The Marksman August 2018 Edition

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Dear Readers, It gives us immense pleasure to present before you the August Edition 2018 of our glorious Marksman. We have put together a wide range of interesting articles that would help broaden your perspectives of marketing. We have, in this issue, an interview with Mr. Asheeb Singh Raina, an alumnus of SIMSR from the 2015 batch. He currently handles the Sales and Business Development, South East Asia region for ACG Worldwide. We extend our thanks to Mr. Raina for his valuable insights. Influencer marketing is taking over Instagram. Our cover story for this edition, “Instagram: A Wild West of Disguised Advertising” highlights how celebrities, without actually using the products, are stepping forward to market them using the popularity that they have gained over a period of time. Instagram boasts of over 300 million daily active users and does provide a huge platform for marketing but is the marketing done on the grounds of social morals? Former PM of India, Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee features in this month’s Pioneer, known as he was as a master statesman; the Bheeshma Pitamaha of Indian Politics. Hearty congratulations to the winners of this month’s Call for Articles, Durbhardas Gupta from SRCC, Delhi and Nidhi Acharya from Welingkar Institute of Management, whose articles have 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 find our August edition. We value your feedback as it helps us to constantly improve. Enjoy Reading! Stay with us on www.interfacesimsr.com/index.php/marksman Follow our Facebook page for more updates.

AUGUST EDITION


INDEX Tweets

01

It’s All About Ad-itude

03

Marketing Faux Pas

05

Cover Story

07

Pioneer

13

Special Story

15

Brand Markive

19

Bookworm

21

Hall-Mark Campaign

22

Kickstart

23

Featured Article

25

Square Head

20

Industry Expert

31


FAUX PAS TWEETS -YASH WAGH

#SAVEDYOUACLICK In plethora of online marketing and advertisements available to the world today, the amount of links we click on and the content we read, cannot be measured. We waste so much of our time online reading non-essential and purposeless articles. In this environment, the concept of Click bait has gradually crept in and enslaved us to engage with such deplorable content. We’re all familiar with the concept of Click bait and each and every one of us must have been a victim of click baiting at least once, may it be on YouTube ,News article, Facebook, Twitter or various other social media websites.

In these circumstances, saving us from a wrong click means saving us from wasting our precious time. Such work is done by a gallant twitter account by the name of #SAVEDYOUACLICK Instead of reading all this, @SavedYo uAClick makes it easier for us by posting the link MSN News posted “NASA finally figured out what this ‘foreign object’ on Mars actually is” followed by a link. The title teases you to click on it and then goes on to disappoint you in a lengthy 350-word snooze fest. It keeps beating around the bush about the so called ‘foreign object’ and in the end concludes saying that it is just a piece of very thin rock. Instead of reading all this, @SavedYouAClick makes it easier for us by posting the link with the caption ‘it’s a rock’ summarizing the entire 350word article in 3 words and saving 10 minutes of your time at least. It also adds a touch of humour to the posts due to the way the account summarizes various articles in a couple words.

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FAUX PAS TWEETS

In another tweet, Bloomberg’s official account tweeted out a post saying that ‘The Rolex that everybody wants this year is actually affordable’ and followed it with a link. Here clicking on the link will lead to knowledge of the fact that the Rolex costs $9,250. By not giving the actual price in the headline, the author plays with the fact that affordable is a relative term and with the fact that the price is relatively cheaper as compared to other Rolex watches. Here, @SavedYouAClick comes to the aid of baffled, innocent web surfers who have wandered upon the article only to realise the trickery it serves by retweeting the post with the actual cost of the ‘Affordable’ watch.

Here, Business Insider’s official Twitter page tweeted out saying ‘I finally tried Amazon’s free, two-hour Whole Foods delivery, and I was shocked to discover it isn’t free’ followed by a link. They wanted to hint about some controversy where Amazon is charging for a service which they initially declared to be free. When actually, all the fuss created was due to the availability of an optional tip for the people who bring us the groceries. The Faux pas content of the title intended to demean the services while attracting clicks to increase traffic is veered by the exact detail provided in concise manner by @SavedYouAClick. While the profile is masked behind a pseudo name, his fortitude shimmers beneath is cape #Not All Heroes Wear Capes @SavedYouAClick 2 MARKSMAN

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IT’S ALL ABOUT AD-ITUDE -ROHAN MENDON

TELEVISION AD Women safety is one the major issues that India is facing. Vivo has deftly shown this in their recent ad, trying to bring about the importance of safety in today’s world. The ad basically focuses on the misadventures of a woman whose phone is dying and car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Desperate for help, she locates a restaurant close by. Ignoring three men sitting at a nearby table, she requests a tea vendor for his phone to make a call. After being turned down, she heads back to her car, slyly noticing the three men who kept staring at her. Just as she sits in her car, she sees the same men advancing towards her from a distance. Paranoid, she looks around the car hastily for a defence tool and just as she grabs on to something, the men tap on the car’s window, offering to help her by allowing her to make a call on the Vivo Smartphone. The ad ends with a strong message stating a country can be truly independent only when women feel secure, thus showcasing Independence Day in an unconventional manner.

” Only when it’s women feel secure can a country be truly independent.”

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IT’S ALL ABOUT AD-ITUDE -ROHAN MENDON

PRINT AD Advertising a condom, which is still considered taboo in certain parts of the country, Durex unabashedly have portrayed heir ads in the most quirky manner. They have managed to seep through to become the top condom brand of the country. Be it for Anushka Sharma & Virat Kohli’s wedding, Father’s day or the launch of ‘Sacred Games’, their ads have always been amusing. Recently, they however took a step forward and released a bold ad on Independence Day. The condoms were seen in saffron, white and green and were placed strategically according to the colours of the Indian flag.

” The condoms were seen in saffron, white and green and were placed strategically according to the colours of the Indian flag..”

The condoms were being sold in many pharmacies as a ‘Freedom Pack’ having all three colours. The message conveyed was ‘Freedom is Responsibility’ thus emphasizing that one should have a sense of responsibility with the freedom granted to them rather than misusing it. The main idea, as always, was to promote safe sex, avoid being careless and embrace the feeling rather than being embarrassed by the name of sex.

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FAUX PAS -ANURADHA IYER US AIR FORCE’s TASTELESS TWEET

“The dress” debate that went viral on Twitter a year ago had a new follower.“ Yanny or Laurel”, the audio version of the viral visual atrocity was just as famous as the former debate. Many brands over the world had been quick to weigh into the debate over the viral audio clip which had taken the internet by storm and it seemed as the American Air Force wanted to get into the same. The US Air Force misused this meme by posting a demeaning message with hashtags to drum up interest on Twitter. The tweet referred to an attack by American Air forces against Taliban insurgents who were trying to take over the city of Farrah. The aim behind using this meme was to promote the weaponries used during their fight against Taliban in Afghanistan. 5 MARKSMAN

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FAUX PAS The main intention of the Air Force was to draw attention and brag about the massive fighter pilot, A-10 planes that were used during the fight. A-10 flights can fly close to the surface level and make a sound ‘Brrtt’ with their 30 mm canon guns. This feature was used in the tweet where it stated that “The Taliban Forces in Farah city would much rather have heard #Yanny or #laurel than the deafening #BRRRT they got courtesy of our A10”. According to Lt. Col. Martin O’Donnell, US military advisers eventually arrived in the city to assist Afghan military commanders at their headquarters, helping to call in drone strikes that killed some 28 Taliban fighters.

This tweet brought in a lot of criticism questioning the appropriateness of the message. Eventually the tweet was deleted with an apology stating that the tweet was in ‘poor taste’. The Air Force’s tweet has made us realize once again about the tricky business for the organizations and brands to promote their product online or offline without posting things that will probably be lambasted.

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COVER STORY INSTAGRAM: A WILD WEST OF DISGUISED ADVERTISING In 2016, Influencer DB, a platform for influencer marketing & influencer relationship management, conducted a study to examine hash tags on Instagram which are used for disclosing sponsored posts. To conclude, they looked at the most commonly used hash tags which mark ad postings over the course of three years and found that #ad and #sponsored is by far the most commonly used term among others. Their studies confirmed that there seems to be awareness of the obligation to label sponsored posts. But nonetheless, the Federal Trade Commission(FTC) sent out around 90 warning letters regarding covert advertising to influencers just recently. Regulators of sponsored advertisement dictated that endorsement of the product should be disclosed to prevent any deception to the consumer. But the lawless, ungovernable entity is consigned to oblivion in the world of Hashtags and links, spawning the “stand-off” leading the petition for the move that said Instagram had become "a Wild West of disguised advertising”.

- ASHWATH RAINA

FTC GUIDELINES IN SHORT What to disclose: Paid promotions Promotion of products received for free Affiliate links Contests and sweepstakes No disclosure required: Promotion of products purchased by the influencer How to disclose: An ad, Advertisement, Sponsored, Promotion, paid ad For free products: “Company X gave me this product to try…” Do not use: thank you, partner For Instagram posts: Insert label above the “more” button Not within a string of hash tags or in the block of text

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COVER STORY

COVER STORY

INSTAGRAM: THE FUTILITY OF MODERN MATERIALISM Instagram when launched, garnered an attention insurmountable to anything before. The trend and popularity of Instagram exist with an impulse. A Trigger happy Impulse to shoot. The Impulse of clicking photos and need for sharing the same with the rest. A Virtual world based on the Consumer society that defines the “Modern Materialism�. Instagram serves as a post board for the Camera inspired photographers and Photo bloggers. Our Profiles and avatars are now our resumes to the world, creating a self and social esteem to the consumer culture, giving us a unique identifier to the marketers. We are now defined by a new category i.e. Psychological profile of ourselves. These changes and their consequences are hard to perceive for the older generations who matured before the existence of social network and still see the online identity as separate and distinct. But Marketers of the world have found the pulse of the generation and given birth to a new concept of marketing, Influencer.

"One used to believe in prophecy to lie about reality, Now we deny reality and hope to live in prophecy." 8 MARKSMAN

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COVER STORY

CELEBRITY INFLUENCE AND INTERVENTION OF FTC

Influencers trade on their status and brands are using influencer marketing as a primary way to reach young consumers. Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Rita Ora, Rihanna and 100 others celebrities were warned by FTC in the same letter to shamelessly associating their own name with products and advertising them without actually using it. These posts risk violating consumer rights rules by not revealing when they are promoting products on the social media site. Even the marketing firms were questioned for the deception and reaping the profits from gullible young consumers. While FTC provided a set of guidelines, but to exploit their wording were quite easy. The regulator did not give specific wording which should be used to make a advertise post but said that phrases such as "paid for" "Sponsored" and "Promotion" may separate endorsement to personal posts, as well as “#ad". FTC tried to act when the rules Price in their campaign. were violated, yet there were not successful The most accomplished case came from FTC battle with Warner Bros. over the promotion of the video game Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor. Warner Bros. was hindered from failing to make disclosures and giving a false idea of the sponsored content, including gameplay videos, as the independent opinions of influencers. Engaging with the wildly popular “PewDiePie,” Warner Bros., through its advertising agency Plaid Social Labs, spent thousands of dollars to post positive gameplay videos on social media. Over the course of the campaign of Middle Earth promotion, the sponsored videos were viewed more than 5.5 million times. Warner Bros. had paid each influencer thousands of dollars to promote it. The complaint alleged that the influencers divulged to their followers only that they had received early access to Shadow of Mordor, but failed to disclose that they also had paid them to promote the game.

"Wander as a God and all you do is stumble upon realms of Malibu beach“ influencers "Digital Media influencers thrives upon the gullible ness of their followers; They prey upon users to rely on their advice. they are the true Wolves of Instagram "

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COVER STORY

INFLUENCER: WOLVES OF INSTAGRAM It has completely changed the idea of ethnic consumer and provided each and every one of them, the right to choose and cater to his own taste.

FTC faces lot of such issues when it comes to the same. Other than the celebrities and Companies preying upon such opportunities, there are legions of non celebrity influencers on social media, people who have risen to a celebrity-like status over Instagram and other social media platforms. Inspired by the title of the notable and cult movie “Wolf of the Wall Street”, These are the Wolves of Instagram. • Fashion blogger Chiara Ferragni - 8.9 million followers • Fashion blogger Aimee Song - 4.5 million followers • Style blogger Julie Sarinana - 4.5 million followers • Style blogger Elijah Oyefeso - 28.3K followers* *Data from BBC

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COVER STORY

COVER STORY

The precise assets is difficult to estimate, but companies are alleged to shell out even tens of thousands, to get their product featured in one of the Instagram posts. Boasting over 300 million daily active users, Instagram has huge prospective for marketers. Celebrities in social media usually are not the handlers of their account. Most celebrities and influencer does hold a major responsibility in such situations. The influencer, as well as the marketer, can be charged if a sponsored post is not labeled correctly. Thus, both parties have to be acquainted of their responsibilities when engaging in marketing. In the end, one must be aware that social media is not an anarchic zone without regulations.

Avid Instagram users are mostly influenced by such people. On Instagram, the ads are unrestrained and unchecked. Consumers often believe celebrities are making legitimate, self-directed and keen endorsements of brands of which they are not an actual user. There are set cases where there was focus on clearing on endorsement. In one example, Kylie Jenner altered a caption on an Instagram picture of a lavish mansion in Turks and Caicos from ‘Thanks for the birthday home, @airbnb’ to ‘Thanks for the gift of a lovely birthday home, @airbnb’ to make it clearer it was an endorsement.

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COVER STORY

COVER STORY

PERORATION TO THE DIALOGUE OR RISE OF NEW SURROGATE? Such incidences not only raises issue for Instagram post with hidden sponsored advertisement, but it raises eyebrows on social morality. Celebrities and Influencers have come a long way to have been considered to sway young people in various ways. In this century, the impact of celebrity culture on society, especially on young people, has come under examination. With the growing deception to reap benefits and profits to promote product, do put them under a microscope. These are complicated and plural questions to which there are few, if any, palpable answers. However, what is routinely ignored in current conventional media is young people’s sense of agency. The root cause comes from the need of young generation to adapt to the mainstream media line. Current generation may affix emotionally with those that they feel best symbolize them as well as those that do not. Indeed, it is also fair to suggest that many of the millennial have no interest in celebrity and the ‘fast track to stardom’ culture at all. It is the working intricate purpose of celebrity culture by young people to consult the world around them that is often lost in service of sweeping commodification about dissenting impacts. There is a need to understand the purpose of social media that needs to be focused upon and the unnecessary need of relying upon the use of such mediums.And the apprehension of such responsibilities differs us.

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PIONEER -

ALVIRA SAYED

ATAL BIHARI VAJPAYEE A Gem of India, Bharat Ratna winner, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, served as the Prime Minister of India in three non-consecutive terms. He was the founding member of Bharatiya Janata Party. He was an exemplary leader and was known for promotion of cultural moderation, the progress of humankind and individual freedom. He was also a well-versed poet as can be inferred from his words “My poet’s heart gives me the strength to face political problems, particularly those which have a political bearing on my conscience”, and had immense love for the Hindi language. He wrote vigorously on the issues of national importance. Vajpayee took important decisions like testing nuclear bombs. Five bombs were detonated in underground tests after he was sworn in as the Prime Minister. These tests made an impression on the world that then India also came under the list of nuclear-powered nations. National security which was of utmost importance to him was achieved through these tests. He also played an important part in the Kargil war wherein Operation Vijay was launched and India got the victory.

Our aim may be as high as the endless sky, but we should have a resolve in our minds to walk ahead, hand-inhand, for victory will be ours.

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PIONEER

This proved him as a capable and strong leader. Privatization of various government organizations took place such as Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO) and Hindustan Zinc, Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited and VSNL. These initiatives had set expectations from the government for its future role. Projects like The Golden Quadrilateral, which connected Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata through a network of highways, and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) were launched under his government. To bring down the fiscal deficit, Fiscal Responsibility and Budgetary Management was launched under his Government which pushed up the public sector savings. He was also responsible for the telecom revolution in India. A social scheme named Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan was also launched which was aimed at providing universal access to free elementary education for the children of age group 6-14 years. This scheme was launched in the year 2001, and within four years, the count of children which were not going to school dropped by 60 percent. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also awarded Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award in India in the year 1992 and he was also honoured with Best Parliamentarian Award in 1994. He was a patriot and had the courage of conviction and was able to take tough decisions. He had lucency of thought and was passionate to find a solution to every difficult situation. Even after resigning from politics, he had a significant impact on the people. He is the epitome of good governance and his followers look up to him for achieving administrative success. 14 MARKSMAN

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SPECIALSTORY STORY SPECIAL -SHAIVEE SHEKHAR

Marketing Through Voice Technology A decade back, when one of us felt too lazy to get off the bed and switch off the light, we wished technology did that for us in one instant, but back in the day this concept felt surreal and straight out of a Sci Fi movie. In 2018, all you need to do is call out “Alexa, switch off the lights� while lounging on your bed. Voice technology is rapidly taking over the lives of people all over the globe. It is not just a trend, it is here to stay. Most people nowadays are carrying a smartphone which has a voice assistant like Siri or Google Assistant enabled in them. It has been predicted that by 2019, the voice recognition market will be worth 600 million. According to statistics collected, 20% of the mobile searches on Google are done with voice, and this number is anticipated to rise by 30% in the next couple of years. Smart speaker market has already taken off, with Google and Amazon already having sold their speakers to millions of households all over the world. Around 87% of the marketers surveyed believe chat bots and voice assistants will play a key role in enhancing customer interaction in the next few years.

The only thing that have changed is how marketers have conceptualise d the Funnel as time passes by

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SPECIAL STORY

Marketing is done in small bursts and this helps the marketer to tweak his or her strategy, keeping in mind what works and what doesn't.

An average person uses 150 words in a minute when speaking, and can type up to 40 words a minute. Since one of the most important objectives of marketing is establishing a genuine and effective connection with customers, what can be a better tool for it than Voice? It renders communication with customers a natural and human touch. After social media, voice technology represents another turning point for companies to get closer to their customers than ever before. While currently marketers have not been focussing much on voice technology as a strategy, but voice will be an effective tool for increasing visibility and driving the growth for any brand in the future. Hence to endure the competition, brands should integrate voice in their marketing strategies.

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SPECIAL STORY

HERE’S HOW TO DO THIS SEO Customers are already increasingly using voice search, marketers should take this into account as this will have an impact on their search results and SEO strategy. Brands should create keyword strategies which emulate real life conversations between people, and the way they ask questions orally. Marketers need to focus on offering more personalised experiences by taking notes of frequently asked questions, contextual cues and colloquial expressions people may use when making searches. They should keep in mind, when a consumer makes a voice search they are usually expecting a specific result instead of a list of options. COLLABORATIONS Voice technology provides many avenues for brands to enter into innovative and profitable collaborations with one another. For instance, Google collaborated with Target to introduce voice activated coupons on Google Assistant. These coupons offered $15 off Target purchases placed on Google Express through Google assistant enabled devices. In the UK, Dominoes collaborated with Amazon, letting its customer place voice activated orders through Amazon Echo. NOTIFICATIONS Almost every company, even brick and mortar companies have digital presence, especially through apps. Voice notifications can play an important role here in enhancing consumer engagement and retention. ENHANCED SECURITY With more and more devices entering our home, people have growing concern for their privacy and security. Financial security precisely, may seem to be more at risk with a growing number of cybercrimes. Voice payments provides a more secure and convenient way for users to make transactions, as it will depend on voice recognition. Smart speaker verification and ID recognition will become indispensable in building user-oriented security. In the UK, Dominoes collaborated with Amazon, letting its customer place voice activated orders through Amazon Echo

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SPECIAL STORY Artificial intelligence will be a catalyst in augmenting search parameters, as AI it will use data from previous user engagement. Hence, predictive models will slowly but surely become the future. However, there is a flipside to this. Voice technology is still at a developing stage. Clearly there is still inertia among consumers, as currently a major chunk of them are not using them. There are various reasons for this. Many people have reported problems and frustrations while using voice assistants. Some find it difficult to set up the integration of a smart speaker. Some also feel that the smart speaker was not designed with their needs in mind. Some feel that the voice technology did not understand them. This is especially common among people who come from the different native backgrounds, because the voice assistant may not understand their exotic accent. A few marketers also feel that users may feel embarrassed using their mobile device voice capabilities in public. Overall, adapting and integrating voice technology into everyday lives requires a new approach and shift in thinking. All the above things should be done keeping the user in mind. The aim is to enhance the user’s convenience, so brands should have the empathy to anticipate consumer needs. Looking for ways to combine, simplify and remove tasks. Responses, commands and confirmations should be reviewed regularly to ensure consistency. Hence, voice can change the future course of marketing. In the dynamic digital world, convenience, efficiency and speed are constantly being optimised, it is apparent that we are moving away from screen interaction. In order to drive growth, multiplying engagement and strengthening relationships with its target audience, marketers must integrate voice into their digital strategies. The possibilities of innovation and opportunities for marketers to use it to their advantage is endless. Right now is the perfect time to start!

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BRAND MARKIVE -AISHWARYA JAIN

PAYTM : AN ALL ROUNDER In the age of digitalisation when apps like FreeCharge, Book my show, Mobikwik, etc. provide a certain type of service, a company like Paytm establishes and expands its services to cater the market demand of an online convenient payment app. Paytm is an acronym for ‘Pay Through Mobile’. Paytm is an Indian e-commerce website that was founded in 2010 by Vijay Shekhar Sharma who is also the CEO of the company. Paytm offers online use-cases like mobile recharges, utility bill payments, travel, movies, and events bookings as well as in-store payments at grocery stores, fruits and vegetable shops, restaurants, parking, tolls, pharmacies and education institutions with the Paytm QR code. Paytm was originally launched as a prepaid online mobile recharge website and the wallet was launched in 2014. As of November 2016, over 150 million wallets and 75 million Android-based apps were downloaded of Paytm wallet, making it Indian’s largest mobile payment service platform.

“Paytm was originally launched as a prepaid online mobile recharge website and the wallet was launched in 2014.”

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BRAND MARKIVE

Paytm does more than 100 million transactions of various digital and physical goods every month, committing India towards a cash-less society. The company was started with an initial investment of $2 million but the huge success of Paytm attracted many investors including the renowned Indian Industrialist Ratan Tata. Also Alibaba Group of China made an investment of $575 million in Paytm. Where a company knows how to expand its business, it also understands the importance of Marketing. Paytm was the official partner of Indian Premier League and had acquired sponsorship rights during the 8th season. It was the official partner of the IPL team Mumbai Indians. For five years, Paytm was the partner of the IPL. It also managed to grab the title sponsorship rights for domestic and international cricket matches in India for 4 years starting in August 2015.This company knows how to keep its customers happy. When the company realised that people are hesitant to keep their money in Paytm wallet, they came up with an alternative which ensured the customers their security i.e. Paytm’s Bank in 2017. The aim was to bring banking and financial services access to half-a-billion under-served Indians. It facilitates smooth and easy transactions up to INR 1,00,000 at 0% cost.

Paytm never fails to attract customers by the usage of different cashbacks and discount schemes. Be it a 100% cashback on the first two transactions or 10% discount on metro recharges, this company has the right techniques to serve its existing customer base. Paytm is not a company which only looks after its profit or market share, but also fulfils its social responsibility that every organisation has towards the society. An option has been incorporated in Paytm wherein contributions can be made towards a Relief fund for Kerala. 2018 has witnessed the Kerala floods that has affected hundreds of villages, destroyed an estimated 10,000 km of roads and has damaged thousands of homes. People generally are unaware of the platforms where they can contribute, so Paytm came up with a noble cause of making people aware and providing them an easy option. Right from making the mobile bill payments, online shopping, society service to bank transfers, Paytm has served as a one-in-all platform for a person who is engrossed in his day-to-day life. 20 MARKSMAN

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BOOKWORM - RITESH KAUSHIK THE MONK WHO SOLD HIS FERRARI In this edition of Marksman we are reviewing a nationwide bestseller by Robin Sharma, ‘The monk who sold his Ferrari.’ The book has been acclaimed by best authors around the globe. The writer has brilliantly emphasized on techniques and summarized the same intermittently really well. The writing connects a lot of things together seamlessly. The plot of the book opens with a dramatic scene wherein an ace lawyer – Julian Mantle, collapses in the middle of a packed courtroom after a severe heart attack. Julian’s life changed upside down in wake of this event, eventually also leaving its imprints on John, another lawyer who started his career as an intern for Julian. Julian is a perfectionist and workaholic person. He is enormously successful and famous and lives a typical dream-life with a private jet, a penthouse on an island and of course, a gleaming red Ferrari in his driveway. After surviving the heart attack he makes a decision to sell all his prized possessions and went to the mystical land of India to find answers to questions and as they say – he responded to the inner calling. Three years after the learning process he comes back and meets John again. The transition in Julian explained in the book is absolutely jaw-dropping. He looks much younger and has an out of the world charm on his face with a composed personality. What then follows is a deep conversation between the two characters of the story which unravels an inspiring way to live a more fulfilling life with simple steps and techniques. All in all, it’s not just a good read, but a soothing and enriching experience in shape of a book. “Remarkable people are priority-driven. This is the secret of time mastery. Build your days around your priorities and you will play in rare air.”

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Hall-MARK CAMPAIGN -

AMAN PANDEY

MAKE EVERYDAY BRIGHTER (IKEA) Swedish furniture giant IKEA opened their first store in India on 19th of July in Hyderabad. The arrival of the furniture brand also ended the curiosity among the society about its campaigning in India as IKEA is known for its great campaigning over the world. IKEA’S campaign is the true reflection its Brand personality i.e. simple, discerning and relatable. The campaign shows how life at home can be brighter, when we look at different things. It is not always about big things, it can be because of the smile put on even because of small things which relates with the culture of our nation.

IKEA India says “Everything we do come from our belief to create a better everyday” life from market insights and this is expressed in our positioning direction “Make Every day Brighter”. IKEA has planned a series of campaign that is fun, quirky and fresh. The background music that starts with “Is a home really a home? Well, it is how you see it. Is it a room or a ground or a merry go round?“ showcases one of IKEA’s most popular ideas to use your imagination to make the best use of space. For the market research of the campaign, IKEA employees visited about 1000 homes in various cities to understand how people lived and what they needed. Indian families spend a lot of time together, with relatives frequently popping in, so the company added more folding chairs and stools that could serve as flexible seating. Even the cafeteria caters to Indian tastes, with biryani samosas and vegetarian Swedish meatballs on the menu and 1000 available seats, more than any other IKEA store in the world to accommodate more leisurely dining to Indian families and bring a much brighter smile on the face of Indians to support their Make Every day Brighter. IKEA has launched a beautiful video on YouTube to support its “Make Every Day Brighter” campaign and to create the buzz about the brand in media. 22 MARKSMAN

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KICKSTART -

SAKSHI ANANDANI

ROPOSO Wouldn’t it be absolutely stupendous to be in a place that is a paradise for fashionistas, a place that has fascinating discussions on fashion and lifestyle, a place where anyone of us can pursue whatever interests us? Most lovingly called, TV by the people, Roposo, the digital platform for Fashion and Lifestyle has gained much commendation for how it has positioned itself differently from other e-commerce fashion portals. It has indeed proved itself to be the large network of Fashion aficionados, where people can come together and share their stories. The reason why it is called- TV by the people.

Within no time it has established itself in the online marketplace , having 2000 offline stores and eminent clients such as Jabong, YepMe, Snapdeal and Flipkart

Within no time it has established itself in the online marketplace, having 2000 offline stores and eminent clients such as Jabong, YepMe, Snapdeal and Flipkart. A large part of their revenue came after they launched a mobile application in 2015, all thanks to smartphone revolution. Roposo has very smartly decided its target audience to be women- who are completely inclined towards fashion. This has also brought about a substantial user base in its application. The very first digital campaign that had the famous tagline – TV by the people, still resonates in the minds of target audience. Very aptly it brought into notice the exceptional offerings and services to be provided. It came out with a powerful message - that Roposo users need not be celebrities to get popular, their zeal to showcase their talent and a sense of individuality is more than enough to make them internet sensations. 23 MARKSMAN

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KICKSTART

The kind of advertising strategy that Roposo followed in its very first digital campaign, led to creating an appreciable audience already. Moreover, it is rightly said, people see what interests them, and when you connect to their emotions, you will end up making a great user base for your business platform. Indeed, the social media platform has wonderfully carved a niche for itself in a very short time since its inception, an inspiration that prospective marketers should take from.

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FEATURED ARTICLE DURBAR DASGUPTA

SRCC, New Delhi THE SUBTLE ART OF ADVERTISING LIQUOR It’s another uneventful Saturday night when all your weekend plans get dropped and you switch on your television and adjust yourself on your sofa and come across an advertisement of Carlsberg Club Glasses. As you take a sip of beer, the audio states that if Carlsberg hosted a board meeting it would have probably been the best and as you get immersed in the innovative idea of such a meeting and wish to wipe off the monotony, the audio clarifies, “You know what we make.” That is how subtly they indicate their expertise in beer manufacturing but only their targeted audience comprehends and for the rest, it is just an advertisement of club glasses and from a layman’s perspective, they are claiming to be the best when it comes to Club glasses. The Danish brewing giant also reported a 14% increase in sales following the advertisement. Brands do not advertise liquor products in India since the mid1990s. In case they do, there are legal proceedings awaiting the brand. The question is, how does this gargantuan industry advertise and gain traction and brand loyalty? Integrated Communication tactics have evolved simultaneously with the legal outlook. ‘Surrogate advertising’ is the word which justifies the subtle art. This is an art of impersonating where brands’ closely related products like club soda or mineral water bear the similar label so as to etch the brand name in consumer’s mind.

The Danish brewing giant also reported a 14% increase in sales following the advertisement

Brands do not advertise liquor products in India since the mid-1990s

From sponsoring concerts to Golf accessories, this form of advertising is clearly exploited extensively. Do such advertising strategies do justice to the brand image? An article on Ad Age India says, “According to the various inferences drawn from several surveys and interviews, 42 out of 50 people can understand the actual liquor or tobacco product being advertised.” The digital guidelines being translucent, the brands are promoting on their Social media handles.

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FEATURED ARTICLE

‘In-film’ branding was carried out by the UB Group when they tied up with the digital content company, The Viral Fever when they nimbly slipped in their product Kingfisher as a sponsor for the Web series ‘The Pitchers’. TVF spun a nice tale and Kingfisher embedded their product thus avoiding a discernible advertisement. Seagram’s Imperial Blue launched a series of advertisements under the title ‘Men will be Men’ Music CDS where they played the cards of targeting a particular sex. The US National Library of Medicines’ report shows that in terms of 12-month drinkers, men are more likely to be in the particular segment. The brand came up with advertisements which drew resemblance from the regular life of men and thus justified the tagline. Instead of directly selling their products, most of the liquor brands aim to build a community. One of the biggest music festivals in India, NH7 Weekender is sponsored by Bacardi while Kingfisher takes the opportunity to sponsor Sunburn. Indian Premier League team, Royal Challengers Bangalore boasts a logo of R&C, thus building its brand awareness using subversive advertising techniques. On the other hand, during the IPL season advertisements of Kingfisher are frequently aired. ‘Divided by teams. United by Kingfisher’ is the slogan which they propagate and promote their brand through multiple franchises. UB Group also sponsored heavily on Kingfisher East Bengal and McDowell’s Mohun Bagan – the two iconic football clubs of West Bengal. Interestingly, Bengal consisting so enthusiastic fans in the state improved the brand recognition which further impacted in higher sales ratio compared to other brands. Australian beer brand Fosters’ focused on the traveling aspect and advertised its campaign using the ‘#Damncold’ campaign.

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FEATURED ARTICLE

Brands also focus on their brand name and the entire advertisement encompasses the central theme of the brand and also sponsors events which justify their brand image. Signature Whisky has a commercial which shows a corporate resigning from his job in order to be a famous restaurateur and finally lights up his long lost passion to be successfully acclaimed. The message delivered is that the success of a man is defined by his individualistic passion which in turn becomes his ‘Signature’ style. The brand also holds relevance when it comes to sponsoring events like Start-Up Masterclass. 27 MARKSMAN

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FEATURED ARTICLE According to a study on Taylor & Francis Online, advertising expenditures on all categories of liquor has increased almost 400% since 1971 but the change in consumption has been considerably negligible but macro level research suggests that there lies a strong correlation between advertising and sales of liquor. In my opinion, this subtle art of advertising is about embedding a recall button in consumers’ minds which affects the purchasing behavior and maintains brand loyalty. The brands, themselves have segmented very carefully to create their respective communities and are building on that. The brands like Seagram Imperial Blue and Signature are targeting the corporate lifestyle while Kingfisher is aiming at Sports and Web series to target a younger and broader segment while Bacardi plays the card in the community of musicians

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FEATURED ARTICLE A survey published by International Review of Management and Marketing showed that advertisements which included musicians were as effective as 53% and the inference drawn was that consumers were enticed to purchase if the advertisements included musicians. The survey clearly showed that 52% of the people get affected by advertisements of which around 22% of the people tried new brands due to advertisements. In the same survey 68% of the people claimed to prefer local songs in the advertisements. In an intricate survey published by The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, the results indicated significant growth from 0.3% to 2.6% in sales post advertisements for brands which never advertised. It was also observed that there was a five-fold growth in terms of sales amongst young consumers after advertising. Despite a lot of debate about the impacts of advertising, the liquor brands seem to have immaculately acquired the art of surrogating an advertisement. The Government on the other hand is still trying to close the gaps in the legal system as the cat and mouse game continues. If we can set the discordance aside for a moment, we can appreciate the overwhelming creativity which the advertisements have been displaying while abiding by the rules. The brands certainly have mastered the art of ‘Enjoy(ing) Responsibly’.

A survey published by International Review of Management and Marketing showed that advertisemen ts which included musicians were as effective as 53%

29 MARKSMAN

AUGUST EDITION


SQUARE HEAD SQUARE HEAD -

DHRUV PALIWAL

30 MARKSMAN

AUGUST EDITION


INDUSTRY EXPERT AKASH TIWARI

ASHEEB SINGH RAINA Q: Can we have a brief introduction of you sir? A: I completed my MBA, marketing from SIMSR in 2015 and joined ACG Associated Capsules Pvt Ltd in International business Development: Europe. Currently, I am handling the Sales and BD for South East Asia region. I am responsible for all the sales and marketing related activities for my region.

Q: Pharmaceutical companies are running hard to keep pace with changes brought about by digital technology , you views on this? A: Pharmaceutical companies have always been at the forefront of change and innovation. Digital technology is just a support system to this industry. There is not a lot of marketing on and off the digital platform per se, but in terms of the technology integration, I think no other industry is as open to it as the healthcare or pharmaceutical industry. You now have several start-ups that only cater to better communication between doctors and patients, patients and your medical store, etc. And this is just one aspect. If I list down all the areas where technology is used, I think I would need a magazine. Q: Where have pharma companies done a good job of pinpointing unmet patient needs and addressing them? A:There was a lot of misinformation about different types of drugs in the market. Pharmaceutical companies have now utilized the digital platform to interact directly with the customers and educate. Companies like AstraZeneca and Pfizer, provide support to patients of different diseases. They have forums, one-on-one chat sessions, diet schedules for patients of heart attack and diabetes. They are also effectively using Big data to pinpoint customer preferences in providing customized solutions. 31 MARKSMAN

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INDUSTRY EXPERT Q: What changes could bring pharma industry to a clearer understanding of — and align its actions more consistently with those of — the patient? A: For now, I think the pricing is the only flaw. The pricing structures on healthcare systems or drugs is exorbitant internationally. But it works in India’s favour. We now have a type of tourism, simply called Medical tourism where people from different countries come to India for treatment due to favourable prices. Q: Your views on concept of green marketing and In your opinion how is green marketing more effective than regular marketing techniques? A: Green marketing does two things: 1) Helps the environment and 2) creates a goodwill around the brand. Marketing usually comes in fads. There was a time when any and every thing was launched with a flash mob and now it’s just a thing of the past. But I think Green Marketing is here to stay, mainly because there is a significant amount of investment required for it. The goodwill that green marketing creates, creates a long term partnership between the consumer and the brand. It builds loyalty and that is the most important factor for any brand. Q: Various technicalities of digital marketing and marketing analytics are expected from a management student once he enters the industry? A: It depends on what future one sees for oneself. Is it analytics, is it marketing? For us in college, marketing was a broad term that encapsulated many things, but once you are in the industry, every term or technicality is a extensive field in itself. One needs to clear on his/her own strengths and build from there. The industry demands professionals who are industry ready . Q: How companies are coping up with the manpower disruption brought about by digital transformation also from AI, and how should an MBA student get ready to face the current industrial scenario? A: Manpower disruption is more significant in the manufacturing sector. For a MBA student, it is important to be up to date with the industry. That is all. Anyone who’s knowledge and skills are outdated, they are not needed anymore. So, no matter what age or what stage of your career you are in, it is important to be up to date.

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CALL FOR ARTICLES FOR MARKSMAN SEPTEMBER 2018 "You can make anything by writing." --C.S. Lewis The Marksman provides one and all the opportunity to discover their hidden talents in the literary field through the call for articles For the upcoming month, the articles can be sent on any of the following topics:

• Inbound Marketing • Point of Purchase Marketing • Growth Hacking * Please ensure that there is no plagiarism and all the references are clearly mentioned. Kindly follow the guidelines given below: 1. One article can have only one author. 2. Your article should be approximately 800 – 850 (strictly adhere to the word limit) 3. The article must have relevant pictures that can be used to enhance the article 4. Font Type: Gill Sans MT 5. Font Size: 14 6. Send in your articles in .doc/.docx format to marksman.simsr@somaiya.edu 7. Subject Line:Your Name_Institute Name_Course Year. 8. Kindly name your file as:Your Name_ Topic. The best adjudged article will be given a Winner’s certificate. The First Prize Winners will be awarded Rs.500 Cash Prize. Deadline For Submission Of Article: 25th September , 2018


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