Vaidehi Mehta

Over an eclectic career spanning some thirty years, I’ve had several people ask me about what is considered appropriate dressing for work. From my role as an agony aunt, teacher, and manager, and some serious arguments about “appropriate” with people older and younger than I, I’ve put together the answers to eight questions that cover almost anything you may want to know about how to dress for the office.

Like everything else that has evolved over the years, in India too, rules about office-wear are so much more relaxed now than they were twenty, even ten, years ago. Then, full-sleeves-and-tie for the guys, and starched-pleated-and-pinned sarees for women were de rigueur even at middle management levels. Though these were not the most comfortable options, we accepted them. These “rules” did not impact our lives in any significant way.

No longer. People and offices have

Deepa Sai

What persuades people to eagerly pre-book for some movies and boo the rest? How have people become fanatics of the Marvel universe, Fast and Furious, and The Mummy series?

A movie can not be launched by releasing a trailer and then go MIA. Gone are the days of cheap Tumblr websites; people’s movie experiences have led movie marketers to go social. Movie marketers today are leveraging digital marketing trends to create a “buzz’ for their movies. Cross promotions, #FOMO, and viral and influencer marketing are some high-powered strategies that are driving movies to the box-office even before they are released.

Every movie that is made has a Facebook page. Marketers release movie posters, trailers, audio launch photos, press releases and wait for the audience to do the rest of their own accord. But these pages hardly get any attention or action from the fans.

2017 is

Shruti Mishra

*A year begins and everyone and his uncle has an opinion on where the digital world is headed. Definitely an interesting topic; lots of research, much chewing of data, and hours spent pondering what on earth it all means.

That’s the essence of what our youngest intern has done—taken a look at the future of social media in the digital world.*

 Read on.

Before diving into what the future holds for social media, let us look at some snippets of how it has evolved over the years:

Inception of various social networks

When did you create your first social media account? Thinking back, are you surprised to know it was over a decade ago?

 Social media is not just about interaction anymore

Back in noughties, social media networks were launched for one reason - for people to interact with each other. What seemingly started off as a mode of interaction through messaging, video

Rony Samuel

With trending online digital innovations, here are some of the upcoming in-store digital innovations. These are believed to transform the course of customer experience and conventional marketing practices in the food and retail sectors.

 Interactive dining table

One such technology contributing to this transformation that I have come across is from the house of Pizza Hut—an interactive dining table that lets you build your own pizza virtually. All you do is design your pizza on the screen, place an order and get it served at your table. Meanwhile, you get to play games on your screen while the pizza is being baked and served.

All these steps completely eliminate human interaction and are supposed to provide an elevated psychological experience.

This works as an innovative marketing concept for Pizza Hut. At the time, it also raises the question: is Pizza Hut turning

by Yogesh Babu

It is not hard to think of how digital our life has become. You can count on one hand the number of people who do not see their smartphones in the morning. Everything today is getting smaller and easier to use. This is because technologies today have enabled customer-centric experiences that are both personal and interactive.

 So, what does “customer-centric” mean?

“It simply means being able to put yourself in your customer’s shoes as they proceed through the digital journey.” – Yogesh Babu

Putting yourself in your customer’s shoes helps you understand what’s important. What works? What doesn’t? What are the multiple touchpoints that can truly transform their user experience? Are you meeting your customer’s expectation in utilizing a particular platform?
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While I can give you 17 new jargons associated with the approach to provide great customer-centric

Deepa Sai

With the rise of social media management tools like Hootsuite and Buffer, people hardly go to specific social platforms to view content. In a bid to save themselves from fizzling out the way Vine did, social networks are vying with each other to offer their users personalised experiences with unique features

Taking the hint, brands everywhere are gearing up too. So, where is content marketing headed and what trends are likely to figure in 2017?

 Here’s our take:

Brands have to make themselves more discoverable with efficient content.

Social networks and mobile apps give more importance to user experience when consuming content. The new Instagram picture slideshow and Facebook carousel ads are convenient options for brands to promote multiple products in one ad, and for a prospect to check out several options before making a purchase. Rather than directing users to

Balaji W Sundar

This is a simple narration of my mother’s foray into the world of apps.
Many a time, we turn to technology for a solution, more by chance than by choice.

My mom—who I always thought of as tech-challenged—had one such experience recently. As she related what took place, she said she was horrified, petrified, and what not!

An avid member of a humour club, she normally calls up my sister to talk about what happened in the latest session. However, for the first time, she spoke more about what happened post the session than the events during it.

Since she was right next to me when she was on that call, I eavesdropped quite shamelessly.

Here is her story:

That day, her humour club session had ended somewhat earlier than expected—at 9:00 instead of 9:30 p.m. It was pretty dark outside. Added to this was the fact that the venue that week was an auditorium in the vast

Yogesh Babu

We all know that brands have - since forever - used all means necessary to spread a new idea or thought that would engage their target audience, sometimes by stating the obvious that we often take for granted. (Yes, P&G did a great job with the “mom campaign”.)

Talking about the obvious, who does not want to go back in time and do some of the more memorable things they did when they were younger? Who does not want return to their school to relive a little nostalgia? Who does not drive past the playground they used to frequent as kids and not think about the childhood games they played then?

You know that feeling? The one you are experiencing right now? That feeling where you want to go back in time and do something you used to do.

Nokia tapped into just that nostalgia with the re-launch of the iconic Nokia 3310. It raised the eyebrows of every 80’s kid because there was a

Shyam G

In today’s world, where every field is a cyborg - a chunk of its working parts is replaced by technology. Customer support has joined the bandwagon of industries that have been bitten by the tech-bug. Recently, Facebook opened its doors to Chatbots developed by independent organizations that could become a part of its messenger app.

View David A. Marcus’s (Vice President -Messenger Applications, Facebook) take on Chatbots here.

This is the first step in taking artificial intelligence to the common user. As a person deeply involved with technology, watching AI evolve from Arnie movies to the smartphone is fulfilling, to say the least. Humans have always known (and dreaded) the day when AI would replace them at work. This is because AI is programmable, efficient, consistent, and obedient - contrary to what Hollywood tells you.

What is a Chatbot?

Chatbots are computer