By Tarachand Wanvari

BENGALURU: In an attempt to bring the world of brand communications in India to a measurable matrix, Blue Lotus Communications released its Most Attractive Brands 2015 Report (MAB 2015) in Bengaluru  recently.  MAB 2015, the second in its series, is the result of comprehensive primary research conducted on the proprietary 36-traits of Attractiveness   Quotient of TRA (formerly known as Trust Research Advisory) says TRA CEO N Chandramouli.  MAB 2015 was preceded this year by TRAs? ?Brand Trust Report 2015? (the fifth in its series) in March 2015. Dr Subhash Chandra?s Zee has ranked no 1 in the media TV category in Blue Lotus Communications? Most Attractive Brands 2015 Report (MAB 2015), which was released recently. 
  
?This year?s study involved 15,000 hours of fieldwork covering 2312 consumer-influencers across 16 cities in India and generated 5 million data-points and 17,000 unique brands from which the top 1000 brands have been listed in this year?s report. The result is a 180 page, hardbound report is available for Rs 14,000,? adds Chandramouli.
 
Of the 180 pages, the first 69 pages have four chapters ? India?s most attractive brands; Brand attractions across categories; Unveiling the chemistry; and Laws of attraction; The last two sections Category-wise India?s most attractive brands; and All India Rank ? India?s most attractive brands listing of the top 1000 brands cover the rest of the pages. MAB 2015 is interspaced with ?Attractalk? pages in which industry experts speak about what makes their brands attractive, as well as quotes from players in the advertising ecosystem.
 
Overall, Samsung Mobiles from the personal gadgets category heads the 1000 MAB club, followed by fellow Korean brand LG and then the Japanese brand Sony. The Tata brand is the fourth and the first Indian brand in the list with a MAB 2015 rank of 4. The next Indian brand with a MAB 2015 rank of 9 is Bajaj followed by Godrej, which has a MAB 2015 rank of 10.

The F&B category has 161 brands among the top 1000 brands in MAB 2015. Old competitors: Parle G (rank 2 in MAB?s F&B category) with a MAB 2015 rank of is ahead of Britannia (rank 5 in MAB?s F&B category) with and MAB 2015 rank of 55. Pepsi with a MAB 2015 rank of 13 is ranked first in MAB?s F&B category, while old foe Coca Cola (MAB 2015 rank 48) is placed third within the category. Even more interesting is the FMCG industry with 144 plus players from it finding a place among the top 1000 brands. How the brands of top players such as HUL, P&G, Colgate are placed by TRA are truly eye openers.
 
The report makes it possible to understand where brands stand from the TRA perspective. Overall the business intelligence that MAB 2015 provides, makes an interesting read and a must have tool, especially for the media and entertainment companies or, for that matter, anyone related to the marketing ecosystem.

Boom!

Bust.

Boom!

That's the way the internet business has been in its journey so far.

Right since the early days, the internet has always held a great promise; its potential never a subject of debate. However, even the most optimistic internet enthusiast must not have imagined in his wildest dreams that a day would come when an upstart dotcom company would grow so mighty as to merge with one of the biggest traditional media giants and that too with an upper hand.

The book under review is all about the AOL Time Warner merger, which managed to take the entire traditional media world by storm. Alas the frenzy did not last for long. The storm was followed by a lull whose silence deafened the media industry.

Kara Swishers' There must be a pony in here somewhere is a remarkable book about an even more remarkable story... the AOL Time Warner debacle. We all have our lessons to learn from history and the book narrates the story of one of the biggest media booms that went bust faster than the speed of sound.

The biggest focus of There must be?..is on the culture misfit that had executives from both sides gunning for each other rather than partnering. A lot of envisaged synergies between AOL & Time Warner too did not materialise and a lot of times successful properties were either subsidised or bartered cheaply so as to help the weaker ones survive adding to the lowering morale at the newly formed media giant.

Swisher who has also authored the book aol.com had first hand access to the top executives at AOL and Time Warner; which helps her narrate the inside tale of the merger. Her peppered style of writing coupled with insightful reportage, adds to the engaging yet sometimes depressing content of the book.

There are simple morals even in complex patterns. Kara's narrative makes many proverbs spring forth from the subconscious.

Too many cooks spoil the broth.... and what a spoil it was.

Look before you leap... and what a leap it was.

the list can go on...

The book transports one to the booming dotcom days serving large dollops on the Silicon Valley scenario then, the big celebrations, the hype, the anticipation and of course real world problems like downtime and bandwidth.

Definitely recommended for those interested in the internet business as well as for media watchers.

Warning : may get a bit depressing if read at one single stretch.

About the author

The founder of Qualified Learning System Inc, USA, Shiv Khera is an educator, business consultant, much sought after speaker and a successful entrepreneur. He inspires and informs people, helping them to realize their true potential. He has taken his dynamic personal messages all round the globe, from the US to Singapore and to India. His common sense approach and deeply held beliefs have motivated countless people to mend their attitudes. His 20 years of research, understanding and experience has helped people on the path of personal growth and fulfillment.

Book Review : By Chikita Kukreja
I want to be a winner. Isn't this every individual's heartfelt desire? The revised edition of You Can Win lays emphasis on the very notion of winning and focuses on what it takes to be a winner. A construction manual offering footprints to follow and help you build a triumphant and a gratifying life. It puts forth the ingredients to cook up the right recipe required to be successful in life.

The very first chapter leaves the reader hankering for another dose of positive attitude and a brighter approach towards life. So, what are the different approaches to accomplish that single motive in life i.e to win and succeed. The author focuses on steps to build a positive attitude in life. Along with this, he suggests that one needs to start off with an action plan in terms of what you want to achieve, how and by when?

Shiv Khera says that the first step to alter our lives is to adopt a positive attitude in life; whatever be our profession. Without getting into any self-help jargon, he concentrates on developing the `self' or ones personality. There are chapters on building ones self- esteem, importance of interpersonal skills, personality traits, positive habits and goal setting.

What strikes one is Khera's writing style. He goes on to illustrate every bit with an interesting and engrossing story, followed by a moral. These morals make the reader believe nothing is impossible. So, it's all about getting together the right recipe for success through the web of life.

In all, a beautiful book with stories, anecdotes which can help a prson rise to any situation not just professionally but even on a personal level. You Can Win is a must read for people in the corporate world, as much as it is for the common man.

So, sharpen your claws and get going in life!

Experimenting is the motivation, like food to the creative brain, one cannot get it in one sitting, it needs continual and regular 'top up's. A live example is first time author of 'That thing called love'. Tuhin A Sinha has always had a flair for writing (it provided him a stepping stone into the entertainment world). He was fascinated by people of television and concepts always drew his attention. Extremely excited about his new book, Tuhin says he has more things up his sleeve, in a conversation with Correspondent Nidhi Jain.

What made you write this book

Being a writer it was a logical extension, and also there is a sense of possessiveness and exclusivity that a novel gives me.

Book and Character

The publishers (Shrishti publication) wrapped up the making in two months, as they liked the subject, which is on relationships, a universal theme. Being a scriptwriter my characters reflected the spirit of Mumbai, and how it keeps bouncing back, its ethos, etc., the entire conceptualization made its marketing little easier. The characters in the book are those we can all relate to - one is cheating on his wife for no reason, there's a male chauvinist waiting for an emotional shed, an idealistic guy, a gay; and many more are the faces to my story.

Crux of the book
How the morality paradigm has changed in Indian society.

Cover page

After securing permission from a German photographer, this picture was taken which highlights the darkness of the monsoon and depicts a sense of loss.

Next on Agenda
The marketing of the book has taken a toll. What do I want to do next? Playing cricket for India would be great.

Book that captured attention
Tuhin is an erratic reader; sometimes he read a lot, sometimes nothing. But among his few favourites are Sidney Sheldon novels, Alchemist by Paolo Coelho. Among the Indian authors there are Rupa Bajwa's A Sari Shop, Chetan Bhagat's Five Point Someone, The Insider by the late Narasimha Rao, Jaswant's Singh's Call to Honor, Anurag Mathur's Making the Minister Smile.

What's next
Maybe a story on cricket, with a difference; expect it to come soon to keep the momentum going.

Tuhin's book 'That Thing Called Love' reviewed by Jairaj Padmanabhan, Regional director, Optimum Media Solutions,"That thing called love' is about 'those complexities and confusions in the matters of heart'. Set at a good pace, debutant novelist and scriptwriter Tuhin. A Sinha weaves a contemporary story of a bunch of well-etched out characters' exploring expectations, disillusionments and fragility in relationships. Pranav, as a character particularly stands out. The book captures interesting moments in the backdrop of that chaos called Mumbai.Not surprisingly, sex does make its entry. However, it could have been much better dealt with by Tuhin".

With 25 years of experience in advertising, founder member of Chlorophyll brand and communication consultancy Anand Halve has penned a book on "Planning for power Advertising ". How relevant is the subject material of this book, when the rules of advertising are being rewritten in a jiffy and much more, Anand shared, in conversation with Correspondent Nidhi Jain.

*Book different from other advertising books
Formatting and focus were two different things that made me write this book. Most of the books of yesteryears are outdated and they need to be refreshed. What we have is mainly from the US and UK market and are not applicable in the Indian context.

*Is it based on the experience you gathered or the outlook you have for the future
Today, in India there are more than 1,500 management schools. They are in dire need of knowledge on the constantly changing market landscape. Result: this book.

*Is it an extension of your talent or just a labour of love
Today when it comes to advertising, children are important decision makers, which didn't relevantly exist sometime back. The fundamentals remain intact, only examples change regularly. Anything which is learnt and taught needs to be revised after two years. For instance, today's most important subjects are sponsoring and events. To be a teacher, we have to become students to learn new trends.

*Book's inside
My book needs to be read sequentially i.e., step by step. The first couple of chapters are very important since it emphasises on the Indian market.

*Who can relate
Specialised businessmen, writers, economists.

*Research done
Two types -- firstly, theory should be visualized practically and secondly, by observing human emotions.

*Any other writing projects
A second edition of the same book with insertion of topics related to children and radio and also about observing new age Ads, plus observing and understanding human psychology.

*Your preference--fiction/non fiction
Business books and Hindustani and Urdu poetry.

*Favourite author
Woody Allen, Jack Welch.

About the Author - Dr. Nalini Rajan is associate professor at the Asian College of Journalism in Chennai. Her key academic areas are key issues; deprivation; identity politics; democratic practices and institutions. The other two books penned by her are Mass Media, New Technology, and Culture and Secularism, Democracy, Justice.

The GenX journalists of today (including me) have had it much easier in life. Neither do we have to scan through bulky newspaper archives for a past report nor do we have to visit libraries for research work. All it takes is to enter a "key word" on the internet search page and in a blink you have hundreds of pages on the topic you've been looking for.

Why I mention this is because Dr. Nalini Rajan's Practising Journalism - Values, Constraints, Implications throws light on the journalism days gone by starting from the days of the British Raj and the kind of conditions that journalists and the publishing industry used to work in. At the same time, it also dwells on the days to come. An interesting collection of factual accounts from various editors and journalists highlighting the dos and don'ts of journalism is how this book can be best described as.

If you want a crash course in the history of the Indian press and the trials and tribulations it underwent from the times of the Colonial rule, till date; then this is the book to read. Rajan gives us a more-than-brief introduction to the content of the book, which tells us in a jiffy what to expect in the 400 page tome. As Rajan puts it, the history of journalism is not linear but consists of a series of criss-crossing loops.

This book, which has been divided into four parts, has contributions from stalwarts like B R P Bhaskar, N Ram, Harivansh, Dilip D'Souza, Mukund Padmanabhan, Valerie Kaye, Darryl D'Monte, Pamela Philipose, V Geetha, Nirmal Shekar, Devinder Sharma, Kalpana Sharma, Lawrence Liang, S Anand, MH Lakdawala, Praveen Swami, Shyam Tekwani, Bindu Bhaskar, Robert Brown, Robin Jeffrey, S Gautham, KP Jayashakar and Anjali Monteiro, Mahalakshmi Jayaram, Steven S Ross, Ashish Sen and Anjali Kamat.

While it is a comprehensive account of what the Indian press was / is all about, it does at times become more of a platform for contributing editors to tom-tom about their newspapers. One such example is a chapter by Harivansh where he glorifies Prabhat Khabar and tells us how it emerged a winner without bending the norms and succumbing to various external pressures.

It also dwells on topics like the growth of the regional and 'national' media in India, investigative journalism, sting operations, Page 3 journalism, online journalism, rural and urban reporting, agricultural reporting, sports journalism, sensationalism in reporting and the new age journalist.

Overall, it's an interesting and comprehensive piece of reading, which tries to touch upon every important aspect of journalism with illustrative articles.

By Hetal Adesara