Marketing Society - SRCC

Marketing the Movies

2014-02-14T09:43:00.002-08:00

Movies are not the ordinary products to sell to customers. In the current economic downfall and competitive world, its more challenging to get the attention of consumers and make him/her see the movie. Therefore, movie makers and distributers try to figure out various strategies to market their movies so that they procure maximum attention and defeat their rivals.

Earlier, movies were promoted in a very simple way. Marketing was totally relied upon newspapers, hand painted posters and magazines. But nowadays, aggressive marketing strategies, which involves ambushing other movies is gaining popularity. With the evolution of media, mainly, radio and television, the marketing strategies have changed a lot.

Now, let’s come to various strategies which we observed, various film makers, (whether Hollywood or Bollywood) are incorporating to gather success.

Television, Radio, Press Junket:

At the time of release of movie, various movie makers approach radio, television shows to gain more and more publicity. This has become quite common nowadays. However, a new concept has also emerged overtime called Press Junket. At press junkets, journalists, entertainment reporters and movie critics are flown out to a special location for a day or a week.

Merchandising, Events, Partnership, Publicity Stunt

Merchandising includes promotional giveaways like t-shirts, caps, mugs, bags etc. Disney has launched the toys of characters in the film Toy story. Superman clothes got pretty famous after the release of the film.

Partnerships are also becoming quite popular now. Brands pay for the production of TV commercials with movie actors or music rights or product placements in the film. Partnership with brands for movie promotions is the great idea to create buzz without investing large amount of money into it. Some movie marketers also partner with food chains and provide discount coupons for food combinations.

Publicity stunts are an orchestrated media event where someone does something incredibly silly, dangerous or spectacular to draw further attention to the opening of the movie. An example is when the promoters of "The Simpsons Movie" transformed dozens of nationwide 7-Eleven convenience stores into replica's of Springfield's own Kwik-E Mart. Though now public is smart enough to realise whether an act is a reality or just a publicity stunt, But still, the strategy is successful and various film makers opt for this.

Publicity Blitz

Weeks before the movie becomes worldwide, the promotion department starts an all-out publicity blitz. The idea behind this is to bombard the public with so many images and promos of the movie that it becomes a “can’t miss” event. Movie marketers will plaster the sides of buses with huge posters, ads, place billboards all around the city, run tons of teasers on TV, place full page ads in newspapers, and the movie stars also start paying visits on the major talk shows.

Digital Media, Social networking sites, Viral Videos, Trailers

The industry has gone techno-savvy to use social networking sites like Face book, YouTube and Twitter to connect with their audiences. Today, making a great movie is not enough. It has to be accompanied by a great marketing plan to taste success at the box office.Typically, total marketing budgets of a Bollywood movie comprise 30 per cent of which 15 per cent is spent on digital marketing.They can also release behind the scenes clips, bloopers, and other viral videos on the video sharing sites like Youtube. Digital poster is the new concept launched in Bollywood industry. Or they can create various teasers or different media clips and sometimes let their own fans create one.

Print Media, Creative banners

Paid advertisements are showcased in newspapers, magazines. Featured articles are also published and interviews taken in press junkets are also published. Apart from this, innovation has stepped here in as well. Comic books are also printed for promotion of the movies e.g. Comic book of Ra.One was based on movie Ra.One.

One more innovation in this context is creative banners used for high-end visibility. These are used to remind the audience about the upcoming movie, not only in flights, benches, schools, taxis , auto- rickshaws, etc.

Street and Guerilla Marketing

Guerilla marketing was used by Disney for the promotion of film Oz. Hot air balloons soared over New York City landmarks to promote movie “Chronicle”. In India, Guerilla marketing is hardly used for film promotions.

Mobile Apps and Games

Considering the growing mobile penetration in the country, the film marketers see this as an opportunity to market their movies. Be it creating apps related to movies or making games over the issue raised in the movie. There are various examples to be put in this context. Many mobile games and apps are created targeting the movie going audience who are mobile consumers. Krrish was the first movie to introduce facebook emoticons as a part of film promotion. Likewise, both Krrish 3 and Ra.One released free online games and mobile apps to create a craze among the young India.

And the list is endless. Producers are everyday devising new methods to market their movies. Be it printing “3 Idiots only” in the back of every auto-rickshaw in Mumbai or Getting the poster designed by a common man in case of “Jai Ho”, Producers have realised that to survive in this ratrace, they have to come up with a brand new and a catchy marketing strategy.

LIQUOR INDUSTRY : ADVERTISEMENT IN INDIA

2014-01-26T01:01:00.000-08:00

LIQUOR INDUSTRY : ADVERTISEMENT IN INDIA

It is a requirement of all alcohol brands in countries where it is prohibited by law to directly advertise addictive products such as alcoholic beverages in mass media.

It is a strategy which refers to the indirect way in which companies advertise their products, and use minor loopholes in the law to still achieve the basic marketing objectives of building brands, creating customer associations and promoting brands.

They do this by associating the same brand names to other ‘acceptable’ products, ranging from sodas to music CDs!

India too falls under the category of countries who have prohibited advertising of alcoholic beverages, but still companies and brands make their own efforts to do the same

Many can recall the Bacardi ads with the famous Bacardi Music! Again, it was

not the beverage brand that was being promoted. The direct promotion was for the Bacardi Soda and the Music CDs, but indirectly, a brand name for Bacardi was built.

Beverage market leaders UB group promotes its brand Kingfisher by associating itself with sponsorship of tennis tournaments and Formula One. More, the supermodel and star studded Kingfisher calendar is another form of surrogate advertising for this line of UB group beverages. Another UB group liquor brand Royal Challenge promotes itself through golf tournaments and recently through IPL cricket team Bangalore Royal Challengers.

Smirnoff markets itself under an apple juice product and White Mischief associates itself with tourism and hospitality for its marketing.

Compiled By :-

Rishi Thariani

Samarth Sethi

Sachit Murarka

Liquor Industry: The Bad

2014-01-22T06:57:00.000-08:00

Unsuccessful - Zima

Zima means “winter” in a number of Slavic tongues.

The Coors Brewing Company were certain they had a sure-fire winner on their hands when they unleashed Zima in 1993. It capitalized on not one, but two existing fads: the new “clear beverage craze” (Ex. Crystal Pepsi) and the lingering wine-cooler rage. The fact that both fads were plainly diabolical didn’t bother them; there was a great deal of coin to be made and whoever jumped in first would seize the high ground.

Their formula was simple: subtract taste and color from beer and add a vaguely citrus flavor. The 4.7% alcohol content, more than your average macrobrew, would surely put a stop in the gobs of those tiresome beerphiles thinking about calling it a sissy drink. Which was important because men of legal drinking age, the holy grail of the alcohol industry, were the primary target.

The Rise: Coors gambled a $50 million advertising budget and it paid off, at least initially. Despite the best efforts of their TV pitchman, a distinctly annoying gentleman with the disturbing tic of trading his Ss for Zs, a shocking 70% (according to Coors) of the American drinking public gave it a whirl. Coors moved a respectable 1.2 million barrels in the first year. Then things began to change.

The flaw in their formula was their focus. They spent their millions targeting a mythical demographic: legal-age males who hated the taste of beer, a group I imagine could be comfortably seated in an average high-school football stadium. After their shameful experimentation 0f ‘94, America’s males reconsidered the boundaries of their collective masculinity and sales of Zima fell off 60% the following year.

To nobody’s surprise, except perhaps for the Coors' marketing department, surveys began to reveal Zima’s true demographic: women and those who the alcohol industry likes to call “pre-legal consumers.”

It goes without saying that Coors was accused by the usual shrill gang of scolds as engaging in a cynical campaign targeting teenagers. Their proof? Teenagers were drinking it. Their logic being: if teenagers are doing something, then adults must be telling them to do it. Which makes very little sense. Zima was also demonized as a gateway drink, a devilishly gentle ramp between angelic soda and sinister beer.

But like a rudely spurned yet insanely delusional groupie, Coors wasn’t ready to give up on full-grown men just yet. After the fall-off, Coors riposted with Zima Gold, which they swore, with a straight face, offered “a taste of bourbon.” Guys weren’t buying it, in both senses of the term, and it vanished within a year. Coors would doggedly try again with a pumped-up 5.9% Zima, but it also failed to gain a foothold with boys.

The Fall: By so aggressively courting men, Coors gave them sole mandate to lay down judgment. And lay it down they did. With a healthy shove from David Letterman, who made zinging Zima a national pastime, the clear malt leapt into the American lexicon as a reflective term of ridicule and shame. A gentleman’s masculinity was no longer assailed with claims of milk sopping or tea sipping, no, those alleged zissies were zwilling Zima. Behind closed doors, of course. Zima allowed even light beer drinkers to feel macho and superior, which was a long, slow train coming.

Had Coors pitched more to women, men would have shrugged off Zima as a “chick thing” and would not have lambasted it so savagely — when was the last time you heard a guy get worked up about the relative quality of a particular brand of purse?

Despite almost universal derision by the public in general and the drinking press in particular, Zima managed to gimp along for an astonishing 15 years. it chased off a slew of imitators (including Stroh’s Clash and Miller’s Qube) before upstart Smirnoff Ice grabbed the lion’s share of the alternative turf in the early 2000s. Zima was mercifully put down in October 2008.

Compiled by

Rishi Thariani

Samarth Sethi

Sachit Murarka

Liquor Industry : The Good

2014-01-20T09:41:00.001-08:00

Liquor Industry

The liquor industry is heavily dependent on marketing. The average teetotaler cannot usually tell the difference between two brands of alcohol and therefore buys a brand and not a product. Immense emphasis is given to build the image of a brand as it is the very cornerstone for its success.

In the next few pages we will analyze the success and failure of two brands in the liquor industry, focusing on their marketing technique as a primary factor.

Successful - Jack Daniel’s

Jack Daniel's has come a long way in its 140-year history. Savvy marketing allowed it to grow immensely and become the world's best-selling whiskey brand.

So what exactly did the marketers at Jack Daniel's do to create a gigantic worldwide whiskey brand?

In its early days, Jack Daniel's was actually quite hard for stores to acquire — it was available on allocation only. Demand was higher than supply, yet the brand kept advertising. It was telling people about something they couldn't have, which heightened the allure of the whiskey. This approach was indeed unique in its own way. They wanted to market their brand like none other and were at the same time taking a huge risk. While other brands used the age-old approach of pumping in their products into stores to increase visibility, Jack Daniels wanted to create an identity of its own, an identity that

urges people to buy it.

A billboard on the Delhi-Noida-Delhi expressway. This cheeky, ‘complete the picture’ creative leaves one gasping for more. This resonates with their entire marketing strategy. It is the logo, nothing more, and in fact it is not even the

complete logo.

Jack Daniel's ads have focused on the history of the brand. Ads talk about its founder, Jack Daniel, his independence, and what he did to protect his fabled distillery.

The other focus is Lynchburg, where it all started.

The image of a Jack Daniel's drinker is one of defiance. That's the central message that the brand's marketing has been hammering at for years, and it is now solidly affixed to pop culture — rock stars in particular, over the years, have been powerful ambassadors for the brand.

Thus, we can say that a good marketing strategy has a profound impact on the success of a liquor brand.

Compiled by

Rishi Thariani

Samarth Sethi

Sachit Murarka

Marketing - Decoded

2014-01-10T07:50:00.005-08:00

Marketing—the tool with a unique power

When we here of the term market what comes first in our mind is a place where we buy or sell goods. Yes that's what a market is but this is the most shallowest definition of it. A market is not just a place where people gather and buy out products infact it is much more. It's a place where the dream of every entrepreneur is fulfilled, by dream it is clear- the dream of capturing the entire market. And how do they actually fulfill their dream, of course marketing is the solution- the better the marketing the more is the popularity of the firm and the better is the position of it in the market. Defining the market is the first step in analyzing marketing. Marketing is the actual thing that separates the fortunes of different firms. Like we can have many examples- consider the case of the Indian mobile brands like Lava and Micromax, when we see the statistics of these two firms we'll find a huge difference between their sales . Yes the sales of Lava is just a fraction of that of Micromax's. But the two firms were founded in the same period, both were new in the market but it seems that Micromax has conquered the market whereas Lava is just nowhere. All this is simply because of the marketing strategies that the company takes in order to promote its product. Over the past few years Micromax has been putting a lot of fund in the print and display advertisements whereas Lava has not. Micromax signed Hollywood actor Hugh Jackman as it's brand ambassador for it's new mobile Canvas Turbo which is actually a good strategy to promote its product. So from this example it is quite clear that what matters is marketing, the better the marketing of the product the better is the outcome.

So from the example it is easy to conclude the definition of marketing- Putting the right product in the right place, at the right price, at the right time.

It's simple! You just need to create a product that a particular group of people want, put it on sale some place that those same people visit regularly, and price it at a level which matches the value they feel they get out of it; and do all that at a time they want to buy. Then you've got it made!

There's a lot of truth in this idea. However, a lot of hard work needs to go into finding out what customers want, and identifying where they do their shopping. Then you need to figure out how to produce the item at a price that represents value to them, and get it all to come together at the critical time.

But if you get just one element wrong, it can spell disaster. You could be left promoting a car with amazing fuel-economy in a country where fuel is very cheap; or publishing a textbook after the start of the new school year, or selling an item at a price that's too high – or too low – to attract the people you're targeting.

So marketing is a tool that when mixed with a good strategy and hard work can take you to the top of the market!

- Naveen Yadav

Digital Marketing

2013-11-08T06:49:00.000-08:00

There’s no denying it, the world is rapidly shifting from analogue to digital. People are consuming more and more digital content on a daily basis – on mobile phones, laptops, desktop computers at work, and more – and companies that have not yet recognised this in their marketing strategies need to adapt fast.

Digital marketing is marketing that makes use of electronic devices such as computers, tablets, smartphones, cellphones, digital billboards, and game consoles to engage with consumers and other business partners. Internet Marketing is a major component of digital marketing.

Why is digital marketing so important? Because it is not only a rapidly growing force in the current marketing playing field, it is set to be the future of marketing, and it seems likely that digital media will soon replace more traditional forms altogether.

So, why digital marketing?

First of all, digital marketing is infinitely more affordable than traditional offline marketing methods. An email or social media campaign, for example, can transmit a marketing message to consumers for the merest fraction of the cost of a TV ad or print campaign, and potentially reach a wider audience.

But one of the main benefits of conducting your marketing digitally is the ease with which results can be tracked and monitored. Rather than conducting expensive customer research, you can quickly view customer response rates and measure the success of your marketing campaign in real-time, enabling you to plan more effectively for the next one.

The facts are that digital methods of communication and marketing are faster, more versatile, practical and streamlined, so it is perhaps unsurprising that once the technology became available we began quickly moving into the digital age. The good news is that digital offers just as much potential to marketers as it does to consumers.

The bottom line is, the digital age is here, and those businesses that fail to adapt to the new marketing climate are at great risk of going extinct sooner rather than later.

Compiled by Arushi

Mercato Festa 2013

2013-11-08T06:40:00.000-08:00

The Marketing society of Shri Ram College Of Commerce organised the second edition of their annual marketing fest, Mercato Festa '13 on the 3rd and 4th of October this year. The two day fest aimed at celebrating and glorifying the world of marketing encompassed by 9 events spread across the two day marketing bonanza that witnessed fun, competition, creativity, innovation and some very serious marketing.

The fest commenced to a great start with the opening ceremony that initiated with the certificate distribution ceremony to the second year members. The participants were showed a glimpse of what they could anticipate and after the opening speech by the vice president,Kirthana Singh, the fest was declared open.

The two days saw a flurry of activities with every event concentrating on one aspect in the world of marketing. The brand manager checked the creativity of the participants in a series of rounds, the best manager which was the flagship event put the contestants through a series gruelling rounds to put the managerial skills to ultimate test. its last round, the stress interview, was the highlight of the fest attracting a heavy audience and great entertainment.

Treasure Hunt!

The product designing and ambush marketing concentrated on core marketing while entrepreneurship event saw them all suited up to demonstrate their skills as budding entrepreneurs. Auction was a great hit and the fest wrapped up with a successful all campus treasure hunt that celebrated marketing as its basic theme.
The fest garnered a lot of accolades and great feedback. Everyone learned a lot and the competition showed why in the true sense it's the only marketing fest of the Delhi university.

Title Sponsor of Mercato Festa 2013

Fever was the official title sponsor and the event sponsor of best manager. Keeping with its image of fun, values, expansion and improvement, the fest imbibed the very qualities and it was indeed bigger, better and crazier.

The Team

Compiled by Sakshi Jain

Google Doodle

2013-10-26T11:02:00.001-07:00

"If I was an explorer, I would explore the monsters in my closet. I chose this topic because most of the kids my age are scared of monsters, but I know I'm not. But monsters to me are fantastic! Thank you."
Indhi Kotzur of Years 1-3 at Rutherglen Primary School.

Google likes to keep things interesting. Often labelled as the "go-to page of the internet, it becomes crucial to spice things up.. So, they often do fun things with thier logo on www.google.com and call it a doodle.

Doodles are the fun, surprising, and sometimes spontaneous changes that are made to the Google logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous artists, pioneers, and scientists.

It is worth taking a look at what Google has done with its Doodle as a great example of content marketing. The form it can take, and the channels through with it can be distributed are virtually limitless.

When creating content it’s important to understand your audience in context. Sure, many people would love to watch a 10-minute video or read an 8,000 word essay on a timely top, but not when they are going to execute a Google search. At that point they’re willing to give you maybe three or four seconds. The Google Doodle fills that spot perfectly. You can give it a quick glance, mouse over it for a little more information, smile and go on your way. Google also has a brilliant built-in advantage that they have exploited brilliantly with the Doodle. Yes, you could send people a link to www.google.com, or you can simply tweet or say, “Hey check out the Google homepage” and everyone can find it easily. Can’t do that with a YouTube video or white paper that’s deeply embedded somewhere in your website.

To keep the fun going, they like to invite bright young minds to come and share their imagination and creativity by designing their own doodle, and that’s when you doodle4google.

One lucky Australian student will soon have their artwork immortalised as a Google Doodle. The Google 4 Doodle competition has just entered its penultimate phase, with 32 finalists from over 16,000 entries from around the country now up for public voting.

This year, the theme is, "If I was an explorer I would...", and answers range from outer space, monsters (yay!) and the inner workings of the human mind. Eight finalists appear in each of the four categories: years 1-3, years 4-6, years 7-8 and years 9-10.

The winning Doodle will be hosted on the Google Australia home page for 24 hours. The winner's school will also receive AU$10,000 worth of technology equipment and a trip to Antarctica on-board the Australasian Antarctic Expedition for one nominated teacher. The winner will receive a Chromebook, and all four grand finalists will receive a Google Nexus 7 tablet!

Here are some of Google's best doodles!

Compiled By Prekshita Patwa

Mobile Mania!

2013-08-02T11:16:00.001-07:00

About two months back, I saw a brand new Samsung Galaxy Note 2 in the hands of one of my friends. I congratulated him for the phone. Yesterday, He had an iPhone 5 with him. I asked him about it. He told me he likes to buy new phones after a month or two. This time, I didn’t feel like congratulating him. How can you get bored of an awesome phone in 2 months? Well, this is the new trend, this is the new rage, this is what is called MOBILE MANIA!

Wherever you go you will find people talking about the latest phones whether they are children, young (or even old these days!) Whether a person is going to buy an iPhone or not, he will definitely know its features and specifications. Do you know Samsung launches a phone almost every month? New features are being added to phones with each passing day. This is making people talk mobile!

In the mid-2000s, the criteria for buying a smartphone used to be voice clarity and a good keypad. When we see the current scenario i.e. 2013, the whole mobile market has been revolutionized! Keypads have just vanished; it’s the era of touch! Now, People want to buy a phone with unlimited features like a good camera, large touch screen, fast processor, good memory, stylish design and the list goes on. Not only this, they also ensure the phone is having apps like Whatsapp and Facebook. These apps have become an addiction not only among the teenagers but elder ones too.

So what has led to mobile phones from being considered as a necessity rather than a luxury? What has made people go crazy behind this invention? Just one reason: It’s all in one! Let’s have a look at the things you can do away with once you buy a phone: your old alarm clock, your dusty calculator, your heavy camera, your gaming console (not for gaming freaks though!) and much more! Not only this you can access the internet, connect to friends and do office work on the go! And all at an affordable cost!

There is still a question left unanswered. Coming back to the case of my friend, why did he buy a new phone after a period of two months? Why can’t people stick to one phone for years? (There are exceptions of course!) Well, there are reasons for it. Firstly, the new phone people buy has additional features which people want (or I should say ‘need’ because this is the 21^st Century!). Secondly, nowadays it is very easy to buy a phone online at the click of a mouse. These sites also have features like phone finder, Compare phones etc. Thirdly, Mobile Phones are a style statement. With a new phone being launched in the market every week, it is very common for a phone to become outdated in around 3-4 months. Fourthly, you are very rich and a spendthrift and you don’t mind spending your(or your dad’s :P) hard-earned money on a mobile every 3-4 months.

So do you think you can’t stop talking mobiles? Can’t resist your temptation to buy a new IPhone? Don’t Worry, you are a part of that crazy lot of people called the ‘Mobile Maniacs’!!

-VISHESH ARORA

Market Research Report - Laptops

2013-06-14T07:49:00.003-07:00

Market Research Report - Cosmetics Industry

2013-06-14T07:30:00.001-07:00

10 men were interviewed for this market research, however most questions were not applicable to them. The ones that were applicable are summed below:

SHAMPOO USAGE: 70% of the respondents use the shampoo 2-3 times a week whereas 27% use it daily. Only 3% shampoo their hai once a week.
FACIAL CREAMS: 60% said they use facial cream less than once a day, but the remaining 40% said they never use creams and lotions.
BRANDS: Loreal was chosen by 28% of the male respondents, whereas the remaining chose the option of ‘other’. Specific brands include Axe and Old Spice as the popular ones.

A REPORT BY-

SUKRITI SEKHRI
VISHESH ARORA
IPSHITA AGGARWAL

Market Research Report - Chocolate Industry

2013-06-14T07:11:00.001-07:00

Market Research Report -- Footwear Sector

2013-06-13T10:06:00.001-07:00

Shifting Consumer Habits

2013-02-24T00:30:00.005-08:00

Remember the days when the common question at a kirana store used to be “is pe koi scheme hai kya?” 80s and 90s were the decades of 1+1, when getting a detergent meant that you could get a soap free, or a toothbrush didn’t cost you paisa extra when you went out buying a toothpaste. It was, in a way, the best way for brands to penetrate a new brand into the market and offer thee customers utmost delight. However, the downside came when the customer got too used to 1+1. So, the next question that came from the consumer was, “which brand is offering 1+1?” The question was how to sustain the ‘1+1’ customer because the typical ‘1+1’ customer had his loyalty to the ‘scheme’ and not the brand. That was a shock for because many people thought that Toothpaste X enjoyed more loyalty over Toothpaste Y because of the product. It did not matter to the customer which toothpaste rubbed his teeth in the morning. What matter was the ‘1+1’.

So, what did the brands learn? They now shifted their focus to create loyalty for the brand, not entirely based on economics of purchase, but economics of choice. The economics of choice is when the consumer makes a choice between two products with identical price.. What is criterion for purchasing then? Personal Liking (gut feel to like something), value (in terms of health, impact, size), lasting (longevity of the product), feel-good (association with the brand), and word-of-mouth. Brands began to work on these factors in order to raise the worth of the product and make it more favoured among the consumers.

There are 5 stages of a consumer buying process they are: The problem recognition stage, where the consumer identifies the things he requires. Then he searches for information, by using your knowledge bases or external knowledge sources for information on the product. The possibility of alternative options, meaning whether there is another better or cheaper product available. The choice to purchase the product and then finally the actual purchase of the product. Marketers try to improve the sales of their product by improving upon all the aspects of the buying behavior of consumers. They stimulate the consumers by launching new products and create new demand, then they make their product known and portray it as more worthwhile n comparison to some competing brand.

For example, Toothpaste companies roped in dentists in toothpaste ads, elaborating why Toothpaste X is greater than Toothpaste Y. The shift from economics of purchase to economics of choice. X gives you glistening teeth, lasting teeth, better smile and chances to have a gorgeous girlfriend. The challenge appeared when Toothpaste Y went ahead and hired a celebrity dentist and not an actor like Toothpaste X did. So, the shift in brand equity happened. Toothpaste X then hired a Bollywood celebrity. Beat that! A billionaire superstar uses Toothpaste X. Toothpaste Y hired even a bigger superstar. Toothpaste X countered claims of Y, and vice-versa.

In today’s era there is a ‘war of brands.’ The consumer has now grown beyond ‘1+1’ and conditioned to get a brand that highlights value, impact, lasting, and feel-good factor. 1+1, well, does not hold any good, if it’s not the consumer’s favoured brand.

- Shreya Agarwal

Cross-cultural Marketing Blunders

2013-02-24T00:26:00.001-08:00

The world of marketing is a tough one to survive.

It requires constant change and might as well be in one the most dynamic art forms.

Nevertheless, marketing screw-ups happen. Companies make mistakes. Customers spot them and all channelized resources for the marketing are drained.

Here are some of the cross-cultural marketing blunders companies made, failing to understand that various languages of the world give rise to multiple interpretations of the Product’s Name

1.      In 2002, Umbro the UK sports manufacturer had to withdraw its new trainers (sneakers) called the Zyklon. The firm received complaints from many organisations and individuals as it was the name of the gas used by the Nazi regime to murder millions of Jews in concentration camps.

2.      A nice cross cultural example of the fact that all pictures or symbols are not interpreted the same across the world: staff at the African port of Stevadores saw the "internationally recognized" symbol for "fragile" (i.e. broken wine glass) and presumed it was a box of broken glass. Rather than waste space they threw all the boxes into the sea.

3.      Sharwoods, a UK food manufacturer, spent £6 million on a campaign to launch its new 'Bundh' sauces. It received calls from numerous Punjabi speakers telling them that "bundh" sounded just like the Punjabi word for "arse".

4.      The Swedish furniture giant IKEA somehow agreed upon the name "FARTFULL" for one of its new desks. Enough said.

5.      Coors put its slogan, "Turn It Loose," into Spanish where its translation was read as "Suffer From Diarrhea."

6.      The Coca-Cola name in China was first read as "Ke-kou-ke-la", meaning "Bite the wax tadpole" or "female horse stuffed with wax", depending on the dialect. Coke then researched 40,000 characters to find a phonetic equivalent "ko-kou-ko-le", translating into "happiness in the mouth."

7.      American Motors tried to market its car, the “Matador,” in Puerto Rico based on an image of strength and courage, however, in Puerto Rico the word, literally translated, means “killer.” The inappropriate name is linked to the car’s lack of popularity because of the many hazardous roads in the country and the correlation with death made by consumers.

8.      United Airlines unknowingly got off on the wrong foot during its initial flights from Hong Kong. To commemorate the occasion, they handed out white carnations to the passengers. When they learned that to many Asians white flowers represent bad luck and even death, they changed to red carnations.

9.      Pepsodent tried to sell its toothpaste in Southeast Asia by emphasizing that it whitens your teeth. They found out that the local natives chew betel nuts to blacken their teeth which they find attractive

10. Pepsico advertised Pepsi in Taiwan with the ad slogan "Come Alive with Pepsi" unknown to the fact that when translated in Chinese it would be interpreted as "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead.

-Sanjita Israni

ANANT PAI- FOUNDER OF AMAR CHITRA KATHA

2013-01-13T09:27:00.000-08:00

I recently read about Anant Pai, the founder of the Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) series, and the Tinkle Digest comics. I was greatly inspired by his love for storytelling, his creative ideas, and how he successfully marketed the concept so that it could reach out to children and adults all over the world.

Since they were introduced in 1967, there are now over 450 Amar Chitra Katha titles to choose from. Over 90 million copies have been sold worldwide.

Here is the story of how he came up with the idea, spread it to people, and then left behind a legacy of learning and laughter-

Anant Pai was born on 17^th of September, 1929, in the small village of Karkala in Karnataka. Unfortunately his parents passed away when Anant was just two years old, and he and his sisters grew up with their cousins. When he was 13 years old, his grandfather passed away. The children had to move once again to go live with their cousin in Bombay.

Anant loved going to school. He was among the brightest children in class and was fortunate to have brilliant teachers. But when the children went for school admissions, it was the same story everywhere. No school would admit them since they didn’t know how to read or write in English. This made Anant feel unsure of himself and dejected. Finally, the children got admission in Orient High School, Mahim. Anant was a fast learner. When the first semester results were declared, Anant found that he had topped in his class!

After school, Anant studied New Maths in Wilson college. He passed chemical engineering with a first class and got a job offer. However the young idealist decdied to leave his job as an engineer. He wanted to start a magazine about mental, physical, spiritual health. He had no experience in publishing but he launched his magazine ‘Manav’. He learnt the ropes of creating and managing a magazine. Anant refused to accept advertisements, even if it meant earning little revenue. He felt that books and magazines should be filled with knowledge and not used as a commercial selling space. Manav ran for a few years but then Anant ran out of the money to continue.

Anant enjoyed storytelling. He was a great favourite with his nieces and nephews and they would sit enthralled for hours as he told them stories about Tenali Raman and Birbal…

BIRTH OF THE IDEA

After some months, Anant took up a job in The Times of India, books division. One day his head gave him an assignment to do a market survey on American comics, as the management wanted to reprint these. That set him thinking. He felt there should be Indian comics, based on our mythology and culture. He observed other things around him- like how on quiz shows, the contestants never seemed to get questions based on Indian mythology right, whereas they had all the knowledge on Greek mythology; How his nieces and nephews always wrote stories with characters called ‘Derek’ and ‘Lisa’ instead of Raghav or Mina. He strongly felt that children were so exposed to ideas and books from the West, that they were even forgetting to think like Indians. The thought stayed with him and he decided to start his very own Indian comic series. He needed a good publisher who would be willing to experiment with this relatively new idea.

He went to India Book House (IBH) and talked to G.L. and H.G. Mirchandani. After much discussion, they decided to publish the comics of Krishna, Shivaji and Akbar first. Anant decided to call the comic series Amar Chitra Katha. Amar meaning immortal, and Chitrakatha, meaning Picture stories or comics. While working on these comics, Anant recruited more members to his team-artists, writers, designers- who all felt as passionately about the Amar Chitra Kathas as he did.

His wife Lalita, while she shared her husband’s dream, was practical too. She pointed out that they were hardly earning any money from the venture. Anant decided to start their own company, Rangarekha Features Ltd. to produce adventure comic strips for newspapers. This turned out to be hugely popular and increased the publicity of Chitrakathas.

INNOVATIVE MARKETING

However even after 5 years, ACK failed to break even. Anant felt they should have better visibility for ACK. He himself took to the streets with a briefcase full of his beloved chitrakathas. He went from shop to shop and asked them to display the books so that children could know about them. When shopkeepers asked what they will get in return, Anant replied that by taking these stories to children, they will be bringing a smile to their faces. At another place when the shopkeeper said that he would love to keep the books but had no display place, Pai brought a small shelf and hammered it to the wall to hold the comics. The shopkeepers were impressed.

Soon, ACK was seen in restaurants, chemist shops and doctors’ waiting rooms. Despite Pai’s efforts, ACK sales were slow.

Anant then inducted Subba Rao, a school teacher top his team. Subbu (as he was called), had an idea. He thought that if only people knew that the ACK historical titles were more child-friendly than a dry history book, perhaps its popularity will grow. Their team conducted a unique experiment in which 30 schools of Delhi took part. One set of students read an Amar Chitra Katha on Razia Sultana and the other, their history book. Both had to answer the same question paper. When the teachers came back with their feedback, it was found that across all 30 schools, no one in the ACK group (not even those considered backward at studies) failed in the ACK group, rather did considerably well! Teachers were surprised to see that some students had scored poor marks in the other group.

Anant Pai held a seminar in Delhi on the ‘Role of Chitrakatha in school education’ . He also came out with a press campaign, in which he emphasized that ACKS were educational comics contributing to a child’s growth.

To make ACK a household name, Pai’s team came up with another unique idea. During the summer vacation, they had ACK reading week in 20 centres in Mumbai, where the children visited in large numbers to read the comics. By this time, there were already over 200 titles.

Fancy dress competitions were held for children. They came dressed as their favourite ACK character.

To popularize the series, Pai held quiz contests all over India. The uiz show had a unique format-everyone who answered got a free copy of ACK, even If they answered incorrectly. Those who answered correctly moved to the next round. Pai wanted to give out the message that for him each child was a winner.

A function was held in Aurangabad to mark the release of an ACK on Chokhamela, known for his devotional poems in Marathi called Abhangs. Every child who sang an Abhang got an ACK as a prize.

Pai started a movement to make children self confident. It was called the Partha movement. Drawing from the experience of dejection he faced in his own childhood, Pai formed Partha clubs of personality development in different parts of the country. ‘Uncle Pai’, as he was affectionately called, wrote several books for children on how to achieve success.

Anant Pai became a much sought after speaker. Schools which had refused admission to this village boy, begged him to address their students. He was invited to give keynote addresses in seminars organized by national educational bodies.

A few years later, Uncle Pai invited readers of ACK and Tinkle to children’s day celebrations in the Gemini Circus. Children adored and respected him in equal measure.

He was called ‘Anant’- The endless one. Indeed, he brought endless joy and knowledge to the children of this country. J

-Sukriti Sekhri

HOLIDAY MARKETING

2013-01-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

The winter vacations are a time when we have a million reasons to shop. For some of us it may be buying Christmas gifts for others it may be taking advantage of the good discounts and tough completion at that time. Even for those of us who don’t celebrate Christmas, Christmas shopping is something we don’t miss.

This is why the Christmas season is when businesses are marketing their products heavily, as companies often try to accumulate revenue as the year ends. Christmas is the perfect time for businesses to make a lot of profit and there are various Christmas marketing ideas that businesses use at this time.

Sending greeting cards and emails to present and potential customers is one such marketing technique. Businesses always mention Christmas or holiday discounts and other promotional information on such cards . This is a nice personal way of drawing customer interest to their products and services. Some companies also give gifts in the form of a coupon for a product or even a company pen or calendar. This helps to keep clients and customers loyal and make sure that the company is on their mind when they do their holiday shopping.

The holiday spirit is all about going out of your way to reach out to the less fortunate. Some businesses may also offer to make donations out of a percentage of their holiday sales. Customers may be more likely to deal with a company with a conscientious heart, and they may also spend more if they know a portion of their money is going to a charity.

This is also a time when people are willing to spend. To attract them to their business, people offer free gifts on any purchases at their store. Businesses also have raffles wherein customers can participate just by making a purchase. Sometimes free services are included with the product. This adds a lot more value to your product offerings. For example, free gift wrapping, free personal shopping, free styling ideas, or free hair and makeup.

Holiday Marketing is all about coming up with ways to make shopping more fun and convenient for the customers so that they come to your store first during the holiday rush.

Brand Marketing Gone Wild : The Case of Aston Martin & Ferrari!

2012-10-04T23:16:00.000-07:00

Some time back Aston Martin launched a Toyota IQ as an Aston Martin. Aston Martin calls it the Cygnet. It is of my opinion that brand marketing and product placement for product awareness has reached an all time high with this Cygnet. We had Aston Martin tee shirts, bicycles and now we have an Aston Martin car that isn’t really an Aston Martin.

Car manufacturers have begun to reinvent brand marketing whether we like it or not. Some time ago, in order to create brand awareness, car manufacturers like most large companies out there put their names and logos on simple stuff like tee-shirts, key chains, cheapo ball-point pens, mugs and notepads. Now, in the age of information it seems that these small and sometimes not-so-small brand awareness inducing items aren’t good enough for supercar manufacturers like Ferrari and Aston Martin.

Now that Aston Martin has decided to sell an Aston Martin that is not an Aston Martin in the purest sense, this new marketing concept on brand marketing has basically blown to pieces the actual concept of what we think owning an Aston Martin is all about. It seems that an Aston Martin is no longer a super sports car. It is also a small city car that has an Aston like grill, leather seats, leather dash and some Aston Martin badges here and there. The Cygnet could be the first Aston Martin since 1950 that couldn’t exceed 120mph. It is a caricature of the real thing. But then again, according to Aston Martin, it is the real thing. Confusing isn’t it.

But what do you get when say Jaguar’s new owners TATA decide to do exactly like what Aston Martin did with the Cygnet? Imagine TATA using its budget Nano car (above) as a base, slapping a chrome Jaguar grill, wrapping its seats with leather and put a leaping cat on the bonnet then calling it a Jaguar XJ Nana? Would that make it a brilliant exercise in brand awareness or something really blasphemous?

So is a Cygnet a real Aston Martin? Or just a reason to reduce the overall C02 emissions averages in the Aston Martin car lineup, ergo a sellout by the brand?

Now aside from Aston, we have Ferrari. We have got Ferrari tee-shirts, perfumes, soft toys, shorts, shoes, key chains, wallets, pens (not the cheap ones but actual Italian fountain pen manufacturers), watches, luggage, soup bowls, mugs, lego sets, toy cars, baby car seats, prams; the list is endless. But now, not satisfied that their prancing horse logo has been plastered on nearly every type of product out there (aside from their beautiful cars) they have decided to open up a whole theme park called Ferrari World in the U.A.E.

But a theme park? I don’t think riding a very fast roller coaster that looks like a Ferrari replicates riding in an actual Ferrari. Firstly, a Ferrari car doesn’t do 360 degree loops, or pull into a dive that would make your testicles feel as if they've left through your brain. In a Ferrari, you’d be on a road, and at the very least, the nausea you’d get would be if you felt your testicles leaving you as you accelerate forward or sideways and not downwards or upside down.

Secondly, the Ferrari ride would be silent, or have some electrical or mechanical whirling sound that you could replicate with a blender instead of a stonking V8 or V12 soundtrack. All of this is just to grab money from some middle-eastern billionaire and the tons of tourists that head over to that barren part of the world. It’s like the Aston Martin Cygnet, brand marketing gone extreme.

Source - www.carthrottle.com

BOLLYWOOD’S MARKETING CONNECTION

2012-10-03T00:42:00.000-07:00

In Bollywood today, if box-office is the King, then marketing is the QUEEN. The big bucks as they flow into promotional tours, ad campaigns, corporate tie-ups and television appearances sometimes add up to more than the budget of the film that is being promoted.

Although it is true, no matter how much marketing one does, one has to make a good film to make it work. But yes, even a not-so-good film can scrape through with good marketing. Hence, to secure one's investment the magic mantra is marketing.

Following are some of the recent marketing strategies to sell movies which were truly innovative and/or had huge impact:

· Probably the most effective of them all, director Ram Gopal Verma’s “Dare to watch it Alone” contest for his horror flick Phoonk, wherein he offered Rs. 5 lacs to anyone who could sit the entire length of the movie alone in an empty theatre. This created so much of a challenge for people that they actually went and saw the movie! Hats off to Mr. Verma for this indigenous marketing gimmick!

· Aamir Khan’s promotion of 3 Idiots too was one of a kind. As he went on a nationwide journey in disguises, stopping unannounced outside a cricketer’s house in Kolkata, to driving an auto, it too went viral instantly and succeeded in keeping the audiences engaged and drove them to theatres. Later the film went on to make history, of course, purely because of its content and story!

· Shah Rukh Khan’s promotion of Ra.1 will perhaps surpass everyone else when it comes to marketing. From launching superhero caricatures, to video games, to making appearances anywhere and everywhere, he made sure the film was the talk of the town months before and months after the film released, and failed at cinemas. The film’s marketing budget was a whopping 40 crores, apart from brand associations worth 40 crores and the innumerable rights he sold for crores as well!!

· The Dirty Picture – Inspite of the movie not having universally watch-able content, the producers marketed the film very intelligently and creatively on the lines of “Entertainment, Entertainment and Entertainment”. Without a doubt, the film had brilliant performances and an impressive storyline, right marketing helped the movie achieve its true potential, and make it a blockbuster!

· Agent Vinod, one of Saif Ali Khan’s productions, created huge hype due to PR, events, social media, online marketing, billboards, a graphic novel and a Playstation3 game. A tie-up was announced with both McDonald’s and American Tourister, carrying values of ‘fun and entertainment’ and ‘toughness and strength’, the same values perceived to be carried by the movie. Yes, there was a McDonald’s in the climax (well, at least one of them) and Agent Vinod chases villains across 12 countries (no wonder the joke goes that it should have been called Travel Agent Vinod), but these aspects seemed more forced than anything. Eventually, the excessive marketing led to a disappointing end when people finally saw the movie.

· Lastly, and probably the biggest of them all, Heroine, was a film marketed right from its inception. All the numerous rumours and controversies made sure it was constantly in people’s minds. An all out commercial Bollywood film about Bollywood, it had multiple avenues for marketing, and it tapped virtually all of them. From brand associations with Lakme, Head and Shoulders, Cera, Jealous 21, Cocoberry etc, to magazine photoshoots, appearances at reality shows, promos every 5 minutes on every channel, and airing of its song at every possible event, the movie’s marketing strategy based on ‘Everything a heroine would do for promotion’ was effective and astounding.

It thus appears that there are some must-haves for marketing any and every Bollywood movie:

Appearances at TV shows, as many as possible!
Contests, games based on the movie theme
Brand associations
Merchandising
Press conference, music release, this release, that release..
Controversies!
Aggressive use of media – posters, promos, trailers etc.

But ultimately at the end of the day, it is the audience which peels through all the layers of marketing to criticize the actual product. As long as the very product is not genuine, no amount of marketing and promotions can save it.

The Axe Effect

2012-09-25T07:19:00.001-07:00

‘I’ve been sitting with a blank screen in front of me for an hour thinking about what to write about axe….

It sounds so easy yet so difficult…

So was its marketing strategy…Easy for the customer but very in depth for a Marketer.’

Guess how many times a day men across the world think about sex?

Two? Five? Twenty? Try Thirty Two times a day – which adds to 224 times a week.

As told by David Cousino, Unilever Executive and an expert in consumer insight.

Axe campaign isn’t just another demonstration of power of sex in advertising; its also a fascinating example of just how deeply companies and marketers probe the depth of our inner psyches; our hopes, dreams and daydreams-in the service of the crafting the kinds of provocative, scandalously sexual and smashingly successful campaigns that push the very limits of advertising as we know it.

First, the Unilever team conducted an extensive, in-depth online survey of twelve thousand boys and men aged fifteen to fifty around the world—from the United States to the UK to Mexico to South Africa to Turkey to Japan. But it wasn’t your average survey. This survey asked these twelve thousand males a series of highly personal, somewhat embarrassing questions, such as: “What is your strategy when you want to pick up a girl?” “When do you feel really in- secure?” “When were you rejected by a girl?” “What is your ideal sexual fantasy?” and the aforementioned “How many times do you think about sex a day?” Why was Unilever asking these questions? “We wanted to identify male human truths,” recalls Cousino, whose team then analyzed the research country by country. “The things that make men tick, that are the same no matter where you go, no matter where you were born or who you are.”

Here is where it gets interesting…

The results were, to say the least, revealing (there’s nothing like online anonymity to get a guy to spill his guts). It may sound like a cliché or a scene from a bad porno flick, but as it turns out, the number one fantasy among men is this: A boy or a man is lounging in a hot tub or spa. Three or four naked women surround him. A corked bottle of champagne stands nearby, with its foam bubbling over into the hot tub. Based on these responses and others, the Axe team realized something.

The ultimate male fantasy isn’t just to be found irresistible by a sexy woman. It’s to be found irresistible by several sexy women!

This was the groundbreaking revelation that was soon to become the crux of Axe’s campaign. Says Cousino, “We realized—or rather, had it confirmed . . . that if the campaign was to be successful, it would have to emphasize the pheromone aspects of the brand.” But wait, these marketers weren’t done probing yet.

Next, in a spirit of male camaraderie, Cousino and his Unilever colleagues accompanied roughly a hundred males aged fifteen to fifty to the pubs until three or four in the morning and (soberly, while secretly taking copious notes) watched them in action. Their goals was to see how these men would pick women out of the crowd and ultimately approach them (to analyze their “game,” as it were).

Unilever analyzed the potential Axe user by breaking males down into six profiles:

The Predator -- He takes advantage of drunk girls, and lies about his job and where he lives

· Natural Talent -- Athletic, smart, and confident. He doesn't need to lie to score

· Marriage Material -- Humble and respectful, he's the sort of guy you want to bring home to Mom and Dad

· Always the Friend -- He always hits that glass ceiling

· The Insecure Novice -- He has absolutely no clue what he's doing, and things get awkward fast -- the geeks and nerds

· The Enthusiastic Novice -- He has absolutely no clue what he's doing, but he's outgoing and tries valiantly anyway

Then, they determined that The Insecure Novice would be their natural target, since he needs the most help in getting women, and would be

Easily persuaded into buying a product that could aid the woes of nerd hood.

So with the Insecure Novice as their primary target, Axe came up with a series of thirty-second TV commercials that preyed on what its research had revealed to be the ultimate male fantasy: to be irresistible to not just one but several sexy women. These ads were nothing short of marketing genius. In one thirty-second spot, an army of bikini- clad female Amazons, drawn by the ir- resistible scent, storms an empty beach to surround and seduce a helpless, scrawny young male Axe user.

“No one wants to play with dirty equipment,” intones a woman in another less-than-subtle Axe ad, before proceeding, with the help of an assist- ant—“Monica, can you help me with these dirty balls?” she asks—to clean and fondle two white golf balls in her manicured hand. “If you spray it, they will come,”

The Result:

The campaign was an instant hit, and Axe quickly became the number one male brand in the total antiperspirant/ deodorant category,3 earning Unilever $71 million in sales in 2006 ($50 mil- lion more than its closest rival, Tag)4 and $186 million (excluding Wal-Mart sales) in 2007, an increase of 14 per- cent from a year earlier—which was leagues ahead of its nearest rival.

Moreover, Axe had achieved global fame for its envelope-pushing ads, which were variously termed funny, brilliant, offensive, or outrageously sexist. Either way, it was free publicity, and it worked.

Despite its few stumbles, the wild success of Axe’s ad campaign just goes to show what can happen when a brand and its clever marketers probe and plug into our most private and deeply rooted sexual fantasies and desires. And it goes to show that these days, as ever, our most deeply seeded sexual fantasies and desires can be some of the most powerful persuaders there are.

Television Commercials – A form of entertainment in themselves

2012-09-20T00:10:00.000-07:00

Being the television addicted person that I am, the other day I was watching a movie with an annoying large number of advertisements inserted after every 5 minutes and it got me wondering how commercials really affect our decision to buy something.

Yes, commercials make us aware of products in the market but why would I be encouraged to buy something that was advertised in the middle of my ‘Oceans 13’. If anything I would make sure I don’t buy the wretched product that interrupted my movie. So how do commercials work?

Commercials work on the idea that if you buy ‘X’ you will get ‘Y’ and ‘Y’ is more than usually NOT the product itself. It is either a successful relationship or a social status or an amazing experience or a way to impress the opposite sex or (you get the idea). They try and sell us the outcome of using the product and not the product itself .

Airtel – ‘kyonki har ek friend zaroori hota hai’ .

Outcome: it helps you stay connected with all your friends ( I think watching that commercial without the audio also conveys the message pretty clearly)

Axe - the axe effect. Outcome : you attract girls ( unusually pretty ones we are told )

Coca cola – open happiness . Outcome : basically it makes you happy ( its a soft drink for heavens sake – its refreshing. what else can it do? )

Raymond: the complete man . Outcome: wearing a Raymonds suit will make you a true and complete man ( if you were just half a man before- whatever that means )

Most commercials have a short story. The most popular one I can think of is ‘masterji , pitaji ki patloon ek bilan choti kardo’ – Two friends /brothers go to a tailor to get their father’s trousers shortened –they eat a bite of their five star and are so lost in its taste that they forget what they told the tailor and tell him to shorten the trousers again which leads to hilarious results .

Why the story behind the commercial is important?

Several studies have indicated that contents which are conveyed in story form are more effective than that being presented in listed format. The basic reason that commercials have stories is that a good story touches something familiar within us, yet shows us something new about our lives or the world around us. It helps us relate to the commercial. Ads that tell stories are able to involve and entertain consumers and, more important, are able to communicate and model how products may be used to create meaning. An authentic story obviously brings a better response.

The entire idea is to make a commercial that you will remember .

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the commercial should impress you in terms of the concept or the story or the acting in it . Some commercials become popular mainly because of their poor quality . They are so annoying that we remember them as a bad viewing experience .

Some commercials are based on a crazy , unreal idea but if its projected well the purpose of entertaining the consumer and making them remember the commercial is accomplished. For example Happydent – the idea of a chewing gum that makes your teeth so white you can use it as a light source is so crazy and yet the advertisement is so amazing ( happydent won several awards for this advertisement )

We may also remember some commercials that have catchy tunes. For example the Dairymilk Silk advertisement ‘kiss me, close your eyes and miss me’ or the Limca advertisement ‘Chalo Na Khwahishon Ke Peeche’ .

TV ads both reflect culture and drive it forward, pulling us unsuspecting viewers along with it.They parrot back to consumers what consumers already want but this reflection is a magic mirror: one that you can look into and see not you as you are, but a better self. In fact, almost all of the ads have one thing in common: They're idealized. Idealization means that whatever's happening in the ad is ahead of where culture is right now. It's not what we've got, but instead it's richer, sexier and cooler!

Tv commercials are part of marketing the product but the commercial itself has to be marketed the right way for the success of the product.

Heres a link of my favourite commercial – I’m sure you’ve seen it but for those who haven’t – please do, it’s worth a watch . J

‘By

Shivani Kalra

Five Steps To Integrate Visual Content Into Your Social Media Strategy

2012-09-18T05:33:00.004-07:00

“Blogs were one of the earliest forms of social networking where people were writing 1,000 words. When we moved to status updates on Facebook, our posts became shorter. Then micro-blogs like Twitter came along and shortened our updates to 140 characters. Now we are even skipping words altogether and moving towards more visual communication with social-sharing sites like Pinterest.” – Dr. William J. Ward, a social media professor at Syracuse University, in a recent interview with Fast Company

Dr. Ward’s analysis is right on the mark.. In the past year, the unbelievable growth of visually focused sites like Instagram and Pinterest, the redesign of Facebook with the introduction of Timeline and the cover photo, and the rapid increase in use of smartphones with high-resolution cameras highlight changing consumer preferences in favor of images over text in the digital space.

Here are five steps for your business to join the visual revolution online:

1) Brainstorm Ways To Communicate Your Messages Through Imagery

What is your business trying to say via its social media presence? What actions do you want potential and current customers to take?

If you’re a plumber, you’re likely interested in using social media to drive referrals when someone is building a home or needs a repair. You might also want to remind customers about plumbing-related issues and worthwhile check-ups to build loyalty and drive future business.

Alternatively, if you’re a dentist, you likely want to become a resource for good dental hygiene information for your patients and promote treatments that bring in extra income.

What are some ways these service-oriented businesses might use imagery to achieve their objectives? First, a plumber might post images of common problems he comes across – leaky faucets and toilets, broken pipes, etc. – and explain what the issues are and when it’s appropriate to call him to fix a problem. He might also post a coupon for a customer to use the next time they have an issue.

A dentist might post photos or videos of how to properly brush teeth or floss. He or she could also post before and after photos of patients who received fillings, whitening or braces.

No matter what the business category, there are ways to use images to promote your offerings and engage with consumers.

2) Put Processes In Place To Make Imagery Possible

Once you’ve brainstormed the types of images that will help tell your business’s story and generate engagement with customers, lay the framework for integrating imagery into your social media strategy.

The first area to tackle is how to build your business’ image archive. Does your business have a digital camera that can be used on a regular basis? Does your business need to hire a pro to help start the image inventory, especially if the quality of the photos is important in your field? (For example, a fashion designer or jewelry maker will want much higher quality photos than an accountant showing images of tax forms). Will you purchase photos from image galleries or ask others to reuse their photos?

A second area to focus on is what capabilities your business has available to enhance, build and format images so that they’re successful in social media. Does your business need to hire a graphic designer, or do you or someone on your staff have the time and skills to handle such work?

For example, you may want to create a Refer a Friend graphic for loyal customers on Facebook, or enhance the colors in a photo to be featured on Pinterest. Additionally, you may need to resize images to match recommended dimensions on Facebook, Pinterest and other social media sites so that images appear proportionally (To that point, website images greater than 554 pixels can’t be pinned on Pinterest, which is a major issue if one of your customers is unable to spread the word about one of your featured products).

Determining what you can do in-house versus through a vendor will be key towards developing worthwhile content.

3) Determine The Best Ways To Integrate Imagery

Imagery should be used to enhance social media channels that you are already using, as well as to introduce your brand to new sites like Pinterest and Instagram that are more exclusively image-focused.

On a channel like Facebook, take typical content like text updates and links and think of ways you can enhance those posts with imagery. Try out a few approaches to see what your business’ followers cling to – you might start with trying one-off images of a new store display, or a photo album featuring a variety of products.

See what garners the most likes, comments and shares, and what is more often ignored. Also note that shorter descriptions of photos result in higher engagement rates, according to research.

For new channels, do your research on whether your customers are present on the social network and if you think they’d engage you there. For example, a retail store or even a landscaper likely fit the profile for a local business on Pinterest, which has a strong female presence that enjoys sharing images of clothing, gardens, design, and the like. Once the page is launched, take note of follows and repins of your content to see whether your business is making headway.

There are some clear examples of businesses that probably won’t succeed on a site like Pinterest: an auto repair shop for example. Businesses that appeal more to men might not translate well on Pinterest, but do better on other social media channels.

In addition to social media, remember that business listings websites are a great place to showcase images of your business and its offerings. Take advantage of the images you collect to post on Yelp, Citysearch, YP.com, SuperPages.com and other listings sites to generate increased visibility and interest in your business.

4) Maximize The Relevance Of Your Business’ Content On Each Site

Whatever social networks you engage, learn how it works so your business can take advantage of all the work you’re putting in. You want to ensure you don’t stick out by failing to know how to participate.

• For example, on Pinterest, adding prices to photo descriptions creates a banner alongside the image, so that followers can easily see the cost of the products you’re featuring. But avoid missteps like posting too much of your own content too quickly (Pinterest will delay your future posts) or adding a PinIt button alongside a Flash photo album on your website, since users won’t be able to pin the content! • On Facebook, make sure you choose a great cover photo to promote your business and size your logo to fit correctly. But make sure you meet Facebook guidelines, which state that a cover photo should not include price or purchase information, a call to action, or contact information.

• On Instagram, use it as your go-to application on your mobile device and post regular and relevant photos while you’re on the go. Use a variety of appropriate and popular hashtags to further promote your content. But make sure your posts are relevant to your business and don’t extend too widely into your personal life.

• For listings sites, be sure to check photo guidelines to ensure your business is in compliance. For example, YP.com requires that photos are original and does not permit advertisements.

5) Solicit Customers To Participate By Sharing Photos Online

Find ways to encourage customers to share original photo content related to your business: it not only engages them, but provides you with new imagery to use. Some ideas include:

• Hosting a contest promoted on Facebook that solicits photos of customers using your business’ products

• Enabling your business’ Pinterest board to allow your favorite or most active fans to pin pictures to complement your own content. (Additionally, take advantage of a tool that allows you to track which photos on your website are being shared on Pinterest, so you know what’s resonating: visit http://pinterest.com/source/YourWebsite.com/ – replacing “YourWebsite.com” with your website URL).

• On Instagram, encourage followers to use your business’ hashtag when posting images related to your product as an incentive to receive a free gift with their purchase.

Source-Marketingland.com

Ethics in Marketing

2012-09-17T00:30:00.001-07:00

Marketing professionals with a backbone reap great rewards, including a solid career with the potential for advancement. But the high road is not always the easiest path to take.

“You know right from wrong,” says Laura Hartman, professor of business ethics at the DePaul University College of Commerce and author of Business Ethics: Decision-Making for Personal Integrity & Social Responsibility. “What’s tough is standing up for it. Sometimes, it takes a lot of courage to be ethical.”

Making moral decisions also requires intelligence and forethought. It’s easy, say professionals in the field, to fudge the truth to make a sale and believe the bottom line will be the better for it. Try telling that to those who were marketing Enron, the defunct Texas-based energy company marred by accounting fraud and cover-ups. “Someone was selling the deal,” says Victoria Crittenden, chairperson of the MBA Core Faculty at Boston College. “We just don’t hear about it.” But just because the marketing arm of an organization doesn’t get as much attention as the finance group, does not mean marketers have free reign.

In fact, everyone in business is wise to develop moral fibers, because ethical problems often lead to legal problems, which bite into profits -- not to mention your career ladder. The first step to confronting any dilemma is recognizing the moral dimension of it. Only then can you properly weigh the pros and cons of your options. Here are common ethical dilemmas you’re likely to face as a marketing professional and steps to keep your reputation intact:

Ethical Dilemma: How Far Can You Go in Stealth Marketing?

Scenario: An actor hired by a particular company poses as an ordinary Joe and strikes up a conversation with a potential consumer to praise the company’s product or service. Is this fair?

Case Study: Don’t think this could actually happen? Think again, says Hartman, who wrote about Sony Ericsson hiring actors posing as tourists to go to the Empire State Building to ask other visitors to take photos of them with the brand’s cameras. Then, the actors talked up the product. She cites other examples such as companies having publicity hires write recommendations for goods and services on various Web sites without disclosing their employer. These maneuvers, known as stealth marketing, are a hotly debated topic in the industry. Where should you stand?

Plan of Action: With an ever more sophisticated clientele, companies are quickly learning that transparency rules today’s marketplace. Therefore, experts say your only choice is to be honest and forthright. If you want consumers to sample your product in a natural setting, you can still have them do so. Just let them know who you are and why you’d like to talk to them. If the product is a good one, then your honesty should in no way diminish it.

Ethical Dilemma: Can You Sell Customer Information?

Scenario: When customers shop your online store, they leave an electronic trail that provides lots of information -- from their name and address to the types of goods that interest them when they search the site. A partner company would like to buy the data from you. Should you make the sale? Do you even have the right to use that information in house?

Case Study: Telemarketers and junk email are a part of everyday life. There’s no question that someone is passing around contact information. Companies are always looking to get in touch with customers and find out about purchasing patterns, says H. David Hennessey, professor of marketing at Babson College. Using consumer information is a privacy and fairness issue if not a legal one, he adds, because many people think their purchases are anonymous or somehow protected.

Plan of Action: Consult the company’s code of ethics to determine if standards have already been set about how much information you can use internally and externally, says Hennessey. He suggests you put together a group to create a policy about the acceptable ways to use information consumers share with you. Consider privacy law and the American Marketing Association’s set of standards when determining your code of conduct, say experts. Sometimes, the easiest and most effective way to confront such questions is simply to put yourself in your client’s shoes. Would you consider the use an invasion of privacy or betrayal?

Ethical Dilemma: Should You Recall a Flawed Product?

Scenario: You discover a flaw in one of your products, but telling the public might affect sales. What should you do?

Case Study: Many a company has had to grapple with this problem. Think of what must go into the decision to recall cars. Pet food makers had to react to the fact that some food was tainted and killing beloved cats and dogs. In 2006, some consumers of Bausch & Lomb’s ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution suffered from a fungal eye infection, and the company’s marketers were criticized for reacting slowly and being close-lipped. Although extreme, these examples highlight the importance of gaining and maintaining consumers’ trust.

Plan of Action: Marketing 101 taught you that your main priority should always be to focus on the positives of the products and services you offer. However, you have to remember that stakeholders in your company aren’t just the financiers who birthed the enterprise but are also the consumers who keep its heart beating. “If profit maximization is going to lead the decision maker down the wrong path, that’s not right,” says Kirk Davidson, professor of corporate social responsibility and marketing at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. “You can achieve satisfactory profits and do the right thing.”

Any industry expert will tell you -- just as they did Bausch & Lomb in 2006 -- if your product is in any way harmful, you must be honest, ask forgiveness and take action immediately. Take a page from Johnson & Johnson’s handbook. The company’s handling of the Tylenol tragedy in 1982, when seven people in Chicago died as a result of ingesting cyanide-laced Tylenol Extra-Strength capsules, is considered the best example of how to handle a product liability issue. The company swiftly pulled the products from the shelves and quelled the nerves of its consumers.

Ethical Dilemma: What’s Appropriate in Comparison Marketing?
Scenario: You’d like to put out an ad for your client that compares his product to the competition. How far can you go?

Case Study: Once you start looking for examples of comparison marketing, you will find them everywhere. Makers of acne medication pit an image of a client using one product, say Proactiv, versus photos of the same person using a rival product to show which zaps more zits. Phone companies are notorious for comparing their services and charges to those of a rival in television ads.

Plan of Action: There’s nothing wrong with wanting to show up the competition -- as long as you don’t step over the line. Be sure that everything you are publicly saying in favor of your company or product and against your competitor is actually true. Test the goods yourself before committing to any promotional materials. Double and triple check the facts. The bottom line is that inaccuracies in such comparison marketing undoubtedly lead to a courtroom, where your rivals will call you out on your errors. You could lose the big bucks, not to mention the respect of an otherwise trusting public.

Obama's SMS Donation Drive

2012-09-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

Obama to accept donations via SMS

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There are a lot of rules governing political campaign donations, especially when you’re talking about a big chunk numbering in the millions or more. But that doesn’t mean micro contributions are overlooked. Barack Obama’s campaign is reportedly finishing up the final touches on agreements with Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S. Cellular this week, so that even everyday American citizens can express their support via small text-message donations. (AT&T is expected to follow suit later.)

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"When the pipes open up — possibly as early as next week — it would mark a historical first."

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Soon American voters will see fundraising appeals at Obama rallies and on fliers or other promos, urging them to give $10 to the Obama for America campaign. Similar to the way people donate money to charities by phone, they’ll be encouraged to text the world “GIVE” to 62262 (“OBAMA” on the dialpad). When the pipes open up — possibly as early as next week — it would mark a historical first. And that’s somewhat apropos, considering Obama’s reputation as the most technologically savvy POTUS the country has ever seen.

Not to be outdone, Mitt Romney may be hitting up a cellular donation strategy as well. Word has it, the Republican candidate is expected to launch SMS donations soon, as his campaign has long connected with supporters using the number 466488 (or “GOMITT”). So the groundwork is already in place, making the shift to fundraising a no-brainer.

Campaign finance is an area fraught with controversy, and in an election year marked by incredibly expensive campaigns, the decidedly mobile-friendly approach is a real head-turner. Although SMS donations have a limit of $10 per text (with $50 monthly, $200 total per campaign), the move may open the floodgates, as an any American mobile user would be able to donate at any time. Considering that there are 330 million wireless subscribers in the U.S., offering them a convenient way to support their favorite candidate could yield some stunning results. It’s feasible that all of those micro donations could amass into enormous amounts — even larger than some of the major contributions kicked in by outside groups and special interests.

Of course, some rules still apply. In addition to the maximum amounts, donations cannot come from foreigners, supporters younger than 18 or from corporations. But even so, with this being a rather heated presidential election year, a flurry of text donations could make a big impact — enough to change the nature of the U.S. campaign finance game forever and maybe in the coming years the election campaigns in countries like India - which is the world's largest democracy.

Five Marketing Lessons To Be Learnt From Anna Hazare

2012-08-29T02:17:00.001-07:00

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1. Don't sell a product; sell a cause.

Anna Hazare has become a household name by now. Whether you agree with his methodology or not, you cannot ignore the fact that he’s done something very few could have managed: he’s sold an entire nation the idea of a rebellion.

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"We looked at him and saw the Mahatma Gandhi of yore, fighting relentlessly against the evil government..."

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I may sound sceptical, but it’s true. When Anna Hazare entered the arena, he caught the public’s attention for two very important reasons - first, his extremely Gandhian image; and second, his extremely Gandhian cause. We looked at him and saw the Mahatma Gandhi of yore, fighting relentlessly against the evil government that’s kept us in corruption-infested shackles for so very long; and hence, we answered his call for a mass movement with fire in our bellies and slogans on our lips.

Why?

Because Anna Hazare sold us a cause and we bought it – hook, line, and sinker.

2. Be clear in what you want.

Anna Hazare started off as a social activist who was fighting for a Jan Lokpal Bill.

So far, so good.

Then all of a sudden, the latest news bulletin reported that he’s forming a political party, but oh, he’s actually not, because he’s disbanded Team Anna. And now he’s supporting Baba Ramdev, but someone said he’s not, and there are reports of tension within the ranks of his supporters, but what rubbish, they’re in perfect harmony with each other...

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Anna Hazare was loved; the government was feared.

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Exactly.

If you aren’t clear in what you want from the customer, the customer is not going to wait around for you to figure it out.

3. Pick your battles.

Compromise is not synonymous with defeat. The best-laid plans often go awry and then the only thing that can save you is the art of negotiation. Mahatma Gandhi did it beautifully, giving an inch wherever he could only to take two in return. Anna Hazare, on the other hand, follows a very simple motto in his crusade: my way, or no way.

Negotiation and compromise is an essential part of any marketing strategy. You cannot put up your company’s banner on the moon, no matter how desperately you want to woo those alien-species. Sometimes, your budget has certain constraints that you have to follow. Learn to pick your battles and make sure the world does not burn while you’re busy trying to maximise your profits.

4. It’s far better to be feared than loved – best said by the Red Queen.

Anna Hazare was loved; the government was feared.

In the end, which of the two players had the last laugh?

This analogy may sound a bit controversial, though. Anna Hazare’s movement cannot be termed a failure, but there is no disputing the fact that somewhere down the line, there was nothing left for the elderly man in the white topi to do but wait and curse. When push came to shove, the government delayed and talked and pushed some paper weights around, and Anna Hazare was left without the Jan Lokpal Bill he wanted.

Be aggressive in your marketing strategy. Don’t be afraid to take risks (albeit calculated ones!). Be feared by your competitors, and loved by your customers. Make your presence known.

5. Know thy customers.

Anna Hazare made one crucial mistake: he forgot to segment his customers. The idea of a rebellion brought everyone together, but it wasn’t enough to keep them there. The middle class has different priorities than the elite; the urban population requires a different kind of persuasion than the rural. This is the basic tenant of any marketing strategy: know thy customer, and market thy product accordingly.

-by-
Aanavi Dewan