EDITOR’S NOTE About this Edition > “Good content isn’t about storytelling. It is about telling a true story well.” - Ann Handley The aura of festivals in the past few months have kept us engaged in those happy, festive vibes. Marketing, in these times has taken unique dimensions. We bring you this edition of The Marksman to share ideas and stories from the world of marketing which manages to keep us excited and connected. Our cover story for the month is based on 'The Name of the game is FOMO’. Marketing is a tool which is used to convey simplest of ideas in most creative ways, designed to appeal to the masses. However, Brands are now using marketing tools not only to appeal customers but also to track their choices based on the purchases they make. Targeting consumer curiosity, sentiments and pain points is the strategy for brands. Our special story is all about how brands cleverly beautifully chose to advertise their products during the festive season. This edition takes you through a journey of stories, empowerment, controversies and much more.
CFA Winners > A very hearty congratulations to the winner and the runner up of this month’s Call For Articles. 1. Anushree Khandelwal – SIBM Pune (Winner) 2. Anubhav Guha – Siliguri college of commerce (Runners up) You can read their brilliant pieces in the ”Featured Articles” section. We were overwhelmed by the responses that we received from all of you and encourage you to write to us with the same enthusiasm for all further editions as well.
EDITORS
THE TEAM
SURATH
DESIGN
SUMIRAN
ADITYA WRITERS
SAKSHI
SANCHITA
SAMBARTA
SHIVANI
NANDANI
AJITH
SAMBHAV
MADHULIKA
AAYUSH
JASH
KRITI
SNEHA
CONTENTS KICKSTART A growing car rental company using social media engagement tactics to connect to consumer pain points in a targeted manner.
MARKETING FAUX PAS “Aggressive” may not always be “effective” for ad campaigns. WhiteHat Jr’s campaign demonstrates it really well.
COVER STORY Ever thought you are missing out on the latest stuff seeing your peers? You are experiencing FOMO marketing strategy used on you!! Read more…
HALLMARK CAMPAIGN Coca Cola’s successful campaign wins hearts and sales at the same time.
BRAND MARKIVE How a simple problem of deciding the right tiffin for your kid can transform into a startup is demonstrated by Kalchi
MORE THAN MARKETING Johnson and Johnson has been reaching out to the public through many inclusive initiatives .
PIONEER Learning about the spice king of India, his journey and its huge success..
IT’S ALL ABOUT AD-ITUDE Facebook ads connect with people in creative ways with the perfect use of values. Their Diwali ad, this year, reflects the value of humility shown by Pooja, a businesswoman.
AD-TALES Live in the beautiful nostalgic memories of the pug which became a fundamental part of Hutch (now Vodafone).
MARK-5 Some good advertisements by organizations like LIC and Vicks which give strong social messages.
SPECIAL STORY With the perfect balance of safety, fun and strong messages brands really create the fun mix for us!
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Revv:
Don’t Suffer In Your Safar - NANDANI KABRA
Kickstart |
December Edition
Commuting, travelling, finding the perfect seat, motion sickness etc. have been some of the most longlost terms in the 2020. But as the lockdown lifted and public places resumed, people channeled their inner wanderlust in a heartbeat and planned their itinerary. For the ones who had itchy feet and adored road trips, Revv is what surfaced their mind. Revv is an Indian car rental startup found by Anupam Agarwal and Karan Jain in 2015. It provides different options to consumers to meet their self-drive needs - hourly rental, annual car subscription, monthly car subscription, and oneway Outstation SWITCH.
Revv currently operates in 22 cities in India and is pacing to mark its presence in the rest of the Indian cities. It is backed by carmakers like Hyundai, Edelweiss, Mahindra Finance and Beenext. Revv is growing as a brand continuously and competing with brands like Zoomcar, Carzonrent, and Drivezy. Revv enjoys more than 1 million happy reviewers over the course of 5 years.
Revv ensures focusing not only on their quality services but also on upping their social media presence. They have repeatedly managed to create topical content in the most creative way possible and entertain their viewers.
2 The video series very cleverly communicates uses over-the-top humour to highlight the
Karan Jain, founder of Revv Cars, says , “ Revv at its core believes in offering control, freedom and privacy to the customers.’. He also mentions how refreshing it is to see the discomfort of those travel moments torched upon, with a touch of humour. He adds consumers are smart enough to make the right choices and to cater to such consumers, no brand communication should be preachy.
December Edition
In order to creatively and crisply pitch about their services, Revv uploaded three videos under the lines of Don’t Suffer In Your Safar.
pain points in shared commutes. From the nuisance created by unruly passengers in a bus, or creepy drivers leching at women passengers in a cab and having to put up with driver’s choice of highway restaurant are commonly found pain points that Revv showcases seamlessly. The exaggerated yet true version of these videos strike the right chord with viewers.
Kickstart |
On the occasion of International Men’s Day , Revv India posted a picture of two seats clubbed together which represents men.
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WhiteHat Jr:
Scripted Exit for Itself?
Marketing Faux Pas |
December Edition
- KRITI AGRAWAL When most Indian businesses were struggling to cope with the slowdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, India’s largest edtech startup, Byju’s, spent a whopping amount of $300 million on the acquisition of WhiteHat Jr, a live online coding platform for kids. But just three months later, the Mumbai-based EdTech startup started facing flak on social media for its advertisement across TV and digital platforms. Among the first things that WhiteHat Jr did after it was bought over was to launch a very aggressive ad campaign. Every screen you turned to, WhiteHat Jr would pop up. Users started complaining that the company bombarded them with TV and digital ads. Some even took to Twitter to address their grievances with the company.
But this blitzkrieg soon came under scrutiny. The Advertising Standard Council of India asked WhiteHat Jr to pull its ads after receiving 15 complaints against seven advertisements by the coding company. But who knew that this was just the beginning of the backlash. One of their ad campaigns shows parents proudly overlooking a chaotic scene of investors fighting to invest in Chintu’s app, coding for which he learned on White Hat Jr. The company's advertisement stresses that every child in India can now learn coding by taking classes from home. In an era, where the emphasis should be placed on the joy of learning and not on the worldly ambitions of earning money prematurely, the ad features parents already dreaming of their child to get funding for an app that he would develop with White Hat Jr.
4 White Hat Jr’s marketing blunder made all the ed-tech companies conscious of what should be advertised. They should focus on advertisements that make learning easier and fun for students rather than promising 99% in their board exams.
December Edition
The problem did not stop here. The company targeted the parents with bombarding them with examples like Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, and Bill Gates, without their explicit consent to emphasize on the
point that they all started coding early and hence they are running multi-billion dollar companies. This is an illogical expectation which is wrong at many levels.
Marketing Faux Pas |
Instead of encouraging them to make the world a better place by finding solutions that solve problems, the company is trying to put both parents and their kids in a rat race.
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The Name of the Game is FOMO - SANCHITA KHATTAR
Cover Story |
December Edition
Ever seen a long queue outside a specialty restaurant or an exclusive concert? Does anyone love long queues? Well, not really. But the fear of missing out is so embedded in our DNA that it is far more discomforting for us to miss out on something even if it means taking a lot more trouble.
It is often said that “Nothing haunts us more than the things we don’t buy.” Some brands have successfully taken advantage of this to play with our Fear of Missing Out.
FOMO marketing is basically capitalizing on the customers’ desire to grab every opportunity by framing messages in a way to push them to make an impulsive buy. This works very well, since we as humans are risk-averse creatures and this behavior opens up the possibility of regret in the future. The regret of not grabbing an opportunity that comes our way; the regret of not buying the product when its available or when everyone is buying it. But even to play with our FOMOs, brands have to successfully make their products pitch exclusive to generate THE FEAR in our minds.
Through the course of this cover, we’ll itemize some brands and see how they have succeeded in using our fears of missing out on opportunities in order to boost their sales & conversions. Am I missing out?
6 .
Zara’s success can be attributed to the company’s FOMO marketing strategy. The brand never produces too many products of a single design. It artificially creates a sense of urgency and scarcity by intentionally withholding products from their brick-and-mortar and online stores. This creates a fear of losing out on the designs in the mind of customers which makes them take quick decisions to buy their favorite designs as they know it will soon go out of the stock. In this way, Zara successfully uses impulsive buying to increase their sales. Also, while most fashion houses come up with new designs seasonally, ZARA brings new patterns constantly throughout the year. This tempts customers to visit their stores more frequently than others.
December Edition
Have you ever looked at a trash can & got the feeling that you’re missing out on something exclusive? Well, Red Bull knew how to just play it right. Red Bull started selling in London against stiff competition with 90% failure rate. Even with an unconventional taste & high prices, the brand with its brilliant marketing strategy managed not only create a hoax demand for its product but also became an industry leader. All they did was leave empty cans on table tops at bars and clubs that catered to their target audience. This created a perception in the mind of the consumer that the product had a massive demand. The fear of missing out on a product created a curiosity in the mind of the customers & the brand eventually took off.
It’s either Now or Never at Zara
Cover Story |
When Red Bull used trash cans to tap into people’s FOMO
7 December Edition
Cover Story |
One Plus’ exclusivity
Starbucks seasonal cup offers
One Plus is a smartphone company that got famous in a short span of time by playing solely on scarcity: They created a smartphone that you could buy only if you were invited. You heard it right. You could not buy it from just any store. When the company began its operations, it came with a unique invite–only strategy & successfully sold close to “1 million phones” purely via invites, without selling through retail stores. By creating a sense of exclusivity, OnePlus triggered a massive fear-ofmissing-out effect that spread within the tech-savvy community. Their daring marketing campaign was mostly based on the scarcity principle & led to a massive 1 Million units sales & 25 million visits on their website.
Since 1997, Starbucks has refurbished their cups for the holiday season and they get better every year. Each of the cups in the past has been red with a simple holiday design on them to get caffeine lovers in the Christmas holiday mood. Every year in the month of November & December, Starbucks sells its coffee in Christmas themed cups to keep the holiday spirit alive throughout the month. People are so much more motivated to go and get coffee when they know they will get to walk around with an attractive holiday themed cup. And since these cups are only available during the two Christmas months, it creates a sense of scarcity & urgency in the mind of the consumers and the sales go crazy during the holiday season.
8 How many times have you said, “Man, I wish I was there!”. FOMO is real. And so is FOMO Marketing. As per a research done by Trustpulse & OptinMonster, 60% of millennials said to make active purchases only because of FOMO. It often forces people to buy things they don’t need. As rightly stated by Warren Buffet, “If you buy things you don't need, you will soon sell things you need.”
We as humans beings have been acclimatized from an early age to respect deadlines, and we make impulsive buying decisions under the pressure of a ticking clock. So, if a brand creates a situation in which its consumers have to act fast to grab an opportunity that they might not get again, it will definitely encourage sales & conversions.
In the old times, new trends & products caught our eye only through newspapers, magazines or television advertising & that too of only handful of people. But in today’s digital era, glancing at new trends, products, experiences, every minute, every second of our lives, the fear of missing out on something exclusive, whether we need it or not, has successfully overpowered our rational.
FOMO is a powerful tool when used correctly. There is nothing worse than a FOMO campaign not gaining any traction & then falling flat. Thus, it’s important for brands to plan such critical campaigns efficiently to avoid any kind of setbacks. It might sound wrong, but putting your audience under pressure & creating a fear in their minds can be a great tactic if capitalized on effectively.
December Edition
Final thoughts
Cover Story |
A contra view
9
Coca-Cola:
Can’t beat the real thing - SHIVANI JOSHI
Hallmark Campaign| December Edition
In these unprecedented times, this year’s Christmas is going to hold a great deal of importance and meaning to everyone across the world. For Coca-Cola too, this Christmas marks 100 years since they created their first ever festive advertisement. Understanding the increased appreciation for our loved ones, a sense of community and our need to be present with each other this Christmas, Coca-Cola launched its 100th Christmas Campaign. As a part of this year’s campaign, CocaCola’s classic 1997 ‘Holidays Are Coming’ advertisement made a comeback. They also launched a new advertisement titled ‘The Letter’ directed by Taika Waititi who has also directed ‘Jojo Rabbit’. These two Christmas ads have been crowned this year’s most effective advertisements. This year the use of nostalgia and emotional appealing
has worked for a lot of brands thereby making them stand out and leave their mark. Their ‘Holidays Are Coming’ was the top-performing ad in seven out of ten key measures, according to data shared by Kantar. Key measure
Score
1. Long-Term return potential
96/100
2. Remembering the brand
100/100
3. Creating branded memories
96/100
4. Creating warmth and love for the brand
88/100
5. Feeling different
93/100
6. Making people more positive about Christmas
74/100
10 The advert beautifully depicts the hardships a father endures in order to reach the North Pole and deliver his daughter's letter written to Santa only to find out that all she wanted was for her father to come
The combination of the nostalgia-tinged ‘Holidays Are Coming’ and its emotional and heart-warming ‘The Letter’ ad made Coca-Cola the most effective advertiser of the year.
December Edition
back home from work early to celebrate Christmas. The advert reflects on an epic battle against nature to get home for Christmas, which serves as a perfect metaphor showcasing how things have played out so far in 2020.
Hallmark Campaign |
Coca-Cola’s ‘The Letter’ came second across six of the categories. Created by Wieden and Kennedy London, the ad asks the consumers to “give something only you can give – yourself” for this Christmas, as it encourages people to be truly present with each other.
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Kalchi:
Spreading The Desi Flavour - SAMBARTA DUTTA
Brand Markive |
December Edition
This is the story of a gastronomy experiment that had just the right ingredients; a home kitchen, a working couple, their general distaste for spreads and jams available in the market and their craving to find a quick and nutritious meal fix for their kids. This is the story of Kalchi, a Bangalore based start-up that had been dishing out spreads for the ever-busy professionals who had been in search for a quick yet healthy option to satisfy their desi palate. The business started off when Mr. Sudeep Srivastava and his wife Payal Srivastava were struggling with the all-so-common concern of working parents – fixing a quick and healthy tiffin for their kids. But even before they got the business up and running, they already delved into the food industry.
While working with Decathlon on a project, they were entrusted to setup small cafes near their store. The experience turned out to be the foundation of the company. The couple found out that the young crowd loved the spreads they were using on their curated sandwiches and that is when the idea to bottle them up and sell them, flagged off. The entrepreneurs were joined by Sashi Bhatia, a friend who stayed away from family and was also looking to have some tasty, homely and nutritious meals everyday. This coupled with a strong conviction to provide a hassle free ready-to-eat option to the target consumers, led to the birth of Kalchi. Going back to those days, Mr Srivastava recalls, the idea was to build a product like a sandwich filling or bread spread but which also resonated with Indians.
12 The pilot project began in 2016 in Sudeep and Payal’s kitchen with an experienced chef who they had hired to create the flavours . After a year of enthusiastic feedbacks, Kalchi was formally launched in a retail space in Bangalore around August 2017. The brand now hosts 15+ different curry spreads, 5+ Indian dips and several ready to cook gravies in their product portfolio.
The rise in average household income coupled with increase in the number of working parents and a major shift in food habits in metropolitan cities, presents enormous opportunities for readyto-eat and DIY food products like Kalchi. According to the owner, Payal Srivastava, their major aim is to capture the urban market by spreading rapidly across the nation by 2022 and ultimately present Indian cuisine as a preferable option for on the go/quick meals. Keeping this aim in mind, Kalchi launched its online store last year. So grab a jar of your favourite curry and spread it over your paratha because these desi flavours are here to steal your soul!
December Edition
The company raised 2.5 Crore of seed capital from the founders and their associated network in 2018 and is in the process to raise almost $500,000 for brand building, product expansion and capacity extension. As of 2018 the company claimed to grow at a rate of 40% monthly in terms of revenue with a GMV of 5 Lakh and Annual Revenue Rate of 60 Lakh. It was currently valued at $1.73M as of 2019.
Brand Markive|
According to him, the mayonnaisebased spreads available in the market were too bland for the Indian tongue and lacked the play of flavours. The new product was supposed to cater to the diverse population of India across the Northern and Southern geography and bring the customers a piece of their kitchen while they were working far away from their home. It took off like a rocket!
13 7
Johnson & Johnson
A commitment to caring
More than Marketing |
December Edition
- SAMBHAV MEHTA Johnson & Johnson has always been known for its emotional communication. It is also contributing towards the society by staying in the front lanes. The company follows the principle that when healthy people and families thrive in healthier communities, everything else will follow. The company works on three pillars of corporate responsibility – improving global health, improving local communities, and ensuring the sustainability of our planet.
Johnson & Johnson has been doing this through both global and community-based partnership. The company has helped mothers in developing countries to receive text messages for a safe pregnancy and delivery, babies without access to
healthcare workers to take their first breath, and the next generation of global and community-based health leaders to develop the skills and tools they need to drive health and wellbeing, one at a time. They have supported Save The Children to provide humanitarian aid and longer-term resilience training to Syrian refugees. Johnson & Johnson has also signed up for the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals — the world’s roadmap for progress — and dedicated its expertise, ideas and ingenuity to catalyze efforts where it is uniquely positioned to create sustainable and scalable impacts. It will also employ their science and capabilities for a healthier future of the world.
14 It is not the case that Johnson & Johnson has started CSR activities recently. The company has been contributing from past 130 years. From the Spanish American war, San Francisco Earthquake, The Great Depression, to The 9/11 attack, Syrian refugee crisis and more such fatalities, the company has been actively contributing their best. Johnson & Johnson has also managed a very efficient supply chain and the company earned 3rd spot on the 2020 Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 List.
December Edition
As part of its commitment, Johnson & Johnson is also expanding the Company’s global manufacturing capacity. The establishment of new U.S. vaccine manufacturing capabilities and scaling up capacity in other countries is a step in this direction. The additional capacity will assist in the rapid production of a vaccine and will enable the supply of more than one billion doses of a safe and effective vaccine globally.
The Company plans to begin production at risk imminently and is committed to bringing an affordable vaccine to the public on a not-for-profit basis for emergency pandemic use.
More than Marketing |
Johnson & Johnson has also been working to help out people in the current pandemic. The company along with BARDA, which is part of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has committed more than $1 billion of investment to co-fund vaccine research, development, and clinical testing.
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Dharampal Gulati: ‘The Spice King’
- AAYUSH SHETTY
Pioneer |
December Edition
It seems to be a fitting time to remember Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, the owner of MDH Masala who passed away on 3rd December, at the age of 98. The ‘Spice King’ of India whose story inspired millions to believe in the hustle and the fact that dreams come true if you believe in them and are willing to work towards it. His incredible achievement from building a spice empire to winning the Padma Bhushan is worth a great deal of appreciation. He dropped out of fifth grade and joined his father’s spice business. Further, he came to Delhi with just Rs. 1,500, worked as a Tonga Puller, then opened up a small shop and ultimately went on to become one of the highest-paid CEOs in India which can certainly be termed as one of the greatest Indian rags to riches story.
One of the very few CEOs who also acted as brand ambassadors for their company and also being India’s longest running brand ambassador, Dharampal Gulati was certainly a force to be reckoned with in the world of advertising and marketing.
Directly associating oneself with the brand and thereby becoming the face of the brand certainly comes with its fair share of risks which meant that his goodwill was at stake. Very similar to Stan Lee who was one of the greatest comic book writers, Dharampal Gulati was also always a part of the script. Considering how Stan Lee was always playing a cameo in almost all Marvel movies, Mr. Gulati too was always an endearing character who would help people connect with the brand in each advertisement.
16 The fact that he was the CEO and the brand ambassador built a great deal of trust and credibility around the brand and also the market. All in all, the entire strategy or plan of action behind the success of the
MDH has created such a distinctive image in our minds with the iconic advertisement jingle along with Mr. Gulati’s face on the packaging of every product that they offer helped to build an amazing level of trust and emotional-connect with the customer base. The value, vision, and perseverance to run a business for almost a century need these qualities instilled in the owner. Mr. Gulati was an example of the same as literally, every new mode of advertising was welcomed and accepted by the company.
December Edition
He was one of the first people to launch an aggressive print ad campaign in 1948 which was way before these gigantic MNCs came to India. When most others seemed sceptical about television advertising, Mr. Gulati identified the opportunities and invested heavily into it as he cracked the code to successful advertising. He decided to target the emotional quotient of people as elders and grandfatherly figures are generally loved and respected by people of all age groups.
brand was broadly divided into three aspects which are new innovative local ideas, business values, and marketing along with creating a real brand. India is an ancient country with many homebased ideas and beliefs and the fact that Mr. Gulati could challenge this with ready-to-use spices and masalas certainly worked for him and MDH.
Pioneer |
An innovator at heart, Mr. Gulati came up with the idea of ready-touse ground spices which altered consumer behaviour and attitude.
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Humility:
A sign of strength - JASH SHAH
It’s All About Ad-itude| December Edition
This year has been challenging for us all. The COVID pandemic-incited downturn hit most businesses. While the bigger ones are progressively recuperating, numerous little ones needed to close their shutters, and the rest are still battling. During circumstances such as these, with the holiday season around the bend, brands, in their correspondence, have erased this misery of little and nearby organizations. Online media stage Facebook's recent advertisement is one such endeavor. The inspiring Diwali Advert by Facebook is an illustration of the magic created by the agency-brand relationship. In spite of the fact that the ad discusses the lockdown and pandemic as numerous brands have done in the previous few months, it doesn't tire the watchers.
But with Diwali, the ultimate festival of prosperity upon us, Facebook took this opportunity to tell an extraordinary story that hit the right chord at the right moment. After all, 2020 and prosperity simply did not sit well together. So, the thought that ‘prosperity grows only when we share it with others’ was beautifully portrayed by Facebook. What better opportunity to motivate people to do so than this difficult time we all find ourselves in the midst of. The ad shows a youthful unique lady named Pooja, who is worried about the misfortunes caused by the pandemic and chooses to utilize individuals in her milk community regardless of having restricted assets herself. She uploads a Facebook status to tell individuals about the chance and in no time, a bunch of people are employed at the center.
18 One reason the promotion is set in Amritsar is on the grounds that they needed to feature the conceivable outcomes accessible on Facebook to the non-clients of the stage. A particular segment of the country has nearly known how Facebook has developed. However, for by far most of our nation who've been acquainted with Facebook as of late, thanks to the data revolution, the power of Facebook remains to be experienced first-hand. The intent is to continue rousing the individuals who are new-to-theweb with the magnificent potential outcomes and intensity of Facebook which they have expressed through their message “Dil kholo, Duniya khulegi”.
December Edition
So to see that aspect reflected in Pooja and her actions is probably what attracted people . The humour is of course significant, but secondary. To see a story, of benevolence in the face of
seemingly insurmountable odds, play out to such a profoundly fulfilling end.
It’s All about Ad-itude |
However, as Diwali approached, her endurance weakened. It was then that her new employees uploaded a short video appealing people to buy from Pooja Milk Centre, which led to a swarm of customers at the shop. The thought process behind the campaign is that many people have faced difficulties in this period in various ways. However, that has not dampened people’s spirits to do good for others, which is why people relate to the ad. Almost everybody has endured changing levels of battles this year. And yet, a ton of us have also managed to do good for others.
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Hutch and the Launch of a Mascot! - MADULLIKA PATOLE The Y2K years, was the decade when TVCs had started evolving and digital advertisements had started gaining momentum. In India, several telecommunications companies were competing for market share.
Ad-Tales| December Edition
Hutch came to India in 2002. It was looking to establish its pan-India footprint. The message they wanted to convey was simple: their network coverage is robust and reaches every part of India. Hutch reached out to Ogilvy and Mather to create an advertisement campaign that conveyed the same message. Rajiv Rao, national creative Director at Ogilvy along with his copy-partner Mahesh V brainstormed the whole night before they arrived at an idea. Initially, the idea was to show a little sister following her brother everywhere but somewhere along
the way the sister was replaced with a dog and it led to the creation of one of the most heartwarming ads which is still remembered to date. The creative directors deliberately avoided talking about technology or showing people talking on the cell phone.
They wanted to signify the customer and the support that the Hutch network provides. And who better than a dog to show unconditional support? The ad theme was “Wherever you go, our network follows�.
20 After crossing off Labrador and retrievers, aa fox terrier was the first choice but due to some unforeseeable circumstances, Cheeka the pug was roped in for the ad.
“You and I, in this beautiful world”
is called Cheeka and the pug made ₹150,000 for its ad campaigns till the merger with Vodafone happened. Needless to say, the campaign was super hit and well-received all over India, Cheeka and the child actor Jayaram became instant celebrities. At a time when other network players were having tactical conversations of tariff charges to attract attention, the visual perspective of the Hutch Network personified as a pug, following the owner, representing the millions of customers, worked wonders for the company. It was a brave move for its time, to opt for a dog as a brand’s face, but the one that paid off.
Brand: Hutch (Now Vodafone) Yes, the adorable little pug which you see in the first-ever ad of Hutch
Year of launch: 2003 Agency: Ogilvy India
Ad-Tales| December Edition
The 60 second TV ad was shot in the lush greens of Goa which showed a cute little pug following a young boy in the most unlikely places. Well, but a pug was not the first choice for the AD.
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GoosebumpsLeaving a lasting impression -AJITH MENON Goosebumps occur when we are deeply struck by emotion and those instances leave a lasting impression in the minds of the viewers. Companies are trying to create this feeling in the hearts of their customers by communicating deep emotions in the best way possible. Thai Life Insurance Company
Mark-5 | December Edition
We feel the same, doing similar things that we have been doing, and life gets boring. But for those who do find happiness in the small things, life, it's heaven.
Being significant is something everyone craves, and we feel that a change can only happen in this world only if we are significant. But this beautiful ad takes you on a journey of a normal guy helping everyone he sees, in turn, becomes just as a part of their lives for many and the things that he does for them became one of his duty.
When he started feeling tired and also like just another man, the sight of a young girl going to school because of him, is inspiring on many levels. When he started feeling tired and like just another man, the sight of a young girl going to school because of him, leaves a lasting impression. Tum Chalo to Hindustan Chale It is not a logical question to ask my readers that have you ever been stuck in traffic. However, have you ever tried to untangle one? The Innocent kid doesn’t understand society or how they blame each other. He just saw the obstacle that lay before him. The effort he takes inspires others to join him to move the fallen tree that was blocking the road. The unity portrayed to move the tree is astonishing and the song Tum chalo to Hindustan Chale ties the whole emotions beautifully. The Times of India - Lead India campaign
Lead India Campaign - 2007
22 There are many advertisements that give us the chills, however, this 2012 ad tops the list. The depth of emotions, especially fear in the eyes of the kids makes everything stop for a second. Only at the last moment, we realize it is just the harsh reality we passively ignore. Generations Vicks–of care #TouchOfCare The touch of care is groundbreaking work.
It is when the viewers think they are getting just another happy ending, the story raises through the very fabric of the society revealing much deeper meaning to the word ‘Ma’.
Ariel - #ShareTheLoad This is for the people we don’t say thanks to. Who we take for granted. Ariel uncovered the typical stereotypical mentality of society. They wanted to inspire a new expectation and ask men to #ShareTheLoad. The ad showcase a father watching his daughter juggle her many responsibilities, including managing her son's laundry. This made him realize that he can be a part of the solution. This campaign prompted more than 2 million men in India to sign the petition to “share the load” and help out at home.
December Edition
The mission of PSA was to confront the harsh realities that sadly many nations face but are something Finland has battled in particular due to the lack of discussion about something deemed a deeply private and personal issue.
An emotional story of a young girl taking us through some of her obliterated memories.
Mark-5 |
Fragile childhood – Monsters
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Festive Ads During Pandemic Times
Special Story |
December Edition
- SNEHA PATEL Every brand wants to cash in during festivals through their alluring ads. Most brands come up with creative ad campaigns to reach the consumer base on a large scale. These ads are high on sentiments and help brands to reconnect with their consumers. This advertising extravaganza brings out themes like joy, happiness, celebrations and high on emotions which adds to the jovial atmosphere.
According to the research done by Kantar, advertising plays a huge role in getting people into the festive mood. During troubling times like these, it is precisely what people need. This year saw the brands coming up with soullifting ads with a touch of reality. Themes of compassion, togetherness, gratitude were at the forefront in this year’s festive season.
Humanity is facing a global pandemic which has brought life to a standstill. No one was spared of the wrath and brands had to reassess their strategies of coping with the pandemic overnight. The consumers examined how they interacted with the brands and the companies had to come up with innovative solutions to stay afloat.
Diwali season saw ads filled with feelings of empathy, a sense of community, and focusing on the happy moments of one’s life. Cadbury’s ‘Not just a Cadbury Ad’ shed light on small businesses and supporting them. The pandemic has struck the small businesses
severely and the Cadbury ad appeals us to be generous.
24 Even internationally, the Christmas or holiday ads included stark reminders of the coronavirus pandemic mixed with the usual images of a shopping spree and festive cheer. The Walmart ad called ‘Essentials’ included scenes of togetherness and celebrations. Images of online classes, people shopping essentials and people video calling each other were showcased in the ad. The ad campaign reminds us to end the year with joy, meaning and the people who matter the most.
December Edition
JK Super Cement came up with an ad to salute the corona warriors. The ad shows a mother’s dedication and responsibility towards her patients as well as the disappointment of not being able to celebrate Diwali with her daughter. The ad talks about the sacrifices doctors had made to fulfill their duty towards the patients and acknowledging their contribution and service towards humanity. The festive season brings out the creativity in the minds of advertisers and results in beautiful and meaningful ads full of festive cheer. This year was also no different with advertisers reminding us of the feelings of compassion and gratitude. The year 2020 was difficult but these ads teach us that this too shall pass and there will be better times.
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It urges us to buy products from such businesses to give them a shoulder of support.
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Lessons from the Pandemic: Innovative ways of livelihood
- ANUSHREE KHANDELWAL
Featured Article|
December Edition
Is pandemic gearing innovative minds & opportunities? Let’s talk about three things: people, pandemic and possibilities. Someone, somewhere said ‘Pandemics are always followed by Pandemics’ No, I’m not talking about the next virus which will supposedly induce the next pandemic that’s been speculated every fortnight. But I’m talking about the repercussions, the consequences of the pandemic: How it has affected the whole human race. At present the whole world looks grim, doesn’t it? Everything has shades, and apparently the whole atmosphere looks shady. We’ve lost control of a myriad of things in pretty much all spheres of life, and the perpetual uncertainty has taken the face of negativity in a lot of cases. Living in constant fear we have forgotten how to be happy. Yes, it is a very testing time, a very long and difficult one too but are we so feeble to give up? Well, the obvious answer is NO.
It may have been dulled but nothing is there to stop our agile and everactive minds from coming up with something new in the face of the opportunity which COVID created for us. There has been a plethora of innovations: big, small, incremental or radical. Maybe some have been trashed already, but a lot of them have skyrocketed and even converted into the ‘million-dollar idea’.
Why did we think that the pandemic would lead to a pause in our creative thinking because it has been completely the other way round, with new problems arising every day and with every individual of every society, the pandemic provided us with a huge number of opportunities to bring about new products and services as a solution to these problems. Quite literally with so much extra time in hand and the obvious lack of money the innovations during the time of the pandemic have rather been very economical, very thoughtful and easy to implement as they have come out of a very restricted environment of limited supplies making them affordable and more user-friendly and apparently solving a lot of problems which will eventually be incorporated in our everyday lives even after this situation mitigates. It seems a difficult life adjusting to all the rules and regulations that have been implemented by the government but there isn’t a better and safer alternative so we tend to follow this only.
26 There have been innovations in every sector, and they have been created by people from all races of life; be it a milkman delivering milk or a multispecialty hospital providing treatment. Apparatus to deliver milk while maintaining social distancing, foot-pedal operated sanitizer to prevent contact, a gadget sanitizer , comic books based on the happenings of the pandemic, cloud kitchens, micro greens at your home, fitness and healthcare apps, apps for video and call based consultancy and testing, the online education system with classes, attendance and evaluations; the antibody testing method , virtual dating , products providing natural immunity, a machine that can make masks , virtual concerts, concerts where people are attending them in their personal cars, virtual music video launches, the list
can go on endlessly, so what I’m trying to accentuate here is that there has been restructuring, revamping and renewal everywhere. There have been no full stops to it, on the contrary it has created an alternate solution a for lot of products and services in a virtual world which did not exist earlier and in a lot of cases it has led to the complete potential utilization of products which were already present but not realized to their highest potential until now. The pandemic has actually provided us with a parallel universe, like a parallel lifestyle where in everything is same nevertheless it operates in a whole new dimension, with a whole new way of living life, moving ahead every day and a whole new set of hurdles which were pretty much never seen before. On a side note, ‘Mind-boggling’ the term implies something that is difficult to imagine, understand and believe according to Google; but read it along with Covid-19 now does it not sound like they are synonymous but then there is a second meaning to the same word; something having a very powerful and overwhelming effect on the mind, which is amazingly large or great, so when you flip the coin of Covid-19 that is what you get on the other side, a Pandora's box full new opportunities and innovations which is amazing and large and mindboggling.
Featured Article| December Edition
It has also led to the deterioration and degradation of a lot of businesses and has hampered the life of a large population, but there have been measures to simplify and facilitate the smooth working in these times also, and the whole idea of fighting it together is being largely resonated in all innovations
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Conversational Marketing:
Changing the way consumers buy
Featured Article|
December Edition
- ANUBHAV GUHA This year when I was applying to a foreign university I went to its website. Soon a chat window popped up. A message flashed ‘ HI I am Eddy a chat-bot to assist you’. As I replied what are the courses available? It came up with some options. I was asked to select a course of my choice. As I did it led me to another page that had everything in detail related to my course. For fun, I often replied in an informal tone. To my surprise, it could still understand the context and gave correct results. Every time I had a doubt I typed it over there and most of the time it came up with answers or either link. To be honest it felt like I was assisted by a human. This is an example of institutions taking advantage of conversational marketing. Conversational marketing is a new age online marketing strategy for online business. It uses AI-based chat-bots & targeted messaging. The chat-bots deal with visitors similarly to an offline sales representative. These chat-bots understand the contexts & give the right results. Also, messages are sent to a targeted audience. Their way of reply is similar to natural human language. As a result, the interaction feels it is talking to a human & getting personal attention. It helps in identifying hot leads. Leads are people who have expressed interest in the company’s services by filling out a form, clicking on an ad, or emailing the company.
This helps the company to use their representatives to get in touch with only hot leads. As a result, it reduces wastage of employees' time & makes a representative desk efficiently useful at the same time. It helps visitors to save time by quickly replying to doubts & also guiding them. Conversational marketing strategy is a simple 4 step procedure. First assess the customer, second understand the context, third right replies and options and fourth sort out whether it is hot lead or not.
The first chatbot was AEROMEXICO in 2016. Why conversational marketing? All of us hate to feel forms and wait for email replies. We all love special treatment. Leads have always been the subject of rivalry between marketing and sales departments. The work of the marketing team is to generate leads & converting them is the sales team's job.
28 But we all know most of the leads are not good or useful. Hence the blame game of inefficiency goes on.
Also, a very famous case study was published by HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW MAGAZINE on how AI is changing marketing and sales. It was based on a company named Century CenturyLink, one of the largest telecommunications providers in the United States. In the year 2016, it made a change to its conventional idea of personally calling the leads and acquired an AI-based CHATBOT FROM CONVERSICA called Angie. It sends about 30,000 emails a month and interprets the responses to determine who is a hot lead. Not only it interprets but with the help of AI and the complex algorithm it fixes an appointment with the appropriate sales representative right for the client. The company has approximately 1,600 salespeople, and the Angie pilot started with four of them. That number soon rose to 20 and continues to grow today. Initially, Angie was identifying about 25 hot leads per week. That has now increased to 40, and the results have certainly validated the company’s investment.
It has earned $20 in new contracts for every dollar it spent on the system.� This was quoted by the MD OF CENTURY LINK. Siri & Alexa are two voice-enabled assistants. Majority of us interact with our smartphones through these bots. The number of smartphone users is increasing day by day. Chatting platforms are the most popular social networking sites. All this indicates that in the coming decades the concept of conversational marketing would be more popular. Further companies are planning to add voice to bots and adding the option of bargaining. In context to India where the business is majorly based on how good the relationships strategies like this work. Also people in India like to get personally assisted even for the smallest purchases that they make and they develop brand loyalty for the treatment it received. So the scope of conversational marketing in India is vast.
Featured Article| December Edition
Also, practically not every entity can set up a help desk 24*7 because of the cost. Instead using a chatbot service is much more economically beneficial. Human interaction is always encouraged in the business world. What could be better than an online chat that feels like a conversation between two humans?
CALL FOR ARTICLES JANUARY 2021 EDITION The Marksman provides one and all the opportunity to discover their hidden talents in the literary field through our “Call for Articles”. For the upcoming month, the articles can be sent on any of the following topics:
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O2O Marketing: Catering to consumers’ comfort Shoppable posts: Future of commerce Interactive Content: Driving customer engagement
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One article can have only one author. Your article should be approximately 800 – 850 (strictly adhere to the word limit). The article must have relevant pictures that can be used to enhance the article. Send in your articles in .doc/.docx format to marksman.simsr@somaiya.edu Subject Line: Your Name_Institute Name_Course Year. 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: 22nd January 2021
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