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Filed under: Mumbai

Conversation in a Delhi Metro

This conversation took place about 4 months back.

I was in Delhi for the Half Marathon and after I finished the run, I took the Metro to go from the venue to my friend's place. Next to me sat a 16 year old boy, clearly belonging to SEC A. This boy saw me in my shorts and decided to ask me a few questions:

Boy: You just ran in the Marathon?
Me: Yes
Boy: What distance?
Me: The Half-Marathon. 21 kms.
Boy: You have run before?
Me: Yes, this is my 4th.
Boy: Ok, can I get the medal you got there for finishing the run?
Me: No. It is a souvenir.
Boy: Where are you from?
Me: Bombay
Boy: You keep going around just to run?
Me: Trying to.
Boy: So where in Bombay are you from?
Me: Thane.
Boy: How is Bombay?
Me: Good. I love it.
Boy: So you keep seeing movie stars?
Me: Errrrr, not really.
Boy: Was there any celebrity here in Delhi for the Marathon?
Me: Shah Rukh Khan and Bipasha Basu flagged off the run. 
Boy: You met them? Clicked pictures?
Me: No, I just saw them with a flag in their hand.
Boy: How many celebrities have you seen in Bombay?
Me: Errrr, this is my stop. Got to go.
Boy: Ok.
Me: You should start running.
Boy: I am giving my boards this year.
Me: All the best!
Boy: Thanks.

I don't know why this conversation still amuses me. :)

Sales 'Train'ee

Its been a long time since I have blogged about marketing or sales. Its been a long time since I have blogged actually. But something happened today which must be shared.

Most of you by now know that I am currently working with HCL Comnet as an Account Manager in the India Sales division. Being practically 'in training' for the past month and half, my eyes and ears are beginning to get attuned towards anything sales. Being a resident of Thane as I have often mentioned in my earlier posts, any place else in Mumbai is far away. Today I chose to come back home by train having had enough of traffic on the road. 

I am predominantly a train traveler and would prefer trains over buses anytime. Most of you who have traveled in the Mumbai local trains - otherwise called 'locals' - would be aware of the frequently annoying salesmen who travel along. Selling everything from pens to pens that are torches. Anything you buy normally costs 10 bucks. They come with loud noises making limericks and poems which makes you feel you would be robbing HIM if you buy his product for only 10 bucks!

However, today I saw a very different kind of salesman in the train. He boarded the compartment at the peak hour of 9 PM and stood in the most crowded part between the seats. Standing there, he started talking as if he was talking to his friends. It felt like he was giving a discourse! Extremely calm and extremely patient. He started explaining home remedies for common ailments that anyone in a family can suffer with. For some time I could not understand what this man who has the attention of everyone who can see him is trying to sell. His way of explaining was unique and his concern for the well being of my family seemed quite genuine. Finally, after almost 15 minutes of his well practiced and articulated speech, he started talking about a book which has everything he just spoke about and more! And guess what the price of the book was!

This guy according to me is brilliant! He came in calmly with a product which would be difficult to sell by just yelling out to everyone who does not want to hear. He surprised everyone by calmly talking about problems that everyone has had. So much so that people were leaning in to listen to him! In the end he sold 9 copies, made 90 bucks in 20 minutes and moved to another part of the compartment.

This guy:
  1. Knew the problems you have
  2. Knew how to tell you about those problems
  3. Had simple solutions to those problems
  4. It was cheap
  5. He made sure you noticed it was cheap. After all you spend 2 bucks a day on news, why not spend 10 for your family (says he, not me)

I Ran

I ran in the dark.

I ran in Bandra.
I ran on The Linker.
I ran with the rising sun.
I ran in Worli.
I ran along Worli Sea Face.
I ran looking at Ducatis, Rolls Royces, Land Rovers and Jaguars.
I ran alongside Mahalaxmi Race Course.
I ran near Haji Ali.
I ran on Peddar Road.
I ran on Marine Drive.
I ran in Churchgate.
I ran in CST.

It was an experience that everyone should go through. Running on the streets of Bombay. Will not happen otherwise. Saw Bombay like I have never seen it before.

The best sight for me however was watching the African contingent running in sync with each other at sprint pace while we were jogging along. It was like watching horses galloping down the road, all in matching yellow shoes. Absolutely beautiful!

Run Mumbai Run!

I finally got my running number (14330) bib from WTC today. Yes, I am still running the half marathon. Although I did not write anything in terms of updates on my preparation for race day after the first post, I have somewhat done some training in the past week and more (ya, I know it is not enough). Anyway, the bib collection counter was at WTC (Cuffe Parade) at the Get Activ Expo. I had no clue what this was going to be. 

I went there half expecting to see just a few counters handing out the bib and my goodie bag :). However, it was a whole marketing machine at work there. The Expo was an entire hall at the WTC and all the sponsors had their own stall. The bib collection stall was at the absolute corner to make sure you pass each and every stall on your way to collect your bib. The bib collection itself took a couple of minutes and then later I was directed to get my time chip verified and collect my goodie bag. I did not stop at any of the stalls as all of them were a bit crowded. There were quite a few deals on running equipment by Nike, Reebok and the event sponsor Basic.

Coming to the goodie bag. Every year SCMM gives away goodie bags to all the participants when they collect their bibs. This goodie bag contains all sorts of stuff that a health conscious or a self conscious person would require for their daily needs. This year, the goodie bag is bigger than ever with goodies worth Rs. 450! So, effectively, you can pay Rs. 300 as entry fee for the Dream Run and get goodies worth 450! I however have paid Rs. 500 for my half marathon.

This is a very nice way of giving away free samples. You as a marketer are assured that the person getting your sample is someone who can spend a minimum of Rs. 300 on what is basically a pleasure activity. In a country like India, I doubt there is a better way of distributing free samples. Also, you are assured that a minimum of at least 75% of the participants are those who care about their health. The target is acquired. Apparently, Marico and HUL have spent around Rs. 14 and Rs. 27 lakh each with Piramal Healthcare spending a massive Rs. 50 lakhs on free samples. Only time will tell if it is really worth the money spent for the brands. My money spent however is totally worth it :)

The following are the items that I found in my goodie bag:

1 Packet of Aliva Crackers (Classic Salted) worth Rs. 12
1 Water Bottle sponsored by Kingfisher
1 Trial-pack of Sugar-Free Gold
1 30 gm trial-pack of Quaker Oats (Strawberry)
1 20 gm pack of Kuber namkeen worth Rs. 5
2 Nasal strips from Breathe Right
1 15 gm pack of Hippo chips (thai chilli) worth Rs. 5
1 20 gm pack of Bingo Mad Angles (Achaari Masti) worth Rs. 5
2 Sample sachets of Volini Gel
1 100 ml bottle of Clear Anti-dandruff shampoo worth Rs. 69
1 400 ml bottle of Minute Maid worth Rs. 20 (with a free Kitkat worth Rs. 5)
5 Mint-o Gol Mint Chew worth Rs. 2.50
1 Sunfeast Marielite worth Rs. 5
1 bar of Nature Valley's Cruncy Granola (Oats and Honey) worth Rs. 15
1 RitBite nutrition bar (Merry Berry) worth Rs. 15
1 Parachute Advansed aftershower gel worth Rs. 35
1 Lacto Calamine Classic worth Rs. 11
1 Lacto Calamine Aloe Moisturiser worth Rs. 32
1 Sample sachet of Nivea for Men Moisturiser
1 Dabur Gulabari gulab jal worth Rs. 12
1 Pack (8 capsules) of Supractive Complete energy supplements from Piramal Healthcare
1 Fridge magnet from Standard Chartered telling me to get my eyes checked
4 Information leaflets. One each from Quaker Oats, Lacto Calamine, RiteBite and Nature Valley

So, on to tomorrow when I attempt to complete my 21 KMs. Yes, that is all that I am trying to do, complete it.

Confused in translation

Everyone who lives in Mumbai is by now used to seeing thousands of hoardings all over the place. It is everywhere! The moment you raise your vision by 30 degrees vertically, you will spot atleast 2 hoardings no matter where you are. This, at the same time of course, is also true for any metropolis anywhere in the world.

No, I have nothing against these hoardings. Actually I do, but that is not what I am pointing at. If you have paid attention to most of these hoardings, the product they are trying to advertise are mass market products, given the reach that these hoardings can achieve. If these products are mass market, the obvious language that they need to communicate in, is Hindi. However, all of these hoardings are in english. Atleast they are written in english. What I mean is, even though they are written in the english language, they are actually Hindi words! Now, why would anybody do that?

I have been seeing this trend for a couple of years now and I am still confused about what the possible reason could be. For example, just two days back I saw a Castrol Activ hoarding. This one was a compliment to the new TV ad campaign with the two Sardars on the bike where the dad is teaching the son to ride a bike. The hoarding has the same picture of the father and son on the bike and next to them is written, 'Stop - Go Traffic Mein All-Round Protection'. 'Mein' here is a Hindi word which means 'in'. So, not only is there a Hindi word in the midst, the sentence itself is supposed to be in Hindi. Of course it makes sense to keep a Hindi sentence as all the TV ads are also in Hindi and this is a product for the masses. However, if a person cannot read english, how will he understand it in the first place? And this is true for hundreds of such ads for products, services and the ones that use this the most, Hindi General Entertainment Channels! I mean, ALL their shows are in Hindi! Most of their audiences are non english speaking women! How can you do this to them?

Now the answer to this conundrum might be in the following questions:

  1. Do they mean that only if someone can read english can they buy their product?
  2. Have they figured out that Indians living in Mumbai like believing that a hoarding in Hindi script is unattractive?
  3. Do Mumbaiites believe that Hindi script is LS?
  4. Do the television channels believe they have all the non english reading people wrapped up and all they need to attract are english reading folks who think in Hindi?


The answer might be, that even though people in Mumbai like reading stuff in english and find it more convenient, they still think in Hindi. All their thoughts are in Hindi. This is what makes it easier for them to relate to a hoarding or an ad and most of the people who are driving are anyways people who can read english faster than Hindi.

Ahaan! Maybe I should have blogged about this earlier, I would have found the answer faster!

You think this is the right answer?

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