The Dream team at 7 Race Course Road

If i could use one word to describe the results of this election : Beautiful !

It is so heart warming to see India giving a big thumbs to stability and reforms .

Now that Congress is all set to form the govt here is my take on what key cabinet positions should be like :

Prime Minister : Dr Manmohan Singh

Principal Economic Adviser to the PM :  Montek Singh Alluwallia

Finance Minister : C. Rangarajan

Commerce Minister : Mr. Kamal Nath

Home Minister : P. Chindambaram

External Affairs Minister : Shashi Taroor

HRD :  Sam Pitroda ( Surprise !.. Surprise !)

Railway Minister : Laloo Prasad Yadav ( Yes, despite the fact that he partially dumped Congress. For the greater common good )

Communications & Telecom Minister : Dayanidhi Maran

Defense Minister : Mani Shankar Aiyar

Panchayath Raj Minister :  Rahul Gandhi

Aviation Minister : Praful Patel

Science and Technology Minister : Kapil Sibal

Rural Development Minister : Sachin Pilot

Micro and Small medium Industry Minister :  Jaipal Reddy

Tourism Minister : Jyothiradithya Scindia

Power Minister : Pranab Mukerjee

Agriculture Minister : Suresh kalmadi

Petroleum Minister : Murali Deora

Law and Justice Minister : Bhradwaj

This is a list of young and experienced group of ministers which i believe can be part of the Cabinet Ministry for the next government .

what i know about social media

Let me tell you what I dont know first .

I dont know how to code. I hate that !

I know what social media technologies can do . I also  know what are the tools needed to give you great social media campaigns.

For example : I don’t know how to add the Digg code to my word press blog so that i can get that “digg it” tab by editing HTML.But then I know a lot more about how to use digg to get publicity to  content up and running.I don’t know how to create a widget . Google calls them gadgets. But i do know what widgets a brand would need.

You get the picture , dont you ?

I basically focus on how to build relationships between brands and users and then connect users with other users. consumers and customers .

Please remember : your customer is not necessarily your consumer. figure out how . If not , then ask me here . or get in touch. we can collaborate on the thought.

What i would basically do is find out how to build relationships and use the right tools to execute it .

So, if you are brand manager or a marketeer or webmaster, think about what you are doing. are you building relationships or widget applications.

Nothing wrong about building widgets and applications. It is important . But then figure out where you stand before you get into social media.

Radically changing my blog

This blog is almost getting  to 9000 hits .

That is 9000 hits in 5 months. I am being approx here. But still the number is big considering the fact that i dont blog great . My grammar is always wrong ( those who know me will know that i hate typing and love writing) and the sentence flow will always go for a toss.

This ought to change.

From now I am going radically change the way I  blog .

Also, I will only blog about econmics , social media and e business, public relations and word of mouth marketing.

I will also share my thoughts on japanese culture, language , literature and anime . I love anything and everything to do with Japan.

But then I may break the rules once in a while.

Thanks to everyone who dropped by to read my blog posts. I know you dint take away much but i am going to do my best to give you knowl-takeaways when you read my blogs from now.

Lalith Modi : Corporate Pimp: IPL

Tomorrow IPL starts . And guess what ? I am gonna keep away from it . Not watching IPL matches is at the top my list of ” What not to do  during this summer” .  Here is why …

IPL Matches : Rise of the Corporate Pimp ( and his chamchas) :

I gotta to hand it to that man . One Mr.Lalit Modi. Corporate Pimp par excellence.He moved IPL matches which is [India Primeir League] to South Africa. Why ? Becuase  he just couldnt keep himself away from money.

He chose Greed over Safety. Money over Motherland.

When India votes for its future in the next 2 months , becuase of this one man,  a group of Indian crickerts will be not be voting.

He wanted to fill his coffers. He wanted to make sure his chamchas -SRK, Priety Zinta, Shilpa Shetty and wife of some prominent Indian business man who are so jobless that they got into such business -  also get the millege of the money invested. This is sheer pimping – Corporate Ishstyle !

Here is a nation battling a mamoth of elections . The numbers are awe inspiring .It will be spread over five stages, taking four weeks and involving 6.5m staff. In 543 constituencies, 4,617 candidates, representing some 300 parties, will compete for the ballots of an electorate of 714m eligible voters. The voting will happen in over 828,804 polling stations.

This election is going be under such a intense security due to the terror threat. And yet,this man just simply wanted his ROI. Bloody F***king money mongering …

As a self respecting , urban, middle class Indian I am gonna be involved in voting and be part of this election process than be caught watching IPL matches.

Common Guys ! I may not have money these people have , but hey , I have the dignity which they lack.

Someone forgot to tell Lalit that Indian Elections are conducted during the summer season every 5 years. He could have set the dates of these matches pre or post elections.

Some people just dont change !

The One good thing :

Economist in its latest article India’s jumbo election has this quote -

A poor, diverse country of more than 30 main languages and six main religions, India also has, in the Hindu caste system, a tradition of hierarchy seemingly at odds with a system of universal suffrage.

Since when did India become poor? Wonder why The Economist is so anti – India all the time in its articles.

Did they not realize that because the Indian govt dint budge under Laith’s threats and becasue IPL has moved to South Africa , it has indirectly opened gates of money which will be pumped into the South African Economy?

IPL will be bring loads of money into South Africa in  the form of increased tourism ,tax money, ticket sales, job generation and etc ..

We just did South Africa  a big favor by not allowing IPL in India. Lol! Aint that awesome ..

(Oh yes, these are my thoughts and  opinions  and not a corporate blog)

aaah! clarity finally.. In my journey

You know .. I just figured how i am gonna drive business in my company. Havent even informed Ryan yet. You know .. Ryan , Business Head for BODYFUELZ – my boss.. So he had asked me this question the other day – Vikas , how are you gonna drive business in this company ?

Been mashing up my thoughts for a quiet a while now . Actually a month . Close to a month …

Well , when i did figure out I kinda had this englightment inside me . Like this - “Boom! thats It ! This is what i want to do . this is what i should be doing. this what i am good at . Or i could be good at but not yet there.”

So ahem .. here is what  I would be doing with my future . At least the discipline I gonna dedicate my career.

I will put it in points just in case i read this blog couple of months from now when i need direction.

- Economics + Digital Media : I am trained economist. Rather : trained to understand economics. So no matter what others think ,  I tell ya folks,  Economics is so KOOOOl! Seriously it is .. It makes you compare and understand and figure out how a consumer spends or how he/she is likely to spend, with the money earned. It is fasicnating. It is human drama and it is has all the ingredients to make it a pot-boiler.

Now if I marry economics to digital media , you have a Blue Market Career. Fancy words, fancy titles .. you know the drill!

-  Social Media Communitions : You have heard of social media marketing but this is new. Social Media Communications is the package of social media technologies , corp comm and public relations. I haven tried it yet but something tells me ( it is the guts i say , MIND IT!) that this concept is gonna rock.

-  E Business : Get the word right . It is not e- commerce. It is E- Business. Watch this space to know more on what is the difference between the two.

– Connected Marketing : Word of Mouth, Viral  and Network hubs. String them together and you have a great campaign. Figure out a way to convert that to sales. Man, you will rock the boat!  You know,  I actually wanna rock my life, my relationships and my company once in a while .. Shake out the toxins and bring in fresh air. It will do good.

- Word of Mouth : This is repetative. But I love this concept so much  that it needs to be revisted in my list.  If i can crowd source, buzz market, social network, tech process, thought lead, create hubs and start a wom plague then connect with a sale. I get done more with less.

heads up : Digital Branding is here to stay . What it lacks is a  Jermiah kind of a guy who will walk the talk and talk the walk. I mean , who is will  talk about it ( become a thought leader… ) and walk the talk ( …and show how it is done) . I am gonna be that guy or die trying . I am no technologist . I dont code. I observe  ( i am a buddhist by practise you see..) and i will be the “watcher” and then make my move from behind the scenes .

What will happen in future with these ideas ? Dont know.  Dont care.. but this is me now ..

Using Avast over Avg

Met a genius networking guy .. My laptop is back to damn good condition after he did his magic on networking and security.

His advice :

dont use Avg , instead use Avast .

Dont use chrome as it has security issues and instead use Firefox.

So I just now :

downloaded Avast and removed Avg

started once again using firefox.. Love the browser !

Crowdsourcing – A disappointment

Oops! Its been a long time since i lasted posted an entry here. Busy with work, getting back home late and being tired and my laptop got screwed up cos of my networking guy.

Anyway, just completed the book Crowdsourcing by Jeff Howe, which was a big disappoitment. I thought it would be a worthy successor to Wikinomics or maybe even a good book on understanding the new media and social networks.

Sadly that was not the case. while the scope of the book was huge and examples/case studies great, the book has too much of unnecessary explanation on stuff unrelated to wom, buzz and social media.

I am giving the book a 1 out of 5 stars .

I am now reading :

Direct from Dell

Killer Differentiators: 13 strategies to grow your brand

Connected Marketing,

and a book on Ecommerce

I plan to read :

The Wisdom of the Crowds

Anatomy of Buzz : Revisited

and, Gurillea PR 2.0

Yesterday I got my hands on :

What I talk about when i talk about running by Haruki Murakami . He is one of my most fav authors .. cant wait to start reading the book …

Will be back with a proper post soon..

Save Varun Gandhi Campaign

Quick… Save Varun  Gandhi from certain mental break down. He is a sick child and he needs our care and attention. Poor fellow was taken under the BJP wing and now he has become this communal hate mongering monster.

He first declares in public that he will cut the throats of our Muslim brothers if they say something wrong about Hindu religion. If that is not an hallmark of a sick mind then I don’t know what is. And to top it, he says the video which captured him shouting anti – Muslim slogans were “doctored” by other political parties.

He should be put behind bars under some anti-India law.

I wanna help him. I cant give him a Jadoo ki Japi but I would like to take a cue from the Pink Chaddi campaign and connect with millions of Indians and send flowers with Get Well Soon card to the BJP headquarters in his constituency and convince to drop political ambitions and get checked into a rehab.

Otherwise, this Gandhi clan offspring is not just gonna destroy his life and degrade himself but soil his Gandhi links and become a threat to the entire nation.

I am Vikas from Chennai and I take all responsibility for these actions and have no qualms to face any problems /defamation suits filed against me on this blog. I care more about my society and my nation than….

I am also starting: Save Varun Gandhi Campaign in facebook and all are invited.

Here is the link to the profile.. Join me ..

Save Varun Gandhi

What are my dreams and passions ?

Was not sleepy yesterday night. Say around 12.20 am . I was thinking the question which i never expected I would ask myself.

What are my interests? What are my passions?

And more importantly, I asked the question, how can i make my parents proud? And even more important question, how can I be proud of myself?

What are my interests? I am still thinking about it. Haven’t found the answer yet.

What are my passions? Books. Then how can I convert my passion for books in something myself and my family can be proud of? Should I write a book? No, I don’t have that sort of creativity. I love reading books, collecting books and reflecting a lot on what is written in them. But don’t think I can write.

What else do i like? Economics – Now here is something I can do something about. I can prepare and appear for the Delhi School of Economics, Masters in Economics prog. But, I am not really good with numbers and I don’t have an envious academic track record. I would like to be part of RBI or public sector companies. I may not earn a lot but I can research and write papers which will be of use to nation building.

I love fitness and helping people reach their fitness goals. So should I stop working and do a fitness course and open a gym?

But if that was the case, then I should open a library because I love spending time with books.

Does that mean Fitness and books are interests and passion?

What else? … What else? … I draw a blank!

Is that it? Is that all? I am 25 now and is that all I can think of as my passion?

I talk a lot about branding, marketing and social media.

Are they interests or passion?

Why is that people dont follow passion and follow interest.

For example. Why is it that people end up doing MBA in marketing and finance when they love economics?  Why do people give up on their dreams to learn archaeology and instead study for engineering from their minds when the heart roams in the subject of archaeology? Why study for doctor when they want to work in agricultural related field?

Is it because it has been ingrained in our mind that following our passions will not give us monetary benefits to settle down in life?

My dad loves Chemistry and medicine. I always wonder why didn’t he pursue masters in chemistry and become a bio chemist. He says – Vikas, during those days my dad dint have enough money to send me to a college that’s why .

Do you know what he is today ? He is a Sales guy with 25 years of experience.  You can still see him talk passionately about chemical bonds, aroma compounds and molecular structure. He still buys CIMS latest book and keeps himself updated on medicine and drugs available in the market. He probably knows the combination of almost any drug in a pharmacy.

Today he sells flasks.

Had he pursued his passion he could have done what he really wanted to do in his life – Chemistry, research and teaching. He would still tell me (if I ask him) – Vikas, should you decide to get into research field then don’t worry . I will take care of you and your food and your stay …etc.

I am 25.. I work… Should I be hearing this from him?

Or should I be saying – Dad, why don’t you retire… I will take it from here.

Big Question: What are your dreams and passions? What are your likes and interests? What is the difference between them ..

the accidental Brand Manager

This part of my life was never planned . This part of life of becoming the Brand Manager for BODYFUELZ was as serendipitous as it can come. Becoming a Brand Manager was always part of the plan. Just then I became one a bit too early.

So here I am , Brand Manager of BODYFUELZ. What we do , you ask ? We help some of India’s top sports players, endurance athletes , serious bodybuilders and fitness freaks to reach their fitness goals via performance nutrition.

So we have someone like Sushil Kumar using our highly advanced , bio engineered Aminonutriton products to build lean muscle mass, strength and stamina to reach his peak performance for his game.

We have the Indian Hockey Team use our products like FASTCHARGE and PWRSPORTS to  in their game to build endurance and stamina and prevent fatigue while playing.

We have been helping people develop lean , ripped muscles using our product called MUSCLEMAX .

We enable people in the weight loss program in the most safest , effective manner possible.

And those who connect and buy from us directly either through mail (pmt@bodyfuelz.com), call ( 044-42014141/9884592632) or via facebook community , we give free diet/fitness and nutritional guidance.

Our in-house nutritionist will guide them all round the year.

My Role :

As the Brand Manager I connect with users to help them understand concept of next generation sports nutrition both Online and Offline.

Online –  You can find us here in facebook community –  BODYFUELZ Facebook Community

I believe in the future of social media marrying PR and Viral Marketing .  That is also one of the reasons why i exited from an advertising in industry.

Future  connect :

Starting from now my blog will mirror all that we do in the social media sphere . It would include very precise and practical ideas on building a brand using websites, blogs, rss, social networking, widgets and how to connect that with online PR.

Social Media Chennai Chapter :

I also aim to start a social media group based out of Chennai. A bar-camp – unconference style where i would like to invite brand manager, marketing managers, web designers , chief marketing officers, advertising and public relation executives and the likes.

The agenda would be simple . We will meet to connect and share ideas, best practises, discuss case studies, new trends in the social media sphere and how we can help our clients improve  their reach to their customers.

The only criteria would be that you should be passionate and believer of digital/social media marketing.

Drop in a mail – spartanvikas1983@gmail.com,

call me   – 9884592632

or drop in your comments here and spread the good word.

Look forward to some dynamic response from you guys ..