In a few days, the laid back rendition of nonsensical lyrics set to an easy to remember tune has grabbed eyeballs, been parodied, mashed and stormed the entire country. A lot of people are singing it without knowing why it stays in the mind. One of the most perceptive things the producers did before the release was to put in …
For a long time, it was just another advertising line – a hotel that makes you feel completely at home. It was used so often ( and still is) in advertising campaigns, no one ever pauses to ponder what it means. Do you feel as comfortable in the plush hotel room as the sagging TV …
The Big Mac index is the easy way to understand complicated economics. Since Big Macs are available in several countries, they offer an easy way to measure what the local currency buys in global terms – rather than comparing currencies alone and arriving at answers. In the latest one – July 2011 for example, $4.07 buys you …
One of the best known vegetarian restaurant chains in Chennai is Saravana Bhavan. Serving a wide range of South Indian favourites, they have mastered the art of fast food along with a formidable range of dishes available throughout the day. They could give McDonald’s a run for their money with the sheer numbers and the …
Dogs aren’t very fond of baths. They have to be marched to the bathroom and held down by force so that they don’t end up stinking up the whole house. And the moment they finish, they shake themselves up so vigorously, it’s as if they can’t wait to be dry again. That’s exactly how Chennai …
Amazon has a lot of information about your buying habits. It knows your interests, the books and items you store on your wish lists so that it captures intent. If it can lock a larger percentage of your leisure time, its billion-dollar business will multiply several times over. The reviews of the new tablet from …
I remember an ad from the ‘Black Book’, the one that used to be the reference for all advertising agencies in the 80s and 90s before the internet made all stock searches a lot easier. A photographer had a shot of the Grand Canyon bathed in natural early morning and late evening light. The headline …
I’m hardly a cricket fanatic – or an expert for that matter. No deep insights on whether Dhoni should have persisted with spin in the 44th over instead of taking a chance with pace. None of those nirvana-soaked discussions on why the yorker is better than the over-pitched delivery. I’d quietly slink out of any …
In Modern Times, a film made in 1936 in the silent film era, Charlie Chaplin created an iconic image. The industrial worker on the assembly line with two spanners in his hand. Through the day, he did the mind-numbingly monotonous job of tightening bolts on the line that stretched to infinity. 75 years later, with …
That’s all the mental time you spend on the soap you use every day, isn’t it? You don’t spend hours decoding the promises in the shopping aisle. Take any other product purchase. How long do you linger over the powder? Or the detergent? Or even the shampoo? What is it that triggers purchase in the …
