The Marksman February 2020 Issue by The Marksman

Dear Readers, We proudly present to you the February 2020 Edition of our illustrious magazine, The Marksman. For this edition we have put together a corpus of marketing that every reader will thoroughly enjoy and learn from. Our cover story for the month is about “Music as a tool in Marketing”. It defines the use of Music as a marketing tool to connect with potential buyers. The special story, “Honk More, Wait more” states how the Mumbai Police played a clever game to crack down upon the drivers who are way too attached and fixated to the horn.

A very hearty congratulations to the winner of this month’s Call for Articles, Shubham Patle (IIFT), whose article has been featured in this issue. We are overwhelmed by the response that we have received from all of you and encourage you to write to us with the same enthusiasm. We would also like to hear back from our esteemed readers on how you found this edition. We value your feedback as it helps us to constantly improve and write better ! Enjoy Reading!

Stay connected with us on https://theinterfacesimsr.com/magazine/ Follow our Facebook page for more updates.

FEBRUARY EDITION

INDEX Kickstart

Tweets

Marketing Faux Pas

Cover Story

Pioneer

Special Story

Brand Markive

More Than Marketing

Hall-Mark Campaign

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s All About Ad-itude

Bookworm

Featured Articles

Squarehead

KICKSTART -ABDUL MANNAN

Dream11 Dream11â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey began all the way back in 2009, when two childhood friends Harsh Jain and Bhavit Sheth, who were also avid sports fans and engineers started the company with a firm belief that sports fantasy leagues would become a big business opportunity in a country of a billion-something cricket fans. The idea to launch Dream11 first took shape in 2008, when IPL was launched It is an online game where users create a virtual team of real-life players and earn points based on the performances of these players in real matches. A user who scores the maximum points in his joined contest attains the first rank on the leader-board. Dream11 offers free and paid contests.

Nobody thought India would have a gaming startup that will earn global acclaim. But Dream11 has done just that and largely because of its association with the biggest cricketers in the world, and its focus on capturing the market around tournaments such as the Indian Premier League as well as customizing fantasy football gaming for the Indian market.

BCCI announced Dream11 as the Official Partner for the VIVO Indian Premier League.

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KICKSTART

Today, Dream11 boasts of 50 Mn users and sports-related websites regularly cover fantasy game predictions as they would cover actual cricket matches. As cofounder Bhavit Sheth told, combined users from Tier 2, Tier 3 and Tier 4 are much higher than Tier 1 because when we grew from 300K to 10 Mn and so on, the last few growth spurts have come from the lower-tier cities like Lucknow, Kanpur, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jaipur, etc.

Today, the company, which is yet to turn profitable, commands a large revenue base of close to Rs 100 crores (not disclosed yet in 2018); in FY 2017, it ended the year with Rs 62 crores.

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the brand ambassador of Dream 11

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TWEETS TWEETS -Vyom Bhatnagar

Twitter Game Strong What is Twitter? A tiny little app with a tiny bird symbol which gives you just 280 words limit. Well, these 280 words when multiplying with 350 million active users it creates one of the most influential markets of this world. With more than a billion registered users this market is huge and nowadays companies are using it precisely.

Companies are using a step-by-step technique to target customers. With companies posting on one side the users are also interacting with brands and even making fun of them. E.g. The below tweet of Mr. Prayag Sonar who is taking a jibe on the business model of LinkedIn. Next is the episode of Valentine Week where Tinder India comes in a discussion and asking Netflix for a date. With this Twitter India comes as Moral Policeman and asks them to please interact in personal messages. But it was the talk of the town or I would say â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tweet of The Townâ&#x20AC;?

With 350 million active users it creates one of the most influential market in this world. With more than a billion registered users, this market is huge and nowadays companies are using it precisely.

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TWEETS

TWEETS Another Case is of Kitkat posting about their famous tagline. However, Twitter is more of a mememarketing or campaign with a little humor because in 280 words and a limit of pictures of four it is very tough to pass on your message to your target audience. I sometimes think if “hashtags” were not there how will twitter collect and sort the data.

I sometimes think if “hashtags” were not there how will twitter collect and sort the data.

Another Case is of NandoSG which takes a dig at Burgerking 34-day challenge. In this what burger has displayed it how their burgers are fresh and with additives that these burgers become rotten in 34days, to which sarcastically NandoSG responded that our Chicken Burger has a shelf life of 3-4 minutes because that is the amount of time our customer needs to eat. It was clearly Burgerking - 0 & Nando -1. Note: Burgers of other companies can survive up to a hundred days, so think before you eat. Twitter is the most developed social media network when it comes to hashtags. Daily the trending hashtags change and sometimes even in minutes.

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FAUX PAS PAS FAUX

-SHAHRUKH SHAIK

SEX SELLS "Do you know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." An entire commercial with just that one line shook the industry. Is it because the commercial featured the then15-year-old Brooke Shields rocking the brand's jeans? or is it because of their sheer creativity? Calvin Klein always amazes people with most provocative campaigns around. Many were considered controversial, be it billboards, print ads, or commercials. In last 52 years, the Calvin Klein has been criticized for promoting violence, gang

rape, child pornography, These ads have not only offended and were targeted by the normal American Families but they have also been targeted by Justice Department of U.S and the former president Bill Clinton. And many advertisements have been pulled from magazines and off the air.

and drug use

through itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commercials and advertisement campaigns.

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FAUX PAS

One of Calvin Klein’s most

infamous advertisement campaigns

launched in the year 1992. This ad featured topless, 17-year-

old Kate Moss straddling

Sometimes a marketing failure doesn’t exactly result into a drop in sales. Calvin Klein proved that twice through it’s “sex sells” Campaign. In 1995, Klein placed teenage boys and girls in sleazy basement-esque rooms and photographed them in suggestive poses wearing almost nothing. Parents and parent groups lashed out, but youngsters loved it. (Of course they did.) Klein did the same in 1999 with an even younger group of toddler boys in just boxer briefs and shorts, which didn’t venture far off the path of child pornography.

shirtless Mark

Wahlberg.

Interestingly enough, though, as controversial as they were, the images hardly affected the sales or the reputation of the company, in fact they have acted in favour. Guess sex really does sell.

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COVER STORY Music As A Marketing Tool?

-Piyush Mukherjee

The global economics is being ruled by millennials and people from ”gen-Z”, thanks to their ever increasing purchasing power. As buyers, they have got to be the first of its kind, wherein, they give a huge importance to the emotional bond that seller tries to create with them. To make millennials and gen-z buy, the only things the brands need

to ensure is that their offerings represent the varied set of values they believe in. This makes it imperative for brands to market themselves in a way that would connect with the audience in focus. Music is one such way. Music is one incredibly important and useful way.

We all can testify that music is, by far, one of the most powerful ways of connecting with people around us. It has

Music can be thought of

the power to cross cultural barriers, connecting thoughts and minds that may not have been possible otherwise.

illusion, much the same

as a type of perceptual way in which a collage

is perceived. The brain imposes structure and order on a sequence of

sounds that, in effect, creates an entirely new system of meaning.

Malini Mohana, a psychologist, says, “Music can be thought of as a type of perceptual illusion, much the same way in which a collage is perceived. The brain imposes structure and order on a sequence of sounds that, in effect, creates an entirely new system of meaning.” That “meaning” she refers to, has a profound effect on the way people emote,

perceive, connect with and remember things. Furthermore, music has a lot of health benefits, too. It is an excellent tool for therapy, due to its great emotional power on the human brain. 7 MARKSMAN

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COVER STORY

Not just emotions, music also has the power to help recall significant memories. It is a powerful memory trigger, making it a very effective learning tool. When we sit down to think about some key moments in our lives, it’s very likely that we'll remember a tune or a song with the memory attached to it.

The brain’s emotional,

language and memory are all active when listening to music

It is the emotional connect that the brain makes with music that makes us turn up the volume when we hear a song from our younger days, especially if we haven’t heard it in a long time. Our brain produces happy memories attached with that song. Mohana explains “the brain’s emotional, language and memory are all active when listening to

music, making it synthesize a memory of your feelings associated with the sounds and rhythm of it”. As far as marketing and branding is concerned, there is no better way than using music to help customers remember the brand. In the US, Apple brilliantly

capitalises on this theory in their holiday ads. In 1971, Coke had a released an ad with the song “Like to teach the world sing”. Soon after it hit the screens, almost

everyone was singing to it. It became a classic and is remembered to this day, whenever someone thinks of coke. 8 MARKSMAN

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COVER STORY Even in the Indian brand space, things haven’t been any different. In fact, various brands are still standing strong due to ads they released years ago. Consumers still remember those ads, all thanks to the music associated with them. The moment someone sings the words “googly woogly woosh”, we remember Pond’s famous ad. Airtel’s “Har ek friend zaroori hota hai” song had taken the young population by storm. While a little puppy and his owner ran across muddy backyards to the tunes of “you and I, in this beautiful world”, little did Vodafone know that they had created a beautiful song that would eventually signify love Price and friendship. And, of course, “washing powder nirma” and “humara Bajaj”, needs no description.

The Indian Ad scene has had it’s fair share memorable ads thanks to the music used.

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COVER STORY

The repetition of the song over time, constructs a deeper memory of the ad in the minds of the audience, that makes a lasting impression.

Branding with the help of music is formula for any brand. A great song or a jingle creates positive emotions and

memorable emotions in the minds of the customers. It gives the brand equity a foundation built on good memories. From there, the brand can be built further to attract more business. Almost all big brands use music to their advantage. In fact,

while watching the ads, we can note how the message would fall flat without the music.

So, how does Music do the magic?

Songs and jingles used in ads tend to last for at least a minute and a half, and sometimes even more.. Along with that, the repetition of it, over

time, constructs a deeper memory of the ad in the minds of the audience. This is all the more effective over audio channels, like the radio or even music streaming platforms, where the audience absorbs everything. When watching ads on the TV, we often use the ad-breaks to grab a bite, or shuffle channels, or even a toilet break. But when we listen to the radio or a music streaming platform, chances are weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re listening while already doing something else. Switching channels just to avoid a 30-second ad then seems redundant, and we end up

listening to the ad to itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s completion. 10 MARKSMAN

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COVER STORY Jingles aren’t really outdated, like many would have you believe, and music as a marketing tool isn’t really that complicated to understand either. Music inspires the

fondness and affection of a memorable, yet unreachable past, and a hopeful future. Such ads, therefore, build an emotional bond between consumers and brand. When the consumers feel more, they are more receptive to the brand message. When we try to think of the letters in the alphabet, we inevitably recite the ABC song in our head. L, M, N, O, P … No matter what, this is the method that so many of us use to the day. Why? Because it’s effective. It’s really simple. The human brain processes memories uniquely and easily recollect the data if repetition and some sort of a tune is involved. Jingles work on the same concept. Music, whether it’s exciting background music or it’s at the

forefront of an advertisement, is essential to effective marketing campaigns.

Music inspires the

fondness and affection of a memorable, yet unreachable past, and a hopeful future.

Price

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PIONEER ARUNABH KUMAR

- Kritika Sharma

With 7 million subscribers, 331 videos, 5+ million TVF PlayApp downloads & more than a hundred million views, The Viral Fever (TVF) is young India’ s favourite digital entertainment in today’s time.

The real credit goes to the

mastermind behind it – Arunabh Kumar, Founder & Creative Experiment Officer.

The Kota

Arunabh holds a masters in Electrical Engineering from

Factory,

IIT Kharagpur. He first joined Red Chillies Entertainment as an Assistant Director on Om Shanti Om sets. Slowly

India’s first

he made his way into the entertainment industry making

black & white

short films, music videos and freelancing for various

web series

garnered over 7 million

advertising agencies. Creator and distributor of 12 online entertainment hits such as Qtiyapa, Barely Speaking with Arnub, Permanent

views within 2

Roommates, Chai Sutta Chronicles, PITCHERS & very recent The Kota Factory, Screen Patti. Girliyapa,

days of its

Timeliners etc, TVF is the first company in India to create

release.

a blend of reality & parody in their creation & genre.

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PIONEER

TVF started its journey with Inglorious Seniors, a spoof of Quentin Tarantino’s war saga set against the backdrop of college ragging that instantly struck a chord with the youth. They followed it up with one of their most popular outings Rowdies.

Turning point of his career was the rejection of a youth-centric television show, Engineer’s Diary by MTV and other channels on the grounds that the youth wouldn’t want to watch it. In a bid to prove them wrong, Arunabh along with a few of his friends started the YouTube channel –The Viral Fever! Staying true to its name, TVF delivered viral videos one after another that garnered millions of views and subscriptions for the channel. It also became the 1st online network to extract content contribution from A grade Bollywood celebrities Shah Rukh Khan, Ayushmann Khurana, Parineeti Chopra, Ranveer Singh, and more recently The Chief Minister of Delhi Mr. Arvind Kejriwal.

While TVF has definitely been the at the heart of youngsters, it is now going to target regional genres by focusing on 8 regional languages viz. Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Gujarati, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi & Punjabi. TVF is also looking at a more collaborative approach in the digital entertainment industry with other partners – be it Netflix, YouTube, MX player or Faasos! While we await more fresh seasons of our favourite shows & of course – Jeetu Bhaiya, one can’t forget the marketing insights that Arunabh brings to the table via TVF - channel for EVERYONE!

In coming

days, TVF will now focus more on building a subscription based model & creating content for

its own streaming platform.

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SPECIAL STORY - Arnav Mohapatra HONK MORE, WAIT MORE ! Courtesy of MUMBAI POLICE.

Confused

Yet another ingenious move was made by the Mumbai Police to crack down upon the drivers who are way too attached

Mumbaikars

and fixated to the horn. Serious levels of sound pollution was the main concern that led to this thought-provoking and

who honk their horns,

wait and honk again,

will learn

revolutionary step taken by the city police. It is called the “ Punishing Signal” which connects to a decibel monitor,

which in turn keeps the lights red for longer period of time. Every time car horns exceed 85 decibels, the light stays red for twice the usual time. These devices were installed at key traffic lights at major

Mumbai intersections, and strategic positioning of police posters carrying the scary warning, ‘Honk More, Wait More’,

the hard

is placed next to the decibel-measuring devices. Honking is a bad habit which is very common amongst the

way, that

Indian traffic. It has countless harms but still there is not much action taken to curb it. It causes noise pollution, causes

honking is

ear problems, increases heart rate, creates confusion and causes stress.

not the way. .out.

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SPECIAL STORY

The first leg of activation was implemented in Mumbai at important junctions that are most prone to heavy traffic such as CSMT, Marine Drive, Peddar Road, Hindmata and Bandra. In India, the car horn is seen and used as a survival tool, and a weapon. There is constant abuse of the horns to warn, and especially to get sluggish drivers to move. Mumbai being the most crowded city in the world with around 18.41 million people trying to reach to their destinations, congestion and confusion is the main cause of

this bane. Honking in traffic has become a major problem. This project was expected to attract the negative attention of people who wanted to reach their workplaces, home etc. in time, but according to officials this step will play an instrumental role in regulation of traffic and to change the mindset of the

Indian traffic.

Horn not okay, please! Mumbai Police hits the mute button on Taking inspiration from their counterparts, Bengaluru Police have also planning to curb this cacophonous stream of horn

Mumbaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reckless

abuse by installing the decibel tracking devices at a few Bangalore hotspots. Although Bangalore has a lot of traffic

honkers. Honk

problems but it is not known for the honking problem like in Mumbai and Kolkata. Even Hyderabad is planning to install

Responsibly.

these devices to put a stop on traffic disorientation and noise pollution. 15 MARKSMAN

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BRAND MARKIVE -Yash Sancheti

PIZZA HUT A true American success story of a business dream, a loan to start the venture and the journey to becoming a world leader, Pizza Hut started in 1958 in Wichita, Kansas by Dan and Frank Carney with their partner John Bender. With the limited amount of money they had, they rented a small place and bought used equipment. The name Pizza Hut which has become synonymous with good food & service was only named so because the sign board they had, had room only for 8 letters. With aggressive marketing, by 1966 the number of Pizza Hut outlets had reached 145 and two years later the first franchisee was inaugurated in Canada. During this time the Carney brothers bought out the interest held by John Bender. This isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just a story of success as the pizza chain went through tumultuous times too. The company wanted to acquire 40 percent of their franchise operations. However, these acquisitions were not well planned and caused disruption in the operations as the varied accounting systems used by the earlier franchise owners had to be integrated into one single coherent system. During this time The name Pizza the sales flattened and the profits dwindled. Hut which has

become synonymous with good food & service.

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BRAND MARKIVE

The company realised that a long term strategic plan was required to survive in the market. The company went public in 1972 and was listed on the NYSE. This proved to be a turning point as also the decision to further acquire companies that would complement their core competencies. In 1977 Pizza Hut merged with PepsiCo. The 1980s saw new competitors like Little Caesar’s, Domino’s Pizza International and Pizza Express. Pizza Hut introduced ‘Pan Pizza’ and also other new additions to the menu to combat this. The 1990s brought more success for the chain. Today, Pizza Hut serves nearly 2 million pizzas a day in its 12,000 plus locations. It has approximately 4 million customers worldwide and has even had the honour of delivering to the White House and to the former Russian President Boris Yeltsin. What began as a $600 venture in Kansas, has now grown to be one of the world's biggest restaurant franchises. The company's success all falls on the shoulders of two brothers with a desire and determination to make a good pizza and a good living. Pizza Hut’s approximate worth is said to be around $8.5 Billion.

The company went public in 1972 and was listed on the NYSE. This proved to be a

turning point.

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MORE THAN MARKETING -Hardik

Starbucks - spreading coffees in a greener Earth Corporate Social Responsibility is one of the important pillars of any company. In addition to the products, revenues, and customer satisfaction, taking steps to work on environment and societal issues makes the company better in the market, it develops a sense of responsibility for the company.

Starbucksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; social responsibility strategy is based on three pillars: Community, Ethical Sourcing, and Environment

Starbucks has been into CSR for many years now. Its CSR activities have been much appreciated by many companies. Starbucks works constantly on improving and creating a positive impact on the three pillars that its strategies depend on. For communities, Starbucks develops community stores that partner with local nonprofit organizations. Starbucks donates $0.05 to $0.15 for each transaction that happens through the non-profits.

Starbucks had pledged to hire at least 10000 veterans and military, thus focusing on diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Through Ethical Sourcing, Starbucks

dictates how its products are purchased. Ensuring commitment to high-quality ingredients such as coffee, tea, cocoa, and other manufactured goods.

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MORE THAN MARKETING For Starbucks, the planet is its most important business partner. Starbucks takes a comprehensive approach to reduce its environmental impact. They build LEEDcertified stores, committed to recycling and conserving water and energy, and continuously pursuing strategies that address climate change on a global level.

2018 has been the year to wage war against single-use plastics. Recently Starbucks has unveiled plans to ditch plastic straws from its 28000 stores worldwide in 2020. And not just Starbucks, many other globally spread companies have pledged to work on the reduction of plastic consumption. Companies focusing on social responsibilities outperform competitors who don’t significantly. After Starbucks announced its plan to eliminate plastic straws from its stores globally, Starbucks shares received a much-needed boost, with the company stocks rising 1.9% in the morning trade. Consumer expectations have led CSR to become an integral part of a company’s identity.

“We have always believed that businesses can – and should – have a positive impact on the communities they regularly serve

A dedicated marketing plan goes hand-in-hand with a strong CSR program. Customers want to know authenticity in addition to the company doing good. CSR is looked like a way to raise customer and employee engagement. This in turn ultimately benefits the business in multiple aspects. 19 MARKSMAN

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HALL-MARK CAMPAIGN - Harneet Singh Ghatehora Carlsberg – “Probably NOT the best beer in the world” Campaign Carlsberg stunned the public all over the world by its wittiest and honest consumer campaign ever and shook up the mainstream by that. Carlsberg says that it had fallen into the trap of being one of the biggest but not the best and as a result has rebrewed from Airbnb is all head to top with a hop to create a new, better, Carlsberg Danish about the Pilsner. Also, Carlsberg introduced its new packaging and plurality of glassware which is aimed to reinforce the changes and the choices, both pilsner’s new, more premium, positioning. in life and in travel. Carlsberg’s inversion of its ‘Probably the best beer in the world’ tag line earned respect from both in and outside the world of marketing. A genuinely brave move by the company was a huge brand risk, putting its reputation on stake, and one that Carlsberg was all too aware of. It featured “Probably not the best beer in the world” across outdoor advertisements and social media, highlighting how it had prioritized “quantity over quality” now. The campaign is created by an agency named Fold7 and was a declaration that Carlsberg had lost its way, an approach the brand was rightly nervous about, but that also showed that how Carlsberg as a brand is honest with consumers.

Carlsberg was biggest but not the best and as a result has rebrewed from head to top with hop to create a new, better, Carlsberg Danish Pilsner

As part of the relaunch, Carlsberg will be increasing prices that are not disclosed yet although Newton, VP of marketing at Carlsberg, promises it will still be “affordable”. Carlsberg aims to move into the “standard plus” market, which includes beers such as Amstel, Coors Light, and Bud Light. 20 MARKSMAN

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HALL-MARK CAMPAIGN

The aim of Carlsberg is to move into the “standard plus” market, which includes beers such as Amstel, Coors Light and Bud Light.

After the campaign launch, Carlsberg UK’s director of marketing Lynsey Woods said in one of his interviews that the brand has been “overwhelmed” by the response from consumers so far. “We were nervous (before the launch) because we haven’t done anything like this before,” Woods explained. “We hadn’t lifted the lid and spoken so honestly, and I don’t think many brands do, but we’ve been overwhelmed with the positive response.” It certainly drove the conversation, with an awareness of Carlsberg’s advertising among British consumers doubling to 10.5 on YouGov Brand-Index during the campaign’s first four months. The brand turnaround will take a long time to come to fruition, but it certainly created a huge buzz across the beer world.

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It’s all about Ad-itude - Mohit Nagdev Mera Baba Desh Chalata Hain – Tata Trust According to the BMC , Mumbai releases 7500 metric tonnes of waste everyday. This waste is handled by a large number of sanitation workers who are increasingly exposing themselves to new diseases as they work in hazardous conditions provided by the manholes , dumping grounds, etc. To handle this issue , the Tata Trust has started Mission Garima in order to reduce the manual exposure of these sanitation workers with these hazardous areas.

Tata shared the video on Instagram with caption: "Mission Garima, for our brave sanitation workers #twobinslifewins.

In order to promote this mission , Tata Trust recently launched the “Mera Baba Desh Chalata Hain” Advertisement video which has garnered huge attention of a lot of people over the internet . The ad starts off with a child talking about his father saying “Mera Baba

Desh Chalata Hain” and that’s the point of focus around which the whole ad is built upon.

The child talks about how his father runs the country although he is not a politician and how he helps the country get rid of diseases without being a doctor. The ad slowly emphasizes on the importance of the kid’s father and reveals that he is a worker in a sanitation department who risks his life everyday by getting exposed to a plethora of diseases, all because people of the country that do not dispose dry and wet waste separately .

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The ad tries to instill an emotional feeling among the people to make their contribution by disposing the wastes separately and do their bit in running the country and reducing the exposure of people working in the sanitation department towards diseases . Towards the end of the ad, it points out how the lives of thousands of sanitation workers are affected daily because of our habits of disposing wastage improperly .

In Mumbai, a city of 23 million, only 50,000 individuals are employed as sanitation workers. The ad tries to instill a feeling of nationalism by disposing off waste separately and shows that we should respect the people who separate the waste because they are the reason the country is running The campaign aims at the welfare of these sanitation workers who work under taxing conditions every day. Ratan Tata in his post used #TwoBinsLifeWins thus urging people to separate their biodegradable and non- biodegradable waste. The ad has gained a lot of popularity with over 50,000 views

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BOOKWORM -DEVSHREE MEHTA INFLUENCE : The Psychology of Persuasion

How do you get someone to say yes? Marketing at its core is getting someone to agree to a proposition. People have always been persuaded for their attention towards a product or service and there are different factors which gain the attention of these consumers towards a product. In The Psychology of Persuasion, a bestseller and arguably one of the best marketing books of all time, Robert Cialdini breaks down how with thoughtful persuasion, people can be influenced to say yes more often. There's a critical insight in all this for those of us who want to learn to be more influential. The best persuaders become the best by learning the art of pre-suasion :- the art of making a person receptive about a product even before receiving the product. But how?

Since 95 percent of the people are imitators and only 5 percent are initiators, people are persuaded more by the actions of others than by any proof we can offer.

This book has plenty of applications like, • It can help you in defending yourself from the Influence of marketing professionals • It can help you in taking a right decision for as many people as possible. • It can be used to design & craft such products which will be widely accepted by users. There are six principles defined in this book which give insights on how to not get persuaded as well as how to persuade your consumer base: 1. RECIPROCATION This rule states that “…we should try to repay, in kind, what another person has provided us.” 24

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BOOKWORM The rule possesses awesome strength, often producing a “yes” response to a request that, except for an existing feeling of indebtedness, would have surely been refused. For Example: If someone buys you lunch, you feel obligated to buy them lunch next time. 2. COMMITMENT & CONSISTENCY This states about our “…desire to be consistent with what we have already done. Once we have made a choice or taken a stand, we will encounter personal and interpersonal pressures to behave consistently with that commitment. Those pressures will cause us to respond in ways that justify our earlier decision.” For example: Maintaining your percentages even if you don’t want to pursue a career in the same field. 3. SOCIAL PROOF Social proof is what a lot of us would refer to as peer pressure. This rule “…applies especially to the way we decide what constitutes correct behaviour. We view a behaviour as more correct in a given situation to the degree that we see others performing it.” Basically, everyone else is doing it, so I’ll do it too. For example: You’re at Dominos and your friends order margaritas, so you do the same. 4. LIKING Very simply, this just means we prefer to say yes to the requests of people we know and like. For Example: Similarity: We like people who are similar to us, whether it’s sharing opinions, personality traits, background, lifestyle, etc.

5. AUTHORITY Very simply, people tend to follow authoritative figures. We are taught from a very young age that obedience to authority is right and disobedience is wrong. For Example: Policemen, firemen, clergy, office managers, etc. 6. SCARCITY The scarcity principle states that “…opportunities seem more valuable to us when their availability is limited”, the fear of loss is always greater than the desire for gain. For Example: Limited time offers — A certain product is in short supply so that cannot be guaranteed to last long (Amazon sale or Black Friday Sale). 25 MARKSMAN

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