Pitch November 2013

Volume X Issue 11 | November 2013

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EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

Marketers try to perfect consumer- interactions by creating the right experience

Pitch | Sep-Oct 2013

65 49

Hindustan with 1.22 crore readers is the No. 2 daily in the Hindi belt. It’s the No. 1 choice of readers in Bihar & Jharkhand and the fastest growing daily in Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand.

What’s more Hindustan has 76% more SEC AB readers than The Times of India in Mumbai.

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| November | October 2013 Pitch Pitch

India's No. 2 Daily *

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COLUMN ANNURAG BATRA

RNI Reg. No. - DELENG/2004/13757

Pitch | Sep-Oct 2013 Pitch | October 2013

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INSIDE COVER STORY

Pitch Volume X, Issue-11 November, 2013 Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Annurag Batra Editor & Director Amit Agnihotri Director Nawal Ahuja

EDITORIAL TEAM

Consulting Editor

Vinod Behl

Deputy Editor

Rashi Bisaria

Senior Correspondent

Gunjan Verma

Correspondent

Ankur Gaurav

Senior Art Director

Shamsad Shaikh

Senior Graphic Designer

Joby Mathew

Photographers

Vilas Kalgutkar (Mumbai) Suresh Gola (Noida)

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The many faces of

EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

AD SALES

Rajat Thareja Abdulla M Mazumder Varnikaa jain Sneha Walke

9810134435 9871609348 9769153087 9845541143

0FFICES

NEW DELHI: Shop No. 32, 33 south Ettn. Part-I, Om vihar, Uttam Nagar, New Delhi 110 059 NOIDA: B-20, I-Floor, Sector-57, Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201301 Phone: (0120) 4007700 Mumbai: 301, Kakad Bhavan, 3rd Floor, 11th Street, Bandra (W), Mumbai - 400 050 Phone: (022) 2640 3303/09/14/16 Bengaluru: Flat No. 1,062, 1st Floor, 2nd Cross, 6th Main Road, HAL 2nd Stage, Indira Nagar, Bengaluru - 560 038

CIRCULATION/DISTRIBUTION

Vinod Sharma (Delhi) - 9999447209 vinod@exchange4media.com Anandan Nair (Mumbai) - 9819445200 anair@exchange4media.com

Consumers are on the lookout for enriching experiences where they can participate and contribute. Are brands able to meet this need?

Capturing the imagination of corporates through

Experiential Marketing 40 PVR bluO mixes business with pleasure to create an entertaining experience for brands and corporates

On News-stands ` 75 www.pitchonnet.com Printed and published by Annurag Batra on behalf of Adsert Web Solutions Pvt Ltd B-20, I-Floor, Sector-57, Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201301 Printed at All Time Offset Printers, E-53, Sector-7 Noida, Uttar Pradesh - 201301 An exchange4media Publication

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Content differentiation is key for

Web video marketers

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Marketers should be clude Marketers into changing shouldconsumption be clude into patterns changing and consumption create patterns differentiated and create content differentiated content Pitch | November 2013

FEATURE 10

Targeting parents by creating a unique

BRAND EXPERIENCE FOR CHILDREN

Consistent positioning for

Brands create a parallel universe for children

125 years The magazine delivers on its strongest point which is to tell a visual story

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INTERVIEWS

COLUMNS The Mall at your Fingertips Gayatri Shrikhande |

Writer and brand ideator, chlorophyll brand and communications consultancy CEO, Dutch Brand Communications Consultancy, Brand Dialogue.

Mobile + Social + Video An all-new formula for Viral Marketing

Vinish Kathuria |

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Willem Woudenberg |

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Ankur Warikoo |

The New Principles of Consumer Engagement Ankur Kalra Vibgyor |

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Do You Want a Phone with a Camera, or a Camera With a Phone?

Founder and President, Brand Keys Inc

Pitch | November 2013

Dhruv Kalra |

CASE STUDY: SLICE

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Senior Vice President, Marketing, UB Group

GoTry gives a boost to targeted marketing

CEO, Vibgyor Brand Services

Dr. Robert Passikoff |

“Add an experience and consumers will remember your brand forever” Samar Singh Sheikhawat |

Can experiential marketing be used to create long term relationships with customers?

CEO, Groupon India

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Parag Desai | Executive Director, Sales, Marketing and International Trade, Wagh Bakri Tea Group

Digital Enthusiast and Evangelist

Create Experience, Create Brand Value…

Wagh Bakri Tea’s secret to long-lasting success

Sip the seduction

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Founder & Director, Go Try Marketing

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The success of the campaign encouraged 2 million calls even after it was Launch Pad over. So, by luring consumers Campaign with Katrina’s number, Slice could get the growth numbers Column : Annurag Batra it was looking for

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LAUNCHPAD

Gadgets & Gizmos Refreshing India

PARLE CAFÉ CUBA

The Product: Café Cuba marks the re-entry of Parle Agro into the Carbonated Soft Drink segment after nearly two decades.

The beverage primarily targets consumers with more evolved tastes.

Approach: The name Café Cuba has been inspired not only by the fact that the Caribbean nation is renowned for its coffee, but also for its association with ‘revolution’. This association is apt, both for the brand, and the company that created it.

The drink will be out in the market in January 2014.

USP: The company has introduced an innovative category into the CSD segment. Café Cuba (Coffee Carbonated Soft Drink) has a bold new taste, and smoothly combines the flavour of roasted coffee beans with the strong carbonated fizz.

Background: Parle Agro is a trusted Food & Beverage player with iconic brands that are recognized as household names in India. Parle Agro is a pioneer in the Indian beverage industry. It is associated with many firsts for the Indian market, like Frooti, Appy, Hippo and many more that have changed the dynamics of the industry. It was the first Indian company to offer packaged fruit drinks in Tetra Pak packages and PET formats. 

FIAT LINEA CLASSIC

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The entry-level sedan

The Product: Fiat Group Automobiles India Private Limited (FGAIPL) has launched an affordable mid-sized sedan for this festive season – the new Fiat Linea Classic.

The Linea Classic will compete with other entry-level sedans such as the Maruti Suzuki Dezire, Honda Amaze, Toyota Etios, etc.

USP: The Linea Classic is launched to give the luxuries of a sedan at the price range of a hatchback.

joint venture. The company in India will have around 100 employees and plans to have 100 dealers by the end of 2013.

Ex-showroom Delhi price: 1.4L Petrol Classic - Rs. 5,99,000 1.3L Multijet Classic - Rs. 6,95,976 1.3L Multijet Classic+ -Rs. 7,50,976

Specifications: Linea Classic is available in 5 colours namely Oceanic Blue, Tuscan Wine, Minimal grey, Hip Hop Black and Pearl White in the 1.4L petrol engine – Classic variant and 1.3L Multijet diesel engine – Classic and Classic+ variants. The features and leading equipments that this sedan has are Hydraulic Power Steering, Programmable speed limit buzzer, Dual Parabola Headlamps, Fire Prevention System and many others.

Background: FGAIPL is a fully owned subsidiary of Fiat Group Automobiles SpA, Italy. The company was incorporated in Mumbai, India, in March 2012 and will distribute FIAT and Jeep vehicles in the country through an independent dealer network. The company is currently selling the FIAT Linea and Punto models, which are manufactured by the Tata-Fiat

About FIAT Group Fiat is an international auto group that designs, produces and sells vehicles for the mass market under the Fiat, Lancia, Alfa Romeo, Fiat Professional and Abarth brands, as well as luxury and performance cars under the Ferrari and Maserati brands. 

Pitch | November 2013

HP DESIGNJET Z5400 POSTSCRIPT EPRINTER

New Solution for Copy Shops The Product: The new HP Designjet Z5400 PostScript ePrinter is the first multi-roll, large-format ePrinter for copy shops. The new printer allows customers to increase their print offerings to address a wider range of requests without a large capital investment. It is also a solution for graphics service providers and repro houses with graphics & technical (line print) applications.

Specifications: The 44-inch (1.11 meter) device is ideal for printing large-format applications with high image quality, such as posters, photos, canvases, backlit prints, indoor signs, point-of-sale posters, line drawings and maps. With features like two-roll media and automatic switching, the ePrinter provides fast delivery of completed print projects. The HP Designjet Z5400 PostScript ePrinter allows copy shops to produce durable, water-resistant prints that can last up to 200 years. The HP ePrinter uses six HP Photo Inks with three different shades of black to produce quality color and black-and-white images with up to 2400 x 1,200 dots per inch (dpi).

BANCHETTO BY VICTORIA FOODS The Product: Victoria Foods has marked its entry in the processed food segment with ‘BANCHETTO’. The first range of products launched under the brand is a variety of pastas namely- Penne, Fusilli and Macaroni. Victoria’s foray into the manufacturing and marketing of pasta is in response to the increasing demand for quality Italian food in India.

Specifications: Banwchetto pasta is manufactured in a fully automated Italian plant and packed in a humidity controlled environment. Original Italian technology and best quality raw material ensure the accurate size and texture of the pasta enabling greater absorption of curry or sauce.

USP: Banchetto pasta is made from best quality wheat

Pitch | November 2013

USP: The HP Designjet Z5400 PostScript ePrinter features HP Multi-Dimensional Smart Drop Placement Technology, providing increased levels of color accuracy for reliable operation.

Based on automatic drop detection and intelligent masking capabilities, the technology detects then corrects ink placement errors during printing to increase efficiency and reduce waste.

Background: HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. With the broadest technology portfolio spanning printing, personal systems, software services and IT infrastructure, HP delivers solutions for customers’ most complex challenges in every region of the world. 

Italian by Birth, Indian by Choice! semolina to ensure both health and taste benefits.

Background: Victoria Foods, nurtured under the parent company Rajdhani Flour Mills was instituted in 1983. It undertakes all the responsibilities of offering first-rate food products from the farms to the retails. The procedure commences right from sourcing the raw material from the farms and then taking it to the mills, processing, packing and then further distributing the finished products to retail; to both the modern trade and traditional distributors directly. Rajdhani Atta, Dal, Sooji, Dalia, Maida & Poha are some of the best selling products and first choice of consumers.

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LAUNCHPAD ‘THE STITCHLESS SHIRT’ BY ARROW

A shirt with no stitch!

Specifications: The Stitchless shirt brings forth an innovation, which is the world’s most advanced technology offering 100 per cent wrinkle-resistance. The product is engineered without a single visible stitch and the seams are fused eliminating the problem of creases and puckering on seams of shoulders, sides, collar or the placket. Adding to the contemporary

styling are the buttons, which too are snap buttons to eliminate sewing threads to complete the flawless look.

USP: Arrow stitchless shirt is available in 10 designs in a ‘Limited edition’ offering and is priced at Rs. 5599.

Background: Born in 1851, Arrow is a blue blooded American brand – bold, timeless and elegant. For more than 160 years this symbol of quality and trust has ruled the hearts and minds of consumers . In India it was launched in 1994 and is today the only truly international menswear brand. Known as the expert shirt maker since 1851, Arrow, in its glorious past has brought about several innovations that changed the apparel Industry. 

ASHOK LEYLAND’S STILE MPV The Product: The Hinduja Group flagship, Ashok Leyland has launched - STILE, a stylish Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) based on a contemporary, award-winning vehicle platform. STILE will follow the highly successful DOST as the second product offering from Ashok Leyland’s fast-growing Light Vehicle business and was developed by the Ashok Leyland–Nissan Motor Company Joint Venture. The Ashok Leyland STILE will roll out from Nissan’s manufacturing plant at Oragadam, near Chennai.

Specifications: The STILE MPV will offer the Indian customer best-in-class fuel efficiency of 19.5 kmpl (as certified by ARAI) as well as global levels of performance and comfort. STILE is powered by an advanced globally acclaimed Common Rail diesel engine, which is tuned for excellent drivability and low NVH

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Extra shine this festive season!

The Product: The latest from Rado’s HyperChrome family are the new diamond encrusted watches.

The sparkling models are available with quartz movements and diamonds on the bezel, or with automatic movements with diamonds on the bezel and side inserts.

Specifications: With a total of up to 181 diamonds on a single watch, the latest Rado HyperChromes embody elegance, opulence and dazzling luxury. With the use of revolutionary materials such as high-tech ceramic and the beauty of Top Wesselton diamonds, the collection is highly scratch-resistant and lightweight, making it both glamorous and wearable everywhere.

USP: The combination of polished high-tech ceramic and dazzling 181 diamonds.

Background: Rado is a Swiss luxury manufacturer of watches, with headquarters in Lengnau, Switzerland.

It is noted for its use of scratch-proof materials, a field in which it is considered a pioneer. Rado’s watches are obtainable in more than 150 countries. 

The fuel efficient vehicle!

(Noise, Vibration, Harshness). The STILE will address various applications like 7-8 seater people transport in the urban and rural areas, hotel shuttles, taxi services, ambulances, panel vans, courier services, inter-city and intra-city travel. The monocoque body construction makes for lower weight; while for passengers it translates into car-like comfort, excellent ride quality and greater safety. The interiors are well-appointed with superior ergonomics. The low floor feature makes for easy entry and exit, while sliding doors on both sides allow for easy access in tight

parking spaces. STILE will be available in Diesel, with a wide choice of seating options of 2 and 3 rows (7 and 8 seats) with maximum interior space for occupants and their luggage. STILE comes with end-user friendly features like dual rear A/C vents for effective air-conditioning at the rear.

USP: STILE comes with 2 years or 50,000 kms warranty and will be competitively priced starting at Rs. 7.49 Lakh.

Background: Ashok Leyland is an Indian automobile manufacturing company based in Chennai, India. Founded in 1948, it is the second largest commercial vehicle manufacturer as well as emergency. Operating six plants, Ashok Leyland also makes spare parts and engines for industrial and marine applications. It sells about 60,000 vehicles and about 7,000 engines annually.  Compiled by Gunjan Verma -gunjan.verma@exchange4media.com

Pitch | November 2013

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The Product: American brand Arrow has come out with a technology to keep away the creases. Constant research has led to the birth of a technology used in the Limited edition Stitchless shirts. The SuperLuxe technology that makes this feasible adopts eco-friendly high polymer thermo fuse adhesive material on the seams.

RADO HYPERCHROME DIAMOND WATCHES

Hindustan with 1.22 crore readers is the No. 2 daily in the Hindi belt. It’s the No. 1 choice of readers in Bihar & Jharkhand and the fastest growing daily in Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand.

What’s more Hindustan has 76% more SEC AB readers than The Times of India in Mumbai.

Pitch 2013 Pitch||October November 2013

India's No. 2 Daily

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BUZZ

Campaigns TVC

SIYARAM’S

Creative Agency: Makani Creative Pvt Ltd., India Storyboard: The TVC opens with Saif Ali Khan remembering his mother’s birthday and getting home to give her a surprise. As he reaches his grand mansion, a girl notices his chopper and informs his mother. The mother surprises Saif by arranging a grand welcome for him instantly. The TVC ends on a humorous note with Saif asking his mother about how she came to know about his arrival. She replies, “Aakhir maa kiski hai.”

PC CHANDRA JEWELLERS

Open up.

Don’t hold back.

Rationale: The TVC captures the Indian sentiments of the progeny “Coming Back Home”. It highlights the bond between mother and son against the colourful backdrop of Rajasthan. The brand shot an exclusive TVC with Saif Ali Khan in Jaipur. Continuing the legacy of Siyaram, Saif Ali Khan has revitalised this iconic commercial. 

Storyboard: The film captures an endearing and somewhat quirky montage of kids dancing in their bloomers to a popular Bollywood song (Dhinka Chika) completely carefree and with gay abandon. The film ends with a group of executives who are watching the video on their office computer and how one of them gets inspired to let go of his inhibitions and dance away to glory in office to the surprise of everyone around.

Rationale: The TVC uses children as lead protagonists as they are not inhibited and they express their

Heavenly wedding

Creative Agency: Bates CHI & Partners Storyboard: Shot at Udaipur’s Lake Palace, the film opens with Hasleen Kaur portraying a pretty young bride dressed in an exquisite wedding lehnga. She is surrounded by friends and family who help her wear wedding ornaments. The camera focuses on her jewellery - bangles, necklace, maang-tikka and earrings. She is transported in a beautifully decorated boat to where the groom awaits her. The lantern-lit sky captures everyone’s attention, and the film ends with the line that reads “Heavenly wedding collection. PC

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DOCOMO

Creative Agency: Draftfcb-Ulka

Saif’s Homecoming

TVC

TVC

Chandra Jewellers – Everything auspicious”.

Rationale: The TVC is rooted in the theme of marriage but it is the execution of the concept that takes this commercial to the next level, creating a setting which is a dream come true for every girl.

Hasleen, being a fresh face, brings a certain kind of freshness among the clutter of advertisements featuring famous celebrities. The wedding theme has always worked well with Indian audiences and will continue to woo them in the most regal way. 

emotions without worrying about consequences. The campaign idea is derived from a core human insight that people tend to hold back or hesitate in saying what they really feel and this burden of unshared emotions can create regrets that last a lifetime.

The idea focuses on encouraging meaningful conversations rather than just connections. It smartly connects an interesting and universal life insight that will inspire people to speak up more often. The sheer joy or relief of the speaker and the magic that ensues is where our brand thought of “Open Up” and the idea was born.”

Pitch | November 2013

TVC

TITAN EDGE TIMEPIECE

Mastery beyond belief

Creative Agency: Ogilvy & Mather, Bengaluru Storyboard: As the TVC opens, we see Maedir Eugster - a world-renowned master of balance, performing against a white canvas carefully assembling frond spines with bare palm by balancing each piece over the other. He carefully rests the feather on a small branch and continues balancing a massive kinetic sculpture overhead. This amazing act reflects upon the mastery of the Titan Edge timepiece that is a work of art in itself.

showcasing the slimmest watch in the universe, the Titan Edge. More than just a simple test of stability, Maedir rightly depicts a visually mesmerising look that justifies the ideology of Titan Edge, which is “Mastery beyond belief”. Titan’s new collection is designed to represent elegant modernism at its sharpest best.

The TV commercial itself is a unique act that perfectly represents both its craftsmanship and minimalist design. 

AMERICAN TOURISTER

Celebrate Dell se Creative Agency: Grey Bangalore Storyboard: The TVC captures how a son gives multiple hints to his dad about wanting a new laptop for Diwali. The dad is shown being congratulated by friends and colleagues on gifting a Dell Laptop to his son. The confused dad finally gets the hint when he catches up with his son, who tells him he still has time till the next day to buy him a Dell Inspiron. With ‘Gift a Hint’ the TVC sets out to capture the imagination of the youth of today.

Take on the World!

Creative Agency: JWT Hong Kong Storyboard: The global TVC has been specifically enhanced with Indian background music with an aim to connect with a wider audience. Featuring American Tourister’s new ultra light and durable Vivolite suitcases, the TVC shows young travelers navigating the streets of Paris with their Vivolite luggage with ease, pulling the luggage over cobble stones, riding it down steep streets, and banging it down cement steps. The 2013 campaign marks

Pitch | November 2013

DELL INSPIRON SERIES OF NOTEBOOKS

Rationale: Today’s youth do not humbly accept whatever gift they get. They

Rationale: A fair amount of dramatic lighting, deep breathing, and plenty of showmanship of unbelievable balancing from Swiss performer Maedir Eugster is the highlight of the latest TVC from Titan

TVC

TVC

a landmark for American Tourister, which celebrates its 80th anniversary this year.

Rationale: The campaign highlights the brand’s fresh, energetic and youthful appeal, showcasing the technology behind its new Vivolite range. The high-paced TV commercial brings to life the brand’s fun, lighted-hearted and colourful attitude, while highlighting the durability of the stylish, lightweight Vivolite. With this campaign American Tourister has attempted to break the Indian media clutter with some unconventional music.

It’s a catchy, fun music score that resonates with the brand personality also. Vivolite is made with American Tourister’s newly patented PressPro™ technology, which allowed American Tourister to create the lightest hard case luggage they’ve ever produced, starting at just 2.5 kg for the 55 cm cabin-sized model! 

are willing to ask for a gift of their own choice, one that they believe will help them further their dreams and ambitions and achieve all they set out to do. Openly dropping hints to their loved ones about gifts they would prefer has become a common practice. It is this insight that inspired the communication idea.  Compiled by Gunjan Verma -gunjan.verma@exchange4media.com

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FEATURE: THROUGH THE YELLOW WINDOW

Consistent positioning for

125 years

The magazine delivers on its strongest point which is to tell a visual story

By Rashi Bisaria

I

t’s a brand that several others can learn from. While print publications are struggling to survive in the increasingly digital environment, the iconic National Geographic Magazine is only going from strength to strength.

This October, the magazine celebrates 125 years of being in existence having survived various economic upheavals, changes in reading habits and trends.

With a reach of 60 million readers worldwide every month, the magazine has maintained consistency in its posi-

tioning with its high quality reportage, its sheer visual delight and relevance to the goings-on in the world. So how has brand NGM thrived in the midst of competition? What are its brand attributes that are worth imbibing? What are the secrets to its success?

Immersive Storytelling: A rich diversity of writers, photographers, filmmakers and grantees ensure that the magazine delivers on its strongest point which is to tell a story that readers can relate to.

Visuals from all parts of the world supported by facts and soul-searching stories have made National Geographic an experience in itself. Everything else may change but National Geographic’s core strength of storytelling that involves the readers through its sense of immediacy and urgency has remained unchanged.

Relevance: The magazine has evolved in many ways over the years and has

The magazine has maintained consistency in positioning with its high quality reportage, its sheer visual delight and relevance to world events 1964 | TANZANIA

A touching moment between primatologist and National Geographic grantee Jane Goodall and young chimpanzee Flint at Tanzania’s Gombe Stream Reserve.

Photo by Hugo van Lawick

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Pitch | November 2013

1995 | INDIA Photo by Michael Nichols

easily adapted to the digital format. It has the second largest branded page globally with more than 14 million hits.

It has seamlessly blended its communication across all platforms, that of print, television and the web. The year 2013 for the magazine stands for “The New Age of Exploration” which is a yearlong theme that is playing out on all platforms. By addressing urgent issues such as water, preservation of the eco system, energy and food security, the magazine stays relevant for the reader.

Authenticity: The magazine has one of the world’s largest non-profit scientific and educational organisations backing it. The society itself has been a major force in exploration, discovery and education and has lent an authenticity to the publication and the brand. The society has funded several thousand expeditions globally.

Brand Extensions: National Geographic, the brand, has spawned several extensions like the National Geographic channel on television which showcases thrilling and edgy content along with NatGeo Wild, the National Geographic Traveller, the Geotourism map guides, and the National Geographic Kids mag-

Pitch | November 2013

By setting off a camera trap, a female tiger captures her own image in Bandhavgarh National Park.

azine. The website is another hotspot for information on the environment. These extended products have reinforced the awareness of the brand in the minds of consumers.

Differentiation: In order to be a strong brand, NGM has been able to keep its differentiation alive. It is a unique product that has not diluted its identity in so many years. It’s passion for the living world around us remains unparalleled and the quality has never been compromised. By remaining the same, the visual format has also contributed to its unique character.

High Esteem: The brand is held in high regard and this has only increased over the years through the magazine’s valuable content that brings the reader back for more. It has built a perception of high quality content.

ACK Media, the distributor of the magazine in India is celebrating the trusted brand’s 125th anniversary with the launch of a special issue devoted to photography and its long history. Manas Mohan, ACK Media and Publshing Director for the magazine in India spoke to Rashi Bisaria of Pitch about the evolution of the brand.

By addressing urgent issues such as water, preservation of the eco system, energy and food security, the magazine stays relevant for the reader 1) How has National Geographic become the brand it is today?

National Geographic magazine started its publication in October 1888 as the official journal of the National Geographic Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding science and exploration across the planet.

Since then, National Geographic has grown to become one of the most iconic brands in the world. At National Geographic, we have dozens of writers, photographers, filmmakers and grantees in the field at any given time whose work gives us access to footage and real-time updates from nearly every continent on the globe, which helps us to be more relevant to our readers, and help provide context to breaking news. Over the years it is the time and effort invested in the brand that creates several thousand new brand followers by offering a range of products including the magazine, digital products, workshops, exhibitions, expeditions etc.The magazine has a reach of 60 million readers worldwide each month. Following in the footsteps of the magazine, the brand has expanded to include the National Geographic Channel, reaching 440 million households;

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FEATURE: THROUGH THE YELLOW WINDOW

The year 2013 for the magazine stands for “The New Age of Exploration” which is a yearlong theme that is playing out on all platforms UGANDA

A lion climbs a tree to sleep, in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth Park.

NationalGeographic.com with 27 million unique visitors each month; and a social footprint that touches 30 million people.

2) Considering that print media is becoming passé in the world of digital, how is the magazine coping with the change?

We do not believe that the print media is becoming passéas we have seen a steady growth in revenue year on year and even this year we are looking at achieving a 25 per cent growth over last year. Nevertheless this is an exciting time because digital media delivers new tools that help us tell richer stories and gives us direct contact with our audiences. The blurring of the lines between photography and video and between print and digital platforms has created a rich environment for us to experiment with immersive storytelling that amplifies voice and helps people connect more deeply with our coverage. Considering our activity on social media, we are the second largest branded page globally with more than 14 million hits which is very im-

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portant for National Geographic as a brand and also for us, we being their partners in India.

3) What are the new marketing activities being undertaken to promote the brand in the changing landscape?

In celebration of the iconic yellow border’s 125th anniversary and beyond…, we are planning a string of activities which would include extensive media coverage on Television and online channels. Retail activation will be focused at airports and other key retail outlets. For brand recall we are investing in contests on radio, photo exhibitions, and consumer promotions in print, online, social media and on ground events. We have displays across retail stores around the country and, with IBH, we will activate several of our important newsstand partners We are looking at customer engage-

ment programs from August. The programs would include photography workshops, National Geographic Expeditions, etc.

4) What are the future plans for the company in India?

One big point in our agenda is taking the magazine into the digital format and growing that business.

Probably the most critical business solution would be to work with some likeminded brands and create customer engagement platforms that will cut through the clutter of above the line advertising and generate loyal customers for all participating brands.

National Geographic continuously redefines the standard of excellence with superior editorialproduct, worldrenowned photography, brand recognition, and consumer trust and we will continue to partner with cutting edge expeditions and initiatives in the

Pitch | November 2013

and in some cases affected public policy around the world. Our goal at the magazine is to shine a light on issues facing the planet and to give people information that helps them make good decisions for today and future generations. We are constantly evolving and embracing new technologies and platforms, and innovating in our visual storytelling with photography, audio, and video. Our goal is to be the leader in visual factual entertainment in print, on the web and across mobile devices.

Photo by Joel Sartore

travel, tourism and adventure spaces to bring to the country stories that few other media brands will be able to conceive of and to support the society’s mission of “inspiring people to care about the planet”.

5) How important is content for a property like NGM to succeed in the market today?

In Magazine publishing, rich content is a key factor in maintaining sustainable competitive advantageand magazines need to evolve with time to reflect the sensibilities of the moment. We devote more time and resources to telling important stories about the planet than any other publication I know of, with a style of visual storytelling that is second to none. We are a leading voice for categories like environment, energy issues, culture, science and the natural world and proof of that is how our coverage has increased awareness

Pitch | November 2013

searchers and scientists to help tackle this challenge. Led by Thomas Lovejoy, a National Geographic conservation fellow and renowned biologist, the team of advisers will work together to identify and provide support for projects focus on innovative energy solutions.

6) Has the content in the magazine changed over the years?

We are constantly changing to stay relevant, exciting and accessible to our audiences. We’ve worked to make the magazine look and feel contemporary, relevant and accessible.

We create socially relevant content It is an organic evolution as we adapt and partner with relevant brands to to new technologies that allow us to disseminate such information.The push the boundaries on visual storyGreat Energy Challenge is an importelling—on the pages of the magazine, tant National Geographic initiative on devices and on the web. designed to help all of us better unOne of the significant changes to Naderstand the breadth and depth of our tional Geographic Magazine came in current energy situation.

1995 when it started publishing its first The hopes of billions for a better local language edition--in Japanese. life depend on plentiful and accesIn less than two decades that has sible sources of energy. But with the grown to 40 editions of the flagship world’s population fast approaching magazine, published in 36 languages seven billion, the challenge remains as across the world. to how we meet the growing demand NGM content has changed with the for energy in a responsible, equitable, changing world and this is no more and sustainable way obvious than in the last few years.

National Geographic has assembled For instance as recently as in our Ausome of the world’s foremost regust 2013 issue the cover story was about Sugar and why we crave it. It’s not a traditional National Geographic Magazine theme, and yet it was chosen as the cover story because of the recognition that issues of health and nutrition are central to today’s readers. NGM has evolved over the years, always reflecting the sensibilities of the time. It’s stayed abreast with world events and continues to be relevant Our goal at the magazine is to shine and modern. At the same time the magazine’s core remains unchanged a light on issues facing the planet – it is about giving voice to peoples, and to give people information that to geographical landscapes, and to helps them make good decisions species, so that readers have a better understanding of the world and are inspired to preserve it for future Manas Mohan generations.  COO, ACK Media, and Publshing -rashi.bisaria@exchange4media.com Director National Geographic Magazine India

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COLUMN

The Mall at your Fingertips Online shopping in India and why it’s here to stay

S Gayatri Shrikhande Writer and brand ideator, chlorophyll brand and communications consultancy gayatri@chlorophyll.in

hopping can often be frustrating. The crowds, the queues, the confused cashiers, are all even more unmanageable during sales.

Enter online shopping. An urban Indian craze that has not yet replaced offline shopping, but won’t shock anyone if and when it does. From groceries to clothes, books to electronics, personal care to household products, it’s all right in front of you, at the click of a button, or the swipe of a phone.

According to a Google Trends study, 2012 was the tipping point for the online shopping industry in India, with a 128 per cent growth in consumer interest.

A Technopak study said that in the same year, the industry was worth USD 10 billion and would shoot to USD 76 billion by 2021.

Figures not to be taken lightly.

Aside from the convenience of online shopping, what makes this industry tick? Better bargains, more brands in one place, the option to pay cash-on-delivery, a transparent return and exchange policy, increasingly superior product quality and very few nasty surprises on delivery, are the clinchers.

As their websites get more and more detailed, every brand allows you to browse a wide range of products, each one’s size, shape and colour, pre-order

an out-of-stock product, choose your payment method and track your order. They stay in touch, customize their ads on other websites according to what you buy or browse most often, and keep you informed of sales and bargains. Everything and more compared to a regular store. This in itself is enough to keep these brands going. But they do promote themselves to those who haven’t been converted yet.

Flipkart, in my mind, the online shopping pioneer, launched on TV and didn’t let the medium go as it expanded its offering.

So what started off as an online portal to buy books, now pretty much sells every category you could ask for. Through kids that talk like adults, Flipkart’s advertising emphasizes how trustworthy their brand is, how stylish their new range of apparel is and even takes digs at Arnab Goswami. It is memorable advertising by a brand that is ranked in the top 20 Indian websites.

A Technopak study said that in the same year, the online industry was worth USD 10 billion and would shoot to USD 76 billion by 2021 14

Jabong and Myntra, specialising in apparel, advertise on TV and online. Selling apparel online is no easy task. Shoppers love physically browsing through clothes, feeling the fabric, trying a garment on and are paranoid about buying clothes by just looking at a picture. Both Jabong and Myntra have made it possible to return a product if it doesn’t meet expectations, with very few strings attached. This is what their advertising stresses and it has helped break the first barrier of online apparel shopping.

Some brands like Redwolf and Chumbak are known thanks to loyal customers who spread the word as well as their entertaining Facebook pages. A formula that works very well for them.

Local Banya, Mumbai’s most successful online grocer, and the only one to trump the much loved neighbourhood kirana, does not advertise at all. Its excellent service and incredible range of products from eggs to toilet paper, make promotion unnecessary at the moment. One customer was so thrilled with them, she introduced the delivery boy and the brand to her neighbours!

All these brands have a do-ityourself model combined with a highly customized one, giving customers what they need and what they want. And that’s why they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. 

The views expressed here are of the author alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Pitch

Pitch | November 2013

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FEATURE: VIDEO MARKETING

Content differentiation is key for

web video marketers

Marketers should be clude into changing consumption patterns and create differentiated content

By Ankur Gaurav

Y

outube’s successful Comedy Week and 15 percent, on their tablets. The report has opened up the debate about also makes it clear that viewers increasingly web video channels versus TV once prefer short content formats on digital platagain. There is no doubt that the web has forms. As per the report, 64 per cent of viewbecome an alternative for the television ers watch catch-up episodes, whereas more audience to move away from appointment than one-third of viewers consume shorter based content consumption on TV to a crunched episodes, or “Quickisodes”. free style web based consumption pattern.

Marketers should not only be clued into these changing consumption patterns but also create differentiated content for each medium in order to be effective.

With consumer preference changing rapidly, web based videos may or may not replace TV. According to Kunal Kishore Sinha, Founder, Smartube Entertainment, “When someone is consuming videos on web, he prefers a short compact video.

“This is a first of its kind LIVE Video formats similar to the videos on television are not the need of the hour for Play Along application designed web based video marketers, differentiation to give all Idea mobile users of content is what will determine a webmuch more than what they can site’s success.” get from the television sets” According to a report from Sonyliv.com, maximum number of video content is consumed on mobile phones, out of all videos Nitesh Kripalani consumed online; it is learnt that 53 per Executive Vice-President New Media, cent of viewers watch videos on their moBusiness Development and Digital/ bile phones, 32 per cent view them online Syndication at Sony Entertainment Network

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In an effort to cater to the web audience, Multi Screen Media Pvt Ltd recently announced the launch of flagship ‘KBC Play Along’ mobile application. This unique and interactive application allows users to play along with the live game being telecast on air and the top scorers stand a chance to win Idea cellular smart phones. MSM has partnered with Idea Cellular and French company, Visiware for its social TV platform to create a unique and interactive Play Along experience. Speaking about the application Nitesh Kripalani, Executive Vice-President New Media, Business Development and Digital/Syndication at Sony Entertainment Network, commented, “This is a first of its kind LIVE Play Along application that has been especially designed to give all Idea mobile users much more than what they can get from the television sets – a whole new immersive second screen experience right at the finger tips.”

Smartube Entertainment, the com-

Pitch | November 2013

“ 40 per cent of smartphone users who come from top eight metros in India watch videos on a weekly basis on their phones” Preetesh Chouhan VP-APAC, Vdopia Inc

Instead of competing with Television, video marketers need to rely on content differentiation to find the visibility and reach they are looking out for

pany which has recently launched India’s first and only online digital channel, Trendspotters.tv, is now set to embark on other exciting ventures.

While Trendspotters. tv focuses on trends in fashion, entertainment and music, the other online ventures will take the sighting of global fads to an all new level with emphasis on food, DIY recipes, interesting travel destinations, health, fitness and other diverse subjects that most concern the new generation. Adding to this Sinha said, “We are focusing on producing content which can easily be consumed on mobile devices, since the consumption pattern on mobile devices suggests that the videos of short duration are viewed more, we are producing content of 2-5 minutes.”

Talking about the genre of content he is producing, Sinha added, “We have ob-

Pitch | November 2013

served that fashion, health and food are the three trending genres consumed on the web. We are focusing on shows pertaining to these genres.”

When asked about the brands which are leveraging this segment of audience Preetesh Chouhan, VP-APAC, Vdopia Inc. explained, “Brands from telecom, mobile and consumer durable sectors are the ones that are leveraging this segment of audience. This is a big consumption area from the point of view of videos. With all the DTH video recorders, video-on-demand is gaining popularity. Mobile video on demand is slowly catching up via vari-

ous apps that have come up and this trend will only grow. 40 per cent of smartphone users who come from top eight metros in India watch videos on a weekly basis on their phones. This, as a trend, is very encouraging because more consumption translates into more opportunities for marketers.”

India’s Cellular Company Idea has partnered with this application and this experience is exclusive for Idea consumers.

Shashi Shankar, Chief Marketing Officer, Idea Cellular commented, “Kaun Banega Crorepati, powered by Idea, is undeniably one of the most loved shows from the Sony stable. Every season, millions of Indians yearn to be on the hot seat but don’t get a chance to experience the thrill.

With the new PlayAlong app, Idea users can now play along the hot seat contestant in as many rounds as they want. We are confident that this new initiative will delight over 125 million Idea users across the country.”

Mobile is also being seen as the second TV at home. Initially, anything new faces resistance before people give in and adapt to it. Mobile video advertising has been accepted quite swiftly. Instead of competing with Television, video marketers need to rely on content differentiation to find the visibility and reach they are looking out for.  -ankur.gaurav@exchange4media.com

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COLUMN

Mobile + Social + Video

An all-new formula for Viral Marketing

Vinish Kathuria Digital Enthusiast and Evangelist

vinishk@live.com

The phrase “spread like wildfire” takes on a new meaning in the Digital World

B

ack in school, when we wrote essays for English courses, I remember writing about the accomplishment of one Indian leader, and how the “news spread like wildfire” across the length & breadth of the country. The co-relation to wild fire seemed exciting and was sure to get me good marks on the essay, so I never really stopped to think how a message actually travels to millions of people in a country. Over the years, growing up on newspapers and radio news as a kid, to watching Doordarshan news on a Black & White TV as a teen, to the advent of Color TV and multiple channels during college, and now being addicted to the Internet in the professional era, the role of technology in spreading messages has become increasingly clear to me.

The value of Video as a medium in being effective in driving the messaging of an offering has never been questioned, as is clear with the fact that the Global TV Ad industry expected to cross $200 billion in the next 5 years. In an environment, where watching videos on Mobile is the trend and Mobile Video Traffic is more than 50 per cent of overall Mobile traffic, it is obvious that Mobile is the new delivery mechanism for video content, with two important differences. First, it’s an individual medium, offering more privacy and therefore catering to more personalized consumption. The second, and more important for a marketer, it also provides

Or so I thought… till a relatively recent phenomenon hit home when I noticed the younger members of my extended family, and even those in my team at office absorbing content in a new way - watching videos on their mobile phones or tablets, and sharing their experiences on social media. Videos + Mobile + Social. Wow ! A combination that could open up a whole new world for marketers.

Watching videos on mobile is the trend and mobile video traffic is more than 50 per cent of overall mobile traffic, it is obvious that mobile is the new delivery mechanism 18

Pitch | November 2013

So what’s in it for a CMO and the overall Marketing organization?

1 Don’t ignore the consumer shift happening towards watching videos on mobile and sharing their experiences.

Absorb it, embrace it – equip yourself with the new rules.

2 Don’t limit your messaging to one-way communication– mobile video offers the possibility of interactivity, which may work wonders for your brand.

the Social Angle – where people have the ability to immediately share the content they’ve liked. What this means for marketers is therefore not just individualised content, but also a never-before multiplier effect that can be tapped into, to reach 5x of the initial audience – or more. As one marketer recently stated “For the first time, average consumers have a voice (through social media) and they are not afraid of using it”. Used effectively with intelligent videos content accessible on Mobile, Marketers have a potential gold mine on their hands.

also through millions of shares through social networks and many small, unofficial fan-organised flash mobs that have been held in universities and colleges throughout the world, using Facebook.

With more than 25 per cent of Youtube usage on Mobile, one can safely assume that more than 400 million of Gangnam style videos were watched on Mobile.

In India, the numbers are on the same lines – Youtube’s recent report states that over 30 per cent of their videos

3 To truly harness the power of social media, you have to create content that your consumers will endorse and share. The consumer connect in some form – emotional, humorous, musical or just plain whackiness – plays an even higher role here than in normal TV commercials. Only if done right, you’ll harness the full power of the mobile-social-video phenomenon.

The third point above is the most key, and here’s a secret - this piece is attractively titled ‘A Formula for Viral Marketing’. Virality = (Mobile + Social + Video ) * (X) – wherein

With more than 25 per cent of Youtube usage on Mobile, one can safely assume that 400 million of Gangnam style videos were watched on mobile are watched on Mobile. That’s already a large number – and the potential is clearly even higher, given that overall internet on mobile is already higher than desktop internet –led by smaller towns where mobile drives internet access. So as Smartphone penetration and Connectivity improves, we may see that Video on Mobile overtakes Video on desktops.

Let’s take the case of Youtube’s most watched Video – no prizes for guessing, it’s good ol’ Gangnam style with a staggering 1.7 billion views. Social Media’s role in this insane virality is obvious not only from the 1.5 M fans on Gangnam style’s official facebook page, but

Pitch | November 2013

Harish Manwani, Chairman, Hindustan Unilever Ltd., in his 2013 essay “Leadership in a VUCA world”, talks about how Unilever’s Dove Sketches campaign generated more than 200 million views on Youtube in a month, virality of that nature supported by social media.

the ‘X-factor’ is the pure likability and connect that your content has with consumers, how much it resonates, how much sharing emotion it induces in a user. It is a critical variable that cannot be mathematically defined at this stage and is a function of a few factors like creativity, execution, consumers insights etc. So even as technology evolves, the basics remain the same: Understand your customers & develop an emotional connect with them, just this time use the power of Mobile + Social + Videos and enjoy the user interaction take off. 

The views expressed here are of the author alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Pitch

19

COVER STORY

The rise and rise of

EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING Consumers are on the lookout for enriching experiences where they can participate and contribute. Are brands able to meet this need?

20

Pitch | November 2013

By Ankur Gaurav

By Rashi Bisaria

W

e live in a world where experiences matter. In a world, where the top rated shows on television are reality shows that capture real emotions, and real life moments are shared publicly on social media, it seems everyone is hungry for experience. If it’s real, we enjoy it and wish to be a part of it. So why should it be any different for brands? Consumers are looking out for new and exciting experiences and if brands can supply it to them, then why shouldn’t they?

Huge festivals and extravaganzas have become a clever means to get the consumer completely hooked to the brand experience. The Bacardi

Pitch | November 2013

NH7 Weekender is a music festival that has captured the imagination of fans for three years now and is in its fourth year. It has an epic line up of 200 bands and travels to four cities this year. India is being introduced to the music festival environment and Indians are enjoying every minute of it. Each time they associate themselves with this festival, buy tickets to it or suggest it to friends, they are unknowingly evangelising a brand and what it stands for. Com-

menting on the importance of experiential marketing in today’s day and age, Brian Tellis, Chairman and CoFounder, Fountainhead Promotions and Events Pvt Ltd and President of EEMA , says, “Experiential marketing is the last mile in a product’s marketing cycle. There is no better way to market than this. In today’s age, ATL activities have become too crowded, which is why brands are taking experiential activities more seriously. Experiential also creates

Huge festivals and extravaganzas have become a clever means to get the consumer hooked to the brand experience

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COVER STORY EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

It’s a culture of celebration that Sunburn is taking to numerous cities each year

communities and helps the brand festival memories.

Taking music to another level is break through the clutter.”

Manish Seth, Director, Marketing & the Sunburn music festival which has Sales, Bacardi India speaks about the carved a niche of its own from the growing popularity of music festivals time it began in Goa in 2007. The fesand Bacardi’s connection with music, tival aims to deliver the best Electronic “Bacardi was founded in 1862 by Ir- Dance Music to fans and is Asia’s leadrepressible Spirits who followed their ing youth entertainment property. The heart and passions. Since then Bacardi success of Sunburn is now being globhas always celebrated other Irrepressible Spirits that follow their heart’s desires. Music is the epitome of such passions, which is why Bacardi has been associated with music right from the BACARDÍ Blast to the iconic BACARDÍ rum jingle. The BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender was created to showcase these Irrepressible Spirits and bring the best global music talent to discerning Indian consumers.”

“Experiential marketing is “Discerning” is the operative word here. What Bacardi has succeeded the last mile in a product’s in doing over the years goes deeper than a superficial brand experience. It marketing cycle. There is no has nurtured music talent and made better way to market than this the fan more discerning about music. That’s where Bacardi has stolen a Brian Tellis march over those that simply connect with the consumers on a superficial Chairman and Co-Founder, Fountainhead Promotions and Events Pvt Ltd and level. It is about giving fans the best President, EEMA

22

ally recognised and it is being acknowledged as Asia’s biggest Live experience band. Sunburn has become a brand in itself and is positioning India as a global music tourism destination. Like any brand, this one too has brand extensions in the form of Sunburn Club, Sunburn arena and Sunburn Campus tours that reach out to young music lovers in the country. Brand Sunburn has a strong focus on fun and uniting people through music. It’s a culture of celebration that the festival is taking to numerous cities each year. By creating this larger than life entertainment property Sunburn has attracted other youth brand associations too.

Brands like Kingfisher, Smirnoff, Hero and Goibibo are riding on the popularity of the Sunburn festival to get the attention of a captive audience. What such events do well is catch the fans off guard and make them experience the power of the brand. It is the experience that forms an emotional connect with the consumers and makes them come back for more.

Larger- than- life events have become an ideal platform for brands to come close to the target audience.

There’s nothing better than engaging the customer through a pulsating live event. It can amplify the brand’s message manifold and make an indelible impression on the minds of the unsuspecting consumers.

The International Indian Film Academy Awards or the IIFA awards is another outstanding example.

The first awards were presented in 2000 in London. From then on, the awards have been taken to various international locations to showcase

Pitch | November 2013

Bollywood. Organised by Wizcraft International Entertainment Private Limited, IIFA has established the importance of the Indian Film Industry, turning IIFA into an easily recognisable brand. In the last 14 years IIFA has travelled to four continents and the IIFA experience has become synonymous with celebrities from the film fraternity and the best of the Indian film industry and its talent.

Events like the Oktoberfest in Germany and now in India are also a brilliant platform for marketing experts who utilise these large canvasses to promote important brand messages and identities. The Oktoberfest in Germany is a widely-recognised symbol of revelry. Munich’s largest and most traditional breweries serve beer and traditional Bavarian food is much sought after. In India, the Octoberfest was established in 2005 by Kingfisher.

It is a three day event which includes music, food, shopping, and competitive gaming. It also hosts international and Indian musicians from a variety of genres. The Great Indian Octoberfest is accompanied by mini-festivals, parties and road shows that spread the

Pitch | November 2013

As Dalveer Singh of Dialogue Factory explains, experiential marketing needs to have 3 stages namely: 1. Invitation: an ideal experiential marketing program should have an invitation communication that audience can relate to. Then, it can reach out to the right audiences and can garner attention from them.

2. Experience: By virtue of the name given, experiential marketing must deliver an unique and informative experience to the audiences.

3. Amplification: Nothing gets better, if the on ground experience can be amplified to other mediums and can engage a universe of target audience. word. Staying true to its tagline “The King Of Good Times”, Kingfisher has been delivering a good time to revellers on the lookout for different means of entertainment. It’s an experience of fun and celebration that Kingfisher en-

“Experiential marketing should target to engage and convert consumers into brand evangelists” Dalveer Singh Head of Experiential Marketing, Asia Pacific Dialogue Factory sures to all those who become a part of this huge event.

Martin Da Costa, the CEO of Seventy EMG, the integrated event management company, behind the successful India Bike Week where 12000 bikers meet annually, commented on the benefits of hosting such events. “Events create a 360 degree marketing opportunity. Firstly, sponsorship gives visibility, secondly brands are free to leverage the space to provide memorable experiences to potential customers. Thirdly, these events provide a direct sales exhibition space for brands which is proving to be beneficial,” he says.

What is the reason behind the growing significance of experiential marketing today? “One important reason is the rising cost of ATL activities. Around 10 crore rupees is spent on ATL advertising for one campaign and 70 per cent of that is wasted as it does not reach the right consumer,” says Rajeev Jain, Director, Rashi Entertainment.

“Experiential marketing reaches the specific consumer and the possibility of conversion is much higher than any other medium”, he adds.

But creating an experience for your target consumers is not dependent

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COVER STORY EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

only on how huge or overwhelming your event is. More often than not, it is the execution that matters. The experience provided to each individual by the brand is what really matters in the long run. As Dalveer Singh, Head of Experiential Marketing, Asia Pacific Dialogue Factory explains, “The ultimate outcome of a great experience is always a loyal consumer and advocate. Experiential marketing should target to engage and convert them into brand evangelists.”

be a memorable one so as to remain in the consumer’s mind for long and affect his purchasing behaviour. Vodafone has been involved in various experiential campaigns to connect with its target consumer. The latest was Vodafone’s “3G Experience Bus”, a part of Vodafone’s strategy to drive adoption of mobile internet. The objective

The result matters Experiential marketing tactics can range from street-corner events to unique interactions between brands and customers but it is the result that really matters. The experience has to

“The brand is committed to making the planet a better place to live in, through its ProPlanet initiatives and encouraging an eco-friendly lifestyle” Amol Dhillon

of this campaign was to build awareness and affinity amongst customers in tier 2 and tier 3 cities on the life enhancing offerings of mobile internet, in the process, breaking down existing barriers like the fear of cost implications and getting them to try out Vodafone’s 2G/3G Data plans. This initiative helped Vodafone educate customers on the power of mobile internet and how it could benefit them.

The campaign instilled desire by giving consumers an opportunity to experience mobile internet.

Vodafone Mobile Internet Bus was a planned 45 day bus journey across key telecom markets in India. As part of Vodafone’s Mobile Internet Bus Campaign, 5 buses equipped with 5 smart phones each, travelled to 130 cities (tier 2 & tier 3) in West Bengal, UP, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. The Vodafone promoters on the bus were trained to hand hold customers and help them experience internet on the mobile. They interacted with citizens and built awareness on the relevance of mobile internet and the umpteen

Vice President, Strategy and Planning, Woodland

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Pitch | November 2013

INTERVIEW: Atul S Nath possibilities that it opens up in life.

Vodafone as a brand relies heavily on experiential campaigns. As Anuradha Aggarwal, Senior VP, Brand and Consumer Insights, Vodafone India explains, “Experiential Marketing is a very important part of Vodafone’s marketing strategy as it is appealing to a variety of senses. It helps us to connect with the target audience and communicate the product/ offering to them in a more personalized and practical manner. The Mobile Internet Bus was one such activity that helped us connect with our customers at the grass root level and helped them experience the benefits of mobile internet.”

The use of digital media to enhance the experience It is this personalized interaction that experiential marketing offers which makes it a very important part of the marketing mix. What is also significant is the use of digital media to amplify a meaningful brand experience. As Martin Da Costa of Seventy EMG explains, “Experiential marketing has gained importance due to the digital amplification of these experiences which is possible now with an overwhelming presence of digital media”. Woodland, another brand strong on the kind of experiences it provides to potential customers, has used digital and experiential in tandem with great success. The “Adventurer Wanted” campaign by this Canadian brand, known for its extreme weather outdoor gear and outerwear, is a classic example of the use of social media and experiential activity together in order to create the right effect. Amol Dhillon, Vice President, Strategy and Planning, Woodland added, “We are using social media to generate buzz. A lot of amateur adventure videos will be uploaded and the best will be chosen by Woodland fans on Facebook. These participants will be taken to tour some of the unexplored destinations across the world.”

Pitch | November 2013

“Experiential” is the buzzword After 17 years of being in the business of brand activation and 35000 activations later, Candid Marketing is a name to reckon with in the brand activation business. Rashi Bisaria of Pitch spoke to Atul S Nath of Candid Marketing about the importance of experiential campaigns and why it has become the new buzzword for clients.

How important is the role of experiential marketing on today’s date? Why is it growing in importance?

Experiences are the new reality; this isn’t just true in the world of marketing but in all walks of life. People remember experiences for a far longer period of time than any other form of communication.

Experiential Marketing has the innate ability to cut through clutter for the consumer, enabling him to enjoy a brand that he has been loyal to or a brand that he would like to get to know better. The brand has the unique opportunity to have an immersive interaction with the consumer thereby communicating far more than just the product attributes.

The magic of Experiential Marketing lies in developing campaigns at a strategic level, with requisite time, effort and money. Unfortunately, many brand custodians have historically approached experiential tactically and thus don’t make the requisite investments especially TIME. The brands which are making this shift are reaping the benefits of Experiential Marketing !

How much share should go to experiential in the entire marketing mix?

Marketing Communication is best achieved through a partnership of different media and types of communication. For Experiential Marketing to be successful, it is essential to amplify the communication through mass media, digital and PR. To that extent, it’s important that the marketing rupee is well allocated across all such media, the allocation is dependent on the marketing goals and brand category. What is pretty apparent is that marketers are increasing their allocation to the experiential marketing piece and this is growing rapidly.

What is the reason for the success of an experiential campaign?

How important is execution?

The key to a successful experiential marketing campaign is the core creative thought and how it relates both to the brand and to the consumer. In my opinion, the execution of the creative thought is as crucial to the campaign as the idea itself. These are inextricably linked and must feed off each other.

There are millions of ideas lying dead in the graveyard of execution and most clients don’t separate these two anymore. This is exactly why most clients are working with Experiential Marketing agencies as partner agencies and very often as the core agency with experiential at the centre of the campaign.

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COVER STORY EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING

Partnering with a cause for greater effect Woodland has also partnered with the Sunburn festival as the target group is the same for both entities.

The partnership has been a success also because of the cause associated with it. In December 2012, Woodland announced the launch of its “Leave No Trace” initiative in Goa having partnered with Sunburn Goa 2012. “Leave No Trace” was an idea to motivate Sunburn participants not to litter and leave behind garbage, culminating in a post-event clean-up drive to ensure the party zone was clear of litter. It was an initiative under the ProPlanet umbrella of Woodland.

The brand pledged to leave the beach clean. It set up Art installations made out of waste materials with ecofriendly “Leave No Trace” messages.

When brands provide an experience tied up with a cause it gives an edge to the campaign. “Leave No Trace” was an idea to motivate Sunburn participants not to litter It was a perfect setting to showcase Woodland’s ProPlanet drive and interact closely with the youth, providing them with a brand experience. Harkirat Singh, Managing Director, Woodland Shoes said, “The brand is committed to making the planet a better place to live in through its ProPlanet initiatives and encouraging an eco-friendly lifestyle.”

When brands provide an experience tied up with a cause it gives an edge to the campaign. Tata Housing’s initiative “The Wallbook” conducted annually across Indian cities is another example of marketing an experience supported by a cause. Tata Housing Development Company’s initiative made it to the Limca Book of records 2013 for its “Mumbai Wallbook”, the lengthiest wallpainting. This first of its kind initiative on the theme, “Design Your Dream City” witnessed the spirit of 556 artistes coming together to design their dream city. The initiative will be replicated in

26

other markets too.

So what is the big trend in experiential marketing for marketers today?

According to Brian Tellis it is to create Intellectual Property. “Each brand is a brand because of a certain identity it has created for itself. Earlier when two different activations were not connected, brands had to start everything afresh but now they want to build on properties. Intellectual Properties also aggregate the communities and groups. The Digital Age has helped these IPs grow in popularity and profitability.”

Augmenting Reality to Create an Experience The future of experiential marketing looks bright with technology taking over in many spheres. Thanks to the increasing popularity of Smart phones and tablets, Augmented Reality has become very real. Its success is depend-

ent on the “wow” factor. It allows anyone with a smart phone to transform a printed advertisement or any still image into a 3D experience. Marketers can opt for this tool to provide a personalized retail experience to consumers. Starbucks has already tried it out with the Starbucks Cup Magic App in the US which launched on Iphone and Android devices. The app also included traditional and social sharing capabilities. The aim was to “surprise and delight” the customer with this App. With new innovations in technology augmented reality is becoming bigger, better and more accessible. The technology is providing many benefits and advantages and has already been tried out across industries. A time might come when this technology will usher in a new wave of experiential marketing.

The methods used to create the desired experience might change over time but the fact remains that there is no substitute to an enriching experience and consumers are hungry for that exclusive experience. Marketers simply need to provide it to them. -rashi.bisaria@exchange4media.com

Pitch | November 2013

INTERVIEW: Sameer Tobaccowala

Experiential Marketing

gets bigger and better H

e has perfected the art of bringing alive any brand in the experiential space and operates globally. His agency Shobiz Experiential Communications has put brand experience in the spotlight by going the extra mile, having done so for the past 25 years. Sameer Tobaccowala, the CEO of Shobiz Experiential Communications spoke to Pitch about the experiential marketing sector and its current trends.

What is the current trend in experiential marketing in India?

Notably, there are 2 growing trends in this area. The first being more widely prominent and that’s the integration of the digital space with every experience. This is done so that a wider and larger audience is reached and engaged with. The other trend would be rural marketing, since the spending power in rural areas is constantly on the rise.

How big is the experiential marketing sector in India?

From what we know basis our industry report, the experiential marketing sector is estimated to be well over 2800 crores, and this figure is only moving one way, and that’s up. With a growth of 20% in the past 2+ years, the experiential space is expected to grow to 4000+ cores in the near future.

How important is execution where experiential marketing is concerned?

Execution is everything when it comes to delivering the perfect experience. Every detail should be taken into account in

Execution is everything when it comes to delivering the perfect experience the execution process of a marketing campaign to derive the desired response, reaction or emotion from your target audience. A brilliant experience is only supported by flawless execution.

Any example of a challenging experiential campaign? What was the challenge and how was it overcome?

To campaign against India’s rising road accidents, Nissan

Pitch | November 2013

introduced its globally recognized Safety Driving Forum to India for the first time. The main challenges to this initiative were to identify suitable locations that would attain maximum coverage and to have a cost effective plan in place. The solution was to create a simple and inviting structure at leading malls across metropolitan cities with the aim of giving visitors an enriching experience on road safety, all of which achieved an overwhelming response. n -rashi.bisaria@exchange4media.com

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FEATURE: THE WORLD OF HEINEKEN

Living the HEINEKEN EXPERIENCE

By Rashi Bisaria

A

s James Bond in the last Bond film “Skyfall” traded his signature drink Vodka Martini for a Heineken, it may not have been a great move for brand Bond but for Heineken it was the ideal culmination of a 15 year long partnership with the Bond franchise. Reams of newsprint were spent on commentary and criticism about this move by the suave Bond, but what the heck, everyone noticed Heineken and the beer brand became a part of the Bond lifestyle.

But Heineken has much more going for it than merely being Bond’s choice of liquor. It began as a single brewery in Amsterdam almost 150 years ago and has emerged as the most valuable international premium beer brand.

Heineken, active in the Indian market through the United Breweries Ltd ever since the two joined hands in 2009, has quickly become a favourite with the young crowd. Much of the credit goes to the smart marketing of an experience that Heineken promises.

Fun, revelry and connecting with the younger generation can really “open your world”

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| November | October 2013 Pitch Pitch

The brand stands for socialising and having fun and it is this lifestyle that appeals to its loyalists. The beer brand has devised new ways of interacting with the consumers and it has worked well for it.

As part of its immersive marketing strategy, Heineken has created experiences for consumers that let them become a part of what the brand stands for. Amsterdam boasts of some of these experiences created very creatively by Heineken. A six building brand experience store called The City is a place to connect with the brand.

Surprisingly, no beer is sold here. It’s a place used to promote other Heineken platforms. The store’s offerings include personalised collectibles, a recording studio for new bands and DJs, tickets to concerts and Heineken-sponsored events.

The former brewery where Heineken’s premium beer was brewed for a hundred years has been turned into an interactive tour. The tour that takes you through the historic brew

Pitch | November October 2013 2013

room to the tasting bar and various other stages, is the most sensory experience a fan can enjoy. Heineken thrives on providing an unforgettable experience to the consumer. The Heineken Brand store also in Amsterdam boasts of more than 250 original Heineken products where visitors can actually live the Heineken experience.

Heineken loves music and that is yet another way it creates an immersive experience for its customer base.

The Heineken Green room in India brings together artistes to unique venues for a fresh musical experience asking people to “Open Your World”.

With partnerships across relevant sectors Heineken has been able to engage in topical conversations with its target consumers.

In India Heineken celebrated its 2nd anniversary with yet another experience this time “telepathic”. Just before the purchase the brand provided the potential buyer with a unique beer buying experience by “incepting a voice in their head” urging them to

grab the green bottle of Heineken.

Directional speakers were used for this purpose which emitted a high frequency beam of sound and this became a voice in the person’s head.

Only the subject could hear the sound.

Extending the brand experience even further Heineken announced the “Heineken Social Reporter” contest in India. The international beer brand gave one lucky football fan from India the chance to report Live from the 2013 UEFA Champions League Final at Wembley in London. It was the “Man of the World” contest where Heineken was looking to recruit a “man of the world” from India to live the Heineken experience. It was an attempt once again to connect with the younger crowd through a multi-pronged activation programme.

So the saga of creating an experience continues for Heineken. Fun, revelry and connecting with the younger generation can really “open your world”.  -rashi.bisaria@exchange4media.com

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INTERVIEW SAMAR SINGH SHEIKHAWAT

“

Add an experience and consumers will remember your brand forever H Is the thin line between experiential marketing and brand activation fading?

Experiential marketing is a newly coined term. Both happen when

“

eineken’s journey in India, like in other parts of the world has been marked by innovative ways to provide a rich brand experience to the customers. In a freewheeling conversation with Samar Singh Sheikhawat, Senior Vice President, Marketing, UB Group, Gunjan Verma of Pitch delves into different aspects of the experience the brand offers.

brands want to engage consumers. Experiential marketing is about communicating to the consumer what your brand stands for. It is a grander version of brand activation. Brand activation is a way to reach your consumer through technology, either through an iPad, smartphone, internet, or outdoor activation etc. and experiential marketing is about how a consumer experiences your brand in a big way. The contests running on TV shows using Twitter, Facebook or other social media communication are good examples. Also, what we did for Heineken ‘Voice

in their head’ campaign where directional speakers were used for the purpose, which emitted a high frequency beam of sound at the subjects – becoming a voice in their head, a voice that no one else could hear is also a fine example. It’s like taking your brand a step ahead by adding an experience to it for the consumer to remember forever.

With clever use of merchandising aid, technology and media, one can create a grand experience for consumer engagement. With all these concepts, marketing has gone beyond just activation and has become more sophisticated and subtle.

The consumer here is high on awareness and the approach of the brand has to be different.

It has to be high on in-showroom experience Do you think while delivering an experience, there is a chance of sounding ‘pushy’?

It all depends on the communication. It also depends on the product category, which means that if the product category like, flooring tiles wants to make use of experiential marketing, the target audience might not be interested because the category does not relate much to delivering an experience.On the other hand,, a smartphone company can use experiential marketing because it belongs to a category that delivers an experience. It all depends on what

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| November | October 2013 Pitch Pitch

are you trying to communicate. It does not work in a product category where consumers are not evolved.

Selling sugarcane to villagers should not involve experiential marketing tools but if you are selling a Jaguar in upmarket Delhi, you are dealing with an evolved customer base and the product is in a league of its own. Then it becomes important to market the experience and the lifestyle. The consumer here is high on awareness and the approach of the brand has to be different. It has to be high on in-showroom experience – polite and well behaved staff, the hospitality and look and feel of the showroom.

Three major platforms of experiential marketing are – Social, Local and Mobile. Rank them in order of how UB group approaches its customer.

For a product category like beer, we have to be high on local. We have high involvement in local activations, hoardings, cinema etc., to reach the audience that sets the largest customer base for our alcohol brands. It cannot be denied that Social and Mobile are the future and are significantly increasing in scope.

We don’t want to lose out on any opportunity and tap our audiences through these mediums also.

UB group is the market leader for the alcohol industry, a product that naturally ‘connects’ people.

Why do you feel a need to maintain that ‘connect’ through marketing?

We market because the consumer can go anywhere. It is a low involvement category and

not a high end luxury category, so the consumer has to be reminded of the brand value again and again.

We see a lot of competition from the foreign brands and so have to keep our brand image connected with the audience. Our brands speak about lifestyle, glamour, extravagance and the plush life, and we ensure brand recall for our customers through marketing and other advertising initiatives.

Do you think brands can break through the clutter only through experiential marketing?

No, I do not think so.

Take the example of Park Avenue Beer Shampoo, women hate it, but I love it! For a category like that which has many international players and is highly fragmented, a brand like Park Avenue launching a shampoo and that too exclusively for men had absolutely no chance of winning. The Shampoo category is hugely biased towards beauty but the ‘beer shampoo’ has broken the clutter.

It is a classic example where only with the use of mainstream media, that of a TV Commercial, a brand was able to deliver an experience. The ad is spoofy and ugly (maybe) but it was noticed! There are brands that position themselves exclusively ‘for men’ but there was nothing

Our brands speak about lifestyle, glamour, extravagance and the plush life, and we ensure brand recall for our customers through marketing and other advertising initiatives Pitch | November October 2013 2013

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INTERVIEW SAMAR SINGH SHEIKHAWAT exclusive about this shampoo’s positioning. Another similar example is that of the latest Old Spice advertisement where a black model is riding a white horse. It again might not be well appreciated by the fairer race as you cannot insult your customer in anyway but this ad, also with a black model, breaks the clutter and catches your attention. Catching your consumer’s attention should be the prime motive of marketing. In the case of both the brands, only mainstream advertising was involved and they delivered the desired experience through the traditional TVC format. So, it is only about what needs to be communicated that decides a clutter-breaking approach.

You have worked with Pepsi, Cadbury and HUL, the top brands that do experiential marketing. Which has been your favorite?

I have had some great experience with Pepsi around their world cup sponsorships. The level of customer engagement was huge and the experiences delivered were wonderful.

Do you have a separate team that handles your social media wing? Do you think that Kingfisher has a high brand recall because of social media that spreads the experience across proper-

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ties like Derby, BeerUp, beer Olympics, Ocktoberfest?

Yes, we have a dedicated team working for our social media activities. As far as brand recall is concerned, I believe that social media is like an icing on the cake, but it is not the cake. There is a need for more real time activities that need to be undertaken to reach the audience.

Social media alone cannot drive proper engagement of the consumer with the brand. But as we know that a cake is no cake without the icing, hence social media has become an integral part of our customer engagement activities.

How much value does a social media platform like Facebook or Twitter add

to the value of your liquor brands?

We cannot calculate that exactly but what I believe is that 99 per cent of the beer consumers in India are not on any of the social media. With 50 million Facebook users, we forget that the population of India is more than one billion.

So, through Facebook we are not even reaching 50 per cent of the population, even lesser than that. Social media is just like desserts for me. They add more to the marketing tools that are used but cannot be the drivers alone.

Octoberfest is known to be one of the biggest festivals that spread experience of brands in a big way. What is happening this year?

Inspired by Munich’s big annual beer shindig, Kingfisher Premium introduced ‘The Great Indian Octoberfest’ in Bengaluru in 2005. The festival lives upto the promise of being a destination for live music, great food, non-stop fun and plenty of Good Times. Kingfisher Premium, the flagship brand from The United Breweries Group, is a lifestyle brand associated with fun, style, fashion and sports. ‘The Great Indian Octoberfest’, is happening in Bengaluru, with some of the biggest names in rock music across the country and flea markets will be topped with an exhaustive selection of food accompanied by the never-dry taps of Kingfisher beer! The 3 day festival attracts footfalls of over 65,000, making it India’s biggest annual beer festival.  -gunjan.verma@exchange4media.com

| November | October 2013 Pitch Pitch

Pitch | October 2013

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Memorable Experiential Campaigns

LIFEBUOY’s Kumbh Mela campaign 2013 T

Lifebuoy came to India in 1895 The heritage brand is one of the market leaders in the smaller handwash category with 22.7 per cent market share 2.5 million rotis were stamped during the campaign

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he chunky red soap bar that each of us has seen since our childhood has sported the tagline – ‘tandarusti ki raksha karta hai lifebuoy’ (Lifebuoy protects your health)! Lifebuoy has never deviated from its brand proposition which is why after more than 100 years, it has now become a heritage brand and is one of the market leaders in the smaller handwash category.

The positioning of the brand has been so strong over the years that the product – a chunky red soap bar – is a celebrity in itself. The brand always explores healthier ways to connect to its consumers with an aim to give them a healthy lifestyle.

In a research, Lifebuoy found that diarrhoea killed 1.1 million chidren annually in developing countries, and Lifebuoy believed that this could be averted by the simple act of washing hands with soap. The vision again was the same – a healthy lifestyle. Lifebuoy aimed at changing the handwashing behaviour of a billion people, by 2015.

To achieve this, the brand introduced a unique activation to spread the message on handwashing further. The venue was the Maha Kumbh Mela of 2013. It couldn’t get bigger than this.

The Maha Kumbh Mela is the largest gathering of almost 100 million people who descend upon the city of Allahabad during the period of this mela. This unprecedented influx of people almost turns

into a temporary city in itself. Since the infrastructure available is often unable to service the sanitation and health needs of all attendees, infections tend to occur and spread far more easily through transmission of germs, which happens most commonly through infected hands.

Lifebuoy chose ‘Roti’ as the medium to communicate the message across to the people. As the only way to eat a roti is through one’s hands, Lifebuoy chose the Roti for spreading the message. Heat stamps were created, which were capable of leaving a simple message on a Roti – ‘lifebuoy se hanath dhoye kya’ and over 30 days, a team of 100 people, stood in 100 kitchens and stamped around 2.5 million rotis.

The message reached out to approximately 5 million people at the Maha Kumbh Mela and people following the reminder, reached the nearest wash basin to find a lifebuoy soap to wash their hands with.

It was a successful campaign, giving the right kind of message with the right vision and experience. The results were there for all to see. The reach of the campaign went far beyond the festival. The novelty of branding food generated a huge amount of media coverage and discussions across India, helping to spread the importance of washing hands with soap before eating. 

Pitch | November 2013

Ford EcoSport goes on an urban discovery Consumers set the stage for the launch

I

About 1, 000 team posts were made Supporting a city team could win you the latest tablet Mumbai boyz emerged as the Winners!

t was the best example of crowd sourcing for a brand as marketers “crowd sourced” the “urban discoveries” campaign for the launch of Ford’s EcoSport. There were high expectations from EcoSport as it claimed to fill the gap in demand that existed between a hatchback and an SUV. People could now afford a ‘compact SUV’. But what made an even greater impact was the crowd sourced experiential campaign that was used to garner attention. The campaign kicked off in March and wrapped up in July but not before it had created the required excitement for the brand.

It was Ford’s single largest integrated marketing and communications experiential campaign, EcoSport Urban Discoveries. It was a 360-degree campaign about real people and real experiences. Hosted on an online platform, www.ecosportdiscoveries.co.in, the campaign had the potential of reaching out to a target customer base spread across the length and breadth of the country. EcoSport Urban Discoveries campaign was designed to give over a hundred customers the opportunity to drive and experience the SUV ahead of its market launch. This campaign helped Ford to further engage with the customers and educate them about the upcoming product.

EcoSport Urban Discoveries campaign was executed in two phases divided by consumer activation road shows across 12 key cities – New Delhi/NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Kochi, Ludhiana, Chennai, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Pune and Kolkata to cover North, South,

East and West regions. The first phase of this campaign featured the television personality and radio jockey, Mantra, who invites, engages and drives registration of interested participants on www.ecosportdiscoveries. co.in through TV and radio call-to-action campaign.

The campaign resulted in hype around the launch which was only the first step in the campaign.

Participants were required to ‘discover’ a place or places which were unique, uncommon and interesting in their respective cities, upload them on www.ecosportdiscoveries. co.in with descriptions and finally share them with their families, friends and social communities. These ‘urban discoveries’ were then evaluated by a neutral jury basis following or votes, quality of content uploaded and other criteria. 35 best entrants were selected for the second phase of the campaign. The second phase allowed each of the 35 selected participants to add two more members to form their team of three. Each of these teams got the key to their Ford EcoSport that helped them in their quest for urban discoveries, in their respective cities. These real experiences in the EcoSport campaign were captured in videos.

A special zone was created on YouTube where all the videos were collated. The teams continued to gather followers in order to remain in the reckoning to finally win the grand prize.

So while the audience got engaged in discovering more about their favorite cities and voted for them, they became aware of the exciting benefits of the urban SUV – and the purpose was solved! Ford EcoSport got the message right and clear. After the campaign, a huge buzz about the car was created and it was an instant hit with the youth even before the launch. It was the experience and the integrated marketing approach that had made all the difference.  Compiled by Gunjan Verma -gunjan.verma@exchange4media.com

Pitch | November 2013

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FEATURE: A MEMORABLE BRAND EXPERIENCE

Targeting parents by creating a unique

BRAND EXPERIENCE FOR CHILDREN

Brands create a parallel universe for children

By Ankur Gaurav

I

t is not new for brands to take the kids’ route to woo parents. This method has worked for many brands in India. The year 2013 has seen a shift in marketing trends with experiential marketing methods taking over the industry in a big way and to add another chapter to the experiential marketing space, KidZania in India has opened an array of opportunities for both brands and children. It’s not just an edutainment platform for children but an alternative world where they can live a parallel life to that of their parents.

Kidzania has roped in a long list of brands in order to create the right experience for kids as they become soft tar-

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gets for this clever marketing and “soft branding” as termed by Harish Bijoor, Brand strategy specialist and CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc. He says, “Efforts in this category to advertise and rope in kids is an attempt at what I call “Soft Branding”. The moment you catch them young, you have the opportunity to nurture a completely new mindset for your brands.”

Kidzania has sure caught them young in this very adult world of make-belief. As soon as you enter the world of KidZania, you witness an economy led, controlled, managed and consumed by kids. KidZania is a global indoor theme park which is an edutainment led experiential platform for kids to understand real life through various role playing activities. As in the real world, children perform ‘jobs’ and

are either paid for their work (as a Stylist, Construction Engineer, RJ, Surgeon,etc) or pay to get a service (University, Culinary School, Department Store, Driving School etc.). It’s a fascinating world run by children and lived in by them.

To begin the journey at KidZania, a visit to the bank is a must to get the local currency, debit card and also a savings account. Yes Bank has installed a fully functional, kids-only branch which is run by kids who manage kids and their kidzos (local currency) requirements. According to VirajJit Singh, Chief Marketing Officer at KidZania, “As you step down on any soil, first thing you ensure is that you have the local currency, and that’s how it is at KidZania where a kid needs some kidzos to experience other activities at KidZania.

He or she can also choose to work at the

As soon as you enter the world of KidZania, you witness an economy led, controlled, managed and consumed by kids Pitch | November 2013

bank, and this very well makes them understand the nuances of financial services, debit card, cheques, etc.”

With an initial number of kidzos in their wallet, kids are free to make their choices, be a consumer and enjoy the services or to work out their passion and earn some kidzos. In this new age of parenting, the grownups can see and understand their kid’s real life behavior and seek lessons for his/her future. The child can enter Cadbury’s chocolate factory or visit the airport or participate in the Art and Craft studio. Each of the moves highlights a kid’s choices and natural inclination towards various aspects of personal behavior. KidZania Mumbai boasts of more than 50 establishments offering experiences from an equal number of spheres in life.

There are certain establishments which attract kids primarily due to their age.

Whether your son wants to become a pilot or experience air travel, Air KidZania is the ideal place for him. Cadbury’s chocolate factory, building climbing, Chicka’s locker fashion studio and KidZania police department are a few places kids automatically get attracted to. Such brands which have a direct connection with kids like Mad over Donuts and Cadbury have found a way to make the the brand experiences memorable for kids. By taking up the sweetest job of making chocolates or their favourite donuts, brands are one step ahead in building associations with their lifetime consumers. According to

Pitch | November 2013

Harpreet Singh Tibb, Marketing Director, Kellogg India, “Our brand Chocos believes in celebrating “uninhibited childhood” and we are always looking at creating experiences that enable the kids to have fun while growing up. The Kellogg’s Chocos cereal factory at KidZania offers an excellent role playing platform for kids to understand the simple grains and processing that we use to make them. If they are not playing a role, they end up shelling out their kidzos to buy these experiences.”

Only when a child is short of cash at KidZania, does he actually start explor-

Brands do not have to worry about competition within Kidzania as each category is represented by a single brand ing options to earn money. Noticeably, brands and services which hardly have any connection with the children are also getting heavy footfalls. One such establishment is Birla Sun Life Insurance – Not jobs But Passion, which encourages kids to test their skills and find the job which suits them best. Your kid gets a recommended job and earns extra kidzos after successful completion of the job. According to Ajay Kakkar, CMO, Birla Sun Life Insurance, “Our establishment at KidZania is helping us make transactional bonding to relationships. Financial services as a category, is difficult to market, but targeting kids at this age serves two purposes – firstly the kids recognise Insurance as Birla Sun Life Insurance which gives them a recall value better than our competitors and secondly kids enrich the relationship between our brand and their parents.”

Speaking about Godrej’s experience at KidZania, Mehernosh Pithawalla, Assistant Vice President – Marketing, Godrej Security Solutions said, “As a part of the exercise at KidZania, we have created ‘A Safe Zone’ which is designed to look like a HiTech Security structure featuring devices

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FEATURE: A MEMORABLE BRAND EXPERIENCE

like vaults, safes and other security devices from GSS. We give children interesting merchandize like walkie-talkies and Sunglasses to make the role-play feel real.

Further children are referred to as ‘Security Experts’. They volunteer to safeguard Kidzos, which is the KidZania currency that they earn by taking part in various other activities. They are also asked to visit other ‘businesses’ which are other activities at KidZania and educate other children about the various types of security solutions. They also have the opportunity to collect other children’s KidZos and safeguard them in the safes provided.

Taking this one step ahead, we also gift children a small piggy bank to take back home so that the value of saving echoes with them for life. As part of our engagement with KidZania, we are broadly trying to target children as today’s influencers who become tomorrow’s adopters.”

Most of the establishments at KidZania leave a scope for a variety of brand associations and there are several brands that are lining up to utilize this unique format. Amol Dhillon, VP, Strategy & Planning, Woodland, expresses his liking for the format, “This is a great concept and opportunity to

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build exclusive relationship with the future generation customers,”he says.

According to Rajat Mehta, Group EVP & Country Head, Brand & Retail Marketing, YES BANK Limited, “Unlike Coca-Cola or Cadbury, banking services are bound to have rational purchases and this is the reason why it is extremely critical for us to build a bond with the young market.”

“Kansai Nerolac’s experience center at KidZania is another example where a not-for-kids brand is paving the way for a

“Kids can also choose to work at Yes Bank, and this very well makes them understand the nuances of financial services” VirajJit Singh Chief Marketing Officer, KidZania

child’s decision while selecting the colors for their homes,” says Sukhpreet Singh, VP, Sales & Marketing Nerolac. It is called “Nerolac Color your house establishment” and not only do they allow kids to play with their favorite colors to paint and apply textures but also give them necessary health related tips while dealing with paints.

For the moment, brands do not have to worry about competition within Kidzania as each category is represented by a single brand and their messages are conveyed in an environment where no other competing brand is present to share the pie.

But what remains to be seen is whether children who are being targeted by smart marketers to convey their brand messages, will remain loyalists later in life. Child Psychologist and Special Educator, Ripan Sippy has a different take. “This is a great platform for children to realise their passion which will indeed help them in their future. For brands this might be helpful as kids can influence parents to a great extent, but I am not too sure about the bonding between the brand and the kid a few years down the line,” he says.

For now the brands associated with this role-play concept are enjoying their moment in the limelight with many more waiting to join the fray.  -ankur.gaurav@exchange4media.com

Pitch | November 2013

Pitch | November 2013

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FEATURE: MIXING BUSINESS WITH PLEASURE

Capturing the imagination of corporates through

Experiential Marketing PVR bluO mixes business with pleasure to create an entertaining experience for brands and corporates

By Ankur Gaurav

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f you are a marketer you have to be here. We have been associated with PVR bluO for the past two editions of this competition and it’s a great initiative to bring together all the marketers for a cause which is not marketing,” said Amol Dhillon, Vice President, Strategy & Planning, Woodland on the occasion of the Corporate Bowling Tournament organised by PVR bluO in association with Lufthansa. PVR bluO, the retail entertainment arm of PVR ltd has been hosting the Corporate Bowling tournament for the past five years. It’s one of the best examples of providing a brand experience by PVR. What’s more, it is a great platform for brands and marketers to connect in a fun environment.

PVR bluO is a joint venture between PVR and Major Cineplex Group of Thailand and is hoping to capture the imagination of the young crowd with its bowling centres which serve as experiential platforms for brand PVR. Having established bowling centres in cities such as New Delhi, Gurgaon, Bangalore and Pune, the company is looking to establish its status in other non metro cities too.

PVR bluO is hoping to provide a complete entertainment experience to customers. Apart from bowling, it will be adding Karaoke and Tattoo parlours, Xbox lounges, live music and Playstation lounges to its list of entertainment options.

In the case of the Corporate Bowling tournament, that is now in its fifth year, PVR bluO has already become a trendsetter. The tournament has seen the increasing involvement of the corporate crowd. More and more brands are associating themselves with the event. In its fifth edition, Lufthansa Pin Strike has magnified in terms of its scope and participation. The tournament has grown from 12 teams in its first edition to more than 125 teams this year. The tournament for

On the face of it, it’s a competitive tournament, but on the sidelines of PVR’s bowling alleys, it’s serious business 40

Pitch | November 2013

L to R Mr Hemant Chitlangia, Business and Corporate Sales Manager, Lufthansa, India and Mr. Peeush Tomar, GM Marketing bluO, India corporates has lured many brands to showcase themselves in front of select and influential clientele. The event has gained importance due to its increasing popularity, making it an apt occasion for different brands to launch their products and make enterprise specific deals. Speaking about the objective behind the event Peeush Tomar, GM Marketing, PVR bluO Entertainment Pvt Ltd. said, “The Corporate bowling tournament is enabling all the big corporates to initiate business in a much more fun and friendly environment. In our fifth edition, this tournament has brought together 14 different brands utilising the space and occasion to promote and launch their products infront of the best crowd available.” Brands like Sahara Q shop’s energy drink and Woodland are promoting and upgrading their bowling shoes and accessories at this venue.

Speaking about the partnership Gautam Dutta, COO, PVR Ltd. commented, “With the sport being played in true competitive spirit, bowling not only acts as a perfect stress buster but also gives the employees a chance out of their routine corporate lives. With an enormous increase in the participation levels, we hope to make such tournaments a grand affair with each passing year. This year we are also taking our tournament to the next perfect destination for a corporate

Pitch | November 2013

PVR bluO intends to offer this new experience to the corporate houses while adding elements of excitement and zeal to their work Gautam Dutta COO, PVR Ltd tussle.” He added, “In the near future, we would want to build Pin Strike nationally with footprints wherever bluO is. Re-defining the concept of entertainment for family and friends, PVR bluO intends to offer this new experience to the corporate houses while adding elements of excitement and zeal to their work”.

Among many other brands QwikCilver solutions’ Giftbig announced its association with PVR BluO for the tournament - 2013. As a part of this partnership, QwikCilver launched an exclusive GiftBig Friends Club Gift Card - that was awarded to the corporate participants at this

tournament. Speaking about the association, T P Pratap, CMO, QwikCilver said, “PVR BluO Corporate Bowling Tournament in association with Lufthansa has established a unique position over the last 5 years with corporates across India. We are delighted to partner with this event. We have launched this exclusive GiftBig Friends Club Gift Card on this occasion – to enable all the corporates and winners to experience our flexible QwikCilver technology“ B2B marketing has always been an uphill grind for marketers, and the tournament has injected the right dose of fun to the challenge. On the face of it, it’s a competitive tournament, but on the sidelines of PVR’s bowling alley, its serious business that is taking place. Product launches, promotions, business ties and networking, are all a part of this bowling extravaganza.

Besides Lufthansa, other prestigious brands like Renault, Woodland, Sahara NRG, Universal Music, Sports Fit, Radio Mirchi, Sawadhee Spa, Qwikcilver and Mc Cain etc have also associated with the Corporate Bowling Tournament. With an objective of bringing together the corporates, PVR bluO’s experiential marketing initiative of mixing business with fun has till now gathered enough support of several sponsors and participants.  -ankur.gaurav@exchange4media.com

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COLUMN

Create Experience, Create Brand Value…

Willem Woudenberg CEO, Dutch Brand Communications Consultancy, Brand Dialogue

E

xperience is the buzzword in marketing. The overload of communication messages, the increasing number of communication channels and an empowered and intelligent customer – all have led to the birth of experiential marketing. The industry’s need to adapt in a fast evolving world has created a new tool for marketers - Experience. Experience is everything that helps customers to connect with the brand on a personal level. Personal experience helps people to connect to a brand and make informed and intelligent purchasing decisions.

When done the right way, it’s the most

When an image is combined with a corresponding sound or relevant message, it leads to a deeper impact and is imprinted in the memory for ages 42

potent tool out there to win brand loyalty. Experience’ is caused by the power of images. Images fit better in the brain than words. And when such an image is combined with a corresponding sound or relevant message, it leads to a deeper impact and is imprinted in the memory for ages. For instance, try thinking of your favourite ad and you will automatically recall its jingle and its visuals.

Experience means that the customer is personally involved and engaged with the brand, product or services. Like, a memorable experience with a brand can occur with a strong high-impact event, which creates higher recall.

The experience approach has been put on paper by Pine & Gilmore in the late 90s but it has been around ever since the days of travelling salesman. In the thesis, Pine and Gilmore argue that businesses must

Pitch | November 2013

orchestrate memorable events for their customers, and that memory itself becomes the product - the “experience”.

This has become a keystone for modern brand consultants and marketers.

Pine & Gilmore envisioned the fundamentals of present day brand marketing.

In Europe and the United States, marketers have realised the necessity, of applying experiential marketing in airlines, retailers and banks. The entertainment industry such as Disney Parks, museums, visitor centers and educational institutions also makes use of long experiential methods to woo the public. With the rise of online and mobile shopping, a tactile experience becomes a must to differentiate amidst the cluster of options. This involves the use of various

Design makes brand values tangible.

Imagination and dialogue with the brand are thereby strengthened in an innovative way types and media (audio, visual, graphic, digital, three-dimensional), all aimed at the public intellect or emotional quotient for a richer experience.

Demographic changes and newer technologies have brought marketing back to one-to-one experiences. The new wave of social media, a more connected world through mobiles and applications and an empowered & intelligent consumer are leading marketers to develop plans that give consumers the proverbial 360-degree product experience they can’t get from traditional media alone.

Design is the essence of experiential marketing and it is the first thing that creates an instant connection with the customers. In an aspiring way design makes brand values tangible. Imagination and dialogue with the brand are thereby strengthened in an innovative way. E.g. Starbucks builds its custom-

Pitch | November 2013

ers not only by the quality of the coffee but also by its distinctive, stylish interiors. IKEA has got a huge fan club due to its recognisable consistent brand communication. The Rijks museum in Amsterdam (www.rijksmuseum.com) had recently developed an innovative, interactive website allowing the public to download the paintings which can be used for decorative purposes or wallpaper. It’s a special experience or rather a brand dialogue created between the museum and the public which in turn leads to more visits and fans.

A fundamental principle for creating a successful brand experience is: quality that exceeds expectations and design that inspires the audience. Delivering quality and meeting customer expectations is the first condition for a positive brand experience. Whether it is a product or a service, the experience by the customers must match the promise and appearance of the brand. Perfect exam-

ples of brand experience that fulfills its promises are of the Apple Stores in New York, London and Amsterdam. By offering high quality product and service, Apple surpasses customer expectations.

Providing an immersive brand experience is the ultimate way to earn brand loyalty and create a two-way brand dialogue. One can choose from a number of methods and tactics to significantly enhance brand impact. However, creating an effective experience requires focused attention to all details on several fronts during the design phase of your marketing program. These considerations ultimately define the fate of a brand.

The ultimate purpose is to deliver an experience that Engages, Educates and Entertains the customers-one that will leave a positive brand impression and a focused call to action. And that’s what it’s all about. Experiential design and branding lead to a strong relationship with the customers. So create experience, create brand value! n

The views expressed here are of the author alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Pitch

43

INTERVIEW Dhruv Kalra

GoTry gives a boost to targeted marketing I

ndia’s first multibrand sampling platform GoTry builds a strong connect between brands and shoppers. It has taken the brand experience to a new level with its efficient sampling and feedback process which aims at precision targeting and 100 per cent feedback. GoTry has launched a pilot in 4 cities namely, Dhruv Kalra, Founder & Director, Go Try Marketing talks to Ankur Gaurav of Pitch about why he saw the need for a separate wing for sampling and how the process works.: What made you launch Gotry and create a separate wing for sampling?

Sampling has been an integral part of marketing especially for FMCG brands. The process has usually been expensive for the brands and till now brands were unaware about the receiver of the samples.

Till now, Sampling comprised of installing special stalls at malls. Both the methods proved to be inaccurate and rather expensive. To solve these problems with sampling, we came up with this multi-brand sampling format called ‘Go Try’.

How do you ensure that the samples reach the right hands?

At our Kiosks we have installed various ipads on which one has to create a profile before we offer him any sample.

After the customer fills in a simple form that has profiling questions, we categorise which product is relevant for him, and only those products are offered as samples. For example, when Surf Excel launched a special product only to be

used in a washing machine, we had this question ‘whether you own a washing machine’. Only those consumers who owned washing machines were offered the surf samples and this is where our format proved to be right on target.

Filling up of forms and answering a lengthy questionnaire can be deterrents for the consumers. How do you

How do you keep away competitive brands from approaching the kiosk?

In order to distribute samples at a kiosk brands needed to spend around INR 100 per contact. With our multi-brand sampling kiosks, the cost has reduced by 80 per cent manage to keep the audience interested and engaged during the process?

It is true that the audience shies away from tedious forms, but we use ipads and have lesser number of questions.

We do not bombard the customers with all the questions at once. In the first instance we ask 5-6 basic questions like name, age, genre, marital status, etc.

The second time when they approach us, we take a feedback for the last samples which is mandatory and we ask another set of 5-6 questions. As of now, we have completed one lakh registrations.

How is this beneficial for the clients?

It is a lot cheaper for brands. Earlier, when a brand would distribute samples at a kiosk installed in a mall, they needed to spend between INR 80 to INR 100 per contact. Now with our multi-brand sampling kiosks, the cost has reduced by 80

Till now, Sampling comprised of installing special stalls at malls. These methods proved to be inaccurate and rather expensive 44

per cent. Apart from cost-effectiveness, accuracy in reaching out to the right customers has great benefits. It has greater potential to increase sales for the brand.

Lastly for brands we are a ready to use model. They can get the sampling done without deputing their own manpower.

We have this rule of booking a category, which means if we are sampling a product from a category, we do not allow other brands from the same category to get featured at our kiosk. In other words, we also promote the brand and while doing so we cannot have other brands in the same category at the kiosk. This certainly comes at a cost to business, but that’s how the model functions. We give the brand and its potential consumers a perfect place to sample the product.

What are your charges and who are your clients?

We charge our clients based on the services we offer. We charge a minimum of INR 35,000 for one month. If the brand or product needs any other services or technological support, it means extra charges. As of now, we are catering to 55 brands out of which most of them are FMCG and Food n Beverage brands.

Some of the biggest FMCG and F&B Brands like Pond’s, Knorr, Quaker Oats, Nivea, Veet, Mother Dairy, Real Juice, Vanish, Comfort, Lifebuoy, Horlicks and

Pitch | November 2013

Vaseline have recognized the power of Go Try and used our expertise for their product sampling.

Do you think this format is applicable to brands apart from FMCG and F & B categories?

Yes it is. We are working with other brands as well. Other brands present in that particular mall have approached us to inform customers and distribute cou-

pons. We are also working to integrate the sampling process for brands outside FMCG and F & B categories and soon we will have mobile phones and other gadgets featured at our kiosks too.

Where are you present as of now and what are your expansion plans?

Go Try started out with a pilot kiosk at Pacific Mall, Delhi NCR and then expand-

ed to Mumbai at Oberoi Mall, Goregaon.

Currently, GoTry has four kiosks across Delhi and Mumbai – MGF Metropolitan Mall (Gurgaon), Great India Place Mall (Noida), Inorbit Mall (Vashi) and Growel 101 (Kandivali).We plan to expand our presence to the top 10 cities in India by March 2014 to be able to offer our clients a pan- India reach.  -ankur.gaurav@exchange4media.com

Brands like Pond’s, Knorr, Nivea, Veet, Mother Dairy, Real Juice, Comfort, Lifebuoy, Horlicks and Vaseline have recognized the power of GoTry

Pitch | November 2013

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Pitch | November 2013

Celebrating 50 Glorious Years of Industrial Excellence

Pitch | November 2013

43

INTERVIEW PARAG DESAI

Wagh Bakri Tea’s secret to long-lasting success I

ndia is a gigantic tea-drinking nation so much so that it has become the largest consumer of tea in the world, consuming nearly 30 per cent of the global output. The industry has grown to own many global tea brands, one of them being the Wagh Bakri tea which has a legacy that dates back to 1892.

The brand recently made news when it was used by marketing expert Philip Kotler in his latest issue of “Marketing Management” as a case study of a successful brand. Rashi Bisaria of Pitch spoke to Parag Desai, Executive Director, Sales, Marketing and International Trade, Wagh Bakri Tea Group about the origins of the brand and how it continues to weave its magic over loyal customers.

He chose the name “WaghBakri”- to symbolise how tea can be a medium to connect all classes and masses of society.

(Wagh/ Tiger) and (Bakri/ Goat)

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| November | October 2013 Pitch Pitch

This brand has a legacy which goes back to Mahatma Gandhi. How has the brand evolved over the years?

Our founder Shri Narandas Desai was a very good friend of Gandhiji. In 1892, Shri Narandas went to South Africa and on 500 acres of tea estate he learnt the intricacies of cultivating and producing fine tea.

Eventually, racial discrimination marked his return to India with nothing but a certificate from Mahatma Gandhi for being the most honest and experienced tea estate owner in South Africa.

He started with one retail outlet of tea in Ahmedabad, and grew to seven outlets. He chose the name “WaghBakri”- to symbolise how tea can be a medium to connect all classes and masses of society.

(Wagh/ Tiger) and (Bakri/ Goat).

To meet the growing demand for quality tea we started the packaged tea business with the name Gujarat Tea Processors and Packers Ltd. in 1980. Today we have a turnover of more than Rs. 750 crores and we are the 3rd largest packaged tea company in India. We have a presence in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi NCR, Goa, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. We are also a recognized name globally and export to more than 30 countries.

Apart from our brands- Good Morning, Wagh Bakri, Mili and Navchetan, we have specialty tea like Darjeeling, Organic and Green Tea. We have flavoured tea bags of Lemon, Masala, Ginger, Elaichi, Early Grey etc. We also have Instant Tea and Iced Tea in various flavours.

We have launched our “Wagh Bakri Tea Lounge” in Mumbai & Delhi where we are serving around 40 varieties of tea with authentic Indian snacks in a five-star ambience.

This is an attempt from our end to upgrade the image of tea and to educate consumers about different types of tea servings.

What are those features about the brand that have remained the same over the years?

From the inception, our philosophy is to ‘Build a relationship’ over a cup of tea. This has not changed. Our brand is synonymous with Quality Tea. This factor is our key to success. Our loyal customers know

Pitch | November October 2013 2013

our consistency and quality. We have brands to cater to every segment of the society, from premium to masses through the different categories- Good Morning, Wagh Bakri, Mili and Navchetan.

What do you think is the reason behind Philip Kotler having cited this brand as a case study in his latest tome?

Dr. Kotler is a close observer of brands and has been acknowledged as the ‘marketing Guru’ around the world. Dr. Abraham Koshy, co-author of the book has also been

focus is to give quality tea to consumers.

We have a wide range of products from brands like Good Morning, Wagh Bakri, Mili and Navchetan to specialty tea like organic Darjeeling green tea as well as Instant premix tea and Ice Tea. It helps both ways, in brand development and market development.

What have been the latest marketing initiatives Wagh Bakri has undertaken to get noticed in the market?

We do frequent campaigns for each of

We had identified more than hundred BEST bus locations in Mumbai and did bus shelter campaigns for Mili Tea

closely observing our brand. They considered using us as a case study to help students and professionals understand how the “Wagh Bakri” brand with its quality parameters and wide range of products is capturing the market. The case study reflects how our efficient distribution network and commitment to give quality products gives us a competitive edge.

Also, catering to every strata of society helps us reach a wider consumer base.

The case study also reflects our philosophy of ‘Building relationships’.

How is Wagh Bakri remaining relevant in these competitive times?

We are the largest quality tea buyers in India. We focus on our quality and consistency in taste. Our R&D department has a scientific laboratory as well as human assets for tea testing and tasting. Personally every Director of the Company tastes hundreds of cups of tea daily. Our entire

our brands. These could be Print or TV advertisements, radio campaigns, online campaigns, OOH and activations etc. In our latest campaign, we had an OOH campaign for our Mili brand in Mumbai.

The idea was to connect with our vast consumer base.

We had identified more than hundred BEST bus locations in Mumbai and did bus shelter campaigns for Mili Tea. Recently, we had a tie-up with Balaji Motion Pictures for co-promoting their movie ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbai Dobara’. This enabled us in connecting with the youth.

We had an international promotion campaign for the same, including advertisements, TVCs, OOH and online campaigns.

We also do region-wise activities. In Maharashtra we recently had an activation campaign around the Ganesh festival. Similarly, in Gujarat we will have activities around the Navratri festival.  -rashi.bisaria@exchange4media.com

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COLUMN

Can experiential marketing be used to create long term relationships with customers?

Ankur Warikoo CEO, Groupon India

ankur.warikoo@groupon.co.in

C

onsider this hypothetical scenario:

You enter the mall to buy formal wear for your annual business conference. And as soon as you step into your favourite store, you see a mobile alert – “Welcome back Warikoo. You had bought a stunning blue shirt the last time you visited us.

Would you like to go through our latest collection of blue shirts? What’s more – we can offer a flat 10 per cent off if you spend more

than ` 5000 today itself”.

If this happened to me, I would end up buying stuff for not only this year’s conference but for the next five conferences.

From the moment you wake up to the moment you get back to bed you are bombarded with advertising messages. However, if at the end of the day someone asked you to name five brands you had seen today, more than 90 per cent of us would not be able to recall them. So what are these messages really doing? I would argue that it has simply wasted marketing dollars and the customer is becoming an expert at turning a blind eye to advertisements of any kind.

What can set one message apart from the other is how one creates an experience for the customer. An experience that is personal, relevant and meaningful. I would define this as: 1. Making your message contextual – Help your customer fulfil his desire and make it easier for him to do so. Then, while he is enjoying the ease of doing what he wanted to do, you subtly present your brand & boom!

He’s hooked for life.

If at the end of the day someone asked you to name five brands you had seen today, more than 90 per cent of us would not be able to recall them 50

2. Making your brand emotionally relevant– Ensure that you are present in the right environment. If you are selling ERP software, don’t bother to reach your customer when he is on a vacation. Reach him when he’s truly looking for a solution.

3.

Letting your brand be a conversation starter – Surprise him in a way that gets him to share it and show it off and talk

Pitch | November 2013

about it. The moment his peer group, friends and family like what he did, he is bound to come back for more.

Here are some examples of how all of the above will pan out in the real world A customer walks into a café and just as he is about to order his favourite coffee he looks at a menu that has a subtle funny message and it says send an SMS and get this Cappuccino free The moment he does that, he gets a code that he flashes at the counter and he’s served a hot cup of his favourite latte. Simple, but where’s the surprise? The coffee has a logo of the company that sponsored the coffee.

Here’s what I call a happy moment of truth. What’s more, he shares this surprise on Facebook and gets five likes on his FB picture. He remembers the brand that gave him the coffee and he is bound to search for it on other occasions. So, you got him a coffee when he wanted it, the process of getting it was simple and it brought a smile to his face.

I have multiple such examples where people have been satisfied by a brand and have been hooked to the brand in a meaningful way. The above is an example from Groupon and we’ve seen a 60 per cent repeat purchase rate in India simply because we have focussed on creating an experience.

Another great example of a fabulous experience is the Apple store which has

Pitch | November 2013

Surprise the customer in a way that gets him to share it and talk about it. The moment his friends and family like what he did, he is bound to come back for more changed the way we shop these days.

There is no centralized cash counter, instead there are sales assistants that help you make an informed purchase.

This is accompanied by an interactive Genius bar & Easy Pay self checkout. All this makes for a very engaged shopping experience.

So the next time you plan a market-

ing blitz, take a step back and think about how your brand can have a conversation with the customer instead of bombarding and boring him with high frequency ads. n

The views expressed here are of the author alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Pitch

51

a ss Gl

The New Principles of Consumer Engagement

gh rou h T

The Loo

kin g

COLUMN

Ankur Kalra CEO, Vibgyor Brand Services

ankur@vibgyor.in

W

e’ve all been obsessed with the ATL versus BTL debate for way too long.

Long enough for it to upstage the more important question, Is your brand doing enough of consumer engagement?

Even as brand managers continue to ponder over what share of their marketing budgets should go where, the unmitigated truth is that irrespective of the media they choose, 100 per cent should go to consumer engagement. Consumers are changing the way they look at brands and it’s time brands changed what they offer consumers as well. Consumers have been empowered like never before – brand loyalty is fickle, their choices are infinite, influencers are going social, information is suddenly out there for everyone to see and every experience with the brand needs to be more than just pleasant, it needs to be unique and memorable. A brand is what a brand does and the rules for what it needs to do are being redefined. Here are five defining principles that shape consumer engagement campaigns today.

ecuted? Any brand experience is only as good as the quality of its delivery such that it has to be backed with flawless execution, a capable team and lots of planning, Plan B’s Cs & beyond.

Respond to the challenge, not to the brief Launching a new product, getting maximum trials, collecting Facebook likes are briefs that consumers don’t know and don’t care about.

Finding the stimulus for them to do all this is

It’s also about the execution It’s not just about bright ideas, it’s about what we make of them. People don’t interact with ideas, they interact with physical spaces, digital applications, people around them, with moments and products themselves. For a campaign to work, the big idea needs to work in each of these. It might have looked great in the presentation, the artwork, in your mind but did it look equally stunning when it was actually ex-

Any brand experience is only as good as the quality of its delivery such that it has to be backed with flawless execution 52

Pitch | November 2013

the challenge. We all know the stimulus, consideration, purchase and use model that experiences trigger – the challenge is to start the chain with something that sees it through. Experiences can show tangible solutions to real problems creating a need for the product. That’s where the brief should begin.

Add value to the consumer’s life, not just to the brand Consumers know a promotion when they see it, and they find it annoying that we assume that their daily lives can be disrupted for one. This poses the challenge of designing any consumer engagement in such a way that it adds value instead of being an unwanted distraction. The moment a campaign steps into their lives and finds a way of making it easier, its consumer engagement done right. An advertisement during the TV show audiences can’t wait to get back

If you’re still judging the success of your campaign by ‘eyeballs grabbed’ and ‘footfalls at the set up’ your campaigns are just not trying hard enough to, or a pop up when they’re looking to finish work quickly and get on with their lives takes away from the message. Find a way to engage them during a traffic jam, while waiting in queue at the metro station, at a club where they’re seeking some excitement – it must find a way to make a difference.

Numbers talk, but mislead too...

Still hankering after the numbers? You’re setting your expectations really low.

Consumer engagement is a two-way street and the bigger and the more important challenge is interaction. If you’re still judging the success of your campaign by ‘eyeballs grabbed’ and ‘footfalls at the setup’ your campaigns are just not trying hard enough. The reach is a given, judge the success of a campaign by the number of people who experienced your product, who talked about it and who were excited enough to leave and do something about it.

Pitch | November 2013

A great idea if not relevant to the brand is just another Idea Innovation is the buzzword today. Everyone wants an innovative campaign, something that’s never been seen or done before. It’s easy to fall into the trap and try to create something innovative when everyone’s doing it. The real challenge is doing it when it’s relevant. I came across digital mannequins at a trade show recently. Sure, it got me marveling at what technology can do these days but the feeling lasted for nowhere over a minute. Promoters in general find it difficult to get people to talk to them even when they’re talking to their face, what’s to say a digital version will perform any better. The innovation should be the answer to a problem not a standalone idea that has little or no connect to the real problem at hand. n

The views expressed here are of the author alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Pitch

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COLUMN

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Pitch November 2013

COLUMN

Do You Want a Phone with a Camera, or a Camera With a Phone?

Dr. Robert Passikoff Founder and President, Brand Keys Inc

W

e speak to consumers about many categories and brands and generally they express the top-of-mind opinion that the technology brands, by creating innovation, create consumer desire for more technological innovation. OK, a bit circular, but truth is that’s only partially true.

Consumers have expectations about everything, especially technology these days, but most aren’t thinking bout the creation of the technology itself. They’re thinking about what they want – what’s out there that will provide them with what they expect. In most traditional research those expectations don’t show up with a big red arrow labeled, “MAKE ME THIS!” More often than not, real consumer

expectations are unarticulated and emotional and you’ve got to do some drill-down and hard thinking to figure it all out.

Category Drivers, Key to Consumer Expectations Looking at product category engagement drivers can help. They identify how consumers view the category and compare offerings in that category, and through those drivers consumer needs, desires and expectations

Pitch | November 2013

are defined in the context of the category.

Then technology takes over. Steve Jobs gets full credit for introducing the iPod, but it was consumers’ high level of expectations for a portable music device of elegant, organic design that made it so successful.

At rough count about four billion people have mobile phones and most have cameras built into them. Nowadays it’s hard to find a mobile phone that doesn’t have a camera. It wasn’t always that way, of course. The first mobile phones were mobile and phones. People were pretty delighted to be able to make calls without landlines at home or office, or coins in payphones. Manufacturers raced to do what they could to differentiate offerings, but most of that had to do with form – basic size (back then, smaller was deemed more desirable, but that’s not the case anymore given how tablets have affected the category and consumers), what the phone looked like, (black, white, or gray), whether it flipped open, where the buttons were located, Stuff like that.

And sure, it was the manufacturer who had the chips that could add a camera, but in actuality it was consumers – more accurately, it was the consumers’ expectations that pointed the way to the addition of a camera. Here’s how:

Consumers Demand Cameras Every product category has its own set of engagement drivers. Today, these drivers end up being more emotional than rational in structure, which is why, when correctly configured, marketers are able to predict how consumers will behave. If you measure the drivers correctly, they also identify expectation levels consumers hold for them. Brands that are able to better meet consumers’ expectations for

55

COLUMN the category drivers do better than those that don’t. And yes, expectations – particularly for the Ideal in a category – are high, usually much higher than brands can keep up, but that’s a good thing because if a brand pays attention to where expectations are or where they have risen significantly and are unfulfilled by players in the category, it’s like having a big, red arrow point out something that consumers are looking for and something brands should attend to.

And that’s what happened as regards cameras being added to mobile phones. Expectations for the mobile phone engagement driver, “Connectivity,” went through the roof. Now, if you viewed that upsurge from an entirely rational perspective (what most brands did at the time), their first notion had to do with figuring out how to achieve faster circuits or connections so calls would go through faster, thus providing better “connectivity.” Q.E.D.

Consumers Demand ‘Connectivity’ As it turned out, consumers’ increase in expectations for connectivity was an emotional signal – a desire for

add a cameral but, alas, the tech engineering process moves really quickly and once one brand does something “innovative,” competitors do it too. Literally days later phones re-configured as “camera phones” showed up in the marketplace. And so it went, but here’s where it gets tricky, very rational, and present day.

Rational vs Emotional Drivers “Rational” is good when all a brand is dealing with is making something better than the competition. But given brands’ production capabilities, what delights consumers emotionally quickly becomes table stakes –something you need to have or your brand doesn’t get to play, i.e., compete in the category.

And, like a poker game, the stakes keep rising, technology keeps ratcheting up and, sometimes, category dynamics are changed too. Witness phones with cameras. Or, in certain cases, cameras with phones. Who could have imagined a phone that would allow you to

Digital point-and-shoot camera sales are down nearly 50 per cent in the first half of 2013.

Who is to blame? All the smart phone brands? more personal and more intimate connectivity. Those wacky consumers!

What will they want next? And while it seems intuitively obvious now, the answer lay not in the verbal space, but in the visual realm – photographs. Think back. Wouldn’t it have been really cool to take a photograph with your phone and send it to someone right when you took it? To connect visually? Wouldn’t that be a lot better than speech or even text? Think about trying to describe the sunset on the Serengeti? Don’t they say a picture is worth a 1,000 nationwide airtime minutes, and comes with a whole lot of emotional satisfaction?

Sanyo was the first cellphone brand to

56

take photographs anyplace, in virtually any light, with regular and slow motion video, and a built in flash. Or in the case of Apple, two soft light LEDs. In just about a decade smartphones have developed technologies that outshoot, digital point-and-shoot cameras.

The smartphone-as-camera has become so ubiquitous that Brand Keys stopped measuring the digital camera category in our annual Customer Loyalty Engagement survey. Digital point-and- shoot camera sales are down nearly 50 per cent in the first half of 2013. Who’s to blame? Well all the smartphone brands view the camera as a feature to help them differentiate themselves from one another. The new

Lumia 1020 Windows Phone, for example, has a 41megapixel camera, the Samsung Galaxy S4 has a 13-megapixel camera, and while the iPhone 5s sports an 8-megapixel sensor.

Consumers’ expectations, on the other hand, while tangential, are focused elsewhere. In this category image quality and a desire for ultra-high sharpness with the ability to zoom and crop without the picture looking pixelated, and have functionalities they don’t have to look up in a manual that’s larger than the camera, I mean, smartphone itself.

The new Nokia Lumia 1020 comes with apps that provide advanced setting for ISO, exposure and white balance, and can take 10 photos in under three seconds. And has a sensor that’s 0.42 inches diagonally (a dedicated point-and-shoot camera’s is about 0.3 inches, which may partially explain their drop in sales).

One other interesting element: when the ad introducing the new Lumia model first ran, consumers thought it was an ad for a new camera. . . that had mobile phone capabilities too. Perhaps that’s the next thing consumers will expect. Keeping an eye on those drivers and expectations provides a view through the lens of the consumer and can provide a brand with a high-definition view of the category before it’s completely developed.

Remember when your expectations were met knowing you could collect your e-mail, send a text message, or surf the Internet? Not anymore. Not ever again. 

The views expressed here are of the author alone, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Pitch

Pitch | November 2013

AWARDS NIGHT 18th JAN, 2014

Jury Members

Jury Chairperson Dr. S.Y Quraishi Former Chief Election Commissioner of India

Apurva Purohit CEO, Radio City 91.1FM

Raj Nayak CEO, Colors - Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd.

Dr. Ashok Seth Chairman, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute

Sabbas Joseph Director, Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

Madhu Trehan Editor-in-Chief, newslaundry.com

Shefalee Vasudev Sr. Journalist & Author

ENTRIES NOW OPEN!

more names to be added...

For sending entries logon to: www.exchange4media.com/enba2013 For more information on enba 2013 Please Contact: Karishma Naqvi karishma.naqvi@exchange4media.com +91 99996 58263 For Speaker Opportunities Please Contact: Suparnaa Chadda; | Event Curator suparnaachadda@gmail.com

Pitch November 2013

names in alphabetical order of first name

Dr. Ajeenkya D Y Patil Chairman, D Y Patil Group

For Sponsorship Please Contact: Rajat Thareja rajat.thareja@exchange4media.com +91 98101 34435 Abdulla M. Mazumder abdulla@exchange4media.com +91 98716 09348 Sneha Walke sneha@exchange4media.com +91 98455 4114 Varnika Jain vjain@exchange4media.com +91 9769153087 57

CASE STUDY: SLICE

Sip the seduction Bollywood diva Katrina Kaif as the brand ambassador for Slice.

The success of the campaign encouraged 2 million calls even after it was over. So, by luring consumers with Katrina’s number, Slice could get the growth numbers it was looking for

Campaign: Seduction in a bottle Client: Slice

The Challenge: It was a smooth ride for Slice till its frequency of consumption started declining. It saw cause to worry when it faced a sluggish growth. In the 22 per cent mango drink category Slice had only 5 per cent share left. It became active about increasing the consumption. In a research, Slice found that nothing was more important for Indian consumers than getting a girl’s phone number and if the idea was combined with the brand ambassador Katrina’s number, it could be a lucrative offer.

With an 80 per cent mobile phone penetration in the country, giving away Katrina’s number became the anchoring insight for Slice communication. Slice launched the campaign ‘Katrina ka number, crown ke under” to turn its fortunes around.

The Execution: To make consumers chase the bottles of Slice, it put Katrina in the bottle in a never-before seen offer. The challenge was to find Katrina’s phone number under the crown of Slice bottles. In the campaign, every Slice bottle crown had a phone number but only a few lucky consumers would get Katrina’s number and get a chance to take her out on a date. One lucky winner won a date every day. Others simply kept buying more bottles to get lucky.

Fully leveraging the power of the brand ambassador Katrina Kaif, Slice played on a well-planned media mix including TV, Online, OOH and every possible touchpoint where it could connect with its consumer in the most interactive way. So, wherever the consumer went, he saw Katrina inviting him to get her number and take her out of the bottle on a date.

The interactive page ‘Interact with Katrina’ was shared on the Facebook fan page of Slice. It had three different ways to engage the customer: Talk to Katrina, Get Katrina out of the Bottle and the Katrina interactive game. Every activity was fun and interesting and finally led the consumer to drink a bottle of Slice, get her number and get her out of the bottle.

To generate the buzz about the promo, Slice made consumers talk to Katrina through a voice aid banner.

Agency: JWT Results: The campaign made consumers chase Katrina’s numBackground: Slice was launched in India in 1993 as a refreshing mango drink and quickly went on to become a leading player in the category. In 2008, Slice was re-launched with a winning product formulation that made consumers fall in love with its taste. While other players have portrayed the mango as a simple and innocent fruit, Slice celebrates the sheer indulgence and sensuality involved in consuming a mango. Slice was the first brand ever in the Juice and Juice Drinks category to sign on

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ber even after the campaign was over. The continuous sale of Slice bottles resulted in a growth of 225 per cent with 25 per cent increase in the frequency of consumption and 3 per cent increase in returnable glass bottle share. Adding to the success of the campaign were the 2 million calls that were received. So, by luring consumers with Katrina’s number, Slice could get the growth numbers it was looking for.  -gunjan.verma@exchange4media.com

Pitch | November 2013

CALENDAR 2013 - 2014

April 2013

October 2013

→ Release of samachar4media ‘MEDIA MAHARATHI’Ranking of India’s Top 50 Hindi Journalists → Goafest 2013 Specials → Festival of Media Global 2013 Specials

→ Youth Marketing Summit & Awards 2013 → MQ – What’s Your Media Quotient? – Quiz Contest

May 2013 → → → →

BRANDS 50 – Pitch Awards for Excellence in Marketing e4m India PR & Corporate Communications Summit & Awards North East Media Summit Realty Plus Conclave & Excellence Awards

June 2013 → Conference on the Future of Talent in Advertising, Media & Entertainment Industry and Release of IMPACT M School Rankings → IDMA 2013 – Indian Digital Media Awards → Pitch CMO Summit (South) → IAA Marketing Summit on Global Next Practices Powered by exchange4media → Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Specials

July 2013 → INK 2013 – Indian Newspaper Kongress & Newspaper Advertising Awards → Pitch Conference on Analytics for Marketing

August 2013 → exchange4media Conclave 2013 → eNBA – e4m News Broadcasting Awards & NewsNext – Conference → Ninth IMPACT Anniversary Issue

November 2013 → APPLAUSE – Experiential Marketing Awards and Conference → GOLDEN MIKES2013 – Awards for Excellence in Radio Advertising

December 2013 → → → → →

IMPACT Person of the Year 2013 IMPACT Digital Power 100 PITCH Anniversary Issue e4m Rewind 2013 EFFIES 2013 Specials

January 2014 → IMPACT Trends Report 2014

February 2014 → Pitch Madison Media Advertising Outlook 2014 → IMPACT Top 30 Under 30

March 2014 → IMPACT 50 Most Influential Women → Pitch CMO Summit → OOH Conference & Awards 2014

September 2013 → → → →

Indian Marketing Awards 2013 MMA Mobile Marketing Forum & The Smarties Awards Show IMPACT Television Advertising Awards EMVIES 2013 Specials

&

DELHI | MUMBAI

OOH Conference & Awards

3RD EDITION OF THE OOH ADVERTISING AWARDS

SUMMIT

For Sponsorship opportunities, please contact: Rohit Sardana (Delhi) +91 9811377592 Abdulla M. Mazumder (Delhi) +91 98716 09348 Pitch | October 2013 VarnikaaJain (Mumbai) +91 97691 53087 Sneha Walke (Bangalore) +91 98455 41143

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COLUMN ANNURAG BATRA

M

Annurag Batra Chairman & Editor-in-Chief, Pitch Magazine abatra@exchange4media.com @anuragbatrayo www.facebook.com/anuragbatrayo

arketing an experience to the customer has become a phenomenon that is seeing steep growth in recent times. Establishing an emotional connect and personalising the interaction with consumers has become integral to the marketing approach. With the variety of choices available today, consumers too look forward to experiencing the brand before making up their minds about it. This need has led to the growth of experiential marketing which has become huge in its scope and influence today. It has spawned larger- than- life events like the Sunburn Festival, high profile award ceremonies like the IIFA, the Octoberfest to name a few. Brands scramble to get associated with these events and make the best of the opportunity by connecting with the captive audience.

Brands are thinking about creating memorable consumer experiences and trying to come up with new ways to connect and entertain.

Experiential marketing has increased the scope and influence of art and culture in

the country with the inception of festivals like the Jaipur Literature Festival, the International Film Festival of Goa (IFFI), among countless others. The world visits Jaipur during the Literature festival each year and it has inspired many other literature festivals across South Asia in the last six years.

Consumers’ habits have undergone a change due to the times we live in. With the change in family systems, the edgy business and economic environment and short attention spans, it has become imperative for marketers to come up with innovative ways to appeal to people. Every marketer wants to be exclusive in his dealings, every brand wants to break through the clutter and get noticed. The more unique the experience they provide, the better the chances of creating an impact in this competitive world.

Surveys have revealed that among all the marketing channels experiential marketing connects best with the consumers. It has been seen that it is delivering phenomenal Return on Investment

Brand activation has evolved from being a simplistic idea to one that can forge an emotional bond through various means and channels 60

for brands. Studies have also shown that event and experiential marketing spends by companies are growing at a fast rate. It has become a key component of the overall marketing approach.

Another face of experiential marketing is Brand activation that is being increasingly used to heighten customer engagement by creating a relevant experience for them.

We are seeing rapid changes in activation strategies as brands try to be as innovative as possible to attract the attention of consumers. All around us, we see several online and offline activations that aim to augment awareness and establish an emotional connect with the consumer. Brand activation has evolved from being a simplistic idea to one that can forge an emotional bond through various means and channels.

At the end of the day, consumers’ emotions have a strong bearing on the success of such strategies. Marketers need to tap into those emotions to earn loyalty and turn customers into brand advocates. As long as emotions remain central to experiential marketing and consumers are active participants in the process, marketers should know they are on the right track.ď Ž

Pitch | November 2013

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Building an immersive experience for stronger brand engagement

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Hindustan with 1.22 crore readers is the No. 2 daily in the Hindi belt. It’s the No. 1 choice of readers in Bihar & Jharkhand and the fastest growing daily in Uttar Pradesh & Uttarakhand.

What’s more Hindustan has 76% more SEC AB readers than The Times of India in Mumbai.

| Pitch Pitch |Sep-Oct October2013 2013

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India's No. 2 Daily *

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COLUMN ANNURAG BAT

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Pitch | November 2013 Pitch | October 2013