Amazon ropes in Gaurav Gandhi to head Prime Video in India

In a high profile move, e-commerce major Amazon has roped in Gaurav Gandhi, currently head of Voot, as director and country manager - India for Prime Video. 

The position was vacant since the sudden exit of Nitesh Kripalani in August last year. Sources close to the development have confirmed to ET that Gandhi is expected to join Amazon in a couple of months. 

Viacom18 confirmed on Monday that Gandhi has put in his papers after serving for 8 years. He had joined the company in March 2010 as chief commercial officer and head of international business. Later, he was named COO of India Cast, the distribution joint venture between TV18 and Viacom18. In August 2015, he was appointed as COO of Viacom18 Digital Venture, which launched the company’s on-demand over-the-top (OTT) service Voot. 

A seasoned media and broadcast executive, Gandhi has also had leadership roles at various companies including NDTV Imagine, Star India, Turner International India, and Madison Communications. 
Gandhi was instrumental in taking Voot to the top 3 Video OTT services in India in terms of both monthly active users and time spent. He was not reachable for comments till filing this report. 
At Amazon, he will replace Kripalani who had joined the e-commerce major in December 2014 as head of the instant video business and was involved in stitching deals with various Indian film production companies and content makers. 

Amazon Prime Video, which was launched in December 2016, witnessed a rapid growth in subscriber numbers, but at a very high cost as it invested heavily in exclusive movies, TV shows and stand-up comedy content. 



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Top 3 Shopping Trends Right Now

TREND #1: Getting Personal

“Right now, consumers have a need to personalize and be more individual and self-expressive, like when people buy bracelets with sayings on them,” says Sengstack. “We share so much of who we are on social media, so people want something that feels authentic to who they are and doesn’t feel the same as everybody else. You’ll find this at Avon with our Cherished Memories and Precious Charms jewerly collections, which are all about telling your story through your jewelry.”

TREND #2: Less That’s More

These days, people are wanting less stuff, but what they do want has to be more important or it has to work harder for them,” he says. That could take the form of a really amazing splurge, like this fabulous fur vest, from Avon’s Holiday collection. “At $110, it’s is a higher price point for us, but it is the kind of thing that totally makes your outfit and makes you feel completely confident,” he says. The trend also extends to versatile pieces that give you a lot of bang for your buck. “Velvet is a key trend for fall, and our velvet top can be worn lots of different ways from casual to dressed up, depending on how you accessorize it,” he says.

TREND #3: Home is Where the Heart Is

“People are finding comfort in being at home with their families and close friends,” says Sengstack. “It’s less about going out to a restaurant or bar, and more about cooking dinner and entertaining more.” That means, you might be thinking more about special entertaining pieces for the table like a cheeky cheese board or a festive baking set.“Avon Living, our home entertaining and home décor collection, is about the product that gives you an idea that creates a moment that becomes a memory,” he says. “A copper mug may not be something you NEED, but it might give you the idea to make the fun Moscow Mule cocktail you have seen. Then, that becomes an experience you share and enjoy with family and friends and that mug made it more special and memorable.”

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How to Lose Weight (Without Going on a Diet!)

Eat Less.

If you want to lose weight without staying away from your favorite meals, you’ve got to eat less. This prevents you from taking in more calories than your body can burn. So, how do you eat less? Use smaller plates for your meals. It’s hard to serve small portions on large plates because we naturally love our plates full.Drinking one or two glasses of water before eating also helps. This tricks your tummy into feeling full.

You can also try eating using your non-dominant hand. If you’re left-handed, for instance, use your right hand. This way, you will eat more slowly and remain mindful of your meal.Slow eating can help you feel fuller faster. The faster you feel full, the higher your chances of kicking that plate away.

How About Eating with a Partner?

Our partners can influence our eating habits.But, the biggest beneficiaries of this weight loss hack are ladies.

Well, if you’re a lady, you want to cut the image of a delicate and soft person, especially when you’re in the company of men. Can we agree smashing a plateful of food in their presence isn’t good for your image? Right, you get it!

Dinners Out? Stay Away

An average restaurant meal contains about 1200 calories. Worse, 92 percent of restaurant meals are high-calorie meals.

This is bad news, especially when you’re trying to decrease your calorie intake in order to lose weight.

Perhaps you are thinking, “Well, I can go for a dinner out and have a small bite!”

Let’s be honest: Nobody goes out for dinner to have a small bite, particularly if you’re out with friends.

Can you afford sitting there as they sample chunks of exotic steak? My guess is you will start with a bite and before you know it, you’ve taken a whole plate.

However, you can still have occasional dinners out. Just be disciplined, and be sure to go out with people who’re also committed to losing weight.

Combine Your Diet Efforts with Physical Activity.

To get the best out of your new dieting style, combine it with some physical activity.No, you don’t have to hit the gym like a fitness maniac.

Start simple. Jog or bike around the neighborhood, walk to the park, join a dance class or go swimming.

In Conclusion..

Going on diet is challenging and it has its disadvantages.

If implemented incorrectly, it can cause a decrease in body metabolism, extreme hunger, loss of macronutrients and dehydration.

You don’t have to risk all that. With these weight loss secrets, you can shed those pounds without sticking to a diet plan.

What’s your take on losing weight without going on diet? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

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Fight now or remain dumb forever!

We need to consciously fight back the dumbing down effects of technology on our brains!

It has started to happen. Increasingly one sees people fumble to remember names, and then check phone lists in a panic.

It goes like this… You refer to someone who is, let’s say, an author. You stop because the name is mysteriously escaping you. You look up and left (a sign of tapping memory) or close your eyes (my way to recall), fumble a bit and then whip out your cell phone with an embarrassed and panicky look. A few clicks and scrolls, and ahhh… of course, here’s the name! How could you have forgotten?

Sounds familiar? I bet it does. And I bet your phone list is organized according to a person’s profession or company to aid memory. For you have realized that though you may forget a person’s name, you may still recall what he or she does, or in what context you met them. So in your phone list you will have categorized people as Doctors, Journalists, Ambassadors, Bankers, Beautician, Sabziwaala, Tailor, Massage lady, Spa, Maid, Driver, etc.

Human intelligence and attention spans are going for a toss as our reliance on cellphones and the internet increases. We are becoming poor thinkers and our brains learning to be lazy. We do not need studies to prove this, though several studies have done so. Just ask yourself – How many numbers have you committed to memory? Do you recall your children’s cell numbers? Your mom’s? Do you walk into a room and forget what you came for? Do you get so distracted by the beep of your cellphone that you miss bits of a conversation?

Cell phones are wrecking our memory. It is scary to think that human memorization may become obsolete in the near future! Digital amnesia, as it is termed is a critical problem already. The memory capacity of younger generations is degenerating. Our short attention spans don’t allow us to properly form and retain memories as we tend to treat devices as the external hard disks of our brains.

Before the advent of smart phones we were proficient in navigating our way around the city. Today technology navigates for us. We used to remember birthdays, important meetings, seminars, talks and family occasions. Today we rely on reminder tones to get us going.

Technology keeps our brains underutilized by giving us quick information and keeping us distracted. So our thinking tends to be superficial and unprocessed because of the next beep that demands attention. So, the obvious way to counteract the dumbing effect of technology is to keep our brains working and engaged.

• Keep away the cell-phone for a few hours every day as a discipline.
• Consciously try to memorise things, even if car numbers during your drive.
• Look around while driving and try to memorise landmarks and names of streets rather than be distracted by your phone!
• Play games and puzzles that aid memory and keep the brain active and thinking.
• Do not sleep with your cellphone!

It is worrisome to imagine what will happen once facial profiling comes of age! Will we start forgetting faces too? Will we need to scan a face with our mobiles to remember who it is? And of course with the added advantage of being then able to find out everything else about them –  their age, favourite colour, food they like eating, their choice of entertainment and family information!

What then will be the difference between humans and robots? It is a scary future we are beeping our way towards unless we consciously keep fighting to stay above the water!

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Protect your wife and children with regular monthly income even after you’re gone.

The SMS notification tone on the last day of each month sounds extra sweet. The message of your salary being credited is usually the best part of that day – or even the month. All those plans you had been holding on to – to take your wife out for a romantic dinner or to buy your daughter her favourite doll or take your kids to the amusement park over the weekend – you can now do it all. Until the next month, when once again new plans, new wishes, and new aspirations would be fulfilled. Payday doesn’t only bring a smile to your face but also gives you a repeated chance to be a superhero for your family.

A regular monthly income is not just useful but extremely rewarding – after all, it pays for your kids’ school fee, buys you some intimate vacations with your wife, lets you help your parents learn new skills like painting in their post-retirement days, and helps you rewind life with your buddies at the latest music festival. And oh, it lets you plan the future better with savings and investments.

You are doing everything right, or so you think until one day you realize that you’ve lost your job. Of course, you can find another one.But the scenario could be far worse. In an unfortunate incident like the death of the only earning member, a family is left devoid of not only luxuries but even the most basic expenses. The family that you’d loved with all your heart and might, and promised to protect till your last breath, doesn’t only have to bear an emotional trauma of losing you but also face financial challenges.

The lifestyle that you’ve built for yourself and your family – all the living expenses, home loans, incidental overheads, the little luxuries of life – they all require money. These costs do not end with someone’s life and fortunately, there are ways you can provide for your wife and kids long after you’re gone.

The monthly payout option helps families that are not very insightful with investments and find it difficult to manage the lump sum on the ill-starred death of the policyholder. Quite a few factors are responsible for this and the loss of a loved one is not the best time to make a decision about capitalizing the amount that you receive in case of 100% lump sum payout.And you would have noticed the premium of a policy with monthly payout option is much lower than the lump sum payment option. And so, it keeps you worry-free while you live and much after you're gone.


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How Women Use Social Media.

 

5 Ways Women Use Social Media.

• 90% access social media via Smartphone,and 32% tap tablets
•  The average female smart phone user checks her Social media apps 10 times per day
• 94% of women interact with brands on social
• 58% of women get their news from social sites
• 72% of all American women have at least one social networking    account

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10 Ways to Show Your Community Love

In many ways, a healthy relationship between your brand and its community parallels that of a healthy relationship between two people. Both relationships rest on simple tenets like respect, and both should be celebrated whenever possible.

When thinking about the connection you've built with your community and its members, remember these 10 truths of a healthy relationship to keep your community feeling loved and appreciated.

• Remember to say "Thank you. "People generally enjoy saying or doing nice things for others, and tend to do it without expecting to be thanked for it. However, we all know how great it makes us feel when we are recognized for our efforts. When your community says something nice about you, it's always a wonderful idea to say "thank you."

• Celebrate their successes. This is the age-old principle of thinking of others before yourself. If you do so, then you will probably notice the great things members of your community are accomplishing.Congratulate them and share their successes with others whenever you can.

• Be a good listener. This is probably some advice we all received at least once from a parent in our lives. Like Stephen R. Covey points out in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, "Seek first to understand, then to be understood." Great relationships are also built on the idea of give and then, perhaps, get. Invest in your community by listening and understanding their needs.

• Ask for their opinion.  There probably isn't a person alive who doesn't like being asked for their opinion. Collaboration on a project almost always produces a better end result. Social media has given brands an amazingly simple and effective way to engage with those who have thoughts and ideas about them and their products and services. Remember to ask your community for its opinion.

• Don't forget about the little things.. Sometimes it is the smallest of gestures that can mean the most to someone. Focusing on the little things that matter can show a person that they are indeed worth your time. When approaching relationships from a long-term frame of mind, it is very possible to make the time along the way for those important details without getting overwhelmed by the idea. Look out for the little touches to help each community member

• Be patient. In any relationship, making things work means working through the occasional misunderstanding or frustration with one another. Life is not supposed to be simple; if it were, it wouldn't be all that exciting. It's important that you take a step back and look at every challenge from the other's point of view. Your patience and willingness to try to understand will be appreciated. Be known for your abundant patience and caring approach with your community.

• Admit your mistakes. Nobody is perfect, and holding onto your pride will never do you any favors. When you invest in building relationships within your community, members get to know your brand's human side. You will make errors but, while members may be disappointed, your community generally has the ability and willingness to forgive. Be quick to admit your mistakes and be genuine in asking for forgiveness.

• Share a common passion. Brands and people are more than capable of setting up daily routines to get things accomplished based on things that need to be done. And while working side by side on something does create a bond, it's usually not a bond that is sustainable over a very long period of time. Finding a common passion, something you both enjoy doing and talking about, creates the strongest bonds. If you are passionate about what you do, then no doubt there are others out there that feel the same way you do. Find them, invite them to your community, and enjoy learning and sharing together.

• Show respect and gain trust. The strongest relationships are built on mutual respect and trust. But getting to that point should ideally start with you. Be willing to respect the views of your community even though you may not entirely agree with them. Community members have reasons for their views and it is up to you to understand, or at least accept, them. And, when making commitments to your community, make sure you meet or exceed their expectations. Being willing to compromise, or give and take, will help your brand demonstrate respect and earn a community's trust.

• Celebrate Valentine's Day every day. Giving your community a Valentine once a year is definitely a nice gesture, but finding ways to show them how much you love them on a regular basis should be what you strive for. Apply your creative energy to think of new ways to accomplish goals 1-9. Most companies are still just awakening to this idea of focusing on their community, so anything you do to show appreciation for your community now can help your brand stand out in the crowd. And, heck, who doesn't enjoy making someone smile with an unexpected gift?

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