When someone doesn’t pop the
question – what plans for the New Year – it might seem atypical. Well, that is
what happened to me. No one cared. But that is typical of folks now. The mobile
devices keep everyone engaged. So engrossed are people that most have
absolutely no clue of the time passing by. What do they care of others plans? I
was mulling over the clutter of mobile applications – some device resident
while others in the cloud – and a way to stay away from it when some marketing
to-do list for the year struck me.
1. Stay focused – I had been repeatedly
suggesting to people I meet to stay away from mobile applications that
challenge not just their stress thresholds but the tolerance of others around.
What is increasingly seen is a tendency to procrastinate with the belief there
will tomorrow to make up for today’s indulgences. Marketers who are
relentlessly pursuing ways and means to garner consumers’ mindshare are being
asked to stay away from strategies weighing down their brands. No marketer
would want to commoditize a brand, right? Similarly, we ought to focus on one
or two applications that keep us and others around us engaged.
2. Be seen – One of the advices from my
boss early this year was to be seen where it matters. The connected world
permits one to work from anywhere. It also implies that one can find the most
convenient place to expedite work. While convenience matters, collaboration
between team members should be a priority and hence regular meetings an
imperative. The other day, I asked a journalist friend if she would want to
walk across the road to meet a common friend. She preferred to take down the
number and call instead. The conversation lasted 5 minutes; ending with the
note of a possible meeting at a later date. Be it friends or relatives,
whatsapp, Facebook, hangout etc are challenging the social aspects of human
life. ‘Walking is no more a verb’ in my vocabulary, commented a young colleague recently. ‘Texting, pinging…etc are more frequently used,’ she
continued.
3. Spread word that matters - In our quest
to gain prominence across social media, we tend to indulge in activities that
diminish the significance of matters that demand attention. A nine year old missing
boy in Mumbai was fortunately traced with the help of his father’s extensive
social media network. Not many are lucky though. The unedifying demeanor of our
elected representatives in the Parliament should remind us of obstreperous kids
and neighbors who get ostracized during community activities. Their political
sagacity lies only in hoodwinking people.
