MasterchefAU v/s MasterchefUS

The 'Ugly American' is in flagrante delicto at the Masterchef kitchen. The Australian series is characterized by a generosity of the human spirit, inspiring enablement and a superlative passion for the craft and ingredients. The Food rises above all - at the end of the day, setting ever higher benchmarks.
The American version is pusillanimous, mean-minded, low calibre and sickening in its celebration of the self-absorbed contestants. It is the Jerry Springer of cooking shows. While it is obvious that the contestants have been given a brief and may be scripted to some extent, it is nonetheless telling that such a brief is supposed to drive up ratings. The show has tarnished brand America - beyond a doubt and a canny foreign policy wonk would do well to recommend it being pulled off the air.


By
Alpana Parida
President
DY Works

Get Wellness Soon!

Consumer experience is evolving at every moment. With the advent of this evolution, the consumer market has got better in terms of quality, technology and in terms of providing exhilarating consumer experience. As a result, wellness as a category spawned in the process of making “the experience” better for people. Spas and resorts form a major part of wellness sector in India.

                                                             
The International Spa Association (ISPA) defines Spas as “places devoted to overall well-being through a variety of professional services that encourage the renewal of mind, body and spirit”.

The ISPA further categorizes spas as:

Day Spa: A spa offering a variety of professionally administered spa services to clients on a day-use basis.

Destination Spa: A destination spa is a facility with the primary purpose of guiding individual spa-goers to develop healthy habits.

Resort/Hotel Spa: A spa located within a resort or hotel providing professionally administered spa services, fitness and wellness components.

Club Spa: A facility whose primary purpose is fitness and which offers a variety of professionally administered spa services on a day-use basis.

India, with its deep-rooted traditions, is known for being a hub for alternative treatments dominated by ancient healing –Ayurveda & spirituality. In recent years, enormous growth has been identified in the Indian spa industry. With over 2,300 spas, the industry makes around $400 million annually.

According to a report release by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, the Ayurveda and yoga segments, alone, were expected to earn a business of 600 Cr and revenues prospects for medical tourism predicted to be around 400 Cr.

Despite these numbers the wellness sector is largely underdeveloped in India especially because it is unorganized & there is less awareness about the services offered by this sector. There are a very few wellness brands which have succeeded in positioning themselves in line with the modern consumer’s need for a wellness experience. The core problem which one can identify is right branding in the right place.                                          
A lot of upcoming wellness brands entering this segment position themselves as rejuvenation destinations which offer authentic traditional treatments. India’s destination resorts, wellness retreats and spas address body, mind and spiritual wellness through the traditions of yoga, ayurveda and numerous other healing practices. Their branding is also strategically done. Ananda in the Himalayas is one of the examples. Have one look at the website and you will realize how strongly it represents the essence of India and its traditions.  The font style used in creating the identity also has a certain feel of ethnicity.

                                                                                                               

Vivanta by Taj is another example. Their spa brand is identified as ‘Jiva Spa’ which is in line with the spirit of India. Major components of Branding like the attire of the staff inside, the aroma; the products used, strengthen the essence of India and create a unique experience for the customer.                                                                                                              

                                                       
Subtle branding as one can understand is the key to create the right awareness by wellness brands among their target audience which still has a long way to go. Once, the power of branding is realized by the wellness sector, there should be no looking back as the consumer waits for “the experience”.

As this category is growing, the players are growing stronger with their branding, and there certainly is a lot more for us to observe.
                                                   


By
Avani Bapat,
Integrated Corporate Practice,
DY Works

Technology, Jargon and Branding

India is a very social country. People love talking, about everything under the sun from rocket science to global economy to what time the neighbour’s daughter returned home the previous night. We love to talk, gossip, discuss and debate with an authority that seems formidable on the subject but rarely has enough substance if tested. Just for example, last evening as I was returning home by the local I overheard two co-passengers discussing the about-to-start FIFA World Cup and how Real Madrid are the favourites having won the Champions Trophy! I did not bother pointing out the several flaws in each of his statements; he was just another brick in the wall.

But as we have evolved, so has our ability to consume data and information from everywhere around us, grasp the finer points and then make our conversation more relevant. We consume at an immense pace, keeping track of not only ours but pretty much the world’s activities through the virtual world that is wrapping us. Whether it be stalking a friend’s FB wall or following their thoughts via Twitter, we are everywhere consuming all kinds of information, and then happily spreading it around. Social collaboration is at its all-time high without an end in sight.

 

We just love being social!

Source:http://thinkmarketingmagazine.com/

High-speed Rail: An Investment in future?

As the BJP manifesto spoke about implementation of bullet trains in India in their election manifesto, many Indians saw a ray of hope of a new dawn to arrive in India’s crippling infrastructural woes.

Bullet trains, which are already running successfully in several European & Asian countries, has ignited the imagination of a billion plus country. China, which currently connects its major cities with Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) trains, has successfully demonstrated the power of what high-speed rail (HSR) can achieve.

Maglev Train (China)

TGV- Bullet train ( France)

When Laloo Prasad Yadav was at the helm of rail affairs, he had clearly taken aside the proposition of India ever having a high speed rail network citing soil, climate and land factors as permanent hindrances.

However, with the promise of the launch of the Diamond Quadrilateral project - of High Speed Train network (bullet train) tourist rails, railways modernization, R&D for indigenous railways, and special focus on developing skilled human resources, India can gain a lot out of these.

Shinkasen-bullet train-Japan

Quoting the head  of State of Columbia wherein he said   ” Any country cannot be called ”developed” until its citizens whether rich or poor use the same mode of mass transport system.”

India’s infrastructural woes can be sorted by developing this mode of transport which not only positively affects the real estate, manufacturing & service sectors, infact it creates the ease of living a far more comfortable life and saving years, yes years, since an average mobile Indian spends 80 % of his time traveling.

ICE-Bullet train (Germany)

Also if we look around the world, most of the airports are slowly reaching a saturation point where expansion is impossible and hence may become an extremely costly affair. Something like bullet trains can come in handy in such a situation since they can handle the interstate and intercity travel freeing the airport for more important international travel and very long distance travel. The existing bullet trains like the TGV (France), ICE (Germany) & the Shinkasen (Japan) have average speeds upto 450 km/hr,faster than a F1 car. Infact, new technology in high speed trains like the Maglev can achieve speeds upto 3000 km/hr, way  faster than an airplane.

Is it feasible?

Yes it is feasible, and the answer lies in going in phase wise across India. Such a system can definitely help India build new cities and new industries. It is a known fact that cities around such a high speed network have become engines of growth and prosperity.

As the new government promises a strong developmental agenda, this will be one of the most discussed subjects. While we discuss, our neighbour China has shown the way by building a world class HSR network to the tune of more than 10000 Kms with a daily ridership of more than 1.33 million. And the decision has transformed the way people used to travel and do business in China. Hope we also start investing in building capacities which may serve us well for the coming decades and change the way we travel and do business in India.

Hope 7 Race Course Road is listening.

By

Deepak H.Bhatia

Integrated Corporate Practice

DY Works

Building Brand Modi

On 16th of May, 2014, when it became clear that Narendra Modi, known to the nation as the man behind the progress of Gujarat, has led the BJP to a historic victory (the party has won 282 seats itself, a first since Congress’ win in 1984), even the ones who had predicted the victory for him were surprised. No one could’ve anticipated such a landslide win. No one. Well, except for the think tank who strategized Modi’s campaign and made him more than just an authoritative political leader. They made him into a brand which resonates strength and a freshness which the voters thought should be made the representative of a new India.

Personalizing a political campaign is nothing new. Obama’s historic victory in the 2008 US presidential elections is a prime example. What was unique about Modi’s campaign is that not only it put forth Modi forward as an iconic leader but also built an image of him that is so great that it surpassed the reputation of the political party that he was a representative of. And the more interesting factor is that all of it was intended.

Creating a strong brand presence isn’t easy by itself. But creating a brand presence which is trying to break away from a tainted image is even harder. The BJP had employed the best of the best in concocting and applying their media strategy. Household names such as Piyush Pandey and Prashoon Joshi led the campaign. They brought in well known agencies which developed themes and concepts which aided the one specific message that the campaign was trying to communicate to the voters. Growth and development.

By decoding the colours Saffron and White which consequentially transcendent into strength and purity, the campaign through its visuals gave out an impression of stability.

The message was clear. But what separated it from rest of the political campaigns so far is the unique way in which the same message was delivered to different segments of the voters by customizing the approaches. The youth had been specifically targeted. The reason being that they make up for largest no. of voters in the country. With exhaustive social media campaigns with hashtags such as ‘#NaMo’ and taglines like ‘Ab ki baar, Modi Sarkaar’ which went viral it was ensured that the voters are not only aware of Modi as a brand but also they’re interacting and engaging themselves in the digital environment with the brand’s presence which later inevitably transfers itself to the outside world.
This was only just a small part. Corporate leaders backed Modi, during his public addresses and this in turn translated into the hope of strategic and sustainable development. This particular campaign saw some commendable innovations in BTL promotional activities. With campaigns such as ‘Chai pe charche’ and etc. that particular segment of the voters who are by nature media ignorant were targeted. Places where the aggressive print ads, radio jingles and TVCs could not reach, trucks loaded with Modi posters, pre-recorded speeches, speakers and lights were sent out. Even 3D hologram images of Modi were distributed.

The Long and Short of it

DY Works took the idea of story telling and the concept of the idiom – ‘Long and Short of It’ to create a language that the brand can call its own.

Brand Task:
For a city that never sleeps and houses a variety of eat-out-options from all day cafe’s to fine dining to discos, pubs and lounges, the concept of a Gastrobar fitted the best to cater to the taste buds of foodies in the city. InterContinental – an ocean front boutique luxury hotel, in the heart of Mumbai’s business and financial hub making it a perfect plating.

DY Works was entrusted with this exciting brand identity project to deliver an identity that captures the true essence and mood of the restaurant. An unpretentious, casual and comfortable any time hang out that allows for stories to be born and relived

Brand Solution:
Our concept revolved around creating exciting and cherish able stories or table conversations and moments. We looked at the Idiom – The Long and Short of it, as a point of inspiration. The literal meaning , ‘The whole story, the most important point and the gist or sum of it all’ summed our core brand thought.We took the idea of story telling and the concept of the idiom – Long and Short to create a language that the brand can call its own.

DY Works is Brand Strategy & Design Firm based out of Mumbai

Crafting an Inimitable Brand - Reliance Greens

DY Works’ intervention crafted this iconic brand from nomenclature to visual identity and shaped their success story.

 

Most iconic brand identities stand the test of time and are relevant over decades. Reliance Greens, at the Jamnagar Township is one such identity.

Crafted in 1999, the identity was crafted to create significance and reflect an evolving organization. After 15 years, this identity is unchanged and has indeed stood the test of time, when many companies have identities that have needed rejuvenation to stay current, and relevant to their audience.

Brand Task:
Reliance Township, a self-contained township, houses over 2,500 of the employees and their families at Jamnagar. Sprawling over 415 acres of land, the township has been designed to provide the best possible residential, educational and recreational facilities to the employees.
The township includes fully furnished housing for the employees, as well as a medical centre, school, playgrounds, temple, community centers, health centers, banks, mall/supermarket, gas station, parks, swimming pool, a golf course, tennis courts etc. DY Works partnered with the Reliance brand team to create nomenclature, brand manifestation and other visual communication for the township.