The concern is genuine. Time has taken an unanticipated turn which no one thought in the internet world would. The clash is between Airtel Zero and net neutrality which has become a part of human right, same as air or water. Who would have ever imagined internet would take that precious a space?
The story is simple. The platforms like Internet.org and Airtel Zero were about to be created, many companies were on this new 5-star cruise. The big players would pay for the data surfed by consumers, making it almost a charitable business proposition. This created a big entry barrier for small players and entrepreneurs who will not find any space on the elite cruise as they simply can’t pay.
So a few good men started a fight against net neutrality which made a huge hue and cry on the internet as well as news space and the cruisers like Flipkart were battered. Their names kept ringing in the space. And what happened next in the show. Abandon the boat was the call and all the deserters name was splashed across the news as the heroes who support it.
Has anybody counted the numerous times Flipkart and other deserters have been mentioned on online news? Then broaden your vision to print media.
Must be {(100 newspapers and online news x no. of days) + uncountable tweets + facebook comments}. Do the math.
So many articles and such a huge amount of buzz word. Isn’t this a good platform for publicity? First you gain the headlines by joining a newly built cruise which India hasn’t seen. The ship was hugely criticised on human rights violation ground. But there is nothing called negative publicity, being in limelight for wrong doesn’t harm the image till the name keeps ringing. Then what happens? As the raised voice got intense and needed some big names in support of save the Net Neutrality, Flipkart’s name pops out and becomes a story. From being hated to being admired, Flipkart’s image is turned around. Everyone loves the story of a man gone wrong at some path but rebounds for a bigger cause and is celebrated by the audience. It happens in stories of films and it happened right there in front of you. Did you notice?
If you are thinking how it helps then think about brand image, brand recall, image of being ahead of competitors and a giant which is now part of fight against anti-net neutrality. Visualise the implication of supporting young India in a fight precious to all.
Well, Mr Sachin Bansal must have thought a hundred times before joining Airtel Zero. He is a man with vision and can at least see what can be pros and cons of joining Airtel Zero. So this rules out the chance of making such a foolish mistake. So is it a publicity stunt or a genuine mistake? For mistake like this brings his leadership under question.
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Well may be if people might have not been united the way they are now for NN, and lets just assume that the few good people might not have created a video as such, then certainly the information might have not reached in public with so much of clarity. And that could have been a great benefit for the internet giants. But what I see here is a calculated risk being taken no mistake or anything as such, If people support NN, then anyway their business won’t be affected and even if they are against NN, then also the benefits will be reaped by the Internet giants only.
umm yeah I do agree
but just think that having airtel zero platform enables more reach… so ur point business wont be affected can be contested.
the mistake is may be pointed to the fact that they didnt think it through or may be they had ?
I don’t give a final judgement to it.. I am asking a simple question …. was it a mistake converted to opportunity? or a genuine plan put in process?
The reality is it would have destroyed the startup ecosystem, coz those with big pockets would have always paid and got themselves free.