New Yorkers watch out....your energy data is out there. An interactive map now shows an energy heat map by ZIP code. nyc http://ping.fm/cO1mw

The story of tea told in simple terms. Worth a read though you will be amazed to know the diversity of this simple cuppa!! http://ping.fm/a5OaS

Interesting effort by ILO to compare one's monthly wage with the global average. Go ahead, try it out. http://ping.fm/yBpzJ

The Pulsepoint/EIU survey validates and calculates social media ROI. http://ping.fm/Cf2hb

There are FOUR ways in which researchers are trying to feed the 7B people on Earth. Read on. http://ping.fm/2HY4d

An awesome infographic by BBC on how large space is - must see and must show to our kids. http://ping.fm/AiF5C

The apple had a sticker "From Italian Alps". Wondering if QR codes will allow buying directly from the farmer soon. Farm to Plate Direct?

Looks like the email posting function on ping.fm has gone down....time for upgrade to a new aggregator, I guess...

Corporate behavior is weird on social web. When you complain they immediately follow you. When you ask them a Q, they are silent. Why?

Disappointed at high prices of laptops in India. They are responsible for low adoption. wakeupdell wakeuplenovo

Will the diesel party continue in India? Will be interesting to see what the Budget says this time. Hope it is not a twist in the tale!

Disappointed at high prices of laptops in India. The manufacturers have themselves to blame for low adoption here. wakeupdell wakeupkenovo

Very interesting perspective on the 4Ps of doing business in Africa as an entrepreneur. http://tinyurl.com/82jyvla

My Dell Inspiron 5100 power adaptor has conked off within 7 months. No more Dell for me and no more ebay buying! sad angry bewareofdell

The need for speed is high for newsmakers - if Maggi needs 2 minutes, news requires 3 mins, thanks to social web! http://tinyurl.com/7jwjh5p

Is less more or is more less? Interesting conundrum to solve! What say?

Excited to be back in Mumbai after ages. This place is awesome - a barometer of life!

Check out Pathak Property Mgt Services at http://tinyurl.com/6nanu7h. Understand it is a differentiated offering in the realty space.

Pathak Builders let me know that flat is on fast track. All issues resolved by Srihari Pathak. Excited @ 1st flat in Mysore. Thanks Srihari.

It takes guts to lead a life that Sarath Babu has chosen. Take a bow, Sarath. Truly an inspiration. http://tinyurl.com/88n6l9t

Learning the hard way to not trust local firms like Pathak Builders (http://tinyurl.com/6trpzoj) who take TWO yrs for one building. Beware!

Predictions of changes in the world, 100 years hence. Interesting and thought-provoking. http://tinyurl.com/7x7vmp8

An incredible example of foresight - John Watkins predicted events 100 yrs ahead, ACCURATELY. Must READ! http://tinyurl.com/72uwqob

3D printing demystified. Truly a "Ripley's Believe It or Not" Moment! Imagine printing toys at home! Awesome!! http://tinyurl.com/735pv9k

My 2 cents on key social media trends in 2012. Some of these are already hitting the headlines as we speak!! http://tinyurl.com/75msvhm

My Personal Mobility Index (pMI) is 110404, i.e. 4 mobiles across 4 brands in the last 11 years. Obviously reads frugal! What is yours?

Interesting trivia repository for endless hours of reading and smiling away! Quite enjoyable. http://ping.fm/10hjh

Surprised to note that TATA's own sub, Concorde, charges 2% for credit card payments. That is so un-TATA behavior! Credit card cos, pls NOTE

My views on how different generations are coping with access to basic amenities. http://ping.fm/rOOMy

Generation gap?

I was recently struck by an essential difference across generations in terms of access to basic amenities.

This is what came to mind:

A. Our grandfathers did not have to buy food at all. They also were given land without having to purchase it.

B. Our fathers not only had to save to buy land for themselves, but also had to buy food for day to day living.
C. Our generation has to buy land, buy food and surprisingly, we sometimes have to buy water as well!! We are also paying for broadband access.
D. I am wondering after seeing how we are maintaining the planet, whether the next generation will have to buy land, food, water and OXYGEN as well! Going by how we are hurting the planet in our quest for riches from a rapidly depleting natural resource base, I am sure, this is going to happen. However, they may get broadband free!!

Disturbing thought, isn't it? What do you think?

Thoughts, comments, debate, critique, welcome.

All flight day today as I move from Coast to Coast. Thanks to Annette for booking such fabulous seats for me. Having a comfortable time!

Nokia comes with an internal environment GPS prototype. Über-cool! Good time to take leadership in this space. http://bit.ly/v0QwzU

A new model being pioneered by Bangladesh to help recruitment across borders for workers is quite cool. http://tinyurl.com/6gquko5

Seems Einstein was wrong about his theory of relativity as this article confirms. Interesting development! http://ping.fm/OoBzQ

Apple plans to disrupt texting business with iMessage - how will telcos react?Game on. http://ping.fm/Nq6PG

Looks like Research in Motion is on its way OUT. ONE MORE OUTAGE today. Soon, it will be RIP RIM, I guess. God Save The Company!

A lesson on accountability recd from my 6-yr son. When I went to check his homework, he asked, "Dad, why should YOU check MY work?" Awesome!

Hail the Nobel Prize winners for Medicine this year - for their pioneering work on "innate immunity". http://tinyurl.com/3f5bkmr

A new revolution is on its way - it is called the "Internet of Things". Be aware - you will play a part in it. http://tinyurl.com/3kvj864

Web browsing can help in many ways - planet discovery being one as Project Planet Hunters shows. http://tinyurl.com/6kxznbd

A new era begins - EmPower Research becomes a Genpact company. Thrilled to be part of this exciting journey. http://tinyurl.com/6356ez7

This is my India - awesome canvas of cuisine across states! Jai Hind!
Best Regards
Arun

All you wanted to know about the mobile app business models out there. Nice read for everyone. http://tinyurl.com/3ksr687

A 13-yr old finds that the Fibonacci sequence helps trees harvest solar power efficiently. Awesome work, Aidan. http://tinyurl.com/4426d6q

Toyota thinks of a cool idea to endear children to the brand. Nice move, I must say. Quite interesting! http://tinyurl.com/3e73kfr

The 'Apple' of everyone's eyes is stepping down aftr revolutionizing entertainment 4 all. What next for the firm? http://tinyurl.com/3nj5rou

Meet the latest revenue model for music labels - Mr. Online Karaoke. Interesting stuff. Will it work? http://ping.fm/snSdI

HP to exit hardware and bet on brainware. Markets not impressed! Sign of consolidation times for industry? http://tinyurl.com/3uxmyy4

Very productive long weekend. Feeling very good!

Can we empower Indian villages using an approach like Botswana has tried? Pvt sector has a big role to play here. http://tinyurl.com/3vqlzsm

The most recent FB protest -> the cottage cheese revolution on Israeli streets. A true case of caveat emptor. http://tinyurl.com/3qzmezx

The Curios Case of Uncle Sam -> Apple now has more cash than Uncle Sam. Ironically, Prez Obama owns an iPad. http://tinyurl.com/4xn9zon

Dear Indian, when you read a newspaper, thank yourself, as you help India be the world #1 in newspaper sales. http://tinyurl.com/3lj7y7b

Lab-on-chip could be a game-changer in early disease detection. Cool innovation! Thanks, to Samuel Sia. http://tinyurl.com/3e3vdlg

Happy birthday to the humble weather forecast as it turns 150 years old to this day! http://tinyurl.com/3lkxq9m

Great read..the Pixel business model can definitely transform India's rural landscape! Would you agree? http://tinyurl.com/3exah85

DYK Chile is the telescope capital of the world? It has helped us know much more about our starry neighbourhood! http://tinyurl.com/3rsaelz

Why couldn't the celebrity world save Amy from substance abuse? Condoling after she is gone is not enough. http://tinyurl.com/3wbqeap

Is Google+ changing call signs to Google -? Seems to be in trouble for deleting accounts even b4 the show began! http://tinyurl.com/3ze5go9

"The Emperor Has No Clothes"

This blog has been triggered by a series of events in my life in the past couple of years. Let me put them down first and then explain:

1. My wife and I decided to buy a new refrigerator since the old one was falling short in capacity. We were very satisfied by our old Whirlpool refrigerator and as any loyal customer, decided to go back to them for the new one. We were also happy with our experience with the Adishwar dealership (www.adishwarestore.com) and so decided to trust them for this one as well. We were able to find the right model and terms from them along with the right time frame for delivery. However, what we had not bargained for, was the shoddy execution at the end of the transaction. The result -a> A couple of scratches in our new shining model by the delivery agency that brought the fridge to our house; and b> Delayed visit by the Whirlpool representative for the installation
2. I purchased a couple of jeans from Max (www.landmarkgroupme.com/retail/landmark-brands/max/) and found them to fit well. What I had not bargained for, was the poor quality of the tailoring - both of my jeans have lost their buttons within the first 3 months. I had never expected this to happen and hence had not even retained the purchase receipts - how ironic! I have not gone back to them yet!
   
3. We purchased a rocking chair from Home Town (www.pantaloonretail.in/hometown.asp) and despite the salesperson's assurance for delivery on the date and time of our choice (being a working couple, this had to happen during the evening slots), their truck driver called us abruptly for delivery since he was in our area earlier and was unresponsive to our requested slot. We had to scramble to meet their needs, despite being the customer!
4. After spending quite a considerable amount of time in choosing a perfume for myself at Westside (www.mywestside.com), their purchase counters could not sell it to me (you are reading this right, it is not a typo!) since they could not find the item code. How hilarious and disappointing can that be!!
5. I am told I am a special customer at ICICI Bank (they call it HNI status) but am struggling to find that status and agility in their response time for my requests. Recently, I received my 16-A copies (after realizing that they had not been sent to me on time) by trying hard to reason with and finally managing to convince my so-called relationship manager over 5 working days,with a formal request letter for this need. How special am I?
   
6. Similarly, Citibank holds me in a Citigold relationship - that is supposed to be prestigious too. I get infrequent calls from my relationship manager, who assures me of speedy service at all times. Ironically, I get many calls from other divisions of Citibank, where youngsters hard sell me with personal loans and several types of cards. This is despite several requests for that elusive Do Not Disturb status! Prestigious, did you say?
7. My 6 year old son likes to shop in Reliance Fresh as he gets to handle the trolley and also likes to select vegetables and fruits every weekend. Last week, after a frustrating bout of trying to find "fresh" vegetables/fruits, he asked my wife loudly during the billing process - "When there is nothing fresh here, why do they call themselves Reliance Fresh?"

So, I pondered on these instances in my mind and was wondering what is the pattern here? What is the rationale for these disruptions in my seemingly "loyal" brand experience? Why are these brands not realizing and honoring my loyalty to them in an expected manner? Am I not doing and behaving exactly as they want me to - coming back for more to them for more business, more relationships, more stickiness? So, where is it not working out? What is going wrong in all of this?

When I thought about it further, I realized that the problem lies in not training all their customer touch points on maintaining a standard, consistent and predictable brand experience, that resonates with their brand persona. All of them have failed to plan their brand experience execution in terms of the weakest link - in many cases, an unorganized part of the supply chain that can impact the brand experience much more than the other parts. The truck drive does not care what I care about - he is oblivious of the brand experience, I thought I will get from my past experiences and from the marketing campaigns.

I feel sorry for the people behind the scenes, who have a responsibility to build and uphold the brand experience across the customer base. Many of them clearly do not know that there are elements within their own value chain, that are not within their control, and can thwart their energies/marketing investments/efforts/tireless planning in building the brand.

When I try to draw an analogy to this situation, I am reminded of a story in my school days about an Emperor who listens to tricksters in his coterie and agrees to wear a royal dress made of "new fashionable out-of-this-world" material for a ceremony . All his courtiers praise him for the grand design of his new clothes. A young boy blurts out during the ceremony and brings him back to Earth by saying - "The Emperor Has No Clothes ON!!" much to his chagrin and discomfort.

Similarly, by not keeping all the elements in their control and presenting a different persona using advertising and marketing campaigns, but not delivering that in reality to the customers, these brands are also suffering from a similar ailment. "They do not have their clothes ON" and probably are not realizing the truth.

Need a mirror? I can afford to send them one, on the house!!

A mechanical engineer's thought process says, "Wherever there is a drill, there is a way". Absolutely bang on! mechcatsrule

The rule of 72 explained for one and all. Nice reading for economically-inclined folks! http://tinyurl.com/3dmaej8

Not fair that ordinary do-gooders suffer and die due to mindless violence by crazy humans. My heart bleeds for you, Mumbai. Get well soon!!

Great speech by Lakshmi, an accomplished travel blogger. Her mantra for success is "Good honest content" Very true!

Two big desirables in today's world: a> A Google + account and b> An app that imports all FB contacts. Wishful thinking? Not really. cool

Ready for the first flying car? Please be, as it is likely to be available in late 2012. It's been approved too! http://tinyurl.com/69ekz5y

DYK RoboCup is an annual football tournament for autonomous robots? How ubercool. Virginia Tech was the winner. http://tinyurl.com/5wakvcr

Happy Birthday, Neptune!! http://tinyurl.com/623we88

Just found Wii Golf as a lovely way to teach my 6 year old son about math esp addition & subtraction of -ve numbers. Awesome. Wii

How I wish the farming world moves to this model, esp. in my country, using cattle. Such a welcome piece of news. http://tinyurl.com/6bzhv7n

Why "all that glitters is NOT gold" explained in simple terms. If only, this is accepted! Amen to that. http://tinyurl.com/6jx6lbz

Japan counters Chinese rare earth monopoly by exploring the ocean floor. Interesting dynamic in this field. http://tinyurl.com/6jjoa4v

You never know what you can become and when. Look at Parkaso Tomar's story and be inspired. Hats off. http://tinyurl.com/5sldtvz

Feeling optimistic, thrilled and light-hearted because of the long weekend! Yahoo. Sounds like fun!! happy

IBM scientists have come up with a new memory, PCM that is 100x better than the best in today's market. http://tinyurl.com/5tkrnl4

A new approach to increasing mobile battery life found. SleepWell can help increase mobile battery life. http://tinyurl.com/5v92xr7

The fight between, hold your breath, tau vs. pi unveiled. Nice to see such interest in math! Not funny at all! http://tinyurl.com/6zhtv2q

Very encouraging news. Genetic editing can help cure hemophilia. Awesome. http://tinyurl.com/4xaxsbc

GABA, an amino acid, has been successfully used to reverse Type I Diabetes in mice. Human beings are next. Cool! http://tinyurl.com/6y9x773

My LinkedIn network looks like this. http://ping.fm/Z4GqE Thanks all for your help in this wonderful journey called life :-)

Australia takes on Big Tobacco via a policy of unbranded ciggy packaging. Way to go, Oz - hope it saves lives. http://tinyurl.com/672a5w3

Bangladesh leads rural solar power adoption with 1M households. Quite commendable, India can we learn from this? http://tinyurl.com/6zlnz26

Announcing a pot which heats your food and charges your cellphone. Serious stuff, thanks to a Japanese firm. http://tinyurl.com/3u6n8ox

Our oceans are under threat, says a new study. Human impact stated to be the 6th mass extinction event on Earth. http://tinyurl.com/3s98o3j

Quite a hilarious take at how impractical and ludicrous the US licensing system is, for some professions. A riot. http://tinyurl.com/657trso

My opinion on the changing media landscape and how my firm empowers clients in their decisions in this scenario. http://tinyurl.com/6dxntj4

DYK how Siberia is going to power China's growth in the future? By turning water to cash through dams! Read on. http://tinyurl.com/5w2tdve

Pasta is world's most fav food (meat, rice & pizza) - cheap, easy, long-lasting and can be made anywhere. http://tinyurl.com/Pastaisno1

Scientists make a drug to prime dormant cells for heart repair on its own! ETA for humans - 10 yrs. Awesome news. http://tinyurl.com/3ocve9h

Looks like I am NOT a vegetarian I thought I was, going by this article and an earlier one. What can I say? :-( http://tinyurl.com/65zwm7k

Yippee - completed the Majja Run in an ordinary timeline of 1 hour. Sadly, while it was fun, disappointed to see lack of civic sense in the process. Why India, why?

Proud to be part of the World 10K marathon. Running/walking along with a vibrant Indian workforce makes me quite proud! Such a joy to be part of this country. Jai Hind!

Wow - DYK there are 185 products that use pig parts. Wow. Is that good or bad? That's for you to decide. :-) http://tinyurl.com/28ztwbq

Very provocative PoV by the 37Signals CEO on how to improve productivity and creativity at office. Would U agree? http://tinyurl.com/338qwvs

A new genre of Qs emerge as quiz masters try to "Google-proof" questions to beat smartphones aka cheating aids! http://tinyurl.com/425mwfu

Balancing ubiquitous computing and cyber-attacks is quite a challenging problem statement for a CTO. Very true. http://tinyurl.com/6cum2w6

Confirmed again that blogging is effective in making the police department work on your complaint. Nice read. http://tinyurl.com/3vskga2

If one can hyperlink in Twitter using Ctrl+K, approx. 15% more content can be included. Bye bye to URL shorteners. When will this happen?

UNICEF paid $757M in 2010 for 2.5B doses of vaccines to 58% of world's children in 99 nations. Sharing prices. http://tinyurl.com/3cyrkzt

DYK beer is NOT classified as an alcoholic drink in Russia? No wonder it is the world's 4th largest market. http://tinyurl.com/425w98z