Marketing Spends Are Quickly Moving To The Developing Economies

The lure of huge online audiences, data-driven metrics, and higher returns on investment has accelerated the migration of marketing dollars from old media to new. The largest global marketers are ramping up spending, drawn by the huge potential opportunities offered by rapidly expanding wealth in the developing world. Yet the benefits of globalized marketing mask enormous hidden costs and risks: marketers are accelerating investments in economies where they typically have only a modest ability to track and assess results or optimize their return on marketing investment (ROMI). As these multinational companies throttle forward, they risk stalling instead, wasting millions of dollars on ineffective marketing initiatives. More crucially, they are jeopardizing their hard-won momentum in gaining competitive advantage in the economies now driving global growth.

There is a better way. Based on our experience in many countries, including Brazil, China, India, Russia, and Vietnam, we have identified five practical steps that marketers can take to jump-start their ability to measure marketing effectiveness in RDEs.

Media spending alone in developing economies increased by up to $60 billion from 2007 through 2012. Total digital-media spending worldwide, meanwhile, rose by about $55 billion. While some of the increased spending in emerging economies includes digital media, much of it is flowing to traditional media, such as television, magazines, newspaper, radio, and outdoor advertising.

Many large companies today spend more on just the advertising portion of their overall marketing budgets than they do on capital investment—often deploying far less analytical rigor in tracking the return on investment. Among a sample of more than 150 Fortune 500 companies that publicly report their advertising expenses, nearly a third devoted as much to advertising as to capital expenditures. Nearly half reported that their advertising expenses rose faster than capital investments over the preceding five years.

One of the world’s 100 largest brands found that the return in its best market was 27 times better than in its worst. Even in well-developed, data-rich markets like Japan, the U.S., and Western Europe, many companies are still frustrated by their inability to measure and optimize marketing performance. Difficulties are often compounded in developing markets, where the challenges can include the following:

• Lack of accurate sales volumes and point-of-sale transaction data
  
• Absence of accurate and consistent media delivery and exposure data, such as gross rating points and circulation
  
• Poor-quality sampling and market-research panels that undermine the use of many traditional tools for gaining consumer insight
  
• Opaque cost-accounting practices among marketers, their agencies, and media companies, including significant—but invisible—rebates
  
• High turnover at thinly staffed commercial organizations that hinders data tracking and analysis

Five Steps for Jump-Starting RDE Marketing Measurement:

• Build your team
• Work with what you’ve got
• Develop a “common currency”
• Map the road ahead
• Anchor the roots- anchor the roots of your marketing-effectiveness efforts firmly throughout your organization.

Original link to the post is here. 

Why Online Reviews Are Important?

I read this awesome post on HBR that prompted me to write this blog post here. Before I start discussing further, most part of this post is from that post.

With the growing availability of opinions from experts and users, the importance of a brand name had diminished. In the past, buyers typically made relative comparisons (“Is Brand A better than Brand B?”) or went by the maxim “You get what you pay for.” They were largely dependent on information provided by manufacturers in the form of marketing. Today, thanks primarily to user-generated reviews and people’s tendency to consult social media friends about purchases, buyers have other options. The wealth of peer-to-peer information and the unprecedented availability of expert opinions give them access to what’s known as absolute value—a rich, specific sense of what it’s like to own or use the goods they’re considering.

Every marketer is aware of the rise of online reviews and other sources of peer-to-peer information, but many neglect this trend and market products much as they did a decade ago. We believe that many companies need to dramatically shift their marketing strategies to account for the rising power exerted on future customers by the opinions of existing customers. The experts at HBR have created two tools to help managers do that: the influence mix and the O continuum.

The Influence Mix

Customers’ purchase decisions are typically affected by a combination of three things: Their prior preferences, beliefs, and experiences (which we refer to as P), information from marketers (M), and input from other people and from information services (O). This is the influence mix.

Think of it as a zero-sum game: The greater the reliance on one source, the lower the need for the others. If the impact of O on a purchase decision about a food processor goes up, the influence of M or P, or both, goes down.

In recent years O has taken on increasing weight in many categories, but plenty of exceptions remain. For example, habitual purchases (such as milk) tend to be dominated by P, while someone shopping for a toothbrush is most likely to be swayed by packaging, brand, pricing, and point-of-purchase messages—all components of M.

Companies need to ask: To what extent do consumers depend on O when making decisions about their products? We present the answers as points along the O continuum. The closer your product is to the O-dependent end, the greater the shift in how consumers gather and evaluate information about it.

Double Click The Picture For Better View

The O Continuum

Once firms understand where a product falls on the O continuum, they can consider the strategic implications in four realms:

Competitive position. In domains where customers depend mainly on O, branding takes on less importance, and newcomers find relatively low barriers to entry as a result. This is also apparent in the restaurant business: Research by Michael Luca, of Harvard Business School, suggests that in cities where large numbers of diners rely on Yelp reviews, independent restaurants tend to benefit, while chains and franchises often see their revenues decline. 

Companies in O-dependent markets can also diversify more easily than others, because new peer-to-peer information can overcome long-held conceptions about what a company is (and isn’t) good at. LG and Samsung have taken full advantage of this capacity, moving beyond their original core products (electronics) into a broad array of tech goods and home appliances.

In general, we see greater market-share volatility in domains where customers depend mainly on O. (Witness the swift declines of Nokia and BlackBerry.) Conversely, brand equity and loyalty can protect established players in O-independent domains; brands such as Clorox and Bud Light, influenced primarily by P and M, enjoy relative stability. O is also not of great concern to the likes of Grey Goose vodka and Hermès—brands for which prestige and emotional ties play an important role and quality is a given.

Communication. Let’s consider what happens in this arena for products suited to O-dependent purchase decisions. In recent years many camera buyers have turned to ratings and user reviews as their main source of information. This means that celebrity endorsements are less effective than they once were. Banner ads intended to create or reinforce brand awareness are not very successful either, because when it comes time to buy, the weight of trusted reviews usually overrides any residual effect of fleeting exposure to an ad. Instead, companies such as Nikon and Canon should focus on generating user interest in particular products and promoting an ongoing flow of authentic (and positive) content from O on internet retail sites.
Consumers are less likely to consult O about purchases that are not very important to them—most people don’t go on Facebook or Twitter to ask “What kind of paper towels should I buy?” or “What brand of detergent do you like best?” So marketers trying to reach O-independent consumers can be guided by some of the old rules, including many traditional M activities. P&G, for instance, can still benefit from persuasive advertising and eye-catching store displays for Bounty and Tide.
 

Market research. Companies in domains that are not susceptible to O can continue to draw on conventional market-research approaches, but those in O-dependent areas need to think differently. Market research usually aims to measure P—it tries to predict the kinds of products consumers will like by assessing their preferences in the past. But as purchase decisions become more reliant on O, rooting around in consumers’ psyches to understand P yields lower returns. For example, a market research study conducted in early 2007—before the release of the first iPhone—concluded that U.S. consumers would not be interested in a “convergent” device that combined the functionality of a cell phone, an MP3 player, and a camera. (Whoops.) What went wrong? The study had measured P, but as soon as the iPhone hit the market and early adopters began gushing over it, people became influenced by O. Instead of measuring individual consumers’ preferences, satisfaction, and loyalty, marketers should redirect resources to the systematic tracking, coding, and quantifying of information from review sites, user forums, and other social media. 

Product segmentation. A product’s location on the O continuum often varies across customer segments and from country to country. One group of consumers might rely primarily on O, while another might be more attuned to M. And some distribution channels are less conducive than others to O. (Shoppers in brick-and-mortar stores are often more susceptible to M than online shoppers are, for instance.) Companies should analyze different consumer segments and tailor their marketing strategies accordingly. When communicating with segments that rely on M, a company can use advertising to build top-of-mind awareness, persuade customers, and position its offerings—but those strategies probably won’t work for segments that rely on O. Marketers should also bear in mind that the degree to which a particular customer relies on O might vary with situational factors. For example, some of the people who take full advantage of O while shopping for electronics online may come under M’s influence on Black Friday, when ads touting deep one-day-only discounts abound. With not much time to decide or to consult reviews, they may pick up products impulsively, in the belief that “if it’s on sale on Black Friday, it must be a good deal.”

Biggest Challenge In Online Reviews

When we talk with companies about shifting their marketing mix in recognition of the rising power of O, we hear one consistent objection: Growing suspicion (and in some cases, proof) that online reviews are subject to manipulation and fraud. Some marketers believe that consumer reliance on O will decline as more shoppers become wary of deceptive reviews. We disagree. Yelp, TripAdvisor, and others are becoming increasingly sophisticated at weeding out fake reviews, and consumers are developing a better sense of which sites (and which individual reviewers) they can trust.

Consumers used to the richness of online reviews will ever return to relying on traditional M. Consider two data points. First, 30% of U.S. consumers say they begin their online purchase research by going to Amazon for product information and reviews; second, studies commissioned by Google have found that shoppers consult 10.4 sources of information, on average, before making a purchase. Voracious information-seeking has become deeply ingrained in many consumers, and we can envision no scenario in which they will see traditional marketing as a better provider of product information. 

The sources of O change rapidly. New review sites and game-changing technologies can suddenly appear. For instance, consumers who use smartphone apps such as ShopSavvy to compare prices can minimize the weight of M on their decisions even on Black Friday. The idea that a new website or app can undercut years of careful messaging may be deeply frustrating to marketers—but it is a reality they must face. As the influence mix evolves, success will come to companies that can closely track the sources of information their customers turn to and find the combination of marketing channels and tools best suited to the ways those consumers decide.

This awesome post can be found on this link.

Real Time Bidding (RTB) In Online Display Advertising

Today I stumbled over how the Real Time Bidding (RTB) in online display advertising world works, I must say it's quite fascinating stuff. The beauty of it is- "the response rate", it is soooo fast that you will be awestruck with this technology, anything between 300-500Millisecond !!

Check the steps I found from Wikipedia on how is the flow of Real Time Bidding (RTB)-

• A user's browser requests a webpage of a site that uses real time bidding
• The user's browser receives the HTML for the webpage. Embedded in this HTML is a URL tag for an ad request
• The user's browser makes a call out to the ad server
• The ad server calls out the SSP that this website is using. Sometimes SSP and the ad server are integrated such as 24/7 Real Media OpenAdstream or Google's DFP & AdX systems.
• SSP makes a call out to one or more ad exchanges
• An ad exchange makes multiple call outs (bid requests) to several DSPs trying to get the best price
• DSPs evaluate the bid request and decide how much they want to bid and respond with bids to the exchange
• The exchange selects the highest bid with a URL of the winning ad and returns that to the SSP
• SSP returns the winning bid to the ad server
• The ad server finally responds with an ad to the browser of the Internet user which started all these transactions

 The link to Wiki page is here.

I tried to capture the steps in the into graphical form so that it becomes more clearer with the explanation.

Real Time Bidding (RTB) Flow

Please double click the image for a better view.

Airbnb CoFounder Sharing His Story: Video

This is an amazing video from the co-founder of Airbnb which is a huge startup success story. In this video Nate talks about what was it really before they start getting the traction. If you are an entrepreneur, you will probably go through the similar stages what Nate mentions Airbnb went through in its initial phase, sure anyone would love to be Airbnb given its success. Check out the video now-

Virtual Customer Integration In New Product Development (NPD)

Involvement of customer into New Product Development is such a key, it not just allows you to engage customer from day 1 of new product development, but helps you in gaining customers when the product is launched into the market.

How & When The Customer Can Be Integrated Into The NPD

 (Please click the images for the better view)

Advantages of VCI in NPD

 When VCI has the Most Impact in NPD

Is Cross-Functional Team A Better Team?

Those who create and lead work groups should focus on creating the right conditions for them to succeed, rather than trying to manage their behavior. 

The above statement is the core of Cross Functional teams, and it seriously talks about leader's role in the team.

As I take forward this post, let me confess that this post will be slightly strange as it would be primarily the flip board kind of post. Yes...! I'm experimenting a new thing.. You know me... Sorry!

 

 

 

 

 

Strategic Alignment- Cross Functional Teams

Stage Gate Process: Idea To Launch

One of most interesting parts of my MBA is the course on Innovation Management. Even before it started, I got the opportunity to indulge in some serious readings on Idea to Launch Processes for Products. I've been exposed to Stage Gate Process from idea to launch of amazing products. With this post, I'm trying to capture a bit about the Stage Gate Process, I hope it helps.

 

A Stage-Gate process is a conceptual and operational map for moving new product projects from idea to
launch and beyond—a blueprint for managing the new product development (NPD) process to improve
effectiveness and efficiency.

Stage-Gate, in its simplest format, consists of (1) a series of stages, where the project team undertakes the work, obtains the needed information, and does the subsequent data integration and analysis, followed by (2) gates, where go/kill decisions are made to continue to invest in the project.

Key things to remember in a Stage Gate Process:

• Each stage is designed to gather information to reduce key project uncertainties and risks; the information requirements thus define the purpose of each of the stages in the process.
• Each stage costs more than the preceding one: The process is an incremental commitment one—a series of increasing bets, much like a game of Texas Hold’em. But with each stage and step increase in
  project cost, the unknowns and uncertainties are driven down so that risk is effectively managed.
• The activities within stages are undertaken in parallel and by a team of people from different functional
  areas within the firm; that is, tasks within a stage are done concurrently.
• Each stage is cross-functional, No department owns any one stage.
• Criteria against which the project is judged: These include must-meet criteria or knock-out questions
  (a checklist) designed to weed out misfit projects quickly; and should-meet criteria that are scored
  and added (a point count system), which are used to prioritize projects.
• Outputs: a decision (Go/Kill/Hold/Recycle), along with an approved action plan for the next stage
  (an agreed-to timeline and resources committed), and a list of deliverable and date for the next gate.

To make things simpler Stage-Gate Process is scalable as per the complexity of the projects, not all small projects need to follow the 5 Gate approach, below is the example:

Adaptability of Stage-Gate Process is really very important, and the aspect which makes it special is the customer feedback. It's the Agile or the Spiral approach to development where you seek customer feedback at various phases. The idea is: build-test-feedback-and-revise!!

In the end, ideas can come from anywhere, even outside the organization. So, a culture of open innovation is really important and Stage-Gate has been modified to include Open Innovation at its core.

What Content Marketing Really Is?

If you are a digital savvy, you very well know the importance of "Content", and one of the most skeptical question that everyone faces is regarding the Content Marketing. So, what really is Content Marketing?

I stumbled over a great post on Buffer blog which stated the most important extract regarding the Content Marketing from the Content Marketing Manifesto and it pretty much sums up what it really is.

So, this is it-

CITYHYD.INFO INTRODUCTION VIDEO

This is introduction of my website www.cityhyd.info ;-)

A Glimpse of Brussels

I recently traveled to Brussels in Belgium. It was certainly a wonderful city, I captured few pictures and turned them into this short clip. Have a look!

Big Data Approach for Software Development

This post of mine was recently published on a German Magazine.

There is a lot of talk happening around the big data world about how new technological capabilities can be a win-win situation for both the firms and the consumers. For firms, depending upon the reliance and fairness, using customers’ behavioral data to meet their needs and achieve valuable, sustainable, long-term relationships—is turning into an increasingly important differentiator in the competitive market. Big data is helping the firms in truly developing a deep understanding of their customers, firms are trying to take complete advantage of it in order to satisfy their customers’ needs and wants in a fashion that meets, if not exceeds, expectations in all major areas such as product experience, quality, service, communication etc. to name a few.

Till now in this post, I’ve given you the glimpse of few of the most significant advantages of big data, and keeping those in mind I would now want to turn your attention to a completely new direction, which would be Software Development. Having worked in Information Technology industry for several years, I always wished to make the software development process as efficient as possible, and it simply doesn’t just end at the development stage, but exists throughout the software’s lifecycle. So, with this post I’m trying to mix two separate concepts into my imaginative and wishful thinking for software development approach.

Read the complete post here-

http://outsourcing4smes.com/site/big-data-approach-for-software-development/

I Rambled

I happen to read these lines and I couldn't stop rambling bippidy blah blah to my ears  ;-)

“He rambled.
Oh boy, did he ramble.
He rambled in a way that was nothing but
a bunch of bippidy blah blah to my ears.
Rambled in a way that made my head go
all dizzy and squeezy.”
― Alyson Noel, Dreamland

Ehsaas: A Hindi Poem

First of all, sincere apologies for being such a lazy bum, but trust me my MBA program is really keeping me busy. Finally, after a long long time I've found the right opportunity to express something here. Today, I'm going to write in Hinglish (Hindi in English), again apologies to the people who don't understand Hindi. So, my Hindi poetry starts now :-) ....

This is "me"

Ek kadam humne badhya tha,
Chal pade the sab kuch chhod chhaad ker.
Socha na tha kuch iss kadar hairaan honge hum,
Apno se door, gairon ke darmiyaan honge hum.

Yun toh sab accha hai,
Per bina tumhare saath ke sab adhura hai.
Ek pal jo mein tham jata hun,
Tumhari hi baaton mein kho jata hun.

This is "us"

Mere har ehsaas mein bas tum ho.
Kabhi muskuraton mein ho tum,
Toh kabhi sharaaroton mein ho tum.
Khooli aankhon se bhi bas tumhi ko dekh pata hun.

Beet jaane do ye lamhe,
Khushiyon ka wo alaam aayega.
Jab meri baahon mein tum hogi,
Tab mujhe hosh aayega........

Helping Students Reach Their Dream School: MBASop.com

The Big Gap

After experiencing a huge industry gap between the demand and the quality of university admission services. I and few friends of mine, who are mostly Management graduates from top business schools around the world, have launched an admissions consultancy for students looking for help on SOP/Resumes/Recommendations preparation, admission interviews, university profiling and school selection. One of our key motives is to provide quality services at an affordable price. Trust me you will be surprised once you experience our services.

MBASop.com - Your Doorway To Success 

Well, before I explain more about it, the good news is our website is "live" and it's called http://MBASop.com. Through the website, you can also connect to our Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus channels, which will help you keep up to date with our latest happenings. For anything else, you can simple let me know here or just send an email to admin@mbasop.com.

German Student Visa Processing

Those of who still don't know, I'm in Germany now and studying my MBA. I must admit that the German Student Visa process from India was not at all smooth as I would have thought, and by now I don't know how many people have came to me for the help in this regard. The point is: it ain't simple! The whole situation has prompted me to help students coming from India to Germany and for this very reason we are also providing complete German Student Visa consulting with a money back guarantee, yes no kidding!


Feel free to contact me at any point of time :-) 

Startup Of The Week - Founder Mates

This is my first blog post for HowItStarted.co.uk. I've started the "Startup of the Week" section, please do check out :-)

Startup Of The Week - Founder Mates

New Journey, Old Dreams

Once again, I'm so sorry for being so inactive here on the blog, but I've a very valid reason for it, and trust me it's a big news. Well the thing is- I finally decided to pursue my full time MBA and have already quit my full time permanent job!

My European Extravaganza - WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management

After gaining a vast amount of professional experience in Asia and North American markets, I decided to pursue my full time MBA in Europe. So, I'm in Germany now at the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management. I reached a week before the program started and since then I've been exploring the cosmopolitan Düsseldorf!

It's been a great beginning here, Germany is a great country and people are really nice. And let me get it straight that people are very tolerant to the foreigners who can't speak German, like me :). Of course, there are challenges with the language, but still it's very manageable. 

Germany: Football & Beer

When in Germany, you simply can't miss two things- Beer and Football! I'm lucky that the WHU MBA is taking place at Düsseldorf this year, for the first time ever, and it is a great tourist place. And of course, it's very famous for its "Alt" beer. I've already watched couple of football matches with my class mates at the famous Alt street while sipping the Alt Beer. You will simple love the environment, it's amazing!

Change is the only constant thing in life

This of course is a great change for me, after a span of 7 long years in employment I'm back to the school. I'm very excited about it and the diversity at the WHU MBA is awesome. I'm really looking forward to a great learning experience here in Germany! 

SIA- I GO TO SLEEP- Packed To The Rafter

It just happened again, when I was watching tv and came across this beautiful song- I Go To Sleep By Sia, on the Australian show- Packed To The Rafters. O, this was of course played at a very sad moment of the tv show. Anyhow, it forced me to search for the song over the internet and guess what- I just love this song for two reasons-
1. the lyrics are so beautiful.
2. Sia sang it in a way no one would do, it's so different yet intriguing.

Lyrics of  I Go To Sleep By Sia-

When I look up from my pillow
I dream you are there with me
Though you are far away
I know you'll always be near to me

I go to sleep
And imagine that you're there with me
I go to sleep
And imagine that you're there with me

I look around me
And feel you are ever so close to me
Each tear that flows from my eye
Brings back memories of you to me

I go to sleep
And imagine that you're there with me
I go to sleep
And imagine that you're there with me

I was wrong, I will cry
I will love you till the day I die
You were all, you alone and no one else
You were meant for me

When morning comes again
I have the loneliness you left me
Each day drags by
Until finally my time descends on me

I go to sleep
And imagine that you're there with me
I go to sleep
And imagine that you're there with me

What Happened To My City?

Disclaimer: This post was originally written and published on http://CityHyd.info by me.

Yet another blast, one after another they never seem to put an end to it…..Innocent people dying, denizens scared to hell, mammoth security concerns, negligence of intelligence warning,  political drama and the blame game, infrastructural loses……Nothing new, once again life has taken a whole circle. Only thing that became more prominent is- Terrorism!

 

Blasts In Hyderabad

This was my third encounter of a terrorist bombing in Hyderabad in last 6 years. The Mecca Masjid was bombed on May 18, 2007. The Mecca Masjid, a mosque in the old city area in Hyderabad very near to Charminar, was bombed when there were 10,000 people inside the mosque offering Friday prayers. Result- 100 injured and 16 reported dead. In 2007, Lumbini Park was bombed on the 25th August that killed 44 people and injured 70. And then it happened yesterday again at Dilsukhnagar commercial area near a Bus Stop and cinema halls, 3 blasts, killing 22 and injuring 90 people. What the F*#% !

Hurt, Are You?

I’m feeling so hurt that it’s hard to explain in words. An absolute random targeting of innocent people on the streets is the scariest part of terrorism, you don’t know when it will be you or someone from your family, it’s shocking and disturbing. Yesterday night I could feel it as if the whole Hyderabad city has gone in a moan, people’s hearts filled with anger, despair and agony. It’s simply hard to imagine the value of human lives in the eyes of those anti-social elements who kill the innocent people for no reason; they act foolishly, and suddenly there are so many families who are victims. Who takes the blame for killing those innocent people who were living their lives just like any other ordinary day of their usual work week? A thought of losing someone special on a random regular day of your life, due to terrorist attacks scares the hell out me..just imagine one day and life changes. Will you be ever able to bear that pain of those victims? No!!


 

These blasts in Hyderabad are a signal to the people of our nation that no one is safe. And that the government is a failure when it comes to security. On the flip side of it, I also feel providing security to such a hugely populated country is a challenge in itself, but hey that’s not impossible so shouldn’t we at least be trying? Someone said- it’s not about blaming, it’s about healing. If you can’t help it, at least don’t play the blame game. What is more disheartening is the fact that- Government knew and suspected the target place but still nothing done to prevent, such lack of necessary action is unacceptable especially in a terrorist situation. The security authorities have their share of problems- it is a joke that CCTV cams were cut off 4 days ago at Dilsukhnagar area and no one noticed – a true state of security failure!
All we are left post blasts- 100s of victims, a terrified city, a scared country, a broken Dilsukhnagar area with partially opened shops…and a lot of open questions in our minds and hearts! Is this the place where we want to live with our loved ones? Is human life that cheap? While we are confused and distort the great politicians of our country continue to behave in same old fashion, God Bless us! Are we ever going to change? Is there a ray of hope against terrorism at all?

 

We Have To Put A Full Stop

At this moment my mind is bolted with so many random thoughts of ifs and buts that can probably change our country into a paradise overnight, but the reality is- it’s not possible. Yet these words by Margaret Mead, the anthropologist, make me believe that we can one day do what we want- “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”…It’s time we heal, it’s time we unite and work together for our beloved land, no politics, no hatred, no terrorism!
 

My First Rap Song- Rap Crap

If you are following my blog for sometime now, you know that I simply love to experiment. I'm curious, foolish and weird, but hey isn't that my USP?

That's Me - When I'm on a roll !!

So, here is a surprise, this time I tried a Rap Song :-) ...No kidding !! I call my song as- "Rap Crap", by no means I claim that I'm a rapper or something, this is just an experiment that I did and the result is this song. Well, Rap song without the F*** word is difficult to consume, isn't it? So, if you are a child please refrain from listening the song, please! By the way, the song is not recorded at any studio, it was simply edited and crafted right at the comforts of my living room.





So, here is my "Rap Crap" and following are the lyrics of the song-   

I was sittin in my chair watching tv with my glares
then came a song ....with a lot of bang!
twisted words, a glitter of a light, a shadow of man walking along the aisle...
a crazy dude, angry with someone, shouting on your face...
And I don't fuckin understand...what is the case!

He is shaking his hands, up and down ..
up and down...up and down...
like a wiper of my car blown down...
And I don't fucking understand...... those sounds he make...
uuuuuhhh uuhhh aaaah aaah uuhhh
uuuuuhhh uuhhh aaaah aaah uuhhh

He's got that cool cap, those black shades and a hooded sweaaaat..
he's walking as if he doesn't give a crap
But that ain't rap, my brotha that's not rap....
And I don't fucking understand.....why he thinks that....

O yes don't get angry coz I don't rap...
I don't rap...this is just a piece of my crap...o yes my crap!
I don't fucking understand...what is a rap!
so don't tell me you like my crap, ha ha ha....

EELS- All The Beautiful Things

One of those days when you are surfing through the internet and stumble over a song that you have never heard.......later you become so addicted to it that you just wish if it could just play in the background all the time! Yeah, I'm sure all of us have been there and done that, isn't it?

Alright, here is the song that hit me- All The Beautiful Things By Eels. First, the music of the song is awesome.....oooo did I mention those sweet chords, wow! Second, those lyrics are magical!

So, here is the song, tell me if you like it too-

 

Indie Rock Music

By the way, this song falls under the Indie Rock music category, they say with the advent of internet Indie Rock music really became popular, and I'm a proof of it :-) ...because I found this song just surfing through the web. Indie refers to "Independent", from the very beginning it's said that these are the artists who are like underground non-famous bands and do everything by themselves to spread the word about them and their music. I got to say that I've certainly developed a taste for Indie Rock music, especially if it's slow with sweet guitar chords. Well, so the word is- explore more :-)
 

Lyrics of the song- All The Beautiful Things By Eels

Everyday I wake up, wonder why
I'm alone when I know I'm a lovely guy
Birds come down from sky so blue
See all the beautiful things you do
Why can't I just get with you

Every night I carry out my plan
Pray to God that one day I could be your man
Birds come down from sky so blue
See all the beautiful things you do
Why can't I just get with

You'd be my only friend in the world
Well you could just be my girl

And if I do run away from this life
There won't be much for me in the afterlife
Although I know that you don't even care
I'd rather stay in a world where
Birds come down from sky so blue
See all the beautiful things you do
Why can't I just get with you. 

I've One Of The Top 5% Most Viewed Linkedin Profiles For 2012

O yes, it has certainly been a while since I posted anything here, but I wasn't procrastinating. In fact, I was on a writing marathon for my portal- http://CityHyd.info. The good news is- all the effort into CityHyd for the last 6-8months is paying off. As per Alexa's current traffic rankings- CityHyd is ranked 71,884 in India and 703,430 in the world, which is not bad considering it's still a very new website. So, what do you think about it? Anyway, we will discuss more about it later.

Coming back to the title of my post, LinkedIn sent out an email to many people just a couple of days ago letting them know that they were in the top lists of most-viewed profiles on their website. Basically, the email notification told you if you were in the top 1%, top 5%, or top 10% of the most viewed Linked profiles for 2012.

To my surprise, I too have received an official email from Linkedin saying that- I've made to the top 5% most viewed Linked profiles for the year 2012. Really? I just can't believe it, but now that it has happened it makes me feel happy :)

At present Linkedin has over 200 Million users, which means being in the top 5% is not bad at all. Though, I'm sure many will argue that top 5% is like 10 Million users, which actually means a lot of them, but hey I got the email, it's still a good reason to be proud of it, isn't it?