Clemency for Bhullar

I am worried by the growing demand for clemency for Bhullar being put forward by the Shiromani Akali Dal and even Congress politicians from Punjab. I worry because the “appeal” seems more like a veiled threat. The suggestion that commuting Bhullar’s death sentence to life imprisonment will at least partially assuage feelings among the Sikh community is scary. Where does one draw the line? Will a similar logic not be used to demand that Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab not be hanged? I agree that what Kasab did was far more serious than what Bhullar did (he bombed the Congress office and attacked Youth Congress leader Maninder Singh Bitta). But a precedent will have been set for a clever lawyer to use as defence in other cases.

The potential danger of using events for marketing

For years, sporting and other events have been used by marketers. The logic is that the event per se attracts thousands of their target audience and is therefore a great watering hole. The power of satellite TV means that the reach of an event is amplified hundreds of times. And because a sporting event like Wimbledon continues for a couple of weeks, using events to advertise also delivers “frequency”.

So why do I say there is a danger in using such events as a marketing channel? I say so because such events inexorably become a thing of the past at some time. And yet, I have seen many TV commercials (TVCs) continue to make mention of the event that is by now, a piece of history (Cricket World Cup, for example). Hyundai’s ads on Indian TV channels are but one example. A similar thing happens with content on web sites. While the context of the event is current and relevant (e.g. the countdown to the IPL or the six weeks of the tournament), milking the event for all it’s worth is fine. The trouble is that agencies and marketing teams don’t adjust the content after the event is over. This is something that good marketing governance must ensure.