Why villainising Chinese smartphones won’t create any heroes

Chinese smartphone makers will certainly suffer. But that doesn't mean their Indian rivals will benefit Read this edition online Friday, 12 August, 2022 Inciting Incident is our weekly newsletter about the most powerful tool of our age—stories. Stories told by businesses, leaders, governments. Someone sent you this? Sign up here Good Afternoon Jigar,   Conflicts and complications are the most essential ingredients in a good story. And the simplest and most popular way to introduce conflict is by bringing in a villain. That may be the Big Bad Wolf or the Joker or Thanos, but they usually have only one role to play—make the Hero look good.    If there's no dark, ominous power threatening everything we love, we don't really need heroes, do we?    We see villains being constructed all too often in the real world too, and for exactly the same reason. They are a convenient other, someone or something that can serve as a lightning pole for discontent, anger, and just all-round negative vibes.   This could be the immigrant in a politician's election narrative, purportedly stealing jobs that aren't theirs. It could be a business rival; Steve Jobs rather famously constructed villains out of competitors to make Apple products look like heroes.    It could even be a company from an unfriendly foreign power.   On 8 August, a Bloomberg piece quoting unnamed sources said the Indian government was looking to ban Chinese smartphones in the sub-Rs 12,000 (US$150) band. Then, three days later, Livemint reported (also quoting unnamed government officials) that there was no such proposal under consideration by the government.    Which one is true is anyone's guess at this point, and we'll (probably) find out in some time.    But here's the thing. If such a ban were to be implemented, what would it really achieve? Will a ban on cheap Chinese phones help Indian companies?   Subscribe to The Stack to find out!  Only at: ₹199/month SUBSCRIBE Inciting Incident is published by The Ken—a digital, subscription-driven publication focussing on technology, business, science and healthcare. New to Inciting Incident? Try it, or see previous editions This newsletter was sent to jigar37.iilm09@blogger.com. Something wrong? Tell us at support@the-ken.com Want to unsubscribe from Inciting Incident, our premium weekly newsletter? Click here. Or set your email preferences here © 2021 The Ken

Nike’s new campaign unveils the promised land

Much of Nike's success as a brand has to do with its brand story. And as it turns 50, it's adding something new to the mix. Read this edition online Wednesday, 20 July, 2022 Narratives are the most powerful tools of our age. Each week, I deconstruct the dominant ones behind the success or failure of businesses, leaders and governments. Someone sent you this? Sign up here Good Morning Jigar,   Just do it.   I don't think there's many of you who don't know which company's tagline this is. Sports apparel brand Nike's identity is now so inextricably linked to its tagline that it is difficult to imagine one without the other.    And this year, Nike turns 50.    Here's an excerpt from a piece The New York Times published earlier this week: Nike, named for the Greek goddess of victory, has become not just the most valuable apparel brand in the world (worth more than twice as much as Adidas, its closest sportswear rival, and ahead of Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Chanel). It is part of the movies we watch, the songs we hear, the museums we frequent, the business we do; part of how we think about who we are and how we got to here. It is, said Robert Goldman, the co-author of "Nike Culture: The Sign of the Swoosh" and professor emeritus at Lewis & Clark College, "an emblem of individuality, in an age where individuality has become rampant" that also happens to be one that can be read by the masses. […] The only other brand to make the leap so effectively and completely from commodity to identity in the last half-century is Apple. How Nike Won the Cultural Marathon, The New York Times, The New York Times The success that Nike, the brand, has had has a lot to do with the story at its foundation. (I know seasoned readers of this newsletter won't be surprised by that. But if you're new, Inciting Incident is all about decoding the stories and narratives driving the world of business. You can read about why it's called what it's called and the story behind it here.)   Over the course of the last 50 years, Nike has told a powerful story. And its latest campaign tries another age-old but evergreen storytelling technique. What makes Nike's storytelling tick?   To read the full newsletter, subscribe to The Ken. Also get access to:  7 other sharp newsletters  250 new, original stories every year 5 years of exclusive paywalled stories Only at: ₹3245/year SUBSCRIBE Inciting Incident is published by The Ken—a digital, subscription-driven publication focussing on technology, business, science and healthcare. New to Inciting Incident? Try it, or see previous editions This newsletter was sent to jigar37.iilm09@blogger.com. Something wrong? Tell us at support@the-ken.com Want to unsubscribe from Inciting Incident, our premium weekly newsletter? Click here. Or set your email preferences here © 2021 The Ken

The politics, economics, and conspiracies behind Hawk-Eye and cricket broadcasting

Can the host broadcaster really manipulate Hawk-Eye or the Decision Review System in cricket? Read this edition online A weekly newsletter that often deconstructs but always explains the business of sport from India   Good Evening Jigar,   It’s been a hell of a week for Indian cricket. Last Friday, India lost the third and final Test against South Africa in Cape Town by seven wickets, thereby conceding the series 1-2. Conquering the final frontier—South Africa is the only country where India haven’t won a Test series yet—will have to wait for a few more years. And then, the very next day, Virat Kohli stepped down as India’s Test captain. It’s hard to believe that just over two months ago, Kohli was leading India in all three formats of the game. Today, he’s not the captain in any of them.   But before his surprise decision to give up the Test captaincy, Kohli found himself at the forefront of a big controversy in Cape Town. The politics, economics, and conspiracies behind Hawk-Eye and cricket broadcasting    It was the final session of the third day of the Cape Town Test. South Africa were at 60/1, chasing 212 to win the match and the series. Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was bowling the 21st over of the innings.    On the fourth ball, Ashwin came in from around the stumps to the left-handed Dean Elgar. The ball hit Elgar’s pads in front of the middle stump and well below the knee roll. It looked plumb, and umpire Marais Erasmus concurred as he raised his finger to signal the wicket. However, the batter asked for a review and the Decision Review System (DRS) had to step in. But the Indians looked confident.    DRS confirmed that there was no bat involved, so it was only a matter of tracking the path of the ball to see if it would have indeed hit the stumps.    To everyone’s astonishment, the ball-tracking technology showed that the ball would have gone over the stumps. Umpire Erasmus was heard on the stump mic saying, “That’s impossible,” as he was forced to overturn his decision. The Indians were incensed. [Source: Hotstar screengrab]   At the end of the over, Kohli, still clearly furious, went over to one of the stump mics and said, “Focus on your team as well eh, not just the opposition. Trying to catch people all the time.” KL Rahul chipped in, saying, “The whole country against 11 guys.” Ashwin added, “You can surely find better ways to win, SuperSport.”   Kohli was also later heard saying, “Don’t hit them on the pads, boys. Either stumps or caught behind, that’s it. Real experts sitting in the DRS column, boys… Different ball been shown for tracking, lads.”   What Kohli was insinuating was that the host broadcaster, SuperSport, was rigging the ball-tracking technology in favour of South Africa. It was a pretty serious claim, with no proof backing it. Is tampering with Hawk-Eye possible?   Subscribe to this newsletter to find out!  7 more newsletters+250 stories every year+Visual Stories. Only for: ₹3245 or ₹270/mo Billed annually SUBSCRIBE Questions? Get answers here A weekly newsletter that often deconstructs but always explains the business of sport from India See previous editions on the web   Know someone who would like Moneyball? Share it   Want to receive Moneyball every week? Subscribe Moneyball is published by The Ken—a digital, subscription-driven publication focussing on technology, business, science and healthcare. Follow The Ken on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn This email was sent to jigar37.iilm09@blogger.com Something wrong? Tell us at support@the-ken.com Want to unsubscribe from our weekly newsletter, Moneyball? Click here. Or set your email preferences here © 2021  The Ken https://sg-mktg.com/MTY0Mjc2MTI1OHx2WkRMOHVRTEZPc1ZRRGxXX2NrclhpX2MxcjdhbzlBaUItZUhUQW5mZExUc0Z1bE03X2kzZDFCOHhLaFJDS2haR1Z0SEhrX010SS1rX2VBMFJOY09IYWhuS3ZQc1JmUjIta0Z6WE9XRklfLWFSWXhpaV8tak1oOWdlQjA5N3EzUlEzQTZQYnNiYkJWdkhKZ0ZaMXBHQkZuSFJQdl9veVJxY3BqMElhOUhGUm9LajBkbUowWGs2RVAyU2RCVWpkWl9rbzhWNnU1MHpGSnhDLUY5Qy1XYVRXcmtWNGQ5UmFHLU5JaHc0TkJDYmNMdVpIZ2g3NXNnWXg3UW5DM3l4ektjSzZrTzJhSnlPSVA3fFO66m-Xl6cOPjdIY_MqotwlhVOG98V2EUl-ZpoBaNR6

Magnus Carlsen and the finally sexy business of chess

The 1,500-year-old sport is breaking out of its geeky mould Read this edition online A weekly newsletter that often deconstructs but always explains the business of sport from India   Hello Jigar,   Are you caught up with all the drama in Indian cricket? My word, what an absolute shitshow it’s turning out to be. It’s almost as if the protagonists of Indian cricket watched Amazon Prime Video’s highly sensational and trashy show Inside Edge and thought—meh, we can do better than this.    Anyway, I’m not going to talk about Indian cricket today. There’s enough coverage already in the Indian media. This week, let’s talk about chess, which has been in the news recently for multiple reasons—no less the world chess championship that concluded in Dubai last week, with the magnificent Magnus Carlsen winning his fifth title. A shoutout to Moneyball reader Chandragupta Acharya for writing in and suggesting the idea. Cheers, Chandragupta! Magnus Carlsen and the finally sexy business of chess   I’m ashamed to admit I can’t play chess. I had started playing when I was about seven or eight years old but never followed through. I barely remember the rules now. But I might be forced to pick it up again sooner than later. Because India is soon going to have an IPL for chess. Earlier this week, the All India Chess Federation (AICF) announced that a new franchise-based chess league will launch in June next year. The Indian Chess League will be held over two weeks and will have six franchises. Each team will have two super grandmasters, two Indian grandmasters, two female grandmasters, and two Indian juniors.   “The idea is to not only draw the best players from around the world but also to provide India’s players a formidable platform to sharpen their skills,” says AICF secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan. “The matches will be telecast live to draw more and more players to chess. We will announce the criteria for becoming a franchise owner shortly. We have already received a good response from corporates.”   AICF, which governs Indian chess, will be a busy federation next year. Apart from the Indian Chess League, it plans to host 13 international tournaments in 2022. And on the domestic front, AICF announced a Rs 76 lakh (US$99,750) hike in prize money earlier this month—across all national chess championships. Why is chess seeing a revival?   Subscribe to this newsletter to find out!  7 more newsletters+250 stories every year+Visual Stories. Only for: ₹3245 or ₹250/mo Billed annually SUBSCRIBE Questions? Get answers here A weekly newsletter that often deconstructs but always explains the business of sport from India See previous editions on the web   Know someone who would like Moneyball? Share it   Want to receive Moneyball every week? Subscribe Moneyball is published by The Ken—a digital, subscription-driven publication focussing on technology, business, science and healthcare. Follow The Ken on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn This email was sent to jigar37.iilm09@blogger.com Something wrong? Tell us at support@the-ken.com Want to unsubscribe from our weekly newsletter, Moneyball? Click here. Or set your email preferences here © 2021  The Ken https://sg-mktg.com/MTYzOTczNzg0OXxoa0JLMVFZeWM4N3ZBY1Q5a21HdG4wajZPbm9LNXBHa0J4LUlSY3ZybWJDUEU2YkxYUGUweG9ac2Q4dE5xOHRSbXNaZ0VPai0tNlZ3bkZCbkllWkNBN3BUS0xveXhxWXk5THlMY0MyckJyWHJwQTFPTVctaGlnMkhjWUltYk9VVlRzZHA4dWlkUnRDams0MktMR05RenVTbDNIVkFzWjhMeGNvVEduZ2dzbDVGOVIyWmZ1UG1UY0ZCSzZwTVRhUjFEODRLd0g4MHExMDdxbVdMUWRZMzA4NGNNUXczcF9mZ1V5cDBPa3JUWkVhTGFxZmtFSXp0M0M4Tl90V0wwVUZTWG5uaWpDY29WUTdafPRdcaZcOGleX0KAITAfR55TLNZcHuY23Gff97Y8na2x