Gucci, Prada, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Burberry…sound like your wish list? Well if you’re answering with a vehement ‘YESSSSS’, chances are that you belong to the fairer sex (exceptions are possible but not the rule). If these words sound like hard to pronounce gibberish to you, then you probably belong to the lesser known race that does not understand the nuances of the luxurious world, the world that you know as ‘burns a hole in my wallet world’!

Welcome to the women’s mind. You’re welcome to stay as long as you please just don’t give your suggestions or ask questions about why we are this way when it comes to shopping. Do that and you should be good to go! The world of women’s shopping has always been a subject of understanding and analysis for many- those who sell want to understand how to get them to buy, those who buy want to understand why do they buy?? To simplify the whole thing, this is a fascinating world and the pathways it opens to understanding human beings(albeit just a part of it- a significant part nonetheless) are immense.

I remember watching the movie ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ and wondering about how real it was! The feeling you get when you see a ‘sale’ sign, or when the most beautiful shoe in the world beckons you from the store window! I think you would have guessed by now that I happen to be part of the believers as well, and part of the fairer sex that believes in the magic of shopping! It is precisely this fact that has encouraged me to think, time and again, that for all the power of advertising…do people really need it? Especially when it comes to women. Is it advertising that does the trick? Do you really need to spend astronomical amounts of money on popularizing something that they would end up buying nonetheless?

Interesting questions aren’t they…let’s try and look for their answers. As far as I know, shopping today is no more result or purpose oriented. Huge disposable incomes, a flurry of brands and a lot lot of pretty things to lure you…no more is it about going out and getting that one thing that you set out to get. Today, shopping is an experience. It is an escape from reality, it is a feeling of contentment after a long day’s work. For many people, sadly so, shopping is even a sign of love- self love but who knows the difference anymore. In such a scenario, it is important that those clever people out there, who decided to make a quick buck by palming off pretty things to unsuspecting rich guys and gals, know how and what to do. If they are not one step ahead of the game, they might as well just quit right away.

This is where advertising comes in. It is possible that women are shopaholics but then the trick is in getting them to choose you over the many others that call out to them.  The many Vogue’s and Cosmopolitan’s of the world are not doing amazing business for nothing. What are they if not large catalogues for expensive brands? Do they sell you trends or do they sell you the want to be part of those trends? And once they manage to entice you into being part of that brigade they ensure that you can find how exactly how to find all those things that they got you to crave for in the first place.

Advertising is just the tip of the ice berg. It’s not necessary that you need to see a cleverly placed advertisement in the newspaper it know that you want it, it could be a nicely dressed mannequin in the shop window, or a catchy billboard hanging over the highway where your car gets stuck each day in the traffic jam. Though they might not make you buy instantly, they act as little viruses that enter your mind and work there till they get you down and under, dying to buy that one hand bag that would solve all your aches and pains, hypothetical of course.

So for all those people who think that women don’t need advertising to get them to buy, aren’t you grossly mistaken! For advertising is around us every minute of every day. And all that talk about being unable to understand why women shop so much is quite unnecessary as quite obviously, it’s not even our fault! Blame it on the pretty magazine cover or the bombardment of subtle messaging all around us, even when you least expect it. In reality it’s the men who want to join us…and to all the skeptics out there…reality check! Most of them already have!

Bachelor of Mass Media is a Mumbai University course that (thankfully) places less importance on knowledge gained only via books but in fact promotes the acquiring of knowledge through a practical format of teaching. It was for this reason I decided to pursue BMM. This decision has been proved appropriate since, and I am absolutely pleased about being mentored by teachers and professionals who belong to and have a lot of experience across fields of media. If you want to be in the same position as I am, then you too need to join the BMM course. And here are top 6 reasons (according to me) for you to do so.

1.    BMM is a career oriented course that throws up umpteen options at the end of three years. Be it movie-making, theatre, radio, journalism, copy-writing, script-writing, branding, or PR, all these career options can be explored after getting a degree in BMM. One can never really be too spoiled for choice, no?

2.    Acquiring knowledge across fields (arts/science/commerce) is made possible thanks to BMM. For example, economics, an inherently commerce subject is taught in BMM to ensure students are well versed with the world of numbers and money. Similarly, a subject like political science which is taught in the arts stream is a part of the BMM syllabus too. Technicalities of radio and television are taught so that students know the workings of both these forms of media.

3.    After joining BMM you will see a sharp improvement in your communication/presentation and creative writing skills. Subjects like ‘Creative Writing’ will help you get well versed with script-writing, television-writing, narration etc. Introduction to Journalism is sure to teach you how to write long, crisp, jargon-filled reports. Also, given the large number of presentations that you will be expected to make, your vocational and presentation skills are bound to improve tenfold. Mine surely have!

4.    Industrial visits are an integral part of the BMM course. In my 1st year we visited FTII- Film and Television Institute of India. We were introduced to the world of dubbing, editing and other stages of film production by working professionals. In the 2nd year we visited Asia’s biggest film studio, Ramoji Film City, which brought us face to face with the magic of film making. This is practical learning at its best!

5.    Since BMM is a media course it allows you to work your way through media in the language of your choice. To further explain and justify my point, let me give you an example. A boy from my class was not very confident with his English speaking abilities. He always wanted to be a journalist with a Marathi news channel or newspaper. Keeping this is mind, he was allowed to make all presentations in the language of his choice. Cool, na?

6.    Your computer software skills are sure to be sharpened in BMM. Thanks to BMM I am now comfortable with softwares like Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, Corel Draw as well as video editing softwares like Pinnacle and Premier Pro. These skills will give me an edge over others in my work place, that I am sure of.

BMM is a great platform to give voice to your talent. Be it editing, sketching, writing, film-making, you will get opportunities to display and better your talent. It is a course that allows you to learn not only from industry big-wigs, but also from your talented class mates. This is the course you must choose if you wish to give wings to your true abilities and explore your inner hidden talent.

QUALITIES

1) To always be ready for anything- on and off the set.

2) To be forever optimistic.

3) To be good natured and patient.

4) To be flexible and adaptable to change at a moment‘s notice.

5) To be able to put on a happy face when you are not up to it.

6) To be able to look and sound fresh and cheerful for the nth take, even when it is not your fault.

7) To be ready to take harsh professional and personal criticism, identifying that which is justifiable and valuable.

8) To be ready to listen and take direction.

9) To be creative and able to make suggestions, not demands.

10) To be able to be relaxed and appear to be so when not.

11) To be able to be prompt and quick.

12) To be able to be calm and composed at a time of emergency while reading out the news.

SKILLS

1) To be able to ad-lib and fill in to time.

2) To be able to make sense of poorly written scripts.

3) To be able to sight-read.

4) To be able to make scriptwriter‘s words sound like your own.

5) To make a complicated text or concept understandable to your viewers.

6) To be able to summarise a piece of text or interview with confidence and clarity to the camera.

7) To be able to judge time and to have a good mental clock.

8) To be able to learn lines quickly.

9) Not to be distracted by a directors instructions, out-of-vision activity or technical

breakdowns.

10) To acquire a wide general knowledge so that you have an understanding, show genuine interest and can speak with coherence on a variety of topics.

11) To acquire and practice good vocal skills.

OPINIONS AND ATTITUDES

Consciously or unconsciously, the viewer always reads the attitude of a news anchor/reader. It is important that the anchors energy, body language, eye contact, vocal inflection etc are easygoing and comfortable. He must be careful to impart only those opinions and attitudes that are meant to be communicated and are not controversial. While shows are different, a news bulletin must always have one form of presentation and i.e. unbiased.

VISUAL IMPACT

Television is a visual medium and without doubt the first impression must be a lasting one if an anchor fails to make an impression and get it right in the first go then the viewer will automatically switch off. While beauty holds weightage it is even more important for an anchor to present his image right.

Body language

Even the smallest of the gestures are picked up by a television camera and hence it is important the way and anchor conducts himself in front of it. Mini-signals such as twitching of the lip, slow blink of the eyes, fiddling with the fingers are noticeable and the anchor must be careful of what they might suggest.

Posture

It is important that the anchor looks formal and not as if he is lounging in a café while presenting the news or a show on TV. A good posture gives appositive physical image.

Walking and Talking

Many times an anchor has to conduct a story in the field and may not be behind a desk for the shoot. It maybe a live event or it may be an interview. When the cameras are focused on the anchor he must even more careful of how he conducts himself as well as the show. He has to practice to be natural and not clamp up, trip or walk awkwardly. When an anchor is talking directly into the camera it is very important that he holds eyecontact.

This sends a message of confidence and reassurance. It doubles the level of conviction and authority and tells the viewer that the anchors are working from the same script- literally and metaphorically.

Clothes

A TV makes one look 4-5 kgs heavier on screen. Hence it is very important for the anchor to wear the right clothes to give a perfect appearance.

USING THE VOICE EFFECTIVELY

A TV news anchor must use his voice effectively. Because it is distilled over the airwaves and because the anchor is being heard from a box across the room, he needs to give a little bit morevolume, a touch clearer diction and more variation and inflection than usual.

It is not only what you say but also How you say it

A voice is too sensitive for most people to be able to disguise true feelings. Ideally, a skilledanchor must be the master of his own voice, recognizing how and when to use it effectively.

Having the ability to gain a higher variety of notes and inflections gives the anchor the greater freedom to express his feelings or to convey an opinion- or to detach himself from an emotive subject to be able to present the facts without any bias.

Visualizing always helps one understandwhat kind of tone he must use while presenting a certain piece.

Energy

There must be genuine interest within the anchor to show the energy that he wants to portrayon the screen. Else the viewer will be too bored to listen.

Volume

An anchor must find a fine balance between speaking softly and intimately and shouting. Each news item requires a different vocal approach and attack.

Emphasis

Some words or points need to be stressed on and the anchor must take note of these words or points.

Pace

Speed of delivery of the item depends upon the programme subject. He must be careful not to be too fast or too slow and must try and keep it as conversational as possible.

Diction and Articulation

It is very important for the viewer to be able to understand what exactly the anchor is saying.

No beautiful voice, varied pitch or volume will make a difference if the anchor speaks with no clear diction. Some anchors either speak too fast or gabble their words or they speak too slowly. Some even slur and subsequently become incoherent. Clarity comes from clear, firm, consonants and open vowels.

Pronunciation

There are certain standard pronunciations that must be checked and rehearsed before the anchor goes on screen and makes a mess of it. All unusual names must be checked with the person concerned and all difficult words must be checked in the dictionary.

Northpoint offers a Post Graduate Programme in Marketing Research in association with The Nielsen Company, the worldwide leaders in Marketing Research.

To apply, call +91 8108 446 447/ +91 22 22 24212242 or write in to applications@northpointindia.com

Northpoint presents the Post Graduate Programme in Advertising, Media and Marketing Research in partnership with Lowe Lintas, Ogilvy, Leo Burnett, JWT, Lintas Media Group, Aegis Media and Position2

To apply, call +91 8108 446 447/ +91 22 22 24212242 or write in to applications@northpointindia.com