Getting To The He(art) Of The Matter | Musings Of A Marketer

January 2017
It is a Friday evening, and here I am sitting in the cozy dining area of the Kulkarni's residence, discussing with them how to spend my tomorrow, i.e., a Saturday morning exploring Philadelphia. Among the many options, they are suggesting is a visit to the Barnes Foundation, home to one of the world's most magnificent collections of paintings by Renoir, Matisee, Picasso, Van Gogh and many other iconic painters. A strong recommendation by both the husband and wife. For someone who does not have an artistic bent of mind, nor a single artist bone, my first thought is, ''Museum...blah. How boring!''. (I know my friends will forgive me for sharing this here!)

Thankfully, the voices in our heads do not come with a sound amplifier. 

I conveniently filter out that option and show my eagerness to hear about other exciting alternatives from them. 

After much deliberation, the eagerness and enthusiasm of Kulkarni's coupled with the curious keeda inside me, get the better of the art-skeptic side of me. By the end of the discussion, I have decided to visit the Barnes Museum after all. Just FYI, this was the same me, who, while on holiday in Amsterdam a couple of years ago had walked passed the Van Gogh museum on many occasions without even casting a second glance at it.
The same me was now ready to spend almost half a day in an Art Museum. 

Change of he(art)!

October 2017 (Nine months later)
Here I am, sitting at home on a Saturday morning, lending the final brush strokes to Farmhouse in Provence, which is my sixth feeble attempt to ape Van Gogh's iconic oil painting. Nine months back if you had asked me to draw or paint, I would have brushed it off as a joke. And much worse, if I were asked to replicate the famous art pieces of Van Gogh (pronounced as Van Go), the situation would be close to painting myself into a corner (metaphorically, of course!).

Honestly, I counted myself among the artistically challenged who would be happy to pat their own back for drawing an exact ''round'' circle at the first attempt. And today, I am sitting at my desk with five paintings in watercolors (albeit, extremely rudimentary versions) safely tucked inside the drawer. This neophyte is now finishing off the sixth from Van Gogh's repertoire in nine short months. 
All this was a huge revelation not just for me but also for all those who knew about my artistic ability (or rather the lack of it). 

So why am I sharing this with you? '
Well, for starters, this post is not about ''showing off'' a wannabe dabbler's interpretations of Van Gogh nor her newfound interest.
This post is about how a change in human behaviors occurs. Yes, you got that right! Nothing to do with the art or painting.

As I looked back on the last nine months, I wondered how I got the initiative to take up painting when there was not a single iota of interest in the field of art. So here I am trying to deconstruct it here, lest the learning fades into oblivion.

Musings of a Marketer who stumbled on an interesting human behavior model
As part of the regular internet reads on marketing management and human behavior I had in the recent past stumbled upon The Fogg Behavior Model (FBM). A fascinating model that helps to understand how a change in human behaviors occurs. It helps in creating Persuasive Design and useful for UX designers or marketers or for anyone who is interested in studying human behavior.  

It explains how three elements viz. Motivation, Ability, and Trigger must converge at the same moment for a behavior to occur. When a targeted action does not happen, it means at least one of those three elements is missing. 

I thought let me understand this theory to understand the change in my behavior more clearly. In my case, the difference in behavior was the apparent fact that I had taken up watercolor painting with a zeal like never before. And as I mentioned earlier, painting never occurred to me anytime in the three decades of life that had passed... the phase which came after school (where drawing meant a mandatory homework). Even in those days, the assignments were outsourced to the sister or mom. As is apparent, I did not consider myself artistically inclined at all. 

So how come this penchant for watercolor painting now!

What were the three elements as per The Fogg Behavior Model (FBM), i.e., Trigger, Motivation and Ability that made this change in my behavior?

After much mulling over, I concluded that my Motivation was the immense pleasure of doing a challenging activity which was new to me, and to prove myself that even this can be done. And in the whole process, creating my versions of Van Gogh paintings (yes, no other painter, only Van Gogh). 

The Trigger was my visit to the Barnes Foundation and hearing and knowing in detail Van Gogh's moving life story** for the first time. 

What was left was the element of Ability. 
FBM elaborates that ability is nothing but six elements of simplicity. 

1. Time - Does it require little time or a lot of time?
2. Money - Does it require less money or lot of money?
3. Physical Effort - Does it require less physical effort or is it exhausting?
4. Brain Cycles (Mental Effort) - Is it less mentally fatiguing or more challenging?
5. Social Deviance - is it socially acceptable or isn’t?
6. Non-Routine - Is it routine or isn't?

If it requires little time, less money, less physical effort, less mentally fatiguing, is socially acceptable and is a routine activity, then it gives you complete ability to change behavior with motivation and trigger also being present.

In all the six cases that I decided to create my interpretation of Van Gogh's paintings, motivation and trigger was always there, time was the only element which was a variable factor and in short supply. Rest of the five elements were not an issue at all.
So when time was available, it increased my ability to pick up the brush and get those six paintings done.

FBM also shows that motivation and ability can be traded off (e.g., if motivation is very high, ability can be low) for behavior change to happen. If you have a strong motivation, you can overcome the lack of your abilities and still create a change in behavior with a trigger.

Now just apply this model to anything in life and one can create a positive change in behavior just by ensuring that the three elements of motivation, ability, and trigger are present at the same time.

As a marketer, I think this is a fantastic model for persuasion and creating a change in the behavior of the customer to purchase your product or service. 

Firstly, it is a useful model in the age of disruption and instant online purchases where all of us are perpetually living in a world of persuasion.
Also, a relevant model in times when a marketer's enemy is not just it's competitive product but even the customer's fragmented attention. 

So given these circumstances, how can we as marketers encourage our target audience to take the desired action?
First, check whether the six elements of simplicity are being addressed to increase his/her ability to take necessary action. 
Second, check how we can influence his/her motivation by using the appropriate core motivators (in the diagram above - pleasure/pain, hope/fear, acceptance/rejection) and putting them into force. 
And the finally Trigger element. How do we wisely use Google analytics, do contextual brand promotions or re-marketing at the right time (when customer is motivated and also able to perform the behavior) to produce the target behavior.

In conclusion, I can say that this model is great to understand more clearly about human behavior, why we are not able to achieve intended outcomes, how we can channel our energies more effectively and how it can be used for persuading users to make the target behavior.

If interested, more details on the model can be found here 
http://www.mebook.se/images/page_file/38/Fogg%20Behavior%20Model.pdf 

**Story of Vincent Van Gogh (in brief)
Vincent van Gogh is considered the greatest Dutch painter after Rembrandt, although he remained poor and virtually unknown throughout his life. Vincent Willem van Gogh (March 30, 1853 to July 29, 1890) was a post-impressionist painter whose work, notable for its beauty, emotion, and color, highly influenced 20th-century art. He struggled with mental illness, and remained poor and virtually unknown throughout his life. Van Gogh died in France at age 37 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Though he completed more than 2,100 works, consisting of 860 oil paintings and more than 1,300 watercolors, drawings and sketches, he sold only one painting in his lifetime. Several of his paintings now rank among the most expensive in the world; "Irises" sold for a record $53.9 million, and his "Portrait of Dr. Gachet" sold for $82.5 million. A few of Van Gogh’s most well-known artworks include: The Starry Night, Sunflowers and Self-portraits. (Source: https://www.biography.com)

And here are my six humble attempts to recreate Van Gogh's master pieces and the reason I wrote the blog on behavior change.

Terrace and Observation Deck at the Moulin de Blute-Fin, Montmartre, early 1887

The Bedroom, 1889

Houses and Figure (1890)

Houses at Auvers, 1890

La Mousme, 1888

Farmhouse in Provence (1888)

Power of Medium

Here I am, logged on to Flipkart.com, finally buying myself the copy of 'The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin'. The only word that can describe my present state of mind is.....FINALLY!
A little over a month back and the scene was different. I had been searching high and low, online stores as well as as mom and pop book shops but just could not find it anywhere. Not just Flipkart but I had even checked on Amazon, no luck and then I checked on similar other online sites, no luck there as well. I even looked up obscure children's websites which sell books. Out of stock! was the standard message I received across all websites. Finally, I inquired at the much dependable Strand Book stall. I somehow had a faint glimmer of hope that Strand folks will not disappoint me. But well, can you believe? Even they had run out of copies of this book. This book suddenly seemed to have gained the importance of a national treasure. Everyone seemed to have already hunted it out before me and it was apparent I was not quick enough.
Someone at the Strand Book stall even posed a question back at me....How come Benjamin Franklin has suddenly become so popular? We have actually never been out of stock on this book ever till now!
Though I knew the reason for Ben Franklin's sudden popularity I just gave a feeble laugh and quietly put down the phone. I am sure even Ben Franklin would have been pleasantly surprised knowing about the sudden turn in his fortune.

Given its unavailability, I was now more eager than ever to get my hands on the book and I was not going to let a minute go by.
So you see, the last one month has seen days of relentless hunt, interspersed with days of patient wait and even some days of despair. And finally today, a month later, I am buying the much elusive book 'The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin' online.
Till a month back, I knew this personality only to the extent that he was one of the founding fathers of United States, a great statesman and a able politician. But here I was, keen to know more about him more than ever before. But why?

It all started on January 27th, 2015 over a 'Mann ki baat' featuring PM Modi and US President Obama. Somewhere during the thirty minute long conversation, a question was posed to both leaders asking them which leader had inspired them the most. President Obama had sometime during the conversation, already made a strong reference to Gandhi being a leader par excellence. Our PMs answer however was not what I expected to hear or for that matter any other listener of 'Mann ki baat' expected this answer that day. May be an Indian leader like Swami Vivekanand or Vallabhai Patel was what we all expected to hear. But no, he mentioned Benjamin Franklin.
And here is the exact transcript of his answer around this question and once you read you will know my (and every other person's) sudden obsession with Benjamin Franklin.
"When I was young, I used to see Kennedy's pictures in Indian newspapers. His personality was very impressive. But your question is, who has inspired me. I liked reading as a child. And I got an opportunity to read the biography of Benjamin Franklin. He lived in the eighteenth century. And he was not an American President. But his biography is so inspiring - how a person can intelligently try to change his life.
If we feel excessively sleepy, how can we reduce that?
If we feel like eating too much, how can we work towards eating less?
If people get upset with you that cannot meet them, because of the pressure of work, then how to solve this problem?
He has addressed such issues in his biography. And I tell everyone, we should read Benjamin Franklin's biography. Even today, it inspires me. And Benjamin Franklin had a multi-dimensional personality. He was a politician, he was a political scientist, he was a social worker, he was a diplomat. And he came from an ordinary family. He could not even complete his education. But till today, his thoughts have an impact on American life. I find his life truly inspiring. And I tell you too, if you read his biography, you will find ways to transform your life too. And he has talked about simple things. So I feel you will be inspired as much as I have been."

Who would have thought that along with me there were many (probably thousands) others who would have also got moved into buying the book after listening to the episode of Mann ki Baat.
Well, such is the power of our PMs words (sender of message) and also his narrative, such is the power of the humungous reach of radio (medium) and also such is the power of Benjamin Franklin a leader (subject of message) who I almost know nothing of (at least right now).

After listening to the above conversation which was aired on All India Radio which has the potential reach of 90% of India's population, I am sure you now have no shred of doubt why Benjamin Franklin had suddenly become the hero every parent wanted their children to know about or every adult (like me) wanted to read more for inspiration.


Now waiting for the book to arrive!

Source for the Transcript: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Full-transcript-of-Obama-Modi-Mann-ki-baat/articleshow/46032820.cms

A giant lollypop or a sweet nothing!

Some days back on my way to work, I happened to notice the Lollypop hoardings skirting the Western Express Highway (WEH) on a very short stretch. It was FedEx advertising on them all through.

As I tried to recollect my last memory of these hoardings, I wondered "Had they had become a blind spot to a Mumbaikar like me who travels up and down the WEH twice every weekday?" What with  with our head immersed in our mobile phones, it was quite believable as we don't have time to look out the car window.

For those who have not seen them, Lollypop hoardings are concrete structures literally the shape of what else but a lollypop. They are used for advertising on the flat surface on either side of it's face (see pic below). They came up in the 80's ( I think) and have been their ever since. And mind you, in recessionary times and even beyond we had seen only variety of bird images instead of any advertisements for a very long time.
I thought that as the media trends changed, even these lollypops would have gradually receded into oblivion. But after having seen them yesterday still 'alive and in complete form' with FedEx campaign running on it, it made me immediately infer. If there is one media vehicle which has bravely survived the onslaught of dynamic hoardings and even the fairly young social media, are truly these Lollypop Hoardings - standing tall on the fringe of Western Express Highway near the Mumbai Domestic Airport area. They truly deserve to be the hero of the movie 'Die Hard- Part 6', if ever there is one made.

However, what really amplified my curiosity was, why were the advertisers still using this medium?
What was attracting them to use these hoardings?? Was it the uniqueness of these lollypop hoardings, their few numbers, low advertising rates, the location of these hoardings or the sheer old world charm that the advertisers saw in this format? Now, that's something I am really curious to know. If you happen to have some insights on this medium, do let me know.
A giant lollypop for your thoughts!

face bhook!

Today I woke up to a news article in The Times of India on my favourite social networking site
(nowadays) take a guess which one!.....yeah you are right, Facebook. It says that India Inc. is facing a productivity loss of 12.5% per day thanks to the social networking sites. If translated into number of hours it means on an average, an employee works only for 7 hours out of the 8 hours at work. Rest of the time is spent on social networking sites. Chk the link for the article -http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Social-networking-plagues-India-Inc/articleshow/5429382.cmsms
Ofcourse there are those unlucky few (but thankfully not part of statistics) like me where the employers have banned/blocked usage of such sites in office. Did these statistics shock me...or anyone else for that matter. I doubt it very much. Isnt it that what everyone is addicted to for the last so many months. In fact if you are not yet part of the Face Book bandwagon you could be considered a social outcast and a not 'with it' person. Either you are sent a friend invite to join FB or you just join it to check what everyone's talking so passionately about. It would be difficult to meet one of your friends who is not yet been bitten by this worm. They say nowadays the social profile of a person is recognised as ' Either you are a Face Booker' or not. Its like either you have or you dont.
Well, one person will disagree and thats ur truly's husband, because he has not only NOT created a profile yet on FB but I doubt he will be doing so in near future, especially seeing me affected by this new addiction surely he thinks he can do without it. Also that when I am on FB, its as if he is not there...well, thats what he says. Since FB has become one of my top 10 activities in the day, it is almost one of the top 10 reasons why we fight. And I am sure he is waiting for the day when he can say,'I told you so....' and win the battle for him. I would not only like to prove him wrong but also get him 'FaceBooked'
So you FB is creating tremors not only at office but also at home. And taking a cue of this social phenomenon, rightly so in its usual 'Amul' brand of humour we saw this FB hoarding towering over us from various city buildings. When 'Amul's' ad propogates any brand, its a clear measure of its cult status and establishes its popularity.

And as my blog post title reads, I can safely say that we have indeed been possessed by this all 'consuming' brand so much so that we 'Eat FB, Live FB and sleep FB'.
And I am sure the increasing numbers of FB users which at last count was 350 million users worldwide will all agree with the above statement.
Whats more?
That I could meet my school friends after 20 years....was one of the biggest event of my life of 2009. 125 batch mates who would have never have dreamt of meeting up on one common ground after two decades and reliving the grand ol' memories of quarter century back. It was truly pure, magical, ethereal and almost unbelievable feeling when we had the Reunion bees saal baad . A special evening, moments of which I have been reliving almost every minute since that day. And all this thanks to FB.
Yes, truly its helped me and millions others across the world reconnect with long lost friends from school, colleges, office and how! Its just not a social networking site but a brand which everyone wakes up to and goes to sleep with. Can their be any other brand as popular and addictive as this...i guess may be Colgate toothpaste comes closest (just joking) but there again...one is by habit and the other is pleasure. You dont get excited looking at your toothbrush in themorning/night as much as you do by checking ur FB profile with the latest updates from your pals.
Also, there was another article which I happened to read today which does not directly relate to FB but it has the potential to be. It says the power of how a tighly knit group of enlightened people can bring about a positive change not just at a micro level but at a national level by having a common agenda. And I think FB has the power for that to happen. If all on FB from India believe that we need a stronger governance, no corruption, no land grabbing by builders, timely and appropriate justice delivered by the judiciary, no illegal encroachments,proper planning of projects, open grounds, no cutting trees and importance of education/infrastructure in eradicating poverty then our time has come to use FB in the right direction and make it a lethal tool to wipe out the thugs who are ruling the country in the name of politicians.
Why dont we use FB to pursue common goals such as these. As the cliche goes, its an idea whose time has come!

Read below article for the context -
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDEwLzAxLzEwI0FyMDI0MDI=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom
So you see its not just a social networking site to meet your old pals and get together for reunions but it could be used as a tool for Unions of a different kind, Unions of Intellectuals who crave for doing something constructive for their nation and community. As I am sure that there are hundreds and thousands of Indians who have always wanted to do something for the city and country but did not know what to do and where to go.
Thinking aloud....May be a National newspaper can tie up with Facebook and create a community online for such Indians which could be BIG force to reckon with. And why not, there are already many groups formed based on social issues but we need a consolidated group which will cover all the problems which we as Indians face day in and day out and members can then nominate themselves for sub groups within this group for issues which are close to their heart. And icing on the cake would be to have a social (genuine)celebrity to campaign for this National cause.
To conclude, all I can say is that Facebook has the power to become a 'socially' relevant brand!