| GUESS THEIR BRANDS |
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What: Ulhaas 2012, the annual experimental marketing event by Team Census of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, held in association with The Telegraph.
When: February 11 and 12.
Where: Mani Square Mall.
Consumer basics: Ulhaas is organised every year by the IIMC’s experiential marketing club, Team Census, which deals with the application of consumer-oriented marketing techniques. Though in essence a B-school academic exercise, the two-day event was all about conducting consumer surveys through fun games like dartboard, spin the wheel, compatibility test, quiz and more. And there were goodies to be won too!
Game on: The idea was to conduct marketing surveys for three entities — The Telegraph, Flipkart and IIM-Net, which the biz students did through games like ‘Star ka Choice’ and ‘Brand of Fortunes’. In no time, weekend shoppers let go of their shopping bags and carts and got into gaming mode, be it matching stars with the products they peddle (like Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan in pictures) or outlining their expectations from a celebrity endorser. The ‘Chopra Winfrey Show’ and other compatibility games were about getting to know one’s partner and checking out how well the couples match.
Meanwhile, the IIM students got busy with the answers generated through their innovative survey techniques. The questions were as varied as pitfalls of online shopping to topics that consumers want to read about in magazines.
Census speaks: “Data collection through surveys is a tedious and tiresome process, so we try to present it to consumers in an exciting format,” said Sundar G., one of the student organisers of Ulhaas.
The data collected will be tabulated and handed over to the respective entities by Team Census.
The two-day event was a success as the students got their work done and the shoppers had an interesting time at the mall, with someone even quipping: “Better take the compatibility test before splurging on a Valentine’s Day gift!”
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| Laugh-O-Gram Ice Breaker was the fun event at Insignia, where students put together videos, songs and dance or just talked on stage |
What: Insignia, a national-level management fest for undergraduates organised by the Xavier’s Commerce Society, in association with The Telegraph.
When: February 23 and 24.
Where: St. Xavier’s College grounds.
Motivation and managers: Themed ‘Legends Incarnate’, the fourth edition of Insignia saw enthusiastic participation from nine colleges across the country, including Shri Ram College of Commerce (Delhi), Loyola College (Chennai), Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (Pune) and Christ University (Bangalore).
On Day 1, students put in their best for the preliminary round of events with quirky titles like Megas: the best manager, Dynamo: the best entrepreneur, Quantization: the biz quiz, Sleuth: the corporate treasure hunt and more.
A session with Akash Gautam, a motivational speaker and career mentor, was the big draw of the day. Titled ‘Rise and Shine’, the aim of the event was to help students beat stress and use their abilities to the fullest.
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| Siddharth Dalal (in picture) of St. Xavier’s College won the title of Best Manager by acing the Megas event at Insignia 2012 |
The final face-off: Day 2 saw some tense and intense moments as finalists fought it out to take home the top honours in every category. Megas, the best manager competition, involved 10 rounds of questions about marketing, public relations and finance, rounded off with an interesting stress interview.
The day, however, had begun with students scrambling for passes for an altogether different cause. ‘Lovepal Bill’, another session by Akash Gautam, had the students hooked to his relationship advice.
“I really enjoyed the two-day fest and loved the sessions with Akash Gautam. He pointed out how we tend to forget to enjoy life, getting caught up in the rat race,” said Abhijit Bhattacharya of St. Xavier’s College.
While the host college took home prizes in most categories, the visiting teams took back great memories and the satisfaction of a match well played.
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After conquering city hotspots like Sudder Street, Park Street and Ballygunge, the youngsters of Magic Wallrush took their brand of fun and frenzy to the Nalban Food Plaza on February 19.
This year, the popular youth movement has spread its wings, moving beyond photography and art to encompass music and dance.
Titled CAW: Arts and Music Festival, the day was all about chilling out and camaraderie. Youngsters lounged on the grass, debated, posed for group photos and purchased prints from the exhibition, all the while tucking into cupcakes, pasta and more. But as the day wore on, they got all charged up, with Rasta Jam, the street dancing competition, and Open Mic, an amateur band showcase organised by rocker Neel Adhikari.
For Rasta Jam, five-a-side dance crews got busy popping, breaking and grooving amid loud cheers and hoots. A team called Break Free walked away with the top honours and Rs 10,000. On stage, city rock outfits like Ifs and Buts and Fresh Word, Super Nirma and Crayon Joint churned out their brand of music for the crowd.
“Not just art, dance and music are means of expression too. We wanted to include these and make Wallrush larger in scope because it would have an immediate appeal for the young crowd,” said Opashona Ghosh, one of the organisers of Magic Wallrush.
The highlight of the do turned out to be the musical gigs that started late in the evening. Bands like Peter Cat Recording Co, Turfe, and Gandu Circus (picture above by Bhubaneswarananda Halder) with Q, Neel Adhikari and Jivraj Singh and their controversial brand of Bangla Punk Rock, had the crowds singing and head-banging along.
“Efforts like Magic Wallrush are great because they are fun and we get a taste of all the talent that the city has. We also get to showcase our own talents,” said Neha Chaudhuri, a student of Asutosh College, who participated in Rasta Jam.
