A Forecast of the Future of Marketing: A neuromarketer's view

 

 A Forecast of the Future of Marketing.

 

“The AI is the future of marketing”, “Digital Marketing is the future”, “Metaverse is the next big platform for advertising”, “Web 3 is the future of marketing”.

Maybe. Maybe not. As much as we love technology, watching brands invade your privacy does become a bigger concern after a point. You might have seen ads based on the topics you were discussing with your mates even when your phone was locked. Brands invest a lumpsum amount in digital marketing. But, the influence of these ads outside the purchase media or apps does start to roll down with respect to time. In fact, at times, it tends to walk the negative side of the influential axis too. The chaos of ads and saturation of information dumped is too high.

 

Now, let us understand the future of social media first. Considering the last 5 years, there have been a lot too many social media trends. Unfortunately, we remember only a handful. A research showed that the working class is ‘getting irritated’ of the social medias because of the saturation of information and dumping of excessive ads. The very primary use of social media was to connect and socialize. It is what even introverts found comfortable to communicate through. With the increasing number of reels, tiktoks, advertisements and ‘influencers’, it is becoming yet another adulterated platform. The very fabric of the ‘social’ media is being disturbed. What was meant to be a 2-way communication platform is now turning into ‘Sit and Watch’ platform. 

 

So, coming to the marketing point, the working class, who actually owns the purchasing power, is losing interest in social media. Our attention span has dropped down considerably over the years. From test matches to ODI’s, ODI’s to T-20’s, most of us are now following only the last few overs of the T-20s. 90% of the Youtube ads which cannot be skipped cannot be recalled by the audience. The brain is conditioned to either ignore them and focus on the periphery of the screen or to pay attention to something else (Even zoning out into the thin air).

 

Everything in this world works in a wave form. Few enjoy the Sine waves, few rise through the cos waves. In short, there are troughs and crests wherever you go, whatever you do. Brands have enjoyed the crests of the marketing mediums for a while and now are sitting on the descend towards the trough. It is a never-ending wave.

 

So, what do the brands do now?

Firstly, respect the privacy and stick to ethical ways of marketing. Although this could seem like a silent phase in marketing, we have to remember that the silence and pauses in music can be beautiful too. Brands can simulate a rare spike in the adrenaline or dopamine rush of the audience but trying to do that every single time won’t help them at all.

The best way is to build back the attention span and retain life long customers by doing so. Brands will have to work out the ‘how’. Sustainability refers to the human mind too and brands need to be aware of it. Focusing on exploiting the wallets of the consumers for the balance sheets of the company will only harm the long-term progress of the brand. Maybe the trend of writing ‘Old School’ in the bios on social mediums is a sign that brands should think about going ‘Old School’ for a while in the world of too much information and too little attention span.

 

Let me know your opinions about the same in the comments below!

A letter to my fellow Gentlemen

 If there is something that has been adversely affected by Media, it is men.

What a bold statement eh?!

Let us a take a look below and understand what exactly I am referring to. And of course, this blog too includes scrolling back a bit on the world’s timeline.

 There goes a quote which says ‘Tough times create tough men. Tough men create easy times. Easy times create weak men. Weak men again create tough times’.

For the times we are living in, the man has become a bit extra gentle. All thanks to the media. The keyboard warriors have started feeling powerful because posting something controversial and getting likes is apparently a victory. This is the simplest example of easy times creating weak men.  A man ought to stand up for women and men as well who deserve help. A man must put his beloved ones far above his own ego and treat everyone with dignity.

Talking about being a gentleman, can we please bring back the old school fashion? Clearly, we haven’t been dressing to impress lately. It is the era of comfort and casual (easy times) and swiping left and right has been quite easy. But, go an extra mile to impress all. Write a song for your partner. Send hand written greetings to your circle once in a while. Listen to the songs of freedom, dreams, ambitions, love, joy and tears. Dance music is no food for thought.

 Talking about chivalry, be the most well-mannered person with the world and the wildest and craziest person amongst your tribe. Be passionate about every single thing there is. Nothing is boring! Cook a meal once in a while for your family. Be competitive with the folks around and push your limits. Be fit enough to protect yourself and your family shall there be any situations in life.

 I was one of those who used to overthink about situations unnecessarily. A friend of mine casually once said that overthinkers are those people who fail to act and don’t believe in themselves. As bitter and blunt it sounded, it was the truth. Do not worry about what is not in your capacity and do not leave any stone unturned where your actions can change the results. Overthinking shall not be a problem then.

 Be a man of class and passion. A few years back, a late friend of mine (who was 78 years old) said to me and my friends “Your generation has lost taste of good things. I’ve seen young men get drunk on cheap beer too often. At least have a good choice of alcohol. Whatever comes cheap and easy is never going to end well. We used to drink expensive whiskeys since the very beginning and perhaps that’s what distinguished us from the drunkards. It didn’t come cheap and only certain occasions and celebrations would call for it. Maintain your class.” A huge lesson was communicated in these lines.

But Anurag, we are in the 21^st century, everything is digital. WHY BOTHER!?

Just imagine that you wake up one day only to find that google now needs a paid subscription. All that free information, mastery in all the subjects, requires money. Information is not free anymore. People no more are interested in your unsought opinions. Although it’s a hypothetical situation, know that eventually man is the one in control of it. Anything can happen anytime. The history of the world is a proof that easy times are never permanent. Only the true warriors survive the test of time.

 Now coming to the most important and under-looked part of us men-Our mental health. I don’t care if you are the biggest introvert in the world but please have a good friend circle. Of-course share everything with your partner but as we men hesitate to open up to absolutely anyone, it feels comforting when you have a few friends by your side in tough times. So have a few good friends.

 Communicate well with everyone. Be open minded about the world. Dress to impress. And while you keep everyone happy and fulfil your duties, spare some time for yourself and treat yourself once in a while.

 

Wishing you all a very happy men’s day!

The Gen-Z Enigma

 

Year 2020-2021.

A year when people found out the damage a microscopic virus can cause. A pandemic, which wasn’t remotely mentioned in our science books. A pandemic, no one was prepared for, on the face of this planet.

 

Why am I saying this?

It’s time we planned for the upcoming contingencies. The virus was still an unexpected tool that could give the entire world a blinding concussion. Luckily, the calamity I foresee, can be statistically and scientifically seen.

 

Year 2050

There’s no virus as medical advancements have ensured the increased lifespan of the humans. There’s peace enough to keep the nukes at bay. The biggest problem the world is facing is a simple term that was ignored or managed at micro level called ‘depression’. Something which does not have a vaccine. Something that cannot be cured in a day or just a few months.

 (Sounds like a bold statement with no logical base whatsoever. Right? But hold on. Read further and you shall know.)

 

Year 1990

So people are socializing big time. We have guests at our place almost every single day. My mother’s side of the family live in an old type of a residential structure called as a ‘Waada’. A lot of wooden pillars with intricate designs which had deep meaning to every single design engraved on it. The rooms are rather very small considering the size of the family. The family size usually exceeds a headcount of 7. Joint families aren’t a rare sight. The radio is the most entertaining device which many can afford.

 Now that the family is living in such a limited space, there aren’t much options for the family members to isolate themselves and let their ego calm down after a small argument with some family member. The best option is to vent out and drain the emotional load by talking to someone in the family and solving it. ( And Boy Oh Boy it feels great after just venting out every emotion!). So basically in every joint family, you are not just the child of your parents. Nor are you the only child for them. Everyone gets to pamper and scold you at times. There’s always a buzz in the house. No melancholic silence to put you in the over thinking zone. Newly married couples in the house wait for the entire day for that moment when they can go down for a stroll post dinner and just talk in private
for a few minutes. That is the happiest part of the day for them.

 The telephone exists (Landline). You also have a directory of people living in your area so you can just dial up anyone you need. But, the charges are just economic enough to not go on for hours talking over the phone. People often call their friends just to decide the time and place for catching up. Well as of for us kids, we’re not allowed to call our friends for stupid reasons. If we want to call each other downstairs to play, we have the liberty to scream the names of our friends from the bottom of heart (and that too in a particular way). No one really gets mad if we shout or play. There aren’t many cars parked downstairs so no complaints for damaging them.

Year 1950

The cities aren’t buzzed at all. Most of our grandparents reside in rural parts of the country. My great grandfather has a big solid black horse on which he rides to different places. NO POLLUTION. He often falls asleep on his way back at night while riding and yet the horse brings him back to our house safely (Please note that GPS and autopilot haven’t been invented yet). People aren’t remotely rich. It’s all about survival. There’s a lot of physical struggle in the farm. We have a couple of cows, a dog, a horse, couple of sheep and a few hens for the eggs and not for the meat. Also, we treat them as family even thought we aren’t animal rights activists. People are the only source of entertainment for people. If you’re an introvert, well you can sit by the river and watch birds and the sunset.

 The men gather in the temples at morning before leaving for their farm-work to have a little chitchat. Later in the evening, they often catch up in a place often known as ‘Chavdi’ which is like a socializing spot (And they don’t charge you for sitting there too!!). Women grind their grains together while
singing the folk songs. There’s more of a barter trade of veggies than buying them from the market. The wealth of the person is not decided by the bank balance but by the number of grain sacks they have in their homes.

 

 

“Come to the point Anurag”

 Little things which give us immense happiness have started fading into the dark. Our homes are getting bigger and our families smaller. We are struggling to find happiness. All the businesses in the world are simply creating an environment where we, the people, are psychologically tricked into ‘just keep buying. You’ll feel good’ zone. Friendship is all about texting regularly with your friends and showing off how amazing your life is when you’re feeling all lonely and alone in reality.

 The entire concept of love has been turned into more like a contractual deal. The way the new generation is getting used to watching intimate stuff in their day to day life, the gravity of the intimacy is dropping down. Young couples are struggling to find their so called spark. And it is going to be a consistent problem in future as everything that needs to be said will be said over text (Which does not convey any sort of emotions despite using a thousand emojis). The awkward silence after two people meet will continue to exist in the long run although it is only meant to exist in the first meet.

 Teenagers are better off isolated in their rooms with their phones than socializing with people or as a matter of fact even their parents. Devices, cars, businesses are all getting smarter while we lose our natural capabilities. Parents these days are often so deeply engrossed in their careers that they have no time to even cuddle with their kids or spend time with them. The value system of the present generation needs to take a look down the lane of the past. If family, health and happiness are not the outcomes of anything we do, it really isn’t worth. (Easy said than done I Know. But not impossible).

"So basically the 'nothing can replace water despite technology' theory?" 

There’s a reason why the lion is called the king of the jungle. The family of Lion is called a ‘Pride’ as nothing else matters more to them than that. Technology can be used for good. Production of scale is a good thing to a certain limit. If it is done for the sake of sole profitability, it is a misuse of the technology. Certain things do not need an alternative. We humans have made carbonated drinks which are sweeter than water. But on a summer afternoon we only crave for water. Similarly, Motorbikes can only be an alternative for cycles and not an upgraded version of them. The utility of the thing should not be decided without SWOT analysis. People now have remotes to switch on the lights, fans. If we do not wish to get up, switch on the button and sit back down, we do not have the right to complain if we become obese.

  Driving a car to get to the office and back home, just to save time so that you can spend it in the gym riding a stationary bicycle doesn’t make sense! The entire world is running behind convenience, effortless life and MONEY. It’s all good until we realize that we’ve come to a dead end only to find ourselves depressed. Remember in early 2000s, the mobile phone was a great luxury. 20 years later, every single kid from the rural areas too has a cell phone. Health, a sharp brain, happiness and a close big family shall only be the true riches of life in future.

  Don’t forget to jump off this chaotic train of instant gratification and shallow happiness.  

What Went Wrong

What Went Wrong

          Remember those childhood days? Where you would just play all day long and yet even then manage to score good grades? Maybe there was no work load. Or maybe there was, just enough for your age and yet you managed to complete it without any stress. The only reason we miss our childhood was because we had no stress. We had long hours of school, homework, discipline obsessed teachers, no hairstyles whatsoever, quarrels with our friends, strict parents, daily fights with our siblings and so many reasons to not be happy. Yet, we cherish that phase of our life. WHY? Because it was stress-free. So what went wrong after that?

Ever since we were preparing for our first board exams, we were being told that it was the last time we would need to work so hard and after that, life would be very peaceful and easy. We were told to put aside our hobbies for a while (a year maybe) during our exams. Soon after 10^th boards, we started exploring the so called college life. It was a phase where few introverts finally made some friends after a decade long stint amongst the unbearable people in school. Few became addicts. Some fell in love and got to be with those whom they always wanted to. Amidst all this, at the back of our minds, we knew that there was another board exam waiting for us ahead. Few minds were traumatised due to breakups, few couldn’t focus because of distractions or addictions and few, well they just lost the ability to focus and study. ( Please note that by the phrase ‘to study’, I am referring to the input of knowledge by understanding and not just stupidly storing some data in the form of cache files in your brain).

          The results of the 12^th boards gave many of us a pretty hard concussion along with a reality check. Back then, I wanted to have a band of my own and become a professional guitarist in life although I knew it wasn’t possible. Being an average student, I had kept all the doors open for my future. I was preparing for MBBS, BDS, Engineering and sort of Pharma too. (“You never know what life has for you” they said). I guess most of us probably had no clue if we wanted to graduate in that field till we graduated. That’s how it works in India. You get a MBBS, Engineering or a Pharma degree first and then decide what you have to actually do in your life.

          So by now, we were very much obsessed with our cellphones. Staying up late night, at times even till dawn, just to chat with our ‘friend’ made us feel pretty cool. Our routine by now had no sports in it. We never just met our friends. It had to be at some or the other food joint which we wouldn’t leave without eating.  By the time we reached our graduation phase, the junk food started getting accompanied by beer. And cigarettes in some cases too. The sleep cycle during graduation days became worse.

          So by now, we left our hobbies. We stopped playing any instrument, singing, dancing. We never went on the ground to practise a sport. (There is a huge difference in practising something and doing it for fun). So, our ability to learn something new had rusted pretty badly.  Being with friends never meant just sitting idle and talking. It meant long drives, parties and every other thing which came for a price. So we started losing money. Lack of fitness, beer and smoking ruined our health. Playing an instrument, singing or dancing, all of these which are the most effective stress busters are no more a part of our life. We carry work stress home daily by now. We want to appear cool without being a performer or a sportsman.

          It’s easy to blame the routine and the world around for our present life style. When I address students in different institutes, I often get to hear from them that “Hey! I used to play that instrument/ Sport back in school days. I don’t know what happened later but I lost touch!” We were supposed to take a pause for a small period of time for these things. But we took a stop. If you think eating salads all day long, hitting the gym everyday without playing any sport will help you get any fitter, you are wrong! It is the lifestyle you need to rethink about. And even make your beloved ones think about.

          This is what went wrong. Fix it before you run out of time.

                                                                                  Your beloved,

                                                                                  Anurag Salunke

Being Ourselves

Being Ourselves

'I am the biggest problem of my life! But, the better part of it, I am the only solution for it!'. Most of the times, we find the biggest inspiration in 'being ourselves'. But do we really wonder who we really are? We humans, are highly engrossed in being 'ourselves' without knowing who we really are. So is it a part of marketing the 'Unique Me' product to this world or is it really who we are?

  Let us just say everyone is unique. But what is it that really makes us unique? Perhaps is it the anamorphosis which takes us to the destiny? Apparently, no one in this world is completely themselves. We are bound to the constraints of our direct surroundings, their natures and our own's desires. We are a book written by multiple authors, a dish prepared by numerous chefs.

  Now the important part of being ourselves,who we really wish to be; which author we let scribble on our pages; which ingredients we wish, to add to get better yet unique, from every chef. We are an integration of everything we see, think of, listen or face. I would rather not be reluctant to the fact that our dreams, nightmares and our instincts make us more of who we are.

  Everyone has a world they live in inside themselves,which is but made up by adding the values and morales which hail from the worlds of other people we come across in life. Now, to get better, we have to take a trip to everyone's world, find the best part of their worlds, and then carry it to ours.
  To make your recipe unique and the best, you have to choose amongst the best ingredients and then amalgamate them. This is the secret formula for being the special dish. If we insist on being ourselves,(who we really aren't), there won't be any room left for development and progress.
  So let us just travel across the different worlds, take the best parts out of them, bring them to ours and formulate the success of our own world. Only then will we be able to solve our own problems by being ourselves.

The world we live in perceives things with  the either definition of a single word.
1)Chaos- A state of confusion and disorder
2)Chaos-The state of formless and disordered matter before the formation of cosmos.
   Many of my friends asked me out of their curiosity about my instagram id 'chaotician'. So this is what it is about.
So what is it exactly that people are afraid of? CHAOS!! Yes, everyone fears chaos around them.
   Now, I'm going to introduce a term named 'limit of limit' to elaborate further on chaos. They say everything has a limit. The real question arises when we try to figure out the limits. Do limits have limits? Yes they definitely do. Now try relating this to the word 'chaos'.
   Chaos, at first seems pretty daunting. People fear it so much that most of them give up considering that the chaos won't terminate eventually. But, ultimate peace can be achieved only through extreme chaos. The first phase of chaos is pretty intimidating upto a certain limit. What comes next is the most astonishing part of it. Ultimate Peace follows the chaos!
  I'll explain it further. Consider a baby' sleep. We might think that babies sleep more soundly in silence than chaos but No. Babies most of the time wake up panicking, being afraid of the silence. Whereas, they sleep more peacefully in the most chaotic surroundings. The point I'd like to make here is that peace attained through chaos is forever.
  Another example I'd like to refer to is the Global Peace. How many countries have stayed out of the war scenes just by negotiations policies? Probably none. To attain peace, blood has to be shed, the war has to be fought, the chaos has to be faced. The freedom n peace that follows it later cannot be snarfed later on at any cost.
  Even gold has to face a lot of chaos before it shines. Chaos is just the initial step of peace. Chaos leads to peace.
  Consider our human brain. Never can we humans ever recollect the last thought we had during the moment we fall asleep. That is because the chaos of our thoughts reaches a climax and finally attains peace. The peace helps us forget the chaos and helps us look at it with a clearer and optimistic vision.
  They say everything in the Universe is inside our brain. Perhaps this Universe too might has faced an enormous chaos considering its present Stable State.
Such is the name 'chaotician' who helps people reach the peaceful state right from the core of the chaos.

What is it that seperates us from animals? Most of us would say a bigger brain, vision, ability to socialize. So what exactly is this about? Often, it is said that similar shapes serve similar purposes. What I'm gonna try now is to relate a part of human neurology to geometry and physics.
I'll be illustrating a small exemplum of the hindu mythology. It is believed that Lord Shiva has the ability to destroy the whole Universe with his 'Third Eye'. It is said that Lord Shiva could open up his third eye whenever he felt it was necessary.
Another example I would like to relate to regarding the term 'The Third Eye' is the movie 'Now You See Me'. The storyline is based on a principle that being ahead of your opponent and time is they triumph key to success. So what exactly is this concept of Third Eye?
In all these cases, the Pineal Gland has been referred to as the Third Eye.
The name third eye arises as a result of both, by virtue of its shape, as well as its function. The pineal gland's cross section vaguely resembles the shape of the human eye. Like stated above, similar shapes refers to similar function. Now, the question arises that how can something, situated amidst the brain see things around?
It offen happens with us that an incident we once dreamed of, turns out to be in real life in a exact manner as in the dream.(mind me, not similar. Exact!) The pineal gland is responsible for our fore-sight and vision. Often, vision and sight are considered similar whereas in reality they are totally different. I would rather club sight with eyes and vision with pineal gland.
In electronics, there exist few systems referred to as DAS( Data Acquisition Systems), which collect the data from the memory, analyze the data and come up to a conclusion after the analysis. So, the pineal gland can be rightly called as the DAS of our human body.
Might it be that those whom we know to have reached the state of Nirvana(say Lord Shiva, Gautam Buddha) had completely utilized their 'Third Eye'.
The very reason the world today is short on fore-sight is due to the present lifestyle. Consumption of fats, Smoking and fast food cause accumulation of fats on the outer layer of Pineal Gland hence hampering its working. This isnt a spontaneous process but a slow and long one.Maybe, the present world needs more vision than the sight it already has.