Monthly Archives: March 2008

If You Haven’t Had Your Fill of McDonald’s Yet, Try ‘Super Size Me’

Monday, March 31st, 2008

Super Size Me Movie Poster

If you haven’t had your fill of McDonald’s from reading about my craving for McDonald’s Paneer Salsa Wrap, you should have a look at Morgan Spurlock’s award-winning documentary film ‘Super Size Me’ (via Medea’s comment on my post).

Spurlock’s film follows a 30-day time period (in February 2003) during which he eats three meals a day from McDonald’s, Super Sizes his meal whenever offered, gives up exercise, gains 11 kg in body weight and experiences mood swings, sexual dysfunction, and possibly permanent liver damage.

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My Insatiable Craving For McDonald’s Paneer Salsa Wrap

Sunday, March 30th, 2008

McDonald's Paneer Salsa Wrap

I have a confession to make.

I have an insatiable craving for McDonald’s Paneer Salsa Wrap.

It hits me at the oddest times and places, more often than I would like to admit.

- X - X - X -

Sometimes, I’m running on Marine Drive and, suddenly, my stomach ties up into knots and all I can think of is a McDonald’s Paneer Salsa Wrap.

I have to stop, bend over, take a few deep breaths, look out over the sea towards Malabar Hills, wait for the craving to slowly subside.

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Quick Poll: Is ‘The Marketer Who Went Off Consumption’ A ‘Reality Show’?

Saturday, March 29th, 2008

I’m totally amazed (and a little embarrassed) by the amount of conversation generated by my laundry situation both offline and online (especially on Twitter).

Now, some of my friends are suggesting that I get myself some life-casting equipment and convert this blog into a video reality show!

First, I never intended this experiment to become a reality show; a year of my life is worth more than that. Insights into why we consume? Yes! A new way to live a simple(r) life? Yes! A multi-million dollar book deal? Yes! A reality show? No way!

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It Is Difficult To Search For Insights After Washing Three Bucketfuls Of Clothes

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

It Is Difficult To Search For Insights After Washing Three Bucketfuls Of Clothes

Last night, I wanted to follow up my first insights post on why we buy things because buying things is easier than asking for things with a post on how marketers can use this insight.

This is the format I plan to follow through the year. My being off consumption will force me to do new things, like couchsurfing, which will give me insights into why we consume. I’ll share these insights in the form of really cool graphs supported by real-life case studies on how can marketers use these insights.

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When You Can’t Buy What You Want, You Learn To Ask For What You Need

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

When You Can't Buy What You Want, You Learn To Ask For What You Need

We buy things because it is easier to buy things than ask for things.

As children, we have to ask for everything we want (or even need).

When we grow up, start making money, we find out that we don’t have to ask for anything anymore, because we can always buy what we want.

Over time, we become so used to buying everything we want that we forget how to ask for anything.

For instance, for more than seven years now, I haven’t really asked anyone for anything, without offering an immediate or delayed quid pro quo.

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Filed in Couchsurfing, Graphs, Insights, Learning to Ask, What Is Necessity? | Tagged , , , , | Permalink | Comments (3)

Can I Sleep On Your Couch When I’m In Your City Next Time?

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

If not knowing what to do on a first date when I’m off consumption is my number one concern, not knowing what to do on a business trip is a close second.

I’m a salesman with an impressive business card and, like every other salesman, I spend a lot of time on the road. In fact, I travel on work for anywhere between five to fifteen days in a month.

I usually travel well: I fly in comfort (thanks to frequent upgrades by Jet Airways), stay in five star hotels, have a car waiting for me, and get to use a no-questions-asked expense account.

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Support ‘The Marketer Who Went Off Consumption’ In Oxford Bookstore’s e-Author Contest

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

Okay, here’s some good news.

The folks from Oxford Bookstore are actually considering ‘The Marketer Who Went Off Consumption’ as a valid entry in their e-Author contest, even though they will leave the final decision to the appraisal committee.

From:
Date: Tue, Mar 25, 2008 at 5:51 PM
Subject: Re: e-Author Entry: The Marketer Who Went Off Consumption
To: Gaurav Mishra

Thanks for submitting your entry for e-Author version 5.0.

Please confirm that the entry sent for the writing program is original and unpublished. We might not be able to consider your entry because it’s already been self-published through your blog. We will leave it to the decision of our Appraisal Committee.

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The Last Time I Brought Up Being Off Consumption On A First Date

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

If you think that I’m needlessly worried about dating and being off consumption not mixing well, let me tell you about the last time I brought up being off consumption on a first date.

It started off as a typical first date.

After I picked her up from her place, we had dinner at Salt Water Grill and watched the latest Hollywood blockbuster at INOX. It was a little after midnight, at the coffee shop of The Oberoi, that I brought up the topic of my ennui with the brands + media + retail triumvirate.

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The Number One Question I Am Asking Myself Ever Since I Have Gone Off Consumption

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

The number one question everyone is asking me ever since I have gone off consumption is different from the number one question I have been asking myself.

While everyone else is consumed with the scientific curiosity of how will I decide what’s a necessity, I’m worried about the more immediate issue of what to do on my next date.

Consumption is a social thing and, of all our social interactions, dating is the one most tied up with buying things.

Let’s do a quick visualization exercise to establish this. Please don’t read beyond the next paragraph until you have completed this exercise.

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The Ten Commandments of Being Off Consumption: What Is Allowed, What Is Not

Tuesday, March 25th, 2008

Now that we know why I have gone off consumption, it’s time to lay out the rules for my year-long off-consumption experiment, list down what is allowed and what isn’t.

The intent of the experiment is to spend an year — from Mar 23, 2008 to March 22, 2009 — without buying anything that is not a necessity.

I have deliberately avoided defining what is a necessity because one of the most interesting aspects of the experiment for me is to “discover” what I think of as a necessity and how it changes with context.

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