India Awakening…!

During the course of my work while tracking pharma industry in US, I was struck by the fact that outsourcing and off shoring work are emerging as strategic levers for the US’ pharmaceutical industry to face new challenges.

While it certainly is a challenge to the US economy, I was reminded of Thomas. Friedman’s book ‘The World Is Flat’, wherein; he examines businesses and competition in a technology-fueled global environment. He calls for call action by governments, businesses and individuals who must stay ahead of these trends in order to remain competitive. He discusses ‘10 flatteners’ that, he says, have leveled the global playing field. In that, outsourcing comes as the fifth. This has allowed companies to split service and manufacturing activities into components, with each component performed in the most efficient, cost-effective way.

Outsourced R&D activities to India provide competitive advantages in the form of access to well-developed and specialized skills, as well as a continuous stream of work from both countries. With all these features I really wonder is there anything else more that I can tell about India. I think Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore penned it better:

“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;
Where knowledge is free;
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;
Where words come out from the depth of truth;
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;
Where the mind is led forward by Thee to ever-widening thought and action -Into that heaven of freedom, my father, let my country awake.”

And my country is waking up!

G Ravi

Outdoors Overhead Media: Medium is part of the Message

In recent times, I have seen some very interesting variations of non – traditional media usage. One of course by our own Company – EmPower Research, but this is an approach that we now see taken by virtually every large organization that is into building brand – I am talking about the ubiquitous T-Shirt/ Jacket, and/ or the snazzy one liners you see on company vehicles. A few that stand out are: “Have you heard of (Company ABC?)”; or, “Your friend is here, why are you not?” EmPower’s own cabs say “Cool Analysts on Board”



I also saw on a rainy day some traffic cops roaming around in two wheelers with bright yellow rain slickers bearing a local radio station’s logos – they certainly caught my eye – talk about “mobile advertising”!
A few other really interesting examples of use of outdoors media that I saw/ heard of recently are in the fast food arena:
One by 7-Eleven, a clever “guerilla” marketing idea: 7-Eleven has entered into an agreement with the Chicago White Sox on a three-year marketing deal that will move evening start times at US Cellular Field to 7:11 from 7:07. As someone remarked “Besides the publicity it is giving 7-Eleven now, what better way to get in the hands of people than having 7:11 listed on the hundreds of thousands of pocket schedules throughout the city”
Similarly, McDonald’s Corp.’s latest effort to promote its health-conscious menu items takes advantage of the saying that the “medium is the message”. Green lettuce has been planted to form the words “fresh salads” on a billboard in Wrigleyville near the intersection of Addison and Clark streets to promote its four premium salads. Cool, isn’t it?For more comments on this medium, read what EmPower’s Managing Partner had to say in an article a while ago: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/catalyst/2004/03/04/stories/2004030400050200.htm