With this year coming to an end, we bring to you the December edition of Markathon. The year in itself was full of major twists and turns which rocked the whole marketing world. We kept you up to date with all that happened in the marketing world and will continue to do so in the coming future. With most of us cosying up in our homes or planning a trip to celebrate New Year, we wish the very best of our regards, may the new year be prosperous and full of happiness for all our readers. With customers becoming more and more distant from companies due to increasing connectivity, there lacks a personal touch in communication of brands. Brands have come to realise that one-size-fit-all will not work anymore and plan to incite customer attachment by using the tool of brand personalisation. In our cover story we talk about its recent implementations and scope in building brand value in the long run Brands are gearing up with their new-year offers and discounts, we will definitely get to see some creative marketing tactics. Speaking of marketing tactics we have Product Placement as this month’s perspective along with the Royal Enfield Himalayan, for these articles we would like to congratulate Lokesh Bhumireddy from NMIMS Mumbai and Nakul Yadav from IIM Calcutta respectively. Following the advent of Digital Wallets due to demonetisation we had our readers expressing their views n Eye2Eye and would like to congratulate Aman Kumar Rai from IIT Delhi and Piyush Mishra from UPES Dehradun for the same.
We have seen many Indian brands making it big but none could understand the Indian audience like Nirma, is our brand story of the month. We would like to thank Mr. Manu Gupt, Digital Marketing Head, UrbanClap for his insights on digital marketing in start-ups and its importance. As always we have our catch and miss of the month (make sure you catch that) and fun corner to boggle your minds with marketing puzzles Lastly, we would like to thank all our readers for their support and promise to see you again next year. Please keep writing to us and don’t hesitate to send in your suggestions and comments Wishing you a very Happy New Year, Happy Reading! Cheers Team Markathon
The Markathon Team Editor
Arnav Khanna
Creative Designers Ravitej Vadlamani | Archita Singh | Aditya Gaur
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He is our very own Captain Cool
E D I T O R
Of The Month
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Arnav Khanna AND HIS TEAM..!!
Ravitej
Suman
Aditya
Raghav Himanshu
Archita
Arnav
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December 2016
Andar Ki Baat
01 05 Personalisation 9 Brand Ravitej Vadlamani | IIM
Product Placement: Hero, Heroine & Brand Lokesh Bhumi Reddy | NMIMS Mumbai
Man Machine & Mountain:
Royal Enfield Himalayan Nakul Yadav, Prashant Kumar, Rahul Kumar | IIM Calcutta
Shillong
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Will mobile wallets revolutionize customer purchasing patterns or is it a passing wave?
Aman Kumar Rai IIT Delhi
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Mr Manu Gupt VP Marketing & Growth Urban Clap
Piyush mishra Interviewed By: UPES Dehra- Archita Singh & Himanshu Chugh | dun IIM Shillong
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IIM Shillong
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December 2016
Andar Ki Baat 17
AD-dicted
Catch & Miss advertisements of the month Suman Sourav & Ravitej Vadlamani | IIM Shillong
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Digi - Tally Let’s look at our social media marketing
Marketing Gyan Fun Corner
19 NIRMA 18 Brand Story Raghav Dhanuka | IIM Shillong
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To get the brain tickling Aditya Gaur | IIM Shillong
Updates
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Fresh from the Marketing World Suman Sourav | IIM Shillong
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perspective
By Lokesh Bhumireddy NMIMS Mumbai
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What are the ways to promote a product with the help of movies? Advertise the product in the interval of the movie or make your product a part of the movie. The former is what most brands do and the latter is what some brands follow to stand out. Remember Hrithik Roshan’s movie Krishh. There is a scene wherein he offers a kid Bournvita saying that it will help the kid become powerful like him. Why did Hrithik offer Bournvita, not Horlicks or Boost or something else? Is it a mere coincidence? No, it isn’t. This is a technique used by Bournvita to promote itself, popularly known as product placement or embedded marketing. Let’s look at what textbook has to say. Product placement is an advertising technique used by brands to subtly promote their product through non-conventional channels like movies, TV series, music, video games, books etc. with movies being the most preferred choice. Hence, our focus will be more in the context of movies. Typically, the product is shown just as a bystander in a scene or being used by a character or being spoken by character in a positive way. Unlike advertising, product placement do not interrupt the program or movie and therefore is less obtrusive. The cost of
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perspective the product placement is also low compared to other ATL methods. It is of long term in nature and it strengthens the brand as long as the movie airs. It facilitates captive audience as there is no channel switching like we do during TV commercials. The great thing about a movie is it blends the fantasy with reality to create an amazing viewing experience that can relate to the average person. So, the product placements are more credible and appear genuine to the viewer than obtrusive ads. Now let’s see how these subtle ads mess with our minds. They make us implicitly prefer the products even though we may not prefer them explicitly. Our attitude towards a film or a character becomes unknowingly associated with the product shown in the film or used by the character. Simply put, we subconsciously prefer a brand used by our favorite character in our favorite film. It is like we watch a super hero movie and then we try to emulate him in real or in fantasy. Come on, we all did that atleast once in our life time. Will this actually work? Yes, it will and the history says so. Hershey’s Reese pieces akin to our Cadbury gems promoted their product through the Hollywood movie Extra Terrestrial (E.T). After the movie hit the screens, Hershey Foods saw a 65% increase in profits. The same goes with Ray-Ban and Tom Cruise’s movie Risky Business. The youth went crazy after seeing Tom Cruise wearing Ray-Ban wayfarers and their sales hit an all-time high. After the success of this
Bond movies have always been a favorite destination for brands like Aston Martin, BMW and Omega watches. But Heineken did something big. Every James Bond fan will know about James Bond’s favorite drink – Martini (shaken, not stirred). But the Skyfall (2012) movie shows Mr. Bond turning down his signature drink Martini for a bottle of Heineken beer. We see the same happening in Spectre (2015) also. Infact, we will see it happening in every James Bond movie that will be produced in the next 15 years. Heineken made a multipicture deal with James Bond producers for the next 15 years making it the most expensive and the longest running in the history. Although product placement worked out in case of Risky Business, it must be borne in mind that product placement itself is a risky business and it must be done carefully to reap the benefits of it. The products placed in the movie must have some amount of prior brand recognition so that the audience can identify it when they see it in the movie. If this is not the case, the placement will be rendered useless. However, if the product forms an important part of the story line or the story actually revolves round the product, the above mentioned pre condition does not apply as the storyline will see that the product is seen and remembered by the audience. One such example is the promotion of ‘Ertiga’ by Maruti Suzuki in ‘Mere Dad Ki Maruti’ where the entire story depicts Er-
product placement, Ray-Ban didn’t stop there and made the agents in every Men In Black movie wear Ray-Ban glasses. Product placement is a 8.5 billion dollar industry now with several product placement agencies working closely with film makers. Some of the most expensive placements in the history are made with James Bond movies. The James
tiga as a dream car for all. It is also important to carefully place the product within the story line or else it may appear blatant or out of place and hence attract negative reactions from the audience. How does it feel when the protagonist suddenly starts reciting the benefits of the product with no connection to what’s happening in the
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perspective movie? Can you imagine James Bond chasing the villains on a Hero cycle? There is a certain amount of risk involved because the success of the movie is not in our hands. If the movie is a hit, the product benefits through long runs
vices have become more interactive. Imagine you are watching a video online and you liked the Versace hand bag the character is carrying. If you click on the handbag it will redirect you to the website of Versace from where
in the theatre and repeat airings on TV. However, if the you can order it. This is called Product linking or in short movie is a flop, the effort is going to be futile. Also brands ‘plinking’ where a layer with embedded links is added to should take care that the rival brand is not shown either the streaming video content. intentionally or coincidentally in the same movie. The product placements we have seen till now form only a tip of an iceberg. Digital revolution has brought with it many opportunities for product placement. The electronics de-
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perspective In addition to the above trend, studios are now using computer-generated imagery (CGI) to place products on a TV show or movie after it has already been produced and edited. Post-production placement, or Virtual Product Placement allows studios to sell the same “placement spots� to multiple brands, and then create different versions showcasing the different products. Besides that, placement spots can be customized to suit local needs. For example, a milk carton in a TV show can display different brands in different countries where it is aired. While traditional product placement refers to placing a real brand in a fictional environment, reverse product place-
Second Life which is a virtual world created by Linden labs in their role playing video game before launching it in the real world. A couple of years ago, Starwood hotels also launched their new chain of hotels called Aloft in Life shortly before it is launched in real world. Product placement has withstood the test of time and continuously demonstrated its capabilities to the marketers. It adapted itself to the changing trends by embracing technology. We saw it in the black & white movies, we saw it in color movies and now we are seeing it in 3D movies and we will see it in next gen AR, VR enabled movies or w h ateve r it is. However, like any other marketing tactic, product placement also must be done right to realize its full potential.
ment refers to placing a fictional brand into a fictional environment by the producers. Sometimes these fictional brands became so popular with the public that they decided to launch the real life versions of it. Central Perk cafĂŠ from the TV show F.R.I.E.N.D.S, the restaurant chain Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. from the movie Forrest Gump are some of the examples for this reverse product placement. Reverse product placements are also used to create buzz about a product before its launch. American Apparel, a leading clothing retailer launched their new line of jeans in
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By Nakul yadav rahul kumar Prashant kumar IIM Calcutta To any bike enthusiast and traveler, Himalaya is a challenge, a battle, and an escape from mundane reality. Vast land with humongous mountains, Himalayas humble you. You feel like a speck of dust in this vast expansive world. One cannot conquer it but only explore. To that segment of people who are stuck in their office jobs, sitting in front of their desktops, feeling claustrophobic between their glass walls, for those Royal Enfield has launched a product that claims to give wings to its riders, become the Harry Potter broom to fly away into the world of ice, rocks and peaceful solitude. Company core: Traditionally Royal Enfield has been a brand that has been closely associated with Royalty and Power. Which can attribute to the brand’s close connection with Indian Armed forces during
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out to those riders who are now in a phase in their lives where they would like to do a little bit more, go out and experience adventure. It is their time off when they want to live and enjoy. The Marketing: Getting into the marketing of it, let’s start old school. The official ad. Firstly Royal Enfield has left no stone unturned into projecting “Himalayan” as a bike of the free soul. Their key target segment being the mid-aged working company executives who wish to free themselves from the shackles of the modern urban life. Second, the ad willfully engages the mind of the consumer with beautiful shots of icy cold Himalaya terrain. Going on and displaying the product superiority in overcoming the obstacles that come forward. Third the ad very elegantly describes all that Royal Enfield is about. All the iconic features of the brand come out magnanimously. Power, stability and rugged looks of the brand reinforcing the value expressiveness and strong sense of independence of the consumer. The Product Projection: Royal Enfield has cashed on its decades of experience into producing Motorbikes for rough terrains. The product features of the bike clearly indicate the expertise of the company into producing an all-terrain, go anywhere purpose designed motorcycle. The Target in a shell: Organizing travel expeditions such as Himalayan Odyssey and by making the bike available to bikers there, Royal Enfield has played a trump card. The company understands the target group who is really going
the companies origin? Before getting into the marketing or strategy of Royal Enfield, let’s understand the product first with reasonable clarity. Royal Enfield “Himalayan” is a purpose built a motorcycle for all terrain claimed by the company. But there is one thing that is quite special about “Himalayan”. The Target: To the company, there is a whole different world outside the window of brick made nests. And when that world calls there are people who are willing to answer that call and go see it with their eyes. But there is an only handful who will go out there and experience that feel all on their own, alone. The company aims to cater to the needs of that handful and generate in them a sense of healthy adventure and a taste for the unknown. The Uniqueness: “Himalayan” is the first of its kind dual sports bike in India, there is no competition at present which will be a plus point for Royal Enfield. Be it Bajaj, TVS or even the close competitor Harley Davidson, none has ever launched a bike that titillates the explorer inside the urban youth. “Himalayan” is a classic example of a product that is not just an excellence of engineering but a focused strategy which is about the understanding consumer, market, and technology. And the company has done all this while keeping alive the iconic loud thumping sound of the engine that Royal Enfield is known for. *The recently launched “Himalayan” was meant to reach
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perspective to buy the bike is scattered throughout the country, and no means of mass advertisement or above the line marketing. The only place where they can find enthusiastic buyers of their product is during organized bike trips. By sponsoring such expeditions and giving consumers bike for a test ride in such areas makes a real impact on the traveler, who most probably go back home with an idea of returning back with a Royal Enfield “Himalayan”. The Sales: Formally Royal Enfield has been notoriously infamous for their lack of a number of showrooms and after-sales services. However, the company seems to turn the table with it current bike. The aftersales services have been widely improved and availability of spare parts, which was a problem earlier with Royal Enfield bikes, has been taken care quite extensively. The Obstacles: An industry that boasts of efficiency, en-
comes the few channels of advertisement available for Royal Enfield to promote its product. Given a very niche market for its product, accept Below the line advertisement and forms of promotion, there is not much of a scope for the company. However, competitors enjoy an easy way out with their mass advertisements on television. But this bane in some way also proves to be a boon for Royal Enfield, as simply providing a quality product is enough for them, word of mouth advertisement does rest of the job, and conclusively company incurs almost no marketing cost. The Price: Coming to the price, as is true with any other brand that relates itself with Royalty and Power, Royal Enfield “Himalayan” mounts on premium pricing as per
gineering, and plays on mileage. Royal Enfield has been fairly able to survive. That I feel will continue with “Hi-
Indian standards. The price helps the brand stay true to its consumer who feels themselves to be exclusive and
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malayan” as well given the iconic status that the brand enjoys. N e x t ,
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perspective
Leh, when a rider is on a bike, feeling the classic Royal Enfield thump reverberating. The marketing campaign does quite a justice to bring in that feeling into reality. I feel with its product, with its target segment, and through it marketing approach, Royal Enfield “Himalayan” is able to strike that balance between the man who wishes to break his walls, the machine that gives him the ability to score out freely and the mountains that quantify the mighty Himalayas.
different from the crowd that exists around them. The Con: There is one thing though where Royal Enfield “Himalayan” losses out, its ability to generate interest in a consumer who feels he is not made for this kind of bikes. Until or unless there is an innate desire in a consumer to being adventurous or explorer, the bike or its campaign does little to ignite that desire or even be a trigger for it. Conclusion: there is a bond between a motorcycle and the rider, which is quite essential when a rider is on a trip, and the marketing campaign of “Himalayan” does well to exploit that bond into bringing about a feeling or urge to go out into the unknown. In the valley such as
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cover story
December 2016
Personalisation:
Cover Story
The right way for your Brand?
MARKETING BUDGET
I
ntroduction
By Ravitej Vadlamani IIM Shillong
In a period of innovation empowered mass customization, buyers progressively hope to put their unique finger impression on the things they purchase and the brands they seek. Differentiated encounters must be established in an understanding of this uniqueness, and ought to react to a person’s practices and the fluctuations of life. Solid consistency was the powerful insight, administering how the colossal chiefs of twentieth-century industry made conspicuous and significant personalities. Today, another pattern has risen: Brand personalization. Brand Personalization is the act of providing a unique product/service to customers. From assembling to data change, wellbeing, and health, personalization has turned into the new worldview A desire for variety has been consolidated with the accessibility of desktop and internet to shift the limelight far from the hard guidelines of uniformity one may have found in a campaign manual a couple of years back. Cell phones and ‘smart’ devices are making it simpler for organizations to offer custom-made, customized encounters that still represent the organization’s image values. The broad accessibility of various sorts of personal information, combined with the capacity to store and dissect that information, permits firms to customize shoppers experience. In this scenario, the guidelines slacken as customization and personalization get to be distinctly conceivable in brand building. The move to customized experiences changes the relationship a brand has with its buyers. A shopper purchasing a connected device is no longer at the end of the of the process that starts with awareness and ends with the selection, rather he is taking the first step in forming a personalized relationship with the brand. The organizations that will be best are those who can stay aware of the innovations in technology and adapt accordingly.
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Brands need to assemble different sorts of personal information, from self-reported data to data that consumers generate as they go about their normal lives on the various digital platforms, to control these encounters. Apart from the legal implications of using personal data, the question of how companies obtain this data and its consequences need to be considered.
rect media and to modify the message to mirror the actual group. In any case, the issue of working with midpoints is that they additionally tend to create shared outcomes. One of the promoting decrees is that ‘half of the advertising spending plan is always squandered; the trap is to discover which half.’ This is the after effect of neglecting to give careful consideration to the needs of the individual customer.
As personalization moves from extravagance to desire, it will no longer serve as a brand differentiator. Pioneers in the brand identity space should think the part customization plays. It’s not likely that all parts of a customer experience should have personalization. The careful thought of the client needs and the brand guarantee will characterize the signs of the brand personality. Whether personalization plays a prominent or optional part is a vital decision made by brand managers.
There are as of now various types of personalization at work in our cutting edge world. Google scans, as a rule, deliver distinctive outcomes for various individuals since Google can distinguish what we are searching for. So also, the Amazon landing page is distinctive for every guest. This sort of personalization is additionally turning out to be progressively basic in correspondence. The enormous move in the utilization of personalization has happened using innovation, permitting brands to be more focused. It’s dependably been key for advertisers to assemble a A superior focus on the known inclinations of shop- one on one relationship, where the offering is unique pers as far as items, services and communication to the customer and is conveyed through the correct help customers to make their decisions. The more channels at the perfect time. individual and applicable the message conveyed to a client, the most probable that the customer will have positive feedback and in the end make a buy. Rather than demonstrating your customers every one of the SUCCESFUL CAMPAIGNS USING PERSONALIZATION choices in your item list, the trap is to show them COCA COLA – ‘Share a Coke’ directly the three alternatives you think will intrigue The organization’s “Share a Coke” 2015 campaign them the most. At Amazon, 35 % of all business re- was one of the best-performing advertising efforts in sult from customized suggestions; at Netflix, the rate Coca-Cola’s history. This strategy left out the organiis as high as 75 %. Personalization is hence a critical zation’s notable logo on 20-ounce bottles for 250 of stride in data strategy. It is a final approach to raising the nation’s most well-known names. Customers had your digital customer relationship to a new level. the opportunity to have a nonspecific name, for exRather than concentrating on the average customer, starting now and into the foreseeable future, they should focus on the individual client. Exemplary promoting includes becoming acquainted with and understanding the average customer. This frequently brought about the drawing up of a profile that was so broad as to be useless practically. ample, “David,” imprinted on Coca-Cola bottles and Many organizations have ‘house wives between the were urged to give those jugs to loved ones. ages of 25 and 45’ in their objective gathering. This kind of profiling was necessary to choose the cor- Also, customers could share their encounters and
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stories on Twitter with the hashtag #ShareaCoke. The individuals who shared their stories were entered to have their photographs highlighted on the organization’s site and crosswise over organization announcements. The reasons why the “Share a Coke” crusade was so fruitful are: 1. Consumers Were Prompted to Participate and Create Online Media Content 2. The Brand Connected With Consumers on a Personal Level 3. The Words Used in the Campaign Are Powerful Calls to Action
and customized substance are more keen on building an association with them. COMPANIES USING PERSONALIZATION GOOGLE This organization needs no introduction, and one can easily connect the dots and figure out how Google has used personalization to incredible success. To start with, we have to see how Google profits. 89% of it originates from promotion incomes, so in every practical sense, we’re just going to concentrate on that. So the question is, how would they utilize personalization to see the 66-billion-dollar income they pulled in a year ago.
NUTELLA-’Your Nutella, Your Way’ Most as of late, Nutella has understood the force of individual engagement and permitted clients to customize jugs of their chocolate spread with names in their ‘Your Nutella, Your Way’ campaign, with the campaign being promoted via social media, print, TV, on the web and every other advertising channel! As is basic with the tremendous impact of online networking, this has turned into a trend on Twitter and Instagram, with individuals racing to flaunt their customized containers.
Google works best as a profile-based service, which implies that to receive the most in return, you’ll have to sign in. From Gmail to YouTube, Google accounts work with a considerable measure of services that individuals utilize frequently. Of course, you can even now utilize it without signing in, yet that is the place the genuine personalization starts. This first point is quite selfevident. Contingent upon what you look for, and what you’re user history is, Google will serve you diverse destinations. Yes, they are skewing the information.
The way that brands as large as Coke and Nutella have utilized personalization as a part of their advertising procedure demonstrates the power it can have. Buyers love to have something that is close to home to them: Research by Hanley-Wood Business Media led in 2013 demonstrated that 78% of customers expressed that brands that make unique
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In spite of this reality, a great many people still wouldn’t fret utilizing it. By comprehending what you’re hunting down, they can offer items they think you’ll need to see. NETFLIX
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cover story story cover
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“Netflix and chill,” might be a famous saying. However, they are not chill about their commitment to giving you shows you need to watch. Dissimilar to Google, Netflix doesn’t profit through promotions, it does so through memberships, so their fundamental concentration is on retention and keeping existing customers satisfied. They do this by sifting through their ocean of accessible content to give you just what you need to watch.
tomized offerings. If organizations figure out how to keep up their image embodiment in spite of the personalization of offerings and additionally adhere to the pertinent rules around client protection, they may be the winner. One thing is sure: Consumers like personalization and they’re not giving it back. One-size-fits-all arrangements will no longer hold up for brands hoping to lead the pack in their respective enterprises.
Contrasted with a DVD watch list, instant streaming content gave them significantly more information about individuals’ viewing habits. While they just had a small list to work with before, now they can see what you watch, the amount of every show you watch, what time you watch, and significantly more. This learning about your habits helps them keep you engaged by guaranteeing you have something new to watch. The last bit of personalization that helps Netflix convey a consistent client experience is by bringing proposals to your inbox. They knew individuals invested a considerable measure of energy simply searching for something new to watch, so now they assisted by messaging recommendations straightforwardly to you. By utilizing the greater part of the information from your record, if another show or motion picture that they think you’ll like turns out, they’ll let you know. You can even add it to your viewing items list from your telephone Be that as it may, not everybody rushes to applaud the brand personalization endeavors. While personalization crusades propelled by brands, for example, Marmite, Heinz, and Nutella demonstrate mainstream with buyers, “personalization” is in danger of turning into an abused popular expression. Personalization isn’t about calling shoppers by their name, yet rather about brands making an enthusiastic association with them as people that rise above packaging and labels. Brands ought to be mindful so as not to violate and overstep boundaries with regards to its cus-
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vartalaap
july 2016
VARTALAAP An Interview with Mr. Manu Gupt Markathon brings you excerpts of an interview from the ‘Top Gun’ of the Digital Marketing space :Mr. Manu Gupt, focussed on Careers in Startups & Digital Marketing Mr Gupt is an alumunus of IIM Indore and has worked for Lenskart.com as Head-Digital Marketing He is currently Vice President MarketingGrowth at Urban Clap.
Urban Clap
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VP Marketing & growth
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vartalaap
Working with a startup is indeed very different from an established corporation, the reason being that at a startup you have more liberty in terms of job roles and functions. You do have well defined duties for both but at a startup you can widen your horizon and work on different areas. It gives you much more flexibility and in turn a chance to learn more and grow. It breaks the monotony of working on the same job everyday and gives you an opportunity to explore your interests. Markathon: What excites you the most about digital marketing as a job role? The most amazing part about the job role is that it is ever changing. There are new features that are added everyday and the scope is limitless. Just when a feature starts getting monotonous, there are numerous ones that come up in place of that. The customer base is huge for digital marketing portfolio compared
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Markathon: Digital platform has a tremendous scope but still it has a limited reach among the consumers in India, how do you deal with this challenge? IA lot of initiatives have come up recently to make the customers aware about the importance of internet these days. Even small towns now have access to 4G with the help of the latest initiative by Jio. So the reach is increasing everyday to reach the smallest and remotest parts of the nation. Also the facilities provided by Urbanclap are more useful in the urban areas where the reach is very strong and it has worked in our favor. Markathon: What has helped Urban Clap in achieving so much success in such a short time span? The major focus for Urbanclap is on solving customer needs and providing excellent customer experience. The marketing team at Urbanclap focuses on the solution we offer and our value propositions. We
Marketers are expected to take full control of customer experiences in coming
with most of the platforms and the biggest advantage it offers is that it can be changed instantly according to your convenience. No other media offers so much flexibility. Moreover, digital technologies provide massive opportunities for more accurately measuring key metrics and see how marketing is affecting sales. It is the challenging nature of the job that keeps me going. .
adhere to their basic needs rather than going overboard. We have priced our services keeping in mind the consumers and at the same time the option of having the services in the comfort of your home with just a click on your mobile makes the whole experience even more consumer friendly. Markathon:5. What is the future of digital market
“At a startup
you can widen your horizon and work on different areass” MARKATHON
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Markathon: How has your experience been working with startups? How different is it from an established corporation?
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December 2016
ing? How to best leverage it?
Markathon: What advice do you have for MBA graduates to prepare for handling leadership roles in digital marketing portfolio?
Marketers are expected to take full control of the customer experience in the coming years. Mobile has been a massive trend in marketing for years now, and makes up over half of web traffic. The internet of things is a bit newer and more exciting but it isn’t yet quite clear exactly how it will affect marketers. Block chain and artificial intelligence have been a hot topic of late and these are some things we should definitely be looking at.
Be very clear about your goals from the bgining
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Be very clear about your goals and work towards them from the very beginning. If you are sure about what you want in your life, no forces can stop you. Once you have decided the destination, work everyday to reach closer to it. If you want to build a career in digital marketing, then learn about it, keep yourself updated with all the major happenings in the field. Talk to the industry experts and learn about the challenges they faced so that you can learn from them and not repeat the mistakes. This will bring about the perfection needed to grow. Last but not the least, be curious and be willing to take risks because that’s when you discover your true potential.
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eye2eye
December 2016
Will mobile wallets revolutionize customer purchasing patterns or is it just a passing wave?
Piyush Mishra UPES Dehradun
Aman Kumar rai IIT DelhI At prima facie it is likely for one to feel that an economy of over 1.2 billion cannot be converted into a cashless society. Nevertheless, thinking retrospectively and globally might suggest the opposite. In this article I have talked about the Indian metamorphosis to a society with mobile wallets (i.e. less liquid economy) and the induced change in a customer’s purchasing pattern. The thought to be addressed here is somewhat slightly different from the transition to a cashless society because here we are talking of mobile wallets only (and not the debit/credit/gift card payments). People find it significantly easier to pay via a card (if possible) rather than to open a third party application and use it to pay their bills. Now, the mobile wallets are linked to a bank account and the recipient of the service uses online services (like net banking) to transfer money to this wallet. The mobile wallet companies gain profit by either deducting a certain cut right during the transfer of money to wallet or by charging at every transaction (the latter method is used more frequently). Since this is the only method used by the companies to make profits, they are not preferred even for small transactions, owing to the significant administrational moves like waiving off the service tax up to a particular ceiling amount that allows the people to resort to card payments more often. On a concluding note, it might look like the mobile wallet companies are sweeping the market but in the long run, if they do not find a way to earn using an alternate technique than that stated above, they’ll be conveniently replaced by the bank cards. Also, with such a large scale paradigm shift comes the problem of technical feasibility, thus, even if the cut charged by the mobile wallet applications is reduced or waived off, it is going to take quite some time for everyone to get convivial with this technology due to the problem of affordability and logistical issues like lack of skill-set.
The onset of the demonetization scheme from the 8th of November, 2016 has been marked with nearly every shop in the locality pinning up a paper displaying a paytm scan code. This is an unequivocal and absolute evidence of the fact that mobile wallet can no longer be considered as a passing wave but instead, it is slowly and steadily strengthening itself as medium for day-to-day transactions. Moreover, the emergence of new players such as ikaaz, mRupee and Vodafone-m-Pesa is an indicator of the profit generation that the segment of mobile wallet is capable of. More number of players simply implies greater longevity of the industry in discussion. In addition to the ease of service, the discounts and rewards on offer are being deemed successful in alluring a greater faction of the population towards the use of mobile based payments. Now, everything comes with a set of pros and cons; the same is the case with mobile wallet. Mobile network and connectivity, which is the crux for e-wallet, is by far the biggest obstacle. Then again, the number of tech savvy people is increasing exponentially everyday, with people finding new ways to get connected. A certain section of the country, which still fears using a power bank for mobile charging, is reluctant to progress towards this concept of cashless transaction. But as time passes, this industry will skyrocket by leaps and bounds and this is the common conclusion that all the experts and strategists have come to. Benjamin Franklin said that “time is money” and mobile wallet without any doubt is the constant balancing out the two variables in Franklin’s quote, by saving up on time while dealing with money. .
Topic for the next issue: “Can India be the next big thing for OTT players like Netflix,Prime etc.” Your opinion (view/counterview) is invited. Word limit is 250-300. Last date of sending entries is 12th January, 2017. Include your picture (JPEG format) with the entry. Winners will receive a prize money of Rs. 500 each!
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AD-dicted AD-dicted
PRODUCT: Snap Deal
december December 2013 2016 By SUMAN SOURAV IIM Shillong
By Ravitej Vadlamani IIM Shillong
Product: Coca Cola
Positioning: Coke Nawazi Created by: McCann India YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdGMZU3gUAo
CATCH
R
Positioning: Unboxing happiness in the season of goodness
MISS
Created by: Famous Innovations, Mumbai YouTubeLink: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TW5kNmHSfSo Concept: The film is set in an animal shelter. It features two puppies, who get a gift in a Snapdeal box. As they move into their warm and comfortable basket, other inmates of the shelter flock around them, around whom other Snapdeal boxes are lined up. Youngsters help the animals unbox their gifts. The film appeals to viewers to celebrate Christmas differently this year, saying ‘Two legs or four, this season is for all’. It ends with an appeal to adopt pets at homes: ‘Gift Timmy and Josy, and many more like them, a home’ and contact details of World for all. Verdict: Catch Markathon believes that the ad is perfectly timed, although Christmas may not be a very big deal in India but any festival appeals to the goodness in us and the film by Snapdeal strokes this goodness and appeals for the adoption of pets from animal shelters, It completely rides on the cuteness of the animals in online videos. This film gives new meaning to ‘Unboxing’ and reminds every one of those who might be ignored otherwise, during the holiday season. This film is played on all digital platforms including the social media pages and Snapdeal’s website in order to connect the brand with the young and urban Indian consumers through emotions, and it strikes all the right cords throughout its run time.
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Concept: The spot opens withDeepika Padukone along with her brother visiting Mr. Mehra’s house. They are welcomed by his wife (played by Renuka Sahane) who fetches chilled Coca-Cola from the kitchen. The brother, however, realizes that they have ended up in the wrong house and nudges Padukone to leave, but she wants to finish her Coke first. Later, while sipping on the chilled beverage, she breaks the awkward silence, admits the error, and says Par aise hee chale jaate toh Coke bura maan jaata. Haina?’ Verdict: Miss Markathon believes that the advertisement is a miss as the concept revolves around entertaining a guest just by offering coke as a drink, which seems to defy logic. The proposition to label coke as the only thing which guests look for when they visit someone seems farfetched and hard to believe. Although the advertisement does well on the humour quotient with the personification of the drink by claiming that it may feel bad if they leave, but when compared with some of the other extremely successful campaigns run by coca cola, this particular one seems to fall short of expectations. .
IIM Shillong
brand story
December 2016
Brand Story RAGHAV DHANUKA | IIM Shillong
Introduction: “Better Products, Better Value, Better Living” Nirma is a story of the hope, compassion, valor and excellence of a Gujrati science graduate turned businessman. Karsanbhai Patel is the man behind the mystery detergent brand Nirma which stirred the detergent segment in India and became an iconic domestic superbrand for almost three decades. An eponym for his daughter Nirupama’s nickname, Nirma also means pure and impeccable, which is also reflected in the visual communication and imagery of the brand. The brand is a lesson in management for Indians and for MNCs entering into India, and the moral holds true even in the 21st century. The Wash: A humble beginning After a Bachelors in Chemistry, he started practicing as a chemist and during 1969 he formulated the composition for the detergent in the backyard of his house. And thus began the journey. He would sell a dozen packets everyday while on his way to office, pricing each pack at Rs 3.5/kg, at a time when his competitors were selling at thrice that price. He was a scientist, a businessman, and a salesperson, all at the same time. And all three were and are equally important for any brand to survive. His R&D experience was in fact one of the reasons for the low price feasibility that was required to thrive. Instead of focusing on increased pricing, Nirma tried to reduce costs and increase volume turnover positioning it as a no-frills product. Instead of launching Nirma in urban areas and then moving on to rural, he started from the hinterlands, slowly expanding to the cities. As the detergent manufacturing process is very labor intensive, it could also provide employment to the skilled and unskilled workers in the vicinity. The use of innovative ingredients and backward integration for raw materials and packaging plants ensured that the material cost remained low. The Spin: Sabki Pasand Nirma Apart from Karsanbhai, the four key persons behind the success of the brand were Hema, Rekha, Jaya and Sushma, the housewives in the brand’s commercials - figures that had an emotional resonance with the Indian housewife. Unlike the premium and idealistic image woven around Surf commercials, Nirma’s ads were portrayed in such a realistic manner that it received instant acceptance by the housewives, who were the key decision makers, the consumers as well as the customers. Moreover, the cultural traits were also beautifully reflected by the use
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of a playful girl, Nirma, as the mascot, with a metaphorical connotation attached to the tagline “Sabki pasand Nirma”. It also helped in reducing the perceived risk of the stocking the brand at the retailer’s end and increased the credibility of the brand as well as margins. Thus began the portfolio diversification. It had started extending to multiple product categories under the Nirma umbrella and the manufacturing operations had spread out to various locations across the country. It launched the toilet soap Nirma Beauty in 1990 which received a decent acceptance within a short time despite the presence of other brands such as Godrej and Lifebuoy. This was followed by Nirma Sandal soap. Nirma’s marketing was complemented by its distribution network, which had grown to over 400 by 2000 with a direct and indirect reach of more than 2 million retail outlets which helped Nirma penetrate even the remotest villages. Slowly, it had started exporting to other developing nations in the SAARC region. The Rinse: Re-inventing & The road ahead Indian retail outlets run on a very long credit cycle and it created difficulty for brands like Nirma to compete with MNCs due to higher bargaining power on the retailers’ end. Due to the delayed payments from the retailers, Karnsanbhai decided to flood the popular soap operas with creative advertisements which would increase the consumers demand and at the same time he created a shortage of product at the retailer’s end by acquiring the materials in place of pending payments. This strategy turned the tables for Nirma as it was now in a position to demand better payment conditions from the retailers. After realizing the potential of Nirma, HUL was compelled to launch the flanker brand, Wheel, after its STING (Strtategy to Inhibit Nirma’s Growth) operation. But the Nirma girl would not succumb, at least not for another decade. After the launch of mass brands such as Ghari which was even cheaper, Nirma lost its once coveted market share of 60% to 17% in 2000 and around 12% now. Whereas the rural reach of Ghari was better than Nirma, the urban housewife was not the same old Jaya and perhaps the Nirma girl had grown. The recently launched Super Nirma Blue ad focuses more on children and fathers running on similar positioning by Surf in order to gain more urban traction. How a brand like Nirma should act in the current context remains a moot but the Nirma girl will continue to occupy a special place in our hearts.
IIM Shillong
fun corner
December 2016
AKSHAY SETH IIM Shillong
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By Suman Sourav| IIM Shillong KFC Sets Up ATM to provides Nashville Dollars KFC delighted the consumers by setting an ATM where with just a few clicks on the touchscreen and answering some questions, consumers could be amongst the first few to get some Nashville Dollars. Consumers can exchange the Nashville Dollar at their nearest KFC restaurant to get a serving of the legendary KFC Nashville Chicken. KFC ATM also delighted those who were not able to give correct answers to all questions thus delighting everyone who were standing in the queue. KFC is hoping to make the waiting a little more fun and rewarding because in past month everyone has seen that good things are worth the wait.
UrbanClap and Snapdeal Partner for Co-Branded CSR Initiative Mobile services marketplace, UrbanClap has announced its exclusive partnership with Snapdeal for a co-branded CSR initiative this Christmas to spread joy among less fortunate children. Snapdeal sunshine which is a snapdeal’s donation platform initiated this unique activity and over 25 leading NGOs from across the country have been selected for the cause. As part of the initiative, UrbanClap and Snapdeal are inviting customers to donate ‘Happiness Boxes’ to selected NGOs via the Snapdeal Sunshine platform to help them arrange and plan the Christmas as well as New Year celebration parties for the kids they look after.
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Samsung Launches Digital Campaign, #WishUponMyGalaxy for Galaxy Samsung launched a digital engagement campaign, #WishUponMyGalaxy for Samsung Galaxy users. It is conceptualized by Cheil, the campaign is all about sharing one’s wish and bringing it alive for the users! Users are encouraged to use the My Galaxy app in the smartphones and share their wishes. #WishUponMyGalaxy dwells on a strong emotion – joy of surprising people. The campaign is all about touching the hearts of the people and it is believed to be brought alive in a very engaging manner.
Zebronics launches new speaker Zebronics India, which specialises in IT peripherals and audio and video products, has introduced the 2.2 multimedia speaker, called the ZEBBT361RUCF, it features two four-inch sub-woofer drivers encased in a single cabinet to create a theatre-like atmosphere in the living room. It is available online and through the company’s distribution networks across the country.It is targeting the consumers present in the budget segment who wants good sound quality with affordable price range.
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digi-tally
December 2016
Our Facebook page has been buzzing all month. Check out some of our posts here!
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digi-tally
December 2016
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digi-tally
December 2016
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Articles are invited
“Best Article”: Nakul Yadav, Prashant kumar & Rahul Kumar. | IIM Calcutta They receive a cash prize of Rs.1000 & a letter of appreciation We are inviting articles from all the B-schools of India. The articles can be absolutely anything related to the world of marketing but it should be an original work that is not published elsewhere. The articles can be specific to the regular sections of Markathon which includes: •Perspective: Articles related to development of latest trends in marketing arena. •Productolysis: Analysis of a product from the point of view of marketing. •Strategic Analysis: A complete analysis of marketing strategy of any company or an event. Apart from above, out of the box views related to marketing are also welcome. The best entry will receive a letter of appreciation and a cash prize of Rs 1000/-. The format of the file should be MS Word doc/docx. The last date of receiving all entries is 15th January, 2017. Please send your entries marked as <ARTICLE NAME>_<SENDERS’ NAME(S)>_<INSTITUTE> to markathon.iims@gmail.com.
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