Session 9: The Fine Balance

Rishi and Al meander down memory lane. Ponder on erstwhile conversations. Discuss the trials and tribulations of a now forced reality. And arrive at the fact that it's all good. We are up and running, geared differently, equipped with technology and a host more empathetic. They are actually optimistic that WFH is here to stay.

Al and Roz discuss the very high involvement act of bringing up children. They discuss their values, nuggets that shaped their personalities, and the mantras that guide their parenting views. The conversation touches on the 70ies, their age gap and their parents change over the years. They agree the key words would be 'nudge' and 'balance' while dealing with kids today.

Al and Uday discuss professional life today and why it should have been implemented eons ago. Mindsets, time & travel,  technology, face to face meetings, and  X men, all alluding to rapid mutation.  Thanks to  Covid19 we have realised what was The Old Abnormal.

Al and Uday, sip on Highland Smoked Single Malts and discuss the great nations China, India and Pakistan and the current skirmishes. They savour their Ardmore and Taliskar while talking about the stra

In what is actually Part 2 and a continuation of the conversations of Session 5 but let's just call it Session 6 for the purposes of archiving - while getting only a bit high on Danish Navy-issued Rum and Japanese Shochu, Al and Zed lucidly ponder at length the future of Digital Media, Advertising, Content in India and the shift from traditional mind-sets in the ancient land of Elephanta and elephants. Will brands and agencies in India finally make the leap and transform to tell better brand and product stories, and stay true to the art form that is Brand building and Marketing in a digital world? What does Indian advertising and marketing have to learn from (ugh) China? When will brand marketers in India finally evolve from the Neanderthals that they've become, and when will agency leaders recognize that the new opportunities that abound today and tomorrow? When will the Indian customer demand more from brands and business? What new skills are needed? Also, the curious and amazing creatures that are Dragonflies. And possibly some other random topics that no one can even remember due to middle age and drinking.

Drinking dark rum again, Al wants to talk about the state of media and marketing and what the future holds for digital marketing transformation in India. Zed is more interested in the state of his very tasty Shochu drink (a Japanese rice distilled liquor, best had with ice and soda.) Al takes us down memory lane once more to the Good ol' dark days of colonization and the Raj, aka. Great (or is it Little? ...no, it's Great accordingly to Al) Britain, but why they actually screwed things up, although we should be grateful? Anyway, it was fun. Al and Zed discuss new Heineken, Nike brand commercials, and the pros and cons of Social Justice Advertising and the problem of legacy businesses in a far from perfect world of questionable business practices and ethics, and why most brands are shit. But there is hope with Purpose-led businesses and brands. Also, Black Mirror, the dystopian Netflix show's timely and innovative new outdoor marketing campaign for the launch of its new Season. Speaking of Dystopia, Al wonders if Amazon can teach the world of brands about micro-targeting. You bet they can, they are, and they will. It’s once again time to launch off and to take a magical ride with the ancient spirits. So enjoy, dear friend, what is Part 1 of a two-part session. So long was this epic Session with so much discussed, that Part 2, which is technically a continuation of the same conversation but in which Al and Zed switch gears into Digital technology and how to deliver Content at Scale in a market like India for brands, will be named Session 6.   Other topics discussed at random: The history of Arak or country liquor originally distilled miraculously in Ancient Persia, its unlikely journey to Goa where it became Urak (Al's drink of choice as a teenager and still whenever he can get his hands on some), to Okinawa in the Pacific Ocean and to southern Japan's Kyushu Island and Kagoshima, where it found its birthplace as Shochu - made from Rice, Barley, Sweet Potatoes or Brown Sugar and enjoyed by old Japanese men of all ages everywhere even today and forevermore. The devil that is Chevron. One thing is for sure, and that is, the future of Shochu is more certain than the future of Brands and Marketing.  

Zed finishes the rest of the Sake while Al discovers devilishly delicious pink, pre-mixed cans of perennial favourite, Gordon's Gin and Tonic. In what turns out to be a Gin-soaked session, Al and Zed talk about the fast pace of life before Covid, arriving at the right place at the right time, the pleasures of family time, about the Great Slowdown and how life has changed since the latest pandemic began. So, is life better now?  Other topics discussed at random: The ancient history of Gin (and the not so ancient British Indian history of Tonic water). Also, gin parties, the mysteries of the East, the Unseen world of Djinns, genies, spirits, what genius is, the climate catastrophe, how humanity has fallen, the animal kingdom, the secret lives of trees, how Juniper made it to the UK, the fantastic thing that is the Juniper berry, the book Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow, Nike's advertising, Heineken's "Cheers to All" campaign, new hobbies, making progress, human development aided by plants and nature, short-term strategic planning and adaptation through life. Plus, how crack is really addictive.

Al drinks A.H. Riise Royal Danish Navy Rum and he is keen to deep dive into "the Good Old Days" - and just what this oft-repeated phrase and concept means. Does it hold any weight, any water - the weight of water perhaps... that is, was the past better than the present? Or is Now better? How do we judge these things with any objectivity and accuracy. Bloody intense topics! Zed savors an affordable bottle of Sake (Japanese fermented rice wine) and he gives massive amounts of Shri Shri-type Gyaan and philosophizes about traditional values, the need for metrics, and the life-long search for his lost Heart. Like two Old Monks, Al and Zed confer the auspicious title of Guru-ji on each other. Al and Zed talk about perspectives and why love and compassion is so important, about Confucius and what it really means to grow up, the problem of implementing change in advertising and brand marketing in India and other markets, learning and education in the digital world, the pros and cons of media and entertainment at the touch of a damn phone button, the age-old divine virtue of Patience, liberalism in a disoriented world, and why most agencies suck today and don't end up solving any real business problems although they are great at creating problems. Al professes his true love for Rum and Coca-cola, and he sings his beautiful heart out. Zed remembers his very first drinks on the rocks at Bandstand in Bandra, Bombay, India. Al tells the story of travelling to Brazil with his buddy for the 2012 Summer Olympics and 17 days of bliss on the beaches of Rio long before Covid when we were all young and innocent and happy, and watching the finals live at the stadium, only to see his team (Viva Brazil) lose. Damn crap. Other topics covered at random: British Airways brand marketing, SAS in the Nordics, the joys of producing medium-form brand content, Haywards 5000 beer, the Pacific Ring of Fire, living next to active volcanoes, the terror of earthquakes, combining knowledge and experience, pushing the boundaries of learning, questioning everything and Oneself, and finally, forming India's newest political party -much needed under the utterly dire circumstances that we all find ourselves in lately - the BYOB Party of India. Jai Hind! 

Drinking more beer - Al continues with his favourite, Carlsberg, but he reminisces about his second favourite, Tuborg, while Zed gets into the good zone with every man's favourite - a scotch and soda. aka. High Ball - which comes pre-mixed in a can at the local banya stores in Japan! Al and Zed go down memory lane to when they first met in Beijing, China, of all bloody places, and the insane fun that was had all those years ago - living, working and partying in epic proportions as two Bindaas buggers from Bandra, Bombay, in the ancient Chinese capital city.  Staying true to their roots, Al and Zed end up discussing (and agreeing) that beer tastes best in cold weather (although they agree that it’s enjoyable in hot weather too - particularly on tropical beaches.) Al then reflects on his birth and a crowning glory in the story of the Indian Republic (with the young nation’s high principles and ideals inspiring the rest of the world) and the natural, endless optimism that came from being born in a time when Bangladesh was also a baby. Zed remembers one of his favourite uncles, who was shot down and who amazingly ejected mid-day from an IAF fighter plane during a mission, as well as the curious circumstances surrounding his birth at the beginning of India's dark days of Emergency. Al gets into the 5,000 year history of Beer - its diverse drinking cultures and traditions, Zed talks about drinking as a kid and the delights of Shandy. Al talks about the drinking state, plus cheap duty free shops in light of obscene, downright criminal government taxation rates on liquor. Also, Al's recent travels to pro-alcohol Denmark and the Nordics just before all Hell broke loose with Covid in Europe. The rest is recent history and the present. Sigh. Other topics covered at random: A random story about Zed's birth certificate, the late great George Harrison's heart-felt concert for Bangladesh with Pandit Ravi Shankar (check it out on YouTube, it’s free of charge), the other time that the world almost majorly cocked up with Big Bombs in the Bay of Bengal, the challenges to freedom of speech in India thanks to the rise of the fascists... progress and victory for al, Copenhagen, Oslo, Bergen, Norway, Sweden and the Nordics, Europe and beer all the way, the good nature of humanity, overcoming things, the Capuchin monks of Italy and Belgium and crafting beer in enchanting, candle-lit caverns, Bob Dylan, the WTF tragedy of Glycerine as a shitty ingredient in beer-making, Kingfishers, Tuborg Brewery's innovative bottle-top packaging, discovering Indian rum and scotch whiskeys. And finally, the heavenly world of Single Malts.  Also, on "Survival Chinese", arriving in Beijing for the first time, festive memories from the 2008 Summer Olympics, random emails that changed everything, HouHai Lake District in Beijing, Shut Up, Just Drink (the best, small bar in Beijing, and possibly the world), drinking spurious Long Island Ice Teas (Chang Dao Bing Chas), drinking and riding scooters, almost dying many times, and being born again in China. Give peace a chance!

Drinking top shelf lager beers (Denmark’s Carlsberg and Japan’s Sapporo), Al and Zed get things started by talking about how it all started, creativity, the bath-loving Romans in the West Midlands, the United Kingdom, “Great“ Britain, the enterprising Brits and the can of stinking crap they have been left holding thanks to Brexit, plus the unspeakable horrors of war, atom bombs dropping WTFs, colonialism, and the ephemeral beauty of Japan (the Land of the Rising Sun.) Also, sketches of early memories from Bombay in the 1970s. Other topics covered at random: Living on islands (Hokkaido and Britain), latitudes (rather than longitudes), India‘s Emergency, Ireland’s troubles, Indira Gandhi, the various supply chain issues and complexities with having access to Indian food and Chaknas in other parts of the world. Also Covid crappo, and a number of other non-facts and quasi-perspectives from illusory life on planet Earth. No biggie.