 "Rajdeep Sardesai (left) and Arjuna Ranatunga in conversation on Day Two of Goafest")
What if a former cricketer were to give marketing lessons to a roomful of professionals from the marketing communication world? Would you listen or walk out?
From the response to a discussion between ex-cricketer and current politician Arjuna Ranatunga and journalist-cum-anchor Rajdeep Sardesai, marketers and their agency partners were all ears on the second day of the Goafest, the country's premier annual event for the advertising, media and marketing segments.
Ranatunga, 52, quite literally peeled the layers of his thoughts to lay threadbare what he thought worked or didn’t in marketing. He did so by using his experience in cricket as a reference point. Consider this: “I am not a great fan of 20-20 cricket. It is like Maggi noodles — quick, filling but unhealthy. I say this because this format of cricket requires power hitters. Players from South Asia are technically brilliant, not power hitters. That is not our style. And, India will realise this 10 years from now.”
In marketing terms, Ranatunga was simply saying: Play to your strengths. No point getting carried away by the hottest trend of the moment, without understanding where your strong points truly lie.
He didn’t stop there. The former Sri Lankan cricket captain, who brought the World Cup to the island nation in 1996, said it wasn’t a bunch of great cricketers but a group of committed guys who won the trophy that year.
In other words, that hard work, common sense and the need to stay ahead of the game could help win everyday marketing battles. While talent matters, commitment is key, he noted. The former cricketer also advocated that marketers and agency professionals needed to be strong in the face of stiff competition from rivals, where many will go to any length to promote their brands. “Leaders have to be like chess players. You have to apply your mind all the time. You can’t be like babies,” he said, citing how he would respond to the Australians on the cricket field when they sledged. He simply responded with the bat and goaded his team to play on.
Ranatunga also explained why he chose ports and shipping rather than sports when offered the position of a minister. “I had the option of sports but I chose ports and shipping because I wanted to challenge myself. I have never done this before. If you have that something inside you, don’t be afraid to come out with it, even if people laugh at you.”
Moral for marketers: Don’t hesitate to take risks. It pays if you do.
Benny Thomas, strategy head at Crispin Porter+Bogusky, an international ad agency, had his own interpretation of marketing to share with advertisers and agency professionals. “When you create tension, you create conversations,” he said. Implying that disruption was the new normal in advertising, much as in consumer goods, retailing, banking, automobiles and technology. Like Ranatunga, emphasising the need to stay focused. “You can bring creativity to anything if you focus on it,” he said.
Tara Marsh, global head of content, Wunderman, a direct marketing agency, said the trick to communicate with consumers today was to deliver a powerful narrative. "Good content, finding common interest with the audience and contributing to it was key," she said. Her piece of advice: The concept of story-telling is not new except that technology has changed, in how it is now delivered.
SIDELIGHTS
Ads distract cricketers
In a country where cricketers are routinely appointed as brand ambassadors, former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga cautioned that ads were a distraction to the players. “I didn’t do a single ad in my cricketing career. It would have distracted me. When I won the World Cup, I told the guy offering me $1 million ‘go and convince my mom’. He never came back.“
Captain Cool is the best
When asked who he felt was the best captain of the current lot, Arjuna Ranatunga was candid enough to admit it was M S Dhoni. “Imran, Kapil Dev are guys I respect. Sunil (Gavaskar) was technically brilliant. But not a good captain.”
Happy Birthday, Piyush Pandey
Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director, O&M India and South Asia, will turn 61 on April 9. He will usher in his birthday with a get-together of close friends at his place in Goa. The party, however, began on April 8, with Pandey being felicitated at Goafest and then hosting a bash.
Free for all
Karan Johar was at his wittiest during a conversation with R Balki on advertising and films. Here are some highlights of the session:
Social media butterfly
“You have no idea the kind of things people say to me. I have been abused (on social media) on a regular basis. Every morning I wake up to some new criticism. Your mother and the social media are the only reality checks you need. You keep some of it with you, and the rest you forget,” said Johar.
Fatigued by social media
“I find social media tiring,” said Balki. “I get bogged down by it in half an hour. I anyways have a low opinion of myself and I don't want to read on social media how low people think of me.”
No Hollywood for KJo
When asked whether he would like to direct a Hollywood film, Johar said, “No. I don’t want to direct for Hollywood. I am too filmy. I am an unapologetic Hindi film maker and I want to make Hindi films only.”
Advertising & film stars
Balki said, “I think while using stars for ads, we do not (usually) do our best work. This is why even stars have started seeing ad-jobs as there is some cash in it.”
