Tag Archives: Brands

What’s in a name?

Posted on May 26, 2011 by rodinhood

Spending time and money on the perfect ‘brand name’ creation is all bunk. Those who pretend that it matter are the false advertising types whose livelihood depends on making people spend money they don’t need to: Continue reading →

Posted in Start-Up, VC & Corporate Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Why service at India Retail stores is so bad…

Posted on May 17, 2011 by rodinhood

Indian Retail sucks. The sales people have usually never consumed the goods they are selling and hence cannot relate to the product. Also, they lack training and even basic manners… Continue reading →

Posted in Experiences | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 29 Comments

The Assassin, The Ghost and The Priest

Posted on September 16, 2010 by Rodinhood

If I were the CEO of ‘Britannica Encyclopedia’ and had walked into a Music Shop selling CDs (in the mid 80s), I would have spotted my assassin right there – staring at me from the racks………..

……..If I had listened to all these rumors, I would have had a nervous breakdown. Nothing of the above happened and I plodded on as usual, and built a successful business………..

………In India, Zapak.com is an ADAG funded Company, and has spent crores of Rupees in India advertising the category of ‘online gaming’. Their Sales army has gone across and met all the brand owners and media agencies and sold the concept of ‘in-game’ inventory. At Games2win.com, we cannot thank them enough!….

…….Nothing can be better that a competitor who actually helps you by competing with you. He is your Priest…… Continue reading →

Posted in Experiences, Internet, Media, Mobile and Tech, Start-Up, VC & Corporate Stuff | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

What Entrepreneurs must learn from Fashion Models!

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Rodinhood

One day, when I was on my regular ‘contest begging’ trips, I was stunned when the brand manager of Liril Soaps (a Unilever Company product) said, ‘Alok, don’t harass me. We make soaps here – not contests. If you like contests so much, why don’t you make them and pitch them to me, rather than the other way around’……. On introspection, it was so clear why the games succeeded in China – with no mass entertainment options available (TV and films are state controlled) and very cold weather, Chinese teens were happy to lock themselves into gaming dens and play away for hours non stop. On the other hand, in India, with 3 bollywood movies releasing a week; 500 channels on TV and very warm and ambient weather, teems cared a damn to sit in suffocating game parlors and play online games with silly dragons and elves Continue reading →

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Why the Chinese buy Internet Media on a ‘time’ basis

Posted on February 14, 2009 by rodinhood

During my experience in China during 2001-2003, I never paid much attention to why the leading websites in the country sold their media on a ‘time’ basis - so essentially Sina, Sohu and Netease would sell their impressions and banners on … Continue reading →

Posted in Internet, Media, Mobile and Tech | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Ad networks go and going bust :-(

Posted on February 13, 2009 by rodinhood

I was shocked when my colleague told me that Adsmart or Adrevenue – a UK based ad network that Games2win had signed up has gone bust…taking along with it about 500 UK Pounds owned to us. Shucks…. and hell…. how … Continue reading →

Posted in Start-Up, VC & Corporate Stuff | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments