Be careful about what you listen to first thing in the morning
We all experience this from time to time
You hear a tune playing and then, it loops in your head all day.
It may even be something you don't particularly like.
But you're stuck with it.
Certain riffs that have an ability to burrow deep. And that's the focus of a new commercial from Spotify.
Two guys walk down a college classroom corridor.
One asks the other guy's opinion about a song from the playlist. He plays the song.
They walk past a classroom where the professor is teaching complex physics or maths - the blackboard is full of formulas.
And the professor, in a completely natural burst of enthusiasm, sings the next two lines of the song out loud. Then stops, realising he's facing a group of stony-faced youngsters.
Perfect timing and casting.
We do this all the time. When a song we know plays and we listen to a few bars, we have to complete the next few lines in our head. Or, if we lose ourselves in the moment, sing it out loud.
Its one thing getting stuck with a repetitive track early in the morning. They are harmless to begin with but the 'repeat' mode is jarring.
It's a bit like beating hiccups. Have your alternative addictive playlist handy. And hope your mind smoothly switches tracks.
How far TV has come in 50 years
In the 70s in India, it was barely available, except to Indians in Delhi.
Even that was for a few hours a day in the evening. One channel and the so-called 'popular' programs formed an even tinier slice of the schedule.
Once a week, for half an hour, there were film songs played. It had the kind of viewership channels today can't replicate. The scarcity economy at work.
Newsreaders were stiff and formal, especially the ones reading the English news. They barely cracked a smile and every headline was pronounced in grave tones, as if the fate of the country hung in the balance.
They would be horrified at what TV news has become - debates and shouting matches on every channel.
The media story that changed TV in India was the staging of the Asian Games in 1982 and the state broadcaster Doordarshan transmitting for 8 hours a day in colour.
People rushed out to buy TVs because there was something to watch. Since then, the satellite revolution in the 90s and the internet have permanently changed the medium.
Today, homes have hundreds of channels and multiple remotes strewn casually on the sofas. As people switch between the satellite channels and OTT streams.
But the feeling lingers. That the packaging of TV programs has got much better than the programs themselves.
The optics of politics, stardom and projections have eclipsed the main show.
And that's where change needs to happen.
But no one really cares as long as the TRPs keep delivering hits to skyrocket media company valuations.
Ola is betting the world will want one
It's being touted as a 2-wheeler revolution starting in India.
It comes from an outsider who first locked horns with another global ride sharing giant.
Who came off better there is debatable, but Ola has managed to pull off something big in another avatar.
The launch film starts off like an eco-commercial.
Then, like all films do these days through a wide drone shot, it zooms to the roof of the factory set up in a pristine, scenic location.
On the roof is the founder, Bhavish Aggarwal.
And he goes on to list the multiple features that the bike has built, from the ground up.
Apart from the mechanical ones, the 7-inch display facing the rider is definitely a first.
And it provides everything from maps to music. With speakers built in.
The bike can sound exactly as you want it to, so personalization is much like your mobile phone themes.
And no keys. It senses the owner as he or she walks up to the vehicle and calls you by name. When you get off the scooter and walk away, the vehicle locks itself.
One of the biggest problems with electric scooters was the perception that they cannot be compared to their mechanical cousins. Not in terms of power or styling.
Maybe that's still some years away but the OLA S1 is certainly a contender in the future two-wheeler sweepstakes.
Bhavish has his eyes on the world market - and gigantic plans.
Every week, I'll plant a few ideas in your mind on branding, behavior and markets. Triggers for your thoughts. Spread the word to your friends. All you have to do is click the link and enter an email address.
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