I run this really cool marketers community on Whatsapp. It sometimes gets to me that a lot of what is shared there is advertising. Don’t get me wrong – I opted out of my IIM campus placement (Reliance!) to join advertising (Ogilvy & Mather). But that was like a million years ago.
A David Ogilvy quote that resonates is “A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself.” The sentiment is that the customer should not feel that they are being sold to.
The Beastly VIP suitcase
This showed up on my group because VIP industries – one of India’s largest suitcase brands – did an ad for their new suitcase with the confusing headline “Beauty of Your Beast”. And no tie-in with Disney either. The OG suitcase brands – VIP, Safari, Samsonite – are being challenged by trendy designs from the likes of funded newbies like Mokobara. So I see the motivation, if not understand the communication.
But for a company with their heft it would have made way more sense to showcase their product in airports or Ubers or long distance buses. Nothing like seeing it to believe it!
I really did want to buy a Mokobara suitcase last year. But ended up buying a look-alike from I.T. luggage because (a) I’d owned one before and (b) it was available in airport retail. Touchy feely matters!
Spending money on an intangible? Real lux
I really, really, wanted a BMW once upon a time. It was to show myself that I had arrived. Sort of like a trophy for my corporate life. I also wanted a Louis Vuitton bag. I succumbed to their marketing story and felt that it was the sign of a successful business person. I justified it as a Boss Girl symbol.
The Apple laptop? Because it was more reliable than the other brand, maybe? And the Montblanc pen? Oh, every writer needs one, no?
But here’s the thing – right after I acquired these items, I felt no further need for a similar “trophy”. The purchases dispelled the myth for me.
On the other hand, a real craving is travelling business class, something I sneered at for much of my life. Why? Because for the duration of the flight, life is perfect – the outside world does not intrude. Sure your existence is constrained by the boundaries of a flight but within those constraints everything works beautifully.
Last summer I saw the real Mont Blanc from our hotel window. I’d love to do that again this year. Beats owning any number of pens, however “handcrafted” they may be.
Yes, coming from a scarcity childhood like mine, spending money on memories sounds a lot like burning money to watch the smoke. But it works.
Finally, the Apple TV connect
It is with a touch of nostalgia that I engage with the ads shared on my Whatsapp marketers group, because it is rare that I actually buy something based on a print ad. In-app marketing is more likely to capture my attention.
In the noughties, Bangalore had this huge kids store on M G Road called KidsKemp. They offered you a rose on arrival and a free ride from the airport to their store. A rather grand version of a free sample. But if the product or service is good, a free trial can be a super sales tool.
I am part of the Apple ecosystem. But except for Ted Lasso I haven’t really watched much Apple TV+ But on the my Singapore Airlines flight yesterday I saw a separate channel called Apple TV+ with a selection of their shows. Yes, yes, Severance was there, but I opted for The Morning Show. And guess what – the show was good enough that I continued watching it on my phone this morning before writing this newsletter!
Apple TV+ did a great job of inserting itself into an experience I already like and getting a trial.
Authenticity with AI
The Morning Show works because it is inspired by human stories whether it is #metoo or the aging of news anchors. Having watched Friends, I can relate to Jennifer Aniston as an aging anchor. Sure, AI can be used to craft the stories, but we resonate because it resonates with the human experience.
I was super thrilled by a post about this newsletter by Kartik Nagendraa this morning, which – and I quote – says
“I have been an ardent reader of Jessie Paul’s newsletter, and something about her writing just catches your attention.
Not because it has fancy hooks or viral tricks.
But because it feels… crafted. Thought through. Personal.
It has her voice.
Her lived experience.
Her perspective—sharpened over years, not seconds.
That’s what AI still can’t do.
It can mimic, summarize, even dazzle with speed.
But resonance? That’s human.❤️”
I started writing a newsletter as a Brand Manager at Infosys and continued through my years as CMO of Wipro. Marketing Booster Shot does not have corporate constraints so has always been about me finding my voice. As AI churns out information at breakneck speed, curated content like this will find a new purpose.
