Design Critic #7 & 8

Here comes the final 2 in the lot... Seriously which one are you ;)

~ Satish Chathanath Call : 9884011654 Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

Design Critic #5 & 6

~ Satish Chathanath Call : 9884011654 Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

Design Critic #3 & 4

The next 2 design critics are here...

~ Satish Chathanath Call : 9884011654 Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

Design Critic #1 & 2

According to us, there are 8 types of design critics... presenting the first two today... others are on the way!

~ Satish Chathanath Call : 9884011654 Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

Another Election. Another Pitch. Who is the real winner ?

Who else can understand the power the communications better than a politician. Big names in national politics are turning to professionals to communicate to the mass. Their blood. Their siblings. Their votebank!

Objective : Campaign for the forthcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections and swing the votebank for a change.

BJP campaign theme : three Is – inflation, internal security and incompetence

General : Bring to light the issues affecting the country at large.

Medium to be used : Use both above-the-line and below-the-line media, including media vehicles such as SMS, MMS and online presence.

Account Size : Rs. 150 crores. Now close your mouth !!


~ Satish Chathanath
Call : 9884011654
Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

Internal Communicator ? - Are you lucky ?

After my session on ‘Internal Communications’ at Ad Club of Madras, one of the students raised an interesting question: how will I break the mindset of the senior management about the importance of internal communications?

Good question… here is my take…

Consider yourself lucky if the senior leaders in your organization view internal communications as important and central to everything that happens inside the organization. Be it celebrations or stick and carrot or polished cane or even hygiene messages.

But on the other hand, if the senior leaders view internal communications as an ‘optional tool’ or ‘gimmick tool’, then you have a bigger task at hand. Break that mindset. Create a space for yourself in the boardroom first or in the CEO’s cubicle. So how do you do this – be extremely proactive, be courageous, be curious about everything in the organization and your line of business.

Tie everything you do with tangible results. Keep proving.


~ Satish Chathanath
Call : 9884011654
Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

Art Vs Copy

One of the never ending debates : copy or visual? content or art? Which rules? At what share? On being on either side of the fence, I have heard and keep hearing the inside stories and arguments. But ever hardly managed to make a whole lot of writers or art directors to see the other side of the wall.

I am taking another shot at it armed with latest facts !!!

Authors Patrick Renvoise and Christophe Morin in their book Neuromarketing report a finding by the 3M Meeting Management Institute that "effective visuals" reduce the time required to communicate a concept by 40 percent.

Hurray! I can hear a shrill dash of chiselled crystal mugs from the 'art' camp.


~ Satish Chathanath
Call : 9884011654
Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

Understanding the Mind

The research team, from Durham University and the University of British Columbia, say that elements of human cognition and perception that are not yet fully understood by scientists may receive greater insight by analysing tricks and techniques used by magicians.

CASE STUDY EXPERIMENT

In one experiment, described in Dr Kuhn’s current paper, a group of volunteers watched a video of a ‘misdirection’ trick while their eye movements were recorded with a tracking device. The magician lights a cigarette with a lighter then subtly drops both items into his lap while directing his audience’s attention to his empty right hand, making watchers believe the items have simply disappeared.

The scientists then asked the volunteers if they had detected how the trick was done. They found that the chance of volunteers seeing the items being dropped was not related to the direction in which their eyes were looking – suggesting that where they paid attention was the more important factor. These results offer a striking demonstration of how looking at an object does not necessarily mean we see it.

Dr Kuhn highlights that the observations made in this experiment are related to recent findings in vision science, which showed that only a small part of information that enters our eyes actually enters our conscious awareness.

Click here to view the video clips of some of the magic tricks performed.

~ Satish Chathanath
Call : 9884011654
Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

Would you rehire him?

Take a look at these smart questions used by reference checkers. I picked these up from Business Pundit.

1. Were you asked to be a reference by (candidate name)?

2. What did he learn during his time with your company?

3. If you could give him a single career suggestion, what would it be?

4. What circumstances frustrate him the most?

5. How well does he manage pressure, stress, or crises?

6. (If reference managed the client) How did the candidate respond to your management style?

7. Would you rehire him?

8. Can you refer me to someone he didn’t get along with?

I personally believe that answers lie in your questions. Sharper the questions, better and closer are the answers !!

~ Satish Chathanath
Call : 9884011654
Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

BBC, Vivek 90.4 FM & IDEA

BBC programmes are available on Vivek 90.4FM, the first community radio station in Chandigarh, India. Listeners of Vivek 90.4 FM will now have opportunities to learn English, get health tips from across the world and learn about world opinions on technological advances, environment, music, art and culture - all on their local FM radio.

Vivek 90.4 FM is a community radio initiative at Vivek High School, Chandigarh, and has been on air since March 2007. The radio station has been involved in spreading community awareness and information in the field of health, education, literacy and nutrition. With the BBC’s enlightening programmes, Vivek 90.4 FM will further enrich its current programming to provide its local audiences with international content.

Remember the latest 'IDEA' TV Commercial. It just stays as a commercial. Your thoughts?

~ Satish Chathanath
Call : 9884011654
Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

Udayan sans sensation

TV18 has promoted Udayan Mukherjee as managing editor, CNBC-TV18.

I feel happy for Udayan. He is a no-nonsense TV guy with his head on his shoulders. No rhymes or pacy delivery or aggressive postures and questions. He just delivers cutting edge news and insights to viewers. Plain simple communications. That's what we want right...?

I personally think Udayan has played a key role in building what is today India’s most respected business news network.

Good wishes Udayan!

'Call to Action' Communication

Take a look at this green calculator. Impressive!

It puts a number on your contribution to environment decay.

Mileage badhao, paisa bachao
Mileage badhao, climate bachao

Press Release Or Communications Center

The proposed merger between Delta and Northwest Airlines has already produced one great byproduct: the press release of the future.

Click me

Think of it as a mini-site, or temporary site, almost like a booth at a trade show. It’s a combination of marketing, investor relations, and customer service. The content here is meant to answer all of the questions from any of the merger’s stakeholders.

What works? The content is exhaustive, addressing topics ranging from will current employees lose their jobs to how service will change in each state the airlines fly. Berinato also points to the well designed mutimedia presentation, which includes text, graphics, and video.

Are we ready to change ?