SIMRUN KNOWS BEST

What are we talking about?  You may have observed the brand communication and taglines of many businesses claiming "No Marketing, only service " or "0% Marketing, 100% Trust" while promoting their products and services. But is that true? Or is this just another marketing gimmick? Let's find out.  Many brands have started to promote their products by using communication that claims that the brand is not intentionally marketing or promoting their product, but is providing a genuine review or feedback that seems to be more believable. Modern consumers are smart and are able to identify the basic marketing tactics. So, marketers needed to come up with something new and quick.  What did the Marketers do?  Marketers, through their strategies, tried to convince the consumers that they themselves are against fake marketing and advertising claims. By using taglines and captions like "No Marketing " or "0% Marketing ", the brand is trying to portray...

Social media has become an indispensable part of our lives. The fine line of  distinction between real and virtual life seems to fade each day, even more during these uncertain times when the entire world is under lockdown in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.  Such times have provided people with an opportunity to develop or enhance their skills, start that blog which they thought of a while ago but had no time to invest in it. People have seemed to reconnect with their long lost hobbies and are now more confident to display them on the internet, particularly social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and audio-video platforms like Tik Tok and youtube.  Utilising their time productively we have come across n number of influencers, chefs, motivational speakers, video bloggers, writers etc. who have gone public on social media with their work to make it big.  World wide web, no doubt has provided a free space for upcoming artists to display their work an...

  In a world that now highly depends on technological advancement, social media brought us together and it made us apart. It increased our knowledge of the remotest corners of the world and it kept us glued to our mobile phones. We've had enough debates deciding on whether this gift of technology is a boon for the modern society or, in fact, a bane. No matter which conclusion we reach in the due course of time, we have to agree that social media has become a crucial part of our lives be it in the terms of connecting with family and friends or promoting your business online, making it reach potential customers on the opposite side of the globe. Social media is a place that you hate to love or vice versa. You just cannot ignore it. What makes me say that? I plan on a social media detox that I miserably fail three hours into, and you know I am not the only one.  I have talked about 'social media and privacy concerns' and 'Online harassment' in my previous articles. Bei...

 Let us begin this blog with a few questions; How often do you purchase skin care products? Have you noticed a new beauty trend in which people are now more drawn to natural and chemical free products? If you somehow happen to have the answers to these questions, then you may have also observed a shift in the way these products are marketed and advertised.  As you may have seen, nowadays, people are more concerned about their health. When it comes to beauty,  according to the latest consumer trends, people are now more woke about the ingredients, particularly in their skin and hair care products. Marketers were first to recognise this trend and acted on it through their marketing strategies. Let's see how The Gamechanger  Previously, the advertising for skincare products focused on listing out the benefits of the product, or by associating the product with some kind of success or achievement in life. To cite an example, we may look at the advertisements for 'Fair ...

Have you ever been ghosted by someone, or have you yourself ever ghosted someone, intentionally or unintentionally?  Agree to it or not, getting ghosted by someone we had a good time with is one of our generation's biggest fears. I have talked about social media in my previous articles, and in this one, I intend to talk about the biggest social media related scare of all time. False Pregnancy scare or getting bitten by a hidden snake on the toilet still tops the list, by the way.  Before diving right into the topic and my personal experience with ghosting, let's help the boomers who are currently reading this article understand what 'ghosting' means and no, it does not mean being haunted or followed by a ghostly spirit, nor is it a Halloween thing.  According to the Oxford dictionary, ghosting is the practice of ending a personal relationship with someone by suddenly and without explanation withdrawing from all communication. How many of us have been in a position where...

  Raanjhanaa, produced by Eros International and directed by Anand. L. Rai released in the year 2013. The film almost instantly won our hearts with its screenplay, Music, storyline and characters. The story carried out beautifully in the Indian town of Benaras captures well, the lives of people living there. The protagonists, Kundan (Dhanush) and Zoya (Sonam K Ahuja) are portrayed with accuracy and beauty. Adding to the overall perfect portrayal were the supporting characters played by Swara Bhaskar, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Kumud Mishra, Abhay Deol and others. We cannot refuse to agree to the fact that we fell in love at first sight with Akram aka Jaspreet Singh played by Abhay Deol. Abhay Deol's perfect portrayal of a political science JNU student had us vouch for him the moment his character was introduced.  The story revolves around a Hindu boy Kundan, head over heels for a Muslim girl Zoya. He falls for her the very moment he sees her reading a 'namaz'  when they...

Very often in the race of life, we cease to live. Schedules and Deadlines often have us not addressing what resides within ourselves. By ‘inside’ I don’t necessarily mean physical health, but something equivalent and not much talked about – Mental Health.   Unlike physical health, healing mental health issues is a tedious process that often robs oneself of peace and confidence. Making a mess out of a fully functioning human being and driving them to the peak of it, leaving no option but suicide. Suicide is never an option, we often preach this to someone whom we know is suffering.   Often while lending our support to such a person we tend to suggest to them what they should and should not do to compose themselves and achieve completeness. We ought to stop doing that and find other ways of lending our support. Suffering is personal, no matter how much we attempt, we can never share the sufferer’s pain. In such a situation let the person be (this does not mean abandoning...

Concerning my previous article, 'Social media and privacy concerns', I felt the need to shed light in detail on 'Online Harassment'. All of us, at some time, have been trolled or harassed on social media platforms for raising our voices or advocating for or against a socially relevant issue. Online harassment is not limited to celebrities but extends to common people as well. An article from 'The Hindu' states that 8 out of 10 Indians have faced online harassment in some or the other way. Let alone 41% of women have fallen victim to online sexual harassment.  https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/8-out-of-10-indians-have-faced-online-harassment/article19798215.ece . Online harassment can range from insults and bullying, sexual harassment to rape or death threats and demeaning comments. With Indians spending more time on social media, there has been a spike in cases of online harassment which has made India one of those countries where cyberstalking ...

  It has almost been two years since Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani starrer 'Kabir Singh' released at the box office. The movie, which happens to be the Hindi adaptation of 'Arjun Reddy' is directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga. The very day the movie was released for the audience, it became a hit. No doubt, the music was melodious and the storyline had us crying our eyes out at the theatre, remembering that one person.   Shahid Kapoor as an actor has portrayed the character with accuracy and class. The actor who was popularly known as the 'chocolate boy' now played the role of an overly aggressive individual with a drug problem. And as for Kiara Advani, it is hard to imagine any other actress play the role of Preeti with sheer innocence and dedication.  Like many others, I also became a fan of the movie and wondered what it would be like if I had a boyfriend like Kabir. But thank god! my craze was short-lived and I did not bump into anyone like Kabir. Hold on, let me...

What does a woman really want? a question that has mind boggled men and philosophers over time. Understanding a woman has often been compared to quantum physics because apparently, it is that hard?  March 8th, A day when people across the globe recognise women in their lives and all over the world for what they have contributed to society.  It is on this day corporates choose to represent and highlight 'womanhood' in their corporate social responsibility or marketing campaigns, reward their woman employees with bouquets and greeting cards, maybe some recognition. But do women want only one day of recognition and respect?  Women have come a long way to procure certain basic rights. Generations later, the fight against patriarchy still goes on in all corners of the world. Equality for women may have been achieved on paper, laws may have been made but how prevalent are they?  Even today a woman is expected to get married by the time she turns 25 and bear children befor...

I thought I knew what 'Love' looked like.  At 16, Love for me had tiny eyes with long lashes, Love had a voice that had just reached its depth.  Love was proud, and to get love, I had to drown.  Maybe that wasn't 'Love', but somehow it felt like it was.  Maybe I'll never know or maybe one day, I will know.  At 20, someone knocked again, but it wasn't 'Love'.  How could it be? for he who knocked was not who I thought ‘Love’ would be.  He did not have tiny eyes but long lashes,  He was not proud but a warm chord.  He did not want me to drown, he was different, yet what I felt for him,  I cannot argue if it is not love.  Maybe it is, maybe it is not.    So what is 'Love'?  A type, a feeling or a person?  Or 'Love' exists just in my mind? Or has it crept me but I just don't realise? Or will it find me when the time is right?  What if 'Love' is not my type?  These are the answers, I still have to find. ...

  2020, the moment I utter the digits, those in front of me utter promptly, "Ugh". There is no denying the fact that 2020, indeed was a challenging year, full of ups and downs, actually, mostly downs.  Let us go back 12 months, to December'2019 when everyone around the world, be it in Mumbai or Manhattan, was out for shopping Christmas presents and decorations, celebrating thanksgiving with their loved ones, meeting up with friends for new years or just chugging on beer cans. All of this sounds so nostalgic, to me, it seems like the last time I made such plans was in my past life. No one, including myself, ever thought that we will ever have to face something like a pandemic, in fact, most of us didn't know what the word 'pandemic' meant in the first place making it the most searched for word on Google in 2020. I'm sure that many of us were already familiar with the epidemics that have taken place across the globe from time to time but a disease or sicknes...

  It has been around seven months since educational institutions in India; Schools and colleges were ordered to shut until further notice. As a student, I very much understand how ineffective online education can be. Trying to adjust to the new normal, I would say was no piece of cake.  At that time I was faced with two options. I could either blame the pandemic and the situation for the large hole that was about be dug in my education or make the most of this time to hone my existing skills and learn new ones, shaping me as a professional.  I chose the latter option. I started out as a fresher into the job market with no experience or understanding of how the professional world works. Let me tell you, as a college student with no prior experience, landing an internship opportunity was very often disappointing. Nowadays, companies prefer hiring candidates with prior work experience or skills.   HOW IT ALL STARTED? While my university was still finding a way to educat...

  With more than 26 million cases, the COVID-19 pandemic has grappled the world and there is no sign of it getting better. The future of students is on hold and people are being laid off. Economies are sinking and industries collapsing.  It has almost been six months since a nationwide lockdown was imposed in our country due to which schools, colleges and offices were ordered to shut. Students were told to educate themselves through online lectures and employees, asked to work from home.  While the working class is still trying to adjust to the new routine called 'work from home' (as exciting as it sounds) it has had its own implications. When you work from home, your employer in most cases, naturally assumes that since you are at the comfort of your home, you can easily and effectively do the work that is given to you.  Raised employer expectations often have employees overworking themselves, sometimes without breaks in front of a screen. The pressure to look and so...

  Sushant Singh Rajput’s untimely death and Kangana Ranaut’s claim on ‘favouritism’ in the Indian Film Industry has driven the audience into a   frenzy and sparked a wide debate on the existence of nepotism in Bollywood. I have had plenty of time to retrospect in this matter and hence am bringing my personal opinion to you.  The 'Nepotism debate' as netizens call it has had successful film directors like Karan Johar, Mahesh Bhatt and Ekta Kapoor under the spotlight. They have become victims of bullying and social media harassment because according to the popular public opinion they practice nepotism i.e. They prefer star kids over individuals who do not have strong contacts in the film industry. Even talented actors like Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan have become victims of bullying to an extent that the only option that remained with them was to disable the comment section on their social media handles.   In simp...