App idea: Tired of being kept in the dark while catering

App name: Cater-Ring 

What: Supply Demand Module for bidding for leads for catering. 

Catering definition: food, decoration, music, staff, other suppliers like for horses, Pandits, venues, their empanelment details, MC's and event manages. 

The idea: 

- A lots of food and tent catering's are booked each day.

- The market is unorganised.

- Food quality is questionable.

- Quality control is necessary as final outcome is otherwise only dependent on final day outcome. 

- Leads to a lot of bad experiences. 

- Lot of caterers are also restaurants in the front end. 

- Those that are not, only get requests basis their visibility or via word of mouth.

- Often word of mouth can be questionable and fake WOM can be seeded. 

- Samples and previously down good work is often neglected to be looked at. 

- Rate of per plate is questionable. 

- The margins are high in category and lead generation is a task. 

- People are dependent on sales teams to tie up for great catered, venue impanelments and availability as per their requirements. 

- Users often feel they settle for sub standard catering and decoration due to the time Mis match or the best they know being unavailable. 

- Gunda Raaj prevails in the market for pricing of tents. One may charge 100 for the same material and quality thy another may charge 1000. 

What to do: create a uber and Zomato type vendor side an user side module and provide both with plethora of leads and services in a single platform. Charge margins for booking and for lead providing. 

Measurability: rating system on both user side and vendor side. 

Collaborations: on attaining leads vendors are able to use the platform to collaborate for services. 

Look - Feel: Something that has look and feel of both Zomato user side and Zomato restaurant side module to be able to be seamlessly interested.

Objective: aim for Zomato, Swiggy or FoodPanda buyout. 

Uber Eats in India - A local start

Uber Eats - Is it a close possibility in India? 

Uber is doing a great job of branching out its services, using transport as its core service. 

But while it does so, and rapidly across many countries, India remains a challenge. Unlike a lot of markets where the delivery charge is a norm just link packaging charges and service fees, Indian's are at the stage where they expect the delivery if their e-commerce orders (which has now ticketed down to their food orders) to be expected as free of charge. 

Why so? Because with the likes of Zomato, Foodpanda, Quickly, Delivery in the market, competing to make revenue through bulk sales rather than by providing better or upgraded services (ok, ok with Foodpanda express delivery for the lack of other players trying as an exception) where they charge a commission for delivery from the food partner rather than the customer depending on the radius or the distance of the order delivery rather than the size of the order. (really, like what?!) here is a way Uber can enter the urban market for food delivery and make a niche business out of it. 

As news is, Ola is currently in the processes of making its attempt number two doing food delivery where they previously planned on doing custom daily menus basis various locations in the top metro cities (where we're sure their endeavour was to make very large margins by not disclosing the vendors they were using for food - and hence totally overlooking the fact that really guys?.. believe the people would pay for food and not worry or care about where or who it was produced by? You believe Zomato runs out of novelty value, don't you? Bad dog...!)

Any why the hell would anyone pay for the delivery as a proposition anyway? Ok, you will deliver in a car, or an auto or a weather proof safari for all you car, (and customers don't) and then ask them to shell out extra bucks for the service? ITS THE SAME FOOD!

It's ironic really that no one's paying attention to the product they are trying to map their base service (transport) with really. Much rather trying to think from the revenue angle first because ya - someone liked the sound of it. 

There is a niche service in Delhi NCR that no one has had the courtesy to explore. Namely - "My Butler"

What's so great about this service you ask? Their module as managed to crack the entire paying a premium for catering to different food partner orders + distance of delivery or the order mechanics. 

No please, it's not another delivery partner. And no the guys don't show up in butler uniforms to deliver your order (which might I add something anyone who owns a driver outfit from Uber can pull off with an additional pair of cotton gloves!)

My butler is a service that has focuses of delivering food from the niche, Creme de la Creme of Delhi food circle creators and curators. Yes, curators, meaning high-end grocery stores and brands directly that aren't part of the affordable luxury for the middle class Indian. 

Like what you ask? Good question: 

Ever been to a by reservations only restaurant in Delhi which usually has a waiting list of weeks before you get a table? 

Guppi by AI, Le Bistro du parc are such examples. Now imagine craving for their food at work!
No way do they believe in the delivery module, the cutlery, hospitality, and seating is half the experience after all! And the food won't be half as good once packed, parcelled and slightly cold (or so they think). No anyone potentially craving for theri food would mean them having eaten it before, which is no brainer. They carry hearing or cooling bags as required by the nature of your meal, a small but game-changing equipment and they deliver quite quickly.

Now imagine what happens when a person such as a Uber adapts itself to curate such a module? All those places where you previously couldn't go or send someone to pick up food on your behalf, voila! they are accessible! All those places you thought were too far off and couldn't serve you for dinner, despite booking a day in advance, that becomes a reality! Uber Eats could bridge the gap between the what you cannot have and what food delivery can mean.

Now that's an adaption idea worth invensting in and adapating for Indian market. India is deifnatly ready for this. 

Evolving Ideas - When you 'really want to sell' your old gadgets..

If I found a tech team on the ready and 6 months worth funding, i would defiantly build out a "web' product of the below idea!

Why web? When the world is going mobile? Well, the younger generation is, they are smarter, they take risks, but even they believe that when things have to be done seriously, one needs to pull out a laptop or a desktop to get to work. And of course, the 25+ are usually at work and have more access to web via their work stations than through their mobiles..

TG for the product; 
MF - 25 +
All metro cities first.
Web friendly.

This idea is expansion and combination of the existing 4 modules of; 
1. Price discovery for old gadgets such as those available on rebloge.in, sahivalue.com, attero bay.
2. E-commerce efforts and deals for gadget refresh cycles, i.e.: apple, snapdeal.com, flipkart.com
3. Editorial reviews and crown sourced reviews carting to audience like 'rotten tomatoes' is to movies.
4. Price aggregation sites such as junglee.com

Envisioning the UI;  
To cater to both young and old the entire UI will have to be very visual, making or keeping all options as visual heavy and text light as not to over whelm the user.


Future possibilities; 
1. To function as an independent website and tool, review site and editorial platform that ''does not lie'.
2. Pluggable tool for eCommerce websites, bank services, wallets.
3. Scorecard plugin for editorial websites, wallets, e-commerce websites.
4. Insights tool for electronic giants for betterment of their products.

Disclaimer: If Amazon, Google, Times or the likes chose to explore it further, I'd simply ask to be part of the project. 

Idea for Google as a content publisher, agitator, advertise and analyser

For a while now i have kept this blog hidden as there are some ideas that i feel have a lot of scope for future development.

Who is this for?;

- Facebook is creating a eco system where without fresh content users cannot get great value out of their accounts. Worse they ask users to now pay for advisability as a small business or brand.

- While users may have the capacity to pay, they might not always have the capacity to create original content.  

- While Google hasn't succeeded in launching G+ i feel it forgets that Google search is a much more valuable digital ecosystem that it has created. Where the user is always logged in and not sharing but searching for the correct content. hmm..i wonder what the obsession with a 'social media' account really is? 

- Ok maybe i have this point wrong. But everyone wants to serve content similar to serving correct ads to their various audience sets. Only difference being, while message can be customized and pre fed, content needs to be refreshed and often. (even daily)

Below is a skeleton to a content aggregating tool that Google can quickly make given it already has independent parts that exist today; 

How tool will work?;

- User feeds in their website URL

- As output gets the keywords based on site scan / crawl

- Basis crawl out put keywords gets TG definition for media (audience break up)

- Asks to input negative keywords that the brand doesn't want to be associated with.

- Asks for validation by liking to Google analytic for audience profiling and tracking for revalidation/re-targeting.

- Asks to input genre’s preferred by user.

- Throws latest content from around the web relevant to different TG’s for social media posting as per defined genres.

Revenue?;

- Each link thrown up as result has a cost of 10 – 50 rupees per identifies link.

- Advantage is that the user can be a layman and still sever content that his/her audience would like to engage with on social media accounts.

- Second advantage being shortened link doesn't expire as it has been paid for.

- Fixed retainer account version lets the user also sees GDN ads in this content which can be the users brand / company ads. 

- These ads are easily customizable with branding specs which can be uploaded from back end using another Google ad words tool/ ad sense tools etc.

- Anyone viewing this link through a certain social media account / medium it’s posted through will see the brand ads.

- PV from the article go to the actual website article basis which they are allowed to get access to a special dashboard that lets the publisher see which brands are using what content and better equip its sales force for inventory selling. 

TBD basis interest... I wish I have the money to make this…or the tech capabilities.. While all I have is an idea. 

Disclaimer: If Google chose to explore it further, I'd simply ask to be part of the project. 

Retarded instances from my life, Part 3

As stupid as it may sound..
I have the habit of talking to my self.
Like a constant dialogue rehearsal.
In my car while I drive,
In the shower,
While working,
While bickering... ...
I do that a lot
And often I realize I'm talking to myself after I've just narrated a dialogue to myself.
I mean
I'm in my late 20's now
Or so I'm getting there.
I wonder if anyone's ever noticed.
I even vernally play out dialogues in my mind which I happen to

I have a thing for contingency plans
Rather I think I should begin stating I'm super naïve.
And so... I over prepare,
And I over plan
I have multiple worst case scenario's and how to possibly come out of them planned out in my head.
Car accidents, to accidentally farting in public, I over think and over plan everything!
It that wasn't enough I

Retarded instances from my life, part 2

There are stupid things you say and then stupid but awesome things you do.

I'm thinking about this time,
Dad was based at Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
And i once touched a devil fish bigger than myself in 2 feet water on the beach.
I might have been only 4 feet in height myself back then, but once i realized there are 'actual' fish in the sea, i didn't ever walk into the deep like we all used to. I was petrified of sharks.
Or eels in the water.
All along i used to thing Jaws was made up.
In short i never believed in 'sharks' existing at all.
And by that time i had already done scuba diving, deep water diving, even tried my hand at surfing with the locals!
Gosh, i used to think the happy creature's from 'Little Mermaid' were all that existed under water.

When we shifted to Vizag, i learned the art of making clay utensils. Like literal clay utensils. Thanks to the abundance of clay mud in our backyard, i would dig it out, mold it and let it dry to perfection in the sun.
What more, I'd make small fires and pretend to cook in them even!
I had all kinds on utensils from mugs, pot's, pans, spoons.
You name it.
Once cooked rice in them!
Of course i hadn't ever thought of washing them so when i tasted my experiment, i tasted a whole lot of texture of mud.
This one time i found few of moms creams and cooked them as well.
I might have tried eating them as well, had i not opened the bottle of Fem bleach and cooked it's chemicals.
I distinctly remember seeing florescent fumes with this toxic smell coming from them when it began to cook!
And i think, that day was the death of my kitchen cooking madness.
Never again.

So far in my life I've only crushed on people twice.
The first time i crushed on someone, i slapped the boy in public.
And he was 3 years my senior.
It was a dare from his best friend and i swear i could tell he was interested.
Shit.
But thanks to first time love, I discovered i could write 'ok' sort of poems.
My first one i think i remember by heart.
It went something like this:

"What does it take to convince you,
That I'm really in love,
In liking of you somehow,
That I cannot shove.

And when i look at you,
The feeling i cannot explain,
I get rid of all my sorrows,
Sadness, guilt and pain........ .... "

Err..  Ok there was one more parra on dancing. But I don't quite remember it.
Come to think of it, it was thanks to him i started keeping a diary in the first place!
It was a love journal of sorts..
As lame and retarded as it may sound,
I still have it.
I have all my journals.
Stacked away secretly..

We had a golden retriever in our Himachal home (Rana Villa), and i swear it was the coolest and nicest dog I'd ever seen.
His name was 'Hero'.
And it loved eating green apples which came in crates and the sour grapes that my grandfather grew in the backyard.
And every summer when my parents would leave me there,
He was my best friend.
If it hadn't been for that dog, I'd have loved no dogs.
..
I used to tie a red Cape to its neck which would often fall to one side.
But when it had that on,
I would be fearless.
And even go wandering into the jungle on my own.
(i realize now, how lucky both Hero and i had been, there were actual wolves and panthers/leopards in those jungles... Which i found out about years later)

Web 0.3 Getting ahead of the curve

"Everyone is on the same journey, the challenge is who decides to up the stakes and who gets there first!"

Like the TV, Print and Radio space, web too is evolving into a mainstream medium where Brands will begin owing content space, rather than just owing inventory on them!
Its like saying, rather than just posing with the top notch car on the track if a brand were a looking to pose as a top notch sports driver, overtime it would eventually own the car rather than just posing with it.

Its about taking up the challenge, making that investment and starting out in that direction.

Brands unlike people or bloggers are the rich guys in digital space. So they don't have to bother with lack of investments or building from scratch. They have an offline presence and are recognized by people and various demographic audiences they choose to cater them selves to.

So far the trend has been seen in offline space where Brands have begun buying out year long sponsorship's of popular TV shows and serials. Begun becoming title sponsors and co-sponsors of on ground events and begun associating them selves with certain artists, activities, and associations. This apart from buying the regular plain Jane share of voice in ad placement across channels and mediums. 

In digital space however, not many brands and companies have been too forth coming to make such long term deals, or really integrating their product with popular content the audiences go online to consume.

This has given a rise to a lot of positives and negatives.

We often hear brands say 'Oh, digital is a risky medium, negative WOM and bad publicity lives on in Digital forever', should that really mean we stir clear of them? What about the integrations and brand initiatives that on the contrary have worked? 

Sure Brands can make the processes of getting their audience to consume a brand asset can be synthetically induced, but why is that being seem as a negative rather than a positive? Especially if owns and agrees to own a content space other public forums and web sites alresdy have built or owned? 

I feek this sentiment is more of a threat identification rather than a problem identification from the point of view of web publishers, but its also the matter of user retention and continously engaging with audiences that brands may be able to better fund than editors be able to better manage if it's why a user prefers to consume one platform over the other in a sea of platforms to begin with? 

(TBC, this weekend) 

What really is this feminism we're all screaming from the top of buildings about?

I've denied being a feminist. To friends, strangers, lovers, et all. 

But through my own journey I've begun to question, think, map what might have given rise or even brought about the thoughts on the matter for people who declare or credit them selves as 'feminists'.. But that perspective needs a much more deeper understanding.

Let me begin to first explain how difficult and at times how convenient it is to dodge any responsibility. I can be rebellious and fight for equality in this 'mans world', forever more misunderstood than ever appreciated or i can simply choose to be submissive and leave it to others to be taken care of.

I'm not allowed to be rude or aggressive or hold my stand on issues and viewpoints and more often than not its taken for granted that i will eventually give up. 

That weakness is in built. 

That strength is a connotation of only physical endurance in opposition to being to my better understanding - empathetic, unbiased, understanding, vigilant, sensitive and forgiving nature which in a mans world are often traits marked by or connoted to great leaders.

I'm expected to know how to cook, clean, take care of the house, willing to bear children, maintain friendly relations and balance family dynamics before i express my needs and dreams as an individual in this world.

My persistence is usually labeled as a tantrum and my behavior classified as incompetent and unacceptable by people. I'm labelled psychotic, crazy, demented, slut and easy by those who refuse to peer deeper into my ambitions, what i want to stand for and values from the safety of their own environment and values they have been brought up with.

I have to battle being declared the 'weaker sex', eve teased, passed comments at, shown the glass ceiling at work, shown my place at home and even by those i chose to open up out of love...shown my place eventually if not gradually.

First appearances, looks, poise, manners even vocal pitch are put way before my achievements and personal strengths, character traits and individuality. Heck i should mention i have hooted right back on two occasions and once caught a guy by his collar for passing comments and making kissing noises at me. Only i can say how terrified i was inside to have tried something of that sorts in India and alone - where the onlookers do nothing more that stare back or look through depending on convenience.  

I admit, I've even told my should have been husbands mother once of his misconduct and been severely shot down for doing so. A woman cant even confide in another woman without her taking personal offense. Shouldn't she have simply scolded her son and empathized? I am not incompetent, I wouldn't dare ever question anyone's rearing abilities, but couldn't it have been considered that what the said boy was doing was so wrong that it drove me to complaint or reach out? Rather let me also tell you the outcome, i was accused for being disgraceful and burning the bridges. Even when i take into account that initial rage to my complaint might have caused a stir but a mother understands eventually, which also i assume is true. Or so i would like to believe. 

Human values do go for a toss really, i mean - would an 'ill-wisher' muster the courage to retaliate? 

Our actions are forever seen in different light. If i flirt easily or mix well with a large crowd I'm automatically declared 'border-line loose charactered' and then gossiped about or kept a keen eye on for any chances to reinforce the title with mistakes or events or instances. A boy or man in my position on the other hand might be called jovial or outgoing. If i pursue a love interest relentlessly i am called materialistic or greedy or delusional or crazy. If a boy does the same he always deserves a chance, because he is always suppose to be seen as going out of his way? 

No one takes into account that woman first focus on the smaller things, gestures, small adjustments, ritual's. We're far more practical even when romantically involved, somewhere adjusting and keeping our wishes second. But when and if a situation so arrises when we need support and it takes time to normalize   things, men are allowed to move on, give up, blame us for it all, not taking into account the smaller acts of love or kindness. 

Heck i say, if all the woman in the world took a week of from their PR jobs, the world would go to war. Social dynamics, eye for details, emotional intelligence are clearly not one of mans best virtues. 

And who says woman gossip the most? At least we do it in positive light or even just to close set of friend we would trust with our lives. We don't give away more intimate details till of course its something hilarious or something we don't have answers to. 

But men? Having experienced first hand, men will share everything from love life, money spent, sex life, even to the extend of showcasing how far a woman is ready to go, or fall or sacrifice without really understanding the underlying message - she's in love. She trusts you, ready to believe in you, she might have had a late realization even about how much. 

Of course that's unlike men, if they make mistakes they must be forgive immediately. Or a verdict must be passed with due consideration. When we make mistakes? The verdict and titles come immediately. (Ok, or maybe on the last 3 parra's I'm an Indian. And a mildly conservative one, but very sensitive to words and gestures and follow up actions.) 

I am a 'daughter' before i am an actress. A 'mother' before i am a CEO. And these titles don't just implicate the celebration of what i have simultaneously achieved, rather they have every now and then been used to show me my final position and role in society.

I have no personal choice when it comes to loving someone, be it our ethical tradition of arrange marriages where men chose their wives, or modern day love stories where the men feel so utterly flattered about being perused-ed that they will find all sort of ways and means to talk dirty about you, bring you up in conversation, keep you away, show anger, disgusts in acknowledged that its unacceptable. Alas, if i stand for a person i love and i'm shot down, how do i stand for things i love and still be accepted...?

If things go right in a marriage or relationships its his achievement, if something goes wrong its her fault. If a woman cries its a mood swing or drama, even manipulation! But if a man sheds tears its because he's been deeply hurt, done wrong to or been cut deep to his soul. If he did something wrong he was confused, if a woman did something wrong it was 'planned'. 

I am strong, i refuse to hurt myself to prove a point. To inflict self injury or pain. I refuse to sulk in sadness. Because i believe its not why someone fell in love with me, its not the woman who later in life would be able to bear the brunts of life along side her man, over bigger issues in life if she fails now. But more often than not - its easier to classify us as fast, heartless, emotionless than appreciate how we chose to project our internal struggles. 

Human values go for a toss when gauging our spirit in more humanitarian terms over issues closer to home. A mans feelings and efforts are kept way above a woman's. A taste of our struggles and feelings can send them running for the hills. Even when we constantly fight for equal rights for all, better living standards for all, equal treatment for all, in sense of greater issues and masses. This mindset starts at home, nurtured in everyday relationships, and far before they become dirty words and cause political up stir in a country. 

A minister might beat his wife everynight, or a boss sexually harass his secretary in the confined space of his office, a ex boyfriend might be relentless, even bringing down his entire wrath on to his ex-girl friend while proving an entirely different point or trying to project his greatness to his current love interest or larger audience. All becuase he moved on? And what a great struggle that must have been? (personally men who say things like 'my ex was psychotic, how much have they grown over years? Who is fueling their chuvanistic outlook? Its us, us woman, men and society at a much more basic level.) 

I am a woman, over history i have been labeled the cause of all problems somehow, somewhere, in someway or the other. We've made greater leaders, raised worriers, supported the ambitions of husbands and lovers, been the all knowing, all bearing wives of presidents, extra working hands on field's of landless farmers, supported entire famille in the absence of husbands serving in the military for decades at war. Silently, responsibly, but its overlooked. 

Acknowledgement often comes in much more shallow forms 'celebrating womanhood' through beauty pageants, ribbon cutting ceremonies, involvement with smaller matters of state, sidelined to the stands or magazine covers or used as hangers even.

What really is our stand? Where exactly do we stand? Where do we draw the line? 

Retarded instances from my life, part 1

I'm thinking bout something
Which is very stupid.
When i was young, you wouldn't believe the stupid things I'd do or I'd say.

I'd say.
"When i get angry or tense,
I start mumbling in French."
And I'd mumble some mumbo jumbo French-sounding shit.
In front of people!!
Actual people!
You know
As if talking in distress.
Can you believe i actually did that in public?
I think my parents dropped me a couple of times too many
On my head
As a baby.
Cant blame them,
I must have been really wobbly and impatient.
The point is, i said i knew French
While i don't.
I didn't.
But i said i did.
And i had the audacity to mumble shit in public.

Ok, i can't stop laughing
Want to read another one?

So i had this very peculiar biology teacher, who also happen to be my class teacher.
And she disliked me enough to make sure i always sat in the front row for her class.
Even the free periods she substituted.
So you know those small mint boxes?
izon mint?
In that small gray box?
izone
or izon?
No no mints,
Not medicine.
Small white tablets of mint?
Ozon! That's it!
These were pretty new back then.
Like only 10% people knew bout them.
So,
Every time I'd catch her peculiarly noticing what I'm doing in class,
So firstly if you put a hyper active kid in front of the class while everyone gossiped in the back,
I would start pretending I'm a drug addict. (Or whatever my version of a drug addict was in my head.)
And that I'm looking for something in my backpack and desk that i might have lost. Like suddenly beginning to panic!
And I'd pretend to grow out of breath.
And then with trembling hands,
Open the pack i had concealed in the
Palm of my hand.
Take two tablets (mints)
Pop them into my mouth
Making extra sure the teacher saw the funny white pills
And pretend to down them with water
And then pretend they calmed my nerves down.
And eventually stop huffing and puffing.

Cool huh?
Want to know another one, or are you done?

So i loved the school library.
But i had a very bad habit of scribbling in books.
And every time I'd read a really old book,
Like a classic,
I'd leave random love notes pre-dated
To the 1800
As if the book existed even back then.
Even if it was a new book.
And I'd write long fucking love notes.
Like as if the book was gifted,
And that was a personalized message
For the original recipient.
One time i killed a large mosquito,
And after a chapter wrote a
Love oath
Claiming signing it in real blood.

He-he
This isn't creativity,
I think this is what you call retardedness!
I think i mostly lived in my own head.
Guess that hasn't changed so much.
I'm still anti social on the inside,
And this is what i did to pass time.

But i pulled speaking French off in public! -_-
Maybe that'll be part of  a book i write.
Someday.

Product Idea 4: The FourSquare for Drunks, Foodies, Shopaholics and Blind daters

Hey, i really don't get the advantages of declaring ones arrival on a separate platform, but that's just me. I mean, we're very much in the technological age where a Facebook or a Twitter (or even a Google+) might just begin churning out profits from similar integration into its base apps - well du-hu;

1. Both have status updates and location Geo targeting available?
2. Both have made them selves critical for Big brands engaging with its audience in real time to own their own fan page.
3. After i update that I've 'Arrived' on Four Square - I do share it across Facebook, Twitter and at times Google+ as well.

Hence that makes its a;

1. Double Go for Facebook which tries to seek out user payment information and most likely to have users already have photos to tag along with updates as well.
2. Double go for Twitter since it literally mirrors Four Square but only people talk way more within the similar word limit updates about other things as well.
3. And a double go for Google+ which due to its Google Play app stores integration any how has a very large base of user payment details in its records.

So hey, if you want to give real time discounts, you might as well do them where people are engaging actively in conversation about their lives.

= WAIT, before i go any further, let me just clarify that i pick these platforms since they have already earned dominance in the market and brands are very dependent on them today despite heading down a more holistic and native engagement approach themselves to re-capture the audience that already eats, sleeps, breaths on these platforms. =

But what connects these four platforms in reality anyway (FourSquare included)? At least philosophically any how.
The re-assurance that you aren't the only one trolling the internet or streets alone at any given point or day and night or time. When we see a acquaintance also partying... or a fellow social media friend also updating a new post or status update while we are, we feel a sense of belonging. That being said, think to yourselves, do you actually know all your twitter followers personally? Or the people who begin following you on Four Square for that matter? You might relate to them because you might belog to the same city, or have the same content consumption interests, or even simply cause you both like beer. 

Yes, strange as it may seem its the truth for many. (and whats not to celebrate about liking beer anyhow?)

Beer remind me of one such event that is actively using this as an opportunity to really create an organic buzz out there. Kingfisher beer! Every heard of the KFC Beer Fests (secret events)? Random people from across the internet and geographies co-create the buzz and then meet up in person on the day of the event! And how do they engage or why do they enjoy these events?
- Because they love beer,
- They interact as their Twitter handle names and much less as real people,
- And because they all managed to get on the invitation list of this secret event with free beer, food and beer chugging competitions.

What does the brand do in turn?
1. Gets lots of meaty posts, videos, photos and usage of their handle name and brand name across internet through these events.
2. Great brand recall, greater brand recommendation and WOM.
But that's just the start.
More can be done. Much more.

Lets begin by identifying the key take always from KFC Beer Fests;
1. They manage to engage with their online audience offline.
2. They reward their online fans in real time.
3. They manage to connect and unite beer lovers of each city they carry out these events in.
4. They strengthen their audiences emotional connect with the brand.

I have a feeling i get over excited about concepts sometimes and talk too much about one subject or topic. Moving forward.

SoDelhi recently also organised a treasure hunt across Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi, India using Social Media. Another win.
In turn it managed to accumulate a large number of foodies and city dwellers from Delhi to follow their page.

But here, these brands are creating a burst of events that really gather audiences and not necessarily engage them in real time. A hit campaign sure but a hit app or platform?... 

The idea: imagine being able to connect with the drinking community of a city or multiple cities in real time. Maybe lets say digitaliz the concept of car-o-bar. If I'm alone and i want to drink, what if i could connect to my foursquare and ping my location and what I'm drinking to the world and get real time feeds of people in and around my city drinking the same thing at rhe same time? Yes yes legal hassles in setting up something like that for a new player, but what about the Carlsberg and Heineken's of the world? 

Will it really mean too much effort to integrate with any one such existing platform for lets say the winter season, when everyone is celebrating, no ones wants to be alone and everyone enjoys a party. 

How about letting people start it? 

What it will potentially take? 

On foursquare's part - a section division of arrivals to eatires, gyms, pubs, shopping centres to name a few as broad categorization. (feed viwing division is as it is down as per how close or nearby another person) 

On part of the brand - lets say Carlsberg; to own that section for specific key cities and rewarding their fans for every pint they buy from a pub. If more than lets keep a benchmark numner of 100 people are updating their drinks update in a specific city 'drinking or celebrating with a Carlsberg', maybe an instant party or invite-an-extra-friend along with yourself to a spontanious jam event can be organised? Rules: get your bill stating your drink, plus you get only Carlsberg drinks at the venu. 

Ok, lets take another example. Imagine all these young shopaholic girls updating their location to a mall of a city. If more than 50 people tweet their arrival to a certain mall, maybe the brands in that mall can own up too a flash sale. The details of which can be visible to the users of FourSquare on the (currently non existant but easily manageable) brand pages. 

And what's more. You actively get users to use your platform for real time rewards. You let users or the masses to create the need and brands to supply for these needs. Social likes and brand mentions go up, you spend less on paid publicity and you get better word of mouth. 

Lets say maybe this is phase one in such a direction. Maybe lets say you want to create a positive word of mouth (WOM) for a destination or product or maybe you want to increase sales of certain outlet or product on a certain weekend. What do you do then? 

User journey mapping can go something like  this - 

- Check into a location. 

- Brands send you ongoing contests for exclusive flash sales. 

- WOM camping - you put up your next update on why this is a great store for winter wear and share it across your FB, Twitter and Instagram pages using a certain hashtag. 

- Go to the store in real time. 

- Show this to the billing counter post shopping. 

- Cashier varifies and gives you a special additonal discount. 

- You get a personalised shout out from the brand pages across all mediums for visiting. (this also makes sure that those who dont know about the event, also find out) 

A happy and suprised customer always follows brand pages in 80% scenarios. You don't even need to force them or be suggestive. 

Maybe you raise your own bench mark next time by increasing the numner of check-ins required to generate these kinds of events. Over time gathering larger footfalls. 

For general do gooders - such platforms can be part of the safe drinking initiatives. (park to the side and inform fellow drinkers where the cops are located at night) hey? it can work, people try being heard on Twitter like this all the time. While wenting their frustration and also being allies to random city dwellers also on the same platform. Its a network that counts. 

Oh i almost forgot the blind-daters. Imagine drinking alone or wanting to go out on a safe party night. But having no one to do so. What do you do then? 

You update your status. You send an open invite a friendly mob for company. (A fellow drinker it always a friend, expecially post a few drinks.) You basically end up with a dinner with strangers night which is self generated by users rather than a community. All a brand needs to do is use the gender and location filters to validate and make certain a ratio of men and woman is in place and thay there are updates from more than 7-10 people at a time. Output: You meet new people, you make new friends and it remains safe. And its totally up to you to stay or leave post meeting the people who show up, :) win.