Like peacocks, we all have our pride (beautifully shot by ClaraDon)
There is nothing worse in the marketing rulebook than to humiliate one’s potential customers. Or to make them look or feel inadequate, insecure, or just plain stupid.
Often, these outcomes are unintentional and accidental, but they result in an eroding of a company’s goodwill and trust amongst its customer base. They also result in negative word-of-mouth, which is an affliction that can result in untimely corporate morbidity.
Does being beautiful and handsome give you a head start in life?
Well, despite what should have been a fairer and more equal world, the ugly truth is that looks still matter. At least according to Beauty Bias – Discrimination and Social Power authored by sociologist Bonnie Berry.
Courtesy of Garron Nicholls
What is indulgence?
It is the ability to act according to one’s whim and fancy, whenever and wherever one feels like it. It is the availability of multiple choices which offer varied sensorial experiences, steeped in delicious decadence. It is about being able to savour the moment, untouched by the ravages of life.
Context helps one understand where and how consumers purchase (Russian Market in Phnom Penh, courtesy of Larpoon)
We have all been caught in the wave one way or other. The rush towards speed and efficiency in business – partially abetted by the global craze over social media – has led many to forget about the foundational strategies of marketing. There is such an emphasis on tactics (10 ways to be richer, 7 tips to make your wife happy, 15 of the most important ideas in social media marketing…) that people forget about that all important factor.
Namely, context.
On the final leg of our trip to Wilsons Prom (and beyond), we drove from the Mount Baw Baw ranges to the Thomson Dam, which is located just a short distance away from the alpine region. While the view of the dam was pretty awesome in terms of its sheer size, it was also a sad reminder of how severely dehydrated Australia is. The water levels were so low that the dam, which has a capacity of 1,068,000 megalitres, was only 16.7% full (178,783 megalitres).
A view of the Thomson River showing how far water levels have dropped over the years.
On the morning of our third day at Wilsons Prom, we checked out of our comfortable cabin and drove to the Taralgon area (in the La Trobe valley) enroute to the alpine regions. The idea behind this was to see if we can experience the different environments of the lovely Gippsland area of Victoria – from the pristine forests and sandy beaches of Wilsons Prom, rolling hills of pastures and farmlands, to the snow-capped summits of Mount Baw Baw and the alpine regions. With a height of 1,567 metres, Mount Baw Baw is just 120 km east of Melbourne, making it the nearest skiing region to the capital city of Victoria.
Our first stop at Taralgon, where we got down for some rest, food and even retail therapy!
After a monumental hike across the width of Wilsons Prom spanning almost 20 km and 6 hours of hard walking, we decided to up the ante – literally and figuratively – by climbing up the 558 metre tall Mount Oberon to catch the sunset. Fortunately, the trek up and down the mountain (or hill?) is broad and well-paved as it caters to vehicular traffic. As we were keen to catch the sunset that day, we wasted almost no time in tackling the relatively shorter 3.4 km route after a short rest at the Oberon Car Park.
Our vertical ascend began at the foot of Mount Oberon, with a sign showing the only path up and down.
On the second morning of our trip to Wilsons Promontory, we made two pretty long hikes covering a total combined distance of almost 27 km in a day. The first, which I would label as a “Journey to the East” as it brought us from the Western side of Wilsons Prom to the East, was monumental in many ways. It not only brought us through winding passages covering a multitude of forested and rocky terrains, but showed us the awesome beauty of God’s green Earth, enhanced by the endorphins elicited through endurance exercise! While this post will try to capture the essence of our extended walk, nothing beats experiencing the real thing.
Put on your hiking boots, fill up your water bottles, and go!
The first part of our journey was a fairly easy saunter through open bushlands like this.
Courtesy of Wilkins Tourist Maps
On the first afternoon of our trip to Wilsons Promontory, we made a quick dash into the park, securing a car-pass for two days before driving to the coastal bays on the West side of the island to catch the afternoon and evening sun. Due to the limited daylight hours, we kept to the beaches near the Tidal River area, which included Oberon Bay, Norman Bay and Picnic Bay. You can see some details of these beach areas from the map of Wilsons Prom above. They are physically closer to the main driving route and hence more easily accessible by car without having to trek long distances.
On our last week of the mid-semester break, a couple of my friends from Graduate House and I decided to go for a short break to Wilsons Promontory located at the southern most tip of the Australian continent. Famed for its luscious combination of awe-inspiring mountains, luxuriant forests and breathtaking beaches, Wilsons Prom is located in the Gippsland region of Victoria, about 157 km Southeast of Melbourne city. Populated by indigenous wildlife like kangaroos, wallabies, emus, echidnas, wombats, numerous birds as well as venomous snakes, the park is a peaceful sanctuary for all manners of beasts – including the two-legged variety.
My telling of this tale will be spread over a few posts, beginning with our preparations here in Melbourne City.
This is the faithful Hyundai car which took us across hundreds of kilometres. It actually drives better than it looks.