MxMIndia

Tag: Karthi Marshan

  • Explores impact of digital transformation on advertising and marketers

    IAA hosts first digital event TechPulse

    By Our Staff

     

    The India Chapter of International Advertising Association (IAA) hosted its first-ever onground digital event, TechPulse.

     

    The theme of the event, “Digital Transformation: Implications for Advertising and Marketers,” saw discussions on opportunities and challenges presented by the digital landscape. Said Neena Dasgupta, Chairperson, IAA TechPulse, and CEO & Founder of The Salt Inc Consulting, CEO of Aidem Ventures: “With TechPulse, we brought together some of the brightest minds in the advertising and market industry. Going forward, IAA TechPulse will provide a platform for industry professionals to learn, share, and collaborate on the latest developments in the field.”

     

    IAA India chapter TechPulse kicked off with a minute of silence in honour of Siddharth Rao, Co-Founder WebChutney (acquired by Dentsu) and Punt Partners. Neena Dasgupta and Avinash Pandey, President – IAA India Chapter and CEO, ABP Network, set the context for the event before a conversation by Megha Tata, CEO Cosmos-Maya, and Anant Goenka, Chairperson, IAA TechPulse & Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, on the change in content delivery in linear and integrated context.

     

    The main event began with a session by Neeraj Roy, Founder & CEO of Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Limited, on the role of technology in India’s digital foundation and the opportunities it presents for maximizing efficiency. The event also saw a session by Charulata Ravi Kumar, MD of Accenture, on the topic of digital disruption and its impact on socio-economic changes.

     

    Karthi Marshan, Advisor, Kotak highlighted on the need for cautiously adopting the latest developments specifically in the areas of Banking and Finance. Niraj Ruparel, Emerging Tech Lead at GroupM/WPP presented some novel applications of Generative AI. Tarun Katial, Founder & CEO of COTO App discussed the marketer’s dilemma in the conversational AI era and how to solve it.

     

    TechPulse also featured a panel discussion on “Marketing Solutions in a cookie-less world,” moderated by Nandini Dias, Former CEO, Lodestar UM. The panel members, Prasad Shejale, Founder & CEO, Logicserve Digital, Sanjay Sindhwani, CEO, Indian Express Digital, Siddharth Dhabade, Managing Director, MiQ, and Neil George, Managing Director, Nivea India, discussed the challenges and opportunities of marketing in a cookie-less world.

     

    Satya Raghavan, Director Marketing Partners at Google India, highlighted developments happening at Google in understanding consumer behaviour given emerging environmental and contextual constraints. Shilpa Sadana, Associate Director of Sales at Affinity Global Advertising and Ritu Mittal, Head of Marketing and Digital at Bayer Consumer presented a case study highlighting the significance of research insights in formulating creatives for digital platforms.

     

    The need for integrated media measurement and possible guidelines for it was presented by Priya Choudhary, Director of Business Solutions & Insights at Google India. This was followed by an panel discussion, moderated by Vivek Malhotra, Group CMO (India Today Group) and COO Consumer Revenue, focused on the new world of cross-media measurement. The panel members, L V Krishnan, CEO, TAM Media Research, Anand Chakravarthy, Chief Growth Officer, Omnicom Media Group, Vishal Chinchankar, CEO, Madison Digital, Gowthaman Ragothaman, Founding CEO of Aqilliz, and Prasun Basu, Head of Growth and Digital Transformation, Kantar, discussed the need for cross-media measurement and the challenges that come with it.

     

    The last session was by Amer Jaleel, former Group Chief Creative Officer and Chairman of MullenLowe Lintas Group, on the importance of creativity in the world of technology, data, and methods.

     

    The event also announced innovation awards to recognise the enterprises and the foresight of individuals to implement innovative thoughts into action. The innovation awards were identified under four segments – Marketing, Media, Agency and Platforms:

    :: Prasad Pimple, EVP and Head of Digital, Kotak Life was presented the innovation award for going deep into customer mindset segmentation and linking psychographic triggers to behaviour to unlock value across all digital activities.

    :: Niraj Ruparel, Emerging Tech – Lead at GroupM/WPP for diving deep into Conversational AI and Metaverse and bringing the two together to unlock and implement some of the best experienced innovations.

    :: Neha Barjatya, Director Marketing, Google India for combining the power of platforms and the ambition of empowering rural women to create sustained opportunities and strong communities.

    :: Vivek Malhotra, CMO India Today Group and COO Consumer Revenues for innovating on integration content, context and audience behavior to grow the customer base exponentially.

     

  • Supports the Indian contingent

    Kotak signs agreement with Paralympic Committee of India

    By Our Staff

     

    Kotak Mahindra Group has announced that it has entered into an agreement with the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) to support the Indian contingent at the ongoing Tokyo Paralympic Games.

     

    Said Karthi Marshan, President & Chief Marketing Officer, Kotak Mahindra Group: “Sports has the capacity to thrill and captivate, to bring people together, to inspire a nation. Even more so, when the athletes have overcome seemingly insurmountable challenges along the way. We are delighted to have been given the opportunity by the Paralympic Committee of India to support and cheer on the Indian contingent as they give it their all for the country at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. We wish Team India all the very best.”

     

    Added Dr Deepa Malik, President, Paralympic Committee of India: “We are excited to have the Kotak Mahindra Group extending its support to the Indian athletes participating at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. These sportspeople have battled the odds to get to where they are and to have the backing of a leading institution like Kotak means a great deal to all of us. As we strive for sustained sporting excellence as a nation, it is important that we develop a holistic sporting ecosystem that involves the participation of multiple stakeholder groups.”

     

  • The song conveys the importance of slowing down, exercising restraint and learning from this crisis

    Kotak releases song for the new normal

    By A Correspondent

     

     

    https://www.facebook.com/KotakBank/videos/2585108728422610/

     

    To help prepare Indians to lead a safer, more thoughtful and empathic life as the nationwide lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic is gradually lifted, Kotak Mahindra Bank announced the launch of the song – “Oh jazbati Bhaarat waasi, Mann ki Lagaam ko aaj tu kass le…Tere Charan Kamal Kaabu Mein Rakh Le”, a song that conveys the importance of slowing down, exercising restraint and learning from this crisis.

     

    The voiceover song on an animated video has been composed by noted music composer and producer, Ram Sampath, and written and sung by Swanand Kirkire. The video has been conceptualised by Cartwheel Creative Consultancy and the animation has been designed by Plankton Collective.

     

    Said Karthi Marshan, President and Chief Marketing Officer, Kotak Mahindra Group: “As we get ready to restart life in the new normal, our natural instinct is to resume from where we left off and revert to the way we lived our lives before the lockdown. That is likely to be very unsafe not just for us, but also our kith and kin, as well as the community at large. Through this charming and cheerful song, Kotak is sharing the message that all of us must get wiser from our learnings, and continue practicing social distancing and all the safety norms that kept us safe and alive during the lockdown. Our aim is to spread positivity and convey that while things are tough, by staying together, taking care of oneself and each other, we can overcome mankind’s biggest crisis.”

     

     

  • Rajiv Dube Director of Corporate Services Aditya Birla Group will Chair the Jury

    IAA Leadership Awards to be held on July 27 in Mumbai

    By A Correspondent

     

    The IAA Leadership Awards, now in its sixth edition will be presented in Mumbai at the St. Regis Hotel on July 27, 2018.

     

    Rajiv Dube, Director of Corporate Services, Aditya Birla Group will chair the Jury that will recognise marketers in major categories.

     

    The jury members for this flagship award for marketers include R Ramakrishnan, Vice Chairman & Joint MD and Group CEO – Polycab and Karthi Marshan, Marketing Head, Kotak Mahindra Group amongst others.

     

    Said Ramesh Narayan President India Chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA): “The IAA Leadership Awards have, over the last five years, been acknowledged as the gold standard of marketing awards.”

     

    Along with the awards for the top marketers of the year, a special committee of the IAA will decide on who will get the iconic Business leader of the Year (last year Mukesh Ambani personally accepted it and the year before that Kumar Mangalam Birla accepted it), Editor of the Year, CEO of the Year (Creative and Media Agency), News Anchor of the Year and Brand Ambassador of the Year.

     

     

  • Kona Kona 6% TVC uses the backdrop of rains to narrate stories of prosperity from different corners of India

    Kotak extends Kona Kona 6% thought further in latest TVC

    By A Correspondent

     

    Extending its Kona Kona Kotak campaign thought further, Kotak Mahindra has unveiled its latest campaign. After two years of drought, India is witnessing normal to excess rainfall in most parts. The national mood is upbeat, as a good monsoon promises prosperity and better agricultural output. The Kona Kona 6% TVC uses the backdrop of rains to narrate stories of prosperity from different corners of India.

     

    The government and Reserve Bank of India have taken a dovish stance on interest rates in the economy. Interest rates on small savings schemes such as postal savings, term and recurring deposits, National Savings Certificate (NSC), Senior Citizens Savings Scheme (SCSS), Public Provident Fund (PPF) etc. saw deep rate cuts recently, and further cuts are on the anvil.

     

    While KMB is aligned with RBI’s interest rate guidance, the bank continues to offer 6% interest rate on savings account balances above Rs. 1 lakh.

     

    Kona Kona 6% uses the backdrop of the monsoon to narrate stories of happiness and prosperity from different corners of India, such as Mysore, Chennai, Nashik, Vadodara, Chandigarh and Gangtok.

     

    The TVC will run in seven languages (Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu) on leading channels across India. Radio will also be leveraged for the campaign. The radio script will follow the TVC script, presented in the format of a weather report. In addition to the languages above, radio will also run in Punjabi and Malayalam.

     

    The outdoor campaign, set against the backdrop of rains, portrays happiness, and conveys the key message of Kona Kona 6%. The campaign will run in Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Pune.

     

    Karthi Marshan

    Karthi Marshan, Sr. EVP & Head – Group Marketing, Kotak Mahindra Bank, said “India is witnessing good monsoons this year after two consecutive dismal seasons. Good rains lead to positive sentiments, and we can feel the excitement at grassroot levels. Our new Kona Kona 6% campaign captures this mood of cheer and optimism.”

     

    Marshan added, “Kona Kona 6% is an extension of our Kona Kona Kotak and the recent 6% campaigns. It emphasises how we are contributing to people’s prosperity with something as simple as higher returns on savings account, thereby enabling them to fulfil their aspirations. The campaign also showcases how different customer segments are benefiting from our wide range of products and services.”

     

  • How do near-ad-free HD channels impact marketers, media planners and creative professionals? An MxMIndia report

    No (or low) ads on HD. Anybody complaining?

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    While there is no denying the importance of advertisements in a world where subscribers are unwilling to pay subscription fee for channels, there exist many viewers who are tired of innumerable ads interrupting their favourite soaps or sporting. The good news for them is that their ordeal has been put to an end through HD channels. At least for the moment

     

    With various broadcasters launching HD variations of their channels, many upper-end subscribers are shifting to HD set-up boxes or subscribing to an HD channel. However, as there are no free lunches in the world, these channels come at a premium.

     

    What media planners think?

    Most media planners feel that since HD channels come with a certain cost attached to them, it is but obvious that they cater to a limited audience.  So, most channels are aware of it and their target group.

     

    Anita Nayyar

    Talking about the HD channels’ reach, Anita Nayyar, director (customer strategy), BCCL, agrees that not many avail of the facility. However, with digitization being made compulsory, especially in the four metros things might change. “Unlike the West, inIndia a broadcasters make most of their money through advertisements, and not distribution. So, if HD channels reach only a certain section, then how will a channel make its revenue?”

     

    Ms Nayyar added: “Today, one might pay a premium cost to watch an ad-free telecast, but in the near future, if availability doesn’t increase then channels won’t have an option but to make exception to the rule. They will be forced to show advertisements; however, they might charge a higher cost or have a limited time slot.

     

    On the other hand, Hiren Pandit, managing partner of Group M, felt that broadcasters with HD channels aren’t feeling the pinch, since they want to cater to a different audience: “Apart from the top-notch TG, most broadcasters have non-HD channels as well, so they capitalize through them. And over a certain period of time, they’ll be able to cut losses.”

     

    Agreeing with Ms Nayyar and Mr Pandit, Janardhan Pandey added: “It’s not just about reach or money, there is another reason which plays an important part in making HD channels a hit and that’s viewers’ psyche.  A person who might be able to afford HD package might still go for cheaper option because he/she might feel why pay more when the same can be watched at a lesser cost. For them, a few advertisements don’t matter.”

     

    Marketers’ foresight

    A brand reaches its target audience through advertisements and in today’s time one can reach a cross-section of society through television. Hence, most marketers spend their most of their ad-revenue on TV.

     

    Karthi Marshan

    Karthi Marshan, EVP & Head Group Marketing, Kotak Mahindra Bank said: “Our estimate is that of the 136mn cable and satellite homes in India, 44mn are DTH. Of these, about 8 lakh are currently HD subscribers. That is less than 2% of DTH homes and a tad over 0.5% of all C&S homes. Now whether this affects a marketer or not depends on who is her core TG. For the average brand with SEC A & B as their TG this probably does not matter much, but yes, premium and super premium brands do stand to miss out on what could be core TG due to the fact that some of the HD channels still don’t run advertising.”

     

    He added: “The next question that marketers will have to contend with is broadcasters expecting to be paid separately or additionally for these audiences. While brands will make the argument that we have bought programs or channel presences and hence our ads should carry seamlessly to HD as well, broadcasters may well have a tenable argument to the effect that they are in the audience delivery business, and a premium audience can and should command a premium for access.”

     

    Similarly, Ashutosh Tiwary, EVP- Strategic Marketing, Godrej, feels that one needs to observe the situation over a period of time to know what will happen next: “If the ratings and numbers of non-HD channels on which the media deals are based, get affected due to HD feeds, then HD channels will probably will have to air the ads to make up. However, if HD numbers prove to be totally incremental, then the converse might hold true. Overall, if viewer retention and engagement goes up due to higher quality and reduced clutter, HD might require specific treatment.”

     

    While Simeran Bhasin, marketing head, Fastrack and new brands at Titan said that as a consumer she loves to watch her favourite programmes on ad-free HD channels, but as marketer she’ll have to look for other methods to reach the TG. “HD is here to stay and marketers will have to figure out ways to reach out their consumers. Because with technology available everywhere, one can easily switch-off their TV sets to watch something online which is accessible without any interruptions. So, marketers will have to sooner or later adapt to survive.”

     

    Vipin Mehra, former sales head, Pidilite, said: “It’s very important for any brand to send constant reminders to its TG about its existence, especially in today’s competitive market. So, brands will prefer a channel which will help them in doing so.”

     

    Keeping their fingers crossed

    Creative people on the other hand aren’t very happy with HD channels as they affect their work/business, but feel that things will change for good.

     

    KS Chakravarthy, director, DraftFCB Ulka, felt that though one might want to enjoy an ad-free telecast, it’s just a passing phase because channels have to make revenue which comes from advertisements. KV Sridhar, National Creative Director at Leo Burnett, too agreed with Mr Chakravarthy, adding: “When and as HD channels availability increases, broadcasters might be forced to start showcasing advertisements as well.”

     

    Who’ll be the ‘real’ beneficiary?

    Advertisements or not advertisements, broadcasters have to follow a business plan and many feel that they’ll have to succumb to it. “One or two networks have begun taking a smattering of ads, and this will only grow, I am guessing,” said Mr Marshan. A business is run on revenue and if it cannot be generated, then changes have to be made. However, for the time being, the viewer can enjoy an ad-free programme.

    One will just have to wait and watch.

     

  • Social media engagement for brands have many uses, and just like dating, socializing and evangelizing, there are things we must keep in mind.

    The Anchor: Karthi Marshan’s 5 rules for engaging financial services consumers on social media

    By Karthi Marshan

     

    Social media engagement for brands have many uses, and just like dating, socializing and evangelizing, there are things we must keep in mind. Here are a few of mine.

     

    #1 Listen first

    Obvious, isn’t it? Yet, we’d be amazed at the number of brands that ignore all the digital chatter their brands already enjoy / suffer, and dive blithely into a ‘campaign’ that plugs a product or extends their offline messaging. Just like you would at a party you have entered late, identify a group where some interesting conversation is happening, hang around and listen long enough to understand the mood, and then maybe, yes maybe consider interjecting with your two bits.

     

    #2 Speak human

    While it is contingent upon brand ambassadors to ensure propriety and appropriate representation of the brand’s stature, it would be prudent to eschew any language guidelines that the stuffed shirts throw at you and talk like you would at home or in a restaurant. It’s amazing how the people who run brands seem to check their human selves at the door when they communicate on behalf of brands, and start spouting what can only be described as ‘brandese’. Big words don’t impress, sincere ones do. So chill, be real, stay cool.

     

    #3 Chat, don’t plug

    Don’t be misled by it being called social ‘media’. Do not just blindly run your ads here. Just like you wouldn’t turn up at a friend’s cocktail party and start singing your brand’s jingle, apropos of nothing. Talk about what they are talking about. Be interested first, and then hopefully interesting. For heaven’s sake, don’t plug your messaging. Social media users are very sensitive to blatant plugging, and will flame the brand so badly, Hades (the place, not the person) will seem like Manali.

     

    #4 ‘Fess up

    When you join discussion groups or respond to comments about your brand and category, be clear about your identity. Don’t pretend to be just another regular guy who just ‘happens to really love the brand’. It smells a mile away. It’s perfectly fine to be a representative of the brand and defend it where relevant. So ‘fess up straight off the bat, don’t be cute.

     

    #5 Tell the truth

    While this sounds like a twin of ‘fess up’ there is a nuance I am trying to convey. Lots of brands are happy to troll the web and selectively display only the compliments they receive for good service. Stinks. If you want to share the bouquets, have the body parts to show off the brickbats also. So long as your intent to address the brickbats sincerely is evident, ‘they’ will understand. And just like in your marriage, saying sorry sincerely is usually more than enough. You will be forgiven and allowed to stop sleeping on the couch.

     

    Karthi Marshan heads marketing for the Kotak Mahindra Group.

     

  • We just have to reach deeper into the recesses of our memories, look deeper within our souls and remember the fundamentals of how communication works.

    Karthi Marshan: An age of delight

    It is the best of times, it is the worst of times, it is the age of wisdom, it is the age of foolishness, it is the epoch of belief, it is the epoch of incredulity, it is the season of Light, it is the season of Darkness, it is the spring of hope, it is the winter of despair, we have everything before us, we have nothing before us…

    Isn’t it truly?

    Never before now have we in the marketing and communication disciplines known so much, about what our consumers and audiences are doing, thinking, saying than we do today, thanks to the pervasive power of the internet, social media, brain scanning et al.

    For the marketer, it is truly time to celebrate. Never before has she had access to so much information about media consumption, at so granular a level. This can only mean that the lazy, opaque premiums commanded by oligarchic media vehicles will evaporate soon, allowing marketers to be able to pay for value they can see.

    For the media owner / seller, it is also time to exult. Hard work will win, because it will deliver measurable results. And results will be rewarded. Bullies will perish, the honest will prevail. For the number crunching nerd who lived in the dungeons of the marketing world, his day in the sun has come. Marketing will be more and more about teasing knowledge out of numbers, and less and less about flying off to Mauritius to shoot bikini clad models draped on car bonnets. Unless the NumberTaker decrees it, of course.

    For the creative disciplines, it would at first appear that the end of the world is nigh. But nothing will be further from the truth. When creatives learn to harness to power of data, they will be liberated from the burden of having to say “Trust me” time and again.

    For the newcomer to this world, it is truly the best of times. Because old-timers are finding it harder and harder to say stuff like…Do it my way, because I have 30 years experience at this…So much has changed in the last 15 years that the very tenets of communication effectiveness are being questioned daily. In the marketing and media disciplines, it is as if we have just been informed that the earth is not, after all, the centre of the universe, as we have been told for hundreds of years until now.

    But all is not lost for the old-timers either. We just have to reach deeper into the recesses of our memories, look deeper within our souls and remember the fundamentals of how communication works. Then we must understand how to interpret those principles in this era of terabytes.  Before we knew how to write and print, we passed down the wisdom of our ancestors mouth to mouth. We are right back there. As babies, we learnt to talk by listening first, we learnt to appeal to adults by imitating them. It is time to remember, time to reapply ourselves. It is time to

    Rejuvenate, refresh, renew ourselves. It is time to be born again communicators. It is the best of times, it is the age of wisdom, it is the epoch of belief, it is the season of Light, it is the spring of hope, we have everything before us…

    Karthi Marshan is Head Marketing, Kotak Mahindra Group