Raise a Toast to Personalised Alcohol Bottles

Ever been confused about what to give the boss for his birthday, if you are invited to a party at his home? Or a close colleague for getting a promotion? Or a friend for getting that dream job? A box of chocolates or mithai is always a good idea, but it is what almost everyone else will also be bringing as a gift. Why not stand out? Why not give a gift that they will talk about to everyone, and you get remembered as a result, after the partying is over?

Customised gifts are here and the best gifts are always the ones that are personalised to suit someone’s style, preference, interest and/or hobby. So, you can of course send across those gift baskets/boxes, monogrammed cufflinks and pens etc. But how about customised liquor? It’s classy, thoughtful, and will definitely help you stand out over everyone else.

There are US websites that do this - customise alcohol bottles with personalised etchings and messages on them, and will even ship to India, on special request. There is also a site that will customise labels for you, that you can stick on a bottle. People can choose between these two types of services and see which one they prefer.

Jim Ristuccia, a customer service executive at Etching Expressions shared a few trade secrets.

1. What are your most popular designs?

For business to business (B2B): Corporate logos, events, client presents and product launches. For business to consumer (B2C): Birthdays, anniversaries and wedding related designs 

2. Which is the most frequently sold alcohol?

Red wine, mostly cabernet.  Red bottles show etching the best. 

3. What do customisations cost, inclusive of shipping and taxes?

For one-off B2C bottles about $100 to $125 USD.  For B2B from $30 to $50 in volume.  

4. Do you ship outside the US?

Yes, but we are limited by alcohol restrictions and the high cost of shipping. 

5. Who is your major clientele? Demographics and Industries they belong to?

In the B2B category, all types of businesses large and small. The full range - from sports teams, entertainment giants, financial companies to small construction companies. For B2C, typically, our consumer is female between 30 and 65 years. 

6. Which has been your quirkiest request?

On the corporate side: Putting fracking fluid in a champagne bottle for an energy company.  For a B2C: A picture of the customer’s girlfriend. 

7. Is it cheaper to buy such a gift in bulk or not? And do you do an assorted liquor deal when it comes to bulk orders? Or does it have to be all of one kind?

Most of our B2C orders are single bottles. We can offer a range of discounts for 12 to 10,000 bottles. 

8. Do these have a resale value?

Not really, They are personalized for an occasion or person, so it really means something to the recipient. Most people hold on to their bottles unopened for years to decades. I’ve heard more stories of people having bottles over 20 years, than I have run across instances of people selling the bottles. 

9. What liquor would you suggest be gifted to a CEO/colleague: For a birthday? For a promotion? For a successful deal? For an anniversary? For moving to a new job?

It depends on what they like. It’s usually very personal. The bottle is one half of the project.  The design and the message is the other. Together they make an incredibly personal gift that really resonates with the recipient. Ultimately, it’s the message that makes an impact. Saying how much you care about the person is a powerful message.

Written for CNBCTV18.com

Airlines' CEOs Can Do This To Airlift Business

Winds of change are buffeting every industry but none as much as the aviation sector. Two of India’s major airlines have shut down and people have to make do with what’s available and the relatively new entrants in this sector - Vistara and Air Asia.

I can tell from experience how wonderful it was to travel on Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines. And how, it’s almost exactly the opposite when travelling on Indigo, which my parents did twice this year and hated it. Bad food, even by airline standards, and uncomfortable seats was all they recall from their trips. I did give feedback to Indigo, and told them to stop serving watered down meals to their customers, and serve wholesome and filling sandwiches instead. In Kolkata schools, kids are getting served a way more scrumptious meal than what Indigo does to its passengers.

So, airlines need to look at all the finer details and realise that creature comforts count. But in this super-competitive world, they need to be creative, innovative and agile as well and look beyond the obvious. CEOs and leaders should foster teamwork that ensures results, stated a Survey conducted by Egon Zehnder.

It is CEOs who have to lead transformational teams where innovation, openness (so that cross-functional learning and collaboration occurs), teamwork and proficiency matters. They are required to bring their team on the same page, so alignment is needed, where shared beliefs and goals are emphasized, so the team can focus on them effectively. Efficiency is another important criteria so that resources are optimally used. Resilience will also be required to make decisions out of one’s comfort zone.

Lastly, balance is needed where a diversity of skills needed to make this sector thrive is the need of the hour. These skills, feedback can come from within an organisation or from outside, and both are going to be important because in a CEO study, 52% of leaders believed that talent from outside the aviation segment will make this industry successful, while 36% are unsure and 12% disagree.

This might be understood by many airlines but many of them are reluctant to bring in new talent from outside nonetheless. This is a missed opportunity with obviously negative results, in some cases. So, like almost all industries, human capital development is of utmost importance and even more so in aviation. That’s because this sector has a singularly monocultural kind of environment, also called silo culture by many CEOs, that favours the few, and is not conducive to diversity with regard to gender, nationality or even industry.

Human resources has to have a hand in this in a major way, as a lot of the internal motivational juice has to be provided by them to employees but they also have to drive forward a sense of entrepreneurship and foster this spirit more than ever now, as new business models need to be thought of and implemented.

As the CEO of a legacy carrier stated in the Egon Zehnder Survey, “If we do not start transforming our organization today and in a comprehensive and bold enough manner, we will be out of business sooner than we might expect. There is no alternative for me as a CEO and I feel accountable for driving a substantial change program now. There is no wait – and – see option for us.” This transformation being referred to has to be about continuously changing and adopting a long-term strategic and radical approach. There are three distinct phases of transformation.

It all amounts to CEOs becoming change-leaders from just garden variety leaders. They need to think out-of-the-box more than ever and show customer-centredness, sharp analytical and strategic thinking would also help, being cool about innovation and adopting new technologies and having political acumen, is also expected of them.

Currently, airlines are pursuing six strategies which suits their respective convenience.

• Belief in scale: One CEO explained, “We are in an industry where size matters, where the size of the network matters.” So some airlines are going this route - building economies of scale and networks that will reduce their operating costs and increase customer satisfaction. The Survey stated, “Companies playing the scale strategy can boost their odds of owning and influencing landing slots, gaining entry rights to airports, and growing their hub strategy.”
• Niche players: Cater to certain niches only and manage costs by pricing their routes that will appeal to their core travellers.
• Networked approach: This is a mix that includes the scale of an established airline and the agility of a startup. The Survey explains this as, “These airlines are designed to capture the benefits of local markets and operate on smaller scale cost structures, while tapping into the benefits of a common heritage, a broader network, and the deeper resources of the group.”
• Consumer strategy: This is about keeping the consumer happy at all costs and making them the focus of the airline’s growth strategy.
• Low-cost proposition: This is about flying travellers as cheaply as possible.
• Integrated model: This is more along the lines of a government and industry partnership that will advance a collective national agenda. This will help by producing “integrated models of infrastructure and aviation/logistics development, laying the groundwork for capacity upgrades that enables them to compete globally”, stated the Survey.

Today’s market realities are that deregulation will pick up pace, and as much as 65% believe that airline mergers will occur. Plus there is  the fact that change is the new constant. Almost, 93% of the CEOs felt that the airline sector needs to drive a sustainability agenda. So, managing customer expectations and sustainability is going to be everyone’s goals, if they hope to succeed.

Fancy a Kerala houseboat as a vacation home?

Ever coasted down the backwaters of Kerala and lived the good life and wondered if you could own one of those beautiful houseboats as your very own cool vacation home? Or how about soaking in the ambience on Kashmir’s Dal lake from a houseboat? Those houseboats are made from the woods of the Sal and Deodhar trees. Deodhar wood actually hardens the longer it stays in water, instead of rotting, hence it’s used in the construction of the hull of the houseboats in Kashmir.

The interior of a luxury houseboat

In Kerala, houseboats are being made by two companies, Grandeur Boatbuilders and Samudra Shipyard. Both make boats to suit customer tastes and specifications and they make a variety of sea-going vessels, ranging from canoes, water taxis, para-sailing boats, speedboats, fishing boats, pontoon boats, solar boats, souvenir boats (small-scale models) that can be gifted and even floating jetties. Specifications are normally as given below, but they can tailor-make it for you, as houseboats can be a two-bedroom version to a six-bedroom luxury floating home, hotel or even a restaurant.

Kerala houseboats are called ‘Kettuvallam’. In Malayalam language, Kettu refers to ‘dwelling structures’ and ‘Vallam’ means boat. These are boats with a thatched roof cover over wooden hulls. They were traditionally built 111 feet long, and made by tying together massive planks of wood. They were used as rice boats with a part of it covered with bamboo and coir as a kitchen and restroom for the crew. Since then, the humble houseboat has become the glamorous avatar it is now, as a holiday home away from home. What’s more is that fibreglass has replaced wood as the material of choice, as it provides more stability to the hull. Samudra Shipyard adheres to the Inland Vessel Act, 2010 to build its boats. The benefits of using fibre-glass over wood are: 

1. It is virtually maintenance-free when compared to wooden houseboats. They now have a lounge, dining area, open kitchen and modern bio-toilets. 
2. Fibreglass boats are not affected by marine growth and salt water. 
3. A FRP houseboat hull is ready within 30 days.

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                                   A Samudra houseboat is being sent to Abu Dhabi

Samudra Shipyard’s Business Manager Dr Jeevan Sudhakaran answered a few questions on this exciting business.

Which are your bestselling boats?

 We have boats ranging from small canoes to houseboats which are more than 30 metres in length. The best-selling ones are our smaller versions used for personal transportation.

Who are your regular buyers and how much do the houseboats cost?

Our regular buyers are tour operators and government tourism departments. The price varies from about Rs 75 lakh for a single bedroom houseboat to Rs 1.75 crore for a four-bedroom luxury houseboat.

What's the resale value of your houseboats?

Being made of fibreglass, actually, the value doesn’t depreciate much as it is relatively maintenance-free. Even after 10 years, the boat can pretty much fetch the original price.

Is the second-hand market a good place to buy houseboats? Do you provide guarantee for second-hand boats?

Yes. But we don’t sell second hand boats.

How much does upkeep cost?

About 5 percent of the cost of the boat, per year.

How well is the boat-making business doing in the current market scenario?

Not very great.

Were there any unique design features that you had to add in any houseboat?

We study the local architecture and give our boats a local touch.

Which countries do you export to? I saw a picture of a boat going to Abu Dhabi.

Sri Lanka and Maldives. 

The dining room of a luxury houseboat

Samudra’s boats are built with space age technology, and with the help of the Industrial Design Centre of IIT Mumbai, which designs the superstructure, and the Department of Ocean Engineering, IIT Chennai, which has a tank-testing facility (and the only such facility in India). IIT Kharagpur and Kerala’s Department of Tourism are all part of this group endeavour, to make these gorgeous boats, a dream come true for many.

Written for CNBCTV18.com

Why Lladro Sculptures are a Good Investment

Lladró, a Spanish luxury brand based in Valencia, creates such beautiful porcelain sculptures, lamps, candles and now jewellery, that owning a Lladro piece as a collectible makes so much sense. Since 1953, the brand has been a symbol of creativity and excellence in porcelain art across the globe. Their sculptures are considered a celebration of the best moments of life and are inspired by dreams, traditions, art and fantasy, with a timeless story behind each sculpture.

Take a look at the Carnival in Venice stunner and you will see something that needs to be preserved through the ages. Almost like a Bernini or a Michelangelo work of art, only obviously, more affordable and available!

Lladro's Mumbai Store Director Vinita Bist gave CNBC-TV18.com some pointers on which are their best-selling products and if their products appreciate in value. So, heed her advice and buy some pretty porcelain, which will make for a great-looking investment and a nice party conversation piece, at the same time.

Which are your best-selling products?

Lithophone’s Votive light /perfume candles is a good gifting choice along with other general categories like Indian (sculpture) pieces. Jewellery is a new concept and will take time to be accepted by the client.

Who are your regular buyers?

The starting range for a sculpture is Rs.11,000 and can go up to Rs. 1.80 crore. To buy a Lladro product, you should have love and taste for art. There is no specific income bracket that one needs to belong to, to possess a Lladro piece. Our clients range from corporates, politicians, Bollywood celebs, tourists and HNI clients, along with other general categories.

What's the resale value of your sculptures/light fixtures/jewellery?

Resale value for Indian pieces are more than other general pieces, as Indian Limited Edition pieces get sold out fast. On an average there is a price appreciation of 8-10 percent annually on all pieces. For eg: The Lord Ganesha statue was launched in the year 2000 and was priced at Rs.65,000. It was a Limited Edition of 2,000 units only. It sold out within 6 months. Now the same piece will fetch you Rs.15-18 lakh! On the other hand, there is no resale value for light fixtures and jewellery as these are functional items.

               
           Gita-Saar: The latest limited edition sculpture of 299 pieces

Is the second-hand market a good place to buy? Do you provide guarantee for second-hand products?

I would always suggest buying from a company-owned store, as your purchase will get register under LAP. In the secondary market, there is no assurance programme or guarantee for second hand products.

Is there any depreciation in the value of a Lladro product?

No, it always appreciates except for lighting fixtures and jewellery.

How can we tell genuine Lladro figurines from the fakes?

Every Lladro piece is embossed with a Lladro logo at the bottom of the piece and none can replicate the same. Look for the bow-tied tulip logo before you buy a product.

Do you make sculptures on demand, if it's out-of-stock?

If the piece is active, it can be procured from Spain. But if the piece is discontinued, it cannot be made on demand. Every year, we discontinue a few products, to make way for new designs.

So, head over to their store or check out www.lladro.com and start your collection today. You may soon realise you are spoilt for choice.

Written for CNBCTV18.com