Tiny Prints = Big Impact

This post is long overdue, per usual.

This summer during my 'down time' (whatever that means), I came across and amazing place that has what I think will revolutionize the greeting cards market. For those who think Hallmark is still the place, please catchup. For those who think you are hip because you now do "online greetings" please can you be any less personal??

For those who are able to see where this is going... that is right, I am about to introduce you to a whole new type of greeting card: Tiny Prints Greeting Cards.

They are awesome, and their impact is not Tiny. In three easy steps (perhaps more steps the more creative you are) you can 1. choose a card 2. add photos and some personal text 3. ship the card directly to the recipient via US postal service (for only $0.34 or whatever the going rate is).

Voila - you just made your mom cry, your boyfriend smile, or your friend hug you (please note these cards are not limited to stated market segments).

I encourage you to check-out these cards, as I think they are the way to go. In addition, in the spirit of the upcoming holiday season -- they also have holiday cards which are also pretty stellar.

Check them out: http://www.tinyprints.com/!

My Sample:

Safety Seriously.

If you fly on planes regularly (choose your own definition), by now you have probably stopped paying attention to the safety demonstrations that come on while you are taxing to the runway... well I do anyways (if you are judging me, stop) until my trip to Bodrum, Turkey.

On my way from Istanbul to Bodrum, I flew Pegasus Airlines. I was about to close my eyes and hopefully fall asleep, when I heard a cute British accent over the intercom. To my surprise I looked up to find the most BRILLIANT (and cute) safety demonstration video. If there is a way to keep my attention (and probably many others) Pegasus found a way to do. Kudos Pegasus!

Check it out:



Btw, the Turkish version is super cute too:

As a side note, Pegasus offers super cheap tickets intra-Turkey, and their flights are great, so I would totally recommend them.

Brella...um.

This post is inspired by a purchase I made while visiting Rajasthan, India:

Yes, I bought an Umbrella. Not just any umbrella, an anthropologie-ish umbrella (it was love at first sight). A sunbrella if you will... In anycase, as soon as I bought the umbrella Rihanna's umbrella..ella..ella..a started playing in my head. And I thought, I wonder how many songs in the world revolve around umbrellas... so this post is dedicated to some songs that pay tribute to, well, the umbrella!

Enjoy (contains videos)!

1. It is only natural to have the first video be for a song that ruled the LA nightclub scene in the summer of 2007:
2. The second song, recorded by Lee Morse -a famous American Jazz and Blue Singer-was recorded in the late 1920's (the fact that a song about Umbrella's was written in the 1920's got me wondering about the origins of the word 'Umbrella' so here it is - The word umbrella comes from the Latin word umbra, meaning shade or shadow; the term was popularized in the 16th century, but I'm not sure when people switched from using Parasol to the word Umbrella- back to the song, check-it:
3. Okay this one is not exactly about Umbrellas, but it does highlight another one of my favorites: cartoons! This was directed by Bernard Derriman and he currently directs the PBS series "Big Green Rabbit":
4. Going Bollywood: This post wouldn't be complete without some international flair, so here is a song about a blue umbrella (Chatri in Hindi) that is from the move "The Blue Umbrella"; in case you want to know more about the film - The Blue Umbrella :

Mashup - FunFacts.

(Contains Videos)

Last week, I helped facilitate a lecture on Global Etiquette at the Ahmedabad Management Association (across from IIM). Instead of giving a lecture that revolved around a list of "DOs and DON'Ts" in other countries, we decided to help 40 MBA students from Mumbai understand that Global Etiquette simply (or not so simply, if you are socially awkward) requires being people savvy, perceptive, and adaptable. Although we attempted to use slideshows/fun-facts/panel discussions to help get the point across, we failed (miserably). These students have apparently been handed a list their entire life of "DO's and DON'Ts" and putting them in an environment which required them to draw their own conclusions and voice their own opinions was well... just dumb on our part. In any case, I learned a couple of cool things (from Prof Ram Kumar) during this attempt at sparking insight:

1. Bhutan would be an awesome place to visit, but the country limits the number of tourists to 5,000 per year and requires that you spend a minimum of $200 a day while you are there.
2. The logo for Chupa Chups (in case you are confused as to what a Chupa Chup is: It Ain't the Butterfly, It's the Chupa Chup) was created by Salvador Dali. It hasn't changed since its inception in 1969.
3. There are tribes in Africa known as "Cargo Cults" whose ancestors potentially came in contact with planes during WWII, and have mimicked the idea of an airport using straw and other raw materials, in an effort to get planes to return. Their inability to understand modern technology has led them to believe that creating this environment and worshipping/praying to straw planes will help them return.

On an unrelated note... how do you teach creativity and innovation to a group of people who have been spoon fed exactly what to do your their entire lives? Sigh.

Cooliris Photo Wall

A cool way to display photos. My photos.

Two-Sided Markets

Check out the original post @ http://aifservicecorps.blogspot.com/2010/03/two-sided-markets.html.

SAATH:

SAATH is a non-governmental organization that utilizes market-based strategies to create inclusive societies by empowering India’s urban and rural poor.

Visa:

Visa is a global payments technology company that connects consumers, businesses, banks and governments in more than 200 countries and territories.

What does that mean? Okay, if you take nothing else away from this please understand this. Visa is not a credit card company. They have absolutely no say over what your credit card limit is, what your interest rates are, or what kind of non-Visa rewards your bank gives you (However use Visa, you’ll be better off all around =)). Therefore, please, please stop asking me or any other former or current Visa employee to fix these issues for you, you will only find our answer frustrating. Instead, go find your friends at CITIBANK, BAC, or ICICI and ask them to deal with your credit card woes.

Visa is first and foremost a technology company. They use technology to support payment transactions between those who want to buy with those who want to sell. Visa gracefully capitalizes on the notion of a two-sided market, allowing it to make more than $6 Billion in revenue in 2008.

By now you are thinking, what does this have to do with SAATH…

Two Sided Markets:

As soon as I walked into the door at Visa, my mentor (Chris Sweetland) handed me a book called “Paying with Plastic.” Although the notion of two-sided markets is all around us, it wasn’t till this book that I internalized the power of the two-sided market - two or more customer groups that receive value only if all sides are actively engaged. It’s the notion of the greater good. If we collaborate we will all be better off. The issuer brings the cardholders, the acquirers bring the merchants, and Visa brings the network to be able to connect any combination of issuing and acquiring institutions.

Let me break this down less technically with the help of “Paying with Plastic” for those of you who are still like: what the heck.

This is a classic example used to explain two-sided markets, I’m just going to put my own spin on it.

Let’s rewind to 2002. You’re waiting in line to enter the “hottest” nightclub in Philly – Transit (Penn, please laugh). When you approach the door, you realize it’s free entry for ladies “AWESOME”, and $20 bucks for the gents. The club is the “network.” Men are one side of the market, and women are the other side of the market. To bring men and women together, the nightclub (network) decided to charge the men, but not the women. Why?

A nightclub is a great destination to meet the opposite sex (assuming that is what you are into). If that is the case, women for some reason are harder to come by in nightclubs, therefore to attract women, and meet the opposite sex’s demands, nightclubs offer their services (a forum for meeting others) free to one side of the market. Genius (and extremely convenient for me =))!

And there you have it: Bring the women and many men will come, and pay to come.

Two-sided SAATH:

SAATH applies the same logic, except to the Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP). SAATH’s Urban Resource Center (URC) serves as a network hub, physically, instead of electronically. It connects service providers in Ahmedabad, to those who need or want it, specifically those in underprivileged communities. The URC offers more than 130 services from acquiring a ration card, to finding a driving instructor. It charges a membership fee to get users to sign up and then allows them to access all of the URCs different services (again for a fee). It helps service providers like the government, other NGOs, and private companies to access this relatively untapped market who is willing to pay for goods and services, but who currently don’t have exposure, access, trust or the knowledge to use them.

The Gap:

Currently, SAATH runs the URC on an NGO model as opposed to a social enterprise. This is where my skills (expertise?) come into play. How can the URC be revamped into a social business which still meets the needs of the bottom of the pyramid, but become self-sustainable (with a surplus) in the process?

The Solution:

Visa charges both sides of the market, why can’t SAATH? Instead of just charging the customers to be linked to services, SAATH should charge private institutions, NGOs and the government to leverage its network platform. Its ability to connect the customer to the supplier is just as or even more valuable to the service provider as it is to the customer. Therefore this linkage, and capitalizing on it, is what will help the URC be sustainable and more importantly scalable. If a service provider had to build its own center or outlet in each underprivileged community, just as if every bank had to build its own payment network, the service provider would make less progress, and so would the bank. The banks realized this in the early 70’s and formed NBI and IBANCO, the predecessors of what is now VISA Inc. SAATH realized this and formed the URCs, and now needs to capitalize on its value proposition.

The Takeaway:

If you want to reach the bottom of the pyramid, tap the URC. If you want to purchase things GO World, GO Visa.

Fun Fact:

Until Early 2008, Visa was a not-for-profit organization, which then successfully converted into a corporation with a p/e multiple of 38.9. The URC currently runs in a not-for-profit status… think of the possibilities.

March Music Madness

Okay guys, don't worry, I'm alive and well. I have just been super busy.

Sorry for leaving you for so long, but to get back in the spirit of things, I wanted to give you the gift of a new hindi song (Aditi and Moneeza, if you are reading this, please have the corporate strategy team on their feet).

Enjoy!

The Top Down (Approach).

I remember reading the vault guide and always wondering when in real life I would ever use the “top down” vs. “bottom up” approach.

And today, as I sat in Ahmedabad, Gujarat inside my friend's WagonR, it happened.

The answer to the “bottom” is the top down approach. In my mind, there are two very hot topics in the development space:

1. Climate Change

2. Bottom of the Pyramid

How do you reach the bottom of the pyramid, and do it in an environmentally sustainable way? The key: you start from the top down!

The answer potentially doesn’t lie in India, or if it does, it doesn’t lie in the slum community. In fact, in order to get those at the bottom of the pyramid to use more environmentally friendly products, or take loans to buy solar lamps instead of battery powered lamps, we need to start at the top. We need to start with influencers.

Who are influencers?

1. Heroes – ex. Doctors (Okay not just any doctors, but doctors that live in small villages, they are huge influencers in small communities)
2. Builders (builders higher contractors, laborers, and day workers, who all use tools, equipment, and supplies that are consumed by the top of the pyramid)
3. Those with buying power (everyone idealizes those with buying power, people want to have the liberty to make the choices that others have, and they would probably make the same choices if they had the money to have that chance)
4. Westerners (I am just going by what I see and hear here, this is not because I have an ego or something… even bollywood idealizes Americans)

Although we may educate the slum community on the benefits to the environment when using “green cement” or “solar powered” lanterns, if we aren’t using them ourselves, and if they aren’t being idealized on television or in movies (television and movies that get to the bottom of the pyramid), then why would someone want to take a loan to buy these things, or why would they want to pay more for them?

Let’s look at the typical buying pattern for any consumer when looking at solar lanterns as an example:

1. Is the quality better? (perhaps, but not on cloudy days)
2. It is cheaper? (initially no, but in the long run yes)
3. Do most people use it ? (no, people generally have electricity lines running directly to their house)
4. Is it better for the environment ? (yes, but remember initially it is more expensive)

A consumers will typically buy something if it is “popular” or they need it. And when they need it, they go for what is most reliable, and definitely what is cheaper. Secondly, most consumers like instant gratification. So why would someone want to get something expensive, when it only pays off in the long run?

In any case, besides the “top of the pyramid” being the influencers, they are also the highest consumers of excess crap. I mean even I’m guilty of it. I probably didn’t need to buy Nutella yesterday, but I did, because well, I like it. Okay so this doesn’t really have to do with Nutella, but more with not buying new things until we really need new things. Or not buying stuff, we really don’t need. What I mean to say is as influencers, policy makers, etc. , we should essentially start with ourselves.

So what is the conclusion? I am encouraging all of you to go and buy solar lamps, wind turbines, etc. to light your houses, instead of using the grid. Since I know that is not holistically practical, what I would like to do instead is to tackle the influencers one at a time. Maybe the doctor in the local village, or the builders who build things, or bollywood. In any case, please don’t take my examples as the end all, instead please understand what I’m trying to say.

This blog post is dedicated to Hasit and Elizabeth, the sidekicks who embarked on this journey and influenced my thinking.

Bengaloored.

Get ready, Meghana is back and in English (sorry, Kannada is hard to understand)!

Watch the preview for her new movie coming to theaters soon (if you are confused as to why I'm blogging about this, then check-it http://mousambi.blogspot.com/2009/01/mudi.html).

Good Luck on your new movie Meghana!

BENGALOORED- PROMO from Swaroop Kanchi on Vimeo.

Dharti.

Meet Dharti.

Her mother, Geeta, use to help at my aunt's house (Nishant and Amish's house) and now Geeta's sisters, Dhaksha and Rekha, help at their house. Dharti came over one day with Dhaksha and Rekha (D&R) to play while D&R helped clean the dishes, mop the floor, etc. She was literally bouncing off the walls... singing, dancing, playing, and being silly. My aunt told me how smart Dharti was, and how quick she was to pick up on things... that's when the wheels started turning. I asked my aunt an array of questions, for which she had an answer to every...

Will Dharti go to school?

What will happen to her?

If she is so smart why don't they put her in school?

It turns out that no one in Dharti's family (minus Dhaksha) is even slightly educated. If Dharti goes to school, gov't schooling in Gujarat is so bad, she won't learn anything and will have to go to tutions (after-school tutoring, which is super expensive). If she doesn't go to tutions, she will never pass and move to the next standard (grade level). In addition to tutions, she will also need help/guidance at home, to make sure she does her homework etc., and there is no one around to ensure that. My aunt has spent a lot of time contemplating whether to put her through school (she still has 1 year before she is old enough to enroll), but my aunt spends some of her time in the US. While she is in the US, there will be no one to look after her schooling.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how I could help Dharti and kids like her. There are NGOs that work to help kids get enrolled in schools, but they only help them until they are 14, then they are on their own. Most kids drop out after this point, because they can't afford to continue schooling. If Dharti drops out at 14, the next reasonable thing for her to do, is join her aunts. As for now, Dharti's fate is sealed, like her mother and her aunts, she will also take up being "house-help" as her profession.

Please don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with having your profession be "house-help," if you take pride in what you are doing... but below, I explain why I am concerned. Dharti is lucky, in that her family has been coming to my aunt's house for a long time. If she continued with my family, they would treat her with respect and ensure her general well being, like they do for D&R.

In India, it is common to have "house help." These people usually live below the poverty line (bpl) and live in slums or chawls.

If you are lucky and your family has been working at the same house for generations, you are usually treated with some level of respect and "like" family by your employer (such is the case at my aunt's house), but if you are the type of "house help" that is serving multiple houses a day, you are usually treated as less than a human being. It is quite sad to watch the amount of disrespect that these individuals take on. They are so use to being mistreated and they seem to "brush their shoulders off" so well, you would think they don't realize what's going on (they do).

Sometimes I stop and think how many times I hear people in the US say, I would never "stoop" so low, or get treated in such a way to certain professions in the US (I am guilty myself), but really, these people have no alternative. They need to create a livelihood for themselves, and if that means being mistreated in the process, at least they can put food on the table for their families.

Fun Fact: Dharti (pronounced Duhur thee) in Gujarati/Hindi means Earth.

Happy Diwali (Dipavali).

Happy Diwali everyone. For those of you who don't know what Diwali is you can read more about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diwali. It is a very important holiday for Hindus and Jains, but for two very different reasons. Among Hindus there is a different reason for why it is celebrated in the north and south, it's quite interesting considering it's the same religion (on a sidenote, for some Hindus the new year falls now, and for others its at a completely different time during the year... also interesting).

As for Jains (I am Jain (a Jain?), in case you didn't know), Jains celebrate Diwali because it is the day that Mahavira attained enlightenment.

In any case, Diwali is a blast in India, not only because you get vacation time =), but also because of the traditions that come with it. One particular tradition is partaking in the art of Rangoli. Rangoli is a form of sandpainting decoration that uses finely ground white and colored powders, and is commonly done outside homes in India (thanks wiki). Attached is a sample of the Rangoli that my cousin and I created (before my aunt, that master, laid her hands on it). Not to pat my own back, but I think it's pretty good...

Fun Fact: "Paisley" as the design is known in the US, is known as "Cari (Mango) Design" in Ahmedabad.

And yes, I intend on bringing back lots of bags of colors so that I create new masterpieces (originals) in the US of A.

P.S. we copied someone's Rangoli design, but don't hate.

Vodafone ZooZoo.

How does one choose a cell phone carrier in a county in which he/she is unfamiliar with each service provider?

If you were someone who had logic and reasoning you would either:

1. Search the web

2. Ask the locals

3. Do a cost/benefit analysis

If you are Bijal or Meghana, you would base your decision solely on who has the best advertising =).

Check out these awesome ads by Vodafone (aired during Twenty20 IPL Cricket matches). I can never understand the commercials here because they are in Hindi, but these are pretty self-explanatory. My two favorites (out of the ones I've seen) are below:

Green|Fingerprint.

I originally wrote this post about two months ago, but was unable to post it with pictures included until now.

Back in July, for my 26th (yes I'm getting old...sigh) bday, my friend Sendil (can be pronounced SEN-dal or SIN-dell) gifted me one of the most

personal/sentimental gifts I've ever received (note I said one of...). I had dragged him into a stationery store back in June, him and Gerard, if I recall correctly, and made them wait around while I checked out cool new things that the store was promoting.

Sendil, if you don't know him, is an eco-fiend. He works at TESLA motors (yes he's given me a lift in a roadster and it was AWESOME), and he will opt to take the bus instead of driving to spare the air even though he has a pretty sweet car (Check-out the post 'Beep Beep' for more info). In any case, instead of just buying me some ordinary stationery, he opted to combine my obsession with stationery, with his obsession with eco-friendliness.

Introducing (to those of you who I haven't already talked about it with) Green|Fingerprint Letterpress Stationery:

The envelopes are even personalized with my home address (which I didn't provide him). How awesome!

Green|Fingerprint uses 100% post consumer recycled and tree-free paper. And the picture doesn't do justice to how nice the stationery actually is. Anyways, check-out their site at www.green-fingerprint.com.

And for all of you ladies out there getting married, check-out their invitation sets... even you South Asian ladies, they'll create a design with paisleys (called mango print in India) or even Ganesha on it...if that is what you desire.

Fun Fact: Stationery is spelled with 'ery' and not 'ary'

Also, please stay tuned for other great gift ideas (also delayed)!

SLICE SLICE Baby.

source:http://www.flickr.com/photos/23475878@N07/2254093448/

I saw an advertisement for Slice yesterday, which brought back memories of family parties, Superbowl Sundays, Chuck E. Cheese (Showbiz Pizza) birthdays and every other kind of gathering in between (child appropriate gatherings that is).

I checked out Wikipedia to see whatever happened to the infamous Slice, and apparently it had a makeover in the U.S. (or at least the lemon-lime version did) and became Sierra Mist.

For those of you who have missed Slice, it will be making a comeback in 2010 (yes in the U.S.), but who knows if the formula will be the same so don't get your hopes too high.

In any case, cheers to the days of Slice (and Kool Aid yum=)).

Orientation

To start off my time in India, I spent 10 days in Delhi getting oriented with Indian laws, politics, health issues, etc., and managed to have some fun while I was at it =). As part of the 'fun', we partook (is that a word?) in a scavenger hunt, which was pretty stellar. Below are pictures from the scavenger hunt around Delhi, including some signs that I found to be pretty humorous:

In

order:

1. CNG Rickshaw (not humorous)

2. Recommendation to climb the stairs

3. Amy's Heartthrob (a.k.a. Salman)

4. Lotus Temple

5. Watermelon with a side of flies

6. Partners in Crime

7. Pakistan and India are friends

8. Sunset

9. Random Building Top (edited per Anonymous' and Bhezad's help)

10. Your dad.

Cadbury - Community Service 2009 - TIME

My love for Cadbury just got stronger:

Cadbury - Community Service 2009 - TIME

Shared via AddThis

Conserve.

Conserve produces fashionable goods out of recycled material. I heard about the NGO while I was in Delhi a week back.

I had an opportunity to visit Conserve’s studio and showroom and am thoroughly excited to share their products with you. Conserve started out producing goods from recycled polythene bags that are discarded along the street. If you have ever been to India, you probably noticed that throwing trash right outside of your house/car/rickshaw is completely legit (I’m not saying I support it, just giving the lay of the land). This is one of the many things that makes India look/feel dirty. There has been a tremendous push, especially in large metropolises, to get rid of the trash that has been discarded literally everywhere.

This is where the ‘rag picker’ comes into play. A ‘rag picker’ goes around the city picking up trash, similar to a garbage man, but he/she is way more skilled (than a garbage man). Not only do they pick up trash, they also separate goods into recyclable and non-recyclable goods. I had an opportunity to visit a rag-picker and see how they sort and separate large amounts of trash into plastics, paper, rubber (courtesy of an NGO called Chintan). They even further separate recycled materials into subcategories, for example separating plastics even further into bottle caps, water bottles, colored plastics, clear plastics, etc.

In any case, Conserve has advanced its processes and now uses a variety of recycled materials (including tires) to produce really cool products, some of which I have photographed above. You can find their products at Wholefoods in the U.S. and visit their website at http://www.conserveindia.org.

Welcome to India.

Chandni Chawk.

Hi friends, sorry for not blogging sooner. Haven't had internet access. .am currently writing from a cafe that has internet (not to be mistaken with an internet cafe).

Here is a taste of India... more to come, when I have more stable internet.

Sonar + Facebook Groups.

Like Sonarrrr... Radar, or maybe that's MARCO/POLO... whatever, who are marco and polo anyways?

Okay...do you ever get on facebook and go to the info section of your friends pages? Don't lie, you know you do... Well, I don't normally, but I have this friend, I call her Sonar (I have a @copyright on it, so back off), her name is actually Sonal, and well, unlike most people who join millions of groups, or those of us, who are almost at the zero end of the spectrum, she joins... interesting groups, in particular, groups that I would never be able to join. Allow me to explain with some examples:

Her groups/ Why I can't join:

1. Girly Movies/ I love them, but I might love bollywood and disney more
2. Caloricious Food and Smartass Friends/ I have trouble pronouncing Ca-lor-i-cious
3. WESTBRANCH/ Ladies and gentlemen, I grew up in Criminal Hill (formerly known as Chimeny Hill), not Westbranch!
4. I judge you when you use poor grammar/ I can't judge people with poor grammar, because well, as you might have noticed, I am no grammar queen
5.Please Try To Pronounce My Name Correctly/ I like it when people call me bihal (NOT), okay maybe I can join this one...
6. Houston. It's Worth It/ I agree it's worth it, but probably not for you!
7. For Those of You Who Think Those Rolling Backpacks are Just Ridiculous/ I kick myself everyday for not filing a patent for rolling backpacks. seriously, I love them
8. I Love Taco Bell/ enough said.

I am sure some of you will promptly go to facebook and join some of these groups, which is fine, but while you're there "friend" Sonal... if you can find her amongst the 9,300 Sonal's that are searchable.

If you have anymore fun groups for Sonal to join, please Suggest!

P.S. Sonal, how about "friend" for grammar??? What, do you not like facebook anymore =)?

Brazil Gone Bollywood.

My friend Moneeza is on a project in São Paulo, and while chatting with her on gchat (google chat for those of you who still use hotmail/yahoo/etc.), I learned that Brazil (Brasil) has gone Bollywood.



In fact, they have gone more bollywood than the U.S. in my opinion. They have a telenovela (soap opera), yup that is right, it runs 6 times per week and it's called Caminho das Índias.

According to Wiki, it currently ranks as one of the most watched shows in Brazilian television. The storyline examine beliefs and values that differentiate the Eastern and Western world and the central plot revolves around a forbidden love between two Indians of very different origins, Maya and Bahuan (I think they hit the mark on typical bollywood).

The main characters consist of Brazilians acting as Indians, instead of Indians acting as Indians... and the guy is, well, NOT a sight for sore eyes =).

In any case, I'm not very found of the opening, it reminds me of the days when American Eagle put Ganesha on Flip Flops (re: http://www.ivarta.com/cause/C18_AE_Ganesha.htm), but the acting is reminiscent and eerily similarly to those soaps my family friends watch on zee-tv (http://www.zeetv.com/).

And just for the record, as is the case with 99% of bollywood movies, I am sure this too will have a happy ending (exactly why I love bollywood and Disney =))... Moneeza, keep us posted will you?

Check-out the intro and a clip of the show, songs and all, courtesy of Youtube.