Unfair and Lovely – It’s More in their Minds than in your Skin

Sequence of Pictures taken by Pax Jones

Source: bbc.com

We live in a society where prejudice seeps into every aspect of our lives.  Right from the time we enter the world to the time we take our last breath, we are governed by the whims and fancies of the social order, but how many times do we raise a question on these set norms? We accept them, respect them like any other worldly truth, nurture them, and bequeath them further to our next generation. Racism, casteism, colourism, and sexism are a few to name from the never-ending list of such set norms.

However, there are people, and the number of such people is so less that they can be counted on one’s finger tips, who have taken initiatives to break the prevalent stereotypes. Of late what millions of people from all over the world are talking about on the various social media spheres is the ‘Unfair and Lovely’ campaign created by three students from the University of Texas. Targeting the South Asian countries, where ‘Dark Skin is Desirable’ says no one; this campaign is a food for thought about how valid it is to curtail people from various opportunities on the basis of skin colour. Be it prospects of marriage or even jobs that have nothing to do with one’s skin colour, the unfathomable obsession with fair skin can be distinctly felt in the air of these countries. People with dark skin are judged, humiliated at every step in life as they are made to feel the limitation of options, starting from getting clothes to life partners. 

lincyshroom shares her photo on Instagram
Source: bbc.com

Statements told to kids again and again in almost every household, and mind you to the girl child especially include – “Don’t play in the sun, otherwise you’ll become dark. Don’t drink tea, or else you’ll ruin you fair skin.” Do we realize what potential these statements carry in breeding insecurities in young minds about their skin colour? Well, these insecurities have now become so deep-rooted and propagating that the 180$ million skin whitening industry in India (source: Jewish Business News, 2015) is feeding on them!

Basing its name on India’s popular skin whitening cream Fair & Lovely, the Unfair and Lovely campaign celebrates the beauty that lies in dark skin. It has taken inspiration from a project started in December, 2015 by Pax Jones, a 21 years old Black student from the same university, who created a strikingly beautiful string of snaps featuring her sisters Yanusha and Mirusha, and South Asian friends studying with her.

#unfairandlovely has been creating ceaseless discussions on Facebook and Twitter, besides stirring the social media metrics by garnering millions of impressions. The campaign asked people to take pride in their dark skin and post their pictures on their social media accounts. It was reported that Instagram saw posts from about one thousand people. When asked what the aim was for starting such a campaign, Pax Jones told BBC - "We wanted to start a conversation and I think we have succeeded in that".  

How VR Technology is Changing our Lives

VR or 'Virtual Reality' has been one of the most rapidly growing technologies in the 21^st century where the idea is to let people interact with objects, other people and their environment. 

One of the most recognizable and known objects of virtual reality is the head-mounted display also known as Virtual Reality Headset or VR Glasses. The growing trend of this technology has been seen in the market in the last few years. The application of it is not only limited to create a 3D world or a fantasy but it also has a much more practical scope.

In the field of healthcare, VR is used for surgery training, robotic surgery and phobia treatment. Doctors have also started using virtual twins of their patients, to practice surgery before the actual operation.

Virtual Reality in education sector aims to change the approach of receiving knowledge. As students are becoming more tech-savvy, an interactive 3D world will give them better understanding of objects with the opportunity of getting into physical engagement with them.

When Facebook bought Oculus in 2014, the founder of the social networking site, Mark Zuckerberg made it clear that this technology is beyond games and called it a “New Communication Platform”. 

Workplaces are also being converted into virtual spaces at low cost through the use of this technology. Now meeting can be held with people located in different places,  virtual tours of different office locations can be taken, employees can be trained and products and services can be also developed using this technology.

Famous series like Star Wars, Game of Thrones, and Final Fantasy have got the VR treatment. Such a use of virtual reality in the entertainment sector has increased the engagement rate of the audience. 

VR technology is also used for training simulation for soldiers where they are re-enacted a particular scenario that include battlefield simulation, flight simulation etc. 

Travelling has become more affordable now with VR technologies as one can strap on the glasses and travel to various exotic islands, mountains, and tropical forests within seconds.  

A lot more technologies are coming in the near future where one will be able to stand next to the performer or have his/her own music festival. Oculus is in the process of developing a virtual reality movie called 'Lost' where the plot will be directly affected by the viewer. The latest entry in the gaming world is Project Natal which requires no keyboard and controller; only the user’s voice and motions serves as a medium of interaction.

Bollywood Transforms - Trashy Vs Classy

Surrounded by all the glamour and glitter, Bollywood is known for its 3 hour-long movies packed with drama, emotion, action, romance and a complete playlist of songs.

The mainstream Bollywood movies are loved by the audience not only in India but all over the world. In 2014, films featuring mega stars such as Aamir Khan in PK and Hrithik Roshan in Bang Bang together marked box office collection of Rs 500 crore in Indian market. Total theatrical revenue collection in 2014 was Rs 2,753.78 crores. (Source: Times of India and Business Standard)

However, 2015 did not really look the same. There was a dramatic fall of 6.7% in the total revenue collection that dropped to Rs. 2,567.98 crores. The major reason for this was the evolving mindset of movie goers. Viewers are now more “content-conscious”. PR and marketing has played a vital role in getting audiences to the multiplexes; however that seems to be changing slowly. While some opt for no-brainer flicks like Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo, the other set of movie buffs crave for sensible and impactful cinema. The latter part of the audience spends somewhere between Rs. 250 – Rs. 800 to watch a film that has a solid story line, cinematic appeal and obviously acting, which seems to be missing in most typical popcorn flicks.

In 2015, Bollywood box office saw that medium and low budget movies attracted more audiences to the box office while those with extensive PR and marketing gimmicks could not shake it up.  The likes of Tanu Weds Manu Returns (Rs. 152 cr), Piku (Rs. 80 cr), Pyaar ka Punchnama 2 (Rs. 60 cr), ABCD 2 (Rs. 105 cr) and Badlapur (Rs. 50 cr) gained more profits than anticipated. During this year, it was seen that content- driven movies were loved by the audience as sequels of such movies saw immense success at the box office. Tanu weds Manu Returns, ABCD 2, Pyaar ka Punchnama 2 and Welcome Back were a hit and were able to drag audience to the theatres.  Movies like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, Bajirao Mastani, Dilwale and Dil Dhadakne Do did exceptionally well in worldwide box office. Six multi-starrer movies crossed the Rs. 100 crore mark and two crossed the Rs. 200 crore mark, and in case of 2014, 9 movies had a collection above 100 crore mark.

This steady transformation from trashy and highly publicized cinema to well-crafted work of cinematic art is quickly catching up with the audiences. This is undoubtedly a big change that was witnessed in 2015 and hopefully continues in 2016 and beyond.

In 2016, with the success of Akshay Kumar starrer Airlift and Sonam Kapoor’s Neerja, it is evident that content-centric movies are being appreciated and rewarded while no-brainers are being trashed and thrown out of the window by the audience.  Sensible content is truly proving to be the King and we sincerely hope, we get to watch more such films this year. 

HAPPY MOVIE ‘ING’ PEOPLE! 

Google's SERP Layout Undergoes a Change

Before the Change in Google's SERP Layout

The latest change in the advertising layout has transformed the look of Google’s Search Page. As per the new style there will be four ads at the top of the search results and three at the bottom, and the right panel will remain empty with certain exceptions. These exceptions will include the following - Google will continue showing the Product Listing Ads (PLAs) and the Ads in the Knowledge Graph on the right hand side.

This change is to bring the desktop Google experience in the mobile as well, which is designed for highly commercial queries, where the layout is able to provide more relevant results to people who are searching, and better performance to advertisers. Such a modification will also reduce the total number of ads on the Search Results Page and will be in sync with what searchers will see on Google on their mobile phones.

After the Change in Google's SERP Layout

Ever since the change was brought about in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP), the page looks quite bare. However, Google is not abandoning the right sidebar advertising; the space will be utilized for Sponsored Product Listing. In other words, Google is likely to compensate for the lack of right hand side ads by increasing the number of top paid ads at competitive terms.

The Search Engine Giant has been testing this new advertising method for the last couple of months in order to check the impact it has on its revenue. It is expected that the Cost-Per-Click (CPC) will inflate with this major change, along with projections for it to be more profitable in the long run.

Are Marketers Ready for the Nutrition Transition in India?

After the Modi and the Start-Up wave, the face of our nation is being swept with yet another change! Revolutionising eating habits like never before, the generation of today, is moving towards consumption of more and more healthy foods and beverages.

This paradigm shift is unfolding as junk and western fatty food items are taking a back seat in the everyday gluttonous, ‘to-be-eaten’ list of the youngsters. Pizzas, cold drinks, burgers are decreasingly holding the ‘top-of-the-mind’ consumer space as majority of the people are getting back to traditional diets.

The much gnawing matter of concern for mummies regarding the consumption of fruits and vegetables in good quantities by their children is seemingly ceasing to exist. The younger minds are no longer indulging themselves in mindless eating. Their decisions are increasingly being weighed out with nutritional facts of what they are choosing to eat. This new transformation has been attributed by the ‘healthiness’ hype created by media, economic uncertainty and the rise in the incidence of lifestyle related diseases like diabetes, cholesterol, and obesity.

India is currently undergoing what experts call the ‘Nutrition Transition’. With the rise in income people are prioritising the consumption of healthy foods and beverages. A number of survey reports have shown the readiness of the young working class to spend more money on healthier foods. This movement is also associated by their keenness to try out more innovative products given that these items qualify the criteria of freshness, healthiness and taste. No wonder the demand for organic foods has been surging day-by-day!

The Puratos Taste Tomorrow 2015 Survey, while understanding the culinary habits of Indians, found out that 46% of consumers in India expect to have healthier food options by 2025 while 76% of them say that they prefer to eat freshly baked items on the spot from a live bakery. 

Given the fast evolving lifestyle of people, a lot of dependence is being seen on processed food. However, consumers are now seeking to consume functional food to answer their rising anxieties associated with expanding waistlines. Research reports show that people are checking product labels in detail before buying them. The proportion of these people as according to The Puratos Taste Tomorrow 2015 Survey stands to as high as 74%.

Against the backdrop of the increasing ability of consumers to churn out the healthiest foods and beverages from the market, it makes much sense in understanding why the food manufacturing giants have started to incorporate the ‘healthiness’ factor in their trade calls. They are not leaving out any opportunity to prove how their products are low on fats and high on essential nutrients required by the human body.

Countless marketers are joining the bandwagon everyday and are taking bets on the health of their consumers, but how many of them are actually providing what they confidently and openly avouch! Such strong claims are definitely creating an interest among the consumers for the products, but are they converting them into loyal customers? It’s time marketers thought about this!