LEARNING FROM ALL SOURCES!
Marketing Camouflage: SUCCESS IS SWEET!
War strategies for marketing!
SUCCESS IS SWEET! CAMOUFLAGE Part One.
(First in the series called “The Martial Marketer”. War strategies for work!)
I was trapped.
As were my sons and bodyguards.All I could do was stare at my captor.
There he was, sitting on the majestic throne with a smirk on his face. My people around me were gnashing their teeth. I am sure they will be thinking, “I told you so”.
My captor and I. What a game we’ve been playing with each other over the years. Baying for each other’s blood, that has been going on since the previous generation.
I win some, I lose some. Here, I came, trusting the hand of friendship. It was also my vanity to blame. Had I not accepted this invitation, I would have been labeled a coward. Someone who turned down a potential peace process!
So, in chains, we were dragged into our prison. Befitting my stature as a King, it was a rather large bungalow. I was held captive in the first floor overlooking the busy bazaar area. My only entertainment as I vacillated between “Why did I do it” to “What can I do now?”. That constant fight between what could have been and what should have been!
I had my son and guards for company but little else. Thoughts ran amok, as did worry. How will my people be? How safe? Who will take care of them? Will my commanders do the right thing? I know they will, but time and distance make one question everything.
A routine set in where I got up, exercised, practiced my sword moves. Then, I went and sat on the balcony viewing the people and their actions. There is so much to learn just by observing people and their behaviour. How they operate, negotiate, co-exist! Who is a giver, a taker, a team player, a Lone Ranger?
90% of everything that happened down below could be predicted to the second. A routine set across decades and passed on from father to son, mother to daughter. I observed the walkers, gawkers, shoppers, hagglers, traders — and the soldiers. This deep inside the fort, security was a given. So, the soldiers were lax and only going about their routine. Some even dozed off as they stood!
The morning hubbub gave way to a sweltering and slow afternoon. The action picked up again by the evening and went well into the night, especially at the food stalls.
I noticed this for weeks.
And then I was free.
I know, I know, you want to know how!
I noticed the movements for months. I did say I was a King and an active one. I had fought many a battle and planned so many to win, some without bloodshed. I knew when the fort gates opened, who was let in, how they came in, what they did, how long they stayed, and how they went out.
I found out the regulars, those that the security wouldn’t bother with a check.
A few weeks ago, my captor King heard my plea. He agreed to release my son and a few of my guards so they could go home. My grandkid was about to be born.
I decided to ensure everybody celebrated and distributed sweets to everyone around, especially to the security at the gate for the next few days.
Every day, big baskets full of sweets will be carried out of my kitchen — the kind of baskets that needs at least two men to lift them, using poles. The porters used real quick steps to cover the distance. Every time they crossed my threshold, they were stopped and checked. After the first couple of days, I knew the security would get complacent. On the fourth day, I timed it to perfection.
The sweet porters went in the late afternoon when most of the folks were in a stupor. This enabled them to carry me beyond the main gate. I jumped off and walked away, dressed as a fakir ( a mendicant). My son and guards were waiting with horses some distance from the fort, and we made good our escape.
One of my bodyguards waited in the house, dressed like me, beard and all !!!
So, it was late in the evening by the time my absence was noticed. A huge ruckus followed, but I was well on my way by then. My soldiers, friends, and people ensured that the whole of the country knew the story of the escape.
How I, Sivaji, made a fool of the Mughal King Aurangazeb and escaped his custody, in a sweet basket!!!!
Observation, team, timing, and using that one chink in security to escape.
**
When we need to start something new or enter a new market in business, we need to think strategically. The more we know about the movements, the routine, and the chinks, the better it is for us to plan our entry. The chink could be poor customer service or a customer need that is not yet being addressed.
An established player may be in the stupor of overconfidence that nothing can touch us now. We don’t need to touch anything other than the carpet underneath their feet.
Do remember to send a sweet basket later, though!
Pravin Shekar is an outlier marketer, parallel entrepreneur and a raconteur.
mic @ PravinShekar.com .
For creative collusions, join: http://bit.ly/JoinMyOutlierTribe
Pravin is the author of seven books: Devil Does Care, Marketing lessons from Mythology, Getting paid to speak, a Virtual Summit Playbook, Climb your way out of hell & a collection of travel pics/romantic poems, and stories from the heart!
http://tiny.cc/PravinShekarBooks
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