Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Chiptease





Yes, the title is designed to tease. And no, it has nothing to do with the word it rhymes with. Well, chiptease is the latest entry in the urban dictionary. What does it mean? You buy a bag of chips thinking that it will be full of chips, but when you open the bag it is barely full, is chiptease. Over promise, but under deliver.No wonder then that nothing weighs lighter than a promise.

Don’t we get chipteased in every walk of our lives?
Politicians, builders, and advertisers all chiptease us when they promise the earth and the sky. And eventually we realize that all the tall promises were a bagful of air.
How about going for a guy who promises the least? In all probability, he will be the least disappointing.

But, why blame others. When it comes to advertising we conveniently dress in hyperbole. Ever wondered how all the girls in matrimonial advertisements are fair, tall and beautiful? By some strange logic most boys are tall, well placed and handsome.

Marketing is all about teasing. The clever jugglery of words and phrases like ‘up to 50% off’ and ‘conditions apply’ are all marketing chipteasers. The moment you close eyes to the ‘Up to’ tag, you are in for a big hole in the pockets. Large enough for Harbhajan’s balls to pass through. Clarification. I am referring to the ball bearings he made in an alcohol advertisement.

The recent chiptease cleverly executed by master chipteaser Kapil Sibal and supported by his cronies has resulted in mayhem on the streets. Only this time his chicanery was caught by the people and the government stood exposed.   Finally the cameo role was allotted for the mighty Pranab da, the official counselor of disputes.

This decade has redefined more than a few words so that modern writing has become cryptic. The new words become a part of our lexicon only if they remain relevant like twitter and Bluetooth. In my earlier post I had written about new words like sofalize( Socialise from the comforts of home) and coffice( Having coffee in office) but both have become irrelevant due to lack of usage. And English is a funny language. From chiptease to striptease, it is all about relevance and usage.

58 comments:

  1. a real mind teaser....how are you able to exercise your mind such and produce such wonderful works....you are marvelous in your job !!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cheaptease to sell stuff is common moreso in Gurgaon

    ReplyDelete
  3. Bloody cool...i love ur chiptease :)

    this airtel ad spoof is just so perfect..every line so apt! u should write more Hinglish poems, jingles now

    on a serious note, my hubby bought a Tata Docomo (upto 7.2 mbps) estick four months back, we r yet to see speed of 1 MBps on it!! The customer care emphasised on 'UPTO' , can u believe that coming from the TATA brand?? docomo says 'KEEP it Simple Silly'

    will update u as the matter has been escalated higher...for now they have accepted that they do not have towers in my area that provide signal strength:)

    ReplyDelete
  4. will return to read the posts that i have missed...keep up the awesomeness!!

    r u on Twitter? can't see any twitter handle, only ur Facebook and i'm not on Facebook :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Upto is the most ugliest and misleading word in ad industry.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Upto is the most ugliest and misleading word in ad industry.

    ReplyDelete
  7. ohhh...I'd first mention on the jingle...its just fabbbbb to say the least! *applause*

    and v usually buy 'kurkure' to avoid chiptease:P


    sarah

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ha ha.. the airtel 'tease' is perfect!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. this is a good post...chiptease, didn't know this existed :) *pun intended*

    ReplyDelete
  10. Bloody Chips makers. They keep a ration of 50:50. 50% chips and 50% air.
    Try to sneak in Nehru Place; they're the real God.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Unfortunately, I've not listened to the Airtel advertisement being referred to. (Please don't be surprised). But I do subscribe to the idea. Life has truly become as worthless as the amount of chips you discover in air-bloated Chips' packs these days.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Amazing! Your insight is AWESOME! You should really become an independent political commentator! We need people like you :D ALWAYS!

    ReplyDelete
  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  14. so true... The condition get worse when you get a packet of chips or may be even kurkure... you hardly get any in them inspite of their big packets... errr... i hate it..

    ReplyDelete
  15. amazing as alwaya Alks,
    and the closing lines of the song-a standing ovation...I wish you'd think of politics as a career..we so need more informed and in-you-face people like you:-)

    ReplyDelete
  16. @Rana...:)

    @Pestosauce...Gurgaon is all hype...u r rt.

    @oldfox...Welcome back...I went on ur blog but perhaps you had disabled comments in your last poem.
    It is amazing that Tata has joined the bandwagon.

    ReplyDelete
  17. @Oldfox...Yes, I am on twitter, but i tweet my blogposts only.Will add the link.


    @Harish..:)

    @sarah...Thanks dear.

    ReplyDelete
  18. @beingfab...:) Thanks

    @Chintan..I came to know about the word on NDTV.

    @Prateek...NehruPlace has special chips?

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is the funniest post..I have read in sometime...Fortunately...your blog promises and it delivers. Big time.. :D

    I am going to share it on FB. :P

    ReplyDelete
  20. @Umashankar...As I said, nothing weighs lighter than a promise. You cant escape from the jingle, it is all over radio and TV.

    @Sakshi....Thank you sweetheart.

    @Madhulika...The feeling of being cheated is nauseating to say the least.

    ReplyDelete
  21. @Suruchi....I am less informed but more jobless...so end up reading newspapers and watching news.

    @Rahul....Thanks.Rahul, my husband is also from DCE, Mechanical.

    ReplyDelete
  22. @Kunnu...It is reaassuring to know that my blog is not bagful of air.

    Thanks for the share. It is such appreciation which keeps me going.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Your blog posts are not chipteasers. They deliver what they promise.

    ReplyDelete
  24. That was some teaser and I nearly choked on my coffee when I read about Harbhajan's balls. Thank God you clarified.

    I can already imagine myself singing your wicked parody. You deserve an Oscar for it.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Perhaps that why they say..."DIKHAAWE PE NA JAAO, APNI AQAL LAGAAO"....:)

    ReplyDelete
  26. It's all about efficiency pricing, or better, shadow pricing. That is why the T&C apply are written in the smallest of all fonts.
    Though I haven't had a chance to read a manifesto, but I know form trusted people what we seek and what we get. It's all about efficiency, of filling pockets, nothing more.

    And this rhyme should be aired back to back with the original piece.

    Nice post.


    Cheers,
    Blasphemous Aesthete

    ReplyDelete
  27. Very nice and efficiently put..from chiptease to Neta..
    its sad thou ..how smart market technology is with its expert way of fooling people..
    I am surprised by the car dealers and when it comes to payment they say"you didnt read the fine print?"(which says this was a misleading statement)
    Ass-holes!

    ReplyDelete
  28. :-)

    That is the very basis of marketing. Whether be it for commodities, matrimonials or politics.

    There's an award waiting for you here :

    http://mindzpeak.blogspot.com/2011/08/special-award.html

    ReplyDelete
  29. All these cheats in most of the areas, including politics, you mentioned get away only because tne present laws are so designed.One day they will pay a heavy price

    ReplyDelete
  30. The sucking reality of marketing unleashed..
    u always amaze me by your wit...
    DESH JO CHAHE, DOOR LE JAAYE....... Awesome
    n super like !!!

    Its going straight to my fb wall.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Wonderful expose of the chipteases that we are all victims of. The jingle was fantastic and i tried setting it to the tune on TV -- perfecccttt!
    btw, did you mean sycophant or psychopath? Both would be apt of course :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. @Prateek...ha, ha.Even those are pirated ones.

    @Purbs....I humbly accept.This tune has been ringing non-stop in my head. Ha, ha sorry about the coffee choke...lol.

    @Irfan...true.

    ReplyDelete
  33. @Anshul... we should sing this one at Ramlila maidan...

    @Harman....;)

    @Shobhit...Thank you indeed for the award. Keeps me enthused.

    ReplyDelete
  34. @BKC...True. 2014 is the expiry date.

    @Jyoti....Thanks .Should we play this at Ramlila Maidan?

    @Zephyr...It has been ringing in my head non-stop. feel like singing it at the Ramlila Maidan. Psycopath suits better, such mess they have created.

    ReplyDelete
  35. :) sahi!
    mms is mumbling in the lok sabha now...
    our country is adrift

    ReplyDelete
  36. @Alka,

    Are you upset with me? You did not reply to my comment.

    ReplyDelete
  37. hehe.. you are unto it again.. Sibal might negotiate with your blog too :P

    Weakest LINK

    ReplyDelete
  38. @Deepak....the haggling between two sides now looks like a fish market.

    @A....Ooops, sorry. Missed replying. It means a lot. Honestly and I am not teasing...chip or other wise.:)Thanks indeed.

    @Rachit, Jyoti......ha, ha...i am croaking. Can you hear it.Sibal has no time for my blog. Only wonderful readers like you read me.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Ultimate read.

    Your posts are amazingly refreshing. Also, thanks for sharing this new word chiptease with us.

    ReplyDelete
  40. @Mani...Thank you for the jhakaas comment.


    @Rachit...Thank you for reading. Appreciate your time and comments Rachit.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Hello Alka, came across your blog through the FB bloggers group.
    really nice blog you have here, keep up the good work !!!.
    I love reading female bloggers, so will come around often.

    ReplyDelete
  42. I loved your Chiptease. Alka, your posts never cease to amaze me. Your quirky style always cheers me up and also gives me food for thought.

    ReplyDelete
  43. AAD...Thank you indeed, you are welcome here.


    @Rachna...:) Coming from you it means a lot.

    ReplyDelete
  44. "The Awkward Moment when u Buy a Bag of air and the company is nice enough to throw is some chips..." Haha.

    Thought proving post. Chiptease! I LIKE this word. Sigh. Some great points you got in there..

    ReplyDelete
  45. hello

    sorry for late comment, was down with flu :(

    i like the hinglish poem :)

    ReplyDelete
  46. Seriously, this is my first time hearing about the words sofalize and coffice. Maybe I haven't been able to move on with the times. :(

    ReplyDelete
  47. @Zeba..:)

    @AS..Wish you a speedy recovery. Hope you are fine now.

    @Samadrita...No, one uses them so they are defunct now.

    @Giribala..ha, ha thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  48. yesssssssssssss HAR ek neta zaroori hota hai ..

    thought provoking lets hope it provokes some thoughts .. warna NETA to zaroora hota hi hai

    Bikram's

    ReplyDelete
  49. hhahaha very well written...
    You have caught the bull by its horns.
    Most of the times we are overpromised and underdelivered,leaving us in a lurch.

    ReplyDelete
  50. ROFT Alka...this was awesome...poor Bhajji...and the airtel parody...too good...entertainment overdose...

    you are right, we see chiptease in almost every aspect of life...over promised, under-delivered...

    the politicians sometimes makes people believe that the glass in not half full, it is full, half with water and half with air...many see that as a positive thing forgetting that it's a chiptease :)

    ReplyDelete
  51. Alka,

    How true! Promise to promise hota hai, kaam ke waqt yeh kahaan yaad hota hai? That is what is called marketing. Your Hinglish poem summed up current state so aptly. Please do write more.

    Take care

    ReplyDelete