At Your Fingertips!

Hypothetically speaking, you visit an online shopping website, view some bags, take a look at the details and decide to buy later. How often have you seen ads of those same bags on other websites offering a discount ? 

Mumbai - Goa flights - say no more and you'll have a host of flight options provided to you by Google, am I right?

Most of our emails have promotional discounts offers and announcements by the brands, isn't it?

What do the above situations imply? The power of digital marketing!

Digital marketing - is the buzzword today, with many definitions but simply put, it is the marketing of products and services via the internet.

Digital is the new wave that hit us in the early 2000s and since then it has encapsulated our lives. Some of the critics today refer to us as the slaves of the digital age. From smart phone, tablets, smart TVs to our laptop screens - digital media surround us. 

Infact the major reason why the economy withstood the major blow of demonetisation was all thanks to digitisation of payments and transactions.

Today with just 3 clicks you can shop online, book tickets, transfer money and what not! 

Every brand, smallest to the biggest multinationals has a digital presence. They have a major chunk of their marketing spends allotted for digital media. There are digital strategists who focus on establishing a base, creating, promoting and maintaining the brand online. Advertising and marketing efforts on digital are fruitful predominantly because of real time interaction and customer feedback received online. 

So speaking of digital marketing - let's break down the complex jargon into simpler layman language. (You're welcome!)

1) Search Engine Optimization

Popularly known as SEO, it includes efforts to ensure your website is given a higher ranking in the Search Engine Result Pages (SERP). 'Keywords' are the words or phrases you enter in your coding which are relevant with your website's content so that when a user enters those combination of words, your website is provided as an organic result. Search engines use a discreet algorithm to rank websites. Hence inclusion and selection of keywords is of supreme importance to web marketers.

2) Search Engine Marketing

All those ads you see on the first three results of Google are a part of SEM. Here's a hint - spot the tiny boxes marked with 'Ad' that distinguish these "paid results." Web marketers undergo a bidding system in order to get the higher position for their ad.  

3) Content Marketing

Content Marketing is all about storytelling. It focuses on build a long term relationship with your target audience based on content relevant to them. This is provided by mediums such as blogs, vlogs, viral videos etc. Wordpress.com OR Blogger.com are the best portals to run a blog. 

4) Social Media Marketing

This includes all the digital PR initiatives conducted over social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. People are well versed with this aspect and it includes tactics such as regular posts, hashtags, contests, sponsored posts, trending (on Twitter), digital ad campaigns, digital celebrity associations and so on. There's a lot of scope of creativity as this is like a blank canvas on the hands of Brand Managers.

5) Pay Per Click Advertising

As the name suggests, this includes advertising for which you pay only once a person clicks on the ad. This enables marketers to spend for only genuine prospects. 

6) Affiliate Marketing

Sometimes you have an understanding with an affiliate to place your ad on their popular portal and you pay them for every time a user clicks, fills the form or purchases from your site.

7) Email Marketing

Just as you receive direct mail alerts from marketers - the same concept is applied via E-mail. The only difference is they're more creative, attractive and user friendly. 

8) Mobile Marketing

Integrating your website for the mobile version and creating mobile friendly ads for the smartphones is highly important today considering the growth of smartphone users and internet via mobile devices. 

So these were the 8 pillars of digital marketing in brief. You can take a look at this video to further understand the digital web! 

To Buy Or Not To Buy - That Is The Question!

After writing a poem about my ancient smartphone that is now on a ventilator; my family felt the urge to convince me into buying a new one. So, I grabbed my nerd glasses and turned into an analyst!

Research, thesis, statistics and opinions (though mostly volatile) were what my "treasure hunt" was all about! Like any other buyer I fixed my budget and began a survey, one that reached no conclusion!

Google is useful, but there are times when I’m NOT 'feeling lucky'! And in this case, it was certainly one of those. Every prospective phone I liked had pros, perfectly balanced with cons, which only made matters more confounding. I spent hours on YouTube watching endless tech reviews, I even asked every Tom, Dick and Harry for their opinions; but always ended up being clueless!

The search for a “smartphone” has to be equally smart, right? So I thought of choosing my priority.  When push came to shove, a good camera and longevity took precedence. But somehow, I seemed to  find some drawback in every phone. If one review praised it, another one razed it! Talk about dilemma!

“Variety is the spice of life” but it’s also a woman’s worst enemy!

My predicament is similar to what most girls go through every morning. A brimming wardrobe but the dejection of having nothing to wear! It's just like walking into an ice cream parlor and being spoilt for choice.

I was so not ready to compromise on any feature, and that’s when a friend amused me with his brainwave! He said, “What Shruti really needs, is a DSLR that can make calls!” Trust me; this is now number one on my wish list.

So now, I’ve understood a hard-hitting reality of life: there are phones, there are DSLRs, and there are power banks. Anything that combines all three would require me to sell my kidneys to cover the expense!

Ultimately, I’ve taken a call. One that’s involved a lot of thinking- I HAVE to buy a phone!

So, any suggestions?
(Oh God, did I really just say that?!)

LOL
Keep chattering :)

A Pill For Kapil

Have you loved the taste of something so much that you've eaten it till you finally got fed up? Too much of anything is bad and this show is a prime example of this belief. June, 2013 was when they released this clutter breaker for a TV show and no doubt it received immense appreciation; some of which still continues. Based on Kumars At No. 42, this show certainly grabbed the hearts of many with its fusion of comedy and Bollywood.  The show, which was once a front runner with highest TRPs is now losing its spark.

Change is always a bitter pill and in this case could be the life saver the show needs. Hence, Shruti Barot thought of a few ways the show the show could grab its lost charm and lost viewers. The show which now mostly survives on the TRPs brought in by the celebrities does deserve a second chance and a much needed makeover!

1) Break…fast!

Taking a break is of the utmost importance for this show. I think most would agree with me on this, that the show, given its infinite episodes, comes across no less than a “saas bahu” daily soap. For any programme to be a success it has to take a break somewhere and it’s high time the makers of CNWK realized this. This is a major plus point of the English sitcoms and daily soaps that we enjoy! That feeling of the season ending on a note of suspense, the wait for the next one and that joy of watching all the seasons this way is rarely felt in the Indian scenario, except in the case of a few “reality” (a.k.a rigged) shows.

2) Brand New Theme

Aren’t we all way too familiar with the characters by now? Doesn’t “kaun hai yeh admi” seem funny no more? Or am I the only one who doesn’t laugh when the two Dadis get into a WWE fight?
It’s no news that the repetitive punch lines fall flat and their savior is just the canned laughter. CNWK desperately needs to revamp its format and theme. For instance from a crazy Punjabi family; it could turn into a wannabe sophisticated NRI one. I’m sure its makers could come up with a lot of amazing ideas in terms of the characters as well. They could probably bring in a co host, a female whose style of humour would be sarcastic statements or mimicry rather than resorting to insults.

3) Re-sidhu-lisation

You heard me right! Tell me what’s the outcome of him being on the show? Thoko tali and the shayaris is all and only what he’s all about. At times he gets on my nerves with his  unnecessary forced guffaw! But hell, I’m jealous of him. He gets paid a fat amount just to show his matching tie and turban, sit on a luxurious chair surrounded by good looking females and laugh his heart out. I mean who wouldn’t want this as a job? Having said that, it would be better if the audiences got to see him on the stage; contributing in a bigger way to the show. Wouldn’t it be hilarious to watch Navjot Singh Sidhu share anecdotes or probably try mimicry?

4)  Image Matters with Audience Matters

So, the show has earned a lot of negative publicity, when it comes to the live audience. The first controversy was about some unscrupulous elements selling nonexistent tickets to be a part of the audience, but the producers immediately alerted the viewers about the same. The next blotch was testimonials of the audience claiming to be treated inhumanly without food, water and washroom breaks. Now, I’m sure the show can do away with these unwarranted messes. A good approach would be to include the feedback of the audiences, about their experience, while they’re leaving the studio. Of course, this would require the team to treat them well and not be biased when it comes to picking the ones who ask questions to the celebrities.

5) A “Sense” of Humour

There has been a lot of accusation targeting the makers of CNWK for resorting to a sexist approach and slapstick comedy. A makeover of this show could surely do without this. Psychologists have always pointed out the nature of people laughing at somebody else who has been humiliated. And this show in a way exploits this tendency. Why can’t we learn to appreciate humour that also has some wit? Look at the upcoming stand up comedians and their videos on YouTube, they’re fabulous! They have the crowd in splits of laughter with their wit, sarcasm and an amazing take on current affairs. Kapil and his team can surely work on this aspect, don’t you think?

An ex-fan of the show myself, I can’t wait to see if this show gets a makeover and how effective that would be!

Would love to hear your thoughts about the same in the comment box below!

Until then,

Keep chattering :)

Four And A Half Men

Brace yourself as what you’re about to read might make you wonder about mankind (more than “womankind”).

This happened a fortnight ago. A Rajkumar Hirani and Vidhu Vinod Chopra fan as I am, I couldn’t contain my excitement about their upcoming release. No rocket science, I’m referring to the much debated movie – “PK”.

With a lot of expectations, I booked a ticket for a show sometime in the first week of its release. To tell you the truth, it was a last minute decision, one taken on the spur of the moment. Obviously, the theatre was jam packed by then with only a few seats vacant somewhere in the mid rows. I had gone for the movie with a male friend. The only two vacant seats in the topmost possible row were the ones in the corner. Without second thought I booked them right away and we rushed to the cinema hall.

Fortunately, we made it in time and secured our seats. Since they were the corner seats in the row, there were about five of them vacant beside ours. I hated the fact that we had the corner ones so chose to sit on the outer of the two. This decision of mine wasn’t a conscious one, and I say this proudly, as in my mind, I had come to a theatre of a metropolitan city where a girl need not worry about any jerk trying stunts in the seat beside her.

Now, it so happened, after a few minutes, a group of boys approached our row. All of them must have been in their twenties. As they approached the seats next to me, I wasn’t bothered a bit by the thought of a strange, oversized guy sitting beside me. A few minutes later, to my utter shock, a fellow from three seats away gets up and asks my male friend to switch places with me as the guy  next to me felt “awkward”.

I don’t know how this sounds as you read it, but at that instant I was filled with mixed feelings of disbelief and disgust. I’d like to stress two points here:

1. I had gone for a U/A rated movie.
2. It was a top notch, classy cinema hall.

Having said this, I truly wonder what could possibly make an adult man feel awkward in a public place like that of a cinema hall. But I guess I’m not really allowed to pass judgment, as the poor guy must have not been around “women” much or may not have been lucky to be educated in a co-ed school before.

To those of you wondering what happened next, yes, I obviously switched places. One, because I didn't want to be a cause of someone’s “awkwardness” and two, out of sheer disgust. My male friend did pass a sarcastic comment which made his friends chuckle a bit. I’m not a big fan of making a scene especially out of something as trivial as this, but I couldn’t resist writing up a post about the same.

Looking back, I guess I probably could have reacted a bit differently, but given a second chance, I’d rather not waste time with men like him who clearly need psychiatric intervention.

Something that makes me laugh every time I think about it. Yes! This episode was most certainly one that merited mention in my blog.

People need to grow up. I hereby rest my case.

P.S. In case the ‘four men’ are reading this, don’t forget to say hi to the ‘half guy’ who felt awkward!

Do you have a different opinion or perhaps a story to share? Please feel free to mention it in the comment section below.

Until then,

Keep chattering J

Which F.R.I.E.N.D.S. character are you this New Year?

We’ve all enjoyed the legendary sitcom which had us in splits of laughter. The credit goes to the unique characters which had us glued to the show for 10 seasons. So, instead of reading up astrology predictions, Shruti Barot thought of drawing on similarities between you and the FRIENDS characters this New Year’s. Find out who resembles you the most when it comes to partying on New Year’s Eve. So what are you waiting for? Dive into the world of drama and comedy with a dash of your own reality!

MONICA

Have you begun New Year preparations a month ago? Are you the host and the organizer of “the best” party? Do you have a colour coded diary with separate sections for guest lists, food and music? And, apart from keeping your house spic and span for the party; have you also managed to look stunning yourself?  If that’s the case, then congratulations, you’ve earned yourself the “Miss Monica Geller” badge this New Year! Keep the control freak streak alive this New Year!

RACHEL

For you, New Year is all about making a style statement. The party comes to life with your entry and you invariably, always steal the show. That revealing, yet classy outfit of yours grabs the eyeballs of many and you simply burn the dance floor with your moves. If this rings a bell then give yourself a loud applause as you’ve just been felicitated with the “Rachel Green badge” to flaunt for life!

PHEOBE

If you’re the one with a happy front but a list of tragedies, if you’re broke this New Year’s and if you’re the craziest soul at a party, then you’re without a doubt, the receiver of the “Pheobe Buffay badge”. You are admired for your “unique” sense of fashion and your vegan outlook. So grab that guitar of yours and go on to have a gala time with your own compositions at the party. You don’t need any efforts as your free spirit and quirky attitude gets you the attention of many!

ROSS

You’d earn yourself the “Ross Geller badge”, if you’re the smart and emotional nerd at the party. Do you find yourself correcting other people’s grammar, even at a party? Will this New Year remind you of all the times you’ve been dumped in the past year? And are your thoughts or observations too high for others to comprehend? Then you’re definitely Mr. Ross at the party this New Year!

JOEY

For you, a New Year’s party is all and only about the food and women! A no – brainer this one, you’re going to be the one who’s found with a filled plate, at any given point at the party. You can’t help but stuff the last bit of dessert after trying out everything on the menu. A ladies’ man by birth, your tried and tested pick up line works wonders on any female at the party. If this description sounds familiar, then rest assured, as you deserve the classic “Joey Tribbiani badge” this New Year’s.

CHANDLER

If you ramble under pressure, if sarcasm is your mother tongue, and if your dance moves are so “original” that no human can replicate, then you, my friend, are the bearer of the beloved “Chandler Bing badge” this New Year’s.  “Could you be any more awesome?“  Don’t be surprised if you’re going to spend New Year’s worried about ending up alone, it’s just the Chandler gene at work!




And how can we forget the two characters without which F.R.I.E.N.D.S would have been incomplete?

GUNTHER

You’d get a “Gunther badge” if you’re a loner be it on New Year’s or any other day. You take extreme efforts trying to get noticed by that special someone but they’re all in vain. Don’t be depressed, there’s still some hope left in this cruel world! Hang in there my friend!

JANICE

OH… MY… GOD! Are you louder than the sound system at a party? Does your nasal vocal cord set you apart? And is your trademark laughter one that would scare away the demons in hell? Then you certainly deserve the “Janice badge” this New Year’s.

So as we bid adieu to 2014, hope you chatterboxes have a year full of laughter and love.
Until then,

Keep chattering :) 

D Mart

My visit to DMart,
Sucks right from the start,
And when I check out,
There's rubbish in my cart!

A dignified playground,
For kids to run around,
And this is one such place,
Where I don't wanna be found!

My mother's second home,
To shop or simply roam,
And I'd die of boredom,
If not for Google Chrome.

There is no ifs and buts,
The staff is full of nuts,
To visit on Sundays,
Does take a lot of guts!

5 Habits Fueled By Facebook

I do not wish to scare you, but believe it or not, most of us inherit behavioral patterns not just from our ancestors. The biggest social media giant has made a lasting impact on us. So much so that it won't be long till we bleed blue - the color that signifies a revolution called FACEBOOK! There's been enough song and dance about the addiction and its usage so I'd rather not get into that. So without much ado let's focus on the 5 habits fueled by Facebook.

1) Stalking 

Guess what the next most important thing is after knowing the name of a person... his SURNAME! How else will you be able to stalk his profile inside out? Facebook has happily turned all of us into ACP Pradyuman. I use his example because only investigators like him would gather information from this trusted source called Facebook. And don't we all enjoy a little dose of stalking our exes?

2) Selfie-ing

These days, every second person has a selfie-sh motive, don't you think? Front cameras are now a rage all thanks to the invention of the Selfie. Had it not been for Facebook, I wonder if people would still be interested in this hobby. And they’d definitely not go through the tedious process of clicking a million for the one picture perfect and staged yet candid click, had it not been for Facebook. Habit or obsession, this one's sure to last lifetime!

3) Sharing

They taught us in Kindergarten that sharing is caring. But this holds most true the in today’s age. Consider it a blessing or some sort of PR efforts, but the Facebook share option has surely added meaning to life, at least for some. For instance, sharing 9gag images is a staple facebook activity for many. Some people, with no mind of their own, grab every opportunity to share anything and everything. It’s like their attempt of making their presence felt in the virtual world.

4) Trending

Gone are the days when you waited for the daily morning newspaper. Movie reviews, Bollywood gossip, and even speeches by our respectable PM, will all be delivered to you by your friends posts, pages and now the "Trending" section on Facebook. We are now very conscious of being up to date with whatever that's Trending and Facebook is the major reason behind it.

5) Friending

Friendship is now just a click away and the number is now a defining factor. The more the number of friends you have the more 'happening' you're considered to be. Imagine an age without Facebook, how many of us would actually attend to someone just on the basis of "mutual friends". Funny, right?  For better or worse, we are now habituated with Friending people on Facebook first and in life later. So, technically Facebook is like a friendship tester that we conveniently use to our benefit!

Blessing or a curse, there’s no right or wrong about it. But facebook is surely a force to reckon with, that influences even the most insignificant things in our lives! Think about it! Have other views? Feel free to post it in the comment section below!

Until then,
Keep Chattering :)