would just want to be relishing the artistry from the non-striker's end. This post was about the excitement induced by really amazing experiences during the last few months.