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.