Suresh Dinakaran's Blog

 

Hello Brand: If you don’t know my name even, don’t expect my money !

 

Netflix knows you better than your therapist. Amazon predicts your needs before you do. Spotify curates your mood swings with surgical precision. And yet, 73% of businesses are still sending “Dear Valued Customer” emails like it’s 1995 and we’re all impressed by a dancing baby GIF.

 

Wake up and smell the personalisation revolution, folks.

 

Somewhere between “Dear Valued Customer” and “Hi User1234”, we lost the plot.

 

Look, if you still think “Hi Suresh, we hope this email finds you well” is personalisation—congrats, you’re doing 1998 perfectly in 2025.

 

In the age where Spotify curates your break-up playlist before you even know you’re being dumped, and Netflix knows you’re into Korean thrillers with one depressed detective and a dog, you—yes you, Brand Manager of Obvious Inc.—have no excuse to serve me ads for wrinkle cream when I’m still clinging to puberty like it’s a discount coupon.

 

Time to call it what it is. Personalisation is NOT CRM in lipstick. 

 

Its not adding ” Dear (First Name)”  to an e-mail blast.

 

It’s not showing me the same banner ad 17 times because I once searched “noise-cancelling underwear.”

 

It’s a full-on, no-holds-barred commitment to knowing me, understanding me, anticipating me—sometimes better than I know myself.

 

And AI is your new bloodhound. Use it or lose relevance faster than a Clubhouse invite.

 

Personalisation screams with a megaphone and says : ” Reach Me | Know Me | Show Me | Empower Me | Delight Me “.

 

We, the customers are all narcissists. Thats the truth. So, face it and deal with it. We want the world (and its brands) to revolve around us. Know our birthday? Nice. Recommend us a product we didn’t even know we wanted? Sexy. Give us a “people like you also bought this”—minus the creep factor? We’re in.

 

Why personalisation is NOT just nice-to-have anymore but sheer survival? Take a look-

 

Personalised experiences drive 20% more sales (McKinsey);

 

91% of consumers are more likely to shop with brands that provide relevant offers (Accenture);

 

Companies using personalisation see revenue increases of 6-10% (Boston Consulting Group).

 

Still think personalisation is just marketing fluff? Tell that to your bank account.

 

AI has become the game and the game changer and has moved the needle from creepy to compelling. AI has transformed personalisation from “Hey, I noticed you bought dog food, want more dog food?” to “Based on your Labrador’s age, breed characteristics, and seasonal activity patterns, here’s a customized nutrition plan that’ll make your furry friend the neighborhood superstar.”

 

Some of the real-world winners who get personalisation and how:-

 

1. Zomato’s Location Intelligence  – Zomato doesn’t just deliver food—it predicts what you want based on weather, time, past orders, and even festival seasons. Ordering rajma-chawal during monsoons? The algorithm saw that coming from Tuesday.

 

2. Asian Paints’ ColourNext – They don’t just sell paint; they use AI to recommend colors based on your home’s architecture, lighting, and even your personality type. Because apparently, introverts prefer muted blues. Who knew?

 

3. HDFC Bank’s SmartBuy–  Their AI analyzes spending patterns to offer cashback on categories you actually use, not random stuff you’ll never buy. Revolutionary concept: rewards that reward.

 

4. Starbucks’ Deep Brew – Their AI considers 400+ factors—time of day, weather, purchase history, even local events—to recommend your next drink. It’s like having a barista who remembers everyone’s order, except it’s a machine and it never calls in sick.

 

5. Netflix’s Recommendation Engine- Generates $1 billion in value annually by keeping you glued to your screen. Their secret? They don’t just track what you watch; they track when you pause, rewind, or abandon shows. Big Brother, but for entertainment.

 

6. Amazon’s “Customers Who Bought This Also Bought” – Simple. Effective. Worth billions. It’s like having that friend who always gives great shopping advice, except this friend has analyzed the purchasing behavior of 300 million people.

 

7. Spotify’s Discover Weekly– Creates a unique playlist for each of its 456 million users every week. That’s not personalisation; that’s personalisation on steroids with a PhD in music theory.

 

8. Nykaa’s Beauty AI- Recommends products based on skin tone, type, and even local climate conditions. Because what works for Delhi’s dry heat won’t work for Mumbai’s humidity. Geography matters, people.

 

9. Flipkart’s Voice Assistant- Understands regional languages and local contexts. Ordering “dhaniya” instead of “coriander” isn’t just about language—it’s about cultural intelligence.

 

10. Swiggy’s Order Prediction- Their AI doesn’t wait for you to get hungry. It predicts your cravings and sends notifications at exactly the right moment. It’s mind-reading, with a side of chicken tikka.

 

The future is personal– whether we like it or not. Personalisation isn’t coming—it’s here. The companies thriving today aren’t the ones with the best products; they’re the ones with the best understanding of their customers.

 

Let’s call a spade a spade( or probably a shovel): customers are tired of being treated like walking wallets. In an age where AI can finish your sentences (and sometimes your relationships), brands that still send “Dear Valued Customer” emails deserve to be ghosted. Personalisation is no longer a “nice-to-have.” It’s the difference between being the life of the party and being the guy who brings fruitcake to a potluck

 

Your customers don’t want to be treated like everyone else because they’re not everyone else. They’re individuals with unique needs, preferences, quirks, and habits. The sooner you embrace this reality, the sooner you’ll stop losing customers to competitors who already have.

 

The bottom line is that personalisation powered by AI isn’t just a competitive advantage anymore—it’s table stakes. You can either use it to create meaningful connections with your customers, or watch them connect with someone else who does.

 

The choice is yours. Choose wisely.

 

Personalisation isn’t just marketing fluff—it’s the difference between being ignored and being irresistible. And in the age of AI, if you’re still sending generic blasts, you might as well be faxing your ads to a cemetery.

 

AI isn’t coming for your job—it’s coming for your lazy marketing. It is the ultimate wingman for your personalisation strategy.

 

Personalisation isn’t a strategy—It’s survival. In a world where AI can write poems, mimic voices, and (allegedly) take over humanity, the least you can do is make your marketing feel like it’s for me, NOT at me.

 

Personalisation isn’t just about slapping a name on an email. It’s about making every touchpoint feel like a private concert, not a public service announcement. Get it right, and you’ve got a customer for life. Get it wrong, and you’re the digital equivalent of that “Hi Ma’am/Sir” telemarketing call at 9 PM.

So, ask yourself: Does your brand feel like a tailored suit or a hand-me-down sack? If it’s the latter, time for a wardrobe upgrade.

 

” There is a voice that doesn’t use words. Listen.” — Anonymous

 

Intuition isn’t some mystical “woo-woo”force—it’s your brain playing cheat codes on life. Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman calls it “thinking fast“—your subconscious crunching years of experience faster than Excel on a caffeine binge.

 

Data is the spreadsheet. Intuition is the ‘CTRL+Z’ for life.

 

By the time logic ties its shoelaces, intuition’s already run the marathon, won a medal, and posted a selfie.

 

In a world drunk on data, the real superpower? Gut. Instinct. Intuition. The whisper we ignore because it doesn’t come in a pie chart.

 

The next time you face a significant decision, try this experiment: Gather all available data and conduct thorough analysis. Then set it aside and ask yourself, “What does my deepest knowing tell me?” Notice what emerges. Feel the difference between mental chatter and genuine intuitive guidance.

 

Your intuition has been waiting patiently for you to remember its power. It’s been there through every major life transition, every important relationship decision, every career crossroads. It’s the part of you that knows your authentic path even when the world suggests otherwise.

 

In a world drowning in information but starving for wisdom, your intuitive intelligence isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s your competitive advantage, your creative catalyst, and your compass toward a life of deeper meaning and unprecedented achievement.

 

In a world obsessed with data analytics, market research, and evidence-based decision making, we’ve systematically trained ourselves to distrust the very faculty that has guided humanity’s greatest leaps forward. Yet neuroscience reveals a startling truth: our intuitive mind processes 11 million bits of information per second, while our conscious mind manages a mere 40. We’re essentially using a bicycle to chase a supersonic jet.

 

The question isn’t whether you have intuitive intelligence. You do. The question is whether you’ll finally give it the respect, attention, and trust it deserves.

 

Your greatest breakthroughs are waiting on the other side of that leap of faith. Between data points and destiny lies the uncharted territory of knowing without knowing. 

 

The future belongs not to those who choose between analytical and intuitive intelligence, but to those who masterfully integrate both. Data provides the what and the how; intuition reveals the when and the why. Analytics shows you the market opportunity; intuition tells you if you’re the right person to pursue it.

 

This integration requires what we might call conscious intuition—the ability to access intuitive insights while maintaining critical thinking skills. It’s not about abandoning analysis, but about expanding our definition of intelligence to include our most sophisticated processing system.

 

From Steve Jobs resurrecting Apple on a whim to ancient Indian sages meditating their way to cosmic truths, intuition has been the world’s most underrated superpower. And yet, we treat it like that one weird uncle—interesting, but not to be taken seriously in public.

 

History is equally filled with disasters that occurred when leaders ignored collective intuitive warnings:

 

The Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster: Engineers at Morton Thiokol had deep intuitive concerns about launching in cold weather, even though they couldn’t quantify the exact risk. Their gut feelings were overruled by schedule pressures and demands for hard data. The result was catastrophic.

The 2008 Financial Crisis: Numerous financial professionals reported feeling uneasy about subprime mortgage practices years before the collapse, despite models suggesting everything was fine. Those who trusted their intuitive sense of unsustainability and excessive risk often avoided the worst losses.

 

While resumes and interviews provide data, the best hiring managers also pay attention to their intuitive sense about cultural fit, hidden potential, and long-term trajectory. Google’s former head of People Operations, Laszlo Bock, emphasized that after meeting basic qualifications, hiring often comes down to “Googleyness“—an intuitive assessment of cultural alignment.

 

Your body is an intuitive antenna. Practice noticing physical sensations during decision-making. Does your chest feel open or constricted? Do your shoulders relax or tense? Your body often knows before your mind does. From what I know, this is somatic intelligence.

 

Intuitive insights often feel uncomfortable because they challenge our rational frameworks. When something feels simultaneously scary and exciting, pay attention—that’s often intuition pointing toward growth opportunities. That is the power of embracing constructive discomfort.

 

In our hyperconnected world, intuitive insights emerge in quiet moments. Schedule daily intuition appointments—10 minutes of complete stillness where you ask important questions and simply listen. Ratan Tata reportedly made many crucial business decisions during his solitary morning walks. It is amply proven that our best thinking emerges during periods of slack, not during the tyranny of the hustle. It is worth cultivating your Inner Oracle.

 

Recent neurological research reveals that intuitive decisions activate the anterior cingulate cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex—brain regions that integrate emotional, social, and cognitive information at lightning speed. Dr. Antoine Bechara‘s famous Iowa Gambling Task demonstrated that people’s intuitive systems identified the rigged game after just 10 cards, while their conscious minds needed 50 cards to catch on.

 

This suggests that intuition isn’t guesswork—it’s sophisticated information processing operating below conscious awareness. Your gut feeling about a job interview, a business partnership, or a life decision is actually your brain’s supercomputer delivering its analysis before your rational mind has finished loading the data. That is the neuroscience of instantaneous wisdom. 

 

India’s business landscape offers fascinating examples of intuition triumphing over conventional wisdom: Kishore Biyani’s Retail Revolution: When the Future Group founder decided to create Big Bazaar, market research suggested Indians wouldn’t embrace large-format retail. Biyani ignored the data, trusting his intuitive understanding of Indian consumer psychology. He created “organized chaos“—stores that felt like traditional bazaars but offered modern convenience. His intuition about Indian shopping behavior revolutionized retail across the country.

 

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw’s Biocon Gamble: When Shaw started Biocon in her garage in 1978, she had no business plan, no market research, and faced gender discrimination in a male-dominated industry. Her intuitive belief that India could become a biotechnology powerhouse seemed delusional. Today, Biocon is a billion-dollar biopharmaceutical company, and Shaw’s early intuitive leap helped establish India as a global biotech leader.

 

Reed Hastings’ Netflix Pivot: In 2007, when Netflix was thriving with DVD-by-mail service, Hastings made the counter-intuitive decision to cannibalize his own successful business model by pivoting to streaming. Industry experts called it corporate suicide. His intuitive grasp of technological convergence and changing consumer behavior created a $240 billion entertainment empire.

 

Howard Schultz’s Starbucks Experience: When Schultz visited Italy and experienced espresso bar culture, he had an intuitive vision of bringing that community-centered coffee experience to America. Market research suggested Americans wouldn’t pay premium prices for coffee, and focus groups found the concept confusing. Schultz trusted his intuitive understanding of human need for connection and ritual, creating a global phenomenon with over 35,000 stores worldwide at one point.

 

Isaac Newton’s law of gravity, according to legend, was inspired by an apple falling from a tree—a moment of intuitive insight that connected the mundane with the cosmic.

 

Alexander Fleming’s “Happy Accident”: When Fleming noticed that a contaminated petri dish had killed surrounding bacteria, conventional scientific method would have discarded it as flawed experimentation. Instead, Fleming’s intuition whispered that this contamination might be revolutionary. That whisper became penicillin, saving over 200 million lives. This when science bowed to the sixth sense.

 

Intuition isn’t mysticism dressed up in business attire. It’s pattern recognition operating at warp speed, drawing from vast reservoirs of accumulated experience, emotional intelligence, and subconscious processing power. When Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam conceptualized India’s missile program, he didn’t have access to supercomputers or extensive feasibility studies. He had conviction born from intuitive understanding of physics, coupled with an inexplicable certainty that India could achieve what seemed impossible.

 

Henri Becquerel’s Discovery of Radioactivity: A forgotten photographic plate and a mysterious urge to develop it led to the discovery of radioactivity, a phenomenon science was unprepared to explain.

 

Every time you’ve walked into a room and sensed tension without anyone speaking, or known a decision was wrong despite perfect logic supporting it, you’ve experienced your intuitive intelligence in action. This isn’t magical thinking—it’s your brain’s quantum computer processing variables your rational mind hasn’t even identified yet. That is the anatomy of knowing without knowing. 

 

Use intuition to guide, but validate with reason when possible. The most powerful decisions happen when head and heart align. 

 

Elon Musk once said, “If the data and intuition disagree, sometimes you go with intuition.” The future belongs to those who think with numbers but beyond them.  Your gut isn’t guessing—it’s your subconscious speaking. Will you listen?

 

Your brand’s net worth just became your net worthless.

 

While you’re busy chasing the latest marketing trends like a dog with ADHD, your customers are ghosting you faster than a bad Tinder date. Why? Because trust—the one currency that actually matters—is hemorrhaging from your brand like a punctured crypto wallet.

 

While you’re out here flexing your marketing budget like a peacock on Red Bull, your customers are RUNNING. Why? Your trust account is more overdrawn than a college kid’s bank balance.

 

THE BRUTAL QUESTION: If your brand walked into a bank today, would they approve the loan? If you’re sweating right now, your customers already voted with their wallets.

 

Trust takes years to build. Minutes to destroy. Seconds to lose forever.

 

This week’s SOHB (State of The Heart Branding) Story Issue #5 attached below exposes the brutal truth: In a world where currencies crash, stocks tank, and even your WiFi betrays you, TRUST is the only currency that doesn’t depreciate.

 

We’re serving up the cold, hard facts about why brands with trust issues are basically the emotional equivalent of a gas station sushi—nobody’s buying what you’re selling, no matter how cheap you make it. We’re serving up the hard truth: Trust is the only currency your brand can’t afford to counterfeit.

 

“Who needs crypto when you’ve got the only currency that doesn’t crash? Forget Bitcoin, forget Dogecoin — Trust is the real coin of the realm.“

 

From brand loyalty to boardroom buy-in, trust is the bedrock of empires and the antidote to the SOS(Sea of Sameness).

 

Because your brand is only as good as the trust it inspires. And if you don’t get that, you’re better off trading in Pokemon cards.

 

If you’ve got trust, you and your brand are recession-proof.

 

So, before you slap another ‘authentic’ (yes, we see that typo) trust-building campaign together, ask yourself: ‘Would I trust me?’ If the answer’s ‘Hell no,’ grab Issue #5 of SOHB Story attached above👆and get your act together. Or don’t—and enjoy your brand’s upcoming ‘corporate villain era.’ Your call.

 

Read it. Share it. Live it.

 

 

Is Your Brand Boring Because Your People Are Bored?

 

Money can buy a lot of things, but it can’t buy passion. That’s why the most dangerous thing in business isn’t a bigger budget — it’s an unleashed heart.

 

Ever noticed how the most iconic brands weren’t built by suits and spreadsheets — but by borderline-obsessed lunatics with fire in their bellies?

 

Every unicorn startup that’s eaten a Fortune 500’s lunch had one secret weapon that spreadsheets can’t measure and consultants can’t replicate. It’s not AI, it’s not venture capital, it’s not even brilliant strategy. It’s the invisible force that makes customers camp outside Apple stores and tattoo Harley-Davidson logos on their chests.

 

Hire Believers, Not Just Employees. Zappos pays new hires $4,000 to quit after training—because if you’re not all-in, you’re in the way.

 

Turn Work Into a Mission (Not Just a Job) – SpaceX employees don’t just build rockets—they’re colonizing Mars. That’s a hell of a Monday morning meeting agenda.

 

Build a Tribe, Not Just a Customer Base– Apple’s cult-like following isn’t about specs—it’s about belonging to something bigger.

 

Lead With Heart (Or Get Out of the Way) – Richard Branson didn’t build Virgin by playing it safe—he built it by living the brand (and occasionally crashing balloons for fun).

 

Let Passion Drive Innovation– 3M’s “15% Time“ led to Post-it Notes. Meanwhile, your “strictly by the handbook” policy led to…TPS reports.

 

In 2025, the average consumer encounters 10,000 brand messages daily. 99.9% bounce off like rain on concrete. But 0.1% pierce straight through to the heart. The difference? One taps into something shareholders care about. The other taps into something humans would die for.

 

Passion Capital is the emotional equity that transforms transactions into relationships and customers into evangelists. Traditional capital gets you a customer. Passion Capital gets you a customer who’ll argue with strangers on the internet about why your product is superior. That’s the difference between a transaction and a religion.

 

A video here on passion capital .

 

LEGO didn’t just survive the digital age—they conquered it. While toy companies panicked about tablets, LEGO embraced their core passion: the joy of creation. Result? Adult fans spend $2.4 billion annually on sets, and LEGO movies gross nearly $900 million worldwide.

Authentic passion can’t be manufactured, but it can be amplified. Organizations must align their deepest values with market needs. Fake passion is like a bad toupée—everyone can tell, but nobody wants to be the one to say it. Ben & Jerry’s didn’t just sell ice cream; they sold activism you could taste. Their “Dough” for social justice turned frozen dessert into frozen ideology. Even after Unilever‘s acquisition, that passion foundation kept the brand premium while competitors melted away. That is authenticity algorithm at work!

Passionate brands create communities, not just customer bases. These communities become self-sustaining marketing machines.

 

Peloton created a $50 billion valuation not by selling exercise bikes, but by selling belonging. Their riders don’t just work out—they join a movement. The brand’s passion for transformation created tribes of unpaid ambassadors worth more than any ad campaign. That is the network effect of purpose.

 

Passion Capital creates anti-fragile brands that grow stronger during crises while purely profit-driven competitors crumble.

 

During COVID-19, Nike‘s passionate commitment to athletic achievement led them to quickly pivot to supporting frontline workers and home fitness. Their stock hit all-time highs while other retailers struggled, because their purpose transcended selling shoes. That is called earning the resilience dividend.

 

Organizations that build Passion Capital don’t just create brands—they create movements. They don’t just serve markets—they shape cultures. In an attention-deficit world drowning in choices, the companies that survive and thrive will be those that give people something worth caring about.

 

The question isn’t whether you can afford to invest in Passion Capital. The question is whether you can afford not to—while your competitors figure it out first.

 

In business, as in life, passion is the ultimate multiplier. Everything else is just arithmetic.

 

If your team’s pulse doesn’t race for your brand, neither will your customer’s. Passion is viral — it infects teams, seduces customers, and defies logic. If you can’t make your employees feel goosebumps, your brand’s stuck in reverse.

 

If your brand doesn’t stand for something bigger, it’ll fall for anything cheaper.

 

Passion Capital is a renewable resource. Unlike financial capital, passion capital grows stronger with use.Spend passion, not just money; you’ll never run out of the former.

 

In the end, passion is the only currency that doesn’t depreciate. It’s the beating heart of world-class brands — and the only competitive advantage that no one can steal.

 

If it doesn’t make you sweat, it won’t make them care. Time to crank up the passion capital.

Hey CEOs, CXOs, Brand Guardians, Brand Alchemists, Brand Overlords, Aspiring Legends and Branding Nerds:

Your brand’s resume might be flawless, but how is its bedside manner?

 

Story Twist #1:Nobody gives a damn about your brand’s 47 product features

 

Story Twist #2:Your “award-winning customer service” feels like talking to a sociopathic robot

 

Story Twist #3: Your brand personality has the charisma of wet cardboard

 

Smart brands inform. Emotionally intelligent brands transform. Heart trumps mind every time.

 

The million-dollar question: Is your brand solving problems, or is it solving feelings?

 

The savage reality? Brands with high IQ and zero EQ are like that friend who corrects your grammar during your breakup story. Technically right, emotionally bankrupt, and ultimately unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.

 

Here’s what’s actually happening: While you are optimizing conversion rates, emotionally intelligent brands are creating obsession rates.

 

While you are AB testing subject lines, they’re AB testing souls.

 

While you’re measuring click-through rates, they’re measuring cry-through rates.

 

The kicker? Your customers don’t want to buy from you. They want to buy into you.

 

For CEOs: Stop asking “Are we the smartest brand in the room?” Start asking “Are we the most emotionally attuned?”

For Brand Marketers: Your next campaign strategy should begin with “How do we want them to feel?” not “What do we want them to know?”

For Entrepreneurs: Your brand’s emotional intelligence is your unfair advantage in a world drowning in logical sameness.

For Students: Study the brands that make you feel something. That’s your real textbook.

 

SOHB Story Issue #4 will perform surgery on your brand’s emotional blindness. No anesthesia. No mercy. Just the raw truth about why your customers are swiping left on your perfectly logical brand.

 

Because in a world of predominantly emotionally constipated brands, the one with actual feelings wins everything.

 

So, if you’re ready to stop chasing KPIs and start chasing Kisses Per Interaction, this issue is your new best friend.

 

Ready to stop being the brand equivalent of a participation trophy? Read on!

 

SOHB Story: Because brands that feel, sell.

 

What’s the difference between a traditional marketer and a street dog? The street dog eventually stops following you.

 

Marketing is like dating in 2025 – everyone’s desperate, everyone’s swiping frantically, and the hottest person at the party is the one who’s not even trying. Food for Torque: That should be your brand.

 

Here’s a radical thought: maybe your brand doesn’t need to be liked by everyone. Maybe it needs to have the guts to be remembered by someone.

 

Welcome to the slutty truth of modern marketing. Let’s be brutally honest – marketing today has become the equivalent of that friend who posts 47 Instagram stories a day about their morning smoothie. Desperate. Needy. Exhausting.

 

Every brand is basically strip-teasing for attention: “Look at me! Notice me! Love me! Buy from me!” It’s like watching a digital red-light district where everyone’s shouting their rates while the customers walk by with their AirPods in.

 

Let’s not sugarcoat it: most marketing is about as exciting as a Zoom call with your insurance agent. Enter UnMarketing—a glorious middle finger to the tired, the templated, and the totally try-hard. This isn’t about shouting louder; it’s about making people lean in and whisper, “Tell me more.”

 

UnMarketing is the art of seduction, not the science of spam. It’s about being so damn interesting, people want to swipe right on your brand—again and again. It’s for brands that know mediocrity is the most expensive mistake of all. It’s about refusing to be the brand equivalent of elevator music.

UNMarketing is the art of keeping your clothes on while everyone else is naked. And guess what? You’re the one they’re all staring at.

 

Humans are wired to want what they can’t have. One can define it as the scarcity porn phenomenon. It’s the same reason exclusive clubs have velvet ropes and why that restaurant with no menu always has a waiting list. Scarcity is the ultimate aphrodisiac.

 

UNmarketing is the playbook to use because begging is bad for business. Traditional marketing is that drunk guy at the bar shouting, “BUY ME!” UNMarketing is the smooth operator who gets your number before you even realize you gave it. Red Bull’s “Gives You Wings” (But Never Says “Buy Our Crap”): They funded Felix Baumgartner’s space jump instead of running boring ads. Now that’s brand equity. Ryanair’s Troll Marketing: They roast customers, meme their own delays, and still fill flights. Because audacity sells. Swiggy’s Late-Night Hunger Puns: They know you’re drunk-ordering biryani at 2 AM—and they lean in. Fevicol (India): Their ads stick in your head longer than their glue sticks to furniture. Remember the “Fevicol ka jod”? That’s not just adhesive, that’s cultural superglue. Liquid Death’s “Murder Your Thirst” – They’re selling water in a can, but their brand voice? Straight outta a heavy metal festival.

 

Ask: If your ad was a pickup line, would it get a laugh or a restraining order?

 

Silence is Sexier Than a 50% Off Scream – Luxury brands whisper. Beige Ferrari ads don’t say “SALE.” Ditch the Corporate Condoms. Drop the jargon. Speak human. If you wouldn’t say it at a bar, don’t say it in your campaign. Humor Is the Ultimate Aphrodisiac: Want loyalty? Make ‘em laugh.

 

In a world of copy-paste campaigns and soulless slogans, UnMarketing is the rebel with a cause—and a killer sense of humor. So next time you’re about to hit ‘send’ on that bland, beige email blast, ask: Would you want to read this after three drinks? If not, pour yourself another, and UnMarket like you mean it.

 

Because at the end of the day, if you’re not making people laugh, think, or fall a little bit in love, you’re just another noise in the crowd. And who the hell wants to be that?

 

Play it safe, and your brand will be left in the it real, play it raw, and watch how your tribe finds you. Marketing is about faking smiles. UNMarketing is about baring your teeth.If that means you’ll ruffle some feathers? Pluck those damn feathers and wear them like a crown.

 

Ever heard of a brand so forgettable it made tofu seem exciting? Yeah, neither have we—because they vanished faster than our motivation on a Monday morning. Brand awareness isn’t just about slapping a logo on a billboard; it’s about colonizing consumer brains (legally, of course).

 

In a hyper-connected world, where even your toaster’s got an attitude (yes, I’m looking at you, smart home gadgets), brands are forced to up their game—because consumers are woke, wired, and weaponized with infinite choice.

Successful brands—both global and Indian—have cracked the code: a mix of creativity, cultural relevance, and a dash of audacity. Take Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign, which turned every user into a brand ambassador, or Dove’s “Real Beauty” movement that challenged beauty norms and made us all feel a little better about our selfies. These campaigns didn’t just sell products; they sold stories, emotions, and a sense of belonging.

 

Take Nike’s “Just Do It”—three words that turned sneakers into sermons. Or Apple, which made buying a phone feel like joining a cult (minus the questionable robes). Closer home, Amul’s butter-loving moppet has been roasting politicians and trends since 1966—proof that wit + consistency = immortality.

Meanwhile, Indian startups like Zomato and CRED don’t just sell services; they sell personality. Zomato’s savage tweets and CRED’s absurdly elite ads make consumers go, “I don’t need this… but I WANT it.” That’s the magic—when your brand becomes a mood, not just a menu.

 

Consumers today don’t want to be sold to—they want to be swept off their feet, wined, dined, and occasionally meme’d. They’ve got their BS detectors on high alert. And with data privacy watchdogs on speed dial, brands better be careful where they poke!

 

Remember, it’s no longer enough for brands to talk—they need to walk the walk, dance the jig, and maybe even do the floss if the audience demands it.

 

So, dear brands—stop treating your customers like ATMs with trust issues. They’re not here for your products; they’re here for your promises. Keep it real, keep it human, and remember: If you can’t outsmart them, at least outlaugh them!

In a world where attention is the new currency and authenticity is rarer than honest politicians, the brands that survive won’t be the ones with the biggest budgets – they’ll be the ones with the biggest personalities. Because in the end, people don’t buy products; they buy stories, emotions, and the promise that this purchase will make them slightly cooler than their neighbors.

 

It is said that when Boeing was developing the 787 Dreamliner– the project faced massive delays partly because of poor coordination and endless meetings across continents that didn’t lead to clear decisions. The lesson? Meetings without clear objectives and follow-ups are like flying blind — you might end up crashing your project!

 

At the other end, in Andhra Pradesh, political parties like the TDP and YSR Congress hold intense meetings to strategize elections. But it’s not just about talking; they use these gatherings to build alliances, delegate responsibilities, and make decisions that affect millions. The key takeaway? Meetings can be powerful when they’re about action, not just chatter.

 

Imagine meetings as a masala dosa — a crispy, golden-brown exterior with a spicy, flavorful filling. If you get the batter wrong or the filling bland, you end up with a soggy mess nobody wants to touch. Similarly, a meeting without preparation or purpose is just a waste of everyone’s time and energy.

 

There is this famous Amazon’s silent start hack– Jeff Bezos made 6-page memos mandatory before Amazon meetings. The first 30 minutes? Dead silence—everyone reads first, debates later. Result? Informed, high-IQ discussions.

 

Takeaway:Preparation > Improvisation. Ditch the small talk, start smart.

 

The average executive spends 23 hours a week in meetings. That’s more time than most people spend sleeping. No wonder everyone looks dead inside. Not funny. Sleep over it!

The meeting epidemic is a global pandemic nobody talks about. Meetings are the workplace equivalent of that relative who overstays their welcome, eats all your food, and somehow makes everything about themselves. They multiply faster than rabbits on Red Bull, serve no clear purpose, and leave everyone questioning their life choices.

 

Microsoft‘s own research shows that the average worker attends 62 meetings per month. SIXTY-TWO! That’s roughly three meetings every working day. At this rate, we’ll soon need meetings to discuss when to schedule meetings to plan other meetings.

 

Reed Hastings, founder of Netflix had a Keeper Test– he asked managers a simple question: “Which of your people would you fight to keep if they wanted to leave?” Those who didn’t make the cut were shown the door. No endless meetings about “performance improvement plans.” Just decisive action.

 

Before Amazon acquired them, Flipkart pioneered stand-up meetings. Literally. No chairs. Meetings that would have dragged for hours suddenly wrapped up in 15 minutes. Coincidence? I think not.

 

If you want to understand the anatomy of meeting madness, it is important to look at the main characters. We have all seen them in some hue or form. There is The Meeting Hoarder who schedules meetings like they’re collecting Pokemon cards. “Gotta catch ’em all!” Their calendar looks like a Tetris game designed by a sadist. Get ready to welcome the The Agenda Ghost who calls meetings without agendas. It’s like inviting people to dinner but not telling them if they’re eating pizza or performing surgery. Since talk is cheap, put your hands together for The Monologue Monster- yes the one who talks for 47 minutes in a 30-minute meeting. Somehow makes “quick update” sound like a Shakespearean soliloquy. Zoom into the Zoom Zombie– you know the type- Camera off, muted, probably shopping online. Occasionally unmutes to say “Sorry, can you repeat that?” Master of the art of looking busy while being completely checked out.

 

In India, we’ve elevated meeting dysfunction to an art form. We have meetings before meetings (pre-reads), meetings during meetings (sidebar discussions), and meetings after meetings (debrief sessions). It’s meeting inception(unfortunately not directed by Christopher Nolan) – we need to go deeper!

 

In Indian corporates, the meeting doesn’t start until the most senior person arrives. Let’s call it the hierarchy dance. Even if they’re 45 minutes late. Because apparently, time is a social construct that bends to organizational charts. We love consensus so much that we’ll spend six months agreeing on the color of a PowerPoint template. Democracy is beautiful, but efficiency is sexier. Consensus Paralysis anyone?

 

Here’s a number that’ll make your accountant weep: The average mid-level executive costs an Indian company ₹50,000 per month. If they spend 20 hours a week in useless meetings, that’s ₹25,000 worth of wasted salary. Per person. Per month. Multiply that across your organization, and you’re basically funding a small country’s GDP on talking about work instead of doing work.

 

Harvard Business Review found that 67% of senior managers reported having too many meetings interfered with their deep work. Translation: The people running companies can’t actually run companies because they’re too busy talking about running companies. The Indian Innovation Paradox is where we talk about becoming a global innovation hub while spending more time in meeting rooms than R&D labs. It’s like training for a marathon by attending seminars about running.

 

Well, all is not lost. Some wise people out there have recommended a few fundamental rules.

 

Rule#1– Ask three questions before scheduling any meeting: Can this be an email? (90% of the time, yes); Who actually needs to be here? (Usually 50% fewer people than you think); What’s the specific outcome we need? (If you can’t answer this, cancel the meeting).

 

Rule#2– The 18 Minute Meeting–  Stanford research shows attention spans peak at 18 minutes. Anything longer, and you’re just testing people’s bladder capacity, not their brainpower.

 

Rule#3– The No Device Policy– Laptops closed. Phones face down. Crazy concept: actually pay attention to the meeting you called.

 

Rule#4– The Action Item Accountability– End every meeting with specific action items, owners, and deadlines. Otherwise, you’ve just organized a very expensive group therapy session.

 

If meetings were an Olympic sport, we’d have more gold medals than China’s ping-pong team!

 

Amidst all the meeting related doom and gloom, it is heartening some of the organisations who are getting it right. Shopify’s Meeting Purge: Back in 2023, Shopify canceled all recurring meetings with 3+ people and eliminated most meetings altogether. Result? Productivity skyrocketed. Employee happiness through the roof. Stock price loved it. Patagonia’s Walking Meetings: They literally took meetings outside. Walking while talking increased creativity by 60% and reduced meeting time by 40%. Fresh air: apparently good for business. Indian Success Story – Zerodha: Nithin Kamath runs one of India’s largest brokerages with minimal meetings. Their secret? Asynchronous communication and trusting people to do their jobs without constant supervision. Revolutionary.

 

Meetings aren’t inherently evil. Bad meetings are. The difference? Intentionality, preparation, and the radical idea that people’s time has value.

 

Companies that master meeting efficiency don’t just save money – they save sanity, boost creativity, and actually get stuff done. In a world where everyone’s competing for talent, being the company that respects people’s time is your secret weapon.

 

Meetings, are the Bermuda Triangle of productivity. Here’s what we’ve all seen, heard, and survived: The Indian startup founder with an ear-to-ear grin saying, “Let’s do a quick 15-minute sync-up,” but it’s longer than a Bollywood wedding. The American tech bro bragging, “We’re an agile team – we stand up!”…while discussing the same bullet point for 3 hours. The Japanese executive nodding politely through a 30-slide deck, only to ask one question at the end that derails the entire project.

 

Never under estimate The Power of No: Just because you got a calendar invite doesn’t mean you have to show up. Sometimes, the best contribution is to say no and let others fumble. Stand-Up, Sit-Down, Shut-Up: If you’re doing a stand-up meeting – stand up. It’s amazing how quickly people wrap up when their legs hurt.

 

Let’s Be Real: I’m not saying meetings are the enemy. But most of them are about as useful as a screen door on a submarine. What we need is a meeting mindset shift: Less ‘death by PowerPoint’, more ‘life by action points.’ Less ‘who talks the most’, more ‘who does the most.’

 

So, next time someone says, “Let’s set up a quick call,” ask yourself:
Is this meeting going to be a game-changer – or just another episode of ‘Talking Heads?’ If it’s the latter, do us all a favor: just hit ‘Decline’.

 

 

 

Dear Fellow Brand Alchemists

We live in an age where we worship at the altar of analytics. We chase conversion rates like prophets seeking divine revelation, dissect customer journeys with surgical precision, and genuflect before dashboards that promise to decode the mysteries of human behavior.

 

But here’s the uncomfortable truth that’s been staring us in the face while we’ve been busy counting clicks: We’ve been listening to whispers while ignoring the roar.

 

So, MARKETERS, BRAND BUILDERS & DATA JUNKIES…

If you’re still counting clicks like they’re confessions,
you’re reading the wrong gospel.

 

Emotion is the new data. And it’s LOUDER than your entire Martech stack.It doesn’t show up on your dashboard. It shows up in goosebumps. In lump-in-throat moments.

 

In the pause before someone says, “This brand gets me”.

 

Clicks whisper. Feelings roar. “The most valuable data point is the lump in your customer’s throat.”

 

If your brand doesn’t make people feel…It’s just more noise in the scroll.

 

Ditch the obsession with CTR. Start a Connection Triggered Revolution.

 

In this issue of SOHB Story, we’re torching the false idol of big data worship and revealing why the most powerful analytics tool isn’t in your dashboard—it’s in the human heart.

 

Brands, take a look at the unfair competitive advantage of actually caring.

 

We’ve convinced ourselves that bigger data equals better insights. We’re digital hoarders, collecting every scroll, swipe, and hover as if accumulating enough breadcrumbs will somehow lead us to the gingerbread house of perfect understanding. But data without emotion is like trying to understand a symphony by counting the notes—technically accurate, utterly soulless.

 

If data is king, emotion is the revolution. More in this issue of SOHB Story attached above👆.

 

The brands that win won’t just capture attention—they’ll captivate hearts.

 

Stay Maverick ; Stay Human– Read it. Feel it. Share it. Because the future belongs to the brands that make spines tingle. Not just pixels move.

 

It’s my way of encouraging the world to feel, not just click🙏.