EDITOR’S NOTE About this Edition > "Controversy is part of the Nature of Art & Creativity"- Yoko Ono. The main aim of marketing is not only to understand customers well so that the product created sells itself but also to create a massive buzz around it. Here, some brands choose to take the road that is less travelled- Controversy. But, controversy is very subjective in nature. It's almost impossible to know ‘How far is too far’. The idea to intentionally offend or surprise your audience is a risky bet that brands take. Our cover story for the month is based on ‘Controversy in Marketing’. In the last few months, the world of marketing has seen quite some controversial advertisements, campaigns and logos. From Bingo mad angles’ dialogue steering ad to the recent Myntra logo debate. Were these controversies staged to gain public attention? Or have we as audience become intolerant towards basic things, 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. Rishabh Hemani (Winner) – KJ Somaiya Institute of Management. 2. Amjed Parvez Khan (Runner-up) – KJ Somaiya Institute of Management. 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
SHIVANI
PRASHITA
ANMOL
WRITERS
DESIGN
SANCHITA
AJITH
ATHARVA
AAYUSH
ARKO
SURATH
SUMIRAN
NANDANI
SNEHA
SAMBHAV
JASH
KRITI
CONTENTS KICKSTART A social commerce marketplace based out of the United States which became successful in its endeavor by tapping the growth in second hand clothing market and its unique brand positioning.
MARKETING FAUX PAS Is the brand which was established as “The people’s car” during the Nazi party's rule, not inclusive anymore ? How Volkswagen ad campaign faced backlash for its racist undertones
COVER STORY Are brands using "Bad publicity is still publicity" as one of their marketing techniques to stay in the public eye ? Read more...
HALLMARK CAMPAIGN One Step forward: IKEA takes an eco-friendly step by asking customers to reach their newly opened store in the most environmentally sustainable way.
BRAND MARKIVE How Puma 'changed its game' by targeting passionate athletes over professional athletes and gained wider audience attraction
MORE THAN MARKETING TOMS’ yet another brilliant strategy that takes it one step ahead in Corporate Social Responsibility.
PIONEER ‘Think big, but start small’: A mantra followed by the Beauty brand owner Falguni Nayar & her journey to make this brand what it is today.
IT’S ALL ABOUT AD-ITUDE Bingo’s creative & innovative ad telling its customers about its new packaging was an instant hit.
AD-TALES While two-wheeler ads were busy trying to be edgy & macho, Bajaj struck a chord with something so basic & easy- Indianness.
MARK-5 A lookback at some of the most iconic ways in which brands tapped on guerilla marketing.
SPECIAL STORY As more mothers enter the workforce, family dynamics are now changing. Pampers gets creative here with its #Ittakes2 campaign.
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Poshmark:
Re-Shaping the Shopping Experience - ARKO GHOSH
Kickstart |
February Edition
In a competitive market where the dynamics change every minute, being a mediator could help one get the best of both worlds. One does not always have to be in the thick of it, instead they could just create a platform empowering others to reap benefits off their creation. Poshmark is a social commerce marketplace based out of the United States where people can buy and sell used as well as new clothes, shoes and accessories. They have their headquarters in California and are growing astronomically with the surge of people trying to get the best out of the market. The founder of Poshmark is Manish Chandra who established the company in 2011 with the idea of changing the whole dynamic of shopping as well as the perception of people involved in the process. He thrived to create a community based service where everyone would work cohesively, helping themselves as well as others. He was also the founder of the first social shopping company, Kaboodle in the year 2007 which was eventually acquired by Hearst Corporation. This whole platform has enhanced the love people have for fashion and has helped them find more people who share similar interests.
The reason why Poshmark has been so successful in this endeavour is because of the ease at which people are able to operate this website. Irrespective of whether you are the seller or the buyer, the setup is such that it allows everyone a chance to reap the benefits and eventually serves the purpose of the platform. A seller just needs to click a picture on their phone, add a description for the item being sold, put a price to the item and upload it on the website. From the buyer point of view, it is similar to any other shopping app where you just type the item you need and the array of options are there at your disposal. With over 60 million people using the website and more than 100 million items, there is hardly a scenario where people do not find what they need.
2 Various credible reports state how the second-hand clothing market is expected to grow massively in the next 5 years and reach a value of $51 billion as people continue to embrace resale with a motive of profit as well as sustainability. Poshmark leads the way for the same by reaching new landmarks with every passing day. By selling items worth almost $2 billion, the vision that Manish Chandra had seen while establishing this dynasty is surely on the path to greatness.
February Edition
The growth of Poshmark can be seen through the financial numbers that act as a testament to their success. In November 2017, they had raised $87.5 million and had a valuation of $600 million in venture-backed funding led by Temasek. With other venture capitalists backing the company, it reached a staggering $160 million. The company recently stated earning $1 billion through its website and while there are rumours that there are a select few who are successful, reports show almost 4 million users of the app and website. They decided to go public on 14th January website this year with a valuation of over $3 billion listed on the NASDAQ stock market.
Kickstart |
This is not all that the website offers. There are also various "posh parties" that take place which essentially are virtual selling and buying events that happen through the course of the year. A wide variety of themes and brands ensure that there is something for everyone. In terms of packaging, the company sends the prepaid and pre-addressed label to the person who has made the sale. Once the person has put the item in the box, the order can be picked up from the home for free, making the shipping process more convenient than ever. The app ensures safety through the Posh protect feature which does not allow any hiccups in the whole buying and selling process and there is a customer service feature readily available as and when required.
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‘Horrified’ and ‘Ashamed’: Volkswagen
Marketing Faux Pas | February Edition
- JASH SHAH Automotive giant Volkswagen was forced to pull a social media ad campaign after critics slammed it as racist. The 10-second commercial, uploaded on Instagram, featured a large white hand shoving a black man away from a yellow Volkswagen Golf parked on the street and then flicking him inside a French cafe. A tagline reading “Der neue Golf” — meaning “The new Golf” — faded from the screen in a way that appeared to spell the N-word in German, sparking intense online backlash, according to the UK Telegraph. A closer look also disclosed that the cafe’s name, Petit Colon, means “Little Colonist” in French. The company said that it pulled the ad because it can understand the outrage and anger. ”Without question: the video is inappropriate and tasteless,” Volkswagen said in a statement.
We take a look at how something like this could occur, and what could be the ramifications. "The organization — which was established as “The people’s car” during the Nazi party's rule — said it presently looks to "position itself against all types of prejudice, xenophobia, and discrimination. Volkswagen reps from the very beginning attempted to guard the advertisement, saying the clip was misinterpreted. "As you can envision, we are astounded and stunned that our Instagram story could be so misjudged," the firm said on Instagram. Be that as it may, pundits immediately lashed back against the incident and called it out. "Nobody here misunderstood the impression," one spectator said. "This is terrible and bad communication."
4 These negative features had marred the brand image. The company had dragged its feet rather than taking the baton and running with it – and this had been a major factor in stunting recovery. Volkswagen’ reputational damage started with failing to communicate how the company was fixing the damage with the structural and cultural changes necessary. Hence it is clear that Volkswagen’s ability to effectively communicate started with a lack of leadership that continues to this day.
February Edition
The organization claimed that under European law the same practices were permissible. So it refused compensatory packages on the continent, despite extensive recalls. Their conduct could have been technically legal, but the inconsistency left a sense of public injustice, a bitter and preventable aftertaste from the outrage. This impacted the company’s global image and proved to be detrimental and undermined the effectiveness of the initial good-will gesture.
Marketing Faux Pas |
This is not the first time that Volkswagen has been under the scanner for its goof-up. A lot can be learned from a review of the Volkswagen emissions scandal. Regardless of not being blamed for wellbeing misbehaviour, the organization was asserted to have deliberately disregarded the Clean Air Act by the EPA, following exploration led by West Virginia University in mid-2014. As the story broke, the organization's underlying explanation was pretty much powerless, which just included a conventional assertion that basically recognized the claims. Such blunders intensified the sense that the Volkswagen's authority had neglected to understand the issues, a feeling that sabotaged consumers, investors, and public trust in the brand.
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Controversy in Marketing: How far is Too far
- AJITH MENON
Cover Story |
February Edition
As a marketer, where do we draw the line to keep our consumers satisfied? We as marketers try to get to the consumers in every way possible and at times either the public or the marketers cross the thin lines of sensitivity in the world of advertising and creativity. Some words have a very subjective meaning, which is why the creators often find themselves on the bad side of it, at times quite unintentionally and unconsciously. On another note let us start from the basics. How much money do we need to be satisfied? How much fame is enough? We are all chasing something or the other but is there a question of going too far? Never thought of it have we? Or is it something we ought to forget? It's always a choice, a choice that a marketer makes to leave a lasting impression on the society. We endure many ideas, and in those, there are a few Ideologies that we truly believe in. There is something with those perspectives. Once we see that, there is no turning back.
There was an unintended controversy related to Myntra that became out of the logo that was clearly harmless. But as far as Myntra is concerned the change in logo created much more customer traffic to the Myntra website. This created an attention towards the brand. For the brand, this got the attention of consumers and it ended up putting it in the limelight.. What is the one secret to success?
The age old success formula, tried and tested by many foreign powers, plays over the narrative of skin tone. However, with growing consciousness against racism, it often backfires. Fair and lovely learnt it the hard way when they pushed their perspective of linking fairness with success a bit too far.
6 By the way, why does the girl at the back looks like she's standing at the back of a queue in front of an ATM during 2016?
While the analogy had been drawn in light humor, a questionable topic as sensitive as this one would not go without facing any protests.
Political issues are something that should be better left alone. The already revolving controversies adds up to the fire that is the ad.
In 2002, Cadbury launched an ad that compared “the temptations” one had for Cadbury to the long fight over Jammu and Kashmir’s territorial rights.
Cover Story |
Throughout the ad, a double whammy of sexism and fair-skin bias is present. A financially unstable, retired father laments that he doesn’t have a son to support him. His dark-skinned daughter decides she’ll “be a son” and uses a Fair & Lovely and clears the interview for a job as flight attendant.
February Edition
The company’s punchline “Too Good To Share” was widely opposed and Indians felt hurt for portraying such a grim matter so lightly. Later, Cadbury issued an apology for the same stating that they had done it in nothing but “good faith”.
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Cover Story |
February Edition
When an idea meets the public eye, they instantly absorb it and compare it with their own perspective. And if it contradicts the idea, or if it strikes a wrong emotional chord, people get agitated and outraged. The media is bound to take up such matters into their own hands as they tend to feed on such scandals and controversies.
They took a beautiful concept, love, and showed the audience the depth of such an emotion that crosses all boundaries of human psyche. It is one of the most beautiful thing that a human experience in the lifetime. This ad created waves across all the social platforms in turn benefiting the company
This shows that the majority of conscious consumer search for rational, and supports messages that are meant to shared. There are somethings that have to be said and said out loud in the society and marketers have the best opportunity to tackle such issues. In India religion and faith is something that is not meant to be played with. It is high time that brands talk about the separation of humans on the basis of their religion but this one time TANISHQ went a bit too far in the eyes of Hindu extremists. Their ad was removed soon after the controversy broke out.
the the the be
At times it not about getting to more audience for increasing the sales. It's about ethics and brands having greater influence than ever have to be socially responsible. With FIFA world cup approaching brands already started their way of contributing to the event especially when it came to the human rights and other norms that are said to be violated to build the infrastructure to host such an event.
8 The core values play an important role in shaping the communication and even more when it comes to topics of controversy. Nike is a brand that has always fought for what is right. The brand is highly involved with the people and this connection helps them to explore fragile grounds of social injustice.
Marketing communication is a very sophisticated process with many variables involved and every marketer needs to know where and when to stop.
For brands like Myntra, this got the attention of the consumers. There was an inclination in the stock price after the logo was changed.
- The new Myntra logo
February Edition
Putting forth a revolutionary strategy and surviving the scrutiny is meant for strong brands which can afford to do it. Controversial marketing is one of the best ways to get a nationwide attention and the outcome depends on whether or not the advertisement stays within the limits.
Cover Story |
The upcoming world cup, which is meant to be held in Qatar, a place where being gay is an offence, uses immigrant workers with little or no consideration for their physical and mental wellbeing and the list goes on. When brands started their out cry in such a sensitive issue, the authorities were forced to analyze the situation and as japan mentioned in their official statement “Investigated appropriately”.
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A Movement about Movement: Steps by IKEA
Hallmark Campaign | February Edition
- SAMBHAV MEHTA The movement about environment protection is growing at a very rapid speed with each passing day. Multinational corporates are also joining this movement by introducing eco-friendliness in their advertising campaigns. Joining this campaign IKEA, a Swedish multinational conglomerate that designs and sells ready-toassemble furniture and home accessories, launched its campaign titles IKEA Steps to promote its environmentally sustainable store in Greenwich. IKEA in this campaign asked its customers to reach their newly opened store in the most environmentally sustainable way i.e., by foot. Under the campaign, 80 outdoor sites spread across South East London played the role of indication markers directing customers to the store.
Adding to this, the posters also displayed public transport routes to aid people who did not want to travel the complete distance on foot. Furthermore, the display signs also showed the number of steps which a customer must walk from that location to the IKEA store. IKEA also introduced a video promo for this campaign which was made by Mother London. This digital advertisement showcased a timelapse encompassing a journey of 3590 steps to the IKEA Store in Greenwich. The company also provided a £20 concession on the £35 delivery fee for every customer who lived 40 minutes away from the store. This campaign not only advertised the new store, but it also spread a message of being sustainable.
10 The Store manager also announced a benefit of cheaper home delivery service for 10 weeks to people who
The reason why this campaign was successful was because of its timing. This campaign was strategically launched during the rise of green consumerism, which was one of 2019’s key consumer trends. The message in the campaign was quite clear as it stated that the store is situated precisely where it is to make accessible on foot and driving will not be necessary. IKEA is paving the way for large companies, proving they can – and do – act responsibly. By this IKEA created an experience and not only a product. All in all, IKEA nailed two birds with a single stone by spreading the message of being environmentally sustainable and advertising its own new store.
February Edition
The Store Manager at IKEA Greenwich said that “The store has been built with the local community in mind. We know that choice, convenience, value and speed are key, and most people like to go shopping without the hassle of having to get everything back home. Instead of bringing their cars, we’re encouraging our customers to simply bring their keys, phone and wallet and we’ll sort out the rest.”
were arriving to the store on foot or by public transport.
Hallmark Campaign |
This store of IKEA in Greenwich is the most sustainable IKEA store and was made by working closely with The Royal Borough of Greenwich. The directional signage on every poster is unique as the poster lists the exact number of footsteps someone needs to reach the Greenwich store.
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Puma:
Change the Game! - ATHARVA SINDEKAR
Brand Markive | February Edition
Headquartered In Bavaria, Germany, Puma has been designing and manufacturing athletic and casual footwear, apparel, and accessories since 1924. Puma, formed by Rudolf Dassler is the third largest sports manufacturer in the world. After splitting with his brother Adolf Dassler in 1948, Rudolf’s Puma had its fair share of failures when it tried to compete against a mammoth brand like Nike. While Germans are known for their top notch quality, it was Nike who had an upper hand. When Nike’s first TV commercial came out in 1982, it made sure it focused on aspects like perfection, excellence, winning. The ‘just do it’ attitude was communicated via Olympic athletes. Over the coming years, Nike was able to pull strings of audience’s hearts and made them believe that winning is the goal. It also roped in Olympic medal- winning athletes for commercials and exploited all the superlative adjectives – fastest, strongest, best!
On similar notes, Puma too was dedicated to make its mark in market by showing athletic excellence through their commercials. Initially they did not experiment with its communicating style. It just followed Nike’s mantra – “Excellence or nothing.” and “Find Your Greatness”.
12 The ads show people playing pool in a bar and bowling at night, with one strapline saying: "It’s a lot more fun to take a 5am cab than a 5am run", and another: "Give 75 per cent". This creative idea influenced the entire business model, it created a new category for Puma to own and thus the financial costs would have been huge as it included new product, branding, websites, stores, events & worldwide PR. But it would recover in longer run. Apart from engaging a whole new market reflected in 1,000,000 new Facebook followers, 1,000 user generated videos uploaded – Sales also rose 30% in certain regions.
February Edition
Consequently, Puma came up with After Hours Athlete Campaign, a campaign to cater to athletes that are alive and not chasing excellence like an animal.
The goal was to attract wider audience, and non-athletes that were in sports scene some or the other way i.e. the people that were not just active athletically, but also socially.
Brand Markive |
It managed to use the Nike’s approach to appeal its audience by getting Boris Becker, the world number 1 who had 49 single titles and 15 double titles, but somehow Puma lacked the relevance in culture and attitude in brand to carry itself from football fields to the streets. They had to revamp their image. That is when Droga5, the New York based advertising based company pointed out that sports is played to win and it is missing the the fun element.
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Falguni Nayar:
The Beauty Entrepreneur - SUMIRAN NARAYAN The “Beauty”ful success story of Falguni Nayar, founder of the multibrand beauty retailer Nykaa started with an ideology of “Think big but start small.” Her journey is a testament to the fact that with the right training, education and support, women can conquer anything they want. Nykaa had a very humble beginning but with her efforts in the right direction, it is a 200 Crores empire now.
Pioneer |
February Edition
Falguni Nayar, an IIM A Alumnus, was a former Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra capital company. She gave up her job to pursue her dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
Her choice of leaving her job behind and entering the world of entrepreneurship was driven by two factors - Her love for makeup, and her curiosity to explore the online marketing platform which she recognized to have a lot of potential. She hails from a Gujarati family and her father was a businessman. She says that she got inclined towards business because of her father. From a very young age, she had heard talks on stock market and trade, those being common topics of discussion in her house. Basically, she was born to be an entrepreneur.
14 Falguni stresses on the need for women to come out of their shells and be confident about handling both professional and personal lives with equal panache. She says that if a woman with strong determination and will power aims to do something, she will definitely achieve it. She has not only created employment opportunities for women but also worked towards women empowerment. With her achievements and personality, Nayar is an inspiration to a lot of women in the world. She has received Most Powerful Women in Indian Business 2011, Most Powerful Women in 2018, BW Disrupt Women Entrepreneur Awards 2019 and various other prestigious awards. Nykaa, at present has more than 850 curated brands and more than 50,000 products. It is certain that with Falguni’s golden touch the brand will surely see a lot more success in the upcoming years.
February Edition
Nykaa was founded in 2012 and the idea came to her when she started feeling empowered at being guided through the right way of using beauty products and being told which are the right products to be used. She got this experience at multi-brand beauty stores like Sephora, and Falguni. Despite not being a regular consumer of beauty products, she felt attracted to buy those products worth hundreds of dollars owing to the right guidance. She felt the need to replicate this in India. She also wanted the women of India to feel empowered.
She wanted a multi-brand retailer selling the best beauty products, plus a lot of education which the executives would provide to help customers in India. She wanted to stand for those women who want to be beautiful for themselves, not for men or other women. “Indian women were ready for that and that's why they latched onto Nykaa. It was a type of empowerment.”Falguni Nayar
Pioneer |
It was in the year 2012 that she decided to take the huge leap of faith, by quitting her job at the age of 50 and embarking on an entrepreneurial journey. She was quick to discern that beauty was an untapped market in India and was on the way to experiencing a massive boom. As for her interest in business, she drew strength from entrepreneurial giants like Ronnie Screwvala of UTV and Ajay Bijli of PVR Cinemas. Their confidence and readiness to take risks in life inspired her a lot.
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TOMS:
Buy One Give One - AAYUSH SHETTY
More Than Marketing |
February Edition
The first thing that pops up in your mind when you read or hear about TOMS is certainly their intent and commitment towards their ever so dedicated mission, which brilliantly incorporates the essence of corporate social responsibility. Established in 2006, TOMS ensured that they would donate a matching pair of new shoes to an underprivileged child for every pair of shoes bought. The inspiration for this stemmed from a trip that Blake Mycoskie, the founder, took to Argentina to see extreme poverty and deplorable living conditions. A visual that was stuck in his head was that of children walking without shoes, which inspired him to come up with the concept of TOMS shoes. Today they have their presence in more than 50 countries wherein they’re working with organisations that work towards uplifting such sections of society.
In their first year, they sold over 10,000 shoes under their 'One for One' campaign, for starters. The campaign instantly connected with the customers as purchasing a pair of TOMS shoes could enable them to satisfy their wants and provide underprivileged children with footwear. TOMS also undertook several other campaigns. One of them was the 'One Day Without Shoes' campaign, which proved to be exceptionally successful as 27000+ children received shoes due in the initial years itself. The campaign encouraged people to walk the streets barefoot for a day to raise awareness about children's health and education. It places greater emphasis on sustainability in the business model by ensuring society's betterment and growth of the business.
February Edition
16 The second was a limited edition collection of eyewear on sale. The company donated $10 per unit sold to help raise funds for providing clean water to households in Orissa, India.
Blake Mycoskie also undertook several other marketing tricks to garner support towards their business models, such as the shower strike, creative social media campaigns, and a considerable amount of air time by placing effective commercials that helped propagate the message. Many other brands have also accepted and implemented the sustainable way of business developed by TOMS.
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The company further expanded its One For One' campaign by launching three more such products that would benefit society in three different ways. The first by providing services in the form of a proper full eye checkup by medical professionals to people in need, in return for TOMS eyewear purchase. They were even provided treatment based on the diagnosis.
The third product under the campaign was bags as on each TOMS bag purchased; the company would help by providing safe birth facilities for a mother-child duo in need.
More Than Marketing
TOMS' endeavors are centered around ecological and social effects of each part of their activities — from the materials that the shoes are made out of to the cases they are dispatched in. TOMS Shoes incorporate regular hemp, natural cotton, and reused polyester, while boxes are produced using 80% reused post-customer waste materials and printed with soy ink.
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Bingo Mad Angles: OOH Ad
It’s All About Ad-itude |
February Edition
- SNEHA PATEL Billboards have always been one of the creative ways of advertising a product. Companies have gone creative with billboards by using catchy phrases and compelling graphics to catch customers attention and invoke a sense of interest. Companies are trying to make the creatives more engaging by incorporating technology and bringing in a life like element in them. Last month, ITC Ltd created headlines with their innovative billboard for Bingo MAD Angles. The billboard, which went viral on social media, was ITC’s creative way of unveiling the new packaging of the chips. The animated billboard had the old packaging on one side and the new packaging on the other side. The highlight was one triangular chip coming out of the old packaging and moving into the new one.
The billboards used an innovative technique called ‘motorized cut out’, which enabled the chip to be guided from one pack to another by a motor behind the billboard. This innovative way of telling the customers that the packaging has changed was an instant hit. Even though the design of the packaging had changed, ITC assured the consumers that the flavor and the shape of the chip is still intact.
The brand also came up with a short ad to announce its new packaging featuring Ranveer Singh.
In this world of digital advertisements, Bingo’s OOH ad standing out is an extraordinary feat. This just proves that more than the form, it is the content and the creativity which makes an ad popular.
February Edition
18 The billboards were put up on the crossings of major cities like Gurgaon, Delhi, Guwahati, Vizag, and Kolkata, The advertisement was conceptualized by Ogilvy Bangalore and the execution of the campaign was done by Kinetic India.
Bingo has always been known for its unusual and out-of-the-box communication. The recent OOH ad just reiterated this point. The new billboard managed to create buzz and hype around the product. The message of the marketers was successfully delivered to the consumers. The company wanted to communicate to the consumers that only the packaging has changed and the flavor of the food item is still the same, and they did manage to that.
It’s All about Ad-itude |
People were sharing videos of the billboard on social media, leading to further promotion of the product. The hoarding was trending on all leading social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Popular marketing pages covered this OOH advertisement with absolute interest. People captured the billboard in motion and shot videos of it and shared them on social media.
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Hamara Bajaj:
The Heartbeat on a Ride -NANDANI KABRA
Ad-Tales|
February Edition
If I were to start this article, with a simple Hindi line ‘Buland Bharat ki Buland Tasveer’, the immediate response of the reader would be ‘Hamara Bajaj, Hamara Bajaj’, in the same melodious tone, it first made an appearance on our television screens in 1989. When all two-wheeler ads were trying to be edgy, macho, to impress other people, talking about speed, mileage, efficiency and reflecting a certain sense of style, Bajaj struck a chord with something that almost no one could ever associate with scooters- their Indianness. The ad managed to stand apart because Bajaj Scooters’ Chetak model was a regular part of people’s lives in India and this observation went unaccounted for years.
The ad film helped people notice how pertinent it was in their lives. In a mere 30 seconds time frame, the ad managed to be remarkably inclusive by showing different kinds of people in the most normal way possible. This portrayal of different sets of people using Bajaj scooter, helped audience in identifying themselves with at least one of them where they are busy cleaning their scooters, jogging, haggling for fish, or something as transient as adjusting one's ‘look’ in the rear view mirror. The ad also showed a woman riding the scooter which was a big deal in the past. It might occur to a few viewers that the brand was attempting to shed light on traditional to model perspective, in less than a minute.
20 motorcycles that are accepted not only in India but almost 70 countries across the world. In early 2000s, the tagline ‘Hamara Bajaj’ was brought back for strategic reasons under the leadership of current MD Rajiv Bajaj. But this time, Bajaj failed to do its magic. The two-wheeler market was dominated by motorcycles and the winners of the battlefield were Hero Honda and Suzuki.
The phrase ‘Hamara Bajaj’ became synonymous to the brand and it continued to build upon its name and offer more trusted and reliable mobility solutions. The company heavily invested in technology and innovation to produce well designed
February Edition
The ad campaign helped the brand become the talk of the town and there was once a time its popularity peaked to a point, where the scooters had a waiting list of almost 10 years. In addition to this, it also gave birth, to a new identity ‘The World’s Favourite Indian’. The new brand identity was communicated through OOH, print and digital media.
Ad-Tales|
Alyque Padamsee, the brains behind Bajaj’s successful campaign, helped the brand contemporize in the theme of 80s and it fared very well for them.
Nevertheless. ‘Hamara Bajaj’ will continue to rules hearts in India. The jingle will always usher the nostalgia and remind people how Indian brands were creating magic with their storytelling.
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Guerrilla Marketing: The Surprise Factor
-KRITI AGRAWAL The term "Guerrilla Marketing" was popularized in 1984 by Jay Conrad Levinson, and since then, more and more brands are using this costeffective strategy to create a buzz around their products. It is a great alternative to classic traditional marketing. It thrives on original thinking and creativity, where imagination and ingenuity beat out big budgets. Let's look at some of the most famous campaigns that were successful in creating a buzz around their products.
These outdoor installations for Hair & Care Fruit Oils, sensed when trains would arrive at the station and showed the brand ambassador Shraddha Kapoor’s hair blowing as if windswept by the moving train. Axe Deodrant: Exit Man Sign
Mark-5 |
February Edition
Hair and Care's #KhuleBaalBefikar Campaign
Marico recently came up with an outstanding campaign idea to highlight Hair and Care's USP, 'light and free open hair.' Big digital screens with wind sensor technology were installed at high traction sites at various Metro stations in Mumbai and bus shelters in Jaipur.
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This is a perfect example of what you can do with an innovative mind and the right strategy! Axe Body Deodorants used custom stickers and attached them to the classic “emergency exit” signs. The stickers created a story about women chasing a man on exit signs. And all of this time, we thought he was escaping from a fire! What a quirky way to grab customer’s attention, isn’t it? McDonald’s: Fries Campaign
Our favourite fast-food chain, McDonald’s, came up with a brilliant strategy to advertise fries. McDonald’s used ten light beams in this campaign, showcasing the giant fries reaching up to the sky.
22 Coca Cola: ‘New Grip’ Bus Stop Advertising
Another take on this was when McDonald's, in the busy streets of Switzerland, turned the crosswalks in front of its restaurants into a portion of French fries. Spotify’s Cosmic Playlists
Coca-Cola took the guerrilla concept to a whole new level. To generate a buzz around its newly introduced "grip bottle" packaging, the company unveiled giant posters made of Velcro in bus stations throughout Paris. Through this brilliant campaign, Coca Cola managed to send its message out loud and clear- ‘If you didn't notice this ad right off the bat, it might just grab you…quite literally!'
This was an instant hit as the playlists were picked up extensively by the media. This proved to be a classic example of advertising with ‘Minimum outlay, Maximum reach.’
Mark-5 |
February Edition
In January 2019, Spotify introduced playlists based on horoscopes. It teamed up with astrologer Chani Nicholas to create the Cosmic Playlists for U.S. listeners. The playlists were determined by Nicholas' astrological readings to represent each sign's theme at that moment.
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Pampers: #Ittakestwo - SURATH BANERJEE
Special Story | February Edition
With more women entering the workforce, there has been a significant change in the family dynamics and structure. This is well reflected in modern TV Shows, ads and movies. Indian families are no longer limited to a housewife, 2 kids and the man carrying a suitcase to work, returning home and waiting for the meal to be served by the wife pictured in the kitchen. The modern Indian family and the challenges faced by Indian working mothers Indian families have undergone fundamental change. The modern Indian family is represented by career driven individuals who are busy and always on the go. With this shift, there has also brought change in a very fundamental aspect of family –”parenting”. With busy schedules and deadlines to meet, devoting time to the child is becoming tougher with each passing day.
But keeping into context, the previous family structure of women as the housewife, perceptions haven’t changed much. People, to an extent still regard that household chores are by default a woman’s responsibility. This perception transcends its way into parenting as well. According to a survey by Nielsen, 84 % of men think that taking care of a child is primarily a mother’s job. This perception has brought difficulties for working women as they are expected to perform both their duties as a mother and an employee well. According to the article from theindusparent.com, “you(the women) are looked down upon if you if you leave early and take more work from homes, which is why many mothers are not given key roles and projects in Indian companies.
24 #Ittakes2.. A father’s promise by Pampers India Pampers India steps in with its initiative #Ittakes2. The campaign primarily focuses on the role of a father in a family. The key campaign advertisement starts with a scene depicting a woman undergoing labour pains while her husband is driving her to the hospital. The woman successfully delivers a girl child. The ad goes ahead with the man talking about the severity of labour pains that a woman faces and compares it his own efforts. He goes ahead to realize that stepping in as a father is vital for the child.
The campaign is named “A father’s promise” To take part in the initiative customers can visit https://www.diaperstore.co.in/ItTa kes2 and take a pledge which says – “My little baby, you’ve added a whole dimension to my life ever since you were born. Fatherhood with you is such an adventure. Each day, I learn new things about you and myself, and I never knew I had so much love to give until you came into our lives. I’m delighted that Pampers has offered me this platform to pledge my growing love for you as your father. I trust Pampers for you because it keeps you soft and comfy as the little rose bud that you are. I am here for everything be it feeding, sleeping, playing or diapering. Equally as a parent. Because #ItTakes2.” Pampers’ initiative comes at a vital time when these issues are being discussed widely. Indian societies are striding forward towards gender equality and role sharing. Initiatives from brands like Pampers are the harbingers of change and represent the role of corporates towards a country.
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The articles goes ahead to say that “This could be a reason why a popular survey that included 1000 women working in Delhi and neighboring areas, found that only 18-34% of married women continued working after having a child”.
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And, there are only few select companies which provide flexible working hours or crèche facilities, so many women end up quitting their jobs after having children.”
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Data Driven Marketing: The Role of Analytics - RISHABH HEMANI “I never guess. It is a capital mistake
Featured Article |
February Edition
to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”- Sherlock Holmes in “A Study in Scarlet” (by Arthur Conan Doyle) Sherlock believed in looking at data and facts before cementing his theories. Sounds totally logical! In today’s age we talk about the data being the new “oil” and glorify the power of possessing consumer data. Companies are literally acquiring other companies to get their hands on the consumer data garnered through the years. Real life example, by the way: Oracle buying TikTok.
But does possessing a boat load of data alone make you the supreme authority? No. Sherlock would’ve flipped after seeing the amount of data he could’ve had at his disposal had he been around in 2021. To sift through all the data, correlating different parameters and making sense out of it is a different ball game altogether.
No number of Watsons would suffice to help Sherlock catch the murderer unless these Watsons could connect the dots over the multitude of data. That’s where analytics come to the rescue! Connecting the dots and identifying patterns which are difficult to interpret with naked eye. Marketing analytics is the science which utilizes statistics, machine learning and predictive modelling to identify patterns in marketing related data; providing users an understanding of previously incomprehensible pieces of information. Weather predictions, batting & bowling averages, insurance policies all are produced after performing analytics operations. Marketing Analytics and Business Analytics is all about playing around with quantified data to: •Understand your target group in more detail •Measure the performance of you campaigns •Observe and predict trends •Identify areas where competitors are focussing •Utilize data to decide future course of action Chiefly, analytics help users with the following:
26 Making Comparisons Marketing Data
in
Your
With analytics you can contrast different data sets to differentiate between various parameters: •How did your Google ad campaign fare against your Facebook Ads? •What share of revenue is obtained across different demographic segments? •Was it the paid advertisements which drove higher traffic to your website or was it organic? •Has the new email template made any difference in open rate?
Analytics can tell you which campaigns are helping to achieve which goals. Or, if some of the goals are not achieved, it can help to identify the problem.
Let’s say your boss asks you to switch to a new campaign because the current one didn’t yield significant gains. But from analytics you observed that the click through rate of your campaign was decent but it’s the bounce rate on your company website which is high and its repelling customers. There are many more benefits of analytics including spying on your competitors to discover the secret of their success, spotting buying trends of your customers and more which help in deciding on future courses of action. All in all, procuring data is definitely beneficial but without analytics in today’s world all that data is a rifle without bullets.
February Edition
An objective analysis serves the viewer with bias free information and aids decision making. You are more likely to receive funding if you can present, in numbers, how much sales/conversions your ad campaigns generated vis a vis simply stating that you boosted sales significantly.
Maintaining Efforts Towards Goals Businesses can have different sets of goals at different points of times. Sometimes the objective is only to increase sales and sometimes it is to boost brand awareness, or maybe to generate traffic and so on.
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Backing Your Claims with Figures “The new campaign I ran generated a lot of traffic.” OR “My new campaign increased the traffic by 250%.” Which statement carries more weight? The latter, right. It’s because things become clearer when expressed in terms of figures. It facilitates comparison.
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Consumer Privacy: Challenges of A Digital Age - AMJED PARVEZ KHAN
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February Edition
Marketing has never been as dynamic as it has become in the digital age. Predicated around the magic of data analytics, it has become easier to profile a prospect than build a prospective portfolio. So, let us work the numbers and observe the method behind the madness we call marketing. But if you do the arithmetic, you will see that some companies will sacrifice ethics to suit their aesthetic. According to a report by McKinsey and Co., where they collected responses from 1000 consumers living in North America, the study showed that about half of the consumer respondents said they were more likely to trust a company that asked only for information relevant to its products or that limits the amount of personal information requested.
Another survey was commissioned by location data firm Factual and conducted by the University of Southern California of 1002 smartphone users aged 18 to 65.
28 These studies show that consumer privacy is becoming a significant challenge for data-driven marketers. The various past issues like: Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal, where the company harvested data of up to 87 million Facebook users to give political insights for the 2016 presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.
February Edition
Among all age groups, young people are less concerned. Across four generations, at least 28% of people said they were anxious about data privacy. That should make it easier for any institution to get convinced that this issue matters. Nevertheless, while 28% of Gen Z (born after 1996) said they were very concerned, 47% of Baby Boomers (born 1940-59) said the same. About half of millennials (born 1980-94) and nearly half of Gen-Z respondents said they were neutral, slightly concerned, or not concerned at all.
Consumers are paying attention to privacy. Nearly half of the users said they had adjusted privacy settings on their mobile phones and social websites. 41% had adjusted location sharing.
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The survey depicted concerns of the various age groups, and the conclusions are as follows:
The top concerns are identity theft and password stealing. Data-driven marketing was a common concern for many consumers. Fifty-nine per cent said they were concerned that companies are using their personal information without explaining why or how. Fifty-three per cent said they are worried about location tracking.
29 MySpace data breach, which killed it for good, was one of the biggest data scandals, and it affected close to 360 million accounts. The compromised data, which included usernames, passwords and email addresses, was taken from its old platform.
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February Edition
AADHAAR login breach, where data of 1.1 billion people in India was sold for roughly $7 in exchange for the login credentials. Those login credentials would help the user access anyone’s AADHAAR number, thus providing them with access to the world’s most extensive biometric ID system, including photographs, fingerprints, home addresses, and other personal information.
These data breaches are evident that consumer privacy is facing a threat, and companies need to prevent something like this.
After speaking to a Business Development employee at Urban Company (an Indian gig marketplace of salons and wellness centres), it was discovered that as soon as one downloads the app and provides it access for contacts, all the contacts of the user’s phone get updated in the database of the company. In an interview with Frontline, Robert Frederick, Former Senior Manager, AWS stated that he turned off his Alexa device, while having private conversations which are not meant to be recorded. Amazon received backlash after the narrative came to light and it had to respond by providing customers an opt-out option where they can delete their recordings they do not want in the system. All of this is highly unethical and an invasion of consumer privacy, but these are just some instances that were brought into the public domain. Who knows what all companies are doing?
30 This satisfaction comes at a cost and the consumer has to realize if they are willing to pay for it, the price to pay for that is, companies will get to have a broader detailed perspective about the preferences of their consumer. And they just might even know the person better than they know themselves. It is also essential to draw attention towards moment marketing by asking, “Have you ever wondered when you pass in front of a store, why do you get a recommendation alert at the same time for their products?” It is something to think about.
February Edition
In their latest ad, Apple showed people randomly talking about their personal stuff in public, which is not supposed to be spoken aloud. They depicted through an ad that the iPhone respects consumer’s privacy and maintains it as a secret, thus concluding the ad by showing a message “Privacy. That’s iPhone”.
Here’s something that needs your attention, companies nowadays are more focused on data-driven marketing. This type of marketing is essential in providing the consumer with better insights like product suggestions and thus helping the consumer in getting satisfied with the type of product/service.
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Tech-giants like Apple always had a different toll on consumer privacy. During an FBI investigation where the agency wanted to access an iPhone of a criminal, the company respected their privacy model and never budged from unlocking the phone. Apple always had a different take on consumer privacy compared to other companies.
CALL FOR ARTICLES MARCH 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: ● ● ●
Phygital marketing: Is it here to stay? Brands’ race against time: Keeping up with the fads. How brand advocacy campaigns rock the social media?
Please ensure that there is no plagiarism and all the references are clearly mentioned. Kindly follow the guidelines given below: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
One article can have only one author. Your article should be approximately 700 – 800 (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 March 2021
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