I am partly asleep! But even at this hour (1 am to be precise) I am going to do what I have never done before. I am going to write my first "Blog". What nonsense, you might think. But, if you look at my other posts, you will see that they really don't qualify as "Blogs" - spontaneous ideas uploaded onto the internet without publishing-like stunts. Without reading, re-reading and proof-reading.
Well, now that the introductory paragraph is over, let's come to what I really wanted to "blog" about.
While flipping through the morning Times of India, I chanced upon an ad by Hutch. The newly-wed company with its peppermint-fresh vigor had put an ad on "Blackberry" - the dainty little wider black device that promises to unload your inbox right into your palm. So, what is the big deal? Yeah it does that, so? In fact it does quite well. But so?
So, I looked a bit more at the half-page ad, trying to digest the selling proposition. And what a proposition it was! "Escape from office" cried the bold line at the bottom. Are you kidding me? Blackberries are one of the most obvious and tyrant ways of hooking an employee to his/her job. To his/her office. People don't use Blackberries for dating or gaming. Or to check their Gmail or Yahoo! mail. They use it to access their office mailbox on the go. To update their bosses of the number of heartbeats they beat. The number of breaths they breathe. And of course the number of mails they read!
And see what this stupid ad says - "Escape from office"! Hah...if these marketers and ad agencies had their way, they would one day sell my kid a Shaving kit. "You will need it when you grow up!", is probably what they are going to say.
Grow up guys! Seriously.
Well, now that the introductory paragraph is over, let's come to what I really wanted to "blog" about.
While flipping through the morning Times of India, I chanced upon an ad by Hutch. The newly-wed company with its peppermint-fresh vigor had put an ad on "Blackberry" - the dainty little wider black device that promises to unload your inbox right into your palm. So, what is the big deal? Yeah it does that, so? In fact it does quite well. But so?
So, I looked a bit more at the half-page ad, trying to digest the selling proposition. And what a proposition it was! "Escape from office" cried the bold line at the bottom. Are you kidding me? Blackberries are one of the most obvious and tyrant ways of hooking an employee to his/her job. To his/her office. People don't use Blackberries for dating or gaming. Or to check their Gmail or Yahoo! mail. They use it to access their office mailbox on the go. To update their bosses of the number of heartbeats they beat. The number of breaths they breathe. And of course the number of mails they read!
And see what this stupid ad says - "Escape from office"! Hah...if these marketers and ad agencies had their way, they would one day sell my kid a Shaving kit. "You will need it when you grow up!", is probably what they are going to say.
Grow up guys! Seriously.
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2 comments:
Ashu,
Some things need to be experienced to make complete sense… wait until you and your team gets one… the whole idea of being reachable sets you free… granted – mobile does it too.. but with blackberry ppl don’t really need to know if you are in office or home or in the starbucks round the corner… If you can draw a 6.00p.m and 9.00a.m boundary - that’s it!!! It's all about setting the right expectations and imposing self discipline…
From a person who abhorred SMS messages on mobile to a blackberry addict for the last two years – I can tell you it’s most awesome… no-one any longer bothers for where I am… there is nothing like going into work in the morning knowing all that’s happening and being on the top of it – no more surprises when your Inbox opens up!!
So – my two cents on it… give it a chance…
Puneet
Surely your argument makes sense. But I think it has more to do with perceptions. Different people would take it differently.
If you have a gadget like Blackberry which enables you to be on top of your work before you reach office, it, in a way, takes you to your work even before you reach office. You can no longer pretend you didn't know something or you didn't do something, simply because you now have a Blackberry and you are expected to check it all the time.
My point is that Blackberry could be a great tool to work away from office, but the problem is that you carry a part (a larger one at that) of your office with you always.
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