The Marksman December 2021 Edition

INTERFACE

The

WHERE MARKETING COMES ALIVE

MARKSMAN Stories. Insights. Knowledge.

VOL XII | ISSUE V | DEC'21

THE INFLUENCERS' INFLUENCE

EDITOR'S NOTE "It's the most wonderful time of the year; 'tis the season to be jolly"

Rayomand Sachinwala

We hope Santa was good to you this year as you deserve the best. The month of December brings us a flurry of emotions from the anticipation of celebrating Christmas and just a few days later, the New Year. While you wait for the bell to drop on new years, we bring you something exciting to read in this month's edition. So grab your hot cocoa and get under your warm blankets because tis the season of Influencers. The next big thing in the world of marketing is influencer marketing. From how did influencer marketing originate and how it wasn't taken seriously at the beginning right to how it just might be the next big thing to create a dent in the marketing world. With the pandemic forcing people to spend more time on their digital devices, brands try to target their audience via the influencers they are highly devoted to. With the best ROI amongst all other tools of marketing, micro influencers are going to be the future of digital marketing. And lastly with the emergence of Metaverse, brands will make significant expenditures in mainstreaming it in 2022.

CFA WINNERS: You have not failed to surprise us with your brilliant articles. A hearty congratulations to the folks who managed to be the winner and runner-up of November's edition of the call for articles.

1. Winner - Nishant Kumar, IIM Indore 2. Runner up - Davesh Monga, Delhi School Of Economics

Amrit Prakash Nair

The inspiring pieces of work can be discovered in the “Featured Articles” section. We were overwhelmed with the response, and we wish the same for the future as we believe you would respond with the same gusto portrayed in the past.

Less is more

Sanket Dangra

Less is more

Less is more

Anshul Sheikh

Less is more

Chinmaya Sharma

Alipriya Ghosh

THE WRITERS

Anushka Dalvi

Prachi Agrawal

THE WRITERS

THE DESIGNERS

MEET THE TEAM

Hari Shankar Kannan

Mahak Sonkar

Antarip Biswas

THE WRITERS

Vikas Yadav

Less is more

Aditya Mulye

Abhishek Rathee

TABLE OF CONTENTS 01

Kickstart Bored of the same old flavours? Let's add a twist and look at the colourful world of Jimmy's cocktails and the bold move to use Point of Purchase strategy for its launch.

Cover Story

Influencers have taken the world by storm, but let's see if influencer marketing is here to stay. The key to success in digital marketing and a lot more!

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What's Hot on the Gram

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Brands have put on their festive hats and the celebrations are in full swing on instagram. Let's take a look at how companies are using festivities to promote their brand

Brand Markive How did Airtel turn itself from a company for the businessman to a company for the youth? Let's find out!

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More than Marketing A deep dive into a brand which combines social impact, innovation, and branding into a sustainable business

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 06

Marketing Buzz The world is changing, and so are the brands. From Shark Tank to Bewakoof, what all is creating the buzz and how to get on the hype train.

Hallmark Campaign

The pandemic has been hard on all of us, especially the small business owners. This Axis bank ad urges to help out these businesses by not fixating on the bargain.

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Pioneer

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In this ever-expanding sea of opportunities, some influencers have taken their game to the next level. Converting online success to a great business, learn it from this coffee loving youtuber.

Marketflix and Chill The global phenomenon 'Money Heist' came to an end in December. a look at how brands are cashing in on the success of the hit Netflix series.

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Mark-o-pedia We all love when two great things come together, Netflix and Spotify combine to give us a brilliant example of native marketing.

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KICKSTART Jimmy's Cocktails When the Bartender Snubs, Jimmy Observes.

Margarita, Martini, Daiquiri, Manhattan are not just the names of famous cocktails, but also why people flock to Bars & Restaurants to enhance their drinking experience. Yes, one can try their hand at mixology, but success in attaining that Bartender-perfected flavor is not guaranteed at home. Ankur Bhatia realized this at a party that started in a fancy bar in Bandra but followed him in his house. He sensed that something was missing and that something gave birth to Jimmy's Cocktails.

But why Jimmy? one might ask. "It's about the J factor in the liquor industry, and since Johnny, Jack & Jim were already taken, we went with Jimmy," told Mr. Bhatia to Forbes in an interview.

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-Vikas Yadav

Launching a start-up around alcohol in India can be tricky; one can face multitudes of problems, like distribution.

But Jimmy had an interesting start. Their first store was started in 2019 at a betel shop, "Sanjay Paan Bhandaar" in Gurugram. As surprising as it sounds, the bet played in Jimmy's favor because Mr. Bhatia betted on the shop's location - the betel shop was right opposite a Premium Liquor shop.

Anyone familiar with marketing tips & tricks would recognize this is a Point-ofPurchase strategy but launching one's business with this strategy was a bold move. A move that helped them sell over 25k bottles of cocktail mixers in 3 months.

KICKSTART

The Product Mix of this cocktail mixer is impressive, to say the least, and is evolving for the better every single year.

What started with the mixers of a handful of famous cocktails, the brand now offers not only more flavors that appeal to the Indian tongue but Festive Gift Packs, Party packs, and accessories to turn any corner of your house into a Bar. The Build Your Own Bar kit comes with everything that helps you measure the ingredients and pour that perfectly shaken cocktail. They have also introduced a Travel Kit Bag with a portable mini bar toolset for customers who might want to try mixology on the go.

After only six months of its launch and bars & restaurants being the only distribution channels, Jimmy faced a Pandemic in early 2020. Now the team had to reach the customers directly.

The Pandemic was a blessing in disguise for the cocktail mixer. Once the lockdowns were lifted, the company made a revenue of over $ 1 million, thanks to people locked in their homes and missing the bar experience. More interestingly, the firm has raised around $ 1.5 million in funding already and is looking to raise another $ 4-5 million to expand globally.

Expanding their distribution channels with Amazon, Big Basket, and other eretailers, Jimmy has come a long way from that betel shop. With other competitors like Sepoy & Co., Bengal Bay, and Mumbai Mixers also making an entry in this niche market, it'd be interesting to see how Jimmy will carry forward the "J" factor legacy. Kudos to Mr. Bhatia and the team who saw the glass half empty and filled it with possibilities.

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Cover Story The Influencers Influence

What's up with the influencer Industry?

-Mahak Sonkar

Digital marketing gained center stage as corporations and marketers cut their marketing spending for traditional means in 2020. Last year, social media became a dominant channel for brand discovery and buying choices in the digital marketing hemisphere. Influencer marketing gained traction as marketers sought economical and unique ways to reach out to GenZ and Millennials. Marketers also realized that the influencer marketing approach is well-suited when the audience is seeking motivation to keep going, whether it's through DIY videos as they become home chefs, learning new recipes, or focusing on self-care. Creators were crucial in fostering a feeling of community, which many individuals craved while alone.

Consumers shifted away from photos and text to watch more videos than ever before, aided by extended stay-at-home periods. According to Bain & Company, India's online video user base has grown by 24 percent to more than 350 million individuals in the previous three years. According to the survey, Indian smartphone users spend roughly 4.8 hours each day on their smartphones, with one hour spent on average watching movies.

As video consumption grows and attention spans shrink, influencer marketing provides a short turnaround time and a high level of personalization. Another element that drew marketers to this medium is artists' trust and authenticity with their fans, which allows brands to reach out to a particular demographic. As a result, the influencer marketing business has undergone a rapid metamorphosis, transforming into a mainstream marketing vehicle in a short period of time.

Instead of having a list of influencers and estimated reach, brands now seek firms that can supply them with intriguing campaign ideas.

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Cover Story In favor of real, user-generated content, the influencer method bypasses a marketing team's creative department. It was like getting a suggestion from a buddy for the audience. For marketers, it was like getting a celebrity endorsement without paying for it—free items and the promise of a greater stage were more than enough to compensate the typical influencer.

Everything had changed in a few short years, except for one crucial detail: the mindset of marketers. For them, the endgame was the same as it ever was—to build brand awareness, convert new customers, and make more money.

To truly leverage the potential of influencer marketing, marketers and businesses must rethink everything from the ground up. Budgets must reflect the increased importance of information management, but organizational changes must also be made. Improved team cooperation is critical, and new software tools are required to make this possible.

They are more active in their marketing initiatives and collaborate with influencers on innovative ideas to generate exciting content. As a result, in 2021, we saw businesses shift from 'one-time connections' for single postings to longterm collaborations with influencers.

Influencer marketing was lauded as the solution to digital marketing's woes.

Brands finally discovered a method to get into word-of-mouth marketing on a global scale by working with individuals who had created devoted followings. Influencers weren't famous individuals; they were ordinary people with shared passions and interests. Their audiences were listening, participating, and taking action if it came to a brand or product they were passionate about.

They'll need to learn more about their influencers' audiences—what keeps them devoted to influencers will keep them committed to the brand as well.

Identifying where each of these diverse audiences is on the "customer journey" should shape their strategy and likely reflects the state of their connection with influencers.

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Cover Story

So, if they start with the influencer, the audience's aim should reflect that. To put it another way, the holistic approach may begin with the way influencer connections are developed and managed, but nothing will change unless marketing teams evolve.

Existing and prospective influencers and producers will have a wealth of chances in the next year. Long-term partnerships are the first and foremost. With each passing day, more and more businesses understand that influencer marketing provides unrivaled ROI. After practically every major global networking tool accessible in the nation, including Facebook, Twitter, and Clubhouse, LinkedIn has released its localized version to accommodate numerous Indian languages.

The need for micro-influencers will skyrocket in the influencer marketing sector in 2022. Due to marketers' preference for micro-influencers due to their greater engagement rates and cost, their proportion of the whole sector expanded dramatically last year. The industry is likely to change to a more data-driven strategy, which will be the key driver of micro-influencer demand.

Because of greater data and analytics, brands are increasingly eager to collaborate on sponsored content with micro-influencers. From an influencer's perspective, this always-on influencer marketing technique depicts brand devotion and contributes to the company's reputation and memory.

Focus on micro-influencers will undoubtedly be one of the industry's most important trends in the following year.

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Cover Story

While there will be several developing themes that will dominate the influencer marketing economy in 2022, one that will stand out is the mainstreaming of the metaverse. We might easily presume that the metaverse has arrived based on how the world of information and social media is expanding. While the pandemic prompted businesses to embrace digital marketing, subsequent technology advancements and the merging of numerous platforms to create a virtual ecosystem are bringing the Metaverse dream closer by the day. Brands will make significant expenditures in mainstreaming the metaverse in 2022.

In 2022, we will see a surge in the amount of businesses that will use technologies like AR/VR to sell their products and services, with influencers and content producers at the centre.

While influencer marketing is a fairly young industry, with Metaverse becoming mainstream, there is a considerable likelihood of it taking off quickly and becoming a multibillion-dollar economy in the virtual world. In fact, this may happen much quicker than we think.

Marketing is a very volatile industry. While trends come and go as per the tastes and preferences of people, Influencer Marketing doesn't look like something which could be swooped off with minute disruptions.

Escalating from a time when creators weren't taken seriously to a time where there's a creators economy, The Influencers Influence has really shown!

And with time, it only shows signs of upwards and onwards.

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WHAT'S HOT ON THE GRAM Wrapping up 2021

With all the right Holiday Marketing

After a month full of festivities and wedding spree, the last month of the year welcomed every other brand and social media creators going big and looking back.

Looking back at the year full of uncertainties, but when most got used to it and adapted better. Spotify, at the beginning of the month launched its Music Wrap for all listeners themed as "Totally Normal". With quirky and aesthetic segments like "2 Truth or Lie" and "Blend", where listeners could compare their streamed music with friends and family, it was all about interaction and engagement.

More than 100 Million users engaged with Spotify Wrapped with re-shares, re-tweets and hashtags.

-Alipriya Ghosh

What followed was Instagram Playback, which shows a curated set of 10 Top stories from the year. Not as effective or interactive, the trend left as soon as it arrived. At the same time many Instagrammers did their own lookback, self curating highlighted moments and celebrations of the year, as a part of their stories or even posts. Travel Bloggers curated all their destinations while Food Photographers curated a series of most happening restaurants visited and food tasted.

VSCO and Zomato quickly followed the trend by awarding Badges. One of the Badges I got from Zomato was the 'Bae of

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WHAT'S HOT ON THE GRAM are putting on a Christmas hat to their campaigns.. Coca-Cola, which is literally a part of every festivity and the highs and lows of our lives, came up with a beautiful viral ad which says "The holidays are magic if we share them".

So did Apple. This time it spoke millions with emotions and less about their products and features. The holiday commercial tells the story of a young girl who fights all odds to preserve Simon, the snowman throughout the year.

Holiday Marketing is getting more and more cozy and inclusive with each passing year. 2021 was all about following trends as well as breaking them. Let's wait and see what 2022 has in store.

Biryani', for being among the Top 10 Biryani lovers in 2021. I too, quickly shared these on my Instagram stories.

December isn't just the holiday month for Family and friends, it's the month of crazy sales. Brands like Myntra and Amazon launched their biggest sales of the year with equally big marketing strategies. For the End of Reason Sale, Myntra collaborated not only with Influencers and Actors but also with brands like Boat, L'oreal Paris and Axis Bank and went to Twitter and Instagram for promotion as conversation involving wordplay between these brands.

What is Christmas without the most flavorful Christmas advertisements?

Before welcoming the new year, brands

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BRAND MARKIVE Airtel Rebranding An invigorating story

-Abhishek Rathee

Airtel, the voice of millions of Indian customers, wasn't made in a day. It went through several ups and downs, a series of revamps, and a complete overhaul of its identity to reach where it is today. A brand with humble beginnings, Airtel was launched in 1995 by an Indian entrepreneur, Sunil Bharti Mittal, under Bharti TeleVentures in Delhi. It began with a purpose to enrich the lives of its customers and a commitment to providing an exceptional customer experience and has since expanded leaps and bounds in terms of quality and services provided to become one of India's top telecom players.

Airtel's rebranding campaign is one of the incredible success stories of the country.

The brand's launch was about aspiration, and the target market was clearly definedelite, upmarket professionals, and entrepreneurs. Airtel was on a power trip: a black logo with big uppercase text, and the baseline read "the power to keep in touch". The intention was clear- to be perceived as a market leader in network, innovations, offerings, or services. Soon, it started giving out full and half-page ads in the newspapers, answering queries like "What is roaming?", "What is the coverage area?" and so on, to expose customers to the cellular world and increase customer engagement.

By positively positioning and promoting itself as a brand that improved people's quality of life, Airtel reached out to new segments. It began to look from a regional level to pan India position.

Airtel shifted from being a 'technology' brand to a 'communication' brand in 2002.

AR Rahman agreed to create a signature tune for the brand. The commercial's music became the most downloaded ringtone in telecoms history. The tagline' Live Every Moment' captured the very feelings and emotions of the Indian customer. With the view of going global, Airtel acquired Zain Telecom of Africa in 2010 and felt the need to change its logo.

The new logo was expected to be splashed across India, Africa, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Seychelles.

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BRAND MARKIVE The brand makeover gave Airtel a more youthful look representing a dynamic energy force that would bring the management and customers closer. Music maestro AR Rahman came back with a theme song with a younger and more international feel. An artistically written small ‘a’ was placed above the word ‘airtel’- red against a white background. It managed to instil a warm and friendly appeal, and the symbol was supposed to convey a “no boundaries” idea.

Airtel launched the ‘Har ek friend zaroori hota hai’ campaign in 2011, created by Taproot India. It injected some muchneeded freshness into the brand.

The catchy jingle and the campaign’s star went viral. After the massive popularity of its predecessor, Airtel launched the ‘Jo tera hai woh mera hai’ campaign in 2012, which was all about mobile internet and sharing.

Today, the company offers various products and services, including 2G, 3G, and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high-speed DSL broadband, IPTV and Digital TV. In 26 years, Airtel went from offering mobile telephony services in one of the cities in India to expand its operations in over 18 countries. Being the 3rd largest mobile operator globally with a subscriber base of over 470 million, the story of Airtel’s success will forever motivate those who dare to dream.

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MORE THAN MARKETING The Plated Project Art Against Hunger

-Antarip Biswas

The Plated Project began as an experiment to redefine how business is done. Its earliest founding members came together intending to build a brand through a solid visual story and end hunger through the medium of art. The idea was to combine social impact, innovation, and branding into a sustainable business concept, and "Art against Hunger" was born. Their motto was simple - "Buy a plate, fill a plate." The goal of the project is to use art to combat hunger. It started with decor plates, but it plans to eventually move on to everyday goods and reinvent them with skill. Two things will happen if someone purchases one of these artworks. One, the contributions will immediately assist the company in achieving its objective of meal sponsorship. Second, the products developed with artists will serve as conversation starters.

The aim is to present stories about social concerns that aren't preachy or uninteresting. Those are the two objectives. With the support of the NGO Goonj, it set the target of sponsoring 100,000 meals in a month. The team put their minds to it and secured sponsors and partners. In just over a month and a half, the brand sponsored almost 150,000 meals. Every month, the team works with an NGO and a handful of artists to create and curate limited-edition artworks in the shape of decorative plates. 50% per cent of the proceeds from the sales are donated to the chosen NGO's program, which aims to support meals for those in need. So far, they've helped migrant labourers, persons with Down syndrome and are currently trying to provide meals for members of the transgender community. First and foremost, NGOs contact them, and the team reaches NGOs, regardless of any curatorial procedure. They have started using a calendar outlook to plan the entire year. The group began by examining hunger as a starting point and explored other issues which directly or indirectly affected appetite. One of the contacted NGOs said that down syndrome and autism are significant issues worldwide and in India, but few people talked about it. After further research, they discovered that only 15% of people have proper jobs.

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MORE THAN MARKETING that puts philanthropy first. As a result, a lot of how it approaches things changes.

For example, they donated 100% of their proceeds to charity last month.

It also maintains a robust following on its social media pages, connecting with consumers through stories.

Their successful journey has been covered extensively in News and media, with Architectural Digest, Times of India, and Condé Nast Traveller featuring them. In the end, it hopes that the model will inspire a lot more people to take the leap and say, "Let's look at the impact in a different way than just contributing money or raising awareness."

Hence a creative theme, such as Trisomy, emerged. Trisomy aimed to urge artists to create artwork with three repeated graphic motifs in each piece. It's known as Trisomy since it's the disorder that produces down syndrome in 95% of cases, and they showcased tales from people with Down syndrome who were accomplishing amazing things in their lives throughout the month. They have created a new business model whose primary goal is to give back to the artist. The company will share 25% of the revenues after deductions if the artists post their art on its platform. They hope to launch a model for Indian artists, mainly those not wellknown and may scale up and encourage others to follow suit if it works. The Plated Project is a for-profit company

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MARKETING BUZZ The World is Changing

-Chinmaya Sharma Flipkart announced its partnership with Sony Entertainment's upcoming show Shark Tank India today, driven by a mission to develop India's entrepreneurship ecosystem aggressively.

Shark Tank, an internationally recognized business reality show, has re-energized enterprises in over 40 countries since its debut in 2001. The first Indian edition promises to do the same for India's startup ecosystem.

Shark Tank India will provide a venue for company ideas, prototypes, and existing firms to be reviewed for investment by experienced investors and business experts (known as the Sharks).

The World is changing, and so are the businesses.

MG Motor India has entered the nonfungible token market (NFT). With this, the British carmaker has become the first in India to introduce a range of NFTs. The automaker will launch its first NFT on KoineArth's NgageN platform, tailored specifically for MG transactions. Since its inception, MG Motor has concentrated on four main foundations; (diversity, experience, community, and innovation).

MG's NFTs will be divided into four "C" categories based on its beliefs: collectibles, community & diversity, collaborative art, and CaaP. (Car-as-aPlatform).

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MARKETING BUZZ HT Media-owned business newspaper Mint has published a statement lamenting its inability to ensure gender diversity at the Mint Annual Banking Conclave. "We made a mistake," stated Editor-in-Chief Sruthijith KK in the announcement. "We did not work hard enough to ensure gender diversity among the panelists at the Mint Annual Banking Conclave. We invited several women speakers in the course of curating the panels. But when they declined, we should have dug in our heels and worked harder to find other available women speakers. We recognize the hurt this has caused, and we are sorry." he said.

Bewakoof, India's largest direct-toconsumer fashion business, has developed a curated marketplace that welcomes entertaining, expressive, and distinctive brands like theirs. Chumbak, Mad Over Print, Brown Mocha, Fugazee, Peri Pai, Fighting Fame, Urban Estilo, HueTrap, Style Quotient, Dilinger, Smugglerz, Clovia, Noise, Boat, Campus Sutra, Ustraa, Difference of Opinion, and many other brands have joined the brand.

In the following 12 months, Bewakoof hopes to create Rs 500 crore in brand sales through the marketplace. Fashion, Innerwear, Personal Audio, Beauty, and Accessories are all available in the market.

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HALLMARK CAMPAIGN PAUSE THE BARGAIN An Axis Bank Campaign

-Anushka Dalvi

The Canadian comedian Russell Peters once joked," Indian people can't live without a bargain, and Chinese people can't give you a bargain." This quote aptly describes the situation in our country. Whether an affluent person or someone from a lowermiddle-class background, none of us would ever settle for the price the shopkeeper quotes. We'll use the best of our dramatic abilities in haggling until we are satisfied that we have received the better end of the deal. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has deeply affected the shopkeepers in our country, especially the local and standalone stores. In light of this, Axis Bank, partnering with the advertising group Autumn GREY, has developed a beautifully conceptualized campaign to appeal to the Indian consumers to 'Pause the Bargain.'

With its catchy jingle tune 'Char rupaiya kum karo na please,' this campaign begins right after a shopkeeper opens a small store post the Indian independence. His first customer utters the catchphrase relatable to every Indian consumer that the product is too expensive. He goes to bargain and asks for a price reduction.

The shopkeeper gives in to him and eventually to every single consumer who walks into his store. The advertisement shows the transformation of his shop from a small roadside store to a bigger one selling the latest fads, with the cassettes evolving to fancy music systems. And yet, the shopkeeper and his young son watching the whole transaction keep having to surrender to the haggling power of the customers. After his father's death, the son continues his legacy, trying his best to be polite and jolly with the people who walk into his store.

But be it reasons like people threatening to walk away without purchasing anything or asking for discounts on occasions like India winning the World Cup, the bargaining saga lives on.

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HALLMARK CAMPAIGN Rajiv Anand, the executive director of wholesale banking, Axis Bank, explains the thought being the campaign which was initially to be named #StopTheBargain but was renamed to #PauseTheBargain as they did not want to compel people to stop their much-loved tradition of haggling but instead mobilize their sentiment towards supporting local stores during such challenging times.

Bodh Deb, the Sr. Vice President of Integration & Growth, Autumn GREY, says that they spent three whole months and countless sleepless nights on this campaign before finally cracking the brief on one early Sunday morning after an allnighter.

The advertisement then shifts down a more sombre route with the lockdown announcement, causing the shopkeeper to shut down his store. When he finally gets a chance to reopen it, he looks on eagerly at the first woman who walks into his store and picks up a vase. On quoting a price of Rs 500 and watching her doubtful expression, he is ready to offer a discount, but instead, she accepts it without bargaining. The jingle shifts to the core message of the ad 'Saude Bazi ko time please' with a thoughtful letter at the end stating that," Small businesses of our country have been through a tough time.

Let's help them get back on their feet. For a while, let's #PauseTheBargain."

They have ensured that the campaign's hero is not their product but their message. The creativity and hard work of the creative team are evident throughout the entire course of the campaign, whose message resonates deeply in the minds of Indian consumers and is one which we won't be forgetting anytime soon.

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PIONEER JackSepticEye

Top of the Mornin

-Hari Shankar

“Influencer Marketing” has been the buzzword in the world of marketing and brand promotions recently. The onset of the pandemic has skyrocketed the online presence of people active on social media like never before.

The introduction of features like Instagram & YouTube live-streams, shorts, stories and reels have opened a whole new arena for creators and influencers to post their content online to keep their audiences engaged and glued to their screens. These new features have also opened up new opportunities for brands to advertise and promote their products.

In this ever-expanding sea of opportunities, some influencers have taken their game to the next level. In addition to partnering with brands, some influencers have also started creating their brands. The famous Irish YouTuber called JackSepticEye, aka Sean William McLoughlin, has been making videos on gaming and memes on the platform since 2007. His YouTube channel began to take off around 2012, and since then, he has been famous as a YouTube Celebrity. He has amassed around 28 Million followers and counting on YouTube within record time. He has also been featured on YouTube rewind 2016, “The Late Late Show” in 2018, and has made a short cameo feature on Ryan Reynold’s recent movie “Free Guy” as one of the gamers commenting on the “Blue Shirt NPC guy”.

This Irish Youtuber begins his videos with the catchphrase “Top of the Mornin to ya Laddies; My name is JackSepticeye”. He uses this stereotypical Irish greeting in his videos & live streams, and his Irish accent has been a critical attraction for his fans to watch his videos. Being Irish, he is also a fan of drinking coffee.

And recently, he has launched two brands.

He is the founder of the “Top of the Mornin” coffee company and the cofounder of the “Cloak Brand” clothing company, along with the American YouTuber, Markiplier, who is also known for his gaming, reaction videos and memes on YouTube.

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PIONEER While YouTubers partner with clothing brands for merchandise, JackSepticEye took a bold step by starting his brand.

CLOAK, he claims, is the first high-end apparel brand for the community that fit our lifestyle AND our bodies. “Over the years, we’ve been inspired by the YouTube community, and we hope that CLOAK will inspire you in return,” he says on Cloakbrand.com. The brands’ motto is “Hidden in Plain Sight”,, which according to him, signifies being minimalistic and inclusive. The brand has now 450k followers on Instagram. It is an exclusive outlet for his merchandise and has been a significant portion of his revenues.

What started as an internet meme has become JackSepticEye's coffee brand, "Top of the Mornin" coffee. The brand has 180k followers on Instagram. It has varieties of tea, coffee, mugs, T-shirts, hot chocolates, bulk orders, and has worldwide shipping.

JackSepticEye has been full-on promoting his brand through memes and posts on social media platforms, both on YouTube and outside YouTube. He has also been doing philanthropic work through "ThankMas" charity fundraising Livestream in December 2021. JackSepticEye's Brand success story re-defines traditional marketing strategies, and brands have to learn and un-learn a lot to be successful in today's competitive environment.

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MARKETFLIX AND CHILL Money Heist Finale India Bole Ciao

-Anshul Sheikh

“The first time is special. Unique. But the last times are incomparable, priceless.”

Berlin's comments have never rang truer or had a more powerful impact. The wait for the last season of 'Money Heist' is finally over, as the massively popular show is now available to stream on Netflix.

The global phenomenon 'Money Heist' came to an end in December. 'Bella Ciao,' the show's theme song, has also become a cult classic. It's no secret that this classic Spanish heist thriller on Netflix has a cult following, with fans cheering on the Professor and his misfits, who have fast become the face of resistance and triumph over adversity. In addition, Netflix devised a wonderful marketing campaign for the series. We witnessed Bollywood actor Ayushmann Khurrana's 'Sabse Bada Fan' in 'Money Heist,' where he took his charisma, acting skills, and musical talents to a new Netflix video, making it one for the 'history' books. The superfan paid homage to the famous Professor character by launching the #IndiaBoleCiao Fan Contest, which allows fans to capture and show their passion for the series in a humorous way.

Ayushmann was also seen singing his own version of the classic 'Bella Ciao' while mingling with fans.

Netflix India posted various films on its YouTube channel of influencers right before launching the series on December 3, 2021, and like no other, Bhuvam Bam's video meeting the entire cast of 'Money Heist' generated quite a stir and was shared by the majority of netizens.

As we know the last season of 'Money Heist' is split into two parts, Part 1 received a lot of attention in India, with Netflix Indianizing the theme song 'Bell Ciao' to represent Indian fans' excitement as 'Jaldi Aao.' Nucleya composed the desi version, and the music video starred Anil Kapoor, Radhika Apte, Rana Daggubati, Hardik Pandya, Vikrant Massey, and Shruti Haasan, among others.

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MARKETFLIX AND CHILL For the first time in India, Netflix partnered with Pepsi to commemorate the finale of the internationally acclaimed series. Pepsi unveiled a limited edition set of golden cans and packs inspired by the famous series ahead of the premiere of Part 1 of the series finale on Netflix on September 3, building up to the ultimate virtual fan celebration in October 2021 for all 'Money Heist' fans.

The prominent components from the blockbuster series – the 'Dali mask' and 'Bella Ciao' – were featured on the golden cans and packs. They also acted as a golden ticket to the virtual party, which provided fans with access to special content, allowing them to get closer to their favourite 'Money Heist' characters, and allowing them to celebrate with fans from all across the country. Pepsi also teamed with Bollywood director Ahmed Khan on a high-octane digital film starring Tiger Shroff, the brand's ambassador and actor, in a never-before-seen role. The Professor sends Tiger on a mission to find the lost golden cans and packs in the film. Tiger successfully completes the assignment at the end of this action-packed short, and he reveals how consumers may now register for the greatest virtual fan gathering by scanning the Pepsi logo.

Hindustan Times teamed with Netflix and Wavemaker to produce a newspaper adas-a-collectible invention, which is a first of its type. Fans of the show could remove the cut-outs of the 'Money Heist' figures from the newspaper and use them as stickers, bringing the adored characters into their homes. Shekhar Banerjee, Chief Client Officer & Office Head, West – Wavemaker, elaborated on this idea, saying, "Every fan of 'Money Heist' wants a piece of this cult show, and they are in the millions!" We literally gave them the opportunity by turning a newspaper into a souvenir. We applaud Hindustan Times for pushing the envelope and redesigning their printing process to bring this show's memories to life in such a unique way. It's the perfect way to say 'Bella Ciao.'

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MARK-O-PEDIA Online Advertising and Native Advertising

Overview of Netflix and Spotify collaboration -Aditya Mulye The art and science of using the internet as an agent to convey marketing messages to a targeted audience are called online advertising. Nowadays, it is essential for increasing website traffic and brand awareness. Still, the primary purpose of online advertising is to encourage the targeted audience to perform a specific action, such as visiting a website or making a purchase.

Traditional marketing was just marketing' before the online boom of the 2000s. It was the status quo, and it was the most practical way for companies to market themselves. But the times are changing. As internet usage grows every day, its importance as a marketing tool grows. Take India as an example. In 2020, India's online display advertising expenditure was 119.9 billion dollars, accounting for 23.0% of overall ad spending. This is a 14.0 per cent increase from 2019 and a 166.8 per cent increase from 2016. As of January 2020, it is estimated that Facebook's advertising reach was 260 million users in India. This was the most extensive audience base reached by advertising in the country, followed by Instagram with 80 million and LinkedIn with 62 million.

Online advertising includes various forms.

Social media advertising, content marketing, email marketing, Search engine advertisement, display advertising, and mobile advertising are prominent forms of online advertising.

Companies either create a buzz about a new product or maintain a product's brand value using online advertising.

While companies like Hindustan Unilever and Amazon India spend crores of rupees on traditional advertising, brands like Amul, Netflix, Zomato use online advertising to promote their products and services in the online world.

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MARK-O-PEDIA Netflix and Spotify collaborated to produce a genuinely unique native advertising campaign that received much attention. Following the release of Netflix's Stranger Things series, Spotify users discovered that they could enter "Stranger Things" mode on the platform. They were assigned a Spotify playlist based on a character from the show.

This material was clearly labelled as sponsored, and the design was tailored to Spotify's platform and aesthetic. This is an excellent example of high-end native marketing. Taco Bell and Snapchat, Instagram filters, and Nickelodeon are also some famous examples of native advertising.

Native advertising is a type of online advertising that aligns the design and template of the site on which it appears.

Native ads look less like advertisements and more like the content they are embedded in.

Because native ads are less invasive and bothersome for consumers, they can be a great approach to combat ad fatigue.

Sponsored articles on various news platforms or websites are among the most frequent types of Native Advertising. The most important thing about native advertisements is that they complement their platform.

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CALL FOR ARTICLES Marketing in the Metaverse

Synergies between digital and physical worlds -Nishant Kumar

“It is time for us to adopt a new company brand to encompass everything that we do to reflect who we are and what we hope to build. I am proud to announce that starting today our company is now META” Back in 1993, when Neal Stephenson coined the far-flung-fictional idea of the Metaverse, the world dismissed it as scientific voodoo. Cut to the present, one of the most recent Silicon Valley demonstrations by our dear-old Zuckerberg vindicates what Stephenson had predicted. So, with that rather cliche troupe of fictional-terror-coming-to-life, let’s talk Metaverse. Metaverse? Is it like Minecraft? There may be 1e100 articles on Google (get it, Googol?), or will soon be, covering the metaverse. Before we understand how marketing will change in the millennium of the metaverse, first let’s grasp what the metaverse is. Far from being just a simple virtual theme park or a mere application

which you can download off the app store and “play” at your convenience, Metaverses are virtual universes that merge reality and the virtual world. It combines a host of Industry 4.0 technologies such as augmented reality, holographic avatars AI and ML, to create a hyper-real alternative world to co-exist in, while we grind out our 9-5 post-MBA jobs.

Marketing has a new Mojo: The Metaverse Gone are the days of B2C, B2B, & D2C marketing. We have a new player in town: Direct to Avatar (D2A). Global brands have already hopped on to the metaverse bandwagon. Luxury brand Gucci sold a virtual bag for more than the real thing in Roblox while Nike dropped virtual Jordans in Fortnite. As brands tinker and experiment within the metaverse, be sure that subtle product placements in your daily tech-driven life are only going to increase from here on.

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CALL FOR ARTICLES From a marketer’s perspective, one needs to understand that metaverse is not just another trendy fad (R.I.P Native marketing and Blackhat SEO); It is here to stay and is making its way to be the next big thing, as corporations to the tune of Facebook and Microsoft address it as $1 Trillion Opportunity. For Gen Alpha, gaming is an integral part of their social life. We are now moving to a world where millennials relentlessly scroll feeds to find out which batchmate of theirs got married, and Alphas and Zoomers socialize, interact within virtual spaces.

. and master not just the promotion of existing products, but new digital products which can be owned by the virtue of blockchain (NFT anyone?).

A Metaverse Marketing Masterplan must create experiences that tie in with realworld experiences and resonates with the brand’s existing identity. Immersive experiences, brand engagement and data privacy take on a whole new definition within the metaverse. As the old saying goes “The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing”, and the metaverse makes that so much more achievable.

Why spend the evening watching another of those addictive reels when you can wander around a virtual Harajuku with your mates? If this seems ridiculous to you, ask any 13-year-old what they think.

Technology makes even us 21-year-olds seem...well old. Marketing in the Metaverse: Break the Rules!And within this opportunity, Creativity becomes defining competitive advantage And inside the metaverse, Moore’s law is the limit! Marketers must shift to a virtual first perspective,

Concluding, I feel the only way brands can truly leverage the metaverse in terms of marketing is by Continuously experimenting. The current crop of marketeers will set the rules of metaverse marketing. And a marketer’s creativity knows no bounds, and the metaverse provides the perfect canvas for it. And if you still house a doubt, remember that Metaverse did what Musk hasn’t yet -- sold property on a new Earth. Mars can wait.

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CALL FOR ARTICLES Point-of-Purchase Marketing

Rajiv wakes up on what seems like a lovely day and goes to the nearby retail store to buy his favourite breakfast cereal. He tells his mother he also purchased some Cadbury Chocolates and Packs of Maggi on returning. Although Rajiv here is fictitious, this all-too-familiar tale of unintended purchases is typical to all shoppers, and it happens primarily due to strong point-ofpurchase marketing.

Point-of-Purchase marketing is the practice of placing marketing material next to the products it is advertising. POP marketing targets the consumer at the end of the buying process. Ad campaigns, email marketing, social media marketing, content marketing, etc., are all effective ways to get people to visit a store or website. However, when a consumer is ready to make a final purchase decision, POP is the way to grab their attention and trigger impulse buying.

-Davesh Monga

In-store, effective point-of-purchase displays may help both retailers and customers appreciate your brand. It's been shown that point-of-purchase displays can boost retail sales by up to 20%!

Research suggests that a whopping 49 percent of purchases made by 18-24 year old are impulse purchases, illustrating how a Point of purchase strategy is a nonnegotiable need to effectively optimize the product's location inside the store and increase sales. Furthermore, a POP strategy allows the brands to: Segmentation and Targeting: Because POP displays are location-based advertising, they let the business reach out to specific clients. Marketers frequently use In-store POP advertising tactics to target customers based on their demographics, geography, and purchasing habits.

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CALL FOR ARTICLES Facilitating Impulse Purchases: Brands can effectively use POP marketing to influence the customer's purchasing decision in their favour.

Increase Brand Awareness: POP displays act as a brand's surrogate salespeople.

They showcase the brand's numerous offerings, educate people about the various items' attributes, and publicize any discounts.

Types of Point-of-Purchase Marketing POP displays come in a wide range of styles and levels of ingenuity. They may well be straightforward, or they might be pretty complex. Either way, a brilliant POP display is always eye-catching and attention-grabbing. Let's look at the way different brands and retailers adopted POP displays.

End Caps An end cap is a product display positioned at the end of an aisle.

Products placed for sale on an end cap sell substantially faster than those not placed on an end cap. Endcap displays are positioned at the extremities of aisles so that customers can view them even if they do not walk down that aisle.

Shelf Talkers A shelf-talker is a sign made of paper, plastic, or cardboard that retailers or wholesalers use to offer information about the products on the shelf. They don't just provide product information but also draw people to a specific product.

Floor Displays Floor displays, sometimes known as dumps, are one of the most effective point-of-purchase marketing tools you can create. They work best when positioned near the entrance to the store, and this location ensures that the maximum number of visitors may see the product.

Given the highly competitive retail space in the country, it is pivotal for marketers and retailers to get the Point-of-Purchase strategy right. An effective POP strategy must facilitate impulse purchases, increase cross-selling opportunities and help increase brand awareness.

Free Standing Displays Free-standing display units are off-theshelf displays that hold products that a customer will buy. Free-standing displays are similar to endcaps, with the only difference being that they can be placed anywhere throughout a store

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CALL FOR ARTICLES January 2022 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:

Market Research - Not just a numbers game.

The Flywheel - Excellent services as it’s own marketing strategy Experiential Marketing - Can it make a comeback?

Please ensure that there is no plagiarism and all the references are clearly mentioned.

Kindly follow the guidelines given below: One article can have only one author.

Your article should be approximately 550-600 words (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, 2022

QUOTE DECK

Any strategy that gets a message to rise above the clutter is terrific from the advertiser's perspective. Even if it's not much of a secret, it's still a pretty good marketing idea.

Josh Bernoff Author and Analyst

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