MxMIndia

Author: mxmadmin

  • Fauxstalgia, Newstalgia and Postalgia… read about it all in the response by Dr Bhaskar Das in the June 1 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das | Newstalgia is a word that has been much used in recent times. What’s your view on the strategy of exploiting nostalgic feelings to promote a new offering?

    Bhaskar DasFauxstalgia, Newstalgia and Postalgia… read about it all in the response by Dr Bhaskar Das in the June 1 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

     

    If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

     

    Q. Newstalgia is a word that has been much used in recent times. What’s your view on the strategy of exploiting nostalgic feelings to promote a new offering?

     

    A. I think you meant Fauxstalgia as a strategy but mentioned Newstalgia.  Fauxstalgia is the yearning for a time in the past, even though you may never have experienced that time directly yourself. On the other hand, Newstalgia is a new nostalgia: a kind of  feeling that includes the desire to experience something familiar, but also something fresh.

     

    Subtle difference. Anyway, I think without diving deep into an etymological journey, we can decode the sentiments behind both: the former hankers after recycled nostalgia to feel cocooned in safe haven as if present is a continuation of past, while the latter loves something freshly familiar.

     

    Both the terms can be a great marketing tool to launch new products, specially when change all around, often at the speed of light, can be mind-numbing and a combination of nostalgia and modernism can promise a postalgia.

     

  • The overload of information and reviews has democratised product expectations, writes Sanjeev Kotnala

    Missing the effective ‘Call for action’

     

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Sanjeev KotnalaCall to Action buttons and phrases like Buy, Shop, Order, Reserve, Save, Add to the cart, Pick, View, Click, Try, Subscribe, Sign up etc shout for attention in digital communication. And why not? ‘Call To Action’ also called CTA in advertising, is the next step or action the marketer wants the consumer to take. It was an integral part of traditional advertising, pushing and nudging customers down the sales funnel by taking the desired action. And the client, in the absence of any other measurement, used calls, walk-ins, and requests as a measurement of the effectiveness of the communication.

    Surf ki khareedari mai his samajdhari hai, Joh Biwi se Saachmuh Kare pyaar Woh Prestige Se Kaise Kare inkaar, I love you Rasna, ECE bulb Lana, are some good examples of disguised call for action. The Call To Action can also be a visual device. Like the person drinking Sprite or Katrina licking the aamrass drop, or Pepsi ho abhi.  The best example however has been the COINBASE  QR code ad during Super Bowl 2022.

     

    Missing Call To Action

    While we see ‘Call To Action’ extensively used in guiding customer reaction and action in digital space, it seems to be losing its appeal in traditional media. Coming from an old school of advertising, the lack of a ‘Call To Action’ does not sit well with me, and not that it needs to be upfront, bold and on the face.

    ‘Padharo mare desh’, ‘Kuch Din Toh Gujaro Gujrat mai’ – are all-powerful ‘Call To Action’. But even in recent state tourism print ads and posters, the Call To Action is missing- why?

    Cred has spent a large part of its marketing spends with IPL without a ‘Call To Action’. The main communication does not ask you to download, register or subscribe to the app. While the powerplay communication places the possibility of winning the entire credit card payment has some ‘Call To Action’.

     

    Call To Action – a dying art

    Earlier writers took pride in writing the perfect ‘Call To Action’. And, yes, the ‘Call To Action’ could drastically impact the success of a campaign as it impacts conversion rates. The effectiveness of a ‘Call To Action’ drastically improves if there is an apparent reason or emotion attached to it. For example, ‘call today to schedule your free consultation!’ or ‘Sign here never to miss the weekly update’ or ‘order today for 1-day shipping or even a simple- ‘Avail 55% discount on Fresh Stocks- Now’. In digital, they are mostly undifferentiated buttons.

     

    Leaving too much for the Consumer

    Have we started believing that advertising may not work that much to nudge? Or do we think that the customer intuitively knows what to do? I am not sure. So, I smile and appreciate the Wimzo ad where Dhoni silently gestures, and you lip-read it to mean, ‘Download Now’. I even think the Dream11 advertisement with, ‘Mai yeh kar leta hu, aap tab tak Dream 11 par team banao‘ does a good enough job. And so does ‘Slice the Slow’ or even when the ad tells you to invest after speaking with the experts- Sahi Hai.

    May be the overload of information and reviews has democratised product expectations. The advertisers are only interested in making consumers better aware of the proposition through traditional media and nudging them through other channels. As if they would want the potential customer to take an unbiased decision without being pushed and influenced. But, then advertising  is about influencing, guiding and nudging the consumer towards the brand goals. And , it better have well crafted ‘Call To Action’ to nudge the consumers.

     

  • Strengthens leadership in India

    Havas CX announces key appointments

    By Our Staff

     

    Havas CX, the specialised customer experience unit of Havas Creative Group India, has bolstered its leadership team with key appointments.

     

    Arunima Singh
    Arunima Singh

    Arunima Singh has been appointed Vice President – Customer Success and Ashtad Gandhi has been roped in as Associate Vice President – Data & Analytics. Both will report to Prashant Tekwani, Managing Partner, Havas CX India.

     

    Rana Barua
    Rana Barua

    Said Rana Barua, Group CEO, Havas Group India: “Havas CX India has witnessed exponential growth in less than 2 years through massive business wins across Mumbai and New Delhi. In addition, it has successfully built resonance in the industry through its annual report X Index. We understand that brands that get CX right will be the ones that stay relevant in the future, and therefore, our aim now is to scale up Havas CX to the next level and further expand both its expertise and our teams.”

     

    Prashant Tekwani
    Prashant Tekwani

    Added Tekwani: “Over the past few years, we have partnered with brands to create business solutions with data and technology playing an integral role. As Arunima and Ashtad come on board, we’re embarking on the next phase of our rapid growth. The experience and expertise that both bring to the table will help us strengthen our offering further and empower us with the necessary tools to provide strong, strategic counsel to our clients.”

     

  • Focuses on benefits of being a NeuPass member with an AirAsia Aviator badge

    Wunderman Thompson launches campaign for AirAsia

    By Our Staff

     

    AirAsia India has launched a 360-degree marketing campaign inviting flyers to become ‘Aviators’ and make the most of the benefits of the NeuPass rewards programm by Tata Neu. The campeaign is based on the insight that being a part of a family is a rewarding experience.

     

    Conceptualised by AirAsia India’s creative agency on record, Wunderman Thompson India, the campaign features three distinct films with quirky and heart-warming human stories that bring alive the joy of being part of a family.

     

    Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Siddhartha Butalia, Chief Marketing Officer, AirAsia India, said: “The NeuPass rewards program affords us the unique opportunity to redefine loyalty from the commoditised and transactional nature of traditional frequent flyer programs where individuals are defined by numbers, to a seamless and fulfilling experience of recognition and reward in every interaction. The campaign resonates the essence of what being part of a family is meant to be – a relationship of understanding, a feeling of fulfilment and an experience that is truly rewarding.”

     

    Added Priya Shivakumar, Senior National Creative Director, Wunderman Thompson: “We saw the launch of this unique rewards program and the wonderful benefits of becoming an Aviator with AirAsia India as an opportunity to communicate simple and endearing human stories with a touch of humour that bring alive the fact that close friends and family are the ones you can always count on. The campaign ties back seamlessly to the thought of ‘redeeming rewards from each member of the family’ which was the idea we set out to deliver. By doing this, we not only elevated the conversation, but also made it as personal and fulfilling as the rewards.”

     

     

  • Appoints PP as strategic communication counsel

    Believe Music believes in Pitchfork Partners

    By Our Staff

     

    Believe India, the digital music company, has appointed Pitchfork Partners as its communication counsel to manage its brand strategies in India.

     

    Vivek Raina
    Vivek Raina

    Said Vivek Raina, Managing Director – Believe India: “We are excited with our association with Pitchfork Partners. Their experience and understanding of the industry align with Believe’s objectives and will help us reach emerging independent artists and labels in the digital world. We are focused on building a community in which independent artist and labels will get a platform and partnership to build their fanbase and enhance their revenues in the digital world.”

     

    Jaideep Shergill
    Jaideep Shergill

    Added Jaideep Shergill, Co-Founder, Pitchfork Partners: “We are delighted to work with Believe India, given its leadership position in this competitive industry. It’s a great opportunity for us to drive their messaging across audiences in the country. We look forward to reaching new heights with Believe.”

     

  • To strengthen online and offline presence

    Sociapa bags digital and creative mandate for French Essence

    By Our Staff

     

    Sociapa, digital marketing advertising agency Noida and Delhi NCR, has won the digital and creative mandate for French Essence, a brand by Spectra Care.

     

    Dheeraj Raj
    Dheeraj Raj

    Said founder of Sociapa, Dheeraj Raj: “We are ecstatic to have been given this opportunity by French Essence. This is yet another step for Sociapa towards achieving its goal. We are certain that we will be successful in making the brand reach its target groups through effective communication and campaigns. Sociapa is the company that you can trust to help you promote your brand to the next level. We create real brand experiences that include and inspire audiences in every touch point using a full spectrum of creative skills with a cost-effective approach. With a passionate team, we strive to up the game by offering the best strategies including Brand Communication and Campaigns for the brands.”

     

    Added Dr Nidhi Gupta, Director, Spectra Care on the association: “Sociapa is a very competitive firm with a portfolio of many ongoing projects. With the changing dynamics it is extremely crucial for a brand to keep up and hence we believe Sociapa will do justice to our Vision of taking French Essence forward, as we aim to make significant contributions towards strengthening our Online and Offline Presence.”

     

  • Maruti Suzuki returns as presenting sponsor to unfold action in Cape Town

    Rohit Shetty to host Khatron Ke Khiladi yet again!

    By Our Staff

     

    Colors TV has announced the new season of reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi.

     

    Pavithra KR
    Pavithra KR

    Said Pavithra KR, Revenue Head, Colors: “Khatron Ke Khiladi is our flagship property and has become synonymous with action on Indian television. The previous season was the no.1 non-fiction property in the Hindi GEC category, and we are excited about its return. Given the show’s popularity, it serves as a great opportunity for advertisers to engage with and reach out to their audience. We are excited to once again associate with Maruti Suzuki as the presenting sponsor and welcome onboard ‘Charged’ by Thums Up as the powered by sponsor for the show and look forward to a great partnership. The new season will see a powerful ensemble of contestants experiencing the thrill and adventure with the action maestro Rohit Shetty.”

     

  • It's a question we are often asked everytime we recommend to soon-to-be seniors that they must embrace digital. Here's what Dr Bhaskar Das has to say on the issue, in the June 2 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das | There’s is a perception that only under-35s possess digital skills and the meta mindset. What does someone older do to ensure that not all above-35s are considered irrelevant?

    Bhaskar DasIt’s a question we are often asked everytime we recommend to soon-to-be seniors that they must embrace digital. Here’s what Dr Bhaskar Das has to say on the issue, in the June 2 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…

     

    If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

     

    Q. There’s is a perception that only under-35s possess digital skills and the meta mindset. What does someone older do to ensure that not all above-35s are considered irrelevant?

     

    A. The assertion as mentioned in the question is a typical stereotype that are influenced by heuristics. There are examples galore to contradict the same. It may be a reality that the younger generation’s proclivity towards anything tech is natural as they are born in the midst of it. The older generation have to learn it. But with the ease of tech usage, affordability and expansion of bandwidth have reduced the so-called digital divide. Hence irrelevance is a state of mind. If one is always open to be in sync with time, one can remain relevant. One needn’t be a coder or program-writer or an algorithm-formulator. They require robust knowledge. And at an advanced age , one may not get an appropriate job as organisations would prefer younger audience for such tasks. But there are so many soft skills that require non–tech capabilities. One can acquire that and remain relevant. Non-familiarity with high tech knowledge can be an excuse to eschew new age learning imperatives.

     

  • If the 10-min delivery service provider is immature, it is the responsibility of key stakeholders to raise a red flag, writes Avik Chattopadhyay

    For the impatient imbecile…

     

     

    By Avik Chattopadhyay

     

    Avik ChattopadhyayOn May 29, a Member of Parliament raised the subject of the 10-minute delivery businesses in India. Her contention is that such a service is a serious threat to road safety, both for the delivery people as well as others on the roads.

     

    For once, a serious subject will be raised in Parliament irrespective of the outcome. For all you know, it might remind a few there that they hadn’t ordered their pizzas for lunch!

     

    We live in truly interesting times when junk food is delivered in 10 minutes but medicines in 120, and we seem quite at ease with this paradox.

     

    We are a society where we honk incessantly behind a car and jump red lights with gay abandon as we are in a tearing hurry to reach our destination. Yet, we are one of the most patient when it comes to having our politicians deliver on their promises.

     

    We are a polity where automakers are regulated to have six airbags in their cars while allowing “unicorns” to cock a snook at traffic management by advertising hyper-fast deliveries at any cost.

     

    We are a marketplace where we encourage people to plan for their children’s future by taking insurance policies but do not support planning their household purchases better.

     

    We are an impatient country. We want everything yesterday on our doorsteps. We need to break the queue to be served before others. We need to grease people’s palms to get a favour out of turn. We do not mind driving at high speed to get home to teach moral science to our kids.

     

    And our service providers treat us as imbeciles too. As mature people who cannot plan their purchases well on time. As people who realise at 10.30 pm that we need to have dinner. Or who cannot check the refrigerator in the morning to realise which vegetables we are running out of to order many hours before we actually need them. Get a life, dude! Plan better. It is not a matter of pride that you order for things at the last moment and get served for your inbuilt inefficiency! It all started a few years back with a pizza brand guaranteeing delivery in 30 minutes or free! What was a market disruption then has taken Frankensteinian proportions with timelines like 19 minutes and 10 minutes for deliveries. Basically, encouraging us to be impatient imbeciles!

     

    And what do our regulators do in all this? Pretty much nothing at all. The Advertising Standards Council does not realise the sheer threat to road safety as such an outcome may not have been foreseen in its book of violations. The Ministry of Roads, Transport and Highways does not think this is serious enough to be regulated. The automobile industry bodies like SIAM and SMEV do not think this falls under their “CSR” or “ESG” mandate to object to vehicle fleet operators encouraging such openly dangerous practices.

     

    Just because there is a latent demand for last moment ordering does not mean a service provider is going to cater to it at the cost of social balance [here road safety]. If all latent demands of the customer were to be met, we would end up living in total mayhem and chaos. The service provider has to be mature enough to take such decisions, even if it means the investors are not pleased.

     

    If the service provider is immature or apathetic, it is the responsibility of other key stakeholders in the system like regulators, policy makers and industry bodies to raise a red flag. A piece of advertising does not only need to be misleading or disparaging to be yanked off the air. It can have the potential of being dangerous for society which is a good enough reason to pull the plug. Like the advertisement of a ride-hailing service that blatantly shows its motorcycle rider carve through traffic with no heed to traffic rules.

     

    The responsibility of an automaker or the automotive industry body does not get over when the vehicle is sold but covers also how the vehicle is used. And the policy-maker’s job is not just to mandate how safe the vehicle engineering is but also to ensure that the entire road safety ecosystem is in place, with compliance and enforcement.

     

    The impatient imbecile is a social malaise who needs to be on the fringe of community. Bringing this person into the limelight and justifying catering to his / her demands is a dangerous trend in marketing and advertising. It needs to be nipped in the bud right away. We cannot afford to be patient about that!

     

  • To focus on scaling up marketing efforts

    Haldiram Snacks appoints Divya Batra as Head of Marketing

    By Our Staff

     

    Haldiram Snacks Pvt Ltd has onboarded Divya Batra as its head of marketing. Batra will focus on scaling up marketing efforts and launching new categories at Haldiram in her new role.

     

    Said Batra: “I am excited to start this new journey in my career. I am glad to be able to bring over 15 years of experience in strategising, planning, executing new product launches with consumer insights and driving up sales through online & offline brand campaigns, in store activations & consumer engagement programmes. Haldiram is a heritage brand in the F&B industry, and I am thrilled to lead its marketing strategy and operations,”

     

  • To optimise the sales resources and implement effective sales processes

    9X Media restructures ad sales team

    By Our Staff

     

    9X Media has restructured its adsales team. Ajay Bedi, Darpan Kindalkar and Anusri Unnikrishnan have been elevated to National Sales Head of 9X Jalwa, 9X Tashan and 9X Jhakaas respectively. While Bedi will report to Nihal Ghosh, the others will report to Deepali Oroskar. The flagship channel – 9XM – will be managed directly by Ghosh.

     

    Commenting on the development, Punit Pandey, Chief Business Officer, 9X Media Pvt. Ltd. said: “The entertainment industry, especially the music industry in India is going through an exciting transition. The past two years have been difficult for a majority of people. In these difficult times, Music stood out as a companion. Music helped people to de-stress. Hence the consumption of music has increased. Being India’s largest music television broadcaster, we want to leverage this momentum. The restructuring of the Ad Sales team will definitely take the network towards the next phase of success and achievements.”

     

  • Despite progress in the digital space, there are some uniquely Indian challenges that impact the M&E market, writes Shailesh Kapoor

    And the eyes have it…

     

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    Shailesh KapoorIn major research reports, amid all the crucial, perspective-changing insights, occasionally comes a finding that makes you chuckle at the silliness of it. This column is about one such finding.

     

    In our recently-released report on the Indian OTT audience, there’s a section where we quantify the various reasons because of which medium and light AVOD streamers (i.e., those not watching content on any paid platform) do not spend more time watching online videos. This ranking effectively helps OTT platforms understand why Indian AVOD audience have not engaged with digital videos enough to make them consider paying for subscriptions.

     

    Using qualitative research, we identified 11 reasons, and the report ranks them based a large sample quantitative study. The reason right at the top of the list is “can damage eyes”. A staggering 78% medium and light AVOD audience in India believe watching online videos (largely on their smartphones) damages their eyes, and hence, consumption time must be controlled. This reason is 18 percentage points higher in the list than all other reasons, including some compelling ones related to pricing of paid content, cost of mobile data, reservations about sexual and abusive content, etc.

     

    If you have grown up in an average Indian household like me, I’m sure you have been fed this bogey at some point of time in your early years. “Can damage eyes” has been the go-to explanation for Indian parents, to dissuade their kids from watching more television in the 1990s and the 2000s, and then from using the smartphone excessively, for the last decade or so. “You will have to wear glasses all your life”, for example, is a common scary consequence mentioned.

     

    As a heavy TV watcher, I had to hear this every other day, and it didn’t help that I already had glasses prescribed from a very early age to begin with. I believed in the reason for many years. Only in my 20s, I discovered that the consequence I was repeatedly reminded of was only a grand old myth.

     

    A simple internet search on “Does watching TV damage your eyes” or “Does using smartphone damage your eyes” will give you some easy answers. Excessive usage of devices can cause eye strain, but it does not “damage” eyes, or any other part of our physiology, in any way. I’m not endorsing excessive device usage, as there are indirect health consequences that one needs to keep an eye on, pun intended. But the “can damage eyes” reason is simply untrue.

     

    It’s fascinating, then, that such a myth is the top reason for a section of audience, leading to them controlling their consumption of digital video content. The belief that this is true is so deep-seated that you cannot say that parents lie to their kids when they use this argument. They actually believe in it!

     

    As puerile as this finding is, it tells us a thing or two about the Indian audience. We may have progressed rapidly in the digital space, but there are some uniquely Indian challenges that the Indian market continues to pose. It seems this myth existed in the Western markets too for a while, but has become a marginal one over time. But in India, this is a consumption barrier that has direct business impact, on both unpaid (AVOD) and paid (SVOD) streaming businesses.

     

    I almost wish one of the leading players did a tongue-in-cheek campaign to bust this myth. But busting myths created over decades is not easy.