Mumbai is a city which changes every minute with a large no. of people reaching there with their hopes and desires. The picture/environment of the city is created by the assemblage of different people coming from different places and merge into the one.
The system of transportation, which is very prominent and a unique feature of the city, binds the people of Mumbai together. This system creates accidents for communication between people, who belong to different groups, different class and different mindset. It also generates relationship between people and the means of transportation like relation between people and train, people and bus etc. The environment at railway station, which is a part of a routine of almost all residents of Mumbai, is created by people come there for a particular train at particular time and also the desire to take that particular train because of certain reasons like reach at certain place by certain time, other known people travelling in the same train etc. The communication amongst these groups is very easy and natural. Here groups are created by same train, same station to take train from, same station to get down to etc.
Local railway stations are planned with the idea to communicate the activity, performed in its environment, at its fullest. The distinction between different bogies like first class/ second class/ general class/ unreserved/ for disabled/ for luggage etc. suggests the system in which activity is and should be performed. This also suggests the group it can cater to and also the relationship between travellers travelling in the same bogie. These groups also suggest the behaviour of the travellers.
The time is valued in this city and finely subdivided into the structure which reflects the value of time. The definition of distance has changed in this city because of the transportation system. In Mumbai people do not measure distance by metres/kilometres but by time they take to reach that much distance, which gives the idea of communication between people and time.
Else than railways buses, auto rickshaws, taxis are also available transport means in Mumbai, which suggest other groups of short/long distances, expenses through these mediums etc. Thus meanings of these mediums depend upon the use they receive.
Mumbai railway stations express the time they were built in, through the construction and the physical characteristics of the place. The materials mostly steel, cast iron with sloping roof communicate the meaning of relation between city with its industries. The materials, sizes, maintenance give spatial meaning to the place and also communicate the group of and no of people using the place. This gives the identity to the place and cues to use the same.
The pubs/discs and other spaces reflect the lifestyle, status and other variables of the people of the city. The social context of particular can be decoded and can be positioned in certain group to communicate. The city accepts many things like dark/shabby wine shops, pubs/lounges, homosexual relationships, large no of discotheques and truly become a metropolitan city. In these environments the social status, hierarchy, ethnicity, glamour side of the city is more evident than the communication between different groups of people although these environments help the particular group to grow.
The languages in the city also give cues for the kind of environment created for particular group of people speaking Marathi/hindi/English. The city inherit Bolywood-largest cinema industry of India adds the fling of glamour which impacts the clothing of people. Moreover being a metro city brands from outside India have reached and established certain kind of fashion statement. This clothing of mass, clothing of certain class/status gives cues of the environment of the city.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
MALLS
Today, malls have become essential public place, not only for economic transaction but social interaction and public communication also. Metro cities in India have fast developing economy and therefore place like shopping malls, multiplexes, pubs, discs and other high profile entertainment places too.
Malls too like any other public place, have a degree of hierarchy of privacy or levels of social interaction; vis-a-vis most open, semi open and private spaces depending upon degree of interaction, social position of the customers visiting and type of activities happening within.
People presenting or visiting the malls are identified to which group they belong to by the social behaviour decisions they take and meaning interpreted out of the cues which they give or perceive.
Although people coming from different layers of the society at malls have different notions of social behaviour and the settings in which their environment has existed, gives the different notions of coding or decoding the cues and take the decisions of appropriate behaviour, accordingly.
Certain kind of habits which gives notions for behaviours right at public places have been encultured into us from the experiences we get around and that sets the hints for decoding the settings and remembering them. At places like malls these notions help us to behave with the degree of some decency, playfulness and mannered behaviour which identifies our position in society and starts our interaction and communication with people from another group of society like mall staff, shopkeepers etc.
Certain symbols of built environments like materials, signage, zones, circulations etc set the cues for customers which over a period of time gets generalised and give meanings that help to decode the cues which are useful for appropriate behaviour next time at next mall. They become mnemonic.
Once a person belonging to certain group is identified by the society; with the help of cues that his appearance and attributes of character exert, it becomes easier to take decisions of the extent and patterns of communication to be made with him by the third person. Costume being the first element of creating impression, to a great extent, it defines the person’s position in society. These judgements about the person include economic and education level, social position, sophistication, heritage ,character and success.
Depending upon these judgements for a particular person, with the interpretation from his behaviour ,other people decide their patterns of behaviour and then communication happens or does not happen.
e.g. if a person with high social and economical status , goes to a mall with old or unwashed cloths, the cues his or her appearance give out to the people, generate certain impression about him on the working staff ; which makes them take decisions about his social position, ability to spend and sophistication; these decisions will put him in to a category of group which similar people belong to. Considering this, the attendants or shopkeepers are going or not going to pay him attention or required service and that will decide the degree of communication between them . On the other hand, person who is really not interested in buying, or doesn’t have capacity to spend, can create better impression by his appearance and interaction level with him could be higher. But ultimately ; the accent, body language, educational level etc are going to help in better communication will make the position of the person more clear.
To avoid this confusion, more than appearance elements, it is important that environment itself gives the cues to people through symbols and medium of indirect communication that will help them to decode the meanings through previous knowledge of them and settings about the space will be clearer in their mind which will help them to notice, understand and obey the rules and restrictions made by the space and required for the activities happening to be right. These cues are generated from space organisation, taxonomy, services, degree of the space use and so on...
For different people coming from different context, these cues may vary individually; but after having visited similar places with frequent time intervals , one derives common meanings implied for the symbols and learns to decode or encode them easily. After certain visits to similar places, the settings and appropriate behaviours gets encultured into his mind and next time one behaves without even noticing cues and taking decisions about the behaviour and still gets his position defined right and appropriate communication happens.
Malls too like any other public place, have a degree of hierarchy of privacy or levels of social interaction; vis-a-vis most open, semi open and private spaces depending upon degree of interaction, social position of the customers visiting and type of activities happening within.
People presenting or visiting the malls are identified to which group they belong to by the social behaviour decisions they take and meaning interpreted out of the cues which they give or perceive.
Although people coming from different layers of the society at malls have different notions of social behaviour and the settings in which their environment has existed, gives the different notions of coding or decoding the cues and take the decisions of appropriate behaviour, accordingly.
Certain kind of habits which gives notions for behaviours right at public places have been encultured into us from the experiences we get around and that sets the hints for decoding the settings and remembering them. At places like malls these notions help us to behave with the degree of some decency, playfulness and mannered behaviour which identifies our position in society and starts our interaction and communication with people from another group of society like mall staff, shopkeepers etc.
Certain symbols of built environments like materials, signage, zones, circulations etc set the cues for customers which over a period of time gets generalised and give meanings that help to decode the cues which are useful for appropriate behaviour next time at next mall. They become mnemonic.
Once a person belonging to certain group is identified by the society; with the help of cues that his appearance and attributes of character exert, it becomes easier to take decisions of the extent and patterns of communication to be made with him by the third person. Costume being the first element of creating impression, to a great extent, it defines the person’s position in society. These judgements about the person include economic and education level, social position, sophistication, heritage ,character and success.
Depending upon these judgements for a particular person, with the interpretation from his behaviour ,other people decide their patterns of behaviour and then communication happens or does not happen.
e.g. if a person with high social and economical status , goes to a mall with old or unwashed cloths, the cues his or her appearance give out to the people, generate certain impression about him on the working staff ; which makes them take decisions about his social position, ability to spend and sophistication; these decisions will put him in to a category of group which similar people belong to. Considering this, the attendants or shopkeepers are going or not going to pay him attention or required service and that will decide the degree of communication between them . On the other hand, person who is really not interested in buying, or doesn’t have capacity to spend, can create better impression by his appearance and interaction level with him could be higher. But ultimately ; the accent, body language, educational level etc are going to help in better communication will make the position of the person more clear.
To avoid this confusion, more than appearance elements, it is important that environment itself gives the cues to people through symbols and medium of indirect communication that will help them to decode the meanings through previous knowledge of them and settings about the space will be clearer in their mind which will help them to notice, understand and obey the rules and restrictions made by the space and required for the activities happening to be right. These cues are generated from space organisation, taxonomy, services, degree of the space use and so on...
For different people coming from different context, these cues may vary individually; but after having visited similar places with frequent time intervals , one derives common meanings implied for the symbols and learns to decode or encode them easily. After certain visits to similar places, the settings and appropriate behaviours gets encultured into his mind and next time one behaves without even noticing cues and taking decisions about the behaviour and still gets his position defined right and appropriate communication happens.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
SUPER GRAPHICS IN WORKS OF CHARLES CORREA
SUPER GRAPHICS
Graphics which are oversize, which travels from surface to surface and change the perception of space where they are used are called super graphics, i.e. the graphics which transforms the cube and cube no more can be perceived as a cube are super graphics.
With the use of super graphics certain behaviour of the users in a particular space can be expected. It changes the perception of space and by doing so the spatial experience of the space is also changed. Bold colours and patterns are often used to create super graphics.
Super graphics is a dominating visual element for creating general urban landscape. It gives the independent identity to the surfaces. It also acts as landmark and gives identity to the streets. It can also act independently from the building. It is a sticker of a surface which may or may not relate to context and which may influence the existing context. It functions as promotional graphics- on trains, aircrafts, buses; as commercial graphics- on building facades, store facades; and also as identity/way finding/information/space division/ experiential graphics.
Super graphics has to be perceived and communicable from a far distance. The huge billboards on a highway which uses symbolic colours and signs are super graphics. Super graphics act as a dialogue of a wall/surface where it is used.
Super graphics is used as an artistic means of expression and continuation of decoration, but now with the help of today’s technology it is possible to make it more interactive and ever changing. Depending upon the intension of the super graphics it may or may not relate to the host architecture. It is a visual narrative narrated by the content of the graphics.
Super graphics has to harmoniously live with the environment around. The function of a super graphics validates it being at its place. As it can be interpreted and appear in many forms. It creates a dramatic space and provide memorable freshness.
With the use of super graphics certain behaviour of the users in a particular space can be expected. It changes the perception of space and by doing so the spatial experience of the space is also changed. Bold colours and patterns are often used to create super graphics.
Super graphics is a dominating visual element for creating general urban landscape. It gives the independent identity to the surfaces. It also acts as landmark and gives identity to the streets. It can also act independently from the building. It is a sticker of a surface which may or may not relate to context and which may influence the existing context. It functions as promotional graphics- on trains, aircrafts, buses; as commercial graphics- on building facades, store facades; and also as identity/way finding/information/space division/ experiential graphics.
Super graphics has to be perceived and communicable from a far distance. The huge billboards on a highway which uses symbolic colours and signs are super graphics. Super graphics act as a dialogue of a wall/surface where it is used.
Super graphics is used as an artistic means of expression and continuation of decoration, but now with the help of today’s technology it is possible to make it more interactive and ever changing. Depending upon the intension of the super graphics it may or may not relate to the host architecture. It is a visual narrative narrated by the content of the graphics.
Super graphics has to harmoniously live with the environment around. The function of a super graphics validates it being at its place. As it can be interpreted and appear in many forms. It creates a dramatic space and provide memorable freshness.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
ACT OF PUBLICITY
Publicity is a promise for particular product and mirror of desires one has for one’s life through that product. It does not talk about particular object or product but it talks about the situations one can be in after possessing that object or product and also talks about fulfilment of one’s desire for the activity/function where this object going to be used, i.e. Liril’s old advertisement in which they show a girl bathing under a waterfall. It also draws parallel to the new emerging desires and becoming dissatisfied with present situations, i.e. Fair and lovely fairness cream which creates desires to be fair and beautiful.
Publicity also puts across the current issues or events and validates the products place in today’s time and at every situation, i.e. Amul butter hoardings.
Publicity makes a person feel incomplete without all the, glamour/transformations/wishes/looks/being envied/status, that product can provide to the consumer. Sometimes publicity also generates the curiosity to create the desire or want for that particular object, i.e. when some soft drink was launching in west, to make people curious they applied a strategy in which different people would go to different shops and ask for this soft drink but shopkeeper would not have it as it was not launched in the market. Same way people would talk about this drink in the society before the launch. So when finally that soft drink got launch it had a huge market already waiting for it. The similar strategies can be used in India as in India socializing is a part of everyday life and ‘word of a mouth’ from socially known and trustworthy person is more valuable than any advertisement or hoardings.
Publicity also tries to connect to each and every person so it allows one’s own interpretation to connect to it. Publicity also uses metaphors, myths and unrealistic things to project and convey the virtues of the product,
Publicity also tries to connect to each and every person so it allows one’s own interpretation to connect to it. Publicity also uses metaphors, myths and unrealistic things to project and convey the virtues of the product,
Publicity in India targets the families and their values. India is well known for its culture, philosophy of life and festivals so in publicity they try to make it larger than reality. Publicity also uses the charm of celebrities/ architecture/ art/ literature(paro-devdas characters) which are counted for the status so in one way publicity brings all people at one level i.e. every one eats the same biscuits which Shahrukh Khan eats. Publicity also indulges the possibility of using the same products which these celebrities use and thus feel the status of that particular celebrity, i.e. Tag Heuer watches, Reid and Taylor, Provogue, Kiah jewellery etc.
Publicity represents the similar desires for similar products, the idea of publicity remains constant but the way of representation depends upon the context, where India or other country’s reference plays a huge role. Content can be contextual for the publicity but idea of publicity cannot be contextual.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgJYu-bkd3M is the close up advertisement outside India.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMvYqmcQCsE&feature=related is the close up advertisement for India.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgJYu-bkd3M is the close up advertisement outside India.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMvYqmcQCsE&feature=related is the close up advertisement for India.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
BRANDS
Brand is the word which is used in the at least three separate but interrelated senses:
· In most everyday use a brand is a named product or service.
· In some context brands are trademarks.
· In other contexts, brand refers to costumers’ and others’ belief
Brand is the set of emotional and sensory inputs a consumer associates with a particular product or service in their episodic memory system. It is the sum of all available information about product, service or company. Retail facilities, social responsiveness, and service appeal/quality, sales/marketing, public and community relations, trade exhibits, even advertising or promotions make a company the brand.
It is a series of associations that determine how customers think about the company and the services that company offer. It is defined as ‘a name, term, sign, symbol or a combination of these, that identifies the maker or seller of the product’. It is a marketing tool that allows consumers to recognize the maker of a product.
The image of brand creates expectations. It defines the product, how it operates, and how it is different from the competitors. In essence, the brand image is a promise to consumers that must be kept. Brand equity is the worth of that image and its strength, as judged by its ability to remain unaffected by temporary changes in the market place. It refers to the value of the brand. Brand equity does not develop instantaneously. A brand needs to be carefully nurtured and marketed so consumers feel real value and trust towards that brand.
· In most everyday use a brand is a named product or service.
· In some context brands are trademarks.
· In other contexts, brand refers to costumers’ and others’ belief
Brand is the set of emotional and sensory inputs a consumer associates with a particular product or service in their episodic memory system. It is the sum of all available information about product, service or company. Retail facilities, social responsiveness, and service appeal/quality, sales/marketing, public and community relations, trade exhibits, even advertising or promotions make a company the brand.
It is a series of associations that determine how customers think about the company and the services that company offer. It is defined as ‘a name, term, sign, symbol or a combination of these, that identifies the maker or seller of the product’. It is a marketing tool that allows consumers to recognize the maker of a product.
The image of brand creates expectations. It defines the product, how it operates, and how it is different from the competitors. In essence, the brand image is a promise to consumers that must be kept. Brand equity is the worth of that image and its strength, as judged by its ability to remain unaffected by temporary changes in the market place. It refers to the value of the brand. Brand equity does not develop instantaneously. A brand needs to be carefully nurtured and marketed so consumers feel real value and trust towards that brand.
Branding is an important decision designed to enhance the identity of the product through the use of unique brand names, symbols and other distinctive measures.
The way of branding also suggests the position of the brand and the targeted consumers and age group of consumers for that particular brand. For example, Vicco and Nirma are two of the very famous and old companies from India. Their approach of branding and marketing suggest that these brands are affordable and suitable for the middle class consumers. Thus they them self define the position of their brand and targeted consumers. On other hand, Liril and Lux are also the famous and old companies always known for the glamorous way of branding which brings out the desires of the consumer which make them buy their products irrespective of the class.
The way of branding also suggests the position of the brand and the targeted consumers and age group of consumers for that particular brand. For example, Vicco and Nirma are two of the very famous and old companies from India. Their approach of branding and marketing suggest that these brands are affordable and suitable for the middle class consumers. Thus they them self define the position of their brand and targeted consumers. On other hand, Liril and Lux are also the famous and old companies always known for the glamorous way of branding which brings out the desires of the consumer which make them buy their products irrespective of the class.
Brand equity can be a useful measure of the value contained in a brand. It can help evaluate brand extensions, create partnerships and provide certainty around market share expectations. But it's a difficult measure to calculate, and as a result can be extremely deceptive. It isn't just a function of brand awareness – it's also dependent on the brand's meaning. And while awareness is a straightforward, quantitative measure, meaning is a much more complicated factor, shaped by a blend of actions, communications, opinions and experiences.
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