x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

The Branded and Gilded Life

Connecting the not-so-obvious branding dots

Marketing is a never-ending set of experiments to understand human behavior. It"s still opaque even after billions are spent every year. Predicting human behavior is like the horizon - visible yet hard to reach ideascape.substack.com

business marketing

All Episodes

7:23

Peter Jackson's time machine - sort of

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/11/12

We've all seen the grainy footage from newsreels long ago.Everyone looks as if they're starring in a Charlie Chaplin film comically moving at a fast trot.Peter Jackson, the director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy turned his attention to real life events a few years ago.In 2018, he released a documentary edited from over 100 hours of footage of the first world war from the Imperial War Archives.The film was called 'They Shall not Grow Old' and received a BAFTA nomination for the best documentary

en

7:50

Hard cash is booming along with digital cash

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/11/05

This will remain one of those hard to decipher phenomena.While India's UPI has recently crossed $100 billion in digital transactions a month, the amount of banknotes in circulation in India has reached an all-time high as well.This from the DNA newspaper: RBI data revealed that the currency amount with the public stood at a record high of Rs 28.30 lakh crores for the fortnight ending October 8, 2021. This is up 57.48% or Rs 10.33 lakh crores from a level of Rs 17.97 lakh crores on November 4, 2016

en

6:49

Does time move faster as we age?

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/10/29

We remember school days with nostalgia.But we also remember those days for another reason - time seemed to move so much more slowly. Each period in class stretched like it would never end, especially the ones with teachers who made subjects a dreary bore.We envied adults who had independence and they went about their day as they pleased - even if we never quite understood why they seemed harried at times.A scientist has come up with another explanation.His theory is that as we age, the size and

en

7:42

Photoshop gives birth to new businesses

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/10/22

Anyone who has worked on images knows the titan - Adobe PhotoshopUsed by experts, pranksters and hobbyists, Photoshop gives you immense control.You can darken or lighten complexions, change backgrounds, introduce fresh objects and do much more.The photo 'retouching' that used to happen in studios decades ago had skilled artists physically restore old prints and faded photographs. Studio artists now use Photoshop or GIMP if the business is oriented towards open source and does not want to pay for

en

7:39

The omelet economy

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/10/15

We first experienced it at the hostel.Bored with the predictable fare served every day, we would escape at least 3-4 times a week to the little shack beyond the gates. The omelets dripped in oil and were sandwiched between two crusty slices of toast. Yet, we'd wolf it down and be back for more.The shack was owned by Guru and he taught us how business could be run with a customer base of mostly broke college kids.He knew what we liked and cooked everything on a small kerosene stove, making omelets

en

7:31

The biggest order Tesla has ever bagged

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/10/08

When Hertz signed off on an order for 100,000 Teslas to be delivered within 14 months, it sent the company's stock soaring to over a trillion.This single order is worth $4.2 billion, and it marks a shift in thinking.Having an electric fleet changes the game for car rentals.Hertz would have factored in the savings on fuel, maintenance and the charging network before making a commitment as far-reaching as this.And it proves that EVs are now moving into the mainstream.It is an acknowledgement that

en

6:12

Are you willing to look stupid?

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/10/01

Read that carefully again.There's a mountain of difference between being stupid and looking stupid.And that's the focus of a great article in Hacker News.If you're willing to ask 'dumb' questions that look obvious to a lot of people, you end up learning things they don't.Here's an example. At a discussion on disposal of nuclear waste, everyone was focused on the harmful effects it had on the environment and people. Until someone piped up and asked "What's good about nuclear waste?'On the face of it,

en

6:34

Apple makes merry at Google and Facebook's expense

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/09/24

Chart above copyright by FTFacebook has been locked out of Apple's ecosystem for targeting.And that is impacting their ad business.Just like it is for Google Now, here's the sting in the tail. Apple's advertising revenue has tripled. No guessing where that came from!By playing up the privacy angle, Apple has secured a lucrative market for itself.Brings to mind what Amazon did a few years ago - introduced ads that almost looked like product placements and now makes over $10 billion in revenue from

en

7:13

The UX of exercising

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/09/17

We've all got the WhatsApp forwards.Exercise routines that need to be followed. Strengthening everything from the abs to the pectorals to the biceps.In most cases, this degenerates into a barely comprehensible routine and for the most part, it's simply people going through the motions.This site, Musclewiki, has managed to simplify it to the part you are interested in with a solid UX tweak. Instead of words, it connects the part of the body you need to work on to the recommended exercises.They have a

en

6:28

Shooting Bond

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/09/10

The posters freeze Bond in pivotal moments.Or enhance the aura.What most viewers never think about is that the movie posters and other shots of the cast are never derived from the footage.There are still photographers assigned to the set and they are the ones who create the images that go into practically all of the publicity material.The question is why?Movie and still photography are completely different from a lighting point of view. When cinematographers light up a scene, they are looking at a

en

6:16

No purist could have invented Bailey's.

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/09/03

It went against the moral fiber.Only a couple of agency guys feverishly cracking a product brief for a client could have concocted this back in 1973. It went on to become an essential after-dinner tipple in hallowed circles.But it wasn't always this way.In 2007, Diageo announced that it had sold its billionth bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur. But the start or the journey was nowhere as smooth as the way it went down throats.Would anyone have thought of adding cream to Irish whiskey, for

en

6:36

How to lose customers over trivial problems

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/08/27

The other day, I placed an order for some pickles and a couple of other small eatables at an online store.I don't want to name them because they did follow process and refunded the money for a stockout item.Zomato and Swiggy have understood the problem and fixed it.They know that restaurants can run out of the dishes when there's a sudden influx of people ordering the same thing.Then, there are two options. A refund can be initiated, or the restaurant can call the customer, inform them and ask if

en

6:14

You haven't heard of Syniverse

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/08/20

You're not supposed to know about them either.But it shows that after all the trouble you take to secure your phone, your messages can be easily read.What exactly does Syniverse do?It routes the billions of messages sent out every day between the telecom companies. Practically every telecom company in the world is a customer.And here's the enormity of the problem.The company was hacked back in 2016. The hackers made inroads deep into the company's network and watched without their presence being

en

6:45

The ripple effect

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/08/13

They came to the Santa Monica pier from different directions.One of them is a guitarist who has been playing for over 20 years and has a sizeable subscriber base on YouTube - nearly 250,000.He sets up a mic and invites people to sing while he plays the guitar.Most beach goers have nothing more on their minds than to snack, chit-chat and while away a lazy afternoon.Then, a cautious Indian girl strolls by with a friend, and he invites her to sing.They go back and forth on the songs she knows and what

en

7:04

There is no vaccine for the supply chain

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/08/06

James Gleick gave a great example of why efficiency should not be optimised beyond a point in his book, Chaos.The example he used was of major airports, where flights took off and landed every 15 seconds or so. Alternating between a landing and a takeoff, efficiency parameters were pushed to the limit.But if an airplane developed a snag on the ground while taxiing towards take off, it threw everything out of gear.Finding another crew to replace the existing one, transferring passengers to a

en

6:27

The inspectors behind Michelin stars

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/07/30

Why did a tire company become the world's standard for haute cuisine?Michelin assumed, correctly, that if more people traveled to eat out, they would replace their tires more often and increase the company's business over time.They started out by awarding stars to restaurants back in 1900 and that became so popular, they had to appoint a series of 'inspectors' to assess food quality and see if standards were being maintained.One would assume that gorging on great food all day long would be one of

en

7:06

Can you learn public speaking from a book?

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/07/23

There are great books available on the internet.But it's like the difference between reading a recipe and getting down to cooking.Unless you make a speech in front of a real audience, you'll never know what it actually means.What the authors tell you will all ring true, but only after you make the actual attempt.And no, speaking to your reflection in the mirror does not count.Does everyone need to learn to speak in public?I would say yes.It's about learning to put across your point of view in public

en

6:35

'Skip Intro' didn't exist in cinemas.

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/07/16

During serial binge watches, we hit it all the time.Titles set the foundations of motion graphics, but we're impatient to dive into the movie and we ignore the artistry.They come in the way and no matter how exquisite, they're the appetizers to be dispensed with.In the darkness of a movie theater, they set the mood for the film.Early on film makers knew that apart from providing information about the film plot and the production crew, title design helped to ease audiences into the flow.The example

en

7:35

Did a coffee machine start the surveillance age?

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/07/09

Cameras everywhere.From traffic lights to apartment complexes to warehouses.Recording movement 24/7. The eyes in the sky as well as on the ground.Kids being monitored remotely, and exams conducted with cameras vigilantly recording every move and click of the mouse. Or surgeries monitored for insurance purposes.It wasn't meant to be this way.There are several origin stories about how it began.Apparently, a group of scientists at Stanford grew tired of walking to the coffee machine and finding it

en

7:28

The Good, the Bad, The Ugly, The Classic

The Branded and Gilded Life ·

2023/06/25

Did the movie's theme song play in your mind when you read the first line?It should have because it's one of the most recalled tracks from movies.Ennio Morricone had collaborated with Sergio Leone on several films. He came up with the title's opening to capture the coyote's high-pitched wail and then blended it into a track that goes in unpredictable directions.In most themes, there is a set of opening bars that set the trend for the rest of the tune. But this one breaks the mould.Even if you knew

en

187 results

Similar Podcasts

TaxTalent.com The Golden Rule Podcast

Adam Golden

TaxTalent.com Podcast

Tony Santiago

Nomad Capitalist Audio Experience

Nomad Capitalist

Supply Shock

Blockworks

RadioBorsa - La tua guida controcorrente per investire bene nella Borsa e nella Vita

SoldiExpert SCF