Be Flamboyant!

People like colours, but when it comes to wearing them, most men prefer to stay away from them. This is a major difference which can be seen in the dressing style of the men in Guwahati and London.  Since I started feeling the fashion of London, I took a bold approach towards colour in my dressing which can sometimes be classified as a ‘clown’ in Guwahati. It can be scary for one to wear ‘Orange Trousers’ or ‘Green Jeans’ for the first time but once one overcomes the fear, it will change the style and outlook.

Credit: British Fashion Council

I have come across some interesting point about wearing colours by men at Topman Generation. Topman Generation is an online magazine which has innovative updates about fashion, culture, lifestyle and music. The piece ‘The 5 Rules for Wearing Colour’ highlighted few points about overcoming the fear of wearing colours (Click here to check). It ranges from experimenting a little bit when incorporating colour, adding a splash of colour with accessories to avoiding too much grey. Following these rules will be a good start to try out colours. 

Colours can be an interesting way to show your character. One should use imagination to experiment with colours but at the same time remember to keep in mind the shade of colour which will suit the skin tone.  Go ahead; it’s good to be flamboyant!

Credit: British Fashion Council

As Seen On Screen

One of the things I miss the most about London (besides the rain) is the fashion; especially during the time of Christmas, when Oxford Street is bustling with shoppers and stores offering attractive, mouth-watering discounts! One fine day back in London, I browsed through various online retailers in the UK, such as Topman, H&M, New Look, ASOS, among others. I had to pick one to shop with, which was always a difficult choice, seeing how good each retailer was. I finally decided to stick with ASOS!

I first came across ASOS while working for a PR project at uni. Initially, I was a bit skeptical about shopping online as I always preferred to see and feel the product before buying. After nearly 4 months of reading reviews and assuring myself, I gathered courage and decided to give it a try by buying a "Summer Coat" after finding it on offer at 70% discount. The delivery was on my office table within 2 days. Way to make a first impression!

Now that I am back in India, I discovered that ASOS is one of the very few international online retailers that ships to India. I love their products and their collection is always up-to-date and in sync with the latest style and trends in London. The advantage of shopping with ASOS is that there is no delivery charges, no matter to where in India. Although they claimed to deliver my order within “10 working days”, it took them nearly 20 working days. But the wait was worth it when you consider the style and value for the money!Now impatiently waiting for my first "Leather Jacket"!

Waiting for this!

Bond! James Bond!

Since the release of Quantum of Solace in 2008, the future of the next Bond movie was cast in a shadow of doubt due to the financial situation of the MGM studios. In 2011 when I was on my way to  work, I heard it on the radio that finally a new bond movie is on the process. The James Bond series has to its credit as one of the longest running film series of all-time and second highest grossing film series after Harry Potter. The James Bond movies are not just about action, but about the style, the Aston Martin with occasional BMW to the signature vodka martinis (Smirnoff being the first in Dr No to Die Another Day)

Product Placement has played an important role in terms of marketing. The history of product placement can be first seen in the book Around the World in Eighty Days. It was announced, in Skyfall that Bond will change his preference of drink to Heineken. I am not sure how this go will down with the hard-core fans of Bond series, but as product placement contributes towards one-third of the Skyfall's budget with Heineken contributing a reported $45 million. The automobiles industry followed by consumer electronics and computers and then beverages are on the top of the lists for product promotion in films.

The Skyfall released in UK on the 26th of October, the premiere in London took place on the 23rd  in Royal Albert Hall which along with the actors was also attended by The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. I have to wait for another week before the film is released in India. With the initial screening to the critic, the film has gained positive review.The first 30min before the actual movie starts, the audience are made to watch commercials of the products, featuring Daniel Craig, that have been used in the movie and are also the core sponsors.

P&G Best Job: Being a mum!

After a few busy months, I finally have some time! I had exams to deal with, work as usual and the Olympics to watch (which I believe was a great show from start to finish!). The entire Olympics event took a lot of brainstorming and effort by all the officials, volunteers and most importantly the Londoners. With 11 'Worldwide Olympic Partners', the Olympics is probably the most appealing event for businesses to show off their brand. 

Proud sponsor of mums

On a Sunday morning with nothing to do, I was browsing through YouTube videos and suddenly an ad by P&G caught my attention. It was titled "Raising an Olympian", which showed the story of an Olympian from the mother’s perspective. One link led to another, and I saw a video which showed the story of 4 different mothers raising there Olympian kids, titled "Best Job" with the tag line 'the hardest job in The World, is the best job in The World. Thank you, Mom!'. This was the kind of video which would get you emotional and bring a smile on your face at the end. The advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy started the campaign on Mother’s Day 2011 and ran it for 18 months on, till the Olympics.

P&G is one of the leading FMCG brands in the world, with its products in almost every household, where generally the lady is the main boss. The campaign focused on mothers who generally make the purchasing decision for the family, to which most of the audience could relate. The campaign was an integration of different forms of communication ranging from advertisements, PR to user-generated social media responses. This campaign aimed at rising a corporate brand awareness rather then its marketing its individual brands.

I really enjoyed the video and did the video touch me? Yes!