JWT Coffee & Donuts: The Future Of Digital Is Block Chain: Hareesh Tibrewala
Hareesh Tibrewala explains how Block Chain technology can help monetize your digital footprint, as per your own rules, instead of a 3rd party doing it
All of us are fond of future-gazing. If you do this sitting on the road side, you are called an astrologer. If you do this wearing a suit sitting in an air-conditioned office, you are called a consultant. And there are no statistics to demonstrate that one profession has a better strike rate compared to the other. And between these two full-time future gazers, lie the rest of us.
So what is the future of digital? Is it the emergence of messaging apps that give you the privacy of email, at the same time the openness of a social channel? Or is it Artificial Intelligence? Or is it augmented reality? I believe it is all of the above. But then these ideas are all evolutionary. They are already here in some measure, and will get perfected in the near future. But if there is something that is revolutionary, that can impact digital like nothing has in the last couple of decades, then it is Block Chain. Let me help you understand what is Block Chain.
The moment one utters the word Block Chain, one thinks (unfortunately) of Bitcoins (or crypto currency). The fact is that crypto currency is just one of the 25 different applications of Block Chain. And in my opinion it is actually not the most important application of Block Chain.
The Internet for the past two decades has been the Internet of Information. I have some information. I host it on a server (web server). Someone else wants the information. He (the browser) access the server, the server gives out the information. However what the server is giving out is only a copy of the information. The “actual” information continues to remain with the server. Thus the owner of the asset (asset in this case being information), sees no diminishing of his asset value even when others get copies of the information. What is interesting about the Internet of Information, is that anyone can access information from anyone else, if the giver is willing to give the information. It needs no permissions, transcends geographic boundaries and is 24x7. You just need to have the URL of the website and you can access that information. No intermediaries, no controls, no approvals needed…and access to the entire 3bn Netizens. Generally speaking, Internet of Information enables free flow of information, if we exclude outlier cases like China or North Korea.
Now what if I could transfer assets of value, in much the same way, across the Internet like I transfer information. Today if I want to transfer to you 100 Rupees, it is important that when I give this you, my “ledger” balance reduces by 100 and your “ledger” balance increases by 100. But in today’s world I need a trusted 3rd party (a bank) to unequivocally say that my balance has come down by 100 (and thus my asset value) and your bank balance has gone up by 100 (and thus your asset value). And the same holds true when I want to transfer other valuable assets, and these could be financial assets (stocks, a piece of land, bonds) or assets with IP (music, book) or assets like a vote. And every time we need a trusted third party, like a bank, a depository, the government (for land records and votes) to ensure that transfer of assets results in the necessary impact in one’s individual asset ledgers.
But the problem with these ‘trusted’ third parties is that they are monopolistic, charge a lot of money and then of course they themselves start creating frauds. This is where block chain steps in. Using block chain, when an asset is transacted, the transaction is broadcast to number of computers simultaneously (in an encrypted fashion such that only the parties involved in the transaction are able to access actual details of the transaction). These computers who store the information are called ‘Miners’. And anyone who has tons of computing power can become a Miner. And since the same information is being stored with numerous Miners, there is no longer any monopoly (no excessive record keeping charges), far higher security (for someone to create a fraud he needs to necessarily be able to change the information at each Miner), and complete democratization of the financial system. The only transaction cost that the miner gets is the cost of electricity to keep these big computers running.
Imagine 10 years from now, you want to buy a piece of land of Dubai. Using drone technology you can see the piece of land sitting on your laptop. And if you choose to buy it, create a contract using Block Chain technology for purchase of the land, transfer the money to the sellers’ ledger, and the piece of land gets credited to your ledger. No banks required to transfer funds, no government registration required to demonstrate ownership of land. And the world becomes one big Internet of Value, one big global market
Block Chain also has some interesting applications for communications and media industry. Violating IP for content will almost become impossible. A content creator, using Block chain, can set policies for usage of content and receiving payments against the same. There can be a separate pricing, say if someone wants to stream a song and listen to it one time. Another pricing is someone wants to download and have the luxury of listening to it many times. And yet other price is someone wants to use the same song in a movie. And now anyone across the globe, without actually getting in touch with the content creator, can use the content after making necessary payment. All this is possible, because block chain allows micropayments (something which is very difficult right now with our complex banking systems and intermediary costs) and also because Block Chain enforces a trust protocol across the globe.
And assets are not just financial assets. Ones’ own behavorial data is also an “asset”. Lately there has been a lot of talk of data on Facebook and other social channels being used for marketing. As consumers, it is we who create digital footprints and thus data. But we don't seem to have much control over this data that we create. And other platforms like Facebook and Google actually monetize this. But what if using Block Chain, we are able to create smart-contracts with micro-payments that give us complete control over the data that we create. And we set rules as to who can access this data, how long, for what purpose and at what cost. This now means that I can monetize my own digital footprints, as per my rules, instead of a 3rd party doing this. All this is possible using Block Chain technology.
This, in my opinion, is the future of digital.
- Authored by Hareesh Tibrewala, Joint CEO, Mirum
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of exchange4media.com.
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JWT Coffee & Donuts: Why role-playing women is gender-bias by another name: Shujoy Dutta
In the last decade odd in Hollywood, it’s become important to ask whether films or TV serials pass the Bechdel test, says Dutta
The Bechdel test requires a work of fiction to:
1. Feature at least 2 women who are named
2. And talk to each other about something other than a man
It isn’t supposed to be a measure of high-art, a lot of highly rated cinema and literature fail the test. What it does, is encourage us to see Men and Women in equal light, and of course exposes our biases, our shallow stereotypes etc. One would hope that at least in fiction we’d do a better job of representing women. However, only about 50% pass the test. Of those, writer Charles Stross notes that about half of the films that do pass the test, only do so because the women talk about marriage or babies.
This seemed to me an interesting tool to sniff out a bias. So I thought why not create a similar test for advertising. At best it would expose our biases towards how we thought of women and create healthier advertising. At worst, it would help in creating better end of the year stuff for Cannes.
The Bechdel Advertising Test...
1. Should not show a woman protagonist who is a Mother, Girlfriend or Wife
2. The protagonist above should not be selling Beauty, Fashion or Accessories
3. And should not be a celebrity, who’s adding star Power
(There’s also a good reason, why the rules above makes no mention of models who’re used as drapery or arm-candy. This article is arguing well beyond that kind of objectification.)
On applying this test, nothing popped to mind immediately. Even when I looked at Effie winners, and Abby winners, celebrated advertising, few campaigns passed the test.
Sure, we need to use roles and stereotypes. I understand. How would we know who we were communicating to and create protagonists that appeal across the board, if we couldn’t identify them with some generic qualities, some stereotypical values. But the ease with which I can identify ads where men are just being themselves and not husbands, fathers or boyfriends, and the struggle to find ads that don’t show women only playing roles, perhaps reveals that our stereotypes are a little too stereotypical.
It’s not that women don’t desire cars, or phones, or pizzas, or even Insurance policies. But we’ve made a call on who the primary audience is, and reduced the secondary one to her supporting role. I suppose that couldn’t be helped. But what about categories where the audience is clearly women? I think these categories do a greater disservice. And of these, I think a special place in gender-biased hell is reserved for categories that speak to moms. The pressure advertising puts on moms being super-moms to the exclusion of her romantic life, her own hobbies, her friends is crazy.
It’s not just our ads, even when we paint pictures of the aspirational consumer – a cool mom is not someone who’s learning martial arts three times a week, or whose gang of friends is a riot, but a mom who makes Pasta on weekdays for her hungry kids.
For me, this is a huge indicator of our collective inability to imagine women as anything but beauty evangelists and role-players. And in an age where we find ourselves sharing and commenting on #metoo & #equalpay it’s high time we considered how we portray women as protagonists.
Personally, I’ve been guilty dozens of times for slipping into the easy gender stereotype, and casting every woman in a role, but recently while making an ad, quite by whim, we changed a gang of boys into a gang of girls, and the commercial became much, much cooler. Not just for being less gender biased, but because it was simply a new conversation. It was an eye-opener.
So for expedient reasons, if not more liberated gender-equal reasons, let’s consider the Bechdel test. We do a heck of a lot of Public Service advertising exhorting the world at large on how to treat women, but do little examination on the inside.
- Authored by Shujoy Dutta, VP and Executive Planning Director, JWT
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of exchange4media.com.
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ShareJWT Coffee & Donuts: Women on Top: Tista Sen
Tista Sen, National Creative Director, JWT India, on what it takes to be a woman who has lived every aspect of life to the fullest
Ok now you have my attention. What makes me, really. And what exactly does that make me into.
Think about it. We are creative folk. We think. When we are not supposed to. Ok we over-think. We write odd things, we doodle stuff no one really cares about and most of the time we are convincing those who shall never be convinced on something we aren’t convinced about to begin with.
That’s the work part.
Home is spent in equal measure doing some of the above again and then other stuff. Pottering about, changing the upholstery, invading the kitchen, throwing a wonderful party. Cooking up a storm. Lovely stuff.
But where’s me?
The other stuff that makes you who you are. That.
I remember a friend from out of town who wanted to meet at the Gateway. Sea-lounge at Taj was where I was heading until she said no let’s meet at the parapet outside. So we did. Sat with our backs to this great monument but over-looking the sea with all that bobs and is gone. We had channa sing and counted pigeons. It was very liberating. That could be the stuff.
I know of people who browse art galleries, take in a movie, all strictly during office hours. Yup that’s other stuff.
If you haven’t seen all of Satyajit Ray’s masterpieces sit down and binge watch him instead of Netflix. That’s other stuff.
So here’s my very personal other stuff list. Try it and let me know if it works.
Be Spontaneous
Come on. Walk into the rain. Hell! Walk into sunshine. But do what pleases you. It helps. However odd, the better. It will define why you go to sleep smiling.
Be Weird
Yup. I wear a flower in my hair. Someone wears yellow chappals to work. And I do remember a person who came to office only in a long kurta. She had forgotten the bottom she said. Totally weird I thought but totally weird like I want to know you. You funny, funny child.
Be Inquisitive
If you aren’t flipping through reference books go ahead and Google. Buy and find the answer. It’s so easy that it’s a crime not to know. If you have a passion. If you have a whim go internet the hell out of it and devour it.
Be That Other Person
Empathy is what will embrace you through lonely days and be your only true friend. And you need to make time for that. Pick up the phone on that annoying aunt who you know will not live long. Call up that colleague who is laid up with a broken leg. At my last girlfriends meet we went and had tea with our school teacher. Not sure she remembered us all. But it was a delightful afternoon over tea and tears.
Read. Read. Read.
Not your texts. The sheer physicality of a book. Feel it heavy in your hands. Hold it close to your heart. And allow yourself to be transported. It could be crime, it could be romance, it could be Gandhi. Read. It will enrich you in ways you cannot fathom.
Face-time your Folks
Yes. It’s a job. Sometimes none too easy. But it defines you and makes you who you are. I was talking to a young colleague just today who said she felt like her parent’s parent. So, they are behaving like you, I asked. Yes, very badly she muttered. I laughed.
Share your work with Bharat
I learnt this from the most creative leader in the industry. Whenever a new film arrived at his desk. He first called Joga. The canteen boy. Mine is Bharat. He’s terribly smart. Very sharp. And obviously working here is just a little step in the path of his very ambitious plans. He sometime sees the work and says maza nahi aaya. He’s right.
Love Yourself
You’ve had the worst day. You’ve had the worst meeting. You’ve had a very inconsiderate boss. Go curl up in our room and shut out the world. Nah. Go get your hair done. And a foot massage. You feel like a million bucks.
And it is not just platitudes. Try it.
I have danced bare feet on Oxford Street.
I have walked down Ballard Estate alone at midnight. And soaked in the silence.
I have taken a horse carriage ride (before they were banned) from my hostel on Marine Drive to Crystal restaurant 5 minutes away because I wanted to feel like a princess. And I did.
I have bought balloons to release them immediately.
I have said no to networking and networked over scrabble with my boys.
I have cheated at Pictionary.
I read for an hour every night.
I say I love you now with amazing frequency and with the same emotion.
And all I can remember is the endless things I haven’t done.
-Tista Sen, NCD, JWT
Disclaimer: The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not in any way represent the views of exchange4media.com.
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JWT Coffee & Donuts: The future is women (consumers): Mythili Chandrasekar
This word picture is based entirely on the emerging world as seen through J Walter Thompson Innovation Group’s The Future 100, annual trends update
She will be a digital nomad, part of a flexible international tribe, working in a world where work, travel, freedom and wanderlust collide. She could choose from networks that give her job options in across countries, because anywhere there is wi-fi could be an office. Not just a consumer, she will be a micro influencer or a celeb-preneur herself. She could be living in a ‘second city” that makes urban life affordable. And if she must commute, her commute to work will move from car ownership to shared mobility solutions.
Experience, wellbeing and self-improvement will be the three pillars of her spending.
So what will her shopping look like? It will include AR mirrors where she can try out different looks, and if online, hands free selfies will make smart fashion recommendations. All products she buys will have built in cameras, the internet of eyes, so every sentiment and action can be analysed. While the internet of ears will enhance her consumer journey. Manufacturing at the speed of internet will make possible hyper personalisation of products and products will be manufactured after ordering, further reducing the gap between wanting, ordering and receiving. Retail spaces will allow residence-like experiences. Premium products, brandless, white label goods, will be available at a fraction of the costs, made with millennial friendly values – gluten free, organic, fair trade and more. Products will talk to her about familiar technology, honourable prices, clean and clear packaging, via social media advertising - intimate, inclusive and bff communication rather than traditional. At the payment counter, facial recognition can help her to smile to pay. Or she could pay with a mobile wallet even in an offline store or maybe it’s a staffless stores. And even her thrift shopping will be slick, and tech driven.
5G will allow her to download a full length HD movie in seconds. Movie theatre experiences will reach home while they are still playing in theatres. Alternatively, she can direct the flow of the narrative she is watching – interactive story telling will take entertainment from private to personalised. With more viewer data, more segmentation and micro interest groups, more entertainment will reflect diversity.
Look what she’s wearing: religion literally on her sleeve with fashion taking on the new moral compass, disc shaped tampon alternative for wearing during sex, and if breast feeding, she can wear her breast pump in her bra, it will even track how much collected and length of each session. If dating, it will include ghosting, icing, simmering and “stable ambiguity”. If pregnant she will have a personal doula, for emotional and educational support through the pregnancy.
She will be living in a residence boasting biological living, with circadian lighting, air purifying walls and maybe an indoor vertical farm. She could pick her vegetables off a garden above the store. Her drink could be tasting like a burger. Or if she wants to eat a burger she could be picking up a vegan one. With Silicon Valley getting into food, she could be choosing her wine off an app. Her cake could be made by a former architect who uses algorithmically-generated visual programs to build cakes. Evenings will be in non-alcoholic bars that marry wellness with nightlife. And in an increasingly visual world, she will be swiping her phone on her plate to gather effortless information on what she’s eating. Dessert could be purple sweet potato. Even at the doctor’s, food will also the new medicine, the new prescription.
Her beauty products will likely be created by celebs who were earlier endorsing other brands, but are now using their knowledge and influence to be design disruptors with their own powerhouse lines. Raw, honest, authentic, will rule. Beauty stores will be more like labs, allowing consumers to create their own concoctions. She will expect beauty brands to be fluent in sexual and mental health, spirituality, and nutrition. With skin diagnostic mirrors, and apps to monitor wrinkles and sun exposure … she could end up monitoring herself excessively. Ads portraying women better let her know if the pictures have been retouched.
Holidays? If not around the moon, at least a near space experience 15 miles above the earth’s surface. More purse friendly ways to assuage wanderlust, more airlines in between traditional and low cost. At the same time, at the intersection of luxury and travel, will be lux-peditions, where physical and intellectual challenge - extreme authenticity is the new luxury. While Star Wars, Hunger Games, and the likes of Twilight Saga will be not just movies but experiential hotels.
Luxury brands will have to root themselves in purposeful ethos, and build communities and loyalty around shared values. Everything from leather to diamonds will be chasing environment friendly optional materials.
VR will get into mediation and therapy, and anything can enable wellness including cannabis and micro-dosing of LSD. While store brands in beauty and foods will chase pared down design, health products will get more aesthetic and pharmacies will have to offer a subscription model. If overly stressed, she may look for rage rooms, outlets where stress meets immersive entertainment.
She may well be willing to put a microchip in her body to open a door, pay for food. And of course, we’ll know all this, because she will have an on demand personal videographer, capturing her life for show-casing.
- Authored by Mythili Chandrasekar.
(This word picture is based entirely on the emerging world as seen through J Walter Thompson Innovation Group’s The Future 100, annual trends update)
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JWT Coffee & Donuts: Unrestrained- How The woman narrative is righting itself: Bindu Sethi
One of the most defining moments in Indian story-telling paints a woman as a victim of patriarchy, aggression, and judgement. While the mythology continues to be prevalent, what remains to be examined is if the narrative has changed course for women today.
(Pic: Amruta Patil)
PUSHING BACK PATRIARCHY
While patriarchy may change its shades from strangulating to benign to even empowering; it remains the truth of her environment. The choices she makes are judged by the parameters set by it. Whether it is the more visible ‘strangulating patriarchy’ that restricts her freedom or the more ‘benign patriarchy’ that restricts her ambition.
The woman of today wants to get past the designated role-play to find her own identity. While constructing a family, she is trying to create space for her own ambitions. Her conflict though is in trying to manoeuvre her way towards leading a quality life, while challenging patriarchy.
Most Indian women believe that they are not barriers to their own success. They acknowledge that it would be their family, parents, or spouse that present barriers to them achieving their full potential. But they are significantly more confident today that they can achieve their goals by rising above patriarchy.
NAVIGATING THE AGGRESSIVE ENVIRONMENT
It’s not just about the patriarchal blocks; as she steps out to carve her desired life, she is faced with a physically unsafe, bullying, aggressive environment. From cat calls to casting couches; she must arm herself with tricks, gumption and a spine of steel deal with it all; to be able to navigate with her dreams unquestioned or even worse, paused. That’s probably why Indian women are feeling the need to be both stronger and bolder in comparison to their global brethren.
TAKING ON SOCIAL JUDGEMENT
Every push towards a change in narrative is met with judgement. Reasonable enough desires to delay marriage/kids or adopt unconventional careers or even explore her sexual freedom are under scrutiny. To carve out a sense of herself and not be held back by old narratives, she is taking a stance against judgment; only she should have a point of view on how she lives her life.
Women are breaking on through to the other side where they are transforming from victims to heroes. They aren’t going to just save themselves, they are gearing up to save the world. They are on their way to becoming the makers of a positive difference.
(Pic: Ruby Jagrut)
Enabled by technology and their support in each other, women today are changing the story.
TECHNOLOGY AS THE ENABLER
Technology is a germinating a new revolution. It is enabling Indian women to leap-frog from these barriers to create a new prosperous world. 90% of Indian women believe that technology has given them a voice. Today with technology, she is connected to a community, a country and the world which is empowering her against patriarchy and judgment.
Whether it is entrepreneurs like Richa Kar (founder of Zivame) who changed lingerie shopping or platforms like stayuncle.com (They help unmarried couples find rooms in cities without being harassed) which is enabling them to find a place to explore their relationship freedom ~ technology is emerging as their backer.
THE SISTERHOOD OF REVOLUTION
The second wave of support is coming from other women. 93% believe that it is important for women to help other women advance in their careers and in the workplace.
Platforms like women on wanderlust are enabling women to travel. Kangana Ranaut’s fight for equal pay has found support amongst emerging celebrities. It’s a small start but strong nevertheless.
THE IMPACT ON COMMUNICATION
Women are the largest emerging market in the world. It’s the ‘Dow Jane effect’: The greater the power of women, the greater the country’s economic success. Empowering women in India would add $700 billion of additional GDP by 2025, upping the country’s annual GDP growth by 1.4% (Source: McKinsey). Over the next decade, women will wield enormous influence over politics, sport, business, and society.
THEY ARE RE-DEFINING SUCCESS: For them success means redefining what society and success should look like beyond what has been prescribed.
FEELING THEIR OWN POWER: 74% Indian women feel it’s never been a better time to be a woman. 92% of women think femininity is a strength not a weakness. 93% claim that they are working to improve the community/world around them. We live in a world where India’s Cabinet Committee on Security has two women out of four members (Sushma Swaraj and Nirmala Sitharaman).
ESTABLISHING EQUALITY: Whether it is in rules that apply or in terms of opportunities.
The aspiration is for a more enlightened, progressive world of tomorrow from a conservative, restrictive one. As they unshackle themselves, they will give us the opportunity to lead a more fulfilling life. Isn’t it then time for us to expand the role and ambition of women in communication? As marketers and advertisers, it is in our interest to inspire, hasten and enable this shift of utmost significance.
(Co-authored by Shweta Khosla- VP & Strategy Planning Director, JWT Delhi)
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Coffee & Donuts with JWT- Delightful reads and fresh perspectives to perk up your Mondays
exchange4media in association with J Walter Thompson South Asia, now presents Coffee & Donuts to give you a slice of #Mondaymotivation with some interesting industry reads and insights brought to you by the ace JWT network
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The first article is penned by none other than Bindu Sethi, Chief Strategy Officer, JWT India will debut on February 26, 2018. It will essay how the women narrative is righting itself and its impact on the communication arena. The upcoming series will encapsulate enriching conversations around future consumers, trends in the ad-land, marketing landscape and more that are sure to trigger a fresh line of thought.
You shouldn’t be missing out on the though-provoking read by Sethi and a powerful line-up that will bring to the table some fresh perspective on various industry issues, trends and more. So wake up and smell what’s brewing in the industry with Coffee & Donuts with JWT.
Click on the subscription link below and enter your email id to be part of the conversations that will ensue at Coffee & Donuts with JWT which are sure to rev up your Mondays.
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