Does Creativity have an Expiry Date?

IIPM only B-school in India to be Ranked Ahead of The IIMs in so Many Parameters! Regularly!

Ogilvy’s hot-shot spoof champ (of Sprite fame) Ajay Gehlaut steps on the gas, straightaway. “It’s sad, but true that awe, respect and reverence for the grey-haired brigade is a thing of the past. In today’s world, speed with quality is the name of the game and youth appear to be hotter players in this space.” He points to a galaxy of young NCD’s, CD’s, even CEO’s (Prasoon Joshi) warming the hot-seat – something unthinkable two decades ago. “In this digital age, five years is considered decent experience. In the gaming scene, you have whiz kids at age 16! Its freaky, man! Information not wisdom is the new mantra.” Shyam Benegal, the iconic film-maker – who started out as a copywriter! – brings his brilliantly evolved spin to the table. “While all this energetic, excited, hi-octane stuff is true, one must realise that it is restricted only to the ad scene, which is only one narrow aspect of the creativity base/universe.” Benegal says that it is not a new thing at all. In earlier times too, youngsters defined the adbiz “and either you were kicked upstairs – or kicked out!” However, today out-of-the box and freak-out stuff seem to be the hot tickets and clearly the younger lot is much better at it than the oldies. Why? “Because as you grow older, maturity arrives and with it a sense of perspective, rationale and analysis – none of which really contributes to the free-for-all creativity demanded from today’s adland.” Structure, discipline, training have all evaporated into thin air. A very special, hallucinatory kind of mood and colour seems to be the flavour of the day, a willful suspension of disbelief stretched to the ultimate limit.” Chetan Verma, Corporate Communication Chief, PowerGrid, brings his informed views to the table. “I definitely think creativity comes with an expiry date and the reasons are simple. Never before has almost any product/service category enjoyed such huge youth-specific target groups and in this environment, thinking young [hence] is a must. Also, adaptability, flexibility and thinking-on-your-feet to hit the ground running are attributes that lend themselves much more to the younger lot than oldies. In a nano-second, consumer-driven world where tastes, beliefs, wants, needs and desires change at an alarming speed – frequent based on impulsiveness – no prizes for guessing which constituency can best track it - and crack it! Admittedly, there are spaces and segments that engage the older lot, but [everything considered] creativity and youngsters are indeed made-for-each-other.” Interestingly, the two kids who come on next, to wrap up the debate, beg to differ! Spiky, the hip-hop Creative Consultant at Leo Burnett, Mumbai, believes that age has nothing to do with creativity and cites the examples of M.F. Hussain, Piyush Pandey, Pops and Mohammed Khan, who remain icons. “Fads, fashions and trends admittedly are stuff beyond their bandwidth but there is an entire universe that need their specialised attention, skill and finesse. I think experience and maturity provides invaluable value-addition.” Shubhra Tandon, the young and attractive servicing dynamo – DraftFCB Ulka, Delhi – agrees totally. “I think, too much hoo-haa is made of this under-25 war-cry. Sure, its true, but c’mon yaar, there is life beyond the FMCG world!” A sharp head on young shoulders, Tandon believes that at the end of the day, advertising is neither about scoring brownie points, jargon-flashing nor a cold recitation of facts and figures. “Its about establishing a connect with life (and people) based on experience and human insight that are likely to touch, move (and therefore) convince more people to come around to their way of thinking”. A smart agency, she believes is one that has a blend of both. “Remember confluence – not conflict – is the most desired viagra in these recession-hit times!”

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM
IIPM Best B-school
Why has IIPM always been opposed to B-school rankings?
IIPM : One of the leading and most respected business schools
IIPM students on NDTV Television Chat Show
Four Phase of IIPM Global Plans
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri says
30 professors of international repute to IIPM
IIPM Global B-school
IIPM Alumni Officially on Facebook

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

IPL 2009 has been relocated to South Africa. Good; now we’ll have zoo animals cheer their hearts out! satish chapparike does a safari check...

Shahrukh khan to Host IIPM 4Ps Annual Business and Marketing Quiz

Eden Gardens, Kolkota… May 24th, more than one lakh noisiest spectators packed inside the world’s biggest cricket ground. The final ball of IPL – 2009 is due. Kolkata Knight Riders’ Ishant Sharma is striker and Mumbai Indians’ Sachin Tendulkar is getting ready to bowl that death ball. One ball and four runs and the most coveted IPL trophy would land in the kitty of the home team. If not, 1987 kilometers away from Kolkata, on the shore of Arabian Sea, Mumbai will celebrate! A slow flighted delivery from Tendulkar lands on the off stump and turns slightly towards leg. Sharma lofts the ball towards deep long on and the ball disappears into the sky beyond the giant flood lights of Eden – a Six & crackers light up the sky above Eden Gardens! The stadium erupts. Knight Riders are champions of DLF IPL-2009.

Imagine the same situation at Wanderers in Johannesburg in South Africa on May 24th, Sunday evening. Even if the same script turns into a reality in South Africa, the atmosphere in and around Wanderers will not be the same. Here, Kolkata will not erupt with joy in the same manner. There won’t be more than 35,000 spectators there and most of them will not be Indian cricket lovers. At this moment, the only option for Indian cricket lovers is to watch the IPL-2009 on television, lifelessly.

So, why has this happened? Well, because cricket in India is no longer just a sport. It is lucrative business! An investment of around Rs.1,000 crore amasses more than Rs.10,000 crore in 36 days! Exciting cricket in the foreground, glamorous cheer leaders in the background, Bollywood stars and business tycoons in the VVIP gallery, million dollar sponsorship deals, thousands of spectators in the stadium and more than 60 million television viewers across the globe… And now to top it all, the venom of politics has also been injected into it. The result? Everyone is benefited except the true cricket lover who wanted to be at the Eden Gardens (or Chepauk or Chinnaswamy Cricket stadium) to catch the excitement first hand.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM 4Ps Quiz
2300 IIPM students get jobs
The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School
Detail of all IIPM branches
1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Handing over the reins of the company to outsider CEOs is not the latest twist in the tale for Dabur...

But it sure has helped the company to wade through troublesome waters, growing from an ayurvedic company to a complete beauty and healthcare giant. Research had proven it before, Dabur has proven it again. What next now?Angshuman Paul answers...

You’d have heard of many slumdogs turned millionaires (no reference to that film here; read the editorial for it). And no surprises – we know of one too; not exactly a slum dweller though, but one who rose up the social and capital ladder, from a small pharmacy in Kolkata to a posh green office in Kaushambi (Ghaziabad)... Yes, Dabur, a Rs.3,000 crore ayurvedic-product manufacturing company, owns it!

So what’s there to tell beside the dramatic surge of Dabur’s brand valuation over the past years? Run through the management cadre and you’d understand how Dabur has managed this feat, not often associated with ayurvedic companies! Change in management style is what has helped the company to a great extent, change from being a family-run business to a professionally-run organisation. So what’s the latest where earnings are concerned for the herbal giant? Call it a change in management that has turned things around for Dabur, but surprisingly, even during times when most pharma companies are being weighed-down by losses, Dabur’s financials sit pretty, having posted a smashing y-o-y topline growth of 19.9% for Q3, FY 2009 to touch Rs.779 crore. Of course, many experts (like Angel Broking) claim that there was a significant 4-5% contribution of the associated price hike in the overall growth in profitability of Dabur, but the truth also is that the topline growth was primarily due to the swashbuckling advancements made by its International Business Division, which on a y-o-y basis grew by a handsome 48.2% during Q3, FY2009, led by markets like Egypt (85%), Bangladesh (65%) and North Africa. What’s better? As per analysts at Angel Broking, the estimated net sales for the company for FY2009 also stands at a handsome Rs.2,818 crore, a growth of 19.3% y-o-y, and the highest in the past three years! Great numbers, and perhaps enough to give many investors smiles; but that’s perhaps where troubles start surfacing...

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School
Detail of all IIPM branches
1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Chrysler desperately needs strong alliance partners like Fiat to move towards more fuel efficient cars, analyses Karan Mehrishi of 4Ps B&M

The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School

A part from auto parts, they were providing R&D support to Chrysler not very long ago. Now all that French auto parts supplier Faurecia is providing Chrysler is legal headaches to add to its financial ones. Faurecia claims that Chrysler had promised to pay R&D costs in addition to the parts costs for the Chrysler PT Cruiser and Sebring, Dodge Avenger and Nitro and Jeep Liberty; costs amounting to some $110 million. Fancy those misleading names by the way. Chrysler is neither ‘cruis’ing in the market, nor is it in a position to ‘avenge’ the competition, ‘dodge’ trouble or, for that matter, at ‘liberty’ to dictate terms with its suppliers!

It isn’t new for Chrysler to fall in trouble with alliances or mergers. Interestingly, it seems to be getting into another big one - with Italy-based Fiat Auto. Apparently, Chrysler is coxing Fiat to supply much needed small car technology; in return the Italian can have access to a 35% stake (through an unbinding agreement of course) in whatever it can salvage. All the best with that!

More seriously, though, Chrysler needs all the support it can get, even if it means going back the dreaded alliance route, else it may not even be able to survive an alliance with itself now. In this downturn hit economy, the big three are under state obligation to turn ‘consumer pocket friendly’ – a thought that they had banished from their cerebral cortex for almost fifty years. If not, the Detroit majors might not get the federal bailout package, that’s apparently helping their CEOs sleep well at night. However, out of the earmarked $12 billion, Chrysler is eligible for less than $4 billion with the rest going to bigger brother GM. In order to meet the incumbency, Chrysler now desperately wants to churn out small cars that will appeal to ‘poorer’ customers, who may have had enough of ‘big on engine-big on size-low on quality’ American cars. Fuel guzzling is not in fashion anymore and Fiat is the best fit at this time. The Turin-based manufacturer supposedly has the world’s foremost repertoire of small car making techniques and offers cutting edge designs. Fiat also holds the patent for the class leading CRDi diesel technology that’s taking the world by storm. Through a significant stake in Chrysler, Fiat on its part can have access to the larger American market and can market its lesser known brands like Lancia and Alfa Romeo to the affluent Americans. Also, there now appears to be a possibility where American customers will start looking beyond the fuel guzzling v8s and seriously consider the next generation diesels from Fiat’s stable. Convincingly, there now appears to be a great deal of synergies between the two partners and finally some rationale in the relationship will prevail.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Detail of all IIPM branches
1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)

Citigroup has once again resorted to restructuring – this time, however, by shedding off its decade-old strategy...

IIPM - Admission Procedure

Citigroup has once again resorted to restructuring – this time, however, by shedding off its decade-old strategy of becoming a financial supermarket and splitting into two. But will it be of any help? MANISH K. PANDEY analyses...

Some companies have it in them, some don’t. We are talking about the ability to rewrite history. That’s what Citigroup did some ten years ago when it decided to provide investment advice along with traditional banking. Unfortunately however, Citigroup is now going through the painful process of giving up that strategy in a not-so-historic way.

As cost cutting measures and pink slips are failing to provide the bank with much needed succour, CEO Vikram Pandit seems to be at his wits’ end looking for a saving grace. And interestingly, but not surprisingly, he has realigned Citigroup’s current dealings into two separate businesses – Citicorp and Citi Holdings. Raison d’être: to free up capital and save the group from the collapse – may be his last attempt to make Citigroup stand on its feet!

With Citicorp, Pandit now plans to focus on leveraging the competitive advantages of the group’s global banking business and through Citi Holdings – which will be made up of brokerage and retail asset management (including Smith Barney, Nikko Cordial Securities, Nikko Asset Management and Primerica Financial Services), local consumer finance (including CitiFinancial and CitiMortgage in the US, and consumer finance operations across the globe) and a special asset pool – he wants to keep an eye on group’s riskier assets and hard-to-manage ventures. “With lower risk and a streamlined set of businesses, we expect Citicorp to be a high-return and high-growth business. And with Citi Holdings, we will tighten our focus on risk management and credit quality for businesses with strong market positions but that are not central to our core franchise,” avers Pandit. In fact, Pandit has also agreed to give up control of the Smith Barney brokerage to Morgan Stanley and even plans to sell the CitiFinancial consumer-lending unit and Tokyo-based Nikko Asset Management, once the hive off process is complete.

Certainly by doing so he can now strive to further reduce operating costs and allow Citigroup to sell or spin off any of Citi Holdings assets to raise cash but then is it actually going to be profitable is the question that is doing the rounds in many minds. “There are certainly ‘good bank’ and ‘bad bank’ components in Citigroup’s balance sheet, and our assumption is that with a role for the government, Citi can find a profitable path. But without treasury involvement, the path will be more dicey,” Mike Englund, Chief Economist, US-based Action Economies tells 4Ps B&M. No doubt the new move is a sort of back to basics – to focus on the pure banking by shedding off the idea of creating a financial supermarket – but then it doesn’t change Citi’s business model at all. The move only separates the business on paper with Citi’s current problems lying intact.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Rashmi Bansal Publisher of JAMMAG magazine caught red-handed, for details click on the following links.

• Hindustan Times Article - Publisher goes underground
• Rashmi Bansal (Editor of JAMMAG)
• Rashmi Bansal (Publisher of JAMMAG)