MxMIndia

Tag: Byju

  • Sanjeev Kotnala of action cues of audio-visual ‘hammering’ in a recent communication

    Brand Signature Moves… Sahi Hai?

     

     

    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Sanjeev KotnalaAfter a long time, I am enjoying some of the advertising I see. And the buzz is not because the brands have purposefully commented on some rituals. The ideas are well-presented and powerfully pushed to the audience. Intentional communication delivers a directional message to the unconscious mind. And, if this was unintentional, maybe it is a good post-rationalisation for the idea.

     

    I may not have thought so, but then my friend and consultant Vermajee drew my attention to it. He elaborates over Lawson Williamson, his newly acquired taste in mid-level whiskey. I think he has been minutely observing judges empathising on signature moves of Dance India contestants. I guess it made Vermajee focus on brand signature lines, action cues of audio-visual hammering in a recent communication.

     

    YEH SAHI HAI

    Mutual fund communication at every possible opportunity reiterates ‘Sahi Hai’  for investing in Mutual Funds. The regulatory warning that is part of the communication does not matter. As the statement ‘Sahi Hai’ gets repeated, it starts making sense. In fact, more sense than it should. The uninitiated investors who must rethink their options start seeing Mutual funds with coloured glasses. Their confidence gets further enhanced with every new story, exposure of Sahi Hai loaded with strong visual cues. The pause and the applause are perfectly timed. The use of cricketers – caution statement- logical explanation- push for meeting experts. Saab Sahi Hai. Only if they can get the verbal nail a visual hammer to amplify it further.

     

     

    CARBONATED THOUGHTS

    ‘Toofan Wahi Jo Sab Palat De’ says Thums up. The character dramatically tilts the bottle upside down. It is a powerful visual cue. Drink and flip. The whole story is engaging and delivered powerfully. It again leaves you with a strong visual hammer and an audio nail. The tonality is all masculine and charged up, just like the extra string drink.

     

     

    FANTASY LEAGUE DRUMMING THE DREAM.

    The Dream stories in Dream-11 shout loudly. The brand tells you stories of realised dreams.  It wants you too to dream big. The seed is implanted subconsciously. Think Big. Dream Big. Bet Big. In most fantasy leagues, there is an additional challenge to beat the selection of superstars of cricket. They hurt the ego of an armchair critic who thinks he knows better. The challenge must then be accepted. The game is now beating the cricket superstar acumen as a team selector.

     

    I have been a fan of Dream-11 communications through the years and the way it is evolving. A robust strategic intent and planning is apparent. They know where they are going. From celebrating teams and gully cricket, anything for the game, Dimag se Khel- eek hi Dhoni– Game hai Mahan to realising big dreams. It is different that I see a need for strong regulations for fantasy leagues because of their addictive- habit-forming nature. Any day would love to meet and interact with the Marketing teams behind it.

     

     

    CRED GAINS CREDIBILITY WITH FREQUENCY

    Cred is the joker in the House. One may question the need for high decibel advertising that the brand indulges in. But there is an established format now for the brand. It has two parts. The static, fixed part A and the tactically changing part B with celebrities like Rahul Dravid– Kapil Dev– Neeraj Chopra and more. Cred is leveraging a reverse flip. If the second statement is engaging, humorous and authentic, the earlier information must also be similar. Making that strongly uninteresting functional statement enjoyable enough. Frankly, I hate it- because even though people remember the celebrity stunts- the brand association is strong enough. Strategically, quirky Cred  is building its own unique communication signature.

     

     

    STRONG BYJU

    Byju intrigues. It uses jealousy and competitiveness along with a rational explanation. It seems to be working. I loved how Byju exploited vulnerable parents during the Parent Day #Honourtheirsacrifice with short clips of students. Vermajee rightly points out that Byju was not reminding students of the sacrifices their parents made. It was pushing parents down memory lane. There is always a better chance of them relating to the problems better them than the students.

     

     

    ALL IS NOT WELL

    There are few brand communication that confuses me. I fail to understand the primary intent and why the brand is doing what it is doing.

     

    MISSING UNACADEMY

    Now the last one. #TeachThemYoung by Unacademy is a cryptic one. What the hell is the brand connection? What were they selling or proposing? Even Vermajee is zapped. He tried to decipher the brand intent and gave up. Maybe the stakeholders know better.

     

     

    GOBHI AALU DISCOUNT – NETMED

    ‘Netmeds’ discount advertising featuring Kareena and Karishma Kapoor is silly and confusing. Why should one fall ill to earn discounts on medicine? And that too for vegetables. How sick should I be to get a decent discount at Netmeds to buy even a one-time vegetable? Do I buy medicines t get a discount, or do I purchase medication at a discount? Creative license?

     

    The Netmeds ad on trust and ‘discount on medicine is possible’ works because it reflects customer apprehensions. I would have loved it if they had stuck to quality medicine delivered on time and at a reasonably discounted price. But, please, stop the Gobhi-Aloo discount on medicines.

     

     

    NET-NET 

    We are living in an era of information parity, easy access and social connectivity. Everyone is sharing suggestions- recommendation or their skewed point of view. The brands need to be extra cautious in developing their signature tag, a signature move supported and held by a verbal nail repeatedly hammered visually. Some brands discover it. Sometimes it is a mistake that gets post rationalised. But always better to spend that more time in developing and investing in creating communication with brands signature touch- Just like Men will be men, a powerful idea holding it together. The thought is the brand signature, but the brand association could be stronger. Maybe, (I say maybe as I can’t think how) a consistent signature visual hammering to further strengthen it.

     

     

    You may finally have a signature move or not, a verbal nail or not and a visual hammer or not- but be alive to the reality and life of your audience- be sensitive to their beliefs, region and religion

     

     

     

  • The Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB) ran a telephonic survey on Sunday, October 4 reaching out to 892 respondents during the day to check out recall of brands, their celebrities and their messaging

    Byju tops on IPL ads recall. Dhoni, Kohi most recalled celebs: IIHB study

    By A Correspondent

     

    Byju’s was the most spontaneously recalled brand on the IPL last weekend as MS Dhoni had the highest spontaneous recall as a celebrity endorser. The Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB) ran a telephonic survey on Sunday, October 4 reaching out to 892 respondents during the day to check out recall of brands, their celebrities and their messaging. There were 41% female respondents, ad 59% male. All respondents were between 15 to 35 years.

     

    So while Byju’s was the most spontaneously recalled brand on the IPL last weekend, its celebrity endorser Shah Rukh Khan trailed behind other celebrities who were more visible, hence more recalled. Dream 11 was at No 2 with multiple endorsers.

     

    Swiggy, Thar, UpGrad and Altroz ranked highest amongst brands that did not use a celebrity. VI was not spontaneously recalled, notes the study.

     

    MS Dhoni had the highest spontaneous recall as a celebrity endorser. Virat Kohli was a not-so-close second. Akshay Kumar was at #3; Ayushmann Khurrana at #4.

     

    Said Dr Sandeep Goyal, Chief Mentor of the IIHB: “So far in the IPL, MS Dhoni is the biggest celebrity. Virat Kohli trails. However, it is surprising that Shahrukh Khan has not done as well as the brand, BYJUs, that he represents. Aamir, though supported by much lesser media weightages, is a better performing celebrity this season at IPL. Non-celebrity brands have done well too. Swiggy, Thar, UpGrad, Altroz, Lenskart, MG Gloster, Facebook, Amazon, Kellogg’s, cricket.com, and VI were mentioned in significant measure by respondents. PhonePe and Swiggy were rated as the best ads of the ones on the IPL. But, the feedback on qualitative goodness was inadequate and is mentioned here only as part of data received by default.”

     

     

  • Anita Kotwani joins Carat India as CEO

    By A Correspondent

     

    Carat India, the flagship media agency from the house of Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN), has roped in Anita Kotwani as its chief executive officer (CEO). 

     

    Kotwani was until recently at Mindshare India where she held the position of Senior Vice President, New Business and Client Lead, The Walt Disney Business. In a career spanning more than two decades, 16 of which have been with Mindshare, Kotwani has been instrumental in leading client relationships for brands such as the ABG, Kellogg, ICICI Group, Facebook, Byju and The Walt Disney Company amongst others, for the West zone. Additionally, she has also helped build diversified offerings across data, digital and content, driving exponential growth for Mindshare India over the last two years.

    Kartik Iyer
    Kartik Iyer

    She will report to Kartik Iyer, President Media Brands and Amplifi and will be responsible for the agency’s strategic progress and business growth, nationally. She will also focus on developing and leading significant tools and capabilities within Carat to help deliver enhanced integrated solutions to clients. Speaking on her appointment, Iyer said: “I am delighted to have Anita Kotwani join our team at Dentsu Aegis Network India. In her new role, Anita will help futureproof Carat India as the agency gets ready to take on the new opportunities that the changing market dynamics has to offer.” 

     

    Anand Bhadkamkar
    Anand Bhadkamkar

    Added Anand Bhadkamkar, CEO, DAN India: “Anita is an industry veteran. She is known for her dedication and diligence and has worked across multiple categories including consumer durables, financial services, FMCG and other MNC brands. I wish her all the luck as she charts fresh new path for Carat India, beginning now,” 

     

    Elaborating on her mandate, Kotwani said: “Carat was the world’s first media agency to form with the belief that media has the power to transform businesses and this holds true even in today’s times. It is indeed Redefining Media. With DAN’s unique operating model under its single P&L structure, one can draw on the capabilities of its sister companies – including that of its dedicated OOH, Digital, Performance, Marketing Effectiveness and Creative agencies, to access world class specialisms and create bespoke teams to meet client specific needs. There is scale, specialisation and integration at the core, and with my expertise in leading client relationships and growing diversified offerings, I am super excited to lead the Carat brand for India.”

  • The quiz will feature teams from 29 states and 1 Union Territory (Delhi)

    Mini Mathur and Cyrus Sahukar to host Discovery School Super League

    By A Correspondent

     

    Mini Mathur and Cyrus Sahukar have united after four years to host the school quiz show, Discovery School Super League (DSSL) powered by Byju’s. The on-air six-episode phase of DSSL premieres April 28 on Discovery Channel, Discovery HD World, Discovery Science, and Discovery Kids. The quiz will feature teams from 29 states and 1 Union Territory (Delhi).

     

    Speaking on the occasion, Mathur said: “I’m a complete quiz head and love being part of shows which unearth the true hidden knowledge potential of children of India. The role of a quizmaster is not as simple as it may seem – one needs to make the children comfortable and uninimidated so that they are unfazed with the occasion and can remember their facts as and when the time arises… and yet keep the energy of the game high. I am excited to be part of DSSL because the process of identifying team of each state has been very exhaustive.”

     

    Added Sahukar: “The scale of DSSL is amazing. The fact that the on-ground phase touched more than 43 lakh children, and only 60 made it to the TV round tells you a deeper story that the standard of quiz would be very high; the competition intense. I am excited to be amongst such talented bunch.”

     

     

  • The winning team and the runner-up teams will get an all-expenses paid trip to NASA

    Discovery India and Byju’s unveil an integrated school quiz show

    By A Correspondent

     

    Discovery Communications India and Byju’s have joined hands to launch an integrated school quiz show – Discovery School Super League. The show will reach out to 12000+ schools across 30 States and Union Territories hosting the initial on-ground round, targeting 25 lakh students in the age-group of 8 to 14 years.

     

    Layered into three rounds – at School Level, City Level and State level, the quiz will culminate into a 6-episode TV quiz show which will premiere on Discovery Channel, Discovery HD World, Discovery Science & Discovery Kids starting Feb 2019.The winners of the inaugural edition will get a special prize of an all-expenses paid trip to NASA.

     

    “We are delighted to partner with Byju’sand build a truly integrated 360-degree IP revolving around learning and fun or self-initiated learning. Our aim is to make the show as the gold-standard in quiz contests across the country,” said, Vikram Tanna, VP, Head of Advertising Sales and Business Head of Regional Clusters, Discovery Communications India.