IT TAKES ‘3’ TO TANGO!

I’s summer once again and time to enjoy nimboo pani, mangoes, long summer holidays, trips to cool places to beat the heat. But it seems the one thing that people love the world over is going out for a good movie. Yet, in 2009, the number of films released in theaters in USA dropped by 12%... Then came the biggest hit of all times – Avatar. Ticket sales zoomed. The number of people rushing to theaters increased to crazy levels. Reason? Well everyone wanted the catch the 3D version. Despite tickets of the 3D version being priced higher, 75% of Avatar’s revenues came from them. After all, it was the only 3D movie running at that time and people just couldn’t get enough. Avatar grossed $760 million, and Fox Studios, made all other production houses sit up and rethink. Fox had shown how to revive a business.

Movie theaters are today are filled with 3D versions of films. From ‘Cars 2’, to ‘Happy Feat 2’, to Steven Spielberg’s much awaited ‘The Adventures of Tintin’, all are getting ready with their 3D versions this year for your increased viewing pleasure, and also for increased box-office collections (hopefully!)It takes 3 to increase profits!

AVATAR – A SAVIOR!

An ‘Avatar’, according to the Hindu mythology, is a descent of a deity from heaven to earth with the specific purpose of bringing back righteousness (dharma) to the social and cosmic order. Avatar, the movie, couldn’t have been more appropriately named. It’s helping a lot of businesses survive, and proving to be an ‘Avatar’ for them.

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is the most awaited gadget exhibition of the world. This year, almost every big brand had – yes, you guessed it – a 3D version of its gadget! Chris Yewdall, the CEO of DDD Group, which is the 3D consumer technology licensing group, said “...the market for 3D devices is rapidly expanding into other segments including PCs, tablets, and smart phones.” According to research, a growth of 132% is expected in 2012 with more than 100 million 3D TVs selling in 2014. Not surprising that from Samsung to Lenovo to HP, all have entered into partnerships with DDD. Toshiba is ready with its 3D laptop, Sony and Samsung with their 3D TVs, Nintendo with its 3DS video game. From 3D photo frames to 3D cameras, to 3D mobile phones, there seems to be a sudden boom in 3D devices. The best part is that most of them do not require you to wear the bulky 3D glasses to enjoy the 3D effects.

The battle between competitors now seems to have shifted to the 3rd dimension! 3D is now being marketed as the “novel” additional feature to lure customers away from competitors. Future growth in market share depends on the 3!

“IT’S 3D ALL THE WAY”

If marketers are there, advertises cannot be far behind. On May 27, 2011, Arla Foods-owned brand ‘Anchor’ decided to celebrate its 125th birthday with the launch of the first ever 3D cinema ad. It knew this was a sure shot way of grabbing headlines! When it comes to special occasions, 3D seems to fit the bill, for another company too went 3D to celebrate its 125th birthday.

On May 11, 2011, Coca Cola too completed its 125 years; and to mark the occasion, it covered its head quarters, a 26-story high building (402 ft) with canvass and projected 3D images showcasing its 125 years in the business. It ‘opened happiness’ in 3D!

This is not the first time that advertisers have experimented with 3D. In 2010, in June, the Sun newspaper became the first newspaper in UK to publish in 3D. It had a 3D page 3, a 3D editorial, and even 3D ads. It asked its readers to keep their 3D glasses (provided free with the edition) handy for viewing future editions with amazing 3D pictures of the Football World Cup. Last year, again in June, Shiyan Evening News brought out China’s first 3D Newspaper. Not to be left behind, in June last year too, India experimented with 3D too, with Mid Day launching special editions with 3D ads, followed by Rajasthan Patrika and Dainik Bhaskar. An expensive but interesting innovation; if used intelligently, it can be the tool for brands to help break the clutter and stand distinctly apart from competitors.

One medium that has been doing this very successfully is the billboard. Recently, Vodafone captured the attention of the passers-by with its adorable Zoozoos bursting out of billboards (in 3D) announcing the launch of its 3G services. For years, numerous 3D innovations on hoardings have attracted consumers and helped brands break the clutter. But the question is, for the other mediums too, is 3 their route to success?

For the manufacturing industry, it seems things will never be the same again, thanks to 3D. Soon, printers will be available that will print in 3D – or in other words, will allow you to manufacture and create things in the comfort of your home. From jewelry, to customized football shoes , to mobile phone covers to almost anything. This new technology is going to transform the whole business of manufacturing. Earlier, these printers were used to make prototypes. Today, more than 20% of the output of 3D printers is the final product. The future, as many see it, would have consumers downloading a design the same way as they download music, customizing it to suit their tastes and pressing “” to get the product of their own choice right in their homes! Who needs a factory now, to manufacture – just a printer will do!

THE MAGIC OF TRIANGLES

‘3’ seems to have a mystical magic attached to it. Be it movies or real life, having 3 people in a relationship makes for the most intriguing of stories. Be it the royal triangle of Prince Charles, Princess Diana and Camilla or be it some of our greatest romantic films. If there is a triangle, the effect is magical.

Hollywood (with its ‘Gone With The Wind’ and ‘Casablanca’) to Bollywood (with its ‘Silsila’ and ‘Saagar’) viewers have been glued to the screens on the promise of 3. Triangles have an irresistible and mysterious charm.

Be it love triangles or the Bermuda Triangle, which for years became the source of supernatural stories, with popular folklore blaming paranormal activity to be responsible for the alleged disappearing of several aircraft and ships in that part of the North Atlantic Ocean. The Bermuda Triangle mystery was one story everyone wanted to believe. It was as fictitious as the love triangle of the movie Titanic, yet they both succeeded in intriguing the viewers and making lots of money.

THE RULE OF 3

In fact it is the ‘rule of 3’ which has a lot of significance. According to an old saying about running of businesses, “the first generation starts a business. The second generation runs it. The third generation ruins it!” So, if your business can successfully survive the 3rd generation, chances are it will live, for that means you have planned well. After all, only about 13% of businesses make it successfully past the third generation!

The rule of 3 applies not just to business, but art too. Every budding artist or photographer is told of this rule, which basically says that one must breakdown an image, a composition or a blank canvass into ‘thirds’, both horizontally and vertically to make a grid with 9 parts. The theory states that your focal points of the composition should be placed in the intersection or along the lines of the grid. This makes the photo/composition most balanced & beautiful. For professionals, the ‘rule of thirds’ becomes second nature & all their compositions follow it. It’s said that this rule is derived from the ‘Golden Ratio’. In fact, Mario Livio has written a complete book that shows how the Golden Ratio and “PHI” have influenced our lives. The book is titled “The story of PHI, the world’s most astonishing number”. He says that even Mother Nature follows this rule. It is this that determines how a sunflower’s seeds grow, or determine the path a hawk takes while diving for its prey. It even determines how the spirals in a spiral galaxy are laid out.

Beauty too is defined by this rule of 3, for it provides symmetry to things; and it’s said that symmetry is what makes things beautiful. Be it a face, a body or a building. One reason that the Mona Lisa has remained so irresistible for decades is because it’s composed of around 3 different rectangles. Vinci was an expert in geometry & the Golden Ratio can be seen in all his paintings. Our most famous ancient architectural wonders, from the Taj Mahal to the Pyramids, have all followed this rule of 3 to bring symmetry & hence beauty to the structures.

There is definitely something about 3. Look at your palm, each of your fingers are divided into 3 sections. Your body too follows the Golden Ratio; and it’s God’s most beautiful creation.

Be it business or movies, art or advertising, 3 is the magic number to remember. Two maybe is good company but three is not just a crowd – it could be your mantra to success. If you want to dance your way to success, remember, it takes 3 to tango!