Friday, May 15, 2009

Owning Effervescence
The Time Magazine labelled it "an indispensable rejuvenator to hard-working British colonials... a bitter, effervescent quinine water supposed to ward off malaria & malaise." I am of course referring to Schweppes, now commanding an extended portfolio of effervescent drinks from its classic Tonic to the new Cola. I have had a soft spot for its mark, rejuvenated in 2006-7 to take the 200+ year old brand to younger audiences. Its yellow brand flag exudes positivity and can't seem to contain the burst of energy, bubbles and positivity. Either way the brand seems to have made a healthy relationship with effervescence...

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Web 3.0

Designed by OnLab, the 24-page interaction section of the Domus Magazine (March 09 issue) is a fold-out feat featuring two characters: Mr and Miss Web 2.0. The article, on the possiblities of Web 3.0, is marked by diagonal fold-outs (and ins) as well as uncomfortably force justified columns. The pages look elegantly foldable, but can be a holy mess or an engaging puzzle - indicative of the shape of things to come?

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Now connected to Barrack

Thanks to team Obama's enthusuastic embrace of the net and its new networking paradigms, just realised that I, and many others too, are just a couple of virtual handshakes or introductions away from the man at the helm of the US of A. I wonder how many of you would have actually searched for Obama on LinkedIn, I for one certainly didn't - pure serendipity.

Post the online tryst with Barrack's profile I searched for our very own home grown politicians. My search for Rahul Gandhi, heir apparent to the Congress top job and likely future PM of India, brought up 225 results but none that seemed to match the person I was looking for. There were 116 Sonia Gandhis on LinkedIn, none of them the Congress President. Names like Manmohan Singh, LK Advani, Somanth Chatterjee, Priyanka Gandhi Vadera, Prakash and Brinda Karat threw up anything between 0 and 200+ matches. Maybe they are another election year (technically five years) away from getting closer to the people through social networks.

Interestingly, Captain Gopinath and Krishna Byregowda, both 2009 contestants from Bangalore South Constituency for India's Lok Shabha or the House of Commons are on LinkedIn. Though further away from me in connection terms than Barrack.

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