Blog by S.Swaminathan

I could not believe it. All of us have heard of Linux  as an open source software but here is the world's first open source ad agency!

Here's an agency that is paying $ 50 for every approved submission of branded content in video.  An agency that believes in reality and not fantasy! Real l...

Why use dumb posters and outdoor signages, when your customers can now interact with the message on them?  Yes, you can transform the experience with Hypertag now.

A Hypertag is a new way of allowing you to access info and content on your mobile phone directly from objects like outdoor advertism...

Businesss Week has come out with a new cover story  on Creativity & Innovation.

Also, got to read in the same issue about fuseproject a great design firm and its brilliant philosophy. Look at what he has to say about Mini Cooper. He says it's not about the car but about the driver's lifestyl...

Lovely article by Robert E Kelly, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, on what it takes to be a star at work. I really loved the simplicity and easy to understand examples in this article.

For instance, the one on initiative is the best. Customers really love you when they know you go out of th...

There's a lot to learn from this interview with Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric. 

• How to believe in oneself
• Managing people
• Identifying growth engines and prioritizing them
• Spending time with customers
• Balancing life and work too!

.... and there's more.

I just got to read a brilliant article( Download mktgmanifesto.pdf ) by Mohanbir Sawhney on what ails marketing and how to fix it. If marketing professionals have to change the way he suggests, then as client and account managers, our language too has to change quickly.

Some key points to think abou...

For luxury brands, traditional advertising formats - Press, TVCs are falling into the  trap of  'Law of diminishing returns', I guess.

Target consumers are aware of the brand benefits  of these luxury  brands as they have been around for decades but are seeking to 'experience 'th...

It's official now. "Engaging" with customers is becoming a more important metric than the much used concept of  "frequency" which has been used by media planners for years now. This is expected to complement the other traditional media measures.

Yesterday, the Association of&...

The first step to being customer-centric is building the skill to listen across the company.

I find this to be a very difficult skill to cultivate amongst people.  I also realise this is the root cause of many problems like:

1. Not listening to a customer's request, when she is trying to explain th...

Most often, the defining moment of any company is how customers perceive it. This is collectively built by each and every employee of the company. No amount of slogans, vision statements, off-site sessions, motivational posters can help if the culture is not intrinsically linked with what everybody ...