MxMIndia

Category: MARKETING

  • A look at how Maruti Suzuki's tall boy was established as the market leader

    WagonR The Journey of a Leader

    Company: Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL)

    Execution period: 1999-2010

    Aim and Objectives: To establish WagonR as the market leader in the Indian passenger car

    In the year 1999, the first tall boy design was launched from MUL (MSIL Udyog Ltd, currently MSIL Suzuki India Ltd. – MSIL). The product offered the Indian car buyer great utilitarian benefits and practicality along with best-in-class space and good mileage. Hence, keeping in line with the product promise, the brand was positioned as a car full of ideas highlighting the brand’s practicality and versatility. MSIL invested in a series of TVCs (television commercials) that were built on the same proposition.

    From its inception, WagonR was ahead in many aspects. It was the first tall boy design and also the first to offer safety features in its class. It also was a first in offering consumers the flexibility in the choice of fuel; it gave the Indian car buyer the dual fuel option.

    And while the brand has faced tough challenges over the years, it has successfully overcome them in its journey to becoming one of the leaders in the segment. A case in point was the uniqueness of the design which posed a challenge for WagonR when it was launched. The Tall Boy Design was the first in the Indian compact car segment which at that time was considered to be ahead of its times. Initially the shape took time to get accepted by car buyers. However, brand WagonR looked to create relatability with the audience in order to communicate the benefits of this uniqueness in shape and the overall value the car offered to the consumers. WagonR was positioned as India’s first Multi Activity Vehicle (MAV). This followed the roll out of two brand campaigns Challenge Boredom and Feel at Home in the years 2000 and 2001 respectively.

    The Multi-Activity Vehicle positioning gave the brand some traction in terms of highlighting the product’s versatility but it was still some distance away from being relatable to the consumers. The brand slowly started getting accepted by the very rational Indian consumer. However, the brand’s potential in terms of sales was yet to be realized fully.

    Being a pioneer, MSIL looked towards a product makeover and a change in stance in the way the brand was talking to its audience in order to keep pace with their needs and expectations. A new campaign was launched in 2002 Interesting People  Inspired Engineering; marking the first time any car brand tried to tap into the buyer psychographics.

    A minor model change hit the roads in 2003 and successfully managed to meet the expectations of the changing consumer and addressed his needs in terms of style and sophistication. This became the inflection point in WagonRs history and the brand never looked back. Not only did the brand gain great traction in sales it also garnered high positive disposition in the consumer minds. Further research into the Brand buyers indicated that those who bought the brand were buying it after a careful research basis their needs and other market offerings. Essentially, the buyers were smart when picking the car of their choice  WagonR. This prompted the change in the positioning plank from being a Multi-Activity Vehicle which was functionally led, to a car brand For the Smarter Race, which was emotionally led.

    This positioning was sustained from 2004 to 2006 till a facelift of the product was introduced. Also WagonR portfolio got a new variant in the form of the LPG Duo, during this time, marking the birth of the first dual fuel option in India. WagonR had a great ride since 2003 with sales increasing at an above industry average of 40% CAGR till 2007. (Please refer to the chart II below). WagonR became one of the industry leaders clocking highest sales in the passenger A2 segment and could assume leadership position with its pioneering stance in several aspects.

    The key idea that emerged after discussion: In the rapidly changing Indian car market, there was an influx of brands coming in. By the year 2008 there was increasing competition in the A2 segment which offered more choices to the Indian consumers. The new age consumer wanted to experience superior products. WagonR, on the other hand, continued to take forward MSILs legacy of being a trusted brand. Trust and reliability were not associated with the newer players in the market. This fact won WagonR many loyalists.

    However, it also became imperative for a leading brand such as WagonR to stay ahead of the competition and continue to be a pioneer brand. Also, despite the increasing competition, the brand never lost ground, in terms of sales, the brand continued to be consistent (refer to Chart II) only reinforcing the voice of the customer. Nevertheless, for a brand that achieved good numbers, and steadily rose, it was important to create a distinct appeal and imagery.

    Solution: To counter the rising competition, the brand positioning was strengthened further by leveraging the leadership aspect, highlighted by sales. Therefore, the new communication plank for the brand became Smart Leader.

    The brand continued to retain its core value of being Smart while confronting the challenges on the consumer front

    a) To make the brand more aspirational

    b) Consumer needs evolving beyond rational benefits to appeal value;

    and the brand/product front

    a) Contemporary offerings

    b) New product launches.

    It was now essential for WagonR to maintain its leadership position and the brand standing in the market by reinforcing the core brand values and sharpening its positioning. Clearly, WagonR was the largest selling car in the segment. Hence Leadership was added as a new dimension to the core promise of the brand -Smartness. The Leadership stance was extended beyond just numbers. This was also, true to its pioneering spirit. A shift was seen from a fact based leadership to thought based leadership with the intent to move to a more sustainable brand platform Thought Leadership. To reinforce this platform, MSIL did interesting outdoor activities across major cities and at airports and followed it up with similar messaging in magazines and placards.

     

    Innovations: To further the brand assets the 3 new initiatives were deployed

    1) Brand Ambassador – Shashank Srivastava, chief general manager, Marketing, MSIL, said that the target group was the middle or upper middle class families, who look for space and sound engineering, as well as buyers looking for a rational and performance-oriented vehicle. As the brand ambassador, Madhavan was seen as a geographically neutral face, and WagonR’s contemporary, pragmatic and balanced brand values were seen to resonate well with his personality.

    2) Brand Mascot  Mr Wizer becomes the first mascot in the Indian Passenger Car Industry

    3) Think Big Challenge  A national property created on the lines of Thought Leadership, furthering the stance of the brand as a smart leader.

     

    Challenges and impediments: The Tall Boy Design of WagonR was the first in the Indian compact car segment which at that time was considered to be ahead of its time. Initially the challenge was to get the shape accepted by car buyers.

    By May 2010, WagonR had sold 8.5 lakh cars to the Indian consumers and stamped its authority in the A2 segment. At the same time the Brand and Engineering (product) teams were aware of the fact that consumers are fast evolving with rising aspiration levels, esteem and status needs, growing demand for experience and indulgence, coupled with the fact that they were becoming more self-expressive day by day.

    An all new WagonR with a complete facelift on a technologically advanced platform was conceived. Following were the findings of an exercise conducted to gauge the perception of the product in the market

    1) The new car seen as a more contemporary offering.

    2) The pleasure points of the old WagonR were carried forward in the new model  (Comfort, Safety, Space and Reliability) – Smart Understated Performance.

    3) The key difference is in the level of detailing and finishing.

    4) The additional dimension of a luxury feel was there, but, at the core it was still the Smartest Choice.

    Expected key deliverables: For the launch of the ‘All new WagonR’, the challenge was to infuse newness into something one has always known. With a Full Model Change (FMC) and an all New WagonR, the marketers had the following broad objectives.

    • Retain leadership position and consolidate market share
    • Make the brand contemporary – Highlight the dimension of SMARTNESS which is contemporary and create an aspiration for the brand
    • Reinforce the brand values by building an imagery to suit the evolving consumer while making the sustainable and distinctive brand positioning to thwart competitive launches

    The All New WagonR was launched with a new campaign, keeping the inherent brand associations of Leadership, Smart and Popular intact. The new campaign, the Blue-eyed boy, leveraged the popularity of the car (favourite car) and the need to build aspiration which was now being supported by the added dimension of luxury in the product.

    The Blue Eyed Boy campaign highlighted the All New WagonR and announced the arrival of the new avatar of India’s favourite compact car. It also described the feeling of being the centre of attraction and adulation that the consumer experiences because of the smart choice that he has made. The Blue Eyed Boy was also a salute to consumers who contributed to making the WagonR a celebrated and the favourite car brand in the country.


    Learnings: Today, India is home to more than 40 million passenger vehicles (Source: SIAM & Industry Excerpts). The Indian Passenger Car and Commercial Vehicle manufacturing industry is the seventh largest in the world, with an annual production of more than 2.6 million units in 2009 (Source: SIAM & Industry Excerpts). Naturally, global manufacturers are increasing their investments across the various automobile category to tap into the growing demand. Very evident from the fact that India has witnessed more number of passenger car brands and models in the last decade than over the previous 5 decades. The table below gives the basic segmentation of the passenger car industry.

    The passenger car market in India is one of the fastest growing markets of the world, and from the car buyers perspective it’s a market which offers plenty of choices across all segments (especially A2) and a wide range of brands. Please refer to the chart I below for the sales in the overall passenger car market as well as individual segment sales.

     

    Analysis: WagonR is the pioneer in terms of its tall boy design in its category, and getting accepted by consumers was not an easy task but it managed to do so by constantly understanding what people wanted thus refreshing its communication strategy from time to time. It began positioning WagonR as India’s first Multi Activity Vehicle (MAV) and then moved on to the positioning of For the Smarter Race to the Blue-eyed boy when it underwent a full model change thus conveying its newness yet maintaining its leadership stance.

     

    *This case study is sourced from MSIL

     

     

  • Salman Khan is guaranteed to give results, says a pilot celeb track study by Brandscapes

    Salman, Sachin star in celeb track

    By Ritu Midha

    However cynical one might get, celebrities do help a brand get noticed. Brands realise it and the proof is in the number of celebrities endorsing cold drinks, detergents, mutual funds, hair colour, personal care products and even a brand of battery. The scenario gets even more interesting in case of mens innerwear, where one can see almost every brand in the category promoting itself on the back of a celebrity. The belief perhaps is that consumer will wear the brand his favourite hero wears, or maybe it is the only way to create a differentiation in a category.

    Brands obviously do not spend crores on getting celebrity brand ambassadors and endorsers just to be noticed, the ambition is for the celebrities brand image to rub off on their brand. Current practice to select the celebrity are largely guided by judgment based on certain markers such as popularity with press, number of success stories (films/ matches/ achievements), net worth, fees they command, etc.

    Interestingly, a recent celeb track pilot study conducted by Brandscapes Worldwide throws up refreshing findings. The celeb track model measures celebrities on four parameters, namely popularity, image attributes, media presence, and affiliation with category/brand.

    Parvati Mahadev, Insights Consulting Partner, Brandscapes Worldwide explains, Celeb Track decodes the standing of different celebs on critical dimensions that underpin a brand – trust, appeal and relevance. By doing all this Celeb Track takes cognizance of the fact that there is more to selecting a Celeb than just his or her current popularity rating.

    She adds, Celeb Track works in two ways first, it allows the marketer to decode consumer opinion about celebs in a scientific and hence reliable manner. Secondly, it recognizes the fact that there are multiple facets to a marketing communication strategy, and celeb endorsements should help to highlight the desired facet.

    A few key insights from the pilot study:

     

    The study was conducted among 1,418 people, and the methodology was telephonic communication. It covers celebrities under four categories: actors, actresses, Cricketers and other sports person. Sixty-seven percent of the respondents were male and 33 percent female, and respondents were in the age groups and demographics both married (46 percent) and unmarried.

    Photographs: Fotocorp, Tables and images in them: Brandscapes Worldwide

     

  • Mobile company MTS teamed up with a speedy partner of a different sort for a campaign that stood out

    Pushing the needle on the milometer

    Company: MTS

    Execution period: October 2010-December 2010

    Aim and Objectives: Introduce the MTS-Reebok offer in Delhi and NCR

    The Background: MTS has positioned itself as not just another mobile telephony company.

    Data is the face of the brand and is summarised by Hi speed internet and smart mobile telephony.

    The key idea that emerged after discussion: When the campaign was initiated, the question was, In the world of data, what do we stand for? What do we deliver? The answer was Speed, and a better and richer user experience.

    The next step was to define the client’s TG which would be 18-29, SEC A, B who are driven by passion sports (cricket), music, seek to do newer things, willing to explore,lifestyle driven (always aiming for higher things) and impatient,hence wantingeverything here and now.

    Solution: The client decided on an association of two popular brands to generate higher acquisition and attraction among the common target audience, the youth.

    The obvious question here would be why associate with shoes? The choice was because shoes signify High Utility value, High perceived value and most importantly it’s a common factor used by all genders, class and segment among others.

    Innovations: MTS decided to partner with Reebok and the choice for the brand was because it has:

    Largest retail presence

    Largest product line

    Only option in bulk business

    Reebok is associated with Speed and Cricket and has good sports celebrity endorsing their product

    Branding of MTS at Reebok Store. Speed Ka Double Dose (SKDD)

    Key Programmes for SKDD included

    Employee Offer (Internal Communication, Employee Fulfilment Process)

    Press Conference

    Consumer Offer (External Communication, Employee Fulfillment Process)

    The offer:

    Get MBlaze and Reebok Shoes worth Rs 3,499 for just Rs 1,999 !!

    Data Base rate:

    Re 0.10/MB in Day time (7am to 10pm)

    Re 0.05/MB in Night time (10pm to 7am)

    Execution: For the internal communication three phases of interaction were used.

    Build Curiosity : Teaser Phase

    Building hype around celebrities

    Reach employees using Desktop Wallpapers, Posters, Standees and E-mailer

    Unveil : Launch

    An attractive consumer offer was introduced.

    External Communication

    Launch of Consumer micro site

    Launch on Sep 20

    Full function site having registration as well as engagement areas

    Landing page with 2-D animation that contains the needed engagement elements and theme,

    about the Double Dose offer with Sameera and Yuvi in the background, so users interact

    with them using their mouse

    Inside pages designed for the game, User Generated content and Fitness Tips

    The game was a question and answer based on cricket (speed-related) (1 page)

    User generated content for one activity -Show us how fast you can tie your shoelace

    The Fitness section had videos served from the server.

    The multi-media launch programme included celebrity-led communication assault with Yuvraj Singh and Sameera Reddy TV Campaign

    Print & OOH Campaign

    Digital Campaign

    BTL Campaign

    Press Conference & Appearances

    Communication to build on the already established core MBlaze proposition of Speed

    Great Value offer for the coming festive season

    Huge media saliency buildup

    Consumer engagement through massive BTL activation pan-India

    Media Plans:

    TV : Build Reach & Mass Awareness

    Sep 23  Nov 5

    High R&F plan delivering huge GRPs

    Usage of key properties for immediacy

    Print & OOH : Reminders

    Oct 1  Nov 5

    Exciting messages with celebrities

    Extensive use of Reebok stores for promotion

    Facades, Windows etc.

    Digital : Build Interactivity & Drive Traffic

    Oct 1  Nov 5

    Targeted banner and contest-driven lead generation activity

    Driving traffic to microsite

    Microsite as experience destination

    BTL : Consumer Engagement

    Oct 1  Nov 5

    Speed-led activation programme  speed race game at mall / multiplexes

    Instant winner gratifications

    Promoter activity at Reebok stores

     

    Expected key deliverables: Key benefits sought from the activity were Incremental Gross Adds,

    Revenue and Usage;

    Enhance Retail penetration; Brand Awareness and Rub off Customer Engagement.

    Analysis: A consumer engagement activity which was effectively planned and delivered.

    (Case Study sourced from MTS)

  • Sony Entertainment has bought the satellite broadcast rights of the yet-to-be-named production for a record 40 crore from Reliance Entertainment, which had acquired the film's distribution rights for 85-90 crore.

    All izz well for Aamir’s new film

    Much ahead of its Republic Day release in 2012, Aamir Khan’s next film is making tills ring. Sony Entertainment has bought the satellite broadcast rights of the yet-to-be-named production for a record 40 crore from Reliance Entertainment, which had acquired the film’s distribution rights for 85-90 crore.

    This is the highest price paid for a film by a broadcaster, beating 37 crore paid by Sony for the Hrithik Roshan-starrer Krrish 3, along with the rights of three other Hrithik films from his home stable – Koi Mil Gaya, Krrish and Krazzy 4.

    The film is being jointly produced by Aamir Khan Productions and Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment at a budget of 40-45 crore, and will be released by Reliance Entertainment.

    Sony will hold exclusive rights for Khan’s new film for seven years, which is the time it gets to monetise the investment. Priti Shahani, chief strategy officer at Reliance Entertainment, confirmed the deal, but refused to share details. “Yes, the satellite rights have been sold to Sony and like all our recent blockbusters, this film too is a much-awaited and big-ticket film that has received its correct value,” she said.

    Manjit Singh, chief executive officer of Sony Entertainment Television, also refused to share details. “When the time is right, we will talk about it,” he said.

    Of late, Sony, one of the country’s top three general entertainment channels, has been consistently acquiring big-ticket films. These tentpole films, as the trade calls them, go a long way in garnering eyeballs for the channels, or gross rating points (GRPs). The higher the GRPs, the more the advertisers. Movies play a big role here and according to TAM data, movies contribute as much as 10.4% of the total GRPs. There are also intangibles that come along with a big film. For instance, the channels use these films to attract the audience to existing and new properties of the channel.

    For the past few months, satellite channels have been demanding a correction in the high rates of acquiring films, arguing that they would all end up as producers at the rates they are paying. But broadcasters don’t have much choice. “We are all spending ridiculous amounts on satellite rights of films. But we have to do this as others too are doing the same,” said Singh.

    Another factor is there are very few unsold big-ticket titles left, with Shah Rukh Khan’s Don 2, Mausam, Karan Johar’s next, Student of the Year and Salman Khan’s forthcoming films, of which Dabangg 2 and Sher Khan are not even in the market so far, leaving just Yash Raj Film’s Ek Tha Tiger up for grabs.

     

    Source:The Economic Times
    Copyright  2011, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

  • Adfactors PR launches new practices for Media, Entertainment; Consumer, Lifestyle

    Sharper focus for wider offerings from Adfactors

    By A Correspondent

    On its 14th anniversary, Adfactors PR announced the launch of two new practices to cater to the Media and Entertainment and the Consumer and Lifestyle sectors.

    Mr Madan Bahal, Managing Director Adfactors PR Pvt Ltd, said, The two new practices are a part of our initiative to widen our service offerings and make the consultancy more relevant to the larger PR market. Both verticals are specialist units created to fill gaps in the marketplace. Our principal differentiators would be domain knowledge, a sound understanding of the socio-cultural context in the Indian marketplace, and unmatched reach in the high-growth tier-2 and tier-3 markets.

    Both verticals will be led by highly experienced professionals. The Media and Entertainment will be headed by Mr Pavan R Chawla, and Mr Amitesh Banerjee will head the Consumer and Lifestyle practice. Both leaders bring immense expertise and experience, Mr Bahal said, and we aspire to build these as market-leading practices, just as we have achieved with our other verticals.

    Mr Banerjee, Vice President – Consumer & Lifestyle, brings over 30 years of multi-country experience in Marketing and Communications. He served for 14 years as Head of Communications of the Seychelles Marketing Board, as well as a spokesperson for the Government of Seychelles. After returning to India, he worked in senior positions with Perfect Relations, Comma Consulting and Genesis Burson Marsteller, where he was Managing Partner – West.

    Mr Chawla, Vice President – Media & Entertainment, has 24 years of experience across Media and Entertainment in corporate communications, content, editorial and marketing in senior roles. He brings invaluable experience from several organizations, including Sony Entertainment Television, INX Media, MAX, exchange4media Group, Times of India Group, Dainik Jagran Group and the Indiantelevision Group.

     


  • From KKR, a leap forward to Nokia Champions League Twenty20 for Shahrukh Khan

    ESPN Star Sports, the official broadcaster and commercial partner of Nokia Champions League Twenty20, has formally announced that Bollywood legend and superstar, Shahrukh Khan, is the face of the tournament. Nokia, the title sponsor of Champions League Twenty20, also announced ambitious plans to promote its association with the tournament. Nokia announced the Nokia Ke Asli Champions campaign for consumers, in which winners will get an opportunity to be part of Bollywood actor Priyanka Chopra’s Champion team and watch the finals live with her.

     

    ESPN Star Sports (ESS), the global commercial rights partner of NCL T20, also announced that it will showcase the tournament to fans in more than 174 territories worldwide. NCL T20 will also be telecast in a record 18 different international languages across the world, one of the few cricket properties presented to fans in such a customised way. In India, all the 29 matches will be broadcast live on Star Cricket and Star Cricket HD. ESPN will carry all 23 matches of the main tournament with Hindi commentary.

     

    The Nokia Ke Asli Champions contest will run across Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata between September 15 and October 5, 2011.

     

    Commenting on the development, Aloke Malik, Managing Director, ESPN Software India Pvt Ltd, said, Shahrukh Khan is a great fit as the face of Nokia Champions League Twenty20 and we are delighted to have him with us on this fascinating journey. His participation is however not limited to being the public face of NCL T20. As a team owner, I am sure he will be looking forward to Kolkata Knight Riders qualifying for the main edition of the tournament. We wish him the very best for the qualifying round of matches.

     

    Sundar Raman, CEO, Nokia Champions League Twenty20, said, The 2011 edition of the Nokia Champions League Twenty20 is set to be the tournament’s biggest and most successful yet. The addition of a six-team qualifier for the first time adds another dimension to the tournament. It also provides a record number of teams with a chance to win club cricket’s most prestigious prize.

     

    D Shivakumar, Managing Director, Nokia India, said, Cricket holds a special place in the hearts of Indians and we are excited to be the title sponsors for Champions League T20 as it reinforces our commitment to the youth by connecting them to their passion.

     

    Commenting on his association, Shahrukh Khan, added, I am extremely proud to be associated with Nokia Champions League Twenty20. I am doubly happy as my team Kolkata Knight Riders is also in with a chance of qualifying for this prestigious event. NCL T20 is a unique concept as the best T20 teams from across nations face off for the ultimate prize being Champion of Champions. It doesn’t get better than this.

     

    About his team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, he said he is quietly confident. I believe that the team is pulling out all stops to prepare for this event and I feel that along with the other IPL teams KKR also has a good chance of first qualifying to the main edition and then excelling in further matches. We are working hard and we promise to deliver wholesome and exciting cricket for our fans.

     

    Cricketing talking heads lined up by ESPN Star Sports include Harsha Bhogle, Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri, Kepler Wessels, HD Ackerman, Ian Chappell, Tom Moody, Ian Bishop and Alan Wilkins.
    The TV ratings of second edition of Champions League Twenty20 saw a 35 percent increase over the first edition. The combined ratings (all channels) for the 2010 edition was 2.05* as compared to 1.5* for 2009. Even in terms of reach, the 2010 edition of CL T20 had an increase of 20 percent. The 2010 edition was watched by 90 million viewers as compared to 74.6 million in 2009.
    *TG: CS Males, 15+, Sec ABC. Source TAM. For Reach, TG: CS 4+

  • With the economy heading for a take-off, the government is preparing to join hands with corporate

    Corporate sector to fuel GDP growth in coming years: Singh

    By A Correspondent

    The government is taking several initiatives to usher in a new level of corporate governance which is essential for the national economy to grow annually at a rate of 9 percent, minister of state for corporate affairs Mr R P N Singh said.

    “Our economy is on the verge of a take-off stage. The role of corporate sector is phenomenal in achieving the ambitious target of nine per cent GDP growth during 2011-12,” he said while inaugurating a conference organised by The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

    Some initiatives taken by the government to propel this growth include online approval of director identification number (DIN), integration of DIN and designated partner identification number (DPIN), doing away with the requirement of having two numbers for registering a company or a limited liability partnership, and introduction of online payment through the national electronic fund transfer (NEFT) enabling stakeholders to pay from any bank.

    Other measures taken so far are introduction of XBRL reporting format for filing of annual returns profit and loss account, and creation of a refund mechanism to return stakeholders’ money in cases of wrong debit, said Mr Singh.

    “This brings the chief financial officers on the centre stage to coordinate and monitor all-round organisational growth in terms of output, upgrade professional competencies, create new business markets and – above all – improve bottom-line of an organization at micro-level.”

    Meanwhile, Assocham secretary general Mr D S Rawat said a CFO has to play a strategic role in an organisation’s growth. The role of senior financial executives has expanded to include business strategy, regulatory and ethical leadership, product development and bottom-line growth.

    Mr Mritunjay Kapoor, country managing director of Protiviti Consulting, said the recent economic crisis, introduction of new financial instruments, global expansion opportunities through mergers and acquisitions, and currency fluctuations have broadened the range of responsibilities on the part of CFOs.

    This skill set development and expansion has helped the present day CFOs to move a step closer and lay claim for the top CEO’s job, he said.

    Others at the conference were Mr B D Narang, former chairman and managing director of Oriental Bank of Commerce; Mr S C Aggarwal, chairman and managing director of SMC Group; Mr Gautam Bhandari, managing director of Morgan Stanley India; and Mr B N S Ratnakar, general manager of Central Bank of India.

     

  • A chat with 300-odd marketing and media pros indicated there was much gap between demand and supply…

    Why MxM India?

    Offo, ek aur nayi media website! I can’t promise you a Maya Alagh smile when she mouthed a similar line launching Promise toothpaste eons ago, but I can guess at what’s running through your mind even as you read this.

    Agreed MxMIndia isn’t the first off the block. We are in fact Website #15 if you count the outdoor, digital and telecom sites. I have much admiration for the owners, publishers and editors of many of these. They’ve been pioneers, risk-takers and have jointly created a niche that’s unparalleled in the business-to-business media space.

    So if there’s much mush and gush, why MxM? Why fill your inboxes with more content, when there’s enough of it? Because when I spoke to some 300-odd marketing and media professionals over the last few months, I found there was much gap between demand and supply. Yeh dil surely maange more!

    Also, for many of the players, integrity and ethics are fashionable words but not really put into practice. Stories and covers being sold for ads or cash, awards for favours — past, present and future… there is much decay in the system. In fact the decay has set in so much that it may take a few Annas and Kejriwals to cleanse the mess. So while media houses run high-pitched campaigns against corruption, they happily espouse dubious paid content practices.

    I am a huge believer that it’s possible to conduct business ethically. I also believe that if we ask the world to rid itself of corruption, the media must have a squeaky clean rep.

    Hey, I am not here to sermonise. It’s important for you to know how MxMIndia will conduct itself. But we are no prudes. We don’t think innovative advertising is a no-no. We don’t think that there is a way to do away with fake ads. We just believe, as our good friend Arnab Goswami would say, that the nation wants to know more than just what’s on the surface of the world of marketing and media.

    My one-line advisory to my editorial and business team is: we will write about people and companies regardless of whether they advertise.

    After 25 years of working in various jobs (save for a bit when I tried my hand at blogging and assorted consulting), this is an honest attempt at starting an enterprise. MxMIndia has hired some of the best available talent. We believe this is the only way to start if we wish to be counted as the website of choice for mediapersons and marketers. What you see now is the Beta version of the site. There are still many loose ends and the content will only get richer and the sections under each of channels will open up. Please let us have your feedback.

    MxM in our name stands for Media and Marketing and it was suggested by my friend Prashant Basrur. The logo was designed by his art team at Deadline Advertising. Thanks hugely to the entire Deadline team for bearing with me all these months. The site was developed by Mediology Software in Gurgaon (Merci, Gaurav Bhatnagar and Manish Dhingra… and Arun Nair and team). Thanks to Raj Pandian for showing me the way with the numbers, and Nandita Saikia and Saikrishna Associates for the legalese. Thanks to Mahalakshmi DM for being around in my early days and Deepak Joshi for help with all the paperwork. My sincere gratitude to the various people whom I bugged for advice and all of you who I turned to for support.

    MxM wouldn’t have happened without my family supporting me. A big thanks to each member of the MxMIndia founding team, associates and our star writers present and who have agreed to write in the immediate future.

    We will make it happen. Hum honge kaamyaab. Not ek din, but soon, and ethically.

     

     

     

    Pradyuman Maheshwari

    Email pradyumanm[at]mxmindia.com

    BBM: 23050B5D

    Twitter @pmahesh, @mxmindia


  • Adventure equipment company Wildcraft eyes new markets as it prepares to launch footwear and eyewear

    Wildcraft takes step into new territory with shoes, eyewear

    By Tuhina Anand

    Wildcraft, the adventure equipment and outdoor gear company, has forayed into outdoor apparel and plans to launch the range across the country by November-December this year. The company also has plans to launch its range of footwear by the last leg of next year while it is geared up to launch its eyewear range by next quarter. This range in keeping with the core of outdoor ethos will be high in functionality, light weight and compact, weather resilient and high in reliability or FLWR as that’s what the mantra to follow at Wildcraft.

    The company which was set up in 1998 has seen a CAGR of 100 percent in the last four years which was propelled by the change in travel itinerary in India as people have become receptive to adventure travel. In fact, the market for this industry is estimated to be around Rs 750 crore and has been growing steadily. Wildcraft itself has been doubling YoY for the last four years, with its top line approximately Rs 65-70 crore this year. It has set its sights on reaching the magic figure of Rs 100 crore plus by next year.

    About these plans, Mr Gaurav Dublish, Director at Wildcraft, says, “Being the only organized player in the adventure equipment and outdoor gear, we do have the first mover advantage plus also the fact that we have been in this category for long and we understand the category well. We have created an ecosystem around this category and take pride in the fact of manufacturing 100 per cent in India without any imports. Though still in its nascent phase, the category will only grow further from here on.” That explains Wildcraft’s decision to extend their offering in this category beyond their popular sleeping bags, rucksacks, tents and bag packs to apparel, footwear and eyewear.

    The company will also be open to outside funding once it reaches the figure of Rs 100 cr. Despite its good run in the last few years the company has hardly advertised because, as Mr Dublish puts it, constraints in supply meant they would have been incapable of catering to the surge in demand. However, this issue is now in control with a factory in Solan that started functioning in August this year. It has another factory in Bangalore which was set up in 2004. The company hopes to go all out with a marketing blitzkrieg in another 18 months.

    There is also a plan to enter the East market which was initially planned for next year but will now happen before the end of this financial year. Wildcraft is also exploring the opportunity to be in the Middle East and SE Asia, and that is one of the reasons for the company sprucing up its offering. The spurt of activity at Wildcraft can also be in preparation for the onslaught of foreign players who have been waiting at the fringes but have not really turned their focus now to India, and would probably look at this space in two to three years’ time.

    Wildcraft currently has a direct presence in 15 cities and plans to be in another 17 cities by the end of this financial year. It has a presence in around 50 cities through distribution channels and multi-branded stores.

    “We are looking at e-commerce in a big way and have recently revamped our website and made it more user-friendly. In fact, we expect 5 percent of our sales coming from e-commerce. We have also partnered with almost 10-12 e-comm players in the last two months in a bid to get into this space seriously. Also we have revamped our digital team on both sales and marketing sides, and will have new people on board by October 1 who will be dedicated to the digital medium,” added Mr Dublish.

     

  • Diamonds in the Tanishq classroom

    By Tuhina Anand

    There seems to be a strategic shift in communication of Tanishq jewellery, from the Tata Group, which has taken on the task of educating people on diamonds. They embarked on this journey in April this year when they roped in Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan in the True Diamonds campaign, which aimed at making consumers aware of the various aspects of the quality of diamonds.

    It is intriguing to understand why Tanishq took on this route of imparting lessons on getting to know your diamonds better, rather than just toe the line of communication of its earlier campaigns which focused on offers or a new collection.

    One of the reasons behind this shift would definitely be the amount of misguided information that comes the way of the average diamond buyer. There are many practices followed which definitely can’t be called fair, hence leading to even less clarity and leaving interested buyers with even lesser and confusing parameters to evaluate the quality of the diamonds.

    Mr Parvesh Debuka, Brand Manager, Tanishq told MxM India that education is among one of the core mantras to follow when it comes to communication, and features high on their priority list. He said, In the last three years we have seen phenomenal rise in sales for diamond jewellery but we realized that to tap the market to its best we need to provide few basics that will help consumers ask the right questions while purchasing diamonds.

    The campaign with the Bachchan couple was fantastic for Tanishq in terms of sales and customer queries, hence they decided to take it further with the curious case of the missing diamonds which is an online campaign. The purpose of this campaign is to engage consumers via the digital medium, also taking from its previous campaign which gave them visibility and addressed key issues. This online campaign rests on the microsite missingdiamonds.tanishq.co.in and will conclude by the end of September.

    The microsite enables users to help Amitabh Bachchan find the missing diamonds through an online game. This online game has a series of clues in the form of captivating videos of suspects who would have stolen the diamonds. Five lucky winners who complete the task in the shortest period of time get an opportunity to take part in the on-ground chase to hunt down the culprit in Mumbai. The winner who hunts the thief during the on-ground hunt gets the chance to gift the diamond necklace personally to Jaya Bachchan.

    According to Mr Sirish Chandrashekha, Marketing Manager, Tanishq, Getting the modern city dweller to learn about diamonds was a challenge. We embarked on this education campaign online through the missing diamonds idea. Interaction, engagement and education were the key words around which this idea is based.

    This campaign is conceived and executed by Tanishq and their agency partners Maxus, Lowe and Interactive Avenues.

    Mr Sairam Ranganathan, the digital head at Maxus South, said, We wanted to make diamond education more interesting and engaging for the urban upscale audiences and through Maxus creativitis we arrived at the missing diamonds idea. This is a social design enabled game, we worked with KRDS to create this experience.

    Ads and offers will, of course, continue, but educating people on diamonds is a task that Tanishq has taken up and will continue to carry out.

  • Zombie Talkies, coming to a comic book near you

    India’s first ever zombie movie, Shaadi of the Dead, starring Abhay Deol and Genelia D’Souza, is being promoted via an apt medium  the graphic novel.

    The film is to be launched in April or May next year, and the buildup starts with the precursor novel, Zombie Talkies: BloodFest In Bollywood, being released at the Comic Con Express in October at the World Trade Centre, Mumbai.

    The movie is produced by iRock Films along with Balaji Telefilms Ltd, and the novel is being published under the Pop Culture Publishing label of Twenty Onwards Media as part of their licensing agreement with iRock Media.

    Mr Jatin Varma, Founder, Comic Con India and Twenty Onwards Media, said, We are extremely happy that Pop Culture Publishing in association with iRock Media is coming out with this first of its kind horror graphic novel for Indian audiences.It has amazing artwork and great writing.

    We are very excited to partner with PCP. We created this novel and film keeping the young Indian audience in mind. We are confident that the zombies are here to stay and will soon become an integral part of India’s pop culture, said Mr Sidhartha Jain, CEO, iRock Films.

    The film development and production company, iRock Media, has been working on graphic novels in the fun-horror genre as part of their overall film genre development strategy. Earlier this year iRock released India’s first found footage horror film, Ragini MMS, and next year their vampire film Bloody Veer goes into production.

     

  • Reliance Trends takes the toons to the tots

    Kiddie TV’s cartoon characters are set to come to life during Reliance Trends month-long Toon Fest at its stores across India. The event began with a meet-and-greet with Spiderman at the Reliance Trends Mantri Mall outlet.

    Reliance Trends Toon Fest is a gala event dedicated to the kids of the country, which gives them a chance to meet cartoon characters on the weekends, including, besides Spidey, Doraemon, Power Puff Girls, Ben Ten and Chhota Bheem.

    Mr Arun Sirdeshmukh, Chief Executive, Reliance Trends said, Children are an integral part of our customer base. Toon Fest is yet another endeavour towards making the kids shopping experience at our stores a memorable one. The Reliance Trends Toon Fest, held in about 35 stores across India, is one of the biggest children’s activities we organise. A special range of kids clothing featuring their favourite cartoon characters is also available at all stores at a starting price of Rs 199. I am sure our young customers will thoroughly enjoy the various activities and our new range of outfits for them.