A Tribute to the Foot Soldiers

Last night’s match was one of the best performances by United this season. 4-0 on the night, 7-2 on aggregate, 4 goals by Rooney in the tie – everything a fan can wish for. True Arsenal had just beaten Porto 5-0, but this is Milan we are talking about.

AC Milan, boasting of Pirlo, Ronaldinho, Ambrossini, Beckham, Seedorf, Huntelaar, Flamini & Inzaghi. AC Milan, who had won all their previous 2-legged European ties against Manchester United. AC Milan, who are currently second in Seria A. 

And they were up against an United team which cannot be called full-strength by any stretch of imagination. Carrick suspended, Rooney half-fit, Owen, Anderson, Brown, Hargreaves and Giggs out through injury, and Ferdinand playing 2 consecutive games for the first time since October! 

And yet, we never looked like a team that could concede, and Milan never looked like they could score. For this, the credit should go to those unheralded foot soldiers, who toil match-in match-out while keeping themselves away from all the glitz and glamour. Like the spirited Ji-sung Park, with his limitless reservoirs of energy. Like the infallible Darren Fletcher, a pillar in the midfield for Manchester United. Fitting that the two of them got a goal apiece on the night to commemorate their game. Also included in this small band of players is ever-committed Paul Scholes, who could have become a David Beckham, but chose to be a better footballer instead. They are the engine that drives Manchester United towards their ever-loftier goals. And undoubtedly, the microprocessor controlling the engine is the brain of Sir Alex, who assigned to Park the most important role in the match – that of keeping Pirlo quiet – thus stopping Milan in their tracks. 

Yes, Rooney has been brilliant, Ronaldo unstoppable and Messi has played with more flair. But we should take a step back and pay the respect that is due to these indomitable foot soldiers of Manchester United. For, in the ultimate analysis of who has won what at the end of the season, it is they who will be the difference between success and failure.

Is competitive the way to go?

Last week, whenever I went for a client meeting, one common question everyone asked was, “As a planner, do you think we can do a Rin?” everyone is excited by what Rin has done. At the very least, it has generated a lot of discussion. Some consumers I spoke to were scathing about the piece of communication, while others were bemused, and even pleasantly surprised by HUL’s courage.

I personally think it is a masterstroke, provided the client is ready to face the litigations that are sure to come. HUL broke the ad on Thursday. Even if P&G had framed their response by Friday, they could not file for a stay till Tuesday (it was an extended weekend, Monday being Holi). The ad had already achieved its desired effect by then, HUL swamped the 4 days with the ad.

Although rare in India, competitive ads are nothing new. For example, Sun has been running the following ad for the last 2 months. It makes sense if you have a provable advantage over the competition. However, there are risks that we as advertisers should be aware of.

The first risk is resonance & believability. The advantage must be important enough and the proof solid. The key is that it must be quantifiable. Otherwise it would not stand a chance in court. Rin did well on both counts.

A second threat comes from a third party – what Subaru did when BMW & Audi were fighting each other. They hijacked the conversation and took the fight to a different level. In the case of Rin vs. Tide, for example, Ariel can come forward and say something like who cares about white clothes, Ariel helps you preserve colour best!

In sum, competitive advertising can be a double-edged sword. It just depends on how much risk you are willing to take. As always, more the risk, greater the return.

A Bad Bad Day at the Office!

How did this happen? What did we do wrong? This seems so unreal! Newcomers Burnley beating the mighty Manchester United 1-0! We are supposed to be the Kings of England, Europe & the World!

I don’t know why ESPN Star Sports did not telecast the match. They usually show all the games live. So I have no idea how United played. I only know that Carrick missed a penalty! Not again. Those seem to be our Achilles Heel this season. We’ve already lost two trophies on penalties & this is the opening month of the season.

We need to buckle up & bounce back against Wigan. They are a good side & will test us. And after that Arsenal lie in wait. May be we need Ribery after all. But I have senn too much of Sir Alex to lose faith in him. I’m sure he knows best how to be champions once again.

Agyaat – An Insult to the Audience

Recently I watched the movie Agyaat, and it was a huge disappointment to say the least. There is no thrill or suspense in the movie & the horror is not even comic. In fact, the movie evoked no emotions from me, not even disgust. The directors of Predator & The Blair Witch Project would commit suicide after watching this.

I think Ram Gopal Verma has gone mad. I could not understand how someone who has made movies like Satya, Sarkar, Company & Shiva can sink to such low depths. I pondered over the dichotomy for a while and then realized that, in those iconic movies, RGV’s contribution was probably comparatively less than that of the screenplay, the dialogues & the brilliant actors. Agyaat, being devoid of such brilliance, has brought out the true caliber of RGV, the glimpses of which we got in Aag.

A few days back I read in the Delhi Times that he does not make movies for the audience but for himself. Firstly, why would you want to do that as a director? Aren’t you in the “entertainment” industry? Isn’t it your duty to entertain people, or at least a small section of it if you don’t want to make mass flicks? Secondly, if he made Agyaat to satisfy his creativity, why did he copy from famous Hollywood movies? Doesn’t his “creativity” allow him to make something original?

I think someone needs to send RGV to an Agyaatvaas for this insult to the audience who paid their hard-earned money to watch the film!

Robert Green – A Goalkeeper with a Difference

I recently read about the exploits of the West Ham keeper Robert Green. He comes across as a man with a difference in this age where the only thing most footballers have on their mind is money.

Last summer he climbed Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, to raise funds for AMREF, a medical and research facility. Before the climb he spent time in Kenya, seeing the organization’s work for himself. Last season, he turned in a stunning series of performances despite suffering the lingering after effects of altitude sickness.

This year, he and a friend rented a cheap fixed caravan, wore the same clothes for a couple of days and braved muddy conditions and appalling portable toilets at the annual Isle of Wight Rock Festival, which this year featured performances by the likes of the Stereophonics, Neil Young, the Prodigy, Razorlight, Simple Minds and the Ting Tings.

As you might have gathered by now, Robert Green is not your average footballer. He writes an intelligent, original column for a British newspaper, dabbles in poetry and studied law and psychology before deciding to begin a professional footballer's career with Norwich City.

You can read the whole article by John Dykes at

http://www.espnstar.com/opinion/columnists/column/item56239/#

Sex in Advertising – Is It A Good Strategy?

Lately, we have seen a lot of brands overtly using sex to sell themselves. While for some it might be relevant, for most it’s unnecessary. There are several problems that can arise from this strategy. Let’s look at them one by one.

Evony is a very popular MMOG (Massively Multiplayer Online Game). Its 2009 campaign had images depicting females who, as the ad campaign continued, grew further and further unclothed, until the ad was simply a pair of breasts. A running slogan for the campaign was "Save the queen!", although within the game, there is no queen to save. One 'Save The Queen' advert featured a woman without a bra or panties lying on the floor with a sword pointed at her breast. Another advertisement used two women with their eyes closed and the motto "Save Your Lover." It said "Play Unnoticeably", despite the fact that Evony does nothing to hide itself from network logs and its URL and cookies will still be present in a web browser's history like any other website.

According to me, this advertising campaign created two problems. First, the new players, who were enticed by the ads, were extremely disappointed to find nothing of the sort in the game. They quit playing pretty fast. The second problem was that the players who loved the game could not connect with the ads. In Evony’s defense though, it should be mentioned that it’s a very interesting game & it hooks you if you like the genre. Probably they thought that once people are attracted by the ads, they will stay on because of the game. However, I doubt that very much as I can see a lot of inactive players within the game world.

These kinds of strategies can also lead to brands losing their differentiated image as this can be easily copied. Take the example of Axe & Set Wet in India. Worldwide, and also in India, Axe has successfully positioned itself as a tool for males for increasing sex appeal.

However, Set Wet has now come up with their own campaign on similar lines. Watch the two ads and you’ll realize that you can actually interchange the product windows and no one would know! Then how does a new entrant in the market differentiate between the two. If I’m a 12 year old who wants 2 buy his first deodorant, on what parameters do I decide my brand?

However, sex, if relevant to the product/brand & integrated well, can really obliterate the competition. One only needs to look at the fate of Old Spice in the UK market after the entry of Axe/Lynx. As Woody Allen succinctly put it, “There are a number of mechanical devices that increase sexual arousal, particularly in women. Chief amongst these is the Mercedes-Benz 380L convertible.”

The 19th Title in the Making?

A lot has been said about United’s activity (or lack thereof) in the transfer market this summer. Many “experts” have criticized Sir Alex for selling his best player & not being able to hold on to Tevez. While I would have liked Ronaldo & Tevez to remain red devils, I believe the gaffer knows what he is doing. Selling Ronaldo to Real was a good piece of business in these troubled times. It will give youngstars like Nani, Anderson & Macheda to come to the fore. We should remember the similar criticism that was dished out at Sir Alex when he failed to get Ronaldinho in 2003. Instead, he signed a young, inexperienced lad called Cristiano Ronaldo, and the rest – 3 BPL titles, 1 Champions League, 1 Club World Cup, 2 FA Cups – is history.

As for Tevez, he was overpriced for a player who would mainly come on as a substitute in major matches. Getting Owen for free is a great deal instead & I believe he will blossom once again. He has enough potential and now, with the United midfield, he will get more chances to prove himself than he got at Newcastle. Owen may have reached the stage in his career where he won't figure in every game - but he'll score a lot of goals for us. There seems to be a constant debate about the injuries he's picked up over the years but look at Paul Scholes. He's had two or three injuries and he's always come back - so we should not be worried too much. If players have the resolve to get back then they always will and there's no doubt Owen still loves the game and is hungry to play. A call from Fabio Capello for the World Cup will be an added incentive for him.

Another United player who has come under criticism is Dimitar Berbatov. He has been called “lethargic, disinterested and selfish”. I think this is wide off the mark. True, he took some time to settle down as an United player. But he has the talent & the vision to make it work. Under the guidance of Sir Alex, who has complete faith in him, he will be a force to reckon with this year

In sum, I certainly would have liked Ribery & Benzema to come to Old Trafford. But Rooney, Berbatov & co. can get the job done. In Rooney we have a player with a marvelous work ethic and an insatiable desire for victory. He, along with Ferdinand, Vidic Evra, Carrick & Berbatov, will form the heart of the team and can take United to the promised land.

Glory, glory Man United!!!