Category: PRODUCTS

  • Hansa Cequity’s omni-channel shopper study throws up interesting findings

    By A Correspondent

     

    Customer marketing company Hansa Cequity released its first omni-channel shopper study to understand customer behaviour and how India shops. The survey received 1,368 responses from 86 Indian cities and towns.

     

    The report, launched in association with the Retailers Association of India (RAI) during the ‘Cequity Conclave: Data Driven CMO’, revealed that with increased choices, higher disposable incomes and exposure to global shopping formats, the Indian shopper is changing. The findings highlight in detail why data will drive the decisions of the future CMOs.

     

    According to the study, 74 per cent respondents’ exhibit omni-channel behaviour (they have shopped in all formats -local retailer, large department and online). The research further reveals that around 40 per cent of the urban Indian shoppers’ shop regularly using modern trade, the numbers have more than doubled as compared to 2012.

     

    The study also revealed that the level of penetration of omni-channel behaviour in the next multi-billion Rupee markets – small towns – is sluggish. However, optimistic signals with some retailers already taking measures to address this latent need of shoppers both by trying to extend the omni-channel experience and by increasing service levels was also observed.

     

    Commenting on the report Ajay Kelkar, Co-founder and COO, Hansa Cequity said, “The Indian shopper has changed. She is as comfortable haggling with the local vegetable seller as much as she is tapping open apps on her smartphone to scour ecommerce stores for the best deals. As consumers embrace new technologies, the shopping experience has become increasingly sophisticated, enabling new ways for leading retailers to reach their audience. By integrating and aligning channels – stores, e-stores, mobile apps and social media – omni-channel retailing provides a flexible and seamless shopping experience to customers.”

     

    “With multi-channel shopping interfaces: physical stores, malls, e-commerce platforms, social-enabled shopping experiences, and smartphone app based services consumers have so many ways to discover and buy the things they want to. Our first omni-channel retail study has been aimed at understanding the customer behaviour and tries to capture in the way Indians shop,” said S Swaminathan, Co-founder and CEO, Hansa Cequity.

     

    Kumar Rajagopalan, Chief Executive Officer, Retailers Association of India added, “RAI is the unified voice of retailers in India and works towards continuous updating of modern retail trade practices in the country. We recognise that today’s customers have multiple channel options to buy and this report reemphasised the need for retailers to adopt an omni-channel approach to interacting with consumers. A nation of shopkeepers, India has been on the high-growth trajectory, and retail in India has seen generational shifts as it modernises and shifts gears. We are glad to be associated with the first research report on the omni-channel retail in India.”

     

  • Publicis imparts education on Mutual Funds for HDFC

    By A Correspondent

     

    The penetration of Mutual Funds in the country is very low and one of the biggest reasons for that is the low awareness of the products and the benefits of investing in them. With the objective of demystifying mutual fund investment, Publicis leverages storytelling to achieve their goal in a very simple yet profound manner. The creative shop has crafted a series of TVCs for HDFC Mutual Fund capturing distinctive situations that interestingly inform people about investing in mutual funds through simple life analogies that are seen through the lens of a little girl.

     

    In one of the commercials, we see a girl wearing a saree confidently. But later we find that she’s made a mess of it as she doesn’t really know how to wear it and looks up to her mother for help thereby highlighting the importance of taking expert advice before investing in mutual funds. In another commercial, we see the girl swimming like a fish while an older lady hesitates to even put one foot in the pool, which goes on to explain the benefit of starting early when it comes to investing in mutual funds. In yet another commercial, we see the same girl greeting an angry old uncle everyday who eventually melts and reciprocates her actions which further goes on to explain the benefit of regular investments. There are a couple more films on the same line that will run on the digital medium.

     

    Commenting on the uniqueness of the campaign, Bobby Pawar, Managing Director, CCO, Publicis South Asia says “Most people are scared of thinking about investments, because they feel it is way too complicated for them to understand. So the problem was how do you get them to listen and more importantly learn? We turned to a technique that great teachers employ i.e. make the lesson interesting and fun. From here, we drew parallels between the things life teaches us as we are growing up and the principles of investing in mutual funds. To underscore that these lessons are simple, we told stories through the experiences of a little girl.”

     

  • Zippo out to find the “The Real Man” via new campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    American brand, Zippo is set to engage its fans in an exciting campaign to celebrate the essence of ‘The Real Man’. In a quest to find the attributes that make “The Real Man”, Zippo has partnered with men’s magazine, Maxim India.

     

    Spanning across three phases, the campaign aims to establish Zippo’s characteristics as moving beyond iconic lighters. The campaign integrates the belief that having a story makes a man unique; having a Zippo lighter makes him a man.

     

    Starting with a six-day Twitter contest on August 30, 2015, fans will be encouraged to share traits they think make “The Real Man” at Maxim India. Best entries will be integrated into a photo feature in Maxim India’s October issue and rewarded with a Zippo Gentlemen’s lighter.

     

    Zippo lovers will also have a chance to own exclusive and funky branded phone covers with purchase of a Zippo Windproof Lighter in the month of October at select retail outlets in Delhi.

     

    In the third phase of the campaign, Zippo and Maxim India will host a party to celebrate the spirit of ‘The Real Man’ with attendees including socialites and like-minded celebrities from fashion and Bollywood.

     

  • Coca-Cola announces senior leadership changes

    By A Correspondent

     

    Coca-Cola India announced senior leadership changes in keeping with its focus on providing more choice to consumers. Deepak Jolly, currently Vice President, Public Affairs & Communication has been entrusted the responsibility of setting up a new function within the Company which will promote its growing portfolio of niche brands within the franchise bottling territories. Deepak will continue to report to Venkatesh Kini and will take over his new responsibility starting November 1, 2015. The Company already has an established portfolio of premium brands like Schweppes Tonic, Schweppes Gingerale, Schweppes Soda and soon to be launched Fuze Tea.

     

    Deepak is a veteran of the Coca-Cola system who has led the Public Affairs & Communication function within the company for over 10 years.  He joined Coca-Cola India at a time when the Company was facing significant challenges and helped turnaround the business by focusing on reputation management. Over a career spanning more than three decades, he has worked with top corporates like Hindustan Unilever, PepsiCo, Godfrey Philips and Bharti Airtel. In preparation for his new assignment, Deepak will soon attend an executive leadership program at a leading University in USA for a period of six weeks.

     

    Ishteyaque Amjad, who has joined Coca-Cola India, will take over the responsibility of the Public Affairs & Communications function for India and South West Asia. Ishteyaque most recently was Director Corporate Affairs for Cargill, based in Singapore. Ishteyaque joined Cargill in 2008 to establish the Corporate Affairs function for their India business. He launched Cargill’s ‘Nourishing India’ program that aimed to provide solutions for food and nutrition insecurity. In a career spanning more than two decades, he has held senior roles in companies such as HCL Enterprises and Essar Group and also served with the Indian Army. He is a Post Graduate from Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies in Pune and a Bachelor of Economics from Aligarh Muslim University. He is also an alumnus of the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun.

     

    Announcing these changes, Venkatesh Kini, President, Coca-Cola India and South West Asia, said, “Deepak has accepted the responsibility to lead the premium and niche segment in the franchise bottling territories. In many ways, he is returning to where he started his career from – the Operations and Sales role in a large FMCG Company. I wish him the very best as he takes up a very challenging new assignment. I also welcome Ishteyaque Amjad to the Coca-Cola family. He has solid credentials and will make a great addition to our leadership team.”

     

  • Is it time for brands and services to go app-only?

    By Amit Bapna

     

    The ongoing debate on the ‘right time’ for brands to go app-only does not seem even close to getting resolved. It’s however on the minds of several companies in a market that’s reportedly adding a staggering 5 million smart phones every month. Some brands have leapt aboard the app only bandwagon: Myntra, Ola and most recently food-brand Faasos on realising 97 per cent of its customers place orders via the app.

     

    In principle, while the app has much going for it, the debate remains focused on the readiness (or lack) of the market. The journey is also a function of category and target audience. For instance furniture, household electronics etc. lend themselves better to omni-channel.

     

    Rathin Lahiri, CMO, Meru Cabs claims an app-first strategy is better than app-only for many reasons. “Ecommerce is still under-penetrated. While the mobile is a more personal shopping device, the website is just easier to browse.” Adds Sabyasachi Mitter, managing director, ibs, “Going app-only is a bad idea at this stage. The market needs more users to experience the online ecosystem.” Once a user sees the benefit of a brand he will naturally look for its app.

     

    The world’s most valuable start-up Uber is apponly and that is not by coincidence. Taking a leaf, the Indian aggregator Ola has become app-only since August 1 this year. Its call centre is no longer a booking channel but acts purely as customer care. As per Anand Subramanian, senior director – marketing communications, Ola, “The choice was between the call centre and the mobile app since the desktop was never a large contributor.” To keep the experience inclusive, the app has been kept very simple which is the secret sauce is in his view.

     

    For Myntra, fashion is a very personal experience. Prasad Kompalli, head of eCommerce platform believes that mobile can truly deliver this experience as it captures user’s lifestyle and context in manner that the desktop cannot.

     

    On the other hand, flipkart has reportedly gone cold on its app-only plans for now, and as per the company spokesperson, “We are constantly experimenting with various aspects of our service to create the best shopping experience for users on our app. Meanwhile, we continue to offer both desktop as well as mobile options.”

     

    Points out Tushar Vyas, chief strategy officer, GroupM South Asia, “There are significantly more users getting added to mobile internet than PC internet and the battle has moved to owning real estate on the consumer’s phone and becoming a destination of choice.” The app-only approach, thus, is a bold move for the future. According to Milind Pathak, COO, Madhouse, the app gives the brand far more control. Also due to the handset native presence, even when the app is closed, it will pass signals making for personalised interactions.

     

    With access to location data, relevant push notifications could be bundled, deals, for instance. Adds Rahul Pandey, CEO and co-founder of mobile advertising agency Bonzai, “An app install on consumer’s device provides a higher chance of engagement, and the ability to collect user specific data, build engagement and do re-targeting.” Apps could well be the pillar leading to the maturity of analytics based marketing as against the currently prevalent acquisition driven model.

     

    According to Joono Simon, co-founder of Bengaluru-based Brave New World, “The marketing efforts to drive traffic to the site and the app are a resource drain. The websites in the current avatar won’t last long.” Agrees and adds Vivek Bhargava, CEO, iProspect-Communicate2, “A key advantage of this approach is that brands have to advertise less once the user starts to order through the app.” However common wisdom is pointing to the fact that shifting consumers desktop to mobile will require a more engaged and evolved ecosystem.

     

    Whether and when a company decides to go app only requires a careful calibration of how its core consumers are evolving. Flipkart backing down obviously had a lot to do with buyers in big ticket categories that require a lot of comparison and browsing before purchase — electronic goods and computer components for instance — threatening to shift en masse to the competition. While marketers often dream of leading the consumer, following her will perhaps be the best way to go, this time around.

     

    Source:The Economic Times

    Copyright © 2015, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All Rights Reserved

    Licensed to republish

     

  • Maruti Suzuki takes ‘Above the Ordinary’ route for S-CROSS

    By A Correspondent

     

    S-CROSS by Maruti Suzuki comes with the perfect balance of power, comfort and luxury. Its spirited cross-over looks, premium interiors, rich features combined with massive torque, power, [two diesel engine options: DDiS 200 and DDiS 320] superior ride and handling is the perfect offering for today’s new age customer. The S-CROSS, with its offer of power & performance and the comfort & refinement of a sedan is now the new “premium cross-over” in India. It is the first model to be retailed exclusively through NEXA, the newly launched automotive experience.

     

    The S-CROSS is all about power and luxury, and is targetted at consumers who like taking the rough with the smooth- the one who loves driving on city roads as well as the adventure and thrill of a rough drive with no compromise on luxury. The communication showcases this and also highlights its crossover identity along with establishing the fact that it comes equipped with the best and most powerful engine in its category. This makes the campaign stands true when it says, “Above the Ordinary.

     

    The TVC is based on the same thought and shows the S-CROSS being driven through dusty roads by someone who is seeking the shortest route to reach work. The style and pace seems to imply that there’s a young brat in the driving seat, until you get a glimpse of the man who is driving towards his workplace- an art museum. As he drives into the museum, he sees people admiring art pieces kept outside and one sees him quickly park the S-CROSS, and the doors open up in a jiffy. As he moves towards his office, everyone leaves the art pieces to behold and admire the new creation the S-CROSS- the Above the Ordinary, premium cross-over.

     

    Elvis Sequeira

    Speaking on the campaign, Elvis Sequeira, COO, Hakuhodo Percept, said, “We had actually a dual task before us. One was to bring to life the excitement we felt when we saw and then test-drove the S-CROSS. And the other was to position it in such a way that it would match the expectations set by NEXA Experience that we had just launched a few weeks earlier. Since the S-CROSS would be the first model off the block, the communication had to convey the same sense of premium-ness and exclusivity. I believe, the campaign and TVC do a great job in setting the bar high for car launches in India.”

     

  • Faasos is the answer to “Aaj Khane Mein Kya Hai”

    By A Correspondent

     

    Faasos, a leading food technology business in India has rolled out its new TV ad campaign. The campaign that comprises of two TVCs, conceptualized by Lowe Lintas Mumbai, highlights the daunting question every consumer asks from the time they wake up till the time they reach home, “Aaj Khane Mein Kya Hai”.

     

    Both TVCs reflects the ease of ordering food by simply telling the consumer to leave their food worries to Faasos. Reinforcing the message of the ad film, the visuals capture the day-to-day struggle of people and their food woes and the various Breakfast-Lunch-Evening snack and chai-Dinner offerings that Faasos has to offer, and the ease with which the customer can place the order through the Faasos app.

     

    Revant Bhate, Head of Marketing at Faasos said, “Aaj Khane Mein Kya Hai”, is the most colloquial question that all Indians discuss every day and we at Faasos endeavor to give answers to, with multiple meal options of the day. We felt the need to address this question because we understand the plight that working professionals, young couples and foodies in general face. For Indians, food commands our emotions, be it a breakfast meet with a client, a light lunch to go, an India-Pakistan match or just a party at home. Faasos was started some years ago with a focus on good quality reasonably priced food and that is what we serve till today. With new options for everyday meals; breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner; Faasos is the answer to “Aaj Khaane Mein Kya Hai” through an easy to use app.”

     

    Arun Iyer , Chief Creative Officer, Lowe Lintas said, “While the strategy to make Faasos top-of-mind with that niggling everyday question of ‘what to eat’ was clear, in the campaign executions we had to pitch their ‘everyday plight’ just right. Our inspiration was in-your-face reality served with a dash of humor. So our creative approach was to hold a mirror to their reality when it comes to this everyday question and pepper it with a dash of humor to create an intelligent yet fun brand tone for Faasos.”

     

    Lowe Lintas, ED, Shantanu Sapre added, “Faasos is a venture with an understanding of what young-adults want today. When we got started thinking about how to bring Faasos to the fore of every food decision that they have to make in their day to day bustle, we realized that food is one question that today’s young-adults don’t want to stress about. They want the answers ready. And that’s where we positioned Faasos.”

     

  • The Social Street makes angry babies dot the country skyline

    By A Correspondent

     

    IDBI Federal Life Insurance has launched its outdoor campaign with The Social Street to promote its insurance solutions for children’s future

     

    Hoardings across prominent locations in the country are plastered with grumpy baby faces after private life insurer, IDBI Federal Life Insurance launched its funny, yet hard-hitting, outdoor campaign to promote its child plans category – Childsurance.

     

    The angry baby photos attract your attention and lead you to an important message – the child will not look this cute when he /she is angry at the age of 18 years! With inflation in education costs ballooning year after year, it is important that young parents systematically plan for the future needs of their little ones. The outdoor campaign, like the other campaigns from the company, adds a bit of humour to communicate an important message. The campaign spans 105 towns in the country.

     

    Explaining the objective of this campaign, Aneesh Khanna, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer, IDBI Federal Life Insurance, said, “According to a survey, about 60% of Indian parents are worried about the rising education costs. According to the National Crime Records Bureau statistics, an Indian dies in an accident every 90 seconds. With such uncertainty and rising costs, the biggest worry in the minds of today’s young parents is, whether their goals for their children will be fulfilled, especially in their absence. Our children’s insurance solutions address these concerns effectively. The plans not only help customers build a sizeable corpus, but also offer life cover. The waiver of premium benefit ensures that the plan continues even in the absence of the parent and children’s future needs are secured no matter what.”

     

    He adds, “The message of angry babies is so strong and striking at the same time that we thought an outdoor campaign would effectively communicate the campaign thought. The best part about this campaign is that while it gives a gentle nudge to young parents to plan for their children’s future needs, it takes does so by taking a complete departure from regular advertising featuring babies. While you would see happy baby faces in most advertising, ours features angry babies and this has caught the attention of the audience.”

     

    Say’s Pratap Bose Founding Partner and Chairman of The Social Street … ’’The Childsurance campaign from IDBI Federal is indeed an intriguing one, as the cute angry babies immediately draw your attention. Large scale formats in the OOH space, enables the imagery of the visual to be disproportionately large, so as to draw attention and drive home the point that your child’s insurance is certainly not something that you can take for granted’’

     

    Nitin Rastogi Associate Vice President The Social Street adds “We executed The Childsurance campaign in 105 cities, with more than 900 billboards  pan India in Phase 1, we planned & shortlisted each and every media considering the creative, even the way the baby looked towards the traffic as per the positioning of each site. The beauty of the outdoor is that you can use the creative suitable to each and every medium, which no other medium offers, and we’ve tried to explore this effectively in this campaign, in phase one we integrated the campaign with radio, and in phase two we’re planning to take it a step further with on-ground activation & digital”

     

  • Madison OOH creates an innovative campaign for ITC’s Engage Deo

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison OOH, the outdoor arm of Madison World has done an innovative outdoor campaign to promote ITC’s Engage Deo’s new variant All Day Long for men and women in Mumbai.

     

    The brand stands for the proposition of all day long fresness and therefore MOMS came up with an innovation showcasing a live analogue clock with the hour and minute hands replaced by the Engage Men’s & Women’s – All Day long variants.

     

    Dipankar Sanyal, COO MOMS, says “We have been working with ITC brands over the last 6 years. It is always a pleasure to work with the brand and come up with intersting, innovative, disruptive Outdoor strategy and execution to create high level engagement for consumers.”

     

    The recent Mondelez Oreo campaign in Mumbai and the Bandhan Bank launch campaign were also excuted by MOMS.

     

    Madison OOH has won several awards recently including 1 Gold, 1 Silver and 5 Bronze at the OAC awards last week, a Gold at Goafest Abby 2015, 16 awards at E4M Neon Awards 2015 and 12 awards at Asian Consumer Engagement Forum 2015.

  • Nerolac kickstarts festive season with new TVC

    By A Correspondent

     

    Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd (KNPL) has released a new television commercial for Nerolac Enamel to mark the onset of festive season with Onam.

     

    The ad film opens with a shot of an old mother elated to receive the news of her son’s return. Excited with the news, the entire family is seen eagerly cleaning up and repainting their neglected and dull looking home. The crowning glory of this revamping exercise is Nerolac Enamel’s rich vibrant colour.

     

    As the son arrives, the family members eagerly wait inside the house for him to enter so that they can welcome him home. The wait continues so the confused family hurries to investigate the reason for the hold up. They find the son at the threshold mesmerized by the vibrant smooth finish of their newly painted door, emphasizing Nerolac Enamel’s product promise that a vibrant and smooth finish will enamour all those who come across it!

     

    Satbir Singh, the Chief Creative Officer at FCB Ulka shared the thought behind the film, “It is a slice of life from a typical household in Kerala, with the return of family members being as momentous as a festival in itself. Often the family receives a short notice and we wanted to convey how simply painting your home can completely alter the personality of your home.”

     

    Anuj Jain, Director Decorative Paints at Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited added, “Kerala is a crucial market for Nerolac. In addition to a host of ad-marketing activities lined up specifically for the state, the aim to release this television commercial was to kick-start the festive season in Kerala. The ad beautifully represents the elegant and simplistic life in Kerala while portraying how a home makeover brings the entire family together.”

     

  • Dial *123# to get ‘Zyada’ wala more

    By A Correspondent

     

    Tata Docomo has launched a new television commercial under its popular campaign ‘Har Baar More’. The campaign exhibits the functional promise of the brand – to deliver ‘More’ than what the customer expects every time he recharges on the Tata Docomo network.

     

    As always, the new TVC employs a unique merger of humor and comic timing to set a scene which is witnessed by many in their daily lives. The TVC in its cheeky tone and funny word play on “More”, shows the plight of a typical corporate executive when he does a faux pas in what “More” in English means (additional) versus when transliterated in Hindi (Peacock). The peacock hogs the limelight while the messaging of ‘More’ gets delivered in an interesting way. The message conveyed to the viewer is that on dialling the USSD, customers will get only the “Zyada Wala More” on every recharge occasion and this is not any kind of drivel. In just 30 seconds, the new TVC essentially articulates to its viewers that the best way to get “More” value from a Tata Docomo recharge is by dialing *123#.

     

    On the launch of the new TVC, Gurinder Singh Sandhu, Chief Marketing Officer, Tata Teleservices Limited said, “At Tata Docomo we understand that each customer is unique, having distinct usage patterns for voice and data requirements. Thus, in order to ensure utmost customer delight, we are offering customised products to them and empowering them to have the freedom to choose the plans as per their usage.”

     

    Tata Docomo’s ‘Har Baar More’ value proposition is aimed at delivering maximum value to consumers throughout their lifetime on the network. This USSD platform delivers a bouquet of customised voice and internet recharges based on the usage patterns of customers- the service is designed to deliver ‘More value on every recharge occasion’ ensuring unique proposition for each customers. It reinforces the commitment of the brand to provide quality services at affordable prices through its innovative offerings.

     

    Conceptualised by Contract India, the latest TVC captures an everyday situation to present a witty reminder for the value-for-money data and voice plans by Tata Docomo. To drive home the distinct local flavour of the commercials, Tata Docomo has released the TVCs in eight languages, including Bengali, English, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

     

  • Madison Media wins OYO Rooms mandate

    By A Correspondent

     

    Madison Media Plus, a part of Madison Media Group has just announced the win of OYO Rooms. The account was won in a multi-agency pitch. The account will be handled out of the agency’s Delhi office.

     

    OYO Rooms is India’s largest branded network of hotels founded by young entrepreneur, 21-year-old Ritesh Agarwal. OYO Rooms currently operates in more than 100 Indian cities including Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Goa, Chennai, Kolkata and others. OYO is present in major metros, regional hubs, leisure destinations and pilgrimage towns. According to a research carried out by CB Insights for The New York Times, OYO Rooms is among the companies that may be the next start-up unicorns.The company is backed by investors like the Softbank Group, Lightspeed India, Sequoia Capital and Greenoaks Capital.

     

    Says Abhinav Sinha, Chief Operating Officer, OYO Rooms, on selecting Madison Media, “Madison is the biggest name in marketing communications and we are very proud to be associated with them. I am sure that under the able leadership of Mr. Sam Balsara, the Madison team will take OYO to new heights and we will soon be a household name. At OYO, we believe that everybody deserves an amazing experience when staying out of home, and, it is great that Madison will be taking OYO’s message to the people.”

     

    Sam Balsara

    Sam Balsara, Chairman & Managing Director, Madison World, “I am delighted that we have won this young but extremely promising business and are looking forward to help OYO Rooms become a household name in the country. It is really exciting to see such a young entrepreneur making a mark so early in life.”