On Advertisements

Me and my usual hangouts [read psyche,navin,pradeep] were having a discussion yesterday on whether the strategy break introduced in IPL to introduce more ad time actually makes any impact as most people either flip channels or take a piss break etc as they know for sure that in the next 8 odd mins nothings gonna happen.So the actual ratio of those who watch the match and those who watch the ad would be pretty dismal.

This can be true for any ad break,as people mostly start flipping when the ad break starts.So this leads to the question if tv advertising actually makes any impact.The answer might be if done right then definitely yes.An excellent example would be the vodafone cartoon ads made for the IPL season.I want to catch the new ones every day and Vodafone get excellent exposure for the money they pay.Similar examples would be Hero Honda-Roadies or CenterFresh-Roadies ads.Smart placements good return on investment.

But this further led me to think whether all these ads actually make me shell out money[the primary purpose of any ad].Lets cover my expenditure and how i decide on what to spend on.I use airtel mobile because an airtel connection was offered to me the day i joined my company and not because of Rahman's tune or Vidya Balan or Madavan or SRK.The clothes i wear are mostly bought during discount sales and are chosen on my mood at that moment.The shoes i wear fall in the same category.The investment i make is chosen from the kind of returns the mutual funds have given historically.The stocks i buy based on their valuation and bottom lines.The restaurants i eat at are mostly chosen for convenience and taste.

Countering the above argument the brand value and the perception of the product built over time does influence a guy to buy something.Nike,Adidas et all spend so much money sponsoring teams and players because they add the extra zing to their products.Similar the macho ads of Bajaj Pulsar make it the bike of choice for youngsters and the JagoRe ads did influence people to vote[excluding lazy buggers like me].

So is an ad effective or not? i dont know for sure.But what is evident is that an ad made and placed smartly is whats important rather than pay exorbitant amounts to superstars.

Best Buys EPL 08-09

1.Guus Hiddink
He was "bought" in to save a sinking ship.Chelsea were 4th in the league and a lot of players had lost confidence in themselves and Scolari.They look like world beaters now.Enough Said.

2.Arshavin
Again bought when the team was in a hole playing some serious shit football drawing 0-0 everywhere.Can play anywhere in the midfield or forward.Scores goals,creates them.Near unstoppable when on song[as we found out yesterday :-( .Next year should be interesting with him on board from the beginning.

3.Geovanni
Brought in on a free transfer,he was central to the run that took Hull to the sky in the beginning of the season.Scored some screamers and created some more.Was great fun while it lasted.

4.Abdoulayye Faye
Newcastle sold him after he was involved in a bust up with NZogbia.End result? Newcastle are 19th while Stoke are very close to safety.Has been a great defender throwing himself at everything and scoring goals too.Has been a rock at the back all season.

5.James Beattie
Came into Stoke at January when they having a problem scoring goals.Scored enough to keep them in the Premier League.

6.Brad Friedal
With Laursen,Young and Barry the spine that were challenging the Fanstastic Four.Pity the team faded away in the second half of the season.

7.Shay Given
Easily the best goal keeper in the league.Bought in for a pittance when compared to the 10m payed for Bridge.Has been making 2-3 great saves every match.Might be the reason[along with Ireland] ManCity stay up.

8.Albert Riera
Liverpool badly needed some pace and skill in the left midfield section.This man has it and has plenty of it.Has been good most of the times,though badly underrated.

9.Fellani
What a buy!!!!The guy brought back the 80's hairstyle.Much of the season Everton were able to play without a striker because of his and Cahill's aerial abilities.Very strong,great in the air,good technical skills.Super Buy.

10.Amir Zaki
The on-loan signee at Wigan was once the leading scorer in the charts and was being compared to Shearer.Not a bad return 10 goals from 25 appearances.Hampered by injuries and the loss of Palacios to Spurs in January.

11.Sebastian Bassong
The only bright light in Newcastle's season.Superb defender.Expect him to move to one of the big clubs in the summer.

that's it.comments/brickbats welcome.

Life

Ever since i decided to pursue an MBA i've been seeing the other side of the coin in life.Everything i see seems to have an business oppurtunity attached to it.
I see the guys who flock to the retail shops when the discount sale kicks in and i see the power of perception and herd psychology in life.I see the crowds at the roadside stalls and see the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid.I see the population charts skewed and see the oppurtunity in education and internet space.
I see all this but the B-Schools i apply to fail to see the business man in me.ahhhhhhhh.

THE EPIC

To start with this was one of the best matches i've ever seen.Both teams gave it their all over the two legs.I was annoyed and feeling helpless when the teams were announced,no StevieG no Riera no Babel and Lucas!!! as the man in the hole.I dunno what Rafa was smoking when he decided to play Lucas behind Torres but I'd like some of that.OK i started watching the match resignedly,but Chelsea true to Hiddink's pre-match comments they will try and soak up the pressure were sitting back and inviting Liverpool to attack.

In the first 15-20 mins liverpool took total control of the midfield and the match was mostly played in the chelsea half,drogba was totally isolated and i was ecstatic.A brilliant goal from Aurelio and my hopes went up.Xabi took the advantage of some stupidity from Ivanovic and got a penalty and scored it too.Chelsea were in tatters now and Liverpool were raking up chances.We should've scored just before halftime but somehow the ball did not go in.

Ok 45 mins to go and one goal to get,I was very hopeful.But i was a bit apprehensive about Hiddink's team talk as last week too Chelsea were unstoppable in the second half so i was waiting with fingers crossed.Second half starts,Kuyt almost scores.Same story for the first three four mins.Then anelka is allowed to run easily through down the flanks and put a good ball in.Drogba gets a touch,overpowering carragher and reina messes it up.1-2.Shit ok one more goal we get extra time.But Skrtel gives away a dangerous free kick and Alex smashes it.Carvalho had blocked the wall away and ducked in time for the shot.Lucas[bastard!!!] moved away from the ball and reina could do nothing but pick the ball from the net.2-2.Now two goals needed in another 35 odd mins.Kuyt's goalbound header somehow clawed away by Cech.Tension mounts.The match was wide open now,with both teams throwing men forward.Ballack misses a good chance in the other end made by a Drogba playing supremely well.

Abramovich wanted entertainment dint he,it was being dished out in bucketfulls here.Ballack wins the ball,puts Drogba through with a superb ball.Drogba shields its superbly and lays it off for Fat Frank who toe pokes it inside.3-2 match over screams the commentator.Chelsea fans and Rafa[??????] agree.Torres off.Mash off.Ngog and Riera on. Chelsea sit back again.Lucas tries his luck and oh my god it goes inside off a massive deflection off essien.3-3.Some hope.After two min Riera plays nicely down the left flank and picks out Kuyt with a good ball.Powerful header 3-4.10 mins to go one goal to get.I cant believe it.Overjoyed.Delirious.Any semblence of order is thrown to the winds.Everyone attacks.Superb tackle by Skrtel to prevent Malouda from scoring.This guy is sensational under Hiddink.Power pace where the hell was he these last 20 months.Anyways resulting corner lucas gets the ball,foul on him by Malouda ref no go,ball falls to alonso he gives it to ballack who passes it to anelka to lampard GOAL.4-4.Huge mistake by ref and alonso and lucas not tracking frank.

2 mins later Ngog smashes the ball,essien somehow clears it off the line.3 mins added time.Cant understand how 6 goals can be scored but only 3 mins given.Plays out match over.4-4 second leg.7-5 win for Chelsea overall.Superb match.120/100 for all the liverpool players given they were playing 10 on 11[i am sick and tired of lucas].Not so for Rafa,who first made the mistake of playing an half fit StevieG in the first leg.Then leaves him out today.For once i agree with those jokers on at Ten Sports.Even if Stevie was half hit today,I would have thrown him on for the last thirty mins or so.Or atleast made him play the first half.Given how Chelsea were in the first half god knows what could've happened if Stevie was on. Also the formation for this match,Yossi on the left Kuyt right and Lucas in the hole.Imagine how it would have been with Kuyt upfront with Torres Babel/Riera left and Yossi on the right.Sometimes this guy seems a genius and sometimes a fool.

Also the way Drogba behaved was really disgraceful.Moaning,whining throughout the match.And the way he rolled back onto the pitch to stop the play was disgusting.Agreed he was superb in the second half but this kind of behaviour is not what a fan would want.And Chelsea fans man those jokers.Booing your team at half time, fair weather fans all of them.

But i am incredibly proud to support this team.The way they fought was unbelivable and those families who suffered unconsolable loss twenty years ago,we showed how much we respect your loss.We proved once again that if you are a Red Scouser you never will walk alone.

On Catbertian HRs

It was a dark and stormy night.Our hero stays awake working on new evil ways to torment the loyal cube dwellers.Then he strikes upon a brilliant idea to stop providing paper cups anymore.Coffee in mugs,only for employess.That way interns,contractors and house keeping cant drink coffee anymore.He goes to sleep purring satisfactorially.
Next morning he comes across Al Gore while doing random wiki search and decides to name this farce 'Go Green'.What more he decides the remove paper napkins too while he is at it.What an idea sirjee.