You saw that song!!?

The networked digital space offers multiple access points and sharing opportunities. The proliferation of media, affordable mobile technology, and interlinking of internet and mobile, has changed the way we consume news, entertainment, views, literature, music... Almost all media are replaceable, or at least interchangeable and the good thing is most content creators have risen to the opportunity and have made their products available. 

No doubt this has changed and shaped the way we think, the way we live. One might find this experience extremely overwhelming. Imagine the utter confusion of a person who went in a coma in the early 90s and woke up in this day and age!!

We read news on mobile over newspaper, sample opinions on Twitter over editorials, watch the latest soap online. This consumer shift has happened in the first decade of this century... Any guesses whats to come!? 

The most noticeable change that i see on a daily basis (by the virtue of being in the music playing industry), is the way we consume music. Radio is a audio visual medium. We play popular music. Listeners sing along. We play familiar music. People Hum... whistle. Whatever music we play - listeners visualise.

Yes, you got that right. We WATCH music. 

Be it the serene vales of Europe or dames in sarees - music in the last decade has moved from an aural medium to a more audio-VISUAL media. The purists might argue otherwise, but i am convinced that when music is packaged visually, it has a wider recall. The powers-be of Hindi movies have understood this really well - and now the visuals are packaged so properly and bombarded so much, that one cannot escape the perfect world created to put that song in your mind...

You listen to any song for the first time - and you make an image of it in your head. You visualise what the singer so soulfully is trying to put across. You see the video of that song, and then listen to the song on radio - and all you will remember is the visuals 'they' want you to see.

Next time, when you are tuned to the radio, block the images and focus only on the song - the singers voice, the words, the composition, the instrumentation. Let me know if you feel the difference.

Why can't Datta Snacks have a queue?

It's that time of the year, just like the remaining 365 days, when i travel to Mumbai very often. One of the things i like to do during these journeys is to eat at Datta Snacks, which is right after the ghat section. Its a must-stop for most Marathi speaking people. They have excellent Maharashtrian snacks and i recommend sabudana khichadi, kothimbir wadi, and their thaalipeeth. The taste is almost home-cooked - with lot of ghee! As you enter, there is a cash counter where you pay and get food / tea coupons. Further inside is the service counter where 4-5 boys plate and serve food as quickly as possible. The kitchen is right behind through a door. 

Its getting the food that always puts me off. Since they dont have table service, one has to wait agonisingly at the over-the-counter set up, with a crowd of hungry, tired travelers - arm outstretched, the food coupon in your fingertips trying to get attention of one of the boys behind the counter; the other arm holding on to something or someone, hoping you dont get shoved around, lose your balance; and praying desperately that you get your entire order in one go, so that you dont have to go through this nightmare again...

The picture alongside is 20% of the rush crowd. And trust me when i say that the crowd is unruly. The same people who stand in a queue at the cash counter, suddenly mob the service counter like the food is going to get over in the next 10 seconds!!

This blog is not about Datta. Its about globalisation and how businesses - local and international - are "supposed" to be learning and adapting in an ever increasing market, where along with the product and service, a lot of emphasis is given to consumer experience. 

Due to monopolistic situation and location advantage, a certain complacency is seen / expected. But in the long run, some new practices need to be brought in to please the more demanding customer, and pull the business out from the comfort zone. There is no option but to bring best practices to the table. One just has to go to the food court in a popular mall to know how much Indians love to eat. It will be truly unfortunate (for local businesses) if international chains employ the best talent, pick the fast moving products, and bring international touch to the overall experience. 

How long will the Indian businesses operate in isolation? I have gone to food joints that have token system like they had in banks! I have been to thali place where the owner was screaming at patrons to maintain silence!! There is a burger joint in Pune where they proudly have written, "If you want your burger in 2 mins, you have come to the wrong place."

And on the other hand, I have eaten at ice-cream stalls where they have insisted that i sample each one of their flavours. There are local / desi thali chains that have mastered the art of hospitality so well, that you eat two more chappatis just because they are nice to you! There is wada-pao handcart who is a pro at delivering in the car, and keeps the place spic n span after his closing time. There are restaurants that have seasonal menus with their standard one. The list is endless...

Few weeks back i interacted with a process firm (audit agency) that has brought some international learning to their projects in India. Just a fortnight back, i went to Starbucks and discovered Kothimbir wadi with Wasabi sauce!! Right next door to Datta is McDonalds which has adapted its product line with consumer insight and is serving aloo tikki burger (the ubiquitous wada-pao), which is already one of their highest grossing item, and is opening its first all-veg outlet at Katra.

Restaurant business have started practices, set trends, and enjoy huge loyalty. I had no concept that 2 idlis make one plate till i ate at a restaurant! The food joints from my college days, still occupy value-for-money positioning in my mind... But thats not enough. 

The challenge for local businesses is to add value with their popular offering. With growing customer expectations, along with core-competency they need to provide pleasant atmosphere and overall experience. And i am not talking only about food here...

The food at Datta is excellent. All i am asking is, Why cant someone from Datta walk over to McDonalds and see how the zigzag queue avoids mad rush at the service counter, and install one? 

Or start a drive through!??

How will we see glocalisation if we dont adopt global practices?