MxMIndia

Category: MARKETING

  • Sahara Q Shop is set to launch its operations with 3,780 exclusive stores in the state of Maharashtra

    Sahara Q Shop set to expand in Maharashtra

    By A Correspondent

     

    After successfully launching quality products in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand and Delhi NCR, Sahara Q Shop is set to launch its operations with 3,780 exclusive stores in the state of Maharashtra.

     

    Business conglomerate Sahara India Pariwar ventured into the Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and quality consumer merchandise retail sector with the launch of ‘Sahara Q Shop’ on August 15, 2012.

     

    ‘Sahara Q Shop’ was launched with an aim to provide unadulterated, standardized high 100 percent quality products at the right prices and has over 300 products in the category of food (staples and processed food) non food (personal care and home care), general merchandise, consumer durables and Lifestyle products.

     

    In phase 1, Sahara Q Shop conducted a pilot project for its exclusive retail model in select cities and received overwhelming response from esteemed customers and exclusive retailers.

     

    Romie Dutt, Chief Executive Officer, Sahara Q Shop, said “We have received overwhelming response from markets where Sahara Q Shop piloted its operational model for franchisee/exclusive retailers; it has emerged as sustainable income model at appropriate price providing unadulterated 100 percent pure quality consumer merchandise to our esteemed customers in their neighbourhood.”

     

    The company will provide all the necessary training, collaterals, in-store branding, marketing support to successfully run the store. The average monthly sale expected is Rs5, 00, 000 to Rs 8, 50,000 from 300 sq feet to 500 sq feet respectively. Sahara Q Shop will shortly have seminars to identify the right fit for their franchisee/exclusive retail operations in different cities of Maharashtra.

     

  • Bharti AXA Life Insurance CMO Saujanya Shrivastava on the latest campaign, and more

    Strategy of Proof is our mantra: Bharti AXA CMO

    By A Correspondent

     

    The latest campaign by Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company with its sister concern, Bharti AXA General Insurance on “The Dedicated Claims Handler”, claims to redefine service standards in the Insurance category.

     

    The TV ad has used a ’70s Bollywood song to fit an insurance situation and to bring in satirical humour. The TVC showcases the hapless customer running from pillar to post to complete Insurance paperwork. But the Hindi Song “Aap Yahaan Aaye” in this context makes the whole film entertaining whilst still conveying the angst of running after a claim. The Bharti AXA Life Solution comes in the form of the Dedicated Claims Handler who proactively contacts the customer and handles his claims process end to end.

     

    The TVC has been directed by Rajesh Krishnan of Soda Films, and conceptualized by Publicis.The campaign went on air on 8th Feb and has run nationally across all major channels.

     

    MxMIndia spoke to the company’s CMO, Saujanya Shrivastava, to know more about the campaign and in the competitive world insurance, what is the biggest challenge.

     

    Creative Agency: PublicisNational Creative Director: Ashish Khazanchi

    Client servicing: Paritosh Srivastava,Chandan Jha, Dharal Goshalia, Sherley Lavingia

    Production House: Soda Films

    Director: Rajesh Krishnan

    Spends / Budget – Rs. 12cr

    What are the marketing activities that you undertake to build your brand?

    We leverage the global AXA framework of Strategy of Proof to continuously prove that as a financial protection brand, we are trustworthy and safeguarding customer’s interests are at the heart of what we do. Our brand marketing initiatives are centered around high decibel national mass media campaigns as well as on ground customer activation.

     

    These could be specific proof points related campaigns or tactical ones driven by the need to build awareness around our winning product propositions. eg. we are present on the India Australia series with ESPN Star Sports as an Associate Sponsor to build awareness around the Bharti AXA Life Monthly Income Plan that is ideally suited to meet the lifestage related needs of customers such as retirement & child education expenses.

     

    To drive the sales of our hugely successful online term plan, we have a robust internet marketing plan that includes Search & Display programs. We are also the presenting sponsor for Budget 2013 on Moneycontrol.com

     

    What are the key insights behind your marketing activities?

    Our differentiation strategy is predicated upon the Strategy of Proof framework that involves providing customers with tangible evidence by way of “proofs” of having answered key expectations that they have of the category. This powerful framework allows us to look at every aspect of the customer journey and to unearth insights that are relevant, incisive and meaningful.

     

    What is the thought process behind the joint nationwide TV campaign by Bharti AXA Life Insurance with its sister concern, Bharti AXA General Insurance?

    – The Insight

    Claim settlement is a key moment of truth for our customers. The family of the policy holder is in turmoil due to an unfortunate incident in their lives. At times of distress, a claimant should not be made to run from pillar to post to get what may be rightfully theirs and he expects promptness and care from the insurance company.

     

    – The Creative Concept / Idea

    The film questions this thought process, i.e., why run after your insurance company to get your own claim settled? The background score of a yesteryear Bollywood song compliments the visuals and adds a humorous flavor to a serious subject. The solution to this problem appears in the form of a Bharti AXA Dedicated Claims Handler who assists the claimant with paper work and query resolution.

     

    What makes this campaign unique?

    The TV ad itself is path breaking as it has been amongst the 1st to juxtapose a 70’s Bollywood song to fit an insurance situation, bringing in satirical humour. ‘Claims’ is the moment of truth and raison de tre of the category. The Bharti AXA Life Solution comes in the form of the Dedicated Claims Handler who proactively contacts the customer and handles his claims process end to end.

     

    What is your biggest challenge today?

    Bharti AXA Life has been able to build strong brand recall in the consumers’ mind and we are now amongst the top life insurance brands in the country. The challenge going forward is to exceed customer expectations by unearthing powerful “proofs” that can truly redefine the category.

     

     

  • Madison World has won the McCain Foods account, which will be handled by Platinum Media in Delhi. The account was previously handled by Zenith Optimedia

    Madison Media wins McCain Foods AOR

    By A Correspondent

     

    As Madison World celebrated its 25th anniversary, it received a gift with a difference – the win of the McCain Foods account. The account will be handled by Platinum Media in Delhi. McCain plans to substantially increase its spends in the coming year. The account was previously handled by Zenith Optimedia.

     

    McCain has a range of ready-to-cook frozen products including French fries, aloo tikki, idli sambar combo and cheese appetizers.

     

    This adds to Madison Media’s account-winning spree of Ruchi Soya, Max India’s corporate account, Cafe Coffee Day, Radikal Rice and Crompton Greaves.

     

    Gautam Kiyawat

    Gautam Kiyawat, Group CEO, Madison Media, said, “McCain as a brand has tremendous potential in the Indian market and I am excited to have them on board as our client. We are confident of helping them achieve their rightful dominant share.”

     

    Basabdatta Chowdhuri, CEO, Platinum Media, said, “We are absolutely delighted with this new win. What makes this win even more special is that it comes on our 25th anniversary.”

     

     

    Basabdatta Chowdhury

    Vikas Mittal, Managing Director, McCain Foods India Pvt Ltd, said, “We have a line-up of new business strategies and accompanying communication initiatives. Today, we are looking at increasing our media presence across all touch points.”

     

    Gunjan Pandey, General Manager-Marketing, McCain Foods India, added, “We wanted to take on board an agency that complimented our brand communication strategies. We look forward to create a more distinct market space for McCain.”

     

  • The digital assets of Nestle India for brands such as Nescafe, Maggi and Milkmaid, which were being managed by multiple agencies, have now been consolidated with Maxus Digital

    Nestle consolidates digital & social wt Maxus Digital

    By A Correspondent

     

    Nestle India has been successfully executing various digital initiatives on brand websites, social media and mobile across brands. Nescafe, Maggi and Milkmaid among others are some of the largest Facebook communities in their respective businesses. These digital assets of Nestle India that were being managed by multiple agencies have now been consolidated with Maxus Digital.

     

    Nestle India has recently established a comprehensive digital hub at its Head office in Gurgaon that will enable its marketing teams to listen to digital consumers and engage in meaningful conversation. Maxus Digital will work closely with the company and also help manage the Digital Acceleration and Services Hub ‘Dassh’. Maxus has dedicated a team for Nestle India with skills in social media platforms, measurements and creative and some of these team members will be operating from Dash in the Nestle head office.

     

    “We are very proud to be a part of Nestle’s digital journey. In a digitally connected world, reaching and engaging consumers requires expertise and understanding in diverse areas of Creative, content, technology, media and the ability to measure,” said Unny Radhakrishnan, Head of Digital Maxus South Asia.

     

    Ajit Varghese

    Ajit Varghese, Maxus MD, South Asia said, “We are excited to partner Nestle India and at being able to set up the first of its kind digital team for them. Nestle has already developed some good digital assets and we will work closely with the Nestle team to mesh them with mainstream marketing.”

     

  • According to the PrecisionMatch Mobile Handset Market Insights, Samsung Galaxy S3 is the most viewed model

    Samsung, Nokia, Micromax more researched than Apple

    By A Correrspondent

     

    PrecisionMatch, data provider for digital marketing in India, MEA and SEA, has released its ‘Mobile Handset Market Insights’ for India for the period December 2012 to February 2013. The consumer data in the mobile handset market suggests that Samsung, Nokia, Micromax, Sony and HTC are the five most researched brands on the internet and Samsung Galaxy S3 with its unique features is the most researched handset model.

     

    A key insight gathered from the data is the increasing consumer interest in Micromax phones. Micromax was the second most researched handset brand after Samsung in Feb 2013 while Micromax A110 Canvas 2 was the most researched handset model in January 2013. The data also suggests increasing popularity of Nokia, with its range of Nokia Asha and Nokia Lumia models that are competing with the likes of HTC, Apple and Sony Mobile. Another interesting revelation is Sony’s consistent performance making Sony Mobile the 4th most researched handset brand.

     

    PrecisionMatch Mobile Handset Market Insights was derived from aggregation and analysis of audience data for 5.3 million unique users across India over the 3 months. The 5.3 million unique users are audiences who displayed strong purchase intent by either researching, comparing or reviewing handset brands across sites. PrecisionMatch utilizes advanced data mining and analytics to identify prospective consumer segments for advertisers, generate actionable insights from aggregated data and develop consumers online behavior models.

     

  • Tigress Tigress, founded by Meera Sharath Chandra, aims for higher order conversations and delivery on overall brand strategy and consumer engagement across all communication touchpoints. In a hot domain, she tells MxMIndia how she plans to surge ahead

    Meera Sharath Chandra: Roaring for her own turf

    By Johnson Napier

     

    Meera Sharath chandra

    By now the industry may have already warmed up to news of a new agency being launched through Tigress Tigress. Founded by Meera Sharath Chandra, former ECD of Momentum Worldwide UK and former MD of WPP company Syzygy UK, Tigress Tigress will engage in higher order conversations and delivery on overall brand strategy and consumer engagement across all communication touchpoints – with digital at the heart of the experience. It’s a bold step, to say the least – floating a venture of her own in a domain that is a hot favourite.

     

    In fact one could very well start by questioning the thought-process that was adopted behind shortlisting a name that is pretty unusual in the Indian context. Admitting to receiving several inquiries behind the naming of the agency, Ms Chandra asserted that it is in fact a well-thought of strategy. “What I increasingly find is that brands need to mark their own territory in the competitive jungle and no one marks their turf in a better way than the tigress. Moreover once a tiger owns the space he doesn’t let go of it easily. Similarly when a brand comes to us I believe we should give them the chance of having a competitive advantage in the market,” affirmed Chandra.

     

    Presenting another stance Chandra added, “The other side to the name is that if you see my personality, I have been absolutely fiercely protective of my team – another trait of the tigress. When it comes to hunting for business I have been known to be fairly aggressive. So these are the two traits that are synonymous with that of the tigress and hence the name.”

     

    So while a strategy had been envisioned where naming of the agency was concerned, another factor that throws up a lot of questions is being tagged as just another agency in the business. But then there is something different about Tigress Tigress that makes it a player to reckon in the future. Asserted Ms Chandra, “The uniqueness of this concept is that there is no resident team which is creating overheads which I pass on to clients like what the other agencies do. The model is more of a just-in-time talent model where I draw the right resources for the brief. The thing is that whenever the client gives us a brief I would not farm it off to the same team as what most agencies do since they already have the overheads. I would look at the right talent that suits that particular challenge in the marketplace, pull together the right resources; and since creative leadership is my strength I would make sure that everybody works together in a seamless fashion – my entire talent pool is anyway people whom I know and have worked with very well.”

     

    This is business strategy which will draw attention from peers in the industry and also be appealing to clients in a big way. Asserted Ms Chandra, “The thing is that clients are getting a lot savvier in today’s world and if you take a look at their relationship with agencies and re-examine it you would find that the kind of lacuna that exists would be fulfilled by the model that we have to offer. If they want freshness of talent, if they want talent across all touch-points of a truly integrated campaign… nobody has everything in-house but in this model we can stretch ourselves beyond the comfort zone of the agency. I truly believe that a meaningful campaign will always put the consumer first, the brand second and the agency third. If you see today’s model the agencies are navel-gazing and are then worried about the brand and then of the consumer. Whereas it has to be the other way round.”

     

    Chandra said that where clients are concerned she is busy chalking out strategies for one big client – Vibrant Advertising, leaving her little time for the others. “I have just about started signing on a panel of clients and it has taken me quite some time. The first assignment that I am working on is for Vibrant Sports which is a massive High School Football exercise in the US and is completely taken care of on the digital and mobile space. This is being scheduled for August so my entire bandwidth is around that project. In fact the project is so massive that I have no time for pitching to other clients,” quipped Ms Chandra.

     

    Some of the other names on the roster include Digital Marmalade, C R Wolcott Ltd and Skidmore Music from UK, Liam Titcomb from Canada and Ocean Pictures from Germany.

     

    Assisting Ms Chandra in her venture in India will be Vijaykumar Arumugam handling animation and illustration, Deepa Kirodian on art resource and actor-director Purab Kohli, who will be working on cause-related webisodes and video content.

     

    Looking at how the digital landscape has evolved in India, Ms Chandra said, “I have been doing digital for the last 15 years and the last time I was in India, digital wasn’t as huge as it is now. Though it’s not at the level seen in the US or the UK it is on the verge of a breakthrough. What is happening is that TG is increasingly getting younger, becoming more net-savvy and social media active… so the centre point around any campaign has to be digital. If you stick to the old model it may work in certain instances but the new emerging audiences require a different approach with a little of the heart around doing integrated campaigns.”

     

    On the possibility of being open to acquisitions from big enterprises, Ms Chandra expressed caution as she said, “Where digital acquisitions are concerned, that is really not a solution because when you buy a digital company and create an integrated campaign with all the acquisitions that have been made, they are all still different profit centres and they are all pulling at the same share of revenues and they are all having the same friction. This means that the brand personality is not coming out seamlessly because different companies are working on it and therefore one is having a very schizophrenic brand experience and the consumer will get confused at the end of the day. So even if you have divisions inside an agency to create a seamless integrated campaign requires an absolute cohesive team.”

     

    More than that and at a personal level, the venture seems to be a perfect way for Ms Chandra to make her dream of achieving something big at an individual level come true. “As I see it, the entity is an early plan for a late retirement.” Those wanting to explore the possibility of buying out Tigress Tigress out can put that thought to rest.

     

  • Parle Products will be carrying out an extensive marketing campaign for the premium cookie with Amitabh Bachchan as brand ambassador

    Parle signs BachchanSr to endorse Gold Star cookies

    By A Correspondent

     

    Parle Products, biscuit, confectionery and snacks manufacturer has roped in Amitabh Bachchan as the brand ambassador for its new Gold Star Cookies. It has roped in the legendary superstar Amitabh Bachchan to be the face of its new range of Gold Star Cookies – latest offering in the premium cookie category.

     

    The company will be carrying out an extensive 360-degree marketing campaign to support the launch.

     

    Commenting on the launch of the new product, Shalin Desai, Group Product Manager, Parle Products said, “The premium cookie segment in India has witnessed a steady growth over the years; however it’s largely dominated by the presence of a single player. There is a lot of untapped potential leading to an opportunity for new entrants in this category. Today’s consumer is well informed and aware, making him a lot more quality conscious and always on the lookout for a variety of options.”

     

    Speaking on the association with Amitabh Bachchan, Mr. Desai further added, “Mr. Bachchan has a magnificent personality and a strong connect among Indians across age groups. He embodies an exemplary blend of both style and performance, making him the ideal choice to endorse our products. The goodwill and reputation he has built over the last three decades compliments our own, built over the last 80 years’. His remarkable appeal which spreads across all sections of people in the country, compliments our brand communication.”

     

    Commenting on the association Amitabh Bachchan said, “It gives me an immense pleasure to be associated with the most iconic biscuit company of India, Parle Products. From last 70 years we all have grown up eating Parle’s biscuits and it has always been the most loved brand in the country amongst all age groups. There is hardly any other biscuit brand in India which is as popular as Parle. I am thrilled to begin a new journey with Parle’s Gold Star cookies and take the brand legacy ahead.”

     

    Gold Star is currently available at price points of Rs 10, Rs 15, Rs 20 and Rs 30 in pack sizes ranging from 75gms to 200gms across all kirana stores and modern trade formats in India. The company currently has Hide n Seek, Hide and Seek Fab and Milano in its premium cookies. With the introduction of Gold Star, the company is addressing the need of a product that offers good quality and taste in the premium cookie segment. The cookies are available in four variants, Butter, Cashew Butter, Chocolate Chip and Chocolate & Nut.

     

  • PepsiCo India has announced its association with eight out of nine Pepsi-IPL teams as the 'Exclusive Pouring Partner' for the upcoming IPL 2013

    Pepsi bags exclusive pouring rights with 8 teams at IPL

    By A Correspondent

     

    PepsiCo India has announced its association with eight out of the nine Pepsi-IPL teams as the ‘Exclusive Pouring Partner’ for the upcoming Pepsi-IPL 2013 tournament. After winning the title sponsorship for the biggest annual sporting event in the subcontinent, PepsiCo’s partnership with almost all participating teams further demonstrates its commitment to the sport of cricket and the ability to maximize value from the tournament.

     

    The association will extend to PepsiCo’s robust food and beverage portfolio including Pepsi, Mountain Dew, 7UP, Mango Slice, Mirinda, Aquafina, Tropicana, Lay’s, Kurkure, Aliva and Quaker Oats. These team partnerships, along with the title sponsorship coupled with the robust on-air, on-line and on-ground plans will ensure maximum visibility and engagement for PepsiCo’s brands.

     

    While activations with Delhi Daredevils will be led by both Pepsi and Mountain Dew; Kolkata Knight Riders and Pune Warriors will be led by Pepsi; Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab by Mountain Dew; Chennai Super Kings, The Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore by 7UP. Additionally, these associations also bring with it exclusive pouring rights, joint marketing association opportunities along with other benefits for both food and beverage brands.

     

    On securing the pouring rights with eight teams, Gautham Mukkavilli, CEO, Beverages, PepsiCo India Region said, “At PepsiCo, we believe that winning the title sponsorship of Pepsi-IPL was just the beginning and we are committed to back it with smart, strategic and high-decibel marketing and activation plans that will help us maximize the tournament’s potential. We are thrilled to announce our association with the eight franchise teams and will continue to build a campaign that will change the face of sport sponsorships and activations in India. Cricket lovers can look forward to a lot more excitement, never before experiences and a memorable sporting season”.

     

    PepsiCo has also signed the co-presenting broadcast sponsorship deal with Multi Screen Media (MSM), owners of the Set Max channel that will be broadcasting Pepsi-IPL 2013. Apart from a strong on-air play of its portfolio, PepsiCo is working on a series of customized innovations with MSM to maximize its association with the broadcaster.

     

  • Moving away from product-specific brand ambassadors, Godrej has roped in Aamir Khan for its overall brand image.How well will this work?

    Master marketer AK is Godrej’s new mascot

     

    By Johnson Napier

     

    If you thought actor Hrithik Roshan was the only superstar or that current favourite Virat Kohli was the sportsperson of choice to drive growth for the products that they endorse under the Godrej portfolio, you may be mistaken. While their immense contribution in driving sales and popularity cannot be doubted, Godrej has turned to master-marketer Aamir Khan to clinch the deal for them.

     

    ‘A perfect opportunity to get width and scale for brand Godrej’
     

    The next few days will be aspirational for Shireesh Mukund Joshi, Head – Strategic Marketing, Godrej Group, as his organisation engages in an eight-part brand promotion exercise in the Indian marketplace. With Aamir Khan as its celeb-of-choice, the integrated campaign of ‘Ideas that makes life brighter‘ will focus on enhancing brand Godrej’s emotive appeal by showcasing the breadth of fresh ideas from within the group to its consumers.

     

    Excerpts from an interview with Mr Joshi on the occasion of the launch…

     

    In challenging times such as these, brands would usually go in for an all-out promotional exercise if they are engaging in repositioning or if they want to give falling numbers a fillip. What made you opt for an overall brand-Godrej promotional exercise at this juncture?

    It’s been some time since we last came out with a communication around all of our brands. If you observe, during this period we’ve achieved and done quite a lot in terms of new product launches, promotional campaigns etc. Also if you see each of the brands talk to a specific set of audiences but no one has managed to see all of them in a single piece of communication. This will be a perfect opportunity for us to get width and scale for brand Godrej. Since we have managed to accumulate a lot of products under our portfolio to showcase to the consumers, we felt the time was right to come up with a communication campaign of this scale.

     

    The emphasis for most brands in recent times has been around marketing and reaching out to the youth in a big way. How is the story same or different for brand Godrej?

    Where Godrej is concerned, it is a youth-also brand rather than just youth-only. We have products that are built for homes and diverse set of audiences. The products of today have to be designed keeping the various needs of the overall audiences in mind whether it is the youth or other audience categories. As the needs of consumers keep evolving so do our products that need to undergo a shift in terms of adjusting to the needs of the audiences.

     

    Why didn’t you stick with current favourite Virat Kohli or the dependable Hrithik Roshan to espouse the larger cause for brand Godrej? Why rope in a new celebrity?

    Both Virat Kohli and Hrithik Roshan have been used for pushing further the cause of Cinthol in the Indian marketplace. Where Aamir Khan is concerned, he will be seen endorsing brand Godrej in its entirety. So wherever there is a connect with brand Godrej we’ve set up a communication that will feature Aamir Khan as the ambassador. It is not about a particular product but is rather about endorsing common set of values across our entire product portfolio. Aamir, we thought, was the perfect fit to drive our objective in the current brand communication context.

     

    You’ve stuck with JWT to drive the creative thought process for this large exercise too…

    The entire communication has been handled effectively by JWT and we are happy with the way the range of commercials have been drafted for presentation in the coming few days.

     

    Were you looking at IPL as the platform to share the core brand objective exclusively with? Will you be pledging maximum revenues on IPL 6?

    I cannot reveal what the estimated spend is for the IPL this year but it will suffice to say that it is well balanced.

     

    What is the spike you’re expecting in volume sales or the bottomline revenue for the group from this activity?

    This is not a product or specific campaign launch. It’s a campaign that celebrates brand Godrej in India. Over a period of time as more people become aware of more products from Godrej then we will rise in consideration set. It’s a much more longer term infusion of values of the brand rather than concentrating in immediate spike in sales or revenue. We will be able to gauge the impact on sales and revenue only later.

     

    And it’s not just a division or two – the ace actor has been roped in by Godrej to endorse the overall group in India. The move follows the company’s strategy over the last five years, where the group has built on its promise towards a brighter living by creating a slew of innovative ideas. Continuing with its next phase of journey, the new integrated campaign - Ideas that make life brighter – will be focused on enhancing the brand’s emotive appeal by showcasing the breadth of fresh ideas from within the group to its consumers.

     

    While company spokespersons preferred to withhold information on the cost of getting Aamir to endorse for the group, the overall cost for the eight-part television promotional activity is being pegged in upwards of Rs 50 crore. Creative hotshop JWT has been the force behind the new commercials featuring Aamir Khan.

     

    The categories to be featured as part of the promotional activities include Appliances, Interiors, GCPL, GPL & Security Solutions.

     

    Tanya Dubash, Executive Director and Chief Brand Officer, Godrej Group, explained the AK rationale: “Over the last five years we have walked on the exciting journey of managing the Godrej brand as an invaluable strategic asset. This journey has been marked by the creation of a more contemporary entity that has created an even stronger connect with the 500 million Indians who use a Godrej product or service every day.”

     

    The new integrated campaign, ‘Ideas that make life brighter’, aims to communicate the ethos of brand Godrej to the consumers, she added. “It is our belief that this campaign will harness the strength of the masterbrand through leveraging the diverse innovations across the group and presenting them in a very engaging manner.”

     

    While such activities are a result of some repositioning exercise that brands use to boost falling sales numbers, for Godrej it is about showcasing all its products under the Godrej umbrella to enable it to attain width and scale. Shireesh Mukund Joshi, Head – Strategic Marketing, Godrej Group said, “It’s been some time since we last came out with a communication around all of our brands. If you observe, during the recent past we’ve achieved and done quite a lot in terms of new product launches, promotional campaigns etc. Also, each of the brands talk to a specific set of audiences but no one has managed to see all of them in a single piece of communication. This will be a perfect opportunity for us to get width and scale for brand Godrej.”

     

    Since the group has a lot of products under its portfolio to showcase to consumers, the time was right to come up with a communication campaign of this scale, Mr Joshi said. On the decision to get Aamir Khan over the other bunch of superstars including current ambassadors Hrithik Roshan or Virat Kohli, he said, “It is not about a particular product but is rather about endorsing a common set of values across our entire product portfolio. Aamir, we thought, was the perfect fit to drive our objective in the current brand communication context.”

     

    On the impact that such an activity will have on the overall revenue growth for the group, Mr Joshi said, “We have to realise that this is a campaign that celebrates brand Godrej in India. Over a period of time as more people become aware of more products from Godrej then we will rise in consideration set. It’s a longer-term infusion of values of the brand rather than focusing on immediate spike in sales or revenue. We will be able to gauge the impact on sales and revenue only later.”

     

    Given the timing of its launch, it is obvious that the group will look at the IPL as the platform to go big with their promotional activities. Without getting into specifics, Joshi said that it would suffice to state that the spend for the IPL has been “well-balanced”.

     

    For now, it is time for the action to move to the small screen as consumers will take a call on whether Aamir Khan does justice to the brand.

     

  • HUL's Domex ran a campaign on Big FM, with characters Jaggu Jaundice, Tatya Typhoid and Danny Diarrhea spreading the message of toilet hygiene and sanitization

    Germs personified on radio for HUL’s Domex

    By A Correspondent

     

    While most toilet cleaner campaigns focus on TVCs and print, HUL’s Domex has taken to the radio waves in an innovative bid to target the markets of Maharashtra and South India.

     

    Big FM has carried out an innovative and engaging campaign on the pegs of toilet hygiene and sanitization, called ‘Germs Ka The End’, with characters Jaggu Jaundice, Tatya Typhoid and Danny Diarrhea spreading the message of toilet hygiene and sanitization.

     

    Led by National Solutions Head Dheeraj Kumar along with his team comprising Zara Zaki, Sreejith Vijayan and Usha Malasi, the campaign also saw a song rendition by music director and singer Bappi Lahiri, titled The End.

     

    Created against the backdrop of ‘shaayri’, the characterized germs poetically profess the ill-effects of unhygienic and unsanitized toilets through an imaginative exchange of dialogues.

     

    Ashwin Padmanabhan

    Ashwin Padmanabhan, Business Head – 92.7 Big FM said, “We are happy with the success of the campaign. To be able to tailor solutions to meet client requirements, while also keeping listener sensibilities in mind has been our strength which has been showcased once again with this campaign with Domex. The team has done an excellent job and we look forward to continuing to serve audiences and marketers alike, with innovative and highly engaging offerings.”

     

    George Koshy, Category Head (Household Care), Hindustan Unilever Ltd said, “Toilet cleaners category cues are such that consumers cringe on seeing any form of advertising. Our germ world campaign is our attempt at making this category easier on the eye. In order to make the germ world and its characters popular, we decided to use music as the medium. Mindshare created a unique tie-up with 92.7 Big FM and Bappi Lahiri to create a fun jingle around Domex’s characters – Jaggu Jaundice, Tatya Typhoid and Danny Diarrhea. Radio is a key medium with our audience residing in our key markets. The song enabled us to enter the realm of radio content and away from the by now done-to-death RJ integrations and station roadblocks.”

     

  • The global headline GMI measure registered a value of 56.9 points in March, an increase of 0.7 points from February. It takes into account marketers' expectations for trading conditions and staffing levels as well as marketing budgets

    European marketing budgets rise for the first time in 11 months

    By A Correspondent

     

    Marketing budgets are set to rise in all global regions in March according to the latest data from Warc’s Global Marketing Index. For only the second time since the index began in October 2011, European marketers reported net growth in budgets this month, with an index value of 50.5. This represents a 1.7 point increase from February.

     

    Marketing budgets also rose in the Americas (55.4) and Asia Pacific (51.2). Globally, the index of marketing budgets improved from 51.7 in February to 52.4 in March, which is the index’s highest reading in eleven months. The GMI provides a unique monthly indicator of the state of the global marketing industry, by tracking current conditions among marketers. A GMI reading of 50 indicates no change, and a reading of over 60 indicates rapid growth.

     

    The global headline GMI measure – which takes into account marketers’ expectations for trading conditions and staffing levels as well as marketing budgets – registered a value of 56.9 points in March, an increase of 0.7 points from February. This is the second highest headline GMI reading since data collection started, bettered only by the 58.1 recorded in April 2012.

     

    All three components of the headline GMI performed strongly this month. The index for global trading conditions continued to signify rapid improvement, standing at 60.0 (up 0.6 points from February). Region by region, the Americas remains the most positive for trading conditions (62.3), followed by Asia Pacific (59.5) and Europe (57.9). The index of staffing levels rose by 0.6 points globally to register a value of 58.2 in March. Regional index values stood at 59.4 for the Americas, 58.0 for Asia Pacific and 56.6 for Europe.

     

    Suzy Young, Data and Journals Director at Warc, said, “The latest GMI data are encouraging for marketers worldwide. Confidence also appears to be returning in Europe, which is reassuring in light of fresh concerns regarding economic stability in the Eurozone.”

     

    Warc has produced independent data on advertising expenditure and media costs for more than 25 years, and has partnerships with leading advertising organizations in more than 80 countries.

     

  • Heineken is looking to recruit a lucky football fan, who is digitally and socially savvy, creative, witty, passionate and eager, to report on the UEFA Champions League Final weekend for Heineken's social media channels in India

    Heineken upbeat about social for UCL

    By Johnson Napier

     

    With the rollout of the Social Reporter contest, Heineken is looking to recruit a ‘Man of The World’ from India, to live the Heineken Experience and report on it. The attempt is to recruit a lucky football fan, who is digitally and socially savvy, creative, witty, passionate and eager, to report on the UEFA Champions League Final weekend for Heineken’s social media channels in India.

     

    Samar Singh Sheikhawat, Senior Vice President (Marketing), United Breweries Ltd. tells MxMIndia on what makes this contest a unique experience for football fans in India and also what are Heineken’s growth plans for India.

     

    This is Heineken’s first association with UEFA Champions League in India. Given the huge popularity that UCL enjoys around the world, what are your expectations from the association in India?

    Heineken globally has been a sponsor of the UEFA Champions League, the world’s most prestigious club football tournament, since 1994. This makes it a perfect match for Heineken, the world’s most international premium beer brand.

     

    The Heineken Social reporter initiative is an extension of the brand’s global campaign The Candidate, and one of the initiatives as part of Heineken’s activation of the UEFA Champions League sponsorship in India.

     

    We expect this initiative and our overall Champions League activation plans to give Heineken a salience boost, and connect with young urban consumers in the key consumption months of the upcoming warm Indian summer. The winner of our search will not only experience the time of his life, but will also play an extremely important role in his assignment as Heineken’s Social Reporter. We are looking for someone not just with advanced degrees or skills, but for someone who is smart, spontaneous, witty and creative; and someone who has the ability to think out of the bottle.

     

    Could you elaborate on the Social Reporter contest that you’ve announced in India? How is it unique?

    With the Heineken Social Reporter, the brand is looking to recruit a ‘Man of The World’ from India, to live the Heineken Experience and report on it. The attempt is to recruit a lucky football fan, who is digitally and socially savvy, creative, witty, passionate and eager, to report on the UEFA Champions League Final weekend for Heineken’s Social Media channels in India.

     

    The search will begin with the profiles that interested fans create on our Facebook app: https://apps.facebook.com/heinekencandidate/. From here we will create a shortlist and then engage with the candidates on a one-to-one basis over two or three more rounds, before we arrive at our Heineken Social Reporter.

     

    Will you be looking at extending the contract of the winner beyond the UCL tournament?

    The Heineken Social Reporter is ideally a onetime opportunity for one successful consumer to report Live from the upcoming UEFA Champions League Final from Wembley Stadium, London.

     

    What are Heineken’s plans around other sporting properties (including football) in India?

    Across the world, Heineken connects with consumers through marketing activation campaigns based on its global Sport, Music and Film platforms. These include the UEFA Champions League Football and the Rugby World Cup. In India, we will be continuing on the same lines. At this moment we are concentrating on Heineken’s activation of the UEFA Champions League sponsorship in India. We do not have any other sporting associations at the moment.

     

    Growth-wise, what are your expectations from India for the year 2012-13?

    Heineken is our fastest growing brand. It has grown at close to 100%. We have almost doubled volumes from what they were last year.

     

    For the upcoming year, we are looking at increasing distribution of the brand to reach out to our target consumers.