There are days when you get this epiphanic insight into something you thought you've known all along, as it happened this morning while getting off from the Metro station when I got swamped by a noisy group of rickshaw pullers. I usually don’t catch a rickshaw from that point and prefer walking to the crossing before taking the ‘luxury’ ride. And it’s the usual affair; I pay the guy 10/- bucks and he drops me at my office building. No questions asked, none answered. But today was different. Amongst that herd of rickshaw wallahs, my eyes somehow caught the attention of this lean, tall guy with an arrogant swagger (almost reminiscent of Salim-Javed’s Angry Young Man from the 70s), as he slowly made his way through the jostling crowd. But it is actually when he came close that I got to see him in his full glory – wearing a tight, faded brown T-shirt with the most amazing lines ever written on the chest of any Indian rickshaw puller. Going by how hard a rickshaw puller’s life is – not giving in but fighting and slogging it out in the Sun, day-in and day-out with no leaves, no annual bonuses and no job switches – the text on his t-shirt couldn’t have captured his struggle to survive another day any better. He obviously didn’t realize the literary genius of his t-shirt but he had, however unintentionally may be, ‘converted’ me into a sure shot first-time customer.
He asked for 15, five more than the usual tenner I have to offer. But let’s just say, the marketer in me was so overwhelmed by the impact of his T-shirt’s copy… the moment he said ‘Pandrah Rupay’, I was hearing 'How You Like Me Now?' playing loud and clear in my ears. I knew I didn't want to bargain with this guy...not today. He had more than convinced me and I followed him to his rickshaw like a privileged foreign tourist would. He didn't take more than 5 mins to drop me at my office entrance. I thanked him for the ride and asked him if I could take his picture, to which he readily agreed. I didn’t ask his name; to me he could only have one name – Vijay!!
Below is Vijay’s ‘all-attitude, no bullshit’ pic.
Moral of the Story:
In marketing parlance you hear the term ‘Call-to-Action’ all the time. But what exactly it really is? They’ll tell you it’s the be-all and end-all element required right before the final nail on the sales coffin is about to strike. But then every Facebook ad, newsletter subscription, whitepaper download or webinar registration has to work around the same rules. So, who gets the gold?
It’s the mad dog who does! That’s right..!! The mad dog here is the one who stands out from the herd of stray dogs for its sheer madness. And you love him for it.
He asked for 15, five more than the usual tenner I have to offer. But let’s just say, the marketer in me was so overwhelmed by the impact of his T-shirt’s copy… the moment he said ‘Pandrah Rupay’, I was hearing 'How You Like Me Now?' playing loud and clear in my ears. I knew I didn't want to bargain with this guy...not today. He had more than convinced me and I followed him to his rickshaw like a privileged foreign tourist would. He didn't take more than 5 mins to drop me at my office entrance. I thanked him for the ride and asked him if I could take his picture, to which he readily agreed. I didn’t ask his name; to me he could only have one name – Vijay!!
Below is Vijay’s ‘all-attitude, no bullshit’ pic.
Moral of the Story:
In marketing parlance you hear the term ‘Call-to-Action’ all the time. But what exactly it really is? They’ll tell you it’s the be-all and end-all element required right before the final nail on the sales coffin is about to strike. But then every Facebook ad, newsletter subscription, whitepaper download or webinar registration has to work around the same rules. So, who gets the gold?
It’s the mad dog who does! That’s right..!! The mad dog here is the one who stands out from the herd of stray dogs for its sheer madness. And you love him for it.
