Middle-class JOINT FAMILIES are the key to any Economy and Social Security.

Do you agree that economy influences social behaviour i.e one's economic state is directly proportional to his/her social behaviour? 

For instance: Today I have enough money for not to worry about anything, so my behaviour is pretty sober and sophisticated, but if tomorrow, I am forced to reel under financial pressure, my behaviour will change, and if my economic condition keeps deteriorating, it might so happen that I will end up being an anti-social in order to survive. 

I guess you too also agree to the fact that when the stomach is empty... no education, no culture, no background really matter, because an empty stomach only produces gas and gas hits one's heart and mind very badly. 

Nothing philosophical but quite practical, I reckon. 

In this situation, people, I am talking about retail investors, precisely the middle-class, need to save first and then invest for wealth generation, so as to create some hedging for their future and then try to make the future brighter. 

But what it seems, at least if I go by the burgeoning consumerism, the spending is getting higher everyday, whilst no substantial growth in real income is visible.

If it continues like that, the middle-class will slide down to the lower-class, while the upper-class will grow fatter. 

The wealth-inequality will be greater, and thanks to the extinct of the middle-class, the servility in profession, in business and in society will increase. 

This will spawn and spur a severe social unrest, leading to social wars in every nook and corner of India, as well as across the world.

So, what apparently seems to be nothing is actually a sleeping volcano, which all of us are fueling up with our 'why should I care' attitude and approach. 

However, we are forgetting one simple thing that our respective families belong to society and a political environment, but it's not the other way round.

 

Which is why, unless and until society and that political environment are fit and healthy enough, the safety and security of ours is on tenterhooks. More so, as not everyone of us can be in the upper-class, for, it never happens that way, since the real-life is not made in Bollywood or Hollywood for that matter.   

WHAT TO DO THEN? 

Of course, there is one and only remedy and that is to protect the middle-class and their interest by hook or by crook, so their economic state remains stable; they are able to save and invest, and, in the process, their social behaviour remains value-driven, as it has always been, but not just money-driven. 

To do so, a retrospective outlook and action is a must, which will help the social construct get rebuilt on the basis of JOINT FAMILY.

 

Because, only that can help retail investors come back to the market for wealth generation through more savings and investment, and if they do so, the wealth-inequality will start to reduce, promising more social security on the basis of people's 'positive social behaviour'.

Without the Congruent EQ and EE, a Brand is DEAD today on demography and big data.

Given the digital hype, hoopla and hysteria, and the penetration of the Internet into lives, especially due to the proliferation of social media - though sporadic and overestimated in light of Big Data - I don't think, category-drive by 'demographic' market segmentation is sane anymore.

'Psychography', in place of demography, is an absolute must if a brand is really eager to capitalise on the present scenario, as well as willing to create a future instead of just reacting to the future - near or distant. 

One thing, which I have been watching very closely, is that almost no brand is game to comprehend the very basic that society doesn't belong to market but it's just the other way round. So, the 'product-push' for trying to create an environment of consumerism is fine because sales is much needed, but at the same time, only sales can never save a brand - irrespective of its size and volume. 

Another thing, brands are failing to take into account is... 'internal communication and training' to make business 'people ready'. For, no product or service is getting sold to zombies or robots but humans, hence big data is not even 20% of the job, needed to be done, unless proper understanding of 'consumer behaviour' is there. 

Which is why, 'congruent emotional intelligence (EI or EQ) and emotional excellence (EE)' for management, for employees, for stake holders, and for market is a must, minus which productivity and growth are bound to suffer, today or tomorrow. 

Without the 'congruent EQ and EE', it's simply impossible to leverage on the CRM, ignoring which is yet another trap brands do open rather unknowingly or by riding on their pomp, if not pomposity, so as to reach their graves in no real time. 

It needs no rocket science to understand actually and factually that 'employees and channel partners' are the best and most loyal customers a brand can afford to have, whereas, on the other hand, customers vis-a-vis consumers (prospects included) are the real sales force awaiting to turn into brand evangelists, if served and satisfied at an emotional level via functional offerings. 

Just the reason, investing on Training, Internal Communications, CRM and CSR are imperative today for a brand's sustainability and growth through 'people readiness', exploiting science, psychology, and, to some extent, philosophy, that are neither templated nor just technology. 

It requires a different kind of investment on TIME (which is more precious than Money is, because one moment lost is lost forever, but one Rupee lost can be earned later on even as 100 Rupees), IDEA, INTENT, and, most importantly, EMOTION (which is no sentimental outbursts though; thus should be devoid of 'Neuroticism' i.e. Emotional Instability). 

In case you care to know, understand and realise these 'sure success' things in a bit dipstick way, please look at and into the snaps below: 

(Click on them to enlarge)

 

I reckon they have given a fair idea what needs to be done for a business / brand in modern times. 

In short, marketing and marketing communications are all great things to do, provided you are open to accept that it's not IIMs that made or make you happen, but it's you and many others like you i.e. 'Humans' who made and make IIMs tick, drawing people's awe to the Brand IIM. 

Give this, if you are interested to make things happen, productively, eliminating all the chances of going haywire in the name of marketing and marketing communications, think of Training, seriously and sincerely. 

And for that, we, at QESEQ International in association with Teamcoach International (Malaysia), are ready to get things done 'with you for you'... in order to help you leverage on the 'Congruent EQ and EE' through the LPI -Leonard Personality Inventory - which is based on FFM (Five Factor Model) of Personality Trait Identification and Decoding, and is much better than the MBTI Personality Test Model which is incomplete, incompetent and doesn't even address the most important factor of one's Personality i.e. 'Neuroticism'.

To reach us, all you need to do is, just send an email at qeseq.international@gmail.com

PS: You may not write to us immediately, if you have enough time, money, energy and emotion to waste and can watch, happily, how others, including your competitors, succeed for sure.  

Becoming a loafer from a copy writer wasn't easy. Modelling is a tough thing.

If a man grows his muscles, precisely biceps, and a woman reduces her waistline and begins to show her 2-4" cleavage, here and there, it's a general notion, what I have been seeing post 2002, that ‎#Modelling is the profession one can opt for and make lots of money, attain fame, attend Page 3 parties, do some bed-warming at Hotel Kenilworth, Kolkata and think Bollywood is the next destination. 

No harm in dreaming big, in fact it is good, even if reveries, but one simple thing needs to be understood that Modelling in ads (not adds, okay?) is 180-degree opposite to doing the Catwalk on the ramp.

I have nothing to say about the ramp because Fashion has never been my domain. But since, ‎#advertising is very much my domain and where I have the authority to say, whatever I wish to, my humble suggestion is: "It's always wiser to learn 'how to manipulate expressions' before facing the camera, especially to make a portfolio, which, over 90% cases, creative directors in various ad agencies across India, just throw away."

At least I simply send those portfolios to the bin where I see a girl's eyes-lips coordination is all over the place, or she is showing her flesh but giving the expression of a nun, as if praying to Jesus for an assignment. Or a guy in dhoti-punjabi is sporting a look, as if he has gobbled a sardine alive without water.

In commercials, be it TVC or Corporate Films, still there are scopes to portray the right expression but in still ads there is hardly any scope to give the right expression unless one understands what the character in the communication demands.

In ads, modelling is even tougher than acting in a film, to some extent. And there... looks, make-ups, boobs, biceps, etc. come much later but what comes first is understanding the communication need and then the character in it.

For example: One fine evening, I got a call from Subhendhu, who's now with Response, but earlier was with Inner Circle, throwing a modelling challenge to me  for next day early morning. And Subhendhu - the then art director of Inner Circle - hardly gives any opportunity to negotiate or say, "No" to him.

The character was of a loafer - the elements who are seen in every nook and corner of India, especially in Kolkata, and who actually become glorified with an opportunity to raise their collars at the drop of a hat and think they are the Alexanders when asked to organize and look after any event... from a Shradh to a Puja.

Plus, the character needed to deliver a dialogue that would be used as verbatim.

And my experience in front of camera was limited to passport-size photographs then, while behind the camera experience doesn't really help one act in front. Moreover, in such a short notice without seeing any layout even.

So not only the butterfly but also the insect kingdom, I was feeling inside my stomach. And that too, under the spell of Subhendhu's grilling.

Then I just closed myself from me. I got into the character. I forgot who the fuck I'm, actually.

Once I'm done with the characterization in my mind, I started to think of my shortcomings. I realized my hands are a real problem, because they are disproportionate and longer than necessary. My eyes are overtly expressive and big to fit in the character. And the T-shirt I wore didn't have the collar which could remain raised automatically. And after a goodnight sleep my face got a bit heavy, if not swollen that way.

So, what I did was, I used one of my hands to raise the collar of my T and the other to emphasize on the airy 'atti-cum-confi' part... harping on the words 'Behspati Tunge' (luck is shining on us / me). And I angled the elbow in a manner that it got rid of the excessive length of my hand. I also kept the thumb up, so as to complement the overconfidence 'Ebar aamrai pabo' (this time we'll get it for sure) of winning the competition. In the process, I delivered the dialogue rather manipulatively and held on to the expression for longer for the shutter to drop, so my big eyes got shrunk and the face lost its heaviness.

The take was okay and everyone got satisfied within 15 minutes.

The ad came out in the newspaper, as well as on the hoarding across Kolkata and made my life quite miserable, consequently, for two to three months when I became an object of laughter to anyone, everyone on road.

I felt like sharing this once again to give a real-life case-study on how to manipulate expression character-wise. But of course not to pat on my back. I actually had more than enough of those pats in my life, so require no more.

But in case it helps, I will be glad!

Last, but not the least, Modelling is NOT projecting your assets. Instead, it's all about presenting a character believably meeting a communication need, by hiding your liabilities.