News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Life
Culture & Art
Hobbies
News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Culture & Art
Hobbies
Kanye and the Wild West of AI & Inclusivity - Paul Writer
Kanye West aired an ad during Super Bowl that had a link to a site that sold Swastika t-shirts labeled HH. The site changed its merchandize after receiving approval for the ad. His social media posts made it quite clear that this was Nazi-linked and not a religious symbol to him. Shopify, a Canadian company has taken down his […]
30% off works for DeepSeek. And you. - Paul Writer
The OpenAI rival from China has trashed share markets and pretty much broken the internet. All DeepSeek had to do was put out its product on the same day as Donald Trump’s inauguration as President of the United States and release a white paper – yes a white paper! – about how they did it. […]
I want to bill like Simon Sinek. Not Infosys. - Paul Writer
When I joined Infosys in 1998 my salary more than doubled from my previous job at Ogilvy Advertising. Advertising agencies quite simply didn’t make the kind of money that IT services did. Clients paid more for the work done by Infosys than they did Ogilvy. So the way to increase profits is either make the […]
2025: Instant Happiness! Not. - Paul Writer
Last year AI was still shiny and full of promise. I’m already in the trough of disillusionment as a consumer. It ain’t Maggi. It doesn’t come with a simple set of instructions that you follow for 2 minutes three days in a row, and change your habits forever. Trend 1: Human Intelligence vs AI Shoppers […]
Let them have Ganji Chudail. Or cake. - Paul Writer
Ganji Chudail (GC) is an animated green witch created for the YouTube channel Majedar Kahani. She is also now the latest “brand” property with Swiggy, Nykaa, YouTube, Netflix using the character in ads. Yeah, sure, I’m happy that local content is being licensed and the ads are funny, but are marketers losing the plot? The […]
Is Kim Kardashian's bot prophetic? - Paul Writer
Kim recently posed with Tesla’s robot and self-driving car. Apparently totally for free! I guess it does make sense to cozy up to your future overlords. You’re in a cab and the driver suggests you deviate from the map provided by Google as his colleagues have suggested a better route. Do you agree or get […]
Are Blinkit & Zomato driving us to desperation - Paul Writer
I found the interactive print ad announcing the launch of Flipkart Minutes charming. Something the family could do together as the ad worked twice! You can see the wipe-to-reveal ad here. Great targeting as not just adults but no-phone kids also want everything “right now”. You may remember that I sashayed out to the Durga Puja Pandals […]
Elon vs Dee, let's eat strawberries - Paul Writer
The teen cast an eye at Buckingham Palace as she and I drove in a modern Black Cab (so awesome!) to the Taj St James Court in London. She couldn’t believe someone rich would want to live in that giant old place. I grew up oohing and aahing over Princess Diana, so this was a […]
My Blinkit Sari & A Happy Puja - Paul Writer
I am back from celebrating Durga Puja in Kolkata – now billed as the world’s largest global public art festival. What’s a girl to do when she sighs that she has nothing appropriate to wear? She of course buys a traditional Bengali sari on Blinkit for Rs 600 ($10), gets it home delivered in 10 […]
Welcome to the Rat Park, er, Dreamforce! - Paul Writer
You’re not a rat if you went to Dreamforce. It’s the sort of thing I might do myself. I moderated a couple of sessions at the recent ETNow Femtech Awards (a great summary here by Nithya Krishnan) and the energy I derived from in person interactions with all these marvellous people is amazing! The serendipity, fun and […]
Of Christmas Cakes and Tupperware - Paul Writer
The annual Christmas cake, precious with fine sugar carefully saved through the year, would be baked a few days before and the cake carefully cooled, sliced and packed into a giant white Tupperware box. Our trust in that airtight seal was that the cake would stay safe until after midnight on Christmas Eve when it […]
CMO should be the Apple of Your Eye: Ask me if they aren't - Paul Writer
Way back in 2007 I brought back an iPhone – the one and only at that time! – from New York to Bangalore for my husband. It was then – as now – a hugely hyped product. It is pretty amazing that 17 years later people still eagerly await the launch of a new Apple […]
Have a Brat Summer and What Jhumka - Paul Writer
“Kamala IS Brat”, a tweet by Charli XCX, was embraced by Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign team as a valuable endorsement. I’d be surprised if Ms Harris had heard of the album or the artist or her millions of fans called “Angels”. Luckily her marketing team did and moved quickly to celebrate the tweet by changing their banner to […]
Lampshade Women & Can Marketers Change the World - Paul Writer
Palo Alto Networks has apologized for using women as literal lamps at a conference. The fact that it happened and noone spoke up at the time is a sign of the systematic objectification of women that we don’t even notice. It makes us uncomfortable but hard to fight it as it is in the grey areas […]
Kalki & Childish Gambino - Brands & Blockbusters - Paul Writer
I know, I know, I’m the frugal marketer. Why are we discussing blockbusters? I’ll connect it up, promise. First, I wanted to let y’all know that I am doing a program on coaching. It’s something that people over the years have told me I’d be good at, so I decided to explore. I love learning […]
Enhancing the case study format for social media presence - Paul Writer
About the Client Client: Microsoft India Project Duration:1 Year (2021-22)Campaign: Weekly LinkedIn Posts Challenge Following the success of creating 50 visually appealing and easily amplifiable short-format content assets for Microsoft India’s customer success stories, Paul Writer was tasked with an even more challenging project. The goal was to create shorter social media posts that encapsulated […]
50 Snack Boxes’ packed and delivered in 30 Days - Paul Writer
About the Client Client: Microsoft India Project Duration:1 Year (2021-22)Campaign: Weekly LinkedIn Posts The Challenge Microsoft India had accumulated an extensive repository of client success stories demonstrating how various companies, ranging from large enterprises to small-scale businesses, achieved significant results using Microsoft products, tools, and solutions. However, these detailed case studies were underutilized by the […]
Maslow and Zuck's Beer Swigging Cows - Paul Writer
A weekend visit to Russell Market for fresh fruits, vegetables and dry fruits was a regular ritual for many years for the whole family. We got invited to a family wedding by the owner of the dry fruits stall. My in-laws were a bit sceptical because they wanted vegetarian fare while I was excited by […]
Anant & Radhika OTS is TMI - Paul Writer
If I see the words “impeccably dressed” and “limited edition” or hideous pink bling clothes in the context of a wedding again I shall scream! It has been impossible to escape – whether it is Facebook or NYT or ET or X. An Opportunity To See (OTS) of 3 within a reasonable span of time, is considered sufficient […]
Gone With the Wind Got Me My First Job - Paul Writer
I have to confess that my engineering grades were not great. Luckily companies like Tata Elxsi used an entrance test as a qualifier, and I love those kind of tests! The HR folks were a bit disappointed to discover that their entrance test scores were inversely correlated to engineering grades 🙂 They then decided to […]
Marketing without a budget. How any brand can compete and win! - Paul Writer
Here’s a sneak peek of the magic we unleashed: Jessie shared her expertise on stretching marketing budgets and avoiding costly ad campaigns. We explored practical strategies to make your business heard in a crowded marketplace without breaking the bank. Using Jessie’s repeatable framework, we learned how brands like Zara, Zoom, and Canva grew without relying […]
Is playing the piano good marketing? - Paul Writer
The day after I completed my 12th grade exams, a potential arranged marriage groom arrived at my gate. I had not expressed the slightest interest in marriage and was all set to join any computer science engineering course that would have me. My parents swore that they had no clue about this too. Apparently the […]
Managing Indeed's 'Simply Better Work' Radio Campaign in Singapore - Paul Writer
Indeed aimed to increase brand awareness among job seekers in Singapore through an engaging and informative radio show, coupled with social media campaigns. The goal was to connect with young job seekers, discussing current workplace topics to attract them to the Indeed platform and its features.About the Client Client: IndeedPartner: Kiss92 FM, SPH Media […]
SEO is sort of dead, but Mick Jagger isn’t. - Paul Writer
I was at the Marketing Society’s meeting on B2B earlier this week in Singapore. I like hearing about what others are doing, and meeting marketers is always fun. And I was super thrilled that our client Indeed’s ad film got a special mention in the discussion. There was also an ad from Adobe which was highlighted […]
Credibility vs Reach: For effective marketing ROI - Paul Writer
Sean Combs a rapper better known as Puff Daddy or P. Diddy was accused by his former partner, Cassie Ventura, of assault. He denied it. And when a person is considerably more well known than the other there is a higher tendency to be believed. Until a rather gruesome video was put out by CNN […]
#LetsLearn: In conversation with Jessie Paul "Marketing Without Money- An Essential Guide" - Paul Writer
Marketing without Money is packed with tried-and-tested tools and techniques that have successfully worked. Bundled with the author's unique Branding House approach, it takes you through the process of building your brand.
Happiest Minds' Agile Transformation - Paul Writer
The collaborative efforts between Happiest Minds and Paul Writer resulted in a well-defined corporate identity, a compelling value proposition, and a strategic marketing framework. The successful execution of the “Mindful IT” theme has not only reinforced Happiest Minds’ position in the market but also contributed to the company’s journey towards achieving its ambitious revenue target. […]
Conversational AI Trailblazers : Brand Positioning and Go-to-Market Strategy - Paul Writer
The case exemplifies the power of strategic branding and marketing. By understanding customer insights, identifying whitespace, and crafting a compelling brand narrative, Active AI is poised for sustained success and market leadership in the dynamic field of conversational AI. About the Client Active AI is a prominent provider of conversational AI platforms tailored for financial […]