social marketing

I often get asked what is the main difference between Social Marketing and Commercial marketing - or indeed if there is any difference. Of course, this is understandable, not least because after all we are using fairly similar tools (and theories in some cases). However, I’d argue that the main difference is probably in the starting point. Consider the basic definition of Marketing as a “social and managerial process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and exchanging products and values with others.” (Kotler et al, Principles of Marketing). One of the main points for commercial marketing is the creation and exchange of products that people want and need, for social marketing while that may be true in the long run, it may not be so in the short term. Take the example of healthy food choices: While it may be true for some people that they do prefer a piece of fruit, many more people are likely to prefer unhealthy food choices (chocolate anyone?). For commercial marketers, the main objective is to find out which people want the healthy food and supply them with apples, bananas and grapes - while also supplying and exchanging unhealthy food with the people who want it. In that sense, commercial marketing is pretty value free - it delivers what people want, when they want it (and without starting a discussion about the ethics of such an approach), does not really make a judgement if that is good or bad.
Social marketing is pretty different: In social marketing we would be actively trying to convince those people that want unhealthy food to switch to healthy food (and we would probably not be too concerned about those that already eat healthily). Thus, our target is very, very different (and yes, we are making a judgment call, i.e. that there is such a thing as desired behaviour as well as undesirable behaviour). This also explains why in many ways it is a lot easier to be a commercial marketeer: after all commercial marketing is a little like running in open doors (or delivering what someone wants when they want it in the way they want it) - while social marketing really is about convincing someone that a particular behaviour is bad/unhealthy/undesirable and to do something that he/she may not originally want to do.

Westernization in India, and its consequences.

Has Westernization increased the threat to women’s safety and dignity in India?

Westernization is a process whereby societies come under or adopt Western culture in such matters as industry, technology, law, politics, economics, lifestyle, diet, language, alphabet, religion, philosophy, and values. It is a complex economic, political, cultural, and geographic process in which the mobility of capital, organizations, ideas, discourses, and peoples has taken a global or transnational form. It is a two-sided process, in which Western influences and interests themselves are joined by a wish of at least parts of the affected society to change towards a more Westernized society, in the hope of attaining Western life or some aspects of it.

India is a secular country where the people have the freedom to practice any religion and also to convert into another religion of their choice. So, all the cultures are freely accepted and respected by the Indians. But, the influence of western culture started in India during the 19th century when the British established their colony in the country.

In the weeks since a woman was viciously gang-raped on a New Delhi bus, the limited views or interests of India’s mostly male, mostly rural politicians have been on full display. Senior politicians blamed the rape on Western culture, on Westernized women, on modern city life, even on bad karma. The government’s mishandling of the popular outrage made the situation worse: Police in New Delhi used tear gas and water cannons on female protesters, many of them college students.

As the entire country monitored the health of the young woman—who died in a Singapore hospital on Dec. 29—Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said something that made sense. “The emergence of women in public spaces, which is an absolutely essential part of social emancipation, is accompanied by growing threats to their safety and security. There can be no meaningful development without the active participation of half the population, and this simply cannot take place if their security and safety are not assured.”

With women’s lifestyles slowly coming to a similar pattern as a man’s lifestyle, one can see women wearing lesser clothes than a normal Indian woman would usually wear, she would be seen at times and places which could not be safe for their own good, due to newer entertainment forms such as – night clubs, malls, lounges/bars, cheerleaders appearing in cricket shows to create more “buzz” , the country is seeing the change of women’s status in society. Women are no longer the ones who are meant to live on this planet to serve for their husband, they now have an equal say to every decision that is made in the household. They are allowed to walk around freely as men do, with no question asked. In a society like India, this would not truly be accepted by all classes, man or woman.

Some women sometimes internalize the western culture to such a deep level they eventually believe they are amidst a western culture. Some women like these go schizophrenic. Since they feel disconnected from their real world and imagine themselves in a culture all together, they eventually do not understand what the difference is between reality and illusion.

Therefore, women need not to afraid of westernization. It is the way one deals with it in the culture they actually live in. Each society has its own norms and presumptions which need to be accepted by all unless one does not mind being socially castrated. Change is inevitable though, but each society takes its own time.

The Spirit of FLAME

This is a video link to have an overview of FLAME -

Youtube video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO5q9YjzVwI

This video shows the different school that FLAME has and what students do.
We see the different activities that students take part during their student life at FLAME.
We also see the values that FLAME has. The student and teacher relations.  The different courses that are available and offered  in FLAME.



Maya Chandrashekaran
FSLE-3

exam week closing bu

exam are coming near and everyone are very stressed out but our seniors are very happy because they have finished their exams basically they have finished their 2 years at flame and finally they will be graduating from flame in few days.

we will miss our senior batch and hope they enjoy their life to the fullest with their jobs in tacked with them.....

we even welcome our new senior batch who are gonna come in few month........


but will miss our seniors from LE4 n B2 n C2........

we love you guys <3 <3  

CHARACTER SKETCH OF CRASH

Critical Writing- Crash

CRASH IS A FILM WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY PAUL HAGGIS AND THE STARCAST IS DON CHEADLE, SANDRA BULLOCK, THANDIE NEWTON....

The story has a parallel of 6 six stories.  The beginning is that of an accident scene where the detective Graham and Ria his girlfriend make their first appearance.

1.     Graham Waters- Graham is a sincere man, dedicated to his work and mother and goes out of the way for them. he is also searching for his brother who has been missing for a few days. He is a little racist as he tells his mother that he is busy with a Mexican woman. He replaces the food for his mother overnight when she is sleeping and she feels that her younger son had come back.  He is shown as a very disturbed character as he keeps smoking at the chances that he gets. He is not truly in love with Ria as he shows her no gratitude when she goes with him to the morgue.

2.     Ria- the girlfriend of Graham. She is just accompanying him around wherever he goes. She want to meet his mother, but he blatantly lies saying that she is not there. She accuses him of not her genealogy. She doesn’t have many dialogues to say. She is a very caring woman as she goes to the morgue with Graham and his mother even though she has had a fight with him.

The next scene is that of a Persian buying a gun in a racist’s shop with his daughter.

3.     Farhad- he is a Persian, who doesn’t trust Americans at all and thus has gone to buy the gun thinking that it would keep him and his family and shop safe.  He gets offended very quickly and starts getting suspicious of people. He even has an interaction with the lock smith Daniel who suggests to him to change the door which he doesn’t and gets angry at him saying that he wants to cheat him. Daniel walks on him without even taking the money. In the night the store gets robbed and Farhad blames Daniel for this and goes to kill him but, Daniel is saved by his daughter who jumps in front of him and saves him. Farhad is awestruck and is left standing in the driveway thinking that Lara is the angel.

4.     Dorri- she is a very smart woman who knows how to handle herself and her father, who gets out of control often. She helps the father with the shop and looks after her family.  We just get to see her character by her mannerisms and behaviour.

We then get introduced to a couple walking on a street and the wife gets insecure when she sees two “black men” and clutches on to her husband.

5.     Rick Cabot- he is the local district attorney. His car gets jacked by two black men. He wants to maintain peace is the district so he doesn’t identify the car sackers in fear of him being considered racist and he tries to make his wife also understand not to be racist but she doesn’t listen. He is a caring husband because in the end when he hears about his wife’s injury he comes there as soon as he can though he gets angry at her for being careless.

6.     Jean- she is the wife of the district attorney. She is a paranoid woman and feels that all the bad things would happen to her and in fact because of her actions the car gets jacked. She wants keeps everything safe and secure but doesn’t manage to do so. In the end she falls down a flight of stairs and when she calls her friends for help they are busy and the only one who comes is her servant who is Hispanic. In the end she realizes that everyone is good and she hugs the servant and tells her that she is her best friend hence we see a change in her perception of individuals.

7.     Anthony- he is one of the boys who jacks the car of the attorney as he is angry that everyone is being racist. He says that even in the coffee shop they don’t get coffee a second time even if they pay for it.  He likes listening to rap music and puts that in the car after jacking it. He hits a man while trying to run away with the car. He tries to steal Cameron’s car by putting a gun to his head but Cameron being in a bad mood beats him up instead and then when they arouse the suspicion of a police both get into the car.  Cameron tells Anthony that he embarrasses him and then in the end we see that Anthony finds a car full of Asian woman whom he goes and leaves in china town and gives them some money. Thus seeing the change in character where he could have very well sold them and become rich.

8.     Peter- he is the missing brother of Graham and along with Anthony jacks the attorney’s car. He is a god fearing boy and carries a voodoo doll everywhere with him.  When the police comes to catch them he escapes from that sight. He takes a lift from a police officer who has the same passion for voodoo dolls as him and in the end when he is about to show him his voodoo doll he gets shot as the officer finds him suspicious and ends up shooting him.

Daniel is first is seen in the movie in the district attorney changing the locks where he hears a conversation between Jean and Rick, where Jean and Rick are having an argument about her being racist. Daniel just walks out without bothering in the matter.

9.     Daniel Ruiz- he is a Hispanic who is working as a lock smith in that area. He is a very hardworking man and is very honest. He explains to his daughter not to be scared and gives her a security blanket which will protect her.  He goes for night rounds of completing his job and goes to Farhad’s shop to fix the lock and suggests to him to fix the door but Farhad being suspicious fires him and Daniel just walks out on him. When Farhad’s shop is robbed he goes to Daniel’s house to kill him but Daniel is saved by his daughter Lara.

10.  Lara- she is a five year old who gets scared in the night by the sound of gun shots. She very obedient and wants to help her father. She actually runs out to save her father when she realizes that he gave her his security blanket.

John the police man is first introduced as talking to an insurance agent very rudely on the phone. He is a racist and when he comes to know that the lady on the other side of the phone is African- American he just rattles on. 

11.  John Ryan- he is a very short tempered man. He gets very angry for little thing. He has a good heart. We come to know this as he is very caring for his father and even when it comes to saving people’s lives he would do everything that he can.  He is frustrated as he sexually molests a woman while her husband is pinned down to the car. Though he does that to the woman he finally ends up saving her in the end.

12.  Tom Hanson- he is John’s partner. He is very afraid of him ever since he saw him molest a woman. He asks for a transfer and prefers riding solo. He helps the man he had pinned down another time to save his life and lets him go with a harsh warning. He is the one who kills Graham’s bother by mistake since he was very suspicious and thought that something wrong would befall him.

13.  Shaniqua Johnson- she is the insurance agent that John has a fight with; though she is a caring woman she also like John has a short temper.

Cameron and his wife Christine are First Street driving towards their house where they are stopped by the police.

14.  Cameron Thayer- he is a film director and though he “black” doesn’t like the fact that it is to pronounced. When talks to the officer and apologizes and does not do anything when his wife is violated, he thinks it was the right thing to do. Though after that incident he has tough time at his house and walks out on his wife. He is a very caring man and tells Anthony that he embarrasses him, after the incident where they try to steal his car.

15.  Christine- she is a very out spoken woman. She is a little drunk when we first get introduced to her. She is the one who gets sexually molested by the police man. She has an argument with her husband where he walks out on her. She even goes to meet him where he just ignores her. On her way back she gets into an accident where John comes to save her and she lets him touch her on his pleading that there was no one to rescue her. She finally accepts to husband’s presence of mind of the night when they get caught. She even calls him in the end to ask him to come back.

16.  Kim Lee-she is the Chinese woman who we get introduced to first, when we see a crime scene in the beginning when she makes a racial statement towards another woman. It’s also her husband who is knocked down by Anthony when he is running away with the car and they are the ones who are in the business of selling Asian women.

Hence we see how there are parallel life stories at the same time in the movie.

DHVANI KOTHARI

FLAME SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION 

A New Horizon.....

With the exams right around the corner. There seems to be sudden stillness in the atmosphere and the sense of seriousness has crept in. The usual buzz has reduced as everyone is behind closed doors working hard to complete the pending assignments. The graduating batches want to have fun but are bogged down with lots of work and a high tension filled air is being circulated. The food joints are being crowded till late in the night since people are studying till late. The last days of frenzy seems to be approaching real fast!!!! And soon as a part of the graduating batch this will all be left behind and we will open a chapter in our life. Flame School of Communication has been such an interesting journey as we have learnt so much and gained a lot of knowledge. Even though my major is International Studies and minor in Communication I have gained a lot of new perspectives. 

Dhvani Kothari

Flame School of Communication 

One more day summer at Flame - communication glory

It's hot outside, and boy...the graduation project looks hotter. Sweating it out, under the sun and some away from the sun...and yet all seems fun. Now I look at the kids...gosh! They are hard working....