The Economist & why Ogilvy understands them better...

The latest TVC's (via Campaign India) of The Economist made by Ogilvy India is another example of Branded Content. Excellent music, great execution and clear simple message said in the most interesting manner. Ha. This is one agency that gets it right all the time. How?????

Let me see if I can simulate the Strategic Planning effort of the agency and how they are building brand Economist in India. And I can be horribly wrong, might even sound like crap... but what the ...

It is important to know however that somewhere in-between the game plan lies the glue - The the insight, the creative idea, flawless execution, tone of voice, reason to believe ...

Anyways.

The Game Plan (3 yrs plan): The Economist way to enter India

Step 1. Launch The Economist and create awareness - (Print/ press, Outdoor, OOH)

Step 2. Create awareness and generate more subscriptions - (Digital, Activation)

Step 3. Hold back and observe - (Data Analysis, Research Findings, Return on Involvement Measurement)

Step 4. Reach out to a larger audience - (Television, Cinema)

Step 5. Hold back and observe - (Data Analysis, Research & RoIM)

Step 6. Interact with Audience - (Digital, Activation & Events)

Step 7. Dominant Media Vehicle - (Debate Forums, Digital Forums, CRM)

Naah. Can't be so easy.

Anyways but I do believe the issue lies in the tissue.

Gas - Part 2

I've been thinking a lot about Brand Image and Brand Efficacy over the last few days. GaS (Gloss and Sign) was a term that I suddenly came up with and thought why not explore more to see if something could be made out of it. Thanks to Spiritual Manager for igniting more thoughts on GaS.

A simple definition of Brand Image - The perception of your brand by the consumer or in other words the mental or emotional association of a brand in the consumer's mind. Can image also be called Gloss? Brand Efficacy can be defined as the power of a brand to produce a desired effect. Could efficacy be the Sign? Well, I've been thinking in that way.

Since you all know about brand image, efficacy is an interesting area to touch upon. Efficacy is the promise that a brand delivers using a symbol e.g. The Colgate Ring that fights 24 hours or the Anti-bacterial Shield of Dettol. Hmmm... the Anti-Dandruff Scalp of Head & Shoulders or the four stages of fairness for Fair & Lovely. Several P&G brands have been successful using these kind of signs. You may not like the advertisement or shrug off saying poor execution but for years companies have invested in these images and signs which has helped them in getting the desired response/effect/sales.

So, you simply just can't rule GaS out of your brand.

In India, you can find three distinct types of Efficacies most companies use:

Western Route - The above examples of Colgate, Dettol and H&S. Something we see everyday in the LOreal ads on telly; clinically proven; Germinol or enriched with Vitamin B+

Indian Route - Properties or qualities unique to India. Example, enriched with amla, heena or shikhakai. The natural way. Graphics of ingredients flowing into the pack which transforms into the pack shot at the end of a commercial (if you know what I mean). Something that companies like Dabur , Baidyanath, Ayur etc. uses frequently.

Hybrid Route - This is a mix of both world. Western and India. Signs you see in commercials of Biotique and Himalaya etc.

Well, this is work in progress for me. I am thinking if GaS can use some properties of how normal gases perform under pressure and temperature, about how gases expand and contracts, how gases diffuse readily or their spontaneous tendency to distribute uniformly. Properties that any brand would love to possess. So hopefully I'll be able to write few more crappy lines on this as and when it comes in my mind. Can GaS be a way of thinking for certain categories still remains one big question in my head.

Does it make sense to add GaS into your aging brand? Does it sound like wtf-you-ain't-saying-anything-new-here? Whatever. Do send me your comments and feedback about what you think.

Issue of the Week

Do you think "Planned Obsolesce" is great strategic tool for electronics & white good manufacturers to increase consumer demand for increased functionality? Is it a part of their long term game plan to ensure repeat purchase? Is it the main reason why you keep changing your mobile phone every six months or change all your household durables every five years to keep abreasted with the latest technology or replace your laptop every twenty four months? Do you think consumer are getting increasingly clever to understand this 'planned obsolesce' strategy of companies?

Do write back with your feedback and comments. It will only help all of us understand how consumers will deal with future consumer technologies.

My Impressive Idiotic Idea

In one of my previous post, I had mentioned about how Reliance Fresh can benefit by bringing local vegetable vendors into their fold. I was extremely happy today morning, when I saw this news article below in The Economic Times. Call it a give-away idea (ofcourse I deserve the consultancy money, man!) or free consultancy, sometimes my idiotic ideas are not so idiotic. As long as you help those poor vendors grow in life, I promise not to charge you a single penny.

It's for a social cause, so I request you (Reliance Fresh) to keep that in mind apart from your business objectives. Feels good to see Reliance Fresh taking a step forward in the right direction.

Weekly Issue #4 - Marketing Move

What is the reason behind HLL's mega move in merging Rin Bar with Surf Excel? Is Rin losing it's market share? Or it is HLL's own brands are eating into each others market share? Is 'Dirt is good' a bigger philosophy than 'Rin ki chamatkar'? Is HLL trying to consolidate Surf Excel as a Power Brand?Has anyone seen the new Rexona pack? Why is Lux mentioned in it? Will HLL next move be to consolidate Rexona Soap into Lux Soap?

Would love to hear your comments and point of view on the same.

On a bike trail

15:35: Watching Ten Sports, ‘Road to Beijing – Olympics 2008’ the bike event caught eyes. Thumb stop at the CH+ button.

15:37: Blink Blink Blink Blink

15:39: “Goddamn’ that’s it thats @#$#in’ it. Yippy, I’knw what me saying?”

15.40: What if? Brand X makes the first move? For 90 days? In any one relevant TG market. Is there any marked difference? What you saying man? Well well, how do you know that? “They’ve seriously taken to the sports. They’re practicing. Infact they have transformed into small groups. Hang around together. Trying out bike stunts, wheelie, free fall, twist, double twist etc. etc. Believe me boss, I saw it happening over these last three months.” “You got any pics? Footage?” “Yes, boss every bit of it.” Great! Send them over to me. Now!!

15.45: Snnnnnooorrrrrrr….ooorrrrrrrrr…..nnnnooooorrrr

I don’t remember a word once I got out of bed. A hot summer afternoon nap is truly energizing. Anyway. That thirty minute footage gave me some food for thought about a shrinking category. Bi-cycle has lost all its appeal. And you all know to whom they have lost it all.

How to bring back the appeal - an obvious question I asked to myself.
Make it eco-friendly – who cares
Make it a fitness tool – f@#$ cares
Make it a kid’s dream machine – are you kidding me

Cricket, as you all know is sinking. Hockey is limping. Tennis is pimping. Soccer, kabadi, badminton, athlete have turned into dumplings. New is India. New is the Generation. Why not new avatars of an old sport - Cycling???

Image via this.

Cycling clubs, professional training in cycling, build cycling velodromes, create state level, national bikers, sports events and competitions, send talented potential young ones to Asian Games, Olympics. Kartikeyan is the face of Indian Motor Sports; why not make Master Sandeep Srivastav (aged 14 yrs from Hubli) the face of Indian Cycling Sports? Huge opportunity for BSA and Hero Cycles, isn’t it? Somewhere you need to take that responsibility.

If you are stuck with your brand in a shrinking category like this and do want to create a real success story for your brand, contact me ;-)

Character - Weak or Strong?

Well, I just completed reading this book. Carol S Pearson is a renowned author and Director of the James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership and a Professor of Leadership Studies in the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland College Parkanother.

Her previous work "Awakening the Heroes Within," was also an interesting read. She spoke in great details about the classical archetypes of human behaviour and how brands seems to follow a similar trait.

The use of archetypes as a part of brand strategy is nothing new. A truly effective tool. At least in our country where the rate of Idol worship is high, Brand archetype actually allows us to create strong brand characters. Since advertising is the new form of entertainment, in-depth characterisation and storytelling becomes important.

Creators of great brands have intuited this simple truth. Madonna has always been the outrageous rebel. Jack Nicholson has always been the bad boy outlaw, while Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks is always perceived as the wide eyed innocent. All successful brands have a strong character. The archetype like those in classic mythology drives the brand’s behaviour, character, tone etc in the marketplace.

There are twelve archetypes at work with possible brands that fits the bill:

• The Caregiver - Johnson & Johnson, Saffola
  
• The Lover - Victoria's Secret, Moods
  
• The Creator - Apple, Fabmall
  
• The Hero - Nike, Nokia
  
• The Outlaw - Thumbs Up, Kingfisher
  
• The Magician - Disney, Yash Raj Films
  
• The Ruler - Microsoft, ITC Cigarettes
  
• The Jester - 7Up, Mentos
  
• The Explorer - Royal Enfield, Cafe Coffee Day
  
• The Casual Guy - Proline, Timex
  
• The Innocent - Bata, Dove
  
• The Sage - P&G, The Hindu
  

Santosh Desai in a recent article mentioned how characters in our advertising and communication have become so predictable and cliched. We had our own share of memorable, distinct and easily recognizable brand characters in Lalitaji, Lola Kutty, Sunil Babu's neighbour, Gattu, Amul Girl just to name a few. But those were good old days.

This book provides interesting insights about how important it is to understand the archetype of your brand. Probably understanding and using a brand archetype can give us a headstart in the story telling process.

So what's your archetype?

Tigers in tension

The Indian sub-continent is very hot at the moment. Everyone is sweating over the Cricket World Cup. The minnows are the new majors. Bangladesh is the new Tiger. Pakistan is knocked out, Bob Woolmer is dead, Inzy has declared his retirement. Sri Lankans are beating opponents miserably. And back at home, Dhoni’s new house under construction is now rubble. Effigies of Viru are being burnt and Dravid have been asked to keep his gob shut.

Emotions are high to be very honest. We Indians love our cricket. No wonder cricket stars are often the highest paid brand endorsers for the love and patronage they get from the Indian fans. What happens if India fails to win? No, am not bothered about the game or the shattered Indian pride. Am more concerned about the brands and the millions being paid to our cricketing stars.

Withdrawing all ads featuring our failed stars on air and print is an easy solution. What about the brand association that has already been created in the minds of our consumers? How will brands react to that?

• Will people like to wear ‘Mayur Shewang Suitings’ anymore?
• Will people buy a Skyline Apartment that Dravid says matches his lifestyle? Or believe what Dravid has to say on behalf of the Bank of Baroda?
• Will people still associate Yuvraj as the Hero of all two wheeled Hondas?
• Will kids agree that Boost is the secret of Sachin’s energy?
• Will people now start looking at sports beyond cricket?

Well, let’s hope for the best. Let not another minnow take the pants off our Indian team and send them back in bermudas. If it happens, India for sure will lose its reputation as a cricket crazy nation. And brands will have to re-think about their advertising and celeb endorsement strategies.

Boys in Blue, now bite your own words ‘Ladega to jetega.’ Good luck.

Blaiq on Elongating Tail of Brand Comm.

Our very own IQ has done a wonderful piece of work by extending The Long Tail Theory of Chris Anderson into brand communication and Brand Building.

It's worth spending some time reading and understanding his point of view. A refreshing new way to look at brand building. A great effort by Blaiq.

Cheers Mate.

Entertainmnent@home

So, I went for dinner at Bulu’s place. Bulu is one of those creative guys who don’t blog. He gives a simple explanation for not blogging, “I don’t have enough time to think, write and fill my web dairy.” Well buddy, do you read any blog? “Yes, reading is my source of inspiration.” Fair enough. Then we started discussing boring stuff like work, latest scandal in his agency etc, when suddenly Bulu’s four year old daughter Sonia came running inside “Papa I want to watch Finding Nemo.”

Bulu picked up his phone called someone and order the DVD, turned back at young Sonia and said, “It’ll be there tomorrow morning, you can watch it once you’re back from school.”

Bulu used an offline method to hire a DVD from an Online DVD Rental company. The concept of Online DVD rental is not a new concept. A new category in India though, which is gaining popularity. Netflix, Blockbuster, Lovefilm, Quickflix are some of the popular Online DVD Rental brands in US/UK/Australia. In India, VC’s and Angel Investors found Online DVD Rental a lucrative business to bank upon. Madhouse, SeventyMM, Catchflix, Cinesprite, Moviemart are few such companies to open shop in India. They follow the same business model - Get online, fill registration form and pay a fee, decide a plan and select your movie. Most of them are regional players and unlike the west they don’t use postal service for logistics. However the good point is that you can call, send SMS or queue your list in the website for the DVD's to be delivered.

Common brand proposition – India’s first online DVD rental company + No Late Fee + Free home delivery + largest collection

If you put together all of them, their customer base adds up to a million approximately. Given that India’s favorite pastime is watching television and cinema, the number seems insignificant.

I found few basic challenges that these companies need to overcome soon. A quick look at the movie list and you’ll find the same old movies enlisted on every website. No major differentiation in offering. Movie channels air the same movies and even show new releases then why do I subscribe you? To watch movies at my own convenient time. Not a strong enough reason. As a customer if I want to watch a French or a Japanese movie, what do I do?

Logistics is a big issue. They are unable to deliver on time therefore cannot reach smaller towns. Ultimately end up making big promises and a growing list of unsatisfied customers. Another issue is the penetration of Broadband on optical cable backbone with set-top-box. As they gain momentum, services like video on demand, pay per view will pose a severe threat.

No proper customer segmentation based on age, individual viewing or family viewing, what genres of movie does a person like, customer recommendation etc. Atleast this would have given them a fair amount of knowledge and insight about their own customers.

Lastly, internet penetration in India is low. Therefore as a company you limit yourself to a set of niche audience from the very beginning. And honestly this internet savvy audience is in no mood to watch ‘Mard’ or ‘Dil Main Dard’ ordering from the net.

So what do Online DVD Rental companies do to secure a bigger pie of the Indian market? Here’s my take on how these companies should do marketing:

We are infested with tens of thousands of neighborhood CD Shops serving us pirated VCD/DVD’s. A great opportunity lies in bringing them under your fold. How? A more effective online-offline business model.

• Create a franchisee business model. These stand alone neighborhood shops will be more than willing to be a part of brand and instantly give you a multi city presence (Also save you the cost of setting up several warehouses)
• Create brand retail outlets. Ask them to junk all pirated VCD/DVD’s and you provide them with original copyright legal versions. (Use PR effectively and ensure that people are aware you care hence serve the best)
• Create a call center and your brand shop is the delivery point (aka a Pizza Corner)
  

Once you put in place these basic infrastructures, you’re ready for marketing 2.0.

• Tie up with LG, Philips, Samsung, Videocon, Onida and Sony Home Theatre Systems for one year free subscription with every purchase
• Remember what Reliance Communication did? Handset + Subscription @ Rs. 501/-. To penetrate in smaller towns offer a DVD Player free with two years of subscription. Buy DVD players in bulk from a manufacturer, brand it and sell it along with your subscription. It allows you to enter Non-DVD player owning households immediately. You reach to a larger audience
• Exchange scheme – Pay for a year's subscription and bring along your old VHS Player, walk out with a brand new DVD Player
• Since computers are also touting themselves as a complete home entertainment device, tie up with HP, Compaq, Zenith, Acer, Lenovo to increase your subscription.
• Tie-up with Filmfare magazine and create a Filmfare Award Winning Collection. One years subscription of Filmfare gets you a Online DVD rental subscription or vice versa
  

Once you’re ready with your marketing 2.0 effort, it’s time for revenue generation 2.0

• Producers are spending a fortune on advertising their movies in different media. Use your website for advertising these flicks. Make money
• Use your DVD jacket/DVD envelope for advertising. Make money
• Use your brand shops for advertising. Make money
• Use your movie catalogue for advertising. Make money
  

Now that you’ve made money and I dare say lots of them, use your brain and start segmenting your customers based on genres and likings and make an enviable list of movies. Include world cinema, foreign movies etc. a collection that will draw customers to you by itself.

Before I end, if you think these are difficult ideas to execute, the easiest solution will be to hire me as a consultant. Will someone please write back to me on this soon?

Update: This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 2.5 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 543 Howard Street, 5th Floor, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

Transmedia in action

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Seeing things differently

India is a rising star in the world economy. Industry pundits have enough to say about India’s growing stature as a superpower. Amidst all this hoopla, one question is bugging me for quiet sometime now. Do we (the people) really envision the future? Like most common people I’m trying to imagine possibilities. Therefore am thinking loud.

As an advertising professional, I often come across mission/vision statements of several companies in India. Surprisingly almost everyone has the same statement, proudly displayed in their reception/ conference area. Almost all the mission/vision statements have similar words; words like innovation, best quality, create value for customers and stakeholders, care for environment and society, become market leader, grow through diversity etc. etc. If you were given these statements and the company logos separately and asked to match them, am sure you wouldn’t figure out for the life of yours which belonged to whom. These statements are uninspiring, boring and meaningless because it is not a guiding philosophy either for the employees or for the consumers.

A vision must guide and bind a company in everything it does. A vision should always influence and inspire a company, internally and externally. A vision should always connect with its customer. Great brands have always had a great vision. And it is this vision that has inspired them to become the truly inspiring brand that they are today.

Here are few examples of truly inspiring visions:
Apple – Tool for creative minds
3M – Continuous innovation
Nike – Your aspiration and you
Pedigree – For the love of dogs
IBM – Solutions for a small planet

Often these simple yet powerful statements have transformed the company in all its aspect. Unfortunately in India you’ll hardly come across a company which has a unique vision. One reason which I feel is the failure of the management to see things differently. You first envision then you get to doing. Most Indian companies are too busy with doing things differently rather than seeing things differently before they begin. And if at all they see, they see a leaf as a leaf. But to a biologist it is cell structure, to a photographer it is an object, to a sweeper it is dirt, to a child it is toy, to an artist it is a canvas, to a gardener it is his labor of love, to a lover it is a tickling device, to a country it is national symbol and so on. Notice the difference? This is how you really create an inspiring vision.

No doubt Indian companies are going global. We still don’t have a global Indian brand. (For Christ sake don’t say Infosys and Wipro) In advertising we often run in search of that one big idea which will transform everything. But do we inspire our own people through our vision? Do we see things differently and translate that into our everyday thinking and working style. Until we find a truly inspiring vision for ourselves we might not find that one big idea which will transform the lives of others.

2020 vision for New India is to become a Superpower. What does superpower mean to you? Do you see India differently? Do you see a Made in India tag written on every product around the world?

Am I seeing things too differently these days? ;-)

Effective Branding

I was reading this nicely written paper in Brand Channel. Amit goes on to explain Effective Branding as something which involves working on four important dimensions, namely:

The Functional Dimension
The functional dimension concerns the perception of benefit of the product or service associated with the brand

The Social Dimension
The Social Dimension concerns the ability to create identification with the group

The Spiritual Dimension
The Spiritual Dimension is the perception of global or local responsibility

The Mental Dimension
The Mental Dimension is the ability to support the individual mentally

He goes on explain his framework with the analysis of the brand Airtel:

The Functional Dimension
The role of the technology is to make thing easier for the consumers. Airtel has been very successful in simplifying the use of mobile services by modifying the technology to suit the common users. Even the simplest of the consumer can use the products and services.
Airtel says, "Your world of communication just got simpler."

The Social Dimension
Airtel is a recognized brand to be associated with. I satisfy my esteem and it gives me opportunity to be a part of the culture. It is associated with high level of social value.

The Spiritual Dimension
"Building telecom, building relationships." It is important to be in touch with the relatives and dear ones but this is possible today through the mobile communication. Airtel encourages everyone to be more involved in building relationships and spread the happiness.

The Mental Dimension
Airtel gives me the opportunity to "Express Myself." The message is very clear to be open and daring to express. The expression gives me a lot of pleasure and an opportunity to think that I am a separate individual and have the right to communicate and express myself.

Do all brands fall in this framework? What happens to a brand when it does not satisfy the Social and Spiritual Dimension? What if the brands Mental Dimension is considered too mental from a consumer point of view? Is Cultural Dimension same as Social Dimension? Anyways, I find this a very useful exercise and I am trying to fill in the blanks with several brands from different categories to understand whether this framework make any sense. Why don't you try out for yourself, you might come across something interesting.