MxMIndia

Category: PRODUCTS

  • Contract manufacturing and an increasingly mature last-mile logistics are two pillars enabling the D2C revolution, writes Ashoke Agarrwal

    D2C Marketing’s Amazon Dilemma

     

     

    By Ashoke Agarrwal

     

    Ashoke AgarrwalOver the past two pandemic-infected years, e-commerce in India and worldwide has flourished.

    Parallelly, the market is in an increasing set of categories – packaged foods, personal care, fashion, electronics etc. – flooded with Direct-To-Consumer (D2C) brands.

    Contract manufacturing and an increasingly mature last-mile logistics ecosystem are the two pillars that enable the D2C revolution.

    A third dimension keeps most D2C entrepreneurs awake at night in the form of a Hamletian question -“To Amazon or Not To Amazon?”

    For an established brand with widespread awareness, a loyal consumer base and a solid traditional distribution, Amazon is just one more channel.

    However, when it comes to a new brand in a competitive market, whether or not to place their product with a big-box e-tailer like Amazon is a critical and fraught question.

    Given the increasing relevance of e-commerce in most categories, digital marketing and e-commerce offer the lowest cost go-to-market route for a new or small business.

    The question that most new or small consumer businesses and brands would therefore face is whether to focus exclusively on building and promoting their exclusive e-commerce platform. Alternatively, have their product available both on their exclusive e-commerce platform and with the relevant big-box e-tailer – the generalists like Amazon and the category specialists.

    The pros of being on a big box platform are immediate reach and visibility.

    The cons are data asymmetry and low brand engagement.

    The big-box e-tailer has all the data on consumer interest and purchases in the category, and the brand has none.

    Such a situation gives the big-box e-tailer an advantage if and when the e-tailer decides to launch its private label brand. AmazonBasics is a prime example of a data-driven private label strategy.

    However, in cases when most of the competition is already selling on the platform, the data issue is moot.

    As for brand engagement, on Amazon, the dominant brand is Amazon. Especially when to consumer searches for a category and is faced with row after row of choices. In such a case, the product brand becomes almost a commodity.

    Brand engagement is less of an issue when a consumer specifies a brand in her search.

    That, however, is likely to happen only when the brand is already an established brand.

    So how does a newcomer brand decide on the “To Amazon Or Not To Amazon” question?

    To my mind, the answer hinges, as it does with most questions in life, on a complex set of interacting factors.

    Some of the factors at play would be the stage in the product lifecycle that the category is, the price and consumer segments the brand is addressing, the competitive set and strategy, the overall distribution scenario and channel shares.

    Even after taking all relevant factors into account, the answer to the question might be different from different points-of-view

    A recent HBR case study titled “Should a Direct-to-Consumer Company Start Selling on Amazon” provides a lucid example.

    It is about PedalSpark a successful direct-to-consumer seller on the company’s e-commerce platform of $4000 luxury e-bikes.

    PedalSpark planned to launch a cheaper, entry-level model at around the $900 mark.

    The marketing and sales team had differing opinions on whether PedalSpark should put this cheaper model up for sale on the Amazon platform besides their exclusive platform.

    The case study outlines the different arguments.

    And as in all HBR case studies, two experts offer their opinion. And viola, the two offer diametrically different but equally convincing answers!

    Expert One advocates that not only should PedalSpark put the cheaper $900 model on Amazon, but it should also consider putting the $4000 model on Amazon. The extra reach that Amazon offers, according to this expert, overrides any negatives.

    On the other hand, Expert Two suggests that PedalSpark should focus on building the brand. And consider launching the brand on Amazon once the brand strength reaches a level where it can be sure that a substantial number of potential buyers on Amazon would search for “PedalSpark e-bikes” instead of just “e-bikes”.

    The HBR case study is available at around $10.

    While “To Amazon Or Not To Amazon” is a sticky question, the question of whether or not to invest in reading the entire case study is not.

    Just do it!

     

    PS: I published a version of this article under the title “To Amazon Or Not To Amazon” on my blog on March 11th 2019.

     

     

  • For data leakage prevention

    Synersoft Technologies launches first brand campaign

    By Our Staff

     

    Synersoft Technologies, an SME-focused IT company, has launched its first campaign for its product Blackbox. In this campaign, they are launching video series named “Videos for Laymen” to create awareness among laymen about data leakage prevention.

     

    Said Vishal Shah, Co-Founder and CEO of Synersoft Technologies: “We want people to be informed about data leakage prevention. Nowadays, data loss is the major problem faced by every enterprise thus knowledge regarding this issue is very important. We have started this video series to make people aware of data theft and data loss. We have created BLACKbox for data protection. It has several features that help enterprises in data loss protection and data theft prevention.”

     

  • The company has partnered with Rephrase AI to create personalised video films retailers

    Harbhajan & Shikhar bat for Symphony coolers

    By Our Staff

     

    Air cooler major Symphony has roped in cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Shikhar Dhawan for an AI-led nationwide initiative. The brand has partnered with Rephrase AI to create hyper-personalised video films for over 2,300 retailers across India.

     

    Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Anuj Arora, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Symphony Limited said: “We are ecstatic to have partnered with reputed cricketers, Harbhajan Singh, and Shikhar Dhawan. They came on board to create AI driven customised videos for our dealership partners who are an integral part of our company. The objective is to create brand love and deepen the bonding with our trade partners. We are consistently brainstorming and innovating to come up with intriguing campaigns. With this initiative, we hope to strengthen our relationships and reach new heights together.”

     

    Added Nisheeth Lahoti, the co-founder at Rephrase.AI:  “Generating AI videos with two big stars and a compelling narrative was a fresh challenge for us – however, seeing the commitment of the brand to build something for the distributor network was compelling. Rephrase.ai created a digital avatar that cloned the face and voice of the cricketer and use AI to generate a unique video for more than 2000 stakeholders.”

     

  • Created by Full Moon Productions

    Brand ambassador Tiger Shroff campaigns for APL Apollo Pipes

    By Our Staff

     

    APL Apollo Pipes has launched two new television campaigns featuring its brand ambassador Tiger Shroff. The TVCs, created by Full Moon Productions and directed by Siddharth Anand, emphasise on safety and strength of APL Apollo Pipes and APL Apollo Water Tanks, highlighting its tagline, ‘Never Cracks Under Pressure’.

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Mr. Sameer Gupta, Managing Director, Apollo Pipes Limited said: “Apollo Pipes, over the years, has established itself as a leading quality-driven piping company moving from strength to strength in terms of customer satisfaction. The brand has seen a significant amount of business growth after onboarding Tiger Shroff as the brand ambassador. The actor’s strength and flexibility resonate the best with the brand. Our next step for this association was to create a focused storyline that springs from the brand philosophy of ‘Never Cracks Under Pressure’ to engage with the audience in a quirky and intriguing way. We look forward to accomplishing major milestones in our journey, together.”

     

  • To advocate menstrual wellness

    Deepika Padukone to be the face for femtech brand Nua

    By Our Staff

     

    Nua, femtech startup, has launched a campaign with Deepika Padukone as the face of their new menstrual wellness range. The campaign #GoWithYourFlow has been designed by Wondrlab.

     

    Speaking on the new step taken by Nua, Amit, Chief Creative Officer, of Wondrlab, said: “When we sat with the strategy and creative teams, we realised the reality of periods is far different from its advertising. We decided to create a brand story based in reality – having real conversations and solving real period problems. Deepika was of course the perfect ambassador. She is known for her open conversations on topics that others are not comfortable speaking on – like periods. So, we had her take on cliches propagated by the category and then help solve real problems through the product in her own witty, charming way, that stands out from anything done in the category. With Wondrlab’s unique approach, we’ve created content for both top of the funnel and the bottom of the funnel through performance videos.”

     

    Added Ravi Ramachandran, Co-Founder & CEO, Nua: “With an aim to break the stereotype in advertising around menstrual health and to normalize the conversation about menstrual hygiene, we onboarded Wondrlab to come up with this powerful, new campaign. We found Deepika Padukone to be the perfect fit for our brand given the fact that her vision for the women of our country is in alignment with our brand’s objective. We want to spark meaningful discussions through this campaign and provide effective solutions to women in order to promote menstrual wellness. #GoWithYourFlow is a step in that direction and we will continue to build on this to foster an environment for better and healthier living for women in the years to come.”

     

  • To offer its integrated creative and digital marketing solutions

    Digital Refresh Network wins Sunstone Eduversity mandate

    By Our Staff

     

    Digital Refresh Networks has won the digital mandate for Sunstone Eduversity. The account was won following a multi-agency pitch and will be looked after by the agency’s Mumbai team.

     

    Commenting on the association, Alekhya Chakravarty, Head of Marketing, Sunstone said: “Our association with the team at Digital Refresh Networks is sure to help us organise and scale our digital content ecosystem. In today’s world, having a holistic digital presence is highly crucial in order to not only boost the brand’s footprint across digital, but also drive business growth for each category. We look forward to DRN’s ability to think content in every possible form across channels that delivers brand building as well as on business growth”

     

    Added Barin Mukherjee, Co-Founder & CEO, Digital Refresh Networks: “It is an honour to be associated with a brand like Sunstone. With our expertise in understanding content across channels/ formats and regions, would be great value to deliver on building Sunstone as a strong engage in brand enhance the visibility of the institution.”

     

  • Launches 'Idhu Namma campaign'

    Brooke Bond 3 Roses collaborates with CSK for new TVC

    By Our Staff

     

    Brooke Bond 3 Roses tea brand launched its new TVC Idhu Namma Tea(m), where it has partnered with the IPL team ‘Chennai Super Kings’ for its 15th edition. The campaign highlights the message of ‘Idhu Namma Tea, Idhu Namma Team’ (It’s our Tea, It’s our Team) to connect with the audience by accepting and trusting the new members of CSK.

     

    Said Shiva Krishnamurthy, Vice President, Tea & Foods (HUL): “Brooke Bond 3 Roses is South India’s most loved tea brand and an icon of Tamil Nadu. Being Tamil Nadu’s favourite tea, we are happy to partner with Tamil Nadu’s favourite tea(m), Chennai Super Kings, during this year’s IPL. Our Idhu Namma tea(m) campaign celebrates Tamilians’ love for 3 Roses tea and for CSK with lots of warmth and affection.”

     

    Added Ajay Mehta, Sr. Vice President, Mindshare: “With the IPL season, we took this golden opportunity to associate with Chennai Super Kings, a team that unifies entire Tamil Nadu and resonates well with the brand’s philosophy of togetherness. The films capture this in a light-hearted manner and that too over a cup of tea.”

     

     

  • Showcases its new proposition, 'More Taakat* To You'

    Ogilvy creates campaign for Bournvita Biscuits

    By Our Staff

     

    Bournvita Biscuits has rolled out its new proposition, ‘More Taakat To You’.

     

    Speaking about the campaign Sunainika Singh, Director – Biscuits & Bakes, Marketing, Mondelez India said: “Since the launch of Bournvita Biscuits in 2016, it has emerged as the preferred morning snack enriched with the wholesome taste of Cadbury Bournvita. However, with changing times, we understand that kids today want to do a lot more and require extra nutrition to keep them going through the day. Addressing this, our new campaign appeals to parents looking for nutritious all-day snacking options, while bringing alive the brand’s latest proposition- ‘More Taakat* To You’.”

     

    Added Ramakrishnan Hariharan (Executive Creative Director, Ogilvy India): “More Taakat to you is an expression of support and encouragement. It’s like saying ‘more power to you’ to someone in need of that extra little push. That kind of reassurance, coming from a mother for her child, is rooted in product delivery, and at the same time sets a contemporary tone of voice. Simply put, it’s the core product promise that has helped us craft a convincing brand promise. Aim is to forge a connection with young mothers, and more importantly, their go-getter children.”

     

  • Focuses on driving the importance of self-care with #SelfcarewithFlipkart

    Flipkart unveils campaign promoting self-care solutions

    By Our Staff

     

    Flipkart has launched a new brand campaign – #SelfcarewithFlipkart that stresses on the importance of self-care. It is a three-month long campaign that strives to provide self-care solutions through collaboration with influencers from varied fields.

     

    Notes a communique: “To drive the #SelfcarewithFlipkart campaign, Flipkart has collaborated with influencers like – Mrunal Panchal (Beauty & Makeup), Anirudh Sharma (Fitness), Meghna Kaur (Grooming & Personal Care), Yashmin Karachiwala (Food & Nutrition), Durjoy Dutta (Reading & Spirituality) who share their expertise and learnings on the best self-care practices through interactive conversations on social media.”

     

     

  • Fans stand a chance to meet their favourite players this IPL season

    Wunderman Thompson creates gamified ads for Nestle Munch

    By Our Staff

     

    Nestle Munch has tied up with four teams this cricket season to create an engaging immersive experience for the Nestle Munch brand. The campaign crafted by Wunderman Thompson India is an experiential, immersive, gaming experience for cricket fans that dials up the brand franchise through use of technology. The entire approach is gamified to build a non TVC tech first approach that is triggered via a scan of specially designed cricket team Nestle Munch packs.

     

    Talking about the campaign, Rupali Rattan, Head – Confectionery Business, Nestlé India, said: “We are really thrilled about how we are leveraging technology to bring alive this exciting partnership between Munch and the loved sport of Cricket. It not only enables youngsters to play specially curated, fun games but also enables them to come up close with their favorite cricketing heroes in an augmented reality universe so they continue to be inspired and stay confident.”

     

    Commenting on the campaign, Joy Chauhan, Managing Partner, Wunderman Thompson Delhi, said: “As we rapidly move towards a digital first economy and spend more and more of our time online, getting consumer’s attention and time through new and emerging technology has become imperative for the brands. The dependence of consumers on technology reflects in time they spent on social media, use technology for commerce, and even use technology for their wellbeing which in turn necessitates for the brands to leverage this changing consumer behaviour and be a part of this evolving journey.

     

  • Ropes in actors Shahid Kapoor and Rana Daggubati

    Colgate announces new identity for its toothpaste brand

    By Our Staff

     

    Colgate-Palmolive (India) Limited has announced the new identity of its toothpaste brand- Colgate Strong Teeth with its latest campaign. Featuring Shahid Kapoor and Rana Daggubati, the ‘Daant strong toh main strong’ TVC, created by RedFuse Communications, puts the spotlight on the importance of strong teeth.

     

    Speaking on the new campaign, Arvind Chintamani, VP, Marketing, Colgate-Palmolive India, said: “As Indians, we understand the importance of chewing and have grown up with our parents asking us to chew our food 36 times before swallowing. However, what we often forget is that teeth are our first digestive organ and teeth need to be strong to get the best nutrition from food. We’re super excited to have Shahid and Rana partner with us to remind parents of this message and to focus on teeth strength with Colgate Strong Teeth, India’s #1 Toothpaste, every day!”

     

    Added Delna Sethna, Executive Creative Director, Red Fuse: “Because digestion starts in the mouth, you need strong teeth. Sounds simple enough. Sounds like you’ve heard this enough. And yet making this point was anything but simple. This is a campaign that’s been designed to work hard to land the message, with dad (Shahid & Rana) as our spokesperson for once. Equal parenting is something a lot of brands speak of, we went the extra mile to land it.”

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxy6nW5KOm4

  • Created by Yellow Windows Communications

    Vicco rolls out new jingle for launch of Turmeric Facewash

    By Our Staff

     

    Vicco Laboratories,  a manufacturer of Indian Ayurvedic herbal hygiene and healthcare, has launched yet another memorable jingle –  this time for the launch of its Turmeric Facewash. It has been created by Yellow Windows Communications

     

    Commenting on the launch, Devesh Pendharkar, Director, Vicco Laboratories said: “Vicco is known for its quality products. We have been manufacturing ayurvedic products since seven decades. Turmeric face wash is yet another quality product that we have launched in our skin care portfolio. With the goodness of Turmeric, it is the best product available in anti-acne, anti-pimple category. The product has been developed keeping in mind teenagers as they have to face early age pimple problem. We have tried to communicate all these benefits to the relevant audiences through the peppy and energetic jingle.”

     

    Added Virendra Saini and Jyotsna Bhat, Managing partners, Yellow Windows Communications: “Vicco is known for its two iconic brands Vicco Vajradanti and Vicco Turmeric. We wanted to establish Vicco Turmeric Facewash as a new brand of Vicco and build top of mind recall in an already cluttered facewash market. Our research learnings gave us good insights into the minds of the youth and their fears to do with skin. Face is the first thing that is noticed when you meet somebody and therefore pimples, acne and other skin problems being a big confidence downer, was an understanding that drove us to create this piece of communication. The idea was to bring out the already accepted benefits of Turmeric as a sure shot solution to many skin problems in a youthful manner thus addressing the youth’s fears. Through our film, we built a perceived popularity for the brand by making it appear as if everyone knew of its benefits and was already using it. And the simple lyrics extolling the benefits set to foot tapping music did the rest.”

     

    https://youtu.be/80pFYBzpijE