An Innovative Strategy - Chocolate covered grasshoppers?!

What would your reaction be if you received a Fedex package with a bag of chocolate
covered grasshoppers like this -




and a link to a video? Most likely, our first reaction would be "Why in god's name has someone sent me a chocolate grasshopper?!" More often than not, we would look up the website online to find out more about the company behind this strange gimmick!

That was exactly the response of about 5000 people in the United States of America. The company formerly called GOTVMAIL and rebranded to Grasshopper - an 800 phone number provider, as a part of their rebranding strategy kicked off their campaign with a video targeted at entrepreneurs and small business owners, wherein they believe that "entrepreneurs can change the world."

They then sent their target audience of 5000 influential people (inclusive of influential CEOs, celebrities, bloggers, T.V. Anchors etc) a package of real chocolate covered (dead) grasshoppers with a URL.

This is an example of excellent innovation. While the idea may be revolting to some vegetarians, the Grasshopper campaign was a success in the field of social media and were blogged and tweeted about all over the internet.

While the creative mind-set of the people behind this concept is to be applauded, what is even more commendable is the risk that they underwent going ahead with this strategy. The "chocolate covered grasshopper" campaign could have also resulted in a massive failure considering the fact that the recipients had been sent a dead insect coated with chocolate!

Fortunately, for the company, Grasshoppers, this worked in their favour in terms of gaining the awareness of the company by their target. Keeping aside the fact that the campaign in itself was extremely creative and wacky ; we do not know if the marketing campaign in fact resulted in sales.

Additionally, it is understandable that the grasshoppers were sent to their prospects in order to raise awareness of their company. But if you think about it, the prospects may wonder, in what way are the "chocolate covered grasshoppers" a part of the marketing campaign for entrepreneurs? One lady had written in her blog "Who on earth thinks of entrepreneurs as grasshoppers??!"

Rob May, founder of Lifestream Backup stated - “My theory is that anyone tough enough to eat a grasshopper is tough enough to start their own business.”

here's the company's explanation :



At the end of the day, the viral marketing campaign utilized by "Grasshoppers" enabled their customers to learn their story - that it was a phone system company that cared about entrepreneurs. The real test will be if this re-brand story translates into sales for the company.

Holiday - USA

Our visit last year to the United States of America was a wonderful experience. Although we had been there about 10 years ago, this trip in particular was very special to me for a variety of reasons. Here are some of the places that I loved and which I would recommend visiting if you plan a trip in the near future :

1. The Grand Canyon :


I am sure most of you would have at least heard about it, if not familiar with the history of the magnificent Grand Canyon, located in the state of Arizona. Once again we mortals are left fascinated at nature's splendid creation!

The Grand Canyon is a great chasm carved by the Colorado River. Known for its beautiful and intricate landscape, owned by the "Hualapai" tribe, which has been preserved over generations, the Grand Canyon attracts dozens of tourists every year. We were lucky to be one amongst them.

The best part of the Grand Canyon was the "Eagle Point".


The chasm has been formed in such a way that it closely resembles an Eagle. We were taken to the "Skywalk Glass Bridge" (4000 ft above the Colorado river) which offered a breathtaking view of the Canyon through a transparent glass floor.

The Canyon below us looked so scary that, at one point of time we were terrified that the glass would break! We were told that the skywalk is able to support about 70 tons of weight. Howver, stepping on the glass did take some courage as it was crystal clear and gave you the impression of standing on air.

After our tour of the skywalk, we settled down for a meal of baked beans and jacket potatoes. Now, this was not our idea of an ideal lunch but it was a change from the food that we are used to. Vegetarians do have limited options.

Somethings to keep in mind :

- You are not allowed to take any personal item onto the skywalk, not even a camera. Lockers are provided where you can keep your items. However, the official photographers there offer to take pictures of you which you can purchase later on.

- The heat can get a little unbearable. Do make sure that you are dressed in the lightest and most comfortable of clothes. Preferably, go in for shorts.

Kudos to the management for ensuring that the visitors are offered a comfortable and pleasurable experience. Be it in terms of providing air-conditioned buses while commuting between one end of the Canyon to the other and making sure that adequate safety measures are taken, while the visitors walk over the Skywalk glass bridge.

In spite of the scorching heat, we had the most lovely time. A once in a lifetime experience for sure!

2. Mount Rainier :


When my cousin at Seattle chalked out a plan for us to visit Mount Rainier we were very enthusiastic about it. But the Mountain truly surpassed all our expectations! Never before had we seen a mountain covered in snow, with the sun shining brightly over it, that too in the month of July. This was definitely the highlight of our trip to Seattle!

Mount Rainier is actually an active composite volcano located Southeast of Seattle, Washington, in the United States. Although we are permitted to climb the mountain at our own risk, we chose to stay at the foothills :)

We had a super time making snowballs and throwing that at each other. The weather was quite pleasant. Although there was a lot of snow everywhere, surprisingly it was not very cold.

3. San Fransisco (SFO) :


There were a bunch of things we loved about San Fransisco. One of the most populous cities in the state of California, the weather was one of best things about the place. A little on the cooler side, we absolutely loved the weather. Mostly because staying in a hot city like Dubai, you learn to appreciate the winters as and when you get the opportunity to experience it!



The extremely popular Golden Gate Bridge is located in San Fransisco in the United States. The bridge has been a popular location for numerous films - both for Hollywood and for the Indian film industry. Films like Kal Ho Na Ho had many of its scenes shot at the Golden Gate bridge. It was misty the day we went there, due to which we could not get a very clear view. However, the bridge looked immensely beautiful with the fog surrounding it.

Another magnificent creation is the Lombard Street at SFO. Now, this street is known as the "crookedest" (that is) most winding street in the world! Have a look !


Yes! This is how the street looks. :) The street was actually built out of necessity, as the hill was considered too steep for most vehicles to climb. The street has been decorated very well with flowers and there were many tourists like us who were taking photos of the street.

A distinct characteristic of San Fransisco are its roads. Consisting of many hills, the roads of San Fransisco go uphill and downhill, and it is quite a unique experience driving there!

One of our last destinations at San Fransisco was the Alcatraz Islands, popularly known as "The Rock".

As a part of the tour, we were taken on a ferry ride to the Island from Pier 33, near "Fisherman's Wharf" at San Francisco.

The Islands became very popular for the period that it served as a prison. It has been said that no prisoners have ever successfully escaped from the prison. As we were taken for a tour around the now-abandoned prison, we were given headphones which guided us step by step through the classical prison. Voices of the inmates of the prison were actually recorded which was kinda spooky.

The narrator tells you about the famous escapes that took place. Looking at the state of the prison, you will marvel at the person who was there and how they had to spend there days. However, the entire tour was extremely informative and was an interesting tour through history!

The Academy award-nominated action film "The Rock" was primarily shot at the Alcatraz Islands.

Zoozoo - An Amazing concept

Zoozoo - The stick- like figures that took the whole of India by storm! (Not to mention NRI's worldwide) is one amongst the several unique concepts that Ogilvy and Mather, India have come up with.

Vodafone could not have chosen a better time than the Indian Premier League (IPL) to communicate to their customers the wide array of value-added services in store for them. From Beauty alerts to International roaming, all the services offered by Vodafone have been communicated in a very catchy and effective manner through the Zoozoos!

The Zoozoos are very cute to look at and the concept is extremely creative. It is very hard to believe that they are actually slim-built women, performing in costumes, wearing an enlarged headpiece!

Prakash Verma, ad filmmaker, Nirvana Films, has directed the commercials, and reveals that the Zoozoos were a big challenge to create. The practical aspects of how they will move, talk, gesticulate and emote were very important. Essentially, co-design and artwork were crucial elements.

With around 1,50,000 fans in facebook, the Zoozoos are an official success!

On the down side, the voices emanating from them can be a little annoying. It would be a good idea to tone down the noises made by the Zoozoos so that the audience are not left reaching for the mute button when they start making noise. The Zoozoos seem to bear a faint resemblance to the "Pillsbury doughboy" - a concept which another leading agency came up with. Nevertheless, one has to appreciate the brain behind this concept! The Zoozoos touch an emotional chord within their audience, which few ads today do. Kudos to O&M, India.

Here are the videos of all the Zoozoo commercials that have been aired till date :

Memories of Dubai - 15 years ago

As my family and I were on our way to Mall of Emirates, one of the elite malls here in Dubai, I was struck by a wave of nostalgia. I was transferred back to the days when Dubai was not the Shopper's Paradise or the City of Gold that it is now. In a way, I can say that I have grown up along with the city of Dubai and been a witness to its slow and steady progress over time.

When I think back to the most memorable days that I spent here in Dubai, the following come to mind :


1. Jumeirah Beach Park : My family and I first came here when I was a year old. My fondest memories of Dubai are at the Jumeirah beach ( a gorgeous extension of the Arabian Sea) where we used to go to swim. We would have a lovely time wading through the water, building sandcastles and taking pictures.


2. The Indian High School, Dubai - For me there was simply nothing like IHS. Upto this day, I call myself an IHS graduate with pride. The school library which housed some of the best books ; the smell of freshly cooked food in the canteen; the enthusiastic voice of IHS students in the "Recess Radio Show" - these moments stay fresh in my mind.

Even today when I pass by the school gates my heart skips a beat and I recall fond memories.
This is the place where I made some of my best friends, who are my friends to this day.

What makes my memories at IHS even more special is the experience of topping CBSE in Marketing. It felt good to leave an indelible mark at IHS - the school that meant and always will mean a great deal to me!

3. Channel 33 : It was the year 1989-1990, at the time the only channel that broadcast Hindi films on a Thursday night (Friday being a holiday here) was Channel 33. I remember watching some of the best movies in that channel along with my family. During the week the channel would broadcast some of the best serials of "yesteryear" like Bold and Beautiful, Dallas and Beverly Hills 90210.


4. Al Ghurair Center : The only mall here in Dubai 15 years ago. It was our primary hangout over the weekends. Considered one of the best places to shop, Al Ghurair Center was the "Dubai Mall" of those times :)

5. Dubai - Abu Dhabi drive: I used to look forward to our fortnightly drives to Abu Dhabi. Unlike today, it would take well over 2 hours to reach Abu Dhabi but the experience of getting ready for the long drive was what was memorable. Stacked with packs of koki (a "sindhi" speciality) , the addictive "Mr Krisps" Cheeseballs, walkmans (there were no ipods at the time) and audio cassettes, we would be all set for the trip.

And no, those days there was never the problem of traffic on the roads and no "Salik" (Toll) either ;)


6. Fujairah Mountains : We used to drive up to the Fujairah Mountains. The spectacular view of the sea on one side and the mountains on the other, between Khorfakkan and Dibba ( the 2 towns near Fujairah) is something that should be experienced by everyone who comes to Dubai!

Another lovely place was the oases located at the Hatta Wadis.




7. Safa Park/Mushrif Park : The ideal hangout for a picnic during winters! Along with 3-4 families we would go to the only parks in Dubai ; Safa and Mushrif Park. These were the only days that we could afford to play sports. Rainfall (a rarity in dubai) and winter was something we would always look forward to.

8. Young times : I used to wait for Tuesday so that I could buy the latest copy of Young Times - a popular children's magazine still going strong here in Dubai. I remember how excited I was the first time my letter got published in the "letter to the editor" section!

9. Dad's Bleep/Pager : Here in Dubai, Cell phones were rare in the year 1990. We would page dad while he was at work on his pager or his "bleep" as we used to call it.

10. Falcon Roundabout : Now replaced by a signal, there was a statue of an actual falcon at the roundabout near our place which looked spectacular!


11. Burj Al Arab : And last but not the least, the Burj Al Arab is one of the most magnificent creations I have ever come across. Made to resemble the sail of a boat, it was at the time one of the most expensive hotels in the world. The hotel looked the most alluring at night when it changed colours.




But the one thing that has not changed, that has remained the same beautiful place that it has always been is..... my house here in Dubai!