​“Mad Matter: "Have I gone mad?" Alice: "I'm afraid so. You're entirely bonkers. But I'll tell you a secret. All the best people are.”  - Lewis Caroll. Through the looking glass.

​When I tell someone, “You’re mad” I always mean it as a compliment. To me, it means that they are authentic, different, think lateral, are obsessed with something – and are constantly learning it or expressing it or  being it and are possibly (bravely) vulnerable in wearing their obsession on their sleeve. These obsessive mad hatters are not the necessarily purple haired, rockstar looking (though some of them have been that!). Their deep engagement with what moves them, made the work, the workplace, our conversations & culture richer.  

​The interviews that I have most enjoyed, both as an interviewer and interviewee are the ones where the conversations have intended to understand the person not just the professional; with the innate understanding that best leaders, organisations, never want someone to leave their personal at the doorstep of the professional, mindful of the fact that we all benefit from having the whole person, not slivers of their being.

Purposeful and passionate people are the biggest asset any organization can have. And the best ones are always bonkers about something. Find them. Celebrate them. Nurture them to drive a culture of deep learning and openness.

​Exhibit A. We were on a work trip to Japan. It was evening and a bunch of us were leaving office to head back to the hotel. We were waiting at the taxi stand, and in front of us were two Japanese women. They had been waiting at the taxi stand before we got there.  As the taxi approached – these two women turned to us, and profusely apologized to us on account of the fact that they were taking the taxi before us. That they were already ahead of us in the taxi line, that there were more taxis coming by, and the fact that the weather was just fine – didn’t stop them from feeling uncomfortable. They got into their taxi apologetically, expressing their mindfulness of the fact that we were still waiting for our taxi. There was such dignity with which they wore what was rightfully theirs.  

Exhibit B. Our office was located in tower A of a building. And I found myself in tower B. With all the signs in Japanese, I was unable to find my way around the place. I saw a small dry-cleaning shop that was open and I showed the person the address and asked if he could direct me. The next thing I know, is that he locked his shop and walked me all the way to my destination. I was blown away by his lack of hesitancy to put himself through inconvenience to help me feel at ease.

Exhibit C. The team at the office, had just had a very late night at office. They had left the office at 2 am, travelled far and were back in the office at 8.30 am. But not a single person complained or expressed any signs of being tired. Their accommodative disposition (a denial of discomfort!) was so pronounced that it almost became a tad uncomfortable for others from a different culture.

The shame of putting someone else through any inconvenience - big or small, emotional or otherwise -  and the lengths to which they would go to hide their own troubles / issues was the key theme that kept surfacing through different encounters I had with Japan. Empathy took on a different flavour when the lens was Japan.

While working on a feminine care brand for P&G, the first thing I observed was the extent to which the women went to ensure that nobody ever figures out that they were on their periods. Not even the members of their house!
From boxes that they use to unpack and store their sanitary pads in, to the discreet packaging to ensure that no one sees her carrying the pads, to oils and scents to ensure that there is no smell whatsoever, to taking care of diet much before and after the periods to ensure that she ‘appears’ well and at ease, to music that uplifts, to Haramaki pants that hold the stomach in, the list was comprehensive – and diligently followed. For Japanese women, hiding their discomfort and ensuring that no one else sees their “suffering” was important. Making a show of any sorts about their periods - any discomfort that they may face - was highly shame inducing for them. This influenced our strategy of owning the entire cycle – and not just the period - while also teaching me valuable lessons in communicating to a ‘we’ culture.
This culture that always puts the ‘we’ ahead of the ‘me’ – and abhors talking about their troubles comes with its unique set of benefits & challenges. At times of crisis, the ability to put others ahead of oneself has earned them the world’s awe. The Japanese dignity has become the goal standard for decency in behavior. At other times, the same socially conditioned tendency to always put others ahead of oneself, has resulted in repression, and depression, highest suicide rates in the world, with the most disenfranchised -the women -  bearing the brunt of it, in a highly sexist society like Japan.
And I often think that our role as marketers, as media & communication experts in these instances is to not just understand & mirror the culture that we want to carve a space in, but also to use the voice of the brand’s purpose to ignite & elevate the right conversations in the interest & wellbeing of the audiences that we want to super serve. And that may mean scratching below the surface of these cultural norms and wedging spaces for the ones who are most suffocated and bound by these cultural proscribes. 
 

​Most companies conduct EXIT interviews – talking to people once they have decided to leave to understand their reasons for leaving, in the hope that the organization learns from the experience and is able to put systems in place to create a culture that is beneficial for the employee and the organization. 
And in almost all the exit interviews that I’ve known of – the element of truth has been super thin (if at all) because the information, the intelligence and the insight comes too late to be of any actual value to the person leaving. 
Instead of the Exit Interview, what organizations could try and focus their resources should be the ENTRY interview. The ENTRY interview is NOT the job interview. The job interview conducted by the HR and the direct and (maybe) affiliated team focusses on the skills that the candidate possesses, and the vibe. They test for aptitude and attitude (hopefully) before deeming whether the fit is right or not and making the offer.
The ENTRY interview is what the Culture Officer (Not the HR!) should conduct with the new employee to understand their style of working, environments in which the thrive and behaviors that make them feel like they are expressing their strengths – and are feeling happy and supported while doing so.
A coworker I knew, a single mom, cared more about flexible working hours and a work from home option, more than any other benefit the organization could offer her.
Another colleague loved ‘exchange programmes’ – the opportunity to join a different team, even a different market for certain periods of time to learn a new skill, develop a different perspective and bring it all back in the service of what he was doing.
People are different – their motivations are different – and the signals they look at to feel valued, fulfilled and happy are all equally different. An ENTRY interview, arms the organization with vital information about the employee; information, that they can actually put to use for the benefit of the employee providing that information. Information from an ENTRY interview can be put into practical use to design working conditions and benefits that are personally meaningful and relevant to an employee - giving them reasons to thrive at their workplace – creating work that’s benefits all, and reducing the turnover costs that organizations face so often.
Take the time to get to know your employee with the intention of creating better conditions of work for them.  And know that the better conditions that they seek are not generic, more snacks, bigger office space and cocktail hours (These might help in the interim, but will rarely stop people from reaching for the exit).

Ignoring the person lurking inside the ‘customer’, and ‘over stuffing’ them with undiscerning, unending information & limitless products, has resulted in marketers precipitating a different kind of epidemic, that of Choice Obesity, with the resulting ‘over-choice’thrusting people into a state of paralysis, decision fatigue, inaction, unhappiness & unfulfilling actions. 

In 2000, psychologists Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper published a remarkable study. On one day, shoppers at an upscale food market saw a display table with 24 varieties of gourmet jam. Those who sampled the spreads received a coupon for $1 off any jam. On another day, shoppers saw a similar table, except that only six varieties of the jam were on display. The large display attracted more interest than the small one. But when the time came to purchase, people who saw the large display were one-tenth as likely to buy as people who saw the small display.

In the world of FMCG, P&G. Olay, SK II.  Recognizing that navigating & choosing from the world of serums, day creams, night creams, pore reduction, line reductions, etc. was a nightmare in itself, simplified choices by bundling a regimen together, seeing growth in business, with greater uptakes
 
In retail, IKEA does a brillaint job of helping consumers navigate their almost impossible prroduct range by organizing them into rooms, & themed spaces that makes browzing manageable and the dwell time enggaing., online and in store.  And people end up leaving IKEA with more than what they had intended to purchase 

As a country, aspart of efforts to offer citizens a more convenient, less confusing experience when transacting with a variety of Govt. digital services, Singapore Govt,has organized a one stop solution that delivers ALL integrated services and information through ONE single platform that provides personalised support, bundling relevant info.& services across agencies according to citizens' needs.

Combat Choice Overload, with some of these key strategies, amongst others. 
1. CATEGORIZE : Numerous studies have proven that people can handle more categories than they can discrete choices. Help shoppers discern the differences in products by creating categories and filters that narrow the pool of possible purchases.
2. CONDITION : Using the example of an automaker selling customized cars, Sheena Iyengar describes how a selection process beginning with the fewest choices (4 gear shifts) yielded better shopper engagement and lower fatigue rates than the process starting with many choices (56 color options). We can handle complex decisions, if we are ‘primed’ well. Start small, before you upsize, upsell , cross sell
3. CREATE A STRONG BRAND IDENTITY : While consumers would always need information at  the POS, having a strong brand identity will ensure that there is a clear differentiation from competition and a positive bias to help them navigate the last mile.

Understand the psychology of decision making to combat Cho-besity, and respond with human-centric  strategies that enable better & happier choice making. Commercial rewards, will not only ensue but will also sustain.

How can we increase women’s engagement with everyday banking in India? This was the question that led us to on a path of discovery and a conversation with women across the length & breadth of the country. 
The conversation soon took a life of its own with women passionately articulating what  everyday banking meant to them, how they handled money management in their households, the information and resources they used when making banking decisions, their role and level of involvement in everyday banking, the benefit to them of involvement in everyday banking, and how they would re-imagine everyday banking that’s designed with women in mind, and what role this bank could play in their life and how banks should communicate with them.The topic had clearly hit a nerve with the women in India.Response rates were through the roof. Normally, we see about 20-40% of Moms in the online community participate in an activity. In this case, we had more than 70% of our panel of Indian Moms participating both in volume and in depth. It was clear from the responses that they craved having a voice on money and banking that extends beyond their own household. Even the perceived opportunity to affect change and benefit other women was embraced. 

 
MONEY = FREEDOM
The less affluent saw money as security and freedom from worry, while the more affluent, saw it as freedom of choice. Compared to their global counterparts, Indian Moms viewed money differently, taking the long view of money and finances. While moms from most western markets talked about their finances as being out of control and feeling helpless under economic forces, Indian Moms spoke of a more disciplined approach to money, spending tremendous time, planning, reviewing their household budgets regularly, actively tracking variances and performance against their plans, and saving and investing. Economic uncertainty was something they actively planned for and not something they reacted to. While moms from other markets reported saving very little,  Indian moms saw saving as the default, as the first thing to do when the pay check came in. 
 
CARRY THE BURDEN OF A LEGACY OF FINANCIAL DEPENDENCY 
Access isn’t equal. And most women we spoke to had felt the burden of it and borne the brunt of it. Women aren’t treated as an independent or equal financial entity by banks.  Financial products are too are designed primarily for men. Even qualified women had different rules for and terms of approval with most experiencing widespread discrimination.
“I and my husband earn equally and he is considered more loan worthy.  Women are still considered the dependent, even when we are not!”  
“In Indian banks, beneficiaries’ schemes for women mostly depend upon the income of the spouse or of parents. This should change.”

FINANCIAL SUCCESS IS A TEAM SPORT
Although they were in tune with their household budget performance at a granular level and in nearly real-time, they wanted their hard work and hard-won lessons to benefit other moms too. They wanted to guide others and they actively trade investment tips, strategies and advice with other women. Many said that they would be more likely to seek out and trust financial advice and guidance from another woman. 

(CLOSET) HOUSEHOLD MINSTER OF FINANCE
Indian moms are neither uneducated nor uninvolved in everyday banking. Behind the scenes, they were steering and driving household financial decisions Despite playing such an important role in financial matters of the home, most women weren't using banks as a resources for financial advice. Nor were they seeing banks as their partners in helping them achieve their life goals.

RETAIL BANKING AVERSE
As far as women were concerned, the bank experience is best avoided.  At best, it was viewed as inconvenient and at worst , as mildly hostile.
“Everyday banking in India is full of chaos. Endless lines. Lots of paper work and printers and servers down with repair issues, inefficient staff, fill up this form and that. Private or Public – banking experience is not pleasant.” 
 
These insights gave us an opportunity to ask the Indian moms to reimagine banking.And this is what emerged as their express desire,

• @Retail. A pleasant, flexible, non-judgmental, family-friendly and relatable in-bank experience; this could take the form of female relationship managers, more women staff, an special lane for women with kids in tow, having access to financial advice and experiences of / from other women, child friendly play / waiting area, timings that are friendlier and flexible.
  
• Product. Fair rules and greater access to bank products designed with women's needs in mind, The same terms and approval rules for financially-qualified women as for men; financial products designed specifically for women (“There should be loans with different terms for single women or female entrepreneurs.”), customised product bundles based on her life stage and goals.
  
• Trust. A bank's relationship that goes beyond a series of transactions and into a trusted partnership, i.e. guide her in her financial performance target setting and help her with incentives to celebrate the attainment of her goals, A social hub for gathering women, building networks and sharing resources, i.e. providing collaborative learning experiences designed by and/or for women, Educational resources to better understand options and make better decisions, i.e.financial education on products and goals and personalized product offerings based on her inputs.

Banks have a long way to go to fix the broken and superficial relationship they have with women in India, today. There is a big opportunity to lead a cultural and marketing change in how banks see, cater to and engage with women by meeting their needs in ways that are genuinely enabling, and moving the needle from mere reach to more meaningful metric – relevance.It takes more than pink cards and spa discounts to get women engaged with their banks. Its time the banks understood and responded adequately to the complex and dynamic relationship between Moms & Money. And stand to be rewarded with the attention and loyalty of at least half of the 1.35 billion population of India.​

​Do you want to change the world? I do. 
​
One strategy a time. One client meeting a time. One brainstorm a time.  One conversation a time.  With strategies that the brand can grow into. With strategies that unleash the brand’s full range of potential. And make a positive dent in business, in people’s lives, in culture.
Here are some examples of work that stemmed from that desire. Some of it saw the light of the light and some that didn’t but all of it strongly intending to permeate culture, and make a dent in it for the better. 

In a sexist nation like India – and in 1999 – the advt for a detergent, Ariel did not show a woman. It showcased a man washing clothes using Ariel and saying that washing clothes had got nothing to do with being a man or woman. Ariel made it so simple that anyone could do the washing. At the time the commercial was aired in India, all detergent commercials showcased the woman doing the laundry -  mirroring the mindset that washing was considered to be a woman’s job. By making the man – not just do the washing but in subsequent communication take care of the child, while the mom went out to work- our work attempted to make the right dent in culture by questioning and reversing gender stereotypes.

On Johnson’s & Johnson’s baby care, across SE Asia we got dads into the picture. Millennials agree that the family unit has changed since they were younger, with men taking on greater household responsibilities & care of their children. Marketers lagged behind and still spoke about parenting as being a mom’s job. We got the leading global baby care brand to put dad’s in the centre of the work, community, conversation. A positive dent in the culture. 

Changing the world for the better, could be the highest expression of one’s talent. It can come from within or without the brief. Or when you repurpose the brief to develop a strategy that the brand can grow into and change people’s lives the way it didn’t think it could. Change the world, one brief at a time .