The Times they are a-Changin’

*Hummm* – *mmmmmm* – *humm*

Come gather ’round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You’ll be drenched to the bone
If your time to you
Is worth savin’
Then you better start swimmin’
Or you’ll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin’.

That’s right. You know they are.

It’s inescapable. In every generation, in every field.

The revolutionary becomes the system.

The innovators of yore become the Stilfers they fought

The rebellion of thought is always the birth of the new conservative ideology.

Advertising, the wild child industry of India, the times, you know it, they are a-changin’.

Buzzwords and hype come and go. India has been waiting for the digital advertising revolution, but what it got was mostly fancy banner ads. A smattering of good website, a little tech innovation and most recently, the social media bandwagon.

But the Revolution is in the air, it is. The hounds are closing in on its scent. The digital geniuses have tasted blood, even if it was just a nick.

Take a close look at the Indian Interactive Advertising space and you see an unusual breed of people – people who ignore words like CPC, people who take technology as seriously as communication and mix design with social media. People not constrained by the old titles and roles.

Yes. It may take a little while longer. But we’ll wait.

We’ll wait for them to catch up.

This month, our most excellent Xbox 360 India Facebook fan page hits the 10,000 member mark!

Many said it wouldn’t be possible in such a short time, given our crazy strategy. But, we insisted, we believed, that a brand page could be built purely on content and incredibly fun community interaction.

And here we are, at 10,000. With no banners, ATL campaign or even SEM. This one’s a truly strong and loyal community, built up by the love for the brand (and our blood and sweat ;) )

In all we’ve gone from 600 total members on Facebook, Twitter and Orkut to -

wait for it…

..

….

OVER 24000!

So, what does our client think of all of this.

Well, CAKE, that’s what. Our awesome friends at Microsofts E&D Division sent us some excellent cake! There was another surprise they sent us, but I can’t talk about that.. top secret and all.

And here’s what Mr. Ashim Das Mathur, Director Marketing – Entertainment and Devices Division, Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt. Ltd said :

“The social media engagement lies right at the center of our marketing mix and it has been the most important and powerful tool for us to reach out to our core consumers who openly rejects advertising and choose to seek out their own experiences as they see themselves as a savvier, conscious consumer. The medium helped us in engaging real-time with our consumers sharing product attributes, addressing problems and being available to them like one of a fellow gamer.”
Very cool words, from a very cool guy.

It’s enthusiastic and far-seeing people at organizations like Microsoft who make what we do even more fulfilling.

Social Media branding, like traditional advertising, must come from a place of passion, from within. We have that passion, and when our ideas come together with the right brand and team.. well.. magic is made.

Thank you everyone,

For Drizzlin Media,

Sharan Tulsiani

Two situations

I:
We’re in the process of hiring some bright people and we’ve been interviewing SO many candidates who’re not the least bit self motivated and are entirely money driven. Peer pressure doesn’t leave you after school now does it? Anyhow, when we explain to them the process of monitoring and engagement and end the explanation with “You have to represent yourself as a brand and sign off with -XYZ Team-” we get a disappointing “Oh.”. Social media is NOT about being a 30 year old man going around posting everywhere how you loved the facial at XYZ place and signing off with “I lovd it u mst try!”

II:
We’re in the habit of regular pitching. It keeps our grey cells active, and Deepak happy. We’re obviously in contest with loads of our ‘Social Media Strategy/Agency/Company/Consultancy/Dollhouse’ and at times we go high and at times they do. All in good spirit unless my toil goes down with a ppt slide that says “100 seeds a month”. Please stop selling clients the idea of social media as an unethical ‘lying job all over the web’ and causing social media foeticide! (Clever phrase, right?)

Point being: Readers, some of you are ruining it for us. STOP IT!